Communications Roundtable (CPSR, EFF, TAP, etc.) has established these items as priorities in the Information Infrastructure. Cypherpunks: it occured to me that we could gain a lot of valuable knowledge with how to commence with this `infrastructure building' by looking at historical analogues. While the advent of cyberspace is clearly straight out of the 21st century, we have many parallels to large government building programs throughout the whole American history. What policies were beneficial in colonizing the frontier? which ones were detrimental? Railroads? Highway system? What should we have done differently? In some cases the government provided subsidies to private companies to develop segments and to promote widespread public access. How can we prevent abuse of these funds? Was this generally a successful approach? Is this the best way to go about it? There's a *tremendous* need for informed, thorough, impartial papers on this subject, and not just policy statements from groups that say `this is how it should be' with the words `because it would benefit *us* the most' in between the lines... (Not suggesting that the below is anything of this type, though. In fact, the roundtable represents an excellent diversity of views in computer rights areas, IMHO--dunno about commercial interests though.) This document identifies as priorities: 1. UNIVERSAL ACCESS 2. FREEDOM TO COMMUNICATE 3. VITAL CIVIC SECTOR 4. DIVERSE AND COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE 5. EQUITABLE WORKPLACE 6. PRIVACY 7. DEMOCRATIC POLICYMAKING Roundtable contacts appended. ============================================================== RENEWING THE COMMITMENT TO A PUBLIC INTEREST TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY Telecommunications Policy Roundtable September 1, 1993 A communications revolution is underway as profound as the introduction of the printing press. A new "National Information Infrastructure" is rapidly moving into place -- which will carry video, audio, and data information into homes and offices across the country. Its emergence will produce fundamental shifts in American life, transforming everything from work to education to government to culture. Because the health of our democracy is inextricably linked to the nature of our communications system, this new information infrastructure raises far-reaching questions about our country and its transition into the next century: Who will own these networks? Who will have access to them? What steps will be taken to preserve public institutions? Policy decisions made during the next few years will shape the communications system for decades to come. Enlightened policies could harness the power of these new technologies to ameliorate many of our nation's most critical problems by revitalizing civic institutions, expanding educational opportunities, enhancing access to health care services, and improving job training. However, without a clear commitment to public goals, this promise will never be fulfilled.Instead, many of the shortcomings of our present telecommunications system will be intensified and a host of more serious problems created. There is already a growing disparity between the technologically affluent and the technologically disenfranchised that endangers our social fabric. Policy makers must ensure that the development of the information infrastructure reflects the public interest spirit that has long guided our country's communications policies: our commitment to a national telephone system available to all gave rise to the concept of "universal service," enabling those in the most remote parts of the nation to have access to the means of communication; our commitment to making noncommercial educational, arts, and public affairs programming available to all Americans led to the creation of a public broadcasting system. Our government has the responsibility as public trustee to ensure that new communications technologies serve the democratic and social needs of our country. The rise of new technologies and new businesses has increased the importance of this responsibility. The convergence of once separate industries requires a new policy framework for the information infrastructure, rooted in the shared values of our country and dedicated to the common good. We call on the President and the Congress to pursue a broad and public interest vision for the National Information Infrastructure. We must move beyond narrow and short-term interests and embrace a view that reflects the great diversity and richness of our country. Our policies should reflect the values of a democratic government -- openness, participation, and discussion. They must be inclusive and generous in spirit, ensuring that all segments of our pluralistic society have meaningful access to the telecommunications system. These are the principles on which a great nation has been built. As representatives of many nonprofit and public interest organizations, we believe that the following principles must guide policy making in order to ensure that future generations inherit an information infrastructure which enhances the quality of life for everyone. PUBLIC INTEREST PRINCIPLES 1. UNIVERSAL ACCESS All people should have affordable access to the information infrastructure. Fundamental to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the Information Age is access to video, audio, and data networks that provide a broad range of news, public affairs, education, health, and government information and services. Such services should be provided in a user-friendly format, widely available to everyone, including persons with disabilities. Information that is essential in order to fully participate in a democratic society should be provided free. 2. FREEDOM TO COMMUNICATE The information infrastructure should enable all people to effectively exercise their fundamental right to communicate. Freedom of speech should be protected and fostered by the new information infrastructure, guaranteeing the right of every person to communicate easily, affordably, and effectively. The design of the infrastructure should facilitate two-way, audio and video communication from anyone to any individual, group, or network. The rights of creators must be protected, while accommodating the needs of users and libraries. Telecommunication carriers should not be permitted to constrain the free flow of information protected by the First Amendment. 3. VITAL CIVIC SECTOR The information infrastructure must have a vital civic sector at its core. For our democracy to flourish in the 21st Century, there must be a vital civic sector which enables the meaningful participation of all segments of our pluralistic society. Just as we have established public libraries and public highways, we must create public arenas or "electronic commons" in the media landscape. This will require the active involvement of a broad range of civic institutions -- schools, universities, and libraries, not-for-profit groups, and governmental organizations. It will also require vibrant public telecommunications networks at the national, regional, and state level. 4. DIVERSE AND COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE The information infrastructure should ensure competition among ideas and information providers. The information infrastructure must be designed to foster a healthy marketplace of ideas, where a full range of viewpoints is expressed and robust debate is stimulated. Individuals, nonprofits, and for-profit information providers need ready access to this marketplace if it is to thrive. To ensure competition among information providers, policies should be developed to lower barriers to entry (particularly for small and independent services); telecommunications carriers should not be permitted to control programming; and antitrust policies should be vigorously enforced to prevent market dominance by vertically-integrated media monopolies. 5. EQUITABLE WORKPLACE New technologies should be used to enhance the quality of work and to promote equity in the workplace. Because the information infrastructure will transform the content and conduct of work, policies should be developed to ensure that electronic technologies are utilized to improve the work environment rather than dehumanize it. Workers should share the benefits of the increased productivity that those technologies make possible. The rights and protections that workers now enjoy should be preserved and enhanced. To encourage nondiscriminatory practices throughout the information marketplace, public policy should promote greater representation of women, people of color, and persons with disabilities at all levels of management. 6. PRIVACY Privacy should be carefully protected and extended. A comprehensive set of policies should be developed to ensure that the privacy of all people is adequately protected. The collection of personal data should be strictly limited to the minimum necessary to provide specific services. Sharing data collected from individuals should only be permitted with their informed consent, freely given without coercion. Individuals should have the right to inspect and correct data files about them. Innovative billing practices should be developed that increase individual privacy. 7. DEMOCRATIC POLICYMAKING The public should be fully involved in policy making for the information infrastructure. The public must be fully involved in all stages of the development and ongoing regulation of the information infrastructure. The issues are not narrow technical matters which will only affect us as consumers; they are fundamental questions that will have profound effects on us as citizens and could reshape our democracy. Extensive efforts should be made to fully inform the public about what is at stake, and to encourage broad discussion and debate. The policy process should be conducted in an open manner with full press scrutiny. Effective mechanisms should be established to ensure continued public participation in telecommunications policymaking. Persons wanting more information about the Roundtable are urged to contact: Jeff Chester, Center for Media Education, 202/628-2620; cme@access.digex.net Marc Rotenberg, CPSR, 202/544-9240; rotenberg@washofc.cpsr.org Prue Adler, Association of Research Libraries, 202/296-8656, prue@cni.org