Civilizing Cyberspace: Policy, Power, and the Information Superhighway

"Steve Miller has written a readable, thought-provoking guide to the information policy conundrums of the age. He is at his best when he pierces the rhetorical redoubt of deregulation and asks what results we are seeking -- bigger monopolies? broader competition? an information elite? -- from public action. E-mail to policy makers: Read This Book."

--Rep. Edward J. Markey, U.S. Congress

"Finally, here is a book that clarifies the issues and lets those of us who are not computer jocks -- female or male -- understand what's going on behind the headlines so that we may become part of the decision-making process."

--Letty Cottin Pogrebin, founding editor, Ms. Magazine

The Information Superhighway explained! This is the book that lets the rest of us finally understand what it is, what impact it will have, and what we can do to shape our own future. What is behind the headline-grabbing mega-mergers of media companies besides speculative grabbing after windfall profits? Will deregulation and competition lead to widespread service, lower costs, and consumer satisfaction or information redlining, higher prices, and teleconglomerate monopoly? Who will benefit and who will be hurt if the United States uses high technology for competitive advantage in the global market? Is the internet a hot bed of pornography and crime, or a tool for learning and democratic power?

Miller weaves together business trends, political economy, American history, technological savvy, and an awareness of our everyday needs, to focus on the issues that really matter and to make the choices clear. Readable, comprehensive, and insightful, Civilizing Cyberspace is for nontechnical people as well as computer professionals, concerned citizens as well as official policymakers.

Civilizing Cyberspace explains:

• how universal service can be achieved while avoiding the creation of information "haves and have nots"
• what is necessary to protect privacy and prevent the erosion of free speech and civil liberties
• what we can do to protect our standard of living in a multinational economy
• how telecommunications can be used to strengthen democracy and community rather than simply as a new method of media manipulation

Table of Contents

Preface.


1. Where is Cyberspace: Visions of the Future.

2. The Policy Starting Point: Markets, Government, and the Public Interest.

3. What is a National Information Infrastructure: And Why are We Building it?

4. Framing the Public Policy Debate: Visions, Strategies, and Technology.

5. Protecting the Public Interest: A Menu of Policy Options.

6. The Government's Agenda.

7. The Players and Their Plans: The Industries and Firms.

8. Universal Service: Giving Everyone a Chance.

9. Democracy and Free Speech: Online Organizing for Participation and Power.

10. Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Encryption: Controlling Our Data Identity.

11. Community, Diversity, and Citizenship: Online Ethics and the Need for Meaningful Connections.

12. Economic Development: Work, Crime, and Intellectual Property.

13. Citizen Action: From Analysis to New Institutions.