Sharon Eisner Gillett

Bridging broadband Internet divides: reconfiguring access to enhance communicative power

Government and industry initiatives to stimulate the diffusion of high-performance broadband telecommunications links have given a fresh impetus to debates over the social and economic implications of the growing use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs). This paper analyses how outcomes tied to ICT innovation are shaped by choices about whether and how to use, or not use, the technology to reconfigure access to people, services, information and technologies in ways that significantly change the communicative power of individuals, communities, organisations, nations and regions. It explains why these outcomes are not predetermined by the technology, but unfold over time through the complex interplay among many actors, in many arenas. A framework is presented to assist in addressing the issue of digital divides and other areas of research, policy and practice affected by the design and use of broadband Internet and related ICTs.

Wireless is changing the policy calculus for municipal broadband

Historically, the justification for municipal provisioning of “last-mile” communications infrastructure has focused on the natural monopoly aspect of wireline infrastructure. Growing interest in wireless ISPs, municipal hot spots, and access to public space for siting wireless infrastructure suggests new and expanded opportunities for local government participation in telecommunication services. This paper examines the implications of emerging wireless technologies for the policy debate over whether municipalities should be playing an active role in providing last-mile broadband services and, if so, what the nature of that role should be.

Evolving wireless access technologies for municipal broadband

In recent years, the landscape for wireless technology has changed substantially, with profound implications for the evolution of last-mile access infrastructure. This paper provides a high-level introduction to emerging trends in wireless technology, with a special focus on how these are impacting municipal broadband deployments. This paper discusses some of the key architectural and design choices for wireless networking systems and their implications for cost and system performance. In addition, we provide examples of how the new wireless technologies are being deployed by municipalities in a variety of contexts, with reference to wireless technologies currently available from vendors. The policy implications of these trends are discussed further in a companion paper in this issue. I.

Global e-Readiness—for What? Readiness for e-Banking

With the rapid diffusion of the Internet worldwide, there has been considerable interest in the e-potentials of developing countries giving rise to a first generation of e-readiness studies. Moreover, e-readiness means different things to different people, in different contexts, and for different purposes. Despite strong merits, this first generation of e-readiness studies assumed a fixed, one-size-fits-all set of requirements, regardless of the characteristics of individual countries, the investment context, or the demands of specific applications. This feature obscures critical information for investors or policy analysts seeking to reduce uncertainties and make educated decisions. But there is very little known about e-readiness for e-banking. In particular, based on lessons learned to date and their implications for emerging realities of the 21st century, the authors designed and executed a research project with theoretical as well as practical dimensions to answer the question of “e-Readiness for What?,” focusing specifically on e-banking, based on the very assumption that one size can seldom, if ever, fit all. The authors also propose and develop a conceptual framework for the “next generation” e-readiness—focusing on different e-business applications in different economic contexts with potentially different pathways—as well as a data model—to explore e-readiness for e-banking in 10 countries.

Do appliances threaten Internet innovation

The world is evolving from one in which almost all access to the Internet comes through personal computers, to one in which so-called Internet appliances are expected to make up a growing share of end user equipment. Focusing on consumer-oriented appliances, we consider whether this shift has implications for the pace of Internet innovation. We conclude that given the starting point of the current Internet, certain of the proposed business models for Internet appliances are not likely to be viable, and this very fact protects the Internets characteristically rapid pace of innovation.

Virtual infrastructure: putting information infrastructure on the technology curve

Abstract The present debate concerning the National Information Infrastructure (NII) has focused primarily on competition. Although competition will be an important component of the NII, and one which we welcome, we argue that it is inappropriate to frame the debate entirely in terms of competition. Competition can be seen as a consequence of a fundamental development driving innovation within the information industries; namely, the adoption of the digital paradigm. However, digitization offers opportunities for innovation that go beyond competition. We hypothesize that the second wave of the digital revolution will be the virtualization of the infrastructure; that is, the adoption of a software perspective on information and on the devices and channels with which it is processed and distributed. In this paper, we offer a vision of what it would mean for the NII to be a Virtual Infrastructure (VI) that takes full advantage of the digital paradigm. We present a taxonomy for describing alternative infrastructure scenarios and show how the key properties of digital information favor a competitive, generic, and decoupled (CGD) infrastructure. We explore several technical issues, including information appliances and software; the mosaic of overlapping distribution networks; and the brokerage functions that match up suppliers, distributors, and customers. In our treatment of the technical issues, we identify heterogeneity as a key challenge facing computer scientists and offer suggestions for areas of investigation that might prove fruitful. We conclude with a discussion of the policy implications of this work. We are particularly concerned with policies that foster innovation by reducing barriers to the insertion of new technology. Topics addressed include decoupling the regulation of information services from the regulation of distribution, dealing with monopolies and vertical integration, and the publication of interface specifications.

Local Government Stimulation of Broadband: Effectiveness, E-Government, and Economic Development

Access to broadband is widely recognized as a prerequisite for a communitys economic welfare and the delivery of local government services. In communities where the private sector is perceived as having failed to deliver adequate and affordable broadband services, municipal and county governments face pressures to stimulate broadband deployment. However, no systematic data documents the nature and status of municipal broadband initiatives, the comparative effectiveness of alternative policies for promoting broadband access, or their implications for local economic development, private provisioning of infrastructure, and the operation of municipal and county government. As a result, hundreds of communities are proceeding independently to develop their own strategy, without the benefit of the accumulated experience of those that have gone before, and with no assurance of success. The objectives of this project are to collect, analyze, and disseminate data about the nature and effectiveness of local government initiatives to stimulate broadband deployment, adoption and use, as well as the effects of such initiatives on local e-government and economic development.

The Disruptive User - Internet Appliances and the Management of Complexity

Bringing networked computing to new users and new contexts entails a disruptive decrease in the level of user patience for complexity. This paper discusses the tensions involved in making devices as easy to use as traditional appliances, within the context of the open and rapidly changing Internet. It distinguishes class 1 appliances, whose function is fixed by the manufacturer, from class 2 appliance, whose functionality is determined by an associated service provider, and posits a third class of appliance that would achieve true ease of use by leaving control with the user while simultaneously automating much of the complexity associated with that control.