Bandwidth has expanded rapidly, and Chinese-language content has proliferated. Just about everyone foresees grand potential. Telecom and media giants expect a juicy new market. Human rights activists predict the collapse of the state's information monopoly.
Chinese planners envision new tools for control.
But Internet growth is anything but inevitable, and in China, the government's efforts have both nurtured and structured the country's Internet. Although the state sometimes overestimates its ability to control users, outside observers often underestimate the potential of network information as a tool for centralized control. Other agencies claim some say on matters related to the networks or content. E-commerce will no doubt bring in a host of other interested parties, all jostling to stick a thumb into the policy pie. Competition among ISPs has helped lower costs, but most find their operating expenses determined by ChinaNet backbone charges.