Information policy determines the kind of information collected, created, organized, stored, accessed, disseminated and retained. Who can use the information, whether there will be charges for access, and the amount charged, is also covered. Usually associated with government information, information policy also establishes the rules within which private information providers and the media operate. Telecommunications policy determines the operating rules for telephone, cable, satellite, and wireless transmission and computer networks. These are the pipelines through which information is transmitted electronically.
Information is essential to participation in all aspects of society.
You require information to determine where you live, what you buy, getting a job, health risks connected to food and environmental problems, retirement planning, and how you vote. If information you are used to getting for free from libraries and government agencies is suddenly charged for, or if the telephone system begins to charge for each call you make and the length of the call, these decisions will have a profound affect on the quality of your life. Billions will be made in profits. Government and industry are currently involved in hearings, task forces, and committees. The outcome will determine who benefits and who pays in the coming information economy.