The writers were grappling with how best to unite Europe, while facing issues such as the content of television programming, communication security, and transborder data flows. They mention many things that we have studied in 505, including the government s interests in controlling information flows and programming from a top down approach. In the article Political and Economic Dimensions of Television Programme Exchange between Poland Western Europe, Karol Jakubowicz discusses how Poland has been more receptive to Western news than the rest of Eastern Europe, showing appx. Poland even has a deal with CNN to tape broadcasts and re-air them. On the other hand, this is due to the fact that Polish broadcasting has fallen on hard times and can t afford to create their own programming, leaving them at the mercy of much programming from outside.
Telecommunications take an interesting political spin in some Eastern countries.
In Bulgaria and Czeckoslovakia, online agencies can choose to go on their networks to either the USSR or the West. Since they are limited by slow connections speeds and limited national data networks, it makes the most sense for them to connect directly to Western networks to do online searching. This clearly affects the information they are gathering. The author predicts that satellite-based communications, the open ideas of glasnost, and the power of the UK in online databases with have a strong positive influence to increase the information flow across Europe. Many of the authors point out the political importance of strengthening communication ties.