NATIONAL NETWORK IN THE GLOBAL VILLAGE - US POLICY GOALS FOR AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
Despite the widespread attention generated by the United States' plans to build a National Information Infrastructure (NII), there has been relatively little discussion of the issues that will be raised by the construction of an internationally interconnected public-access network. This study, a pilot in an ongoing project, uses content analysis to determine the key international issues, goals, and priorities being articulated by stakeholders in the NII process; examining those issues within the context of emerging U.S. international telecommunications and information policy directions. The study finds that among stakeholders who have addressed the need for an internationally interconnected NII, economic issues are a paramount importance, with the network's potential for public use and benefit being secondary. This economic emphasis, combined with emerging U.S. policy directions and the complexity of conflicting cultural norms of media and information use, may ultimately result in greater restrictions on the free flow of information through international networks than currently exist.
information infrastructure international communication economic growth government regulation internet