Liberty, Justice, Equality Under Law, Fair Trade And Access: Part II
Government As A Key To The Digital Divide
The structure of government is a key element to either bridging the gap, or widening the gap, that is the digital divide. The willingness of a government to build, promote, sponsor, fund—or encourage the private sector to do the same—the infrastructure that allows access to computerized technology and computer-mediated communications. If a government is controlling, authoritarian and restrictive in action and structure, the likelihood of an infrastructure being built and fully accessible to the average citizen is greatly diminished. If a government participates in “corporatism,” (an indication of either fascism or elitism), then access to the resources that would allow most of the citizenry to benefit from digital technology is reserved to business, government or the very wealthy. If a society is open, protective of civil liberties, and willing to fund research and start-up enterprises, then the likelihood of access to technology is greatly enhanced.
The control of the fundamental resources necessary for building technology infrastructure is a role of government. In the United States that control is exerted by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), which issues licenses to television and radio broadcasters, satellite systems, emergency radio centers, amateur radio operators (HAM), citizens band radio, private FM/UHF radio, microwave transmitters, as well as setting regulations for telephone equipment, cell phones and towers, television sets, radio sets, In other countries, especially those of western Europe, the government has cooperative endeavors with private companies (i.e. Minitel in France), but these associations are not always stable or productive. In the United Kingdom, control over the infrastructure is gained by limiting which companies can offer services (e.g. the traditional limitation on the number of television broadcasts) and the requirement of annual licensing of all electronic receivers (computers, televisions and radios all require a license be issued).
Then, too, is the control of rights of way. Rights of way are essential to laying cable, fiber and building towers for microwave, RF and other broadcast modalities. In the US, the federal government practically gave away the farm in terms of cable, fiber and line of sight transmissions. The electric companies have the vast majority of the right of ways wrapped up. What these electric companies don’t control, the railroads do. The FCC controls geocentric assignments of radio frequencies and who can actually own a broadcast center. These rights of way control the backbone of the Internet, the telephone system, the cell phone networks, and other technologies. In most other countries, these right of ways are much more tightly controlled and regulated by the government, with actual ownership given to the government itself.
In other places, the government affects the digital divide by exerting control over the media and media content. Nothing that is not approved by the government is allowed within the “space” controlled by that government. Telephones are monitored. Television and radio broadcasts are controlled. Foreign broadcasts are blocked or censored in some manner. Internet access is monitored, with specific types of sites blocked, and e-mail is monitored.
The fundamental structure of the government is part of the foundation for all forms of communication. The more democratic a nation is, the more technology access there will be. However, there are fluctuations in how governments actually work. One type of leadership will favor privatization, while another favors nationalization, and others are somewhere in between.
Access to the governmental leadership is an essential dynamic of bridging the gap that is the “great digital divide.” The ability to reach, persuade, influence, bribe or otherwise control governmental representative that make law, regulation or policy is fundamental to the width, depth and scope of the digital divide. If all of the citizenry is fairly represented, and the interests/rights of the people are preserved, then the digital divide is a matter of working the system to build the infrastructure and facilitating access. If the citizenry is denied access, and power is centrally concentrated or vested in the state, then access will be limited to the very powerful, the very wealthy, the very lucky or those that fully support the power base of the body politic.
Writing about, criticizing, debating and monitoring the government for those issues that tend to imbalance the power structure, favor certain groups or segments of society (i.e. Big Business), infringe upon civil liberties, or fail to fully and fairly represent the average citizen is writing about the digital divide. The structure of the government, the management of the government, and the functions of government is an absolute influence in the digital divide. Failure to grasp that reality is naiveté. When a government, and the politics associated with the government, is skewed, then access to technology is skewed, and will remain so until a balance is restored.
The current political climate in the United States is seriously skewed. The ultra-conservative, Christian right tilt—and domination—of our nation is creating not only an economic and ideological divide, but also a technological divide. Despite the US being a democratic republic, the digital divide remains pragmatically unchanged. Even as this paper is being typed, Illinois and Indiana are having battles over state legislation that would determine how cable and broadband service providers would have to build their infrastructures. The cable and broadband industries are lobbying not only the state legislators, but also public opinion through radio and TV spots. Given that both Illinois and Indiana have majority Republican (and most of them ultra-conservative) representation in their legislatures, the industries are receiving preferential access to the political decision-makers.
The author contends that not only is commentary regarding government structure, operation and control a valid topic for discourse on the “great digital divide,” but an essential part of the discourse that is far too neglected. Understanding the politics—and criticizing the political dynamics when matters are askew—is an essential tool for bridging the gaps we see in terms of technology.
The structure of government is a key element to either bridging the gap, or widening the gap, that is the digital divide. The willingness of a government to build, promote, sponsor, fund—or encourage the private sector to do the same—the infrastructure that allows access to computerized technology and computer-mediated communications. If a government is controlling, authoritarian and restrictive in action and structure, the likelihood of an infrastructure being built and fully accessible to the average citizen is greatly diminished. If a government participates in “corporatism,” (an indication of either fascism or elitism), then access to the resources that would allow most of the citizenry to benefit from digital technology is reserved to business, government or the very wealthy. If a society is open, protective of civil liberties, and willing to fund research and start-up enterprises, then the likelihood of access to technology is greatly enhanced.
The control of the fundamental resources necessary for building technology infrastructure is a role of government. In the United States that control is exerted by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), which issues licenses to television and radio broadcasters, satellite systems, emergency radio centers, amateur radio operators (HAM), citizens band radio, private FM/UHF radio, microwave transmitters, as well as setting regulations for telephone equipment, cell phones and towers, television sets, radio sets, In other countries, especially those of western Europe, the government has cooperative endeavors with private companies (i.e. Minitel in France), but these associations are not always stable or productive. In the United Kingdom, control over the infrastructure is gained by limiting which companies can offer services (e.g. the traditional limitation on the number of television broadcasts) and the requirement of annual licensing of all electronic receivers (computers, televisions and radios all require a license be issued).
Then, too, is the control of rights of way. Rights of way are essential to laying cable, fiber and building towers for microwave, RF and other broadcast modalities. In the US, the federal government practically gave away the farm in terms of cable, fiber and line of sight transmissions. The electric companies have the vast majority of the right of ways wrapped up. What these electric companies don’t control, the railroads do. The FCC controls geocentric assignments of radio frequencies and who can actually own a broadcast center. These rights of way control the backbone of the Internet, the telephone system, the cell phone networks, and other technologies. In most other countries, these right of ways are much more tightly controlled and regulated by the government, with actual ownership given to the government itself.
In other places, the government affects the digital divide by exerting control over the media and media content. Nothing that is not approved by the government is allowed within the “space” controlled by that government. Telephones are monitored. Television and radio broadcasts are controlled. Foreign broadcasts are blocked or censored in some manner. Internet access is monitored, with specific types of sites blocked, and e-mail is monitored.
The fundamental structure of the government is part of the foundation for all forms of communication. The more democratic a nation is, the more technology access there will be. However, there are fluctuations in how governments actually work. One type of leadership will favor privatization, while another favors nationalization, and others are somewhere in between.
Access to the governmental leadership is an essential dynamic of bridging the gap that is the “great digital divide.” The ability to reach, persuade, influence, bribe or otherwise control governmental representative that make law, regulation or policy is fundamental to the width, depth and scope of the digital divide. If all of the citizenry is fairly represented, and the interests/rights of the people are preserved, then the digital divide is a matter of working the system to build the infrastructure and facilitating access. If the citizenry is denied access, and power is centrally concentrated or vested in the state, then access will be limited to the very powerful, the very wealthy, the very lucky or those that fully support the power base of the body politic.
Writing about, criticizing, debating and monitoring the government for those issues that tend to imbalance the power structure, favor certain groups or segments of society (i.e. Big Business), infringe upon civil liberties, or fail to fully and fairly represent the average citizen is writing about the digital divide. The structure of the government, the management of the government, and the functions of government is an absolute influence in the digital divide. Failure to grasp that reality is naiveté. When a government, and the politics associated with the government, is skewed, then access to technology is skewed, and will remain so until a balance is restored.
The current political climate in the United States is seriously skewed. The ultra-conservative, Christian right tilt—and domination—of our nation is creating not only an economic and ideological divide, but also a technological divide. Despite the US being a democratic republic, the digital divide remains pragmatically unchanged. Even as this paper is being typed, Illinois and Indiana are having battles over state legislation that would determine how cable and broadband service providers would have to build their infrastructures. The cable and broadband industries are lobbying not only the state legislators, but also public opinion through radio and TV spots. Given that both Illinois and Indiana have majority Republican (and most of them ultra-conservative) representation in their legislatures, the industries are receiving preferential access to the political decision-makers.
The author contends that not only is commentary regarding government structure, operation and control a valid topic for discourse on the “great digital divide,” but an essential part of the discourse that is far too neglected. Understanding the politics—and criticizing the political dynamics when matters are askew—is an essential tool for bridging the gaps we see in terms of technology.
posted by Jim Downey at 6:45 PM
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