The telecom policy debate: What is at stake? Comm 137/237 Oct 2 nd, 2002

The New Information Infrastructure " Superhighway" –who will build it? –what will fill the pipe? –who will pay for it? "Convergence" Convergence creates discontinuities –Technology –Usage –Infrastructure –Policy

Technological discontinuities It’s all bits, ubiquitous logic, plentiful bandwidth Not smooth upgrade, but quantum leaps Many possible evolutions Digital: network management and control becomes flexibly separable from ownership

Discontinuous Usage Traffic explosion Traffic drivers: Data + New communication patterns - NOT extrapolation of traditional traffic - What’s the new traffic? computer to computer different patterns, different characteristics Users drive network evolution

What is the infrastructure? A Network of networks From competition within networks, to competition from outside From dedicated modes to multi- modal

Policy discontinuities Policy traditionally fragmented Clash of 3 fundamentally different regimes –telecom: common carriage –press: 1st amendment –broadcast/CATV: licensing Favor competition as the solution