The Legacy of the Federal Communications Commission’s Computer Inquiries

The FCC and the computer industry have learned much in the 35 years since the agency first began to regulate computer networks. Safeguards were imposed on common carriers for the benefit of the networks. This Article examines the so-called Computer Inquiries and how they have repeatedly re-examined and redefined the nature of the regulatory treatment of computer networks over communications networks. The Author reviews Computer I, in which the FCC first attempted to divide the world technologically between computers that ran communications networks ( pure communications ) and computers at the end of telephone lines with which people interacted ( pure data processing ). In Computer II, the FCC reclassified the computer world on the basis of the services provided-basic or enhanced. The FCC\u27s third and final attack on the issue, Computer III, retained the conceptual framework, but redetermined how the policy objectives would be implemented. The Author concludes that the actions taken by the FCC may not have invented the Internet, but they certainly contributed to its success

The Legacy of the Federal Communications Commission’s Computer Inquiries

The FCC and the computer industry have learned much in the 35 years since the agency first began to regulate computer networks. Safeguards were imposed on common carriers for the benefit of the networks. This Article examines the so-called Computer Inquiries and how they have repeatedly re-examined and redefined the nature of the regulatory treatment of computer networks over communications networks. The Author reviews Computer I, in which the FCC first attempted to divide the world technologically between computers that ran communications networks ( pure communications ) and computers at the end of telephone lines with which people interacted ( pure data processing ). In Computer II, the FCC reclassified the computer world on the basis of the services provided-basic or enhanced. The FCC\u27s third and final attack on the issue, Computer III, retained the conceptual framework, but redetermined how the policy objectives would be implemented. The Author concludes that the actions taken by the FCC may not have invented the Internet, but they certainly contributed to its success

The Network Utility

The rise of cloud computing, which involves remote network-based applications and storage, is shifting the balance in the data world from distributed edge systems to centralized networked platforms. This emerging paradigm bears a striking resemblance to the computer utility, a widespread vision among technologists in the 1960s. The way the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) grappled with the convergence of computing and communications in that period shaped the trajectory of both industries. Technology and market structure have changed dramatically, but the basic regulatory issues remain: networked computers need access to communications utilities, and networked computing platforms can themselves function as public utilities. The FCC must return to and update its original convergence agenda. As the technical predictions of 1960s visionaries become real, the policy considerations they raised must also be taken seriously

Fraudulent Malattributed Comments in Agency Rulemaking

A specter is haunting notice-and-comment rulemaking—the specter of fraudulent comments. The stand-out example—the apotheosis—was the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) net neutrality rulemaking in 2017. Well over twenty million comments were submitted, but millions of those were highly suspect. It turns out only about 800,000 of those comments were unique—that is, not written by a computer and not a pre-written form letter or variation thereof. And of the rest, perhaps half were submitted by computers (bots) using fictitious names or the names of real people, living and dead, who had no connection to the comment

Reinventing Media Activism: Public Interest Advocacy in the Making of U.S. Communication-Information Policy, 1960-2002

This report is a long-term analysis of citizens' collective action to influence public policy toward communication and information. The work discusses in greater detail what is meant by communication and information policy (CIP) and why we think it is worthwhile to study it as a distinctive domain of public policy and citizen action. The report concentrates on citizen action in the United States and looks backwards, tracing the long-term evolutionary trajectory of communications-information advocacy in the USA since the 1960s. We focus on the concept of citizen collective action and explain its relevance to CIP.Research supported by the Ford Foundation's Knowledge, Creativity and Freedom Program. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the School of Information Studies, Syracuse University, or the Ford Foundation