Licensing on the Global Information Infrastructure: Disharmony in Cyberspace

This article explores some of the issues in international licensing and, particularly, in the evolution of information-based contracts

Licensing on the Global Information Infrastructure: Disharmony in Cyberspace

This article explores some of the issues in international licensing and, particularly, in the evolution of information-based contracts

Connecting the World: The Development of the Global Information Infrastructure

The International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations organization, has led the charge in developing a truly global economy through its efforts to develop the Global Information Infrastructure (“GII”). The GII would result in universal access to telecommunications and information technology and basic communications services. This Note explains the roles of the agencies involved in the development of the GII and the forces driving its development. It also discusses regulatory issues affecting the implementation and feasibility of the GII. Ultimately, this Note sketches the optimal environment for the evolution of the GII

Connecting the World: The Development of the Global Information Infrastructure

The International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations organization, has led the charge in developing a truly global economy through its efforts to develop the Global Information Infrastructure (“GII”). The GII would result in universal access to telecommunications and information technology and basic communications services. This Note explains the roles of the agencies involved in the development of the GII and the forces driving its development. It also discusses regulatory issues affecting the implementation and feasibility of the GII. Ultimately, this Note sketches the optimal environment for the evolution of the GII

Regulatory Web: Free Speech and the Global Information Infrastructure, A

National restrictions of freedom of speech on the nascent global information infrastructure are commonplace not only in the United States, but also around the globe. Individual nations, each intent upon preserving what they perceive to be within the perimeters of their national interests, seek to regulate certain forms of speech because of content that is considered reprehensible or offensive to national well-being or civic virtue. The fact that this offending speech is technologically dispersed instantaneously to millions of potential recipients strengthens the impetus to regulate.... Activists at both ends of the spectrum disregard an integral aspect of the global composition of the Net. Those who advocate unfettered Net communication and those who espouse some form of national Net regulation are similarly constrained in the pursuit of their objectives by the very structure of the information infrastructure. It is the global aspect of the information infrastructure that shapes the debate on freedom of speech and limits absolutists and regulators at the same time. The nature of this conflict and its potential resolution will be outlined in this Article. Therefore, assuming that national policy makers will not want to cede their authority to regulate the information infrastructure, we will suggest a mechanism by which those who elect to regulate speech can begin to deliberate about this objective in a structured, principled, and internationally acceptable manner