A Cross-Country Analysis of Internet Policies: Trends in Internet-Related Bills in Brazil, Chile, and the United States (1997-2021)

Abstract

This paper analyzes trends and shifts in internet policy focus over time through a cross-country comparative lens. We employ computational and qualitative methods to map patterns in internet regulation across Brazil, Chile, and the United States over 24 years of data on proposed legislation (1997 to 2021). The study analyzes (1) What issues are lawmakers discussing in their proposed Internet-related legislation? (2) What are the cross-country thematic trends and patterns in Internet policy over time? (3) Can we identify national/transnational turning points in such trends? The cross-country historical analysis of internet-related bills helps us understand how responsive the lawmakers in the American continent are. By contrasting the bills’ policy themes with endogenous and exogenous events and forces in the region, we identify if lawmakers are anticipating future problems and then proposing regulation to meet those ends or if they are reacting after problems occur. More than that, we compare the lawmakers’ responsiveness between the North and South divide. Further, by contrasting the volume of bills per policy theme, we identify what issues are more salient to the lawmakers from the different countries. This information helps us analyze if the drivers for internet regulation in the region differ, and how different are the responses to similar issues between countries and between lawmakers from different ends of the political spectrum.