Much more than a little byte: citizens and broadband

Abstract

This article compares the historical role of North American grassroots groups in setting up telephone communications at the turn of the 20th century with contemporary campaigns of grassroots activists to establish broadband communications, in one US metropolitan region, the San Francisco Bay. The narrative analyses the local and national policy environment, the corporate commercial context and the activist constituencies. It focuses on mapping the frames used, the direction of their campaigns and the outcomes. Drawing from examples of citizens' activity in assessing community needs, policy-making and political mobilizing, including among historically marginalized communities, the author argues that digital inclusion, and democratic decision-making in broadband, is much more than a narrow technical question of providing access to new information and communication technologies, or of incorporating consumers in market-based development. The study concludes that democratizing the new communications platforms of the broadband Internet will involve the support of citizens' initiatives in building their own communications technologies and content; challenging the incumbent corporate players, and supporting a variety of municipally operated systems.

Policy convergence and online civil society media (CSM) in Japan

“…When the 'new' technology becomes old, as is currently the case with terrestrial radio, there is usually another critical moment where civic uses can be re-inserted into the system. This pattern has been identified for example in the history of the radical press in 18th century Britain, and of early radio (Kidd 1998;McChesney 2000) and telephone in the United States (Kidd 2009). In this article, we will try to see if this applies to nonWestern societies like Japan as well.…”

“…Hadl 2004) and the 'commons/ enclosure model' (cf. Kidd 1998). The Commons/Enclosure Model, based on a Marxist-autonomist theory, states that technological development is driven by 'commoners' resisting the dominant forces of capital and state, among other things by creating self-organized spaces autonomous from market and state power, 'the commons'.…”

“…The Commons/Enclosure Model, based on a Marxist-autonomist theory, states that technological development is driven by 'commoners' resisting the dominant forces of capital and state, among other things by creating self-organized spaces autonomous from market and state power, 'the commons'. Capital responds by 'recomposing itself ' (Kidd 1998), spreading new technologies throughout society (e.g. information technologies that limit reliance on restive workers).…”

“…How did this come about? Alternative media historians have noted a pattern of development: in the early stages of a medium, civic uses tend to dominate and pioneer it, creating a 'communication commons' (Kidd 1998). Once the commercial and political potential of the technology becomes clear, however, business and government move in to 'enclose' and marginalize civic uses and claim control of the medium.…”