Cost-benefit analyses suggest that consumer information strategies are preferred to direct regulation, and less restrictive strategies are preferred to more restrictive. Choice of strategies depends on the goal of intervention: changing behavior or improving overall welfare. (SK)

Under current policies, cell phone consumers face a lower probability of finding the best carrier for their usage patterns than winning at roulette. Corroborating survey data consistently show significant dissatisfaction among cell phone users, network performance is a major issue, and customer "churn" is high. This problem may be traced to a new…

In this article, the authors cite four reasons why parents and schools should reconsider the use of Internet filters. First, and most simply, filters don't work as advertised. One of the most controversial and contentious issues surrounding the use of new information and communication technologies, especially in schools and libraries, is whether…

The Copyright Forum serves as a venue for the discussion of digital copyright issues of interest to Canadian educational institutions, libraries, archives, and museums. The Forum currently comprises 13 national associations. The members of the participating associations are both creators and users of digital intellectual content, and a number of…

Introduces a special issue focusing on ways in which communication and information policy are forms of power for the state. Discusses problems in analysis of the state; history of the concept of the nation and the state; the decline of the state; problems in the analysis of power; and phases, forms, attributes, and units of power. (SR)

In an interview, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates answers questions about the Gates Library Foundation; Libraries Online; tax-support for libraries; comparisons to Andrew Carnegie; charges of "buying" the library market; Internet filters, policies, and government censorship; the future of the World Wide Web and the role of librarians in its…

Discusses the widespread, planned destruction of foster care files in social service centers in Quebec, focusing on the issues for the former clients, for the agencies involved, and for the social work profession. Argues that, for social workers, the destruction of the files represents an abandonment of their professional principles. (MDM)

Examines the availability of objectionable material on the Internet, censorship, and the feasibility of censorship. Outlines control efforts in the United States, discusses attempts to regulate electronic media in Australia from 1990-96, and summarizes responses of the Australian Council on Library and Information Services and the Australian…

Presents an interview with Ray Smith, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Atlantic Corporation. As a member of several advisory boards (Business Roundtable, Library of Congress, Committee on Arts and Humanities, and National Information Infrastructure), Smith offers his view on the future of the telecommunications industry,…

Explains geospatial data (which describes aspects of geographic features normally found on maps that are now in digital form) and discusses its use in geographic information systems. Topics addressed include areas for standardization; policy development; and partnerships between federal, state, and local governments and the private sector. (12…

The intention of S.1090 is to improve the existing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), but in its current form, it is technologically out of date, will burden the administrative process, and will delay disclosure. Examines general considerations for amendments, technology and information law, and technological and administrative problems with the…

Presents an interview with Reed Hundt, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), who implemented the Education Task Force to coordinate the FCC's role in educational provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. He asserts that writing clear rules for the communications sector will promote competition and ensure educational…

Discusses the control of digital content and the stakes for libraries and our democratic culture. Highlights include copyright term extension, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, use of contract law to limit the public domain, database legislation, trademarks versus the public domain, the void in our cultural vocabulary, and the concept of the…

Discusses the need for intellectual honesty in using technology. Topics include intellectual property laws; ethics; indirect results of copying software and images; the need for institutional policy; and the provision of facilities and resources that encourage respect for policy. A sidebar provides "A Bill of Rights and Responsibilities for…

This paper assesses the recommendations made during the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIS) from a public policy view, and identifies their meaning for the public's uses and needs for library and information services. Recommendations from the WHCLIS conference which fit best with national goals were found to…