The provision of public Internet access and related networked services by public libraries is affected by a number of information policy issues. This article analyzes the policy dimensions of Internet connectivity in public libraries in light of the data and findings from a national survey of public libraries conducted by the authors of this…

This document presents witness testimony and supplemental materials from a Congressional hearing regarding reform to national telecommunications policy, namely, replacing a regime of heavy regulation with a true market system. Statements are featured by Senators John Ashcroft, Conrad Burns, Ernest Hollings, Kay Baily Hutchison, John D. Rockefeller…

Due to legislative mandate, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) was required to develop a system (the Education Management Information System) that would increase the amount of information available to state-level policy makers and the public. Some recommendations for improving the function of EMIS are offered in this report. The text provides…

The goals of the Fourth Annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on International Telecommunications were: to address procedural and substantive solutions for international coordination of Internet policy issues; to suggest different models for dispute resolution and policy coordination that might be employed in the various contexts of Internet usage;…

The Aspen Institute's Communications and Society Program convened leaders and experts in the telecommunications and related fields to address telecommunications regulation in an IP (Internet Protocols) environment at the 15th annual Aspen Institute Telecommunications Policy Conference (Aspen, Colorado, August 12-16, 2000). The report from this…

Examines factors influencing access to and use of the Internet: technical characteristics of information technologies, user preferences for information resources, institutional arrangements controlling provider/user relationships, and psychological factors affecting information processing. Suggests individual internet users support policies that…

Introduces concepts of server security and includes articles and sidebars of firsthand accounts of consequences of not devoting enough time to security measures. Outlines the following factors to consider when evaluating a server's risk potential: confidentiality/reproducibility of the data; complexity of the system; backup system and hardware…

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…

Examines the inability of libraries to include sexual videotapes in their collections. Discusses the explicit text versus visual images and the double standards in collection policies; Madonna's picture book, "Sex"; controversial films; and who the censors are. Reviews 20 videotapes with explicit images of violence, sex, and other issues. (AEF)

The availability of objectionable material on the Internet creates a conflict between the rights of computer users and universities. This article examines free speech and censorship; highlights responses by Carnegie Mellon University, University of Oklahoma, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of Pittsburgh; and proposes a…

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,…

Summarizes some of the activities the United States government has undertaken to control the dissemination of information since 2001. It also explores, through a conceptual model of information flows, potential impacts and discontinuities between policy purposes and outcomes. (AEF)

Discusses information policy in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Topics include access to government records, including Freedom of Information Act issues; removing or expanding information on government Web sites; state actions; coordination versus secrecy in homeland security; and patterns and trends in federal and state…

Explores the influence of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure changes on higher education. Addresses issues such as ICT hardware, networks, and leadership and skills; budgets; policy (including access to information, information privacy, information security, and ownership of faculty course materials); changes in…

Reviews policy issues surrounding decisions by governments to make available or to withhold information from government files that can be linked to identifiable individuals. Outlines the debate over access to public records, identifies policies that impact on disclosure decisions, and discusses options and approaches to address access and privacy…