Bridging Broadband Internet Divides: Reconfiguring access to Enhance Communicative Power

Authors

William H Dutton, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;Follow
Sharon Eisner Gillett, MIT Program on Internet & Telecoms Convergence, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA;
Lee W McKnight, Convergence Center, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA;
Malcolm Peltu, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford, UK

Document Type

Other

Abstract

Government and industry initiatives to stimulate the diffusion of high-performance broadband telecommunications links have given a fresh impetus to debates over the social and economic implications of the growing use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs). This paper analyses how outcomes tied to ICT innovation are shaped by choices about whether and how to use, or not use, the technology to reconfigure access to people, services, information and technologies in ways that significantly change the communicative power of individuals, communities, organisations, nations and regions. It explains why these outcomes are not predetermined by the technology, but unfold over time through the complex interplay among many actors, in many arenas. A framework is presented to assist in addressing the issue of digital divides and other areas of research, policy and practice affected by the design and use of broadband Internet and related ICTs.

DOI

10.1057/palgrave.jit.2000007

Recommended Citation

Dutton, William H; Gillett, Sharon Eisner; McKnight, Lee W; and Peltu, Malcolm (2004) "Bridging Broadband Internet Divides: Reconfiguring access to Enhance Communicative Power," Journal of Information Technology: Vol. 19: Iss. 1, Article 4.
DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jit.2000007
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jit/vol19/iss1/4