Abstract

The Internet is an information medium that is receiving considerable attention on a global scale. Some countries are examining the regulation of this technology, and Australia is one of the first to implement legislation to restrict access to offensive or illegal material at the Internet Service Provider (ISP) source. Given the debate surrounding both the efficacy of online regulation in general and this legislation in particular, some objective analysis of ex ante and ex post ISP reactions is of benefit to researchers, practitioners and legislators alike. This paper details a longitudinal study which surveys a targeted selection of Australian ISPs to determine both initial and subsequent effects of and attitudes towards the legislation. The paper observes that, initially, ISPs were generally opposed to the legislation, offering stiff opposition to its introduction. The initial results suggested dissatisfaction with the legislation on the part of ISPs, and foreshadowed adverse effects on the online industry. Concerns were also raised that the legislation would not be effective. Two years later, however, ISPs had generally observed little change in operations, arguing that the legislation had had little overall effect. The study also raises a number of interesting issues that are outside the scope of this paper. These issues merit further research.

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