Book
Review
NetPolicy.Com: Public Agenda for
a Digital World was written by Leslie David Simon, a Senior Policy Scholar
at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a member of the U.
S. State Department’s advisory committee on international communications and
information policy. In this comprehensive treatment of information technology
policy, the author outlines the history and power of information technologies
preceding the Net and the series of events that led up to the birth of the Net. Simon discusses the challenges that
information technologies pose to policymakers such as the mega-convergence of
different media. He also examines a
range of current and future public policy issues, including digital democracy,
digital economics, electronic government (e-government) technical regulatory
issues, legal concerns, and research and development policies. The perspective the author takes is
expansive, examining information technology issues cross-nationally, and including
the actions of international organizations and the private sector as well as
governments. Simon concludes with priorities that he feels lawmakers must
possess to deal with cyberspace policy challenges. Some of these priorities include a common understanding of
privacy, universal access to the Net, and plans for community growth.
The author reviews the history of the policy issue, the
legal framework and actions of various government commissions, and private
sector organizations formed to respond to policy issues regarding the Internet.
After this, the author proceeds to make policy recommendations that pertain to
education and the work force, universal access, privacy, and security issues,
and suggests suitable roles for both the private and public sectors. Without consideration of these issues, Simon
wisely believes that it is unrealistic that Internet use will be truly global
and that economic woes problems may ensue for the citizens of nations that do
not heed this advice.
Simon notes that the proliferation
of Internet usage has implications for government agencies and services.
Government agencies as well as private enterprises have much to gain from the
opportunities that digital technology affords them. Government services that
have been traditionally offered from government offices during limited hours
can be offered to constituents from the convenience of their homes 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. Moving government services online is also cheaper, more
efficient, curbs government employee corruption, and promotes economic growth.
Simon identifies some of the services that various governments are offering
online. These services include the conveniences of filing taxes and the renewal
of various licenses. However, as Simon cautions later in the book, moving
government services online should not be done until a nation’s Net readiness
has been gauged and privacy and security issues have been resolved. He advocates the bridging of the digital
divide, the gap between those who have access to information technology and
those who do not, by means of public-private partnerships among other
strategies.
The author states that digital
technology may have favorable implications for participatory democracy, as
well. It is possible that the availability of information on the Internet may make
voters more informed and if elections are moved online that voter turnout may
increase. Citizens may also participate in online forums that can facilitate
more representative policymaking. However, as with the movement of government
services online, the author warns that the issues of privacy and security must
also be addressed before online elections can become a widespread reality.
Some of NetPolicy.Com’s strengths lie in the
author’s policy background and the extensiveness of the research. This book is
current and well researched as the author reviewed existing legislation and
literature on the issues related to the information age quite extensively. The
suggestions of other researchers (Bertot et al. 1997, Katz & Aspden 1997,
Layne & Lee 2001, and West 2000) regarding these policy issues are
consistent with the recommendations that Simon makes, too.
The book does contain one
shortcoming, of which the author was aware.
Many of Simon’s recommendations are not grounded in any type of data or
statistical analysis. As the author
states: “We need better measurements of the Net and its economic and social
effects. All sound policies begin with sound data” (392).
Despite the aforementioned weakness,
Simon clearly attained the objectives that he set forth in his book. The author presents information in a manner
that allows persons inside and outside of academia and government agencies to
understand how information technologies work, the history of information technologies,
and the legislation that has passed or was considered by policymakers to deal
with the policy issues that cyberspace has presented. The book, while
comprehensive in its approach, is also concise and well written. NetPolicy.Com can and should be used
by policymakers and scholars to gain a broad-brush understanding of current and
future cyberspace policy issues. The
book should also be read by anyone who is concerned about how the Net will
further impact social, economic, and political life.
Bertot,
J. C., C. R. McClure, W. E. Moen, and J. Rubin. 1997. “Web Usage Statistics:
Measurement Issues and Analytical Techniques.” Government Information
Quarterly. 14: (4) 373-395.
Katz,
J. and P. Aspden. “Motivations for and barriers to Internet Usage: Results of
National Public Opinion Survey.” Internet Research: Electronic Networking
Applications and Policy. 7 (3): 170-188.
Layne,
K. and J. W. Lee. 2001. “Developing Fully Functional E-government: A Four Stage
Model.” Government Information Quarterly. 18: (2) 122-136.
West,
D. M. 2000. Assessing E-Government: The Internet, Democracy, and Service
Delivery by State and Federal Governments. Available [Online]: http://www1.worldbank.org/publicsector/egov/EgovReportUS00.htm