Universal access, open Internet and the marketplace of ideas

[Commentary] Long before the advent of the Internet or cable TV we realized that the key to a healthy democracy is a free and open marketplace of ideas.

From this human rights' perspective we can see that our broadband media systems deliver more than just voice, data, video and commerce -- in a real sense they deliver liberty and justice as well. Whether our communications travel on the ground over wire lines of copper and optic fiber, or wirelessly over the airwaves, they always traverse public spaces. So, the telecommunications networks that deliver our media and broadband Internet services are subject to laws and regulations that reflect public policy. Who should have a voice, and how do we keep robber barons and profiteers from controlling or monopolizing these essential networks? There are laws and regulations at federal, tribal, state and local jurisdictions that shape our communication networks and determine how we connect -- protecting privacy, restricting censorship, providing for universal service, ensuring localism, diversity and competition, etc. With all the technical and legal complexity involved, how can we figure out the best policies?

[McLaughlin is a digital ecologist, serving as executive director of Access Humboldt]