Beyond Broadband Access

From
September 22 to 24, the New America Foundations Open Technology Initiative
hosted Beyond Broadband Access: Data
Based Information Policy for a New Administration. An experts workshop, Beyond Broadband Access created an
opportunity for small group of highly skilled experts from around the world to
seek breakthrough insights which can be applied to current policy
challenges.

Over the
course of three days, attendees shared presentations, research, discussed concrete approaches
and new theories, identified problems and challenges, and developed conclusions
and a future research agenda. An off the record discussion, the

This
event was organized by the
Institute for
Information Policy at Pennsylvania State University;
Quello
Center for Telecommunication Management and Law at Michigan State University
School of Communication; Information and Library Science at Rutgers University
School of Economics and Management; and Beijing University of Posts and
Telecommunications, and the
New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative.

This event was for invited guests only.

Focus: Numbers That Matter

Many numbers are being thrown around
in the global information policy discourse about such things as rankings
with respect to “e-readiness”, the “digital divide”, and the
“information society”. What do these numbers actually mean? What
is their value? Are they the numbers that matter? Are they loaded for
or against certain outcomes? Can the underlying methods and data be
transformed into truly useful policy tools?

Important policy decisions are being
made in the U.S. about information services to promote innovation, knowledge
development, social equity and democratic values. There is broad international
consensus that these decisions are improved if they are informed by
empirical data. This kind of approach has already been widely undertaken
by international organizations, including several U.N. bodies, the OECD,
regional groups like APEC, the International Telecommunications Union,
many private sector and civil society organizations, and individual
economies (e.g., the EU, China). The goal is to make information policy
more empirically-based to assist decision makers in understanding the
likely consequences of their policies.

Most of these approaches, involving
many quantitative “indicators”, produce results which are descriptive
and comparative (e.g., which nation has more Internet access), which
are useful, up to a point. However, what is needed are approaches which
are also explanatory and predictive, so it is possible to understand
why things happen, and to make predictions about what will happen. Current
approaches involve a high degree of subjectivity. Further efforts are
needed to reduce this as much as possible, and let the data “speak”
for itself. This presents significant methodological challenges. But
method must first be guided by theory, and in this field, theory is
remarkably lacking.

Generally speaking, there are multiple
components to this process, each with its own issues:

• Theory: Specification
  of objectives; development of theoretical models; identification of
  testable hypotheses; selection of appropriate methodologies for analysis.
• Data: Identification
  of key indicators; development of consistent data standards; data collection
  and verification; data access.
• Modeling: Development
  of empirical models; dealing with institutional diversity and complexity;
  coping with dynamic technological change. Multidimensional visual modeling
  of large bodies of data.
• Application: Formulating
  answerable questions; Making predictions about outcomes; Analyzing relevant
  data; Using outcomes to refine theory and hypotheses.
• Policy Development:
  Organization of statistical resources; conversion of results of statistical
  analysis into policy guidance; incorporation of results in shaping policy
  or legislation; political use of findings.

This Workshop and the Call for Proposals
will focus primarily on the area of theory, which is among the most
underdeveloped areas, yet is the most important for substantial progress
to be made. Theory will let us formulate the questions which lead to
the testable hypotheses for which the appropriate methods must be deployed.
That focus on theory will not be to the exclusion of the other areas,
as all are necessary components. In a world in which information-based
power is becoming the dominant paradigm, such empirically based, data-informed
policy analysis is a critical tool.

The Three Day Workshop

The Workshop will bring together
a group of about twenty American and international experts on information
metrology. They will meet for three days in Washington, D.C., where,
during morning and afternoon sessions, they will make presentations,
share research, discuss concrete approaches and new theories, identify
problems and challenges, and develop conclusions and a future research
agenda. Each participant will write and present an original paper to
the group, which will then be the subject of questions and discussion,
followed by a final Workshop summary session, all of which will be recorded
by a Rapporteur. The experts will attend on a by-invitation, expense-paid
basis, based on the Abstracts they have proposed and their identified
ability to make a significant contribution based on their expertise
or experience.

The Organizing Institutions

Institute for Information Policy,
Pennsylvania State University
Quello Center for Telecommunication
Management and Law, Michigan State University
School of Communication, Information
and Library Science, Rutgers University
School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
New America Foundation’s Open
Technology Initiative