Open AccessIt's Time: Reimaging Universal Service for Digital Life
Author(s) -
Gerard Goggin
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of telecommunications and the digital economy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.202
H-Index - 6
ISSN - 2203-1693
DOI - 10.18080/jtde.v3n4.38
Subject(s) - universal service , context (archaeology) , service (business) , set (abstract data type) , public policy , universal design , project commissioning , telecommunications , computer science , public relations , publishing , political science , business , world wide web , marketing , law , paleontology , biology , programming language
This article provides a brief introduction to a timely set of papers critically discussing universal service in telecommunications and proposing policy option. This is a longstanding public policy issue, moving once more into the foreground in Australia. The article puts the papers into context, and argues for the need to reconnect universal service policy with fertile and productive research, policy, social and technology innovation in other areas. Finally, the paper argues for the urgent need to fundamentally reimagine universal service to achieve the still relevant goal of access for all to essential communications technology.