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   See map: Google Maps