Abstract This essay is an introduction to the special issue of the Journal of Information Policy (JIP) on the workshop titled "Broadband Research in a Changing World" that met at the American University Washington College of Law, on September 10, 2017. It provides an overview of the multistage process that resulted in the September 10 workshop, introduces the two articles included in the special issue, and summarizes the views and opinions of workshop participants on the means of further stimulating and carrying forward a national dialog on broadband research.
Abstract This essay is an introduction to the special issue of the Journal of Information Policy (JIP) on the workshop titled "Broadband Research in a Changing World" that met at the American University Washington College of Law, on September 10, 2017. It provides an overview of the multistage process that resulted in the September 10 workshop, introduces the two articles included in the special issue, and summarizes the views and opinions of workshop participants on the means of further stimulating and carrying forward a national dialog on broadband research.
Abstract Can broadband save declining communities? The National Broadband Plan pays more attention than any previous policy to this question. Professor Jayakar focuses on community-based public and non-profit institutions which serve as anchor institutions or demand aggregators, and which provide job training, digital literacy instruction, continuing education, and entrepreneurship classes. He conducts an analysis based on extensive usage and penetration data and determines which situations are most likely to produce the greatest return on investment. He then recommends specific legislative and regulatory enablers.
Abstract Can broadband save declining communities? The National Broadband Plan pays more attention than any previous policy to this question. Professor Jayakar focuses on community-based public and non-profit institutions which serve as anchor institutions or demand aggregators, and which provide job training, digital literacy instruction, continuing education, and entrepreneurship classes. He conducts an analysis based on extensive usage and penetration data and determines which situations are most likely to produce the greatest return on investment. He then recommends specific legislative and regulatory enablers.
"This volume is a theoretically informed comparative analysis of the telecommunications and information policy-making process in two major developing economies, China and India. With a focus on how policies are made rather than what those policies are, the book investigates how policy actors interact within institutional structures to define policy problems and identify potential solutions. The authors explain the evolution of these policy-making systems as the two countries liberalized their economies and opened their media and telecommunications systems to competition over the past two-and-a-half decades. With applications in numerous international contexts, this book will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in public policy studies, telecommunications, business, development economics, political science, Asian studies, and public administration"--
Traditionally, attitudes towards remarriage in India have been characterised by scepticism and suspicion, especially in the case of women. Online remarriage sites promised to open up new possibilities for Indians seeking remarriage. A study of self-presentation strategies adopted by men and women in their online profiles posted on a popular remarriage site shows that while the new technology may have made it easier for divorced and widowed individuals to search for partners, profiles presented emphasise caste and community affiliations, and reinforce gendered roles and expectations. Those seeking remarriage, especially women, engaged in substantial efforts to allay fears and concerns associated with divorce and remarriage in India by adhering to normative standards characteristic of a deeply patriarchal society. While many profiles of men highlighted a sense of male entitlement and privilege, an account of the circumstances of divorce was missing from the profiles of both men and women even as the Indian family as a site of harmony and respectability was emphasised by both. Furthermore, while men made consumerist promises in their statements, women used their online profiles to express their consumerist dreams, simultaneously adhering to gendered expectations. Finally, both men and women engaged in selective self-presentation emphasising socially desirable traits such as a light skin tone or a desirable body type in a neoliberal context marked by consumerist modernity.
Abstract Does investment in broadband infrastructure reduce unemployment? Yes, answer Jayakar and Park, reviewing broadband availability data from the National Broadband Map and unemployment statistics. Their study covers eight states selected according to a variety of demographic and economic criteria to represent a range of comparable states. The level of analysis was the county, and the sample was all 415 counties in the selected states. Jayakar and Park conclude that counties with better broadband availability had lower unemployment rates in 2011 even after controlling for other factors.