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Dissertation Information for Francis Whittle

NAME:
- Francis Whittle

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- SUNY, Albany (USA) (1996)

ADVISORS:
- Richard Halsey

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Donald Ballou
- Bruce R. Kingma
- Sue Faerman
- Thomas J. Galvin

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: Universal access and economic development: A study of New York State telecommunication policy following the Modification of Final Judgment

Abstract: Telecommunications policy in the United States has undergone intense scrutiny since the Modification of Final Judgment in 1984. Since that time, responsibility for intrastate communications has progressively devolved from the federal to state and local regulatory authorities. As this shift in regulatory power occurred, the formerly primary policy goal of providing all households with universal access to basic analog telephone service began to compete with the goal of stimulating economic development. Most state policy makers realize that the presence of a robust telecommunications infrastructure helps retain old and attracts new businesses.

This study centers on the tension between the two goals: (1) Universal Service and (2) Economic Development. One major source of this tension is the dual threat of business out-of-state migration and electronic bypass of the public switched network, thereby making past universal service subsidy mechanisms untenable. This research explores levels of agreement between various stakeholders' perceptions of factors attendant to the two goals.

The primary research environment for this study is New York State. With its diverse population dispersed among rural and urban areas and its high concentration of telecommunications-dependent businesses, New York qualifies as an appropriate target for analysis. Since the divestiture of American Telephone and Telegraph in 1984, New York has experienced both an economic boom and a devastating recession. The role of the telecommunications infrastructure as catalyst for economic development has become a prominent concern among public policy decision makers. Because of the many low-wealth rural and inner-city areas in the state, the ensuring of universal service still remains a justifiable concern.

The tension between goals is paralleled on the federal level. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 amending the Communications Act of 1934 attempts to promote economic development through a sweeping deregulation of the communications industry while, at the same time, it expands the definition of universal service.

This study confirms that significant differences in perceptions exist among the public advocacy, business, and governmental agency stakeholder groups. The forging of cooperative bonds between these stakeholder groups to facilitate a climate of trust and openness will be required prior to the negotiation of an effective telecommunications policy.

MPACT Scores for Francis Whittle

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:31:41

Advisors and Advisees Graph