Message-Id: <55206A473154D011924D0020AFF7ACB527C8C2@mail1.oulan.ou.edu>
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 08:30:07 -0500
From: "Swisher, Bob" <bswisher@ou.edu>
To: "'it-fyi@ou.edu'" <it-fyi@ou.edu>
Subject: Call for Papers: journal issue on universal access
> CALL FOR PAPERS
>
> Universal Service: New Conceptions for a New Age
>
> A Special Issue of
> The Information Society (An International Journal)
>
>
> Edited by
> Harmeet Sawhney
> Indiana University, Bloomington
>
>
> There is a new wave of innovation in telecommunications services,
> including information services on computer networks and wireless
> telephony. Discussions of who will be served by these services --
> especially computer networks (and the Internet) have raised new
> questions and analyses of universal service.
>
> The meanings of universal telephone service have changed over time.
> As Mueller points out, when Theodore Vail, the architect of the Bell
> System, first talked about universal service he did not harbor any
> egalitarian notions of extending telephone service to everyone. He
> was merely advocating the creation of a "universal" integrated system
> which would allow any subscriber to talk to any other and thereby
> eliminate one of the biggest problems of the day -- lack of
> interconnection between fragmented networks owned by competing
> companies. The universal service idea has evolved in an interesting
> way since then.
>
> In the 1970s, the Bell System started justifying its monopoly against
> the competitive inroads of MCI and others in the U.S. by arguing that
> the preservation of an integrated system was essential for that of
> universal service -- provision of telephone service to everyone. Even
> so, young low-income families constitute a major portion of the 3.5
> million households without telephones in the U.S.
>
> Now as more advanced services, such as Internet access and cellular
> phones become commonplace among the U.S. middle class, what should
> universal service mean?
>
> Before the divestiture of AT&T in 1984, universal service, for the
> most part, was a quasi-technical issue handled by a small group of
> technocrats far removed from the public eye. Today, it is a central
> issue in a highly charged public policy debate. Not only are there
> many more voices yearning to be heard, but also the choices offered by
> technological developments have greatly increased. Therefore, it is
> widely accepted that the concept of universal service developed during
> the POTS era is no longer relevant, and it needs to be reformulated
> for a radically different environment characterized by
> telephone-computer convergence. However, divergent voices and
> technological uncertainties have stymied any sustained movement in a
> new direction.
>
> What we need are new frameworks which cut through the clutter and
> provide conceptual clarity for an issue that beckons sagacious
> choices. This special issue of TIS aims to advance discussion by
> calling for papers which help us conceptualize universal service in
> new ways. Since the very purpose of this issue is to foster
> innovative ideas which break the traditional
> mold, we do not specify the topics in advance. The questions
> mentioned below are provided to give you a flavor of what we have in
> mind rather than to curtail your own imagination.
>
> Is our thinking too dominated by the wireline telephony model? What
> would universal service mean when wireless phones (cellular, PCS, and
> satellite) are as common as transistor radios? Would broadcasting or
> even post office provide a more appropriate framework for thinking
> about universal service? Are universal service policies too narrowly
> focused on subsidies which inevitably dampen innovations by
> artificially lowering the cost of an entrenched technology? Should
> their scope be expanded to include initiatives for the development of
> cost reducing technological alternatives? How about a hypothetical
> Universal Service Foundation that awards grants for such efforts?
>
> Should the concept of universal service which has been rooted in
> telephony be broadened to include other media? Do we need to develop
> a vocabulary which goes beyond local loops, cross subsidies, and other
> telephony-based concepts? Would it be possible to develop a framework
> that looks at the question of universal service independent of any
> particular media? Should the concept of universal service also include
> access to information? If yes, how can we "ration" information when
> it is so context dependent? Should we in general move away from a
> prescriptive mode of thinking where experts decide what should be
> provided to one where the intended beneficiaries of universal service
> policies make their own selections according to their needs?
>
> Should we abandon the notion of an overarching framework for everyone?
> Would it be better to develop context sensitive micro-solutions for
> specific population groups such as rural population, the urban poor,
> the elderly, and people with disabilities? Does universal service
> have to be uniform service to everybody? Do we need one framework or
> multiple frameworks?
>
> We are open to ideas that provide new insights in a conceptually
> powerful way. Papers from diverse research traditions -- social
> science, cultural studies, or legal research -- which employ either
> quantitative or qualitative methodologies are welcome.
>
> Authors are invited to nominate up to four reviewers who are
> knowledgeable about the topic (authors, however, should avoid any
> nominations that involve a conflict of interest). Nominations should
> include: name, complete address, telephone, fax, and electronic mail
> address.
>
> FIVE COPIES OF THE PAPER PREPARED ACCORDING TO THE TIS GUIDELINES
> SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY MARCH 15, 1998.
>
> We encourage prospective authors to become familiar with TIS and to
> discuss possible articles with the Special Issue editor. Manuscript
> guidelines and a list of the titles and abstracts of articles
> published in TIS can be found on the journal's web site:
> http://www.slis.indiana.edu/TIS
>
> Please send your manuscript to:
>
> Harmeet Sawhney
> Dept. of Telecommunications
> Indiana University
> Bloomington, IN 47405
>
> ph: (812) 855 - 0954
> fax: (812) 855 - 7955
> e-mail: hsawhney@indiana.edu
>
>
> Feel free to correspond with the special issue editor if you have any
> questions or are planning to submit an article.
>
> --------------------
>
> _The Information Society_ is a quarterly, refereed journal devoted to
> studies of information technology and social change, information
> policy, and related topics and is edited by Rob Kling of Indiana
> University. Please see the journal's WWW site at
> http://www.slis.indiana.edu/TIS to learn more about the journal's
> scope and recent issues.
>
>
>
>
> ----
> Rob Kling
> http://php.ucs.indiana.edu/~kling
> The Information Society (journal) http://www.slis.indiana.edu/TIS
> Center for Social Informatics http://www.slis.indiana.edu/CSI
> Indiana University
> 10th & Jordan, Room 005C
> Bloomington, IN 47405-1801 812-855-9763 // Fax: 855-6166
>
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