The Electronic Village: Policy Issues of the Information Economy

Jeffrey Moon is head of the Documents Reference/Data Centre at Queen’s
University.

The Electronic Village is a collection of essays that with one exception
were presented at the Economic and Public Policy Issues of the
Information Economy conference held in Toronto in 1997. The book focuses
on the challenges faced by regulatory bodies in the face of rapid
technological change in the global market for telecommunication
services. Broad topics include deregulation, Canada–U.S. regulation,
international trade, foreign investment, economic development,
geographic diffusion, and broadcasting in Canada.

Throughout these essays, the role of the CRTC (Canadian
Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) is analyzed in
detail. The fact that the CRTC has in recent years supported competition
in telecommunication hardware and services and yet resisted it in
broadcasting highlights the “particular nature” of the regulatory
environment in Canada. Throughout this book, the CRTC acts as a sort of
lightning rod for discussion of a variety of issues, ranging from the
Canadian-content debate to the prospect of the CRTC’s coming under
fire in the international “freer-trade” arena.

Tables, maps, and statistics are used extensively. One essay provides
statistics that clearly illustrate the changing competitive marketplace
(number of firms, market share, residential phone rates). Another essay
uses more advanced statistics, leaving many readers at the mercy of the
author to explain what is being presented—with varied success, as the
following “commentary” indicates: “As one might expect, much of
the variability in the log of the networking index is associated with
the variability of the regressor variables we used as proxies for
economies of agglomeration.” Come again?

Maps illustrate the regional distribution of information technology
infrastructure in the United States. Although effective, these maps lack
legends; readers must consult the essay text or map notes to decipher
what is being mapped.

Overall, this is a cohesive collection of essays dealing with a
fast-moving target. Much has changed in the years since the conference,
but most of the themes discussed here are still of importance. All
citizens of the emerging electronic village should read this book.