The Internet was the great surprise of the 20th century. No one who initially developed the network imagined it would become such a powerful engine of economic, social and political growth. This success was due largely to its open architecture, which makes the Internet accessible to anyone to use and further develop, guaranteeing maximum competition, participation and innovation.
Internet Breakthroughs
The Internet’s unique architecture made certain that the right to innovate was open to anyone, anywhere. This, in turn, created a tremendous range of important and economically valuable breakthroughs.
Some of the most dynamic developments in the history of the Internet — from the creation of the World Wide Web by a Swiss researcher, to the development of the first peer-to-peer instant messaging chat service by Israeli students, to the launch of the Google search engine by grad students in their dorm room — were innovations by outsiders.
Prospering in the Information Age
These innovations have created immense opportunities for newcomers while generating trillions of dollars in gross domestic product for our country. But innovation is not only limited to economic gain. Creative new tools for organizing social networks and sharing information have given voice to disenfranchised groups, pried open governments, and engaged millions of new people in political and civic affairs.
The Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that in 2008, more than 46 percent of Americans used digital communications to get news about political campaigns, share their views and mobilize others. Innovative online organizing tools and social networks have brought people together as a virtual political force.
The Internet has made it possible for one person’s good idea to blossom into a movement of millions. The challenge before us now is to make this engine of innovation accessible to everyone so that we all have a chance to prosper in the information age.
Options for Innovation
Private Industry. New ways of providing Internet services to customers are often driven by the private sector, frequently companies and individuals working on a very small scale. Much of this upstart innovation needs capital investment to get new ideas to the marketplace. But investors need a level of certainty that their support of innovation won’t be stifled by dominant market players or overly cumbersome regulation.
Federal Government. Government can provide research and development incentives to help foster the next generation of online innovations. It can also help safeguard open access to online marketplaces so that innovators can compete without gatekeepers dictating which innovations will succeed and which will fail. Government can also relax regulation of the airwaves and allow use of vacant airwaves to provide room for new market innovations.
Local Communities. Building a municipal broadband system is an expensive and complicated task. But cities wishing to remain competitive economically see publicly owned networks as a development strategy that can attract innovative citizens and businesses and engage more people in local self-governance.
