The Benton Foundation's Universal Service
and Universal Access Virtual Library

ARCHIVE PAGE
Please note that this page is no longer being updated, but it is being maintained online for historical purposes. Therefore, some links from these pages may not work.

• Benton Foundation Papers on Universal Service
• Universal Service in Context: A Multidisciplinary perspective
• New Definitions
• The Federal Government
• The States
• International
• Vulnerable Communities
• Market Perspectives

For further information, visit Benton's Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service page.

Benton Foundation Papers on Universal Service

• Losing Ground Bit by Bit: Low-Income Communities in the Information Age This report looks at the barriers (beyond just income) that are slowing the spread of new technology in low-income communities.

• The New Definition of Universal Service
  And The Role for Public Interest Advocates to Make Federal Telecommunications Policy Work in Your State
  Kevin Taglang, Benton Foundation

• The Next Generation of Universal Service: Discounts for Schools and Libraries
  Kevin Taglang, Benton Foundation

• The Next Generation of Universal Service: Recommendations of the Joint Board on Universal Service
  Kevin Taglang, Benton Foundation

• Universal Service: A Historical Perspective and Policies for the 21st Century Mark Cooper

• Public Interest Advocates, Universal Service and the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Kevin Taglang, Benton Foundation

• NetTrans Accounts: Reforming the Financial Support Structure for Universal Service in Telecommunications Eli M. Noam

• The Rural Challenge: Changing Requirements and Policy Options Heather Hudson

• Universal Service: Policy Options for the Future Susan G. Hadden

• Recovering Network Subsidies without Distortion Michael A. Einhorn

• Funding the Public Telecommunications Infrastructure Bruce L. Egan & Steven Wildman

"Universal Service in Context: a Multidisciplinary Perspective" New York Law School Conference

• Breaking the Bottleneck and Sharing the Wealth: A Perspective on Universal Service Policy in an Era of Local Competition Robert K. Lock, Jr.

• A Framework for Managing Telecommunications Deregulation While Meeting Universal Service Goals Barbara A. Cherry, Steven S. Wildman

• An Outline for Organizing Universal Service Proposals Marlin Blizinsky

• Universal Service: The Stakeholder Response James C. Smith

• Remarks of Dr. Michael D. Pelcovits--Stakeholder Response Dr. Michael D. Pelcovits

• The Social Architecture of Community Computing Allen W. Batteau

• The Local Government Perspective: Can the Harmonica Play in the Symphony? Brenda J. Trainor Manager, Regional Telecommunications Clark County, Nevada

• Transcending Access Toward a New Universal Service Jorge Reina Schement, Rebecca R. Pressman, Laurance Povich

• Universal Service in Vermont Peter Bluhm

• Universal Service: Prosaic Motives and Great Ideals Harmeet Sawhney

New Definitions

• "Universal service" and the new Telecommunications Act: Mythology Made Law Milton Mueller

• NTIA Conference on the Future of the Net Ronda Hauben
  Summarizes the 1994 NTIA online Conference held by the U.S. government and presents the discussion and reasons presented as to why there is a need for universal access to email, Usenet and a text based browser. Also presents prototype for public policy hearings.

• Universal Access to E-Mail RAND

The Federal Government

• Falling Through The Net: A Survey of the "Have Nots" in Rural and Urban America. NTIA

• The Global Information Infrastructure: Agenda For Cooperation NTIA

• Competition Is The Key Reed Hundt FCC Chairman

• Federal Communications Law Journal published by the Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington and the Federal Communications Bar Association

The States

• Universal Service to Universal Access
  Contracted by the State of Arizona, Governor's Office of Telecommunications Policy, this paper examines the evolution of Universal Service, describes existing and federal state universal service mechanisms, and charts the future of universal access to new applications and infrastructure, with some light policy recommendations. Designed to be an information tool for policy makers who are not necessarily technologist.

• Universal Service in Vermont Peter Bluhm

• Europe and the Global Information Society Recommendations to the European Council (PDF Format)

• Green Paper on Telecommunications Policy in South Africa

• Access and Universal Service on the Information Highway
  The Canadian government has stated that its Information Highway (IH) strategy will be based on three policy objectives to create jobs through innovation and investment; to reinforce Canadian sovereignty and cultural identity; and to ensure universal access at affordable cost.

• Defining and Maintaining Universal Access to Basic Network Services: Canadian Experiences in an International Context The purpose of this research is to compare Canadian approaches to defining and achieving universal access to basic telecommunications services with that of other countries and international bodies.

Vulnerable Communities

• Latinos in the Age of Information

• Latinos & Technology

Market Perspectives

• From Wires To Waves George Gilder. As wireless telephony goes digital, it gets very cheap very fast.

• Mike Milken and Two Trillion Dollar Opportunity George Gilder

• Technological Change, Market Structure, and Universal Service. Third Prize Winner, Graduate Student Paper Competition, Telecommunications Policy Research Conference, October 1994

• Establish a Wireless Component of the National Information Infrastructure