25. Communications and Internet revolution I17014 LEE JEONG HYUN

25. Communications and Internet revolution Introduction and historical backdrop The Internet and World Wide Web revolution The impact of the information revolution on actors The information revolution and challenges for government policies The impact of the information revolution on international relations Conclusion

1. Introduction and historical backdrop Communication is now at the forefront of globalization and international relations (for three reasons) ① Governments embraces new competitive and regulatory approaches for communications sector, abandoning the traditional monopoly structure of communication ② Competition and innovation fuelled fast-growing communications and information sectors that stimulated economic growth and created new jobs in industrial and many developing countries

1. Introduction and historical backdrop ③ The sudden prominence of Internet and the rise of the World Wide Web is changing the way international relations works and influences the path of globalization. The adoption of innovation associated with this information revolution is proceeding at record speed

1. Introduction and historical backdrop Communications and information technology firms now are at the core of a new world information economy New component and of globalization is that faster and cheaper communication tools Access to efficient communications networks is widely accepted ( growth, innovation higher productivity, and job creation ) Global communications empower non-state actors and may profoundly influence political and military relations as well as economic ones

Historical background National communications regimes almost all were based on the idea that telephone service could be most efficiently provided by government owned or government controlled monopolies The international regimes ① Countries and companies agreed that there should be no competition in the provision of international calls ② Standardized networks and equipment became the norm (International Telecommunication Union)

Historical background The British Telecommunications Act of 1981 In 1984 AT&T broken up =>Many countries followed Britain and the U.S to embrace greater telecom competition, privatization. and liberalization Convergence occurred International partnerships and mergers proliferated Possibility of ‘digital divide’ The Uruguay Round of trade negotiations in the GATT

The transformation of the international communications regime ① The fifteen member countries of the European Union mandated competition in basic telephone services starting in 1998 ② Negotiators successfully concluded the WTO Negotiations on Basic Telecommunications ③ The U.S Federal Communications Commission acted unilaterally to force a sharp reduction in international rates => Became much more competitive system for basic communication, however it did not cover new information services

2. The Internet and World Wide Web revolution - Competition, global networks, and global firms The global telecom and information landscape is in flux Scandinavia and North America lead on installed telephone lines, with other major European countries lagging Most EU members states have a higher percentage of cellular subscribers than the U.S However, Internet penetration is higher than in the U.S than Europe

2. The Internet and World Wide Web revolution - Competition, global networks, and global firms

2. The Internet and World Wide Web revolution Three major trends ① the growth of data transmission is far outstanding the growth of international voice traffic ->the success of the Internet and the Web explain this trend well ② e-commerce, the killer application of the Internet that will shape its future ③ the wireless revolution

2. The Internet and World Wide Web revolution

3. The impact of the information revolution on actors 1.The impact on countries and their policy makers ① There are more information available to governments (they may have access to too much information ) ② Global networks mean that decision making can be centralized of decentralized ③ Global networks erode the monopoly of information in the hands of governments ④ Global networks provide transparency to all

3. The impact of the information revolution on actors 2. The impact on firms Firms are much more outspoken in protecting what they see as their interests Globalization and global networks are transforming business firms, altering their international influence As many governments liberalized their regulation of business, giant firms more and more shaped international relations (especially international economics and financial relations)

3. The impact of the information revolution on actors 3. The impact on NGO and international institution The giant media organization influence as well as report on the world event =>Globalization fostered the proliferation of NGOs everywhere NGOs won a Nobel Peace Prize (Banning landmines) ICANN (fair distribution of domain names, minimize speculative hoarding of desirable domain names) Disrupt launching a WTO Trade Round in Seattle

3. The impact of the information revolution on actors 3. The impact on NGO and international institution International institutions are both more important and less effective international actors because of the rise of global networks 4. The impact on individuals Global networks make it more difficult to maintain individual privacy but also may empower individual with positive or disruptive goals

4.The information revolution and challenges for government policies ① Policies affecting individuals: privacy and secrecy Privacy rights and data security concerns are heightened in cyberspace A balance is needed between protecting the rights of individuals and the data security needs of governments and firms

4.The information revolution and challenges for government policies ② Policies affecting content: intellectual property Intellectual property rules that protect the owners of content through copyright, patent, trademark and trade secrets ate even more important now A balance is needed between rights of users of information and the creators of information. =>Valuing intellectual property on global networks is key The Uruguay Round trade negotiations :TRIPs agreement (Trade Related Intellectual Property)

4.The information revolution and challenges for government policies ③ Policies affecting the network: standard- setting Whoever controls the winning standard wins  Standard wars are fierce, so regulation and setting of technical standards to ensure network interconnectivity and interoperability is important ④ Policies affecting global competition: competition policy Competition policy is becoming trade policy for the world information economy

5. The impact of the information revolution on international relations 1. The impact on diplomatic and military affairs ① Global communication networks help governments collect and analyze vast quantities of information to inform their decisions ② Global communication networks may change who makes the decisions and how they decide ③ All modern military organization are investing in information and communications technologies

5. The impact of the information revolution on international relations 2. The impact on economic relations and international negotiations National governments cannot effectively manage global firms and markets ① They can deregulate, step aside, and put their faith in the magic of markets ② Governments may try to work through international institutions like the WTO or IMF

6. Conclusion Global communications networks are a driving force propelling globalization and challenging policy makers to adapt to new international relations challengers All forces that traditionally shapes international relations remain the same, but global networks have accelerated the intensity and speed of the interactions