Mr. Michael Hauben, Columbia University
"What democracy requires is public debate, and not information. Of course, it needs information, too, but the kind of information it needs can be generated only by vigorous popular debate. We do not know what we need to know until we ask the right questions, and we can identify the right questions only by subjecting our own ideas about the world to the test of public controversy. . . ." --Christopher Lasch, "Journalism, Publicity, and the Lost Art of Argument," in Media Studies Journal Winter 1995 Vol 9 No 1, pg. 81
"Throughout American history, the town meeting has been the premier, and often the only, example of ‘direct democracy.’...The issue of whether the town meeting can be redesigned to empower ordinary citizens, as it was intended to do, is of vital concern for the future." --Jeffrey B. Abramson, "Electronic Town Meetings: Proposals for Democracy’s Future," Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program
Democracy, or rule by the people, is by definition a popular form of government. Writers throughout the ages have thought about democracy, and understood the limitations imposed by various factors. Today, computer communications networks, such as the Internet, are technical innovations which make moving towards a true participatory democracy more realistic.
James Mill, a political theorist from the early nineteenth century, and the father of John Stuart Mill, wrote about democracy in his 1825 essay on "Government" for that year’s Supplement for the Encyclopedia Britannica. Mill argues that democracy is the only governmental form that is fair to the society as a whole. Although he does not trust representative government, he ends up advocating it. But he warns of its dangers,
"Whenever the powers of Government are placed in any hands other than those of the community, whether those of one man, of a few, or of several, those principles of human nature which imply that Government is at all necessary, imply that those persons will make use of them to defeat the very end for which Government exists." (1)
Democracy is a desirable form of government, but Mill found it to be impossible to maintain. Mill lists two practical obstacles in his essay. First, he finds it impossible for the whole people to assemble to perform the duties of government. Citizens would have to leave their normal jobs on a regular basis to help govern the community. Second, Mill argues that an assembled body of differing interests would find it impossible to come to any agreements. Mill speaks to this point in his essay,
"In an assembly, every thing must be done by speaking and assenting. But where the assembly is numerous, so many persons desire to speak, and feelings, by mutual inflammation, become so violent, that calm and effectual deliberation is impossible." (2)
In lieu of participatory democracies, republics have arisen as the actual form of government. Mill recognizes that an elected body of representatives serves to facilitate the role of governing society in the interests of the body politic. However, that representative body needs to be overseen so as to not abuse its powers. Mill writes,
"That whether Government is entrusted to one or a few, they have not only motives opposite to those ends, but motives which will carry them, if unchecked, to inflict the greatest evils...." (3) A more recent scholar, the late Professor Christopher Lasch of the University of Rochester, also has qualms with representative government. In his essay, "Journalism, Publicity, and the Lost Art of Argument" (4), Lasch argues that any form of democracy requires discourse and debate to function properly. His article is critical of modern journalism failing in its role as a public forum to help raise the needed questions of our society. Lasch recommended the recreation of direct democracy when he wrote,
"Instead of dismissing direct democracy as irrelevant to modern conditions, we need to recreate it on a large scale. And from this point of view, the press serves as the equivalent of the town meeting." (5)
But the traditional town meeting had its limitations. Everyone should be allowed to speak, as long as they share a genuine common interest in the well-being of the whole community, rather than in any particular part. One scholar wrote that a "well-known study of a surviving small Vermont town meeting traces the breaking apart of the deliberative ideal once developers catering to tourism bought property in a farming community; the farmers and developers had such opposed interests about zoning ordinances that debate collapsed into angry shouting matches." (6)
The twenty-six year development of the Internet (starting in 1969) and the sixteen year development of Usenet News (starting in 1979) is an investment in a strong force towards making direct democracy a reality. Mill’s observations of the obstacles preventing the implementation of direct democracy have a chance of being overcome using these new technologies. On-line communication forums also make possible Lasch’s desire to see the discussion necessary to identify today’s fundamental questions. Mill could not foresee the successful assembly of the body politic in person at one time. The Net (7) allows for a meeting which takes place on each person’s own time, rather than all at one time. Usenet newsgroups are discussion forums where questions are raised, and people can leave comments when convenient, rather than at a particular time and at a particular place. As a computer discussion forum, individuals can connect from their own computers, or from publicly accessible computers across the nation to participate in a particular debate. The discussion takes place in one concrete time and place, while the discussants can be dispersed. Current Usenet newsgroups and mailing lists prove that citizens can both do their daily jobs and participate in discussions that interest them on their schedules.
Mill’s second observation was that people would not be able to communicate peacefully after assembling. Online discussions do not have the same characteristics as in-person meetings. As people connect to the discussion forum when they wish, and when they have time, they can be thoughtful in their responses to the discussion. Whereas in a traditional meeting, participants have to think quickly to respond. In addition, on-line discussions allow everyone to have a say, whereas finite length meetings only allow a certain number of people to have their say. Online meetings allow everyone to contribute their thoughts in a message, which is then accessible to whomever else is reading and participating in the discussion.
These new communication technologies hold the potential for the implementation of direct democracy in a country as long as the necessary computer and communications infrastructure are installed. Future advancement towards a more responsible government is possible with these new technologies. While the future is discussed and planned for, it will also be possible to use these technologies to assist in the citizen participation in government. Netizens (8) are watching various government institutions on various newsgroups and mailing lists throughout the global computer communications network. People’s thoughts about and criticisms of their respective governments are being aired on the currently uncensored networks.
These networks can vitalize the concept of a democratic "Town Meeting" via on-line communication and discussion. Discussions involve people interacting with others. Voting involves the isolated thoughts of an individual on an issue, and then his or her acting on those thoughts in a private vote. In society where people live together, it is important for people to communicate with each other about their situations to best understand the world from the broadest possible viewpoint.
Public and open discussions and debates are grass-roots, bottom-up situations which enable people to participate in democracy with enthusiasm and interest more so than the current system of secret ballots allows. Of course, at some point or other, votes might be taken, but only after time has been given to air an issue in the commons.
A recent example and prototype of this public and open discussion was the Virtual Conference on Universal Service and Open Access to the Telecommunications Network in late November 1994. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) (9), a branch of the US Department of Commerce sponsored this e-mail and newsgroup conference and encouraged public access sites to allow broad-based discussion. Several public libraries across the nation provided the most visible public sites on the archives of the conference. This NTIA online conference is an example of an on-line "town meeting." This prototype of what the technology facilitates also demonstrated some of the problems inherent in non-moderated computer communication. The NTIA conference was a new social form made possible by the net and actually occurred as a prototype of one form of citizen on-line discussion. It demonstrated an example of citizen-government interaction through citizen debate over important public questions held in a public forum with the support of public institutions. This is a viable attempt to revitalize the democratic definition of government of and by the people. This particular two-week forum displayed the following points:
1) Public debate and its release of beforehand unheard voices 2) A new form of politics involving the people in the real questions of society 3) The clarification of a public question 4) The testing of new technological means to move society forward
David J. Barram, the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, closed the NTIA’s Virtual Conference on Universal and Service and Open Access by stating the conference was:
"...a tremendous example of how our information infrastruc-ture can allow greater citizen participation in the develop-ment of government policies."
To hear such a comment from a government representative is important. Such a statement indicates that many users of the Net have demonstrated to the US Federal Government that they oppose the recent conversion of the communications-based Internet into the commerce-based National Information Infrastructure.
The goals of the two-week conference, as stated in the Welcoming Statement, also by David Barram, were as follows:
1) Garner opinions and views on universal telecommunications service that may shape the legislative and regulatory de-bate. 2) Demonstrate how networking technology can broaden partic-ipation in the development of government policies, specifi-cally, universal service telecommunications policy. 3) Illustrate the potential for using the NII to create an electronic commons. 4) Create a network of individuals and institutions that will continue the dialog started by the conference, once the formal sponsorship is over.
The Welcoming Statement also highlighted the importance placed in the active two-way process of communication by ending,
"This conference is an experiment in a new form of dialogue among citizens and with their government. The conference is not a one-way, top down approach, it is a conversation. It holds the promise of reworking the compact between citizens and their government."
Open discussion is powerful. Such exchange is much more convincing then any propaganda. The forums on "Availability and Affordability" and "Redefining Universal Service and Open Access" demonstrated that the solution of the so-called "free market" is not a correct solution for the problem of spreading network access to all. Otherwise unheard voices sounded loud and clear; there is a strong need for government to assure that on-line access is equally available to urban, rural, disabled or poor citizens and to everyone else. The government must step in to cover non-profitable situations that the so-called "free market" would not touch. Non-governmental and non-profit organizations along with community representatives, college students, normal everyday people and others made this clear in their contributions to the discussion. The NTIA Virtual Conference was not advertised broadly enough, but the organizers did establish 80 public access points across the U.S. in places like public libraries and community centers. This helped to include the opinions of people in the discussion who might not have been heard otherwise.
That the NTIA conference was online meant that many more points of view were heard than is normal. Prominent trade-off concerns were that of so-called economic development versus universal service and "free market" versus government regulation. Another issue which was brought up was the importance of understanding that the NII will be an extension of the Internet and not something completely new. As such, it is important to acknowledge the origin and significance of the Internet, and to properly study and understand the contribution the current global computer communications network represents for society. The last concern to point out was the hope that the government would be helpful to society at large in providing access to these networks to all who would desire this access.
Despite the sentiments expressed during the NTIA conference in November, the NSFnet (National Science Foundation Network) was put to death quietly on May 1, 1995. Users heard about the shut down indirectly. Universities and other providers who depended on the NSFnet might have reported service disruptions the week or two forehand while they re-established their network providers and routing tables. No larger announcements were made about the transfer from a publicly subsidized US Internet backbone to a commercial backbone. The switch signalled a change in priorities of what the Internet will be used for. May 1, 1995 was also the opening date of a national electronic open meeting sponsored by the US government on "People and their Governments in the Information Age." Apparently the US government was sponsoring this on-line meeting from various public access sites, and paying commercial providers in the process. Something is deeply ironic in this government-decided change to increase government expenses.
But also, on May 1, 1995, there was a presentation at a branch of the New York Public Library which focused on the value of the Internet and Usenet as a cooperative network where people could air their individual voices and connect up with people around the world. The Internet and Usenet have been networks where new voices were heard and the more established voices of society would not be overwhelming. This May First, traditionally a people’s holiday around the world, the domain of the commons was opened up to the commercial world. But the commercial world already has a strong hold on all other broadcast media, and these media have become of little or no value. The Internet has been a social treasure for people in the USA and around the world. It is important to value this treasure and protect it from commercial interests. As such, this move by the US Government is disappointing, especially considering the testimony presented by many Internet and Usenet users who participated in the November 1994 NTIA Virtual Conference on Universal Service and Open Access to the Telecommunications Network.(10)
In order to make any socially useful policy concerning the National Information Infrastructure (NII), it is necessary to bring the greatest possible number of people into the process of discussion and debate.(11) The NTIA online conference is a prototype of possible future online meetings leading to direct democracy. There are several steps that need to be taken for the on-line media to function for a direct democracy. First, of all, it would be necessary to make access easily available, including establishing permanent public Internet access computer locations throughout the country along with local phone numbers to allow citizens to connect their personal computers to the Net. Secondly, it is wrong to encourage people to participate in on-line discussions about government, and then ask them to pay for that participation. Rather, it would be important to be able to figure out some system of paying people who participate in their government. Payment for participation is not an easy issue to decide, but it is necessary step forward in order to facilitate more participation by people.
The archives of the avail forum and the redefus forum make for very important reading. It would be valuable if they were available in print form and available to those involved with policy decisions on the NII and for people around the USA and world who are interested in the future of the Net. This virtual conference was an important landmark in the study towards the development of the NII. However, it should not only stand only as a landmark, rather it should set a precedent for future conferences which will hopefully start as the basis of a new social contract between the American people and government.
(1) Essays on Government, Jurisprudence, Liberty of the Press and Law of Nations, reprint, Kelley Publishers, New York, 1986, p. 8.
(2) Ibid., p. 6.
(3) Ibid., p. 13.
(4) "Journalism, Publicity, and the Lost Art of Argument," Media Studies Journal, vol 9 no 1, Winter 1995, p. 81.
(5) Ibid., p. 89.
(6) Jeffrey B. Abramson’s "Electronic Town Meetings: Proposals for Democracy’s Future," prepared for the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program.
(7) The Net being the Internet, Usenet News, Mailing Lists, etc.
(8) Netizens are Net Citizens. See the URL http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/text/WhatIsNetizen.html
(9) The NTIA virtual conference was co-sponsored sponsored by the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) and the Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF), as part of the Administration’s National Information Infrastructure initiative.
(10) The NTIA Virtual Archives are available via the World Wide Web at http://ntiaunix2.ntia.doc.gov:70/11s/virtual
(11) See the opening speech by C.P. Snow in Management and the Computer of the Future, Martin Greenberger, MIT Press, 1962.
Abramson, Jeffrey B. "Electronic Town Meetings: Proposals for Democracy’s Future." Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program
Greenberger, Martin ed. "Management and the Computer of the Future" M.I.T. Press. Cambridge, MA, 1962.
Hauben, Michael and Ronda Hauben. "The Netizens and the Wonderful World of the Net: On the History and the Impact of the Internet and Usenet News." Unpublished manuscript available via the World Wide Web at: http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/project_book.html
Kahin, B. "Commercialization of the Internet: Summary Report" Internet Request for Comments 1192. November 1990.
Lasch, Christopher. "Journalism, Publicity, and the Lost Art of Argument." Media Studies Journal Winter 1995 Vol 9 No 1, pg. 81
Lasch, Christopher. The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy. W.W. Norton and Company, New York, 1995.
Mill, James. "Essays on Government, Jurisprudence, Liberty of the Press and Law of Nations." Kelley Publishers, NY, 1986.
Proceedings of the NTIA Virtual Conference. Available via the World Wide Web at http://ntiaunix2.ntia.doc.gov:70/11s/virtual
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Michael Hauben at hauben@columbia.edu