
Internet Laws and Our Rights
essayThe world is just at the dawn of the Internet revolution, a revolution that promises both benefits and new sets of
challenges, if not problems. The benefits manifest themselves in political, economic, and social dimensions. The policy
challenges are more numerous, but four in particular have attracted significant attention: privacy, intellectual property protection, taxation, and "open access" to high-speed or "broadband" networks.
Policy issues relating to the Internet have loomed larger as the use of the Net has grown. In just four
years, the Net had attracted fifty million users, the fastest pace of adoption of any communications technology in history. By contrast, it took thirteen
years for television and seventy-four
years for the telephone to reach the same number of users. As of January 2000, more than seventy-two million computers from more than 220 countries were connected to the Internet. Internet penetration is projected to continue increasing. Perhaps even more important, the speed of access is also projected to advance for any single user by leaps and bounds once various "broadband" technologies-cable, wireless, or enhanced services over conventional copper telephone lines--are installed more universally.