ABSTRACT: Canada's Coalition for Public Information (CPI) is an accepted public voice on information highway issues in Canada. As the public and policy debate on the development of the information highway evolves it will require greater concentration on specific and concrete issues and strategies. CPI has decided to focus on developing the concepts of a national vision, a National Access Board, public lanes and spaces, and the need to digitize the future content of the highway. This article presents some initial views on these topics and invites contributions and suggestions as CPI works at defining these issues.
RÉSUMÉ: La "Coalition for Public Information" (CPI) du Canada est une voix publique acceptée sur les questions concernant l'autoroute électronique au Canada. Au fur et à mesure que le public et le débat politique sur le développement de l'autoroute électronique évolue, une plus grande concentration sera requise sur ses questions spécifiques et stratégies concrètes. La CPI a décidé de s'articuler autour du développement de concepts de vision nationale, un "National Access Board", des voles et espaces publics ainsi que le besoin de convertir en numérique le contenu futur de l'autoroute. Cet article présente des opinions de première instance sur ces sujets et invite les contributions et suggestions tout comme la CPI travaille à définir ces questions.
Canada's Coalition for Public Information (CPI) is now an established advocate for universal public access to the information highway. CPI believes that the new information technologies have the potential to transform Canadian society from one that was dependent on agriculture, resource extraction and industrial production to one that is based on a less environmentally damaging, self-sustaining, post-industrial model, that is, an information society. CPI believes that the information infrastructure that enables an information society must be based on a set of principles that will ensure that Canadians benefit in democratic and social terms, as well as economically. However, while the development of the infrastructure must be based on principles, immediate strategies must be identified to move us forward in the transformation to the information society. This article will examine three strategies that CPI has identified as priorities for the upcoming year. CPI will promote the need for an national vision in Canada as to the nature of the information infrastructure, define a National Access Board to oversee the realization of the vision, and explore the issues involved in digitization, specifically, the creation of a digital library. CPI would welcome any opinions and suggestions in regards to these three topics.
CPI believes that the Government of Canada must develop a national vision based on a commitment to universal access to, and participation in, a state-of-the-art information and communication infrastructure.
A new vision is required supported by a national information access plan with a representative public body to oversee its implementation. Therefore CPI has called for the appointment of a National Access Board.
The transformation process should be guided by a national board which will evaluate progress and develop strategies to achieve universal access and participation. The strategies considered by the National Access Board should primarily flow from the national vision enunciated by the Government of Canada on behalf of its citizens. From the national vision statement long term goals should be established as a framework for the development of short term achievable objectives. The recommendations made by the Information Highway Advisory Council, some of the directions identified by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in their recent report Competition and Culture on Canada's Information Highway,3 and the recommendations contained in CPI's Future Knowledge5 and the Telecommunications Act,6 which relate to an industrial age model of television and telephone services. These acts do not reflect the new realities in these areas brought about by the transformational effect of the new information and communication technologies.
It is important that the board be representative of the three main sectors of Canadian society. These are the government sector, the corporate or private sector, and the non-profit or social sector. This board could be attached to an enhanced CRTC or CANARIE,7 but it must be noted that at the moment neither of these bodies are fully representative of Canadian society.
The National Vision should be based on:
The rights of access and participation will be enabled through the provision of single-party digital access lines in order to provide individuals with electronic access from their homes, schools, libraries, community networks and places of work, and centres of government to interactive communications and information sources at the community level, across the country and globally. The national vision must include open platform service that will be available to all Canadians. Open platform service is switched end- to-end digital telecommunications service that has the bandwidth to both send and receive video and multimedia information services.
If these principles are used as the basis of the policies, strategies and action plans that build Canada's information highway, then the highway will serve as a much needed catalyst to economic growth. It will also be of value to the public and to the public interest. It will be an investment not only in Canada's business future, but in the future of Canada's people as well. These five principles are described in detail in Future Knowledge. All the strategies identified in the report are based on the five principles. The strategies include the development of a national vision, public lanes, and the digital library among many others.
There must be public space available on the information and communications infrastructure for the use of educational and health institutions, libraries, and non-profits, as well as for use by individuals. There must be areas that are publicly owned. As we stated in Future Knowledge, "Cyberspace is public space. Spectrum and bandwidth are in the public domain." There must be areas where anyone can post information, where public discussions can take place, and where citizens can interact with their municipal, provincial and federal governments and with community and national agencies.
The public lanes and public spaces should be free from commercial activity. The recognition of a public lane and public space would be the first step leading to an electronic commons. The advent of the electronic commons, a public space set aside for the pursuit of individual knowledge and community development, will be a key indicator that we have arrived in the information age.
CPI was very pleased to note that the CRTC also focused on public lanes in their report. The CRTC described the public lane as an approach to affordable public access. "The term `public lane' is multi-faceted, and the Commission believes that the goal of universal access to that highway will be realized through various means, including market forces, subsidies and co-operation".8
A second option would be a universal service fund, based on a customer premise tax, that is a tax included in the price of appliances, hardware and software, designed for net use.
There are two institutions that can make a difference and enable the quick deployment of public access terminals across Canada. One is the public library and the other is the community network. Both can provide local on-ramps and public access terminals. Public libraries can provide mediated access. Both can provide access to digitized information sources.
There are public libraries in almost every community in Canada. Public Libraries secure the basis of democracy by providing information and free library service to support informed decision making, lifelong learning and culture. Electronic information is a new, rapidly evolving and growing resource capable of helping to fulfill this mandate. People must have the right of mediated access to the information resources of the information highway, otherwise, the sheer volume and diversity of formats of information available will overwhelm the potential user.
If libraries are to be providers of electronic information, then the issues of copyright in a digital age, and the cost of connecting libraries will have to be resolved. The Government of Canada must provide the appropriate policy and funding support to public libraries to ensure that they can fill their role as public access points. Federal Government funding should be targeted at providing equipment, connectivity, training, and the development of pilot projects for prototypes of the digital library. Pilot projects are also required to assess the viability of electronic depository distribution of government publications.
Federal legislation and regulation must clarify copyright and intellectual property issues, particularly issues emerging around the new technology, such as the concept that electronic access equals reproduction.
CPI recently completed a study entitled Canada's Public Libraries and the Information Highway.9 CPI conducted this study in order to review the current state of library networking in Canada and to begin to determine the costs involved in providing a complete networked library infrastructure in Canada.
The report included the following recommendations:
The same recommendations could be made on behalf of community networks. Thousands of Canadians are gaining hands-on experience of life in a knowledge society through membership in community networks. The Coalition recommends that the developers of the national vision, the National Access Board, and the regulatory process should utilize the experience that this grassroots initiative provides as a means of assessing private sector plans to meet public needs.
The newness of the information infrastructure means that we lack models and experience of the new governance structures, collection management tools, access systems, and digitalization processes and issues that will make up the digital library. The Coalition recommends that federal funding be provided to libraries to develop pilot projects that will define and create a digital library as a model for implementation across Canada.
A national vision, with a National Access Board to oversee its realization, and public lanes and access points in the form of libraries and community networks are the building blocks of an information society. CPI would appreciate hearing from you about these issues. To be heard contact Stan Skrzeszewski, CEO Canada's Coalition for Public Information.11
Stan Skrzeszewski, "A National Vision for Canada's Information Infrastructure," Government Information in Canada/Information gouvernementale au Canada, Vol. 1, no. 4.5.
Stan Skrzeszewski Chief Executive Officer Canada's Coalition for Public Information c/o The Ontario Library Association 100 Lombard Street, Suite 303 Toronto, Ontario M5C 1M3 Telephone: (416) 363 3388 FAX: (416) 941 9581 Internet: moorel@gov.on.ca[3] Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Competition and Culture on Canada's Information Highway: Managing the Realities of Transition (Ottawa: CRTC, 1995). Also available:
[4] Stan Skrzeszewski and Maureen Cubberley, Future Knowledge: The Report (Toronto: Canada's Coalition for Public Information, 1995). Also available:
http://www.usask.ca/library/gic/v1n4/skrzeszewski/future.html
[5] R.S.C., 1985, c. B-9, as amended.
[6] S.C., 1993, c. 38.
[7] CANARIE or The Canadian Network for the Advancement of Research, Industry and Education is a non-profit corporation, let by Canadian industry, whose primary focus is to develop critical aspects of Canada's advanced communications networks and their application in support of business, research and education. The CANARIE WWW site is located at:
[8] Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Competition and Culture on Canada's Information Highway: Managing the Realities of Transition (Ottawa: CRTC, 1995), p. 43.4.
[9] Stan Skrzeszewski, Canada's Public Libraries and the Information Highway (Toronto: Canada's Coalition for Public Information, 1995).
[10] Edward A. Fox et al., Digital Libraries: Introduction (Communications of the ACM, 1995), p. 24.
Stan Skrzeszewski Chief Executive Officer Canada's Coalition for Public Information c/o The Ontario Library Association 100 Lombard Street, Suite 303 Toronto, Ontario M5C 1M3 Telephone: (416) 363 3388 FAX: (416) 941 9581 Internet: moorel@gov.on.ca