State support for information access

To what extent should the state be subsidizing information flow and data accessibility? Some measure of state support for access to information may not only appropriate in the information economy, but likely to create public benefits and encourage innovation and economic development.

In his Wired magazine column, Lawrence Lessig discusses WWhy Your Broadband Sucks, noting that a Pennsylvania statute to prevent the state from competing with private telecommunications and broadband providers will increase prices. Leaving wireless broadband development to the private sector may stifle the development of businesses that make use of wireless access.

In the Financial Times, James Boyle notes that allowing public access to government-produced data at nominal cost has led to innovation, while charging to recoup the costs of producing that data stifles innovation: Public information wants to be free: "On one side of the Atlantic, state produced data flows are frequently viewed as potential revenue sources. They are copyrighted or protected by database rights. The departments which produce the data often attempt to make a profit from user-fees, or at least recover their entire operating costs... The other side of the Atlantic practices a benign form of information socialism. By law, any text produced by the central government is free from copyright and passes immediately into the public domain."

The government can support businesses in the information economy by offering the lowest-cost access to communications networks and data whenever possible. In many cases, this may justify a certain amount of state subsidy.