Phillip's argument was certainly valid 15-20 years ago, when I and my
generation of IS researchers were dependent upon the largesse of the US
DoD for international e-mail.

Since then, however, the explosion of commercial internet use has been
driven largely by the product of Tim Berners-Lee's work at CERN.
Arguably this was funded by all the taxpayers of the governments
supporting that research organisation.

The internet is now no more a US resource than the English language is
the proprietary medium of native speakers.

Nor are distorted internal telecoms costs relevant to the argument set
out.

The issues surely is the selective adherence to international agreements
by the powerful nations in general - not just the U.S. - while insisting
on slavish adherence from less powerful partners. The "do as I say not
as I do approach" does us no credit.

Steve Little,

Open University Business School
(currently visiting University of Technology, Sydney and a U.K. and
Australian taxpayer)


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