Imminent policy considerations in the design and management of national and international computer networks

Policy questions in network operation that must be addressed, including privacy, export policy, and access policy, are discussed. Concerns about the adequacy of the existing policy-setting mechanisms and a number of legal issues that are cropping up as networks expand are considered. Existing systems, such as the telephone system, the highway network, and the Internet computer network, are briefly investigated to assess how these systems handle policy issues in order to obtain insight into resolving policy questions related to future networks.<>