The Internet has become an invaluable tool that facilitates the transfer of information and capital, but it also creates new challenges for public policy makers. Key questions in the information economy are how to grant private property rights in a digital environment and how the network infrastructure is controlled. These questions have manifested recently in the debates over net neutrality and copyright reform.

This thesis examines how changes to Canada's policies over net neutrality and copyright law can affect innovation and expression. This is important because, aided by unprecedented technological advances, the Internet has become a public sphere, where people can share information and ideas without seeking approval from the media or the state. Thus, it is important to highlight the areas where government regulation could have a detrimental effect on technological innovation and free speech.

At the heart of Canada's copyright reform debate is a question of digital property rights. Many rights holders have been pushing for stricter copyright laws to protect their business models. Copyright laws are designed to promote the creation of intellectual works. If the law is too strict, however, it can hinder the creation of new works and can be used to limit competition and to suppress free speech. This thesis concludes that a balanced approach to copyright law is needed. The debate over net neutrality is a question of who controls the Internet's infrastructure. Should companies have full control over private networks or is government regulation needed? This thesis contends that it is important to maintain a neutral Internet, but that net neutrality is only an issue in an uncompetitive market. Accordingly, lowering the barriers to entry so that new competitors can enter the marketplace would help maintain the Internet's neutrality.

These issues are explored in the journalism component, consisting of two feature articles presented on an interactive website. This thesis also contains an academic component, which reviews the history and philosophical underpinnings of cyber-libertarianism, an ideology that shapes many policy debates over Internet regulation. Understanding the limited-government perspective espoused by cyber-libertarians and the competing views provides important context to the issues in question.

Full Text

Share Link: