by Walter G. Bolter

About the author: Walter G. Bolter is the director of the Bethesda Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and is a business professor at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.

In examining the economic aspects of the government’s plan to artificially quicken the pace of building an “Information Superhighway” (ISH), one cannot but conclude that the perspective taken should be macroeconomic, with an orientation toward enhancing efficiency, and that accelerating deployment of the ISH (beyond even the most optimistic forecasts of consumer need) is unjustified and risks a grievous misuse of resources. At this vital juncture, the pace of construction of these electronic pathways for information services should be subject to a market test, rather than political directives. Where there’s demand, here or overseas...