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Notes from the grassroots: online lobbying in Canada

Shawn W. Yerxa ((ai435@freenet.carleton.ca) is a Carleton University student working on a combined honours degree (mass communication and political science). He is concerned with some of the current directions in communication policy and regulation in Canada and is also interested in the further development and widespread use of computer‐mediated communication, an interest that arises from a belief that it can serve as an important tool in democratizing politics.)
Marita Moll ((aa319@freenet.carleton.ca) is the co‐ordinator of information services for the Canadian Teachers′ Federation. She has written a number of articles for the Canadian teacher press regarding the use of electronic resources in the K‐12 environment. She is a member of the National SchoolNet Advisory Board, and is an active supporter of the National Capital FreeNet and community networks in general.)

Internet Research

ISSN: 1066-2243

Article publication date: 1 December 1994

399

Abstract

The Public Advisory Council on Information Highway Policy (PACIHP) project is discussed in terms of activities, difficulties, successes, impact, motivations, and background. This paper is presented in two parts. The first part details how project organizers have attempted to involve the online community in the policy‐making process, the techniques used, and the community′s and policymakers′ response to the initiative. Some preliminary observations about the project′s impact are also discussed. The second part presents an overview of the Canadian regulatory and political environment. The specific trends identified have contributed to the authors′ concerns, providing some of the motivation for the project. In conclusion, thoughts on the future of computer‐mediated communication and its potential for democratizing politics are presented.

Keywords

Citation

Yerxa, S.W. and Moll, M. (1994), "Notes from the grassroots: online lobbying in Canada", Internet Research, Vol. 4 No. 4, pp. 9-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/10662249410798911

Publisher

:

MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 1994, MCB UP Limited

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