Communication infrastructure and networks

This chapter provides an analysis of the importance of governance in the core constituents of a vast and complex electronic communication infrastructure. It argues that the character and practices of infrastructure governance, despite their lower profile, have been sites of as much controversy and contestation as other aspects of governance related to media content and content services. The chapter shows the variety in approaches to communications network governance where the ‘classic’ media sector examples of state-led governance, public regulatory governance and industry self-regulatory governance are strongly in evidence. The chapter proceeds to explore three cases: first, it trains attention on the nothing short of seismic changes that have affected the governance of traditional fixed-line telecommunications infrastructure; second, it focuses on wireless network infrastructure historically used for terrestrial broadcasting; third, the chapter analyses the internet by exploring the idea of infrastructural governance as a series of management processes.