Sterling thinks that it is wrong to view "information" as a commodity. Although he promotes widespread economic benefits, he thinks that telephone and cable companies will have to change if they expect to survive in the 21st century's media environment. He is confident that a very low flat rate on long-distance and other services would cause usage to skyrocket, therefore enabling providers to make more money in the long run.
He would like to see the current pricing strategy of the net for educational institutions preserved, arguing that it has had a very profound, successful impact on the rapid and creative evolution of the web. Because individual users at public institutions are not usually charged for service, this has encouraged greater use of the network and the building of a more cohesive Internet community. Sterling points out that if "metered service" becomes the norm, individuals and public institutions may be disenfranchised. The success of current and proposed services on the web (such as bulletin board services and user-generated archives) is contingent on the contribution by individual users. A low-cost, competitive pricing structure by service providers that enables access by the broadest amount of users encourages experimentation which in turn catalyzes the development of new software tools. Prices of home connections and public spaces (community centers, libraries) should compare favorably with telephone or cable TV service.
Sterling believes that the burden of fashioning a funding structure that ensures equity of access and an open marketplace falls on both public and private interests. For example, he encourages publishers to adopt his :"literary freeware" concept and changing their perception to consider that having an idea widely distributed is more important that making a profit. He argues that telecommunication providers who make an investment in long-term, long-cost service thus facilitating universal service, will achieve long-term economic and political benefits.
