The goal of this study is to investigate the policy objectives of the broadband convergence network (BcN) and the realization of objectives. The Korean government launched the BcN project with the objective of converting Korea into an information society with ubiquitous broadband convergence for the advancement of growth and productivity. Based on content analysis of the policy documents and the literature related to BcN, this paper draws on the socio-technical framework for interpreting the data. Findings in this study suggest that, despite excellent technological innovation and proactive drive, uncertainty still remains with respect to how the BcN has evolved and its impact on the new telecom ecology to date.
It is needless to emphasize the importance of broadband to functioning smart information society. Developing a broadband society has become a high priority for governments around the world (Papacharissi & Zaks, 2006). Among a series of broadband initiatives in Korea, the broadband convergence network (BcN) is one of the milestone projects that Korea has been actively developing over the last several years. The BcN is the most notable attempt by the government to create an enhanced digital environment to keep apace of new ICT convergence trends. The BcN is envisioned as a conduit for broadband content and applications. It is fully supported by the Korean government because of the magnitude and scope of its potential impact. Extensive financial investments (over $70 billion U.S. dollars) have been committed to the BcN, and substantial regulatory support has been provided to the industries involved in the BcN. The BcN is regarded by the general public as the realization of a ubiquitous smart society (Joo, 2005 and MIC, 2008). However, the BcN has been criticized as an insufficient telecom infrastructure in terms of its ontologically bounded accountability (Kim et al., 2007 and Shin and Kweon, 2011). Ontologically bounded accountability characterizes the BcN as a public good, or public utility, such as public health, education and public safety. The benefits of public health and education are not limited to the individuals directly involved in these services. The notion of ontologically bounded accountability also applies to water, electricity, gas and telephone services. These are vital services for the households comprising any society, but with the exception of the reduction in infectious disease afforded by safe water and sewers, only the individual households directly capture most of their benefits.
In this regard, a study by Shin (2007) argues that the BcN in Korea was designed primarily to serve the demands of the major corporate suppliers and industries at the expense of the public interest. Critics have also suggested that the primary driving force for developing the broadband was the arrangement, or outlay, of technological equipment to improve technical capabilities (Joo, 2005). Despite exorbitant financial investments and high hopes for the broadband, fundamental developmental concerns have persisted, resulting in a bleak outlook for the next generation of broadband networks. As a study by Shin and Kweon (2011) shows, discussions about a Korean broadband over the past decade have predominantly focused on the technical aspects of design. Although ICT is a key aspect of the national agenda, with the past decade understanding broadband mainly as a crucial component to enabling technological infrastructure (Kim et al., 2007), most broadband efforts have focused on the development of broadband technologies and resources (Menon, 2011). Relatively few efforts have focused on the immense social repercussions of the organizational, political and cultural decisions inherent in developing broadband (Joo, 2005). Along with the social, cultural and behavioral impacts of how broadband is developed and managed, as well as how it evolves, such choices will be critical to the eventual success of a broadband society (Joo, 2010).
This study argues that because broadband is part of a broader technological ecosystem, its design and development should be focused on the ways in which successful broadband will change the social and cultural milieu. A technological ecosystem, which is a set of technologies, standards, conventions, best practices and social communities, can be defined as an adaptive, open socio-technical system with properties of sustainability, public good and scalability. With this ecosystem idea in place, the analysis addresses issues related to the development and introduction of broadband in Korea, as well as social and regulatory issues. Korean broadband development has often been evaluated on the basis of economic efficiency and physical growth, which excludes important fundamental and social considerations. The findings in this study provide an alternative paradigm based on the STS model for improved future broadband planning and evaluation.
