ABSTRACT
New communications technologies have forced radical changes in political and economic affairs. The rapid expansion of Meganet resources is the result of a new convergence of this triad of technology, economics, and politics. In Meganet-related technologies, new inventions no longer develop in a steady, linear fashion with time between enough for their implications to be sorted out and phased into active use. Meganet will gradually transform itself from a network of networks into a system of systems. Each system or subnetwork will link groups with shared personal and professional interests in a vastly expanded version of the current Internet model. Meganet is grounded in politics. For all the movement toward an open, competitive system, most Meganet facilities are still owned or closely regulated by governments. In most cases, these controls are relatively benign, intended primarily to protect a traditional source of revenues.
