Why Public Media needs to be big

Why does it have to be big?
Answer: So everyone can have access to everything –  Universality

Medicare is the best example of  a public service in Canada showing how a previously privately funded service can become a public service and the result is something that is fair for everyone.

Media is not just for fun. It not just a tool for making money. It is an important branch of democracy. It is the public’s window to government, business and current affairs.

One aim in having a Canadian National Digital Public Library is universality. Like medicare where everyone has equal access to healthcare, with the digital public library, everyone would have equal access to all media.

The Library solves the problem that it is unfair to limit access to media content based on ones ability or willingness to pay. The pick and pay system (eg. like netflix) is the most recent medium. News and entertainment media has moved from print to radio and television broadcasts, and from there now to internet streaming services. Basing the media on a pick and pay system is to erect a pay wall. On one side the rich have access to more and better media content. On the other side of the pay wall the poor are excluded from access to it. This is not right and it is not necessary.

Couldn’t you just start with a small example to show how it would work?
Answer: The small examples exist they are called public libraries.

A National Digital Public Library  is just a big public library. It is a big public library that offers everything – music, books, movies, videos, news papers, news casts and blogs.  A library that offers all this with no advertising. It is a window that provides both access for everyone to experience their choice of digital media and provides funding for the copyright owners of the digital property based on its use by the public.