I see an all-you-can-eat basic model, comparable to either state-funded (that is, tax-funded) systems such as the BBC, or basic cable subscriptions, with a potential for higher-priced premium tiers. If at all possible this would be indexed to wealth and income rather than uniformly priced, though this might be on a geographic basis (e.g., wealthier neighbourhoods / postal codes / census blocks), rather than on a per-household basis.
Internet access is already gatewayed through ISPs, and putting content revenue share and compensation at this level really seems a natural to me, far more than subscriptions, micropayments, and/or patronage, all of which seem to have pretty sharp upper bounds. Compensation to publishers could operate through an ASCAP / mechanical royalties / airtime type system based on statistical monitoring --- not precise but sufficient.
Universal basic income as a backstop for individual contributors could also be a part of the solution, but that doesn't address the needs (and capabilities) of institutional media organisations, journalistic or otherwise.
Goals would be to:
- Provide universal access to quality basic media: news, information, education, entertainment.
- Pay for the production of quality content, without the distortions of patronage, propaganda, advertising, and tightly-focused subscriptions.
- Provide for a diversity of organisational voices and publishers, avoiding the pitfalls of media monopolies, again whether in news, book publishing, education, or entertainment, which harm both the audience and individual creators. See Cory Doctorow's Chokepoint Capitalism and many blog postings and speeches on the harms of the latter.
Internet access is already gatewayed through ISPs, and putting content revenue share and compensation at this level really seems a natural to me, far more than subscriptions, micropayments, and/or patronage, all of which seem to have pretty sharp upper bounds. Compensation to publishers could operate through an ASCAP / mechanical royalties / airtime type system based on statistical monitoring --- not precise but sufficient.
Universal basic income as a backstop for individual contributors could also be a part of the solution, but that doesn't address the needs (and capabilities) of institutional media organisations, journalistic or otherwise.
Goals would be to:
- Provide universal access to quality basic media: news, information, education, entertainment.
- Pay for the production of quality content, without the distortions of patronage, propaganda, advertising, and tightly-focused subscriptions.
- Provide for a diversity of organisational voices and publishers, avoiding the pitfalls of media monopolies, again whether in news, book publishing, education, or entertainment, which harm both the audience and individual creators. See Cory Doctorow's Chokepoint Capitalism and many blog postings and speeches on the harms of the latter.