Deck 5: The Medium: Global Technologies and Organizations

Question 1

The primary global telecommunication agency is which of the following?

A) Intelsat
B) OECD
C) ITU
D) Eutelsat
E) Inmarsat

Answer 1

ITU

Question 2

The ITU holds major global conferences which look at:

A) Global technical standards
B) The assignment of worldwide frequencies from the electromagnetic spectrum
C) To review and amend international radio regulations
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Answer 2

All of the above

Question 3

According to the book, the present era is known as the:

A) Information Age
B) Digital Era
C) End Times
D) Space Age
E) None of the above

Answer 3

Information Age

Question 4

The ITU's forerunner was the __________

A) International Tariff Organization
B) Global Transmission Commission
C) International Telegraph Union
D) International Trade Commission
E) World Communication Association

Question 5

When the ITU started managing the radio spectrum in 1927, which of the below gained ownership rights of the radio frequencies?

A) Users
B) The ITU
C) Individual Nations
D) A combination of all of the above
E) None of the above

Question 6

Difficult problems and doubts about the efficiency of the union's structural framework have punctuated the ITU. One prime reason for this technical orientation was articulated in the Economist, which noted that "the ITU is full of engineers terrified of controversy and terrified of the _______________."

A) Press
B) Spies
C) Hackers
D) United States
E) United Nations

Question 7

The ____________ sector is the segment of the ITU recently established to provide greater leadership and concern for ICT matters affecting the peripheral nations.

A) Radio communication
B) Standardization
C) ITU Telecom
D) Development
E) Global Spectrum Management

Question 8

What major ITU initiative provided wireless access to the global telecommunication system through both satellite and terrestrial systems?

A) IMT-2
B) IMT-200
C) IMT-2000
D) IMT-4
E) IMT

Question 9

Which is a geostationary position of a satellite?

A) 22,300 miles above the North Pole
B) 33,200 miles above the North Pole
C) 33,200 miles above the Equator
D) 22,300 miles above the Equator
E) All of the above are geostationary positions

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of a geostationary satellite as listed in the book?

A) They are always over the same spot on earth
B) Simple receivers or ground stations are all that's needed to pick up their signal
C) They have a bigger footprint
D) All signals, from television broadcasts to TCP/IP, are virtually instantaneous
E) Tracking equipment is not needed for geostationary satellites

Question 11

INTELSAT, the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, was initially owned by whom?

A) The United States
B) The United Nations
C) Its 144 member nations
D) A consortium of major telecommunication corporations
E) None of the above - it is a private company

Question 12

INTELSAT, the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, is now owned by whom?

A) The United States
B) The United Nations
C) Its 144 member nations
D) A consortium of major telecommunication corporations
E) None of the above - it is a private company

Question 13

What competition does INTELSAT now face?

A) Other satellite providers from core nations
B) Transoceanic fiber-optic services
C) New private companies emerging from the third world
D) Both A & B
E) Both A & C

Question 14

Which of the following adjectives best describe the current global satellite industry?

A) Regulated
B) Competitive
C) Liberalized
D) Both A & B
E) Both B & C

Question 15

The ITU's members include which of the following:

A) Microsoft
B) The Canadian government
C) Intel
D) IBM
E) All of the above

Question 16

The World Summit on Information Society dealt with which of the following issue(s)?

A) The privatization of ICANN in 2000
B) The Digital Divide
C) The assignment of satellite positions
D) Both A & B
E) Both B & C

Question 17

From which of the following did the WTO originate?

A) The GATT
B) The UN
C) The ITU
D) INTELSAT
E) None of the above

Question 18

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was established immediately following __________.

A) WWI
B) WWII
C) The Vietnam war
D) The Gulf war
E) None of the above

Question 19

Telecommunications is the _______________ of the global economy.

A) Cardiovascular System
B) Central Nervous System
C) Skeletal System
D) Muscular System
E) Digestive System

Question 20

If the WTO wins the debate, which of the following could someday become illegal?

A) Subsidies
B) Grants
C) Television regulations
D) Screen quotas
E) All of the above

Question 21

The global telecommunication system is the central nervous system of the global economy.

Question 22

Major ITU conferences are almost always held in the United States.

Question 23

All core nations have the latest in communication technologies, while peripheral nations have few computes, cable systems, or digital services.

Question 24

The ITU is the oldest international organization surviving today.

Question 25

Initially, the ITU gave preference in assigning frequencies to those nations who needed it the most.

Question 26

Historically, the main criticisms and doubts directed towards the ITU have focused on areas which are political and economic in nature.

Question 27

Peripheral nations now constitute a majority in the ITU.

Question 28

The issue of cyber security, backed by the United States, is at the forefront of ITU issues and receives much attention.

Question 29

Inmarsat is the major telecommunications provider for Eurovision.

Question 30

Inmarsat is a mobile satellite company based in England.

Question 31

Eutelsat operates out of the Middle East and has expanded into Asia, Africa, and South America.

Question 32

During the first decades of the ITU, most telecommunications carriers were monopoly providers owned by governments.

Question 33

Stakeholders of the current communications landscape are closely connected to their governments through ownership, oversight, and control.

Question 34

The ITU's private sector members provide over 90 percent of the total technical and intellectual contributions of all its members.

Question 35

The convergence of the telecommunication, computer, broadcasting, and information technology is leading to competition between industry sectors.

Question 36

Some critics of the WTO fear that it is a pawn of American hegemonic intentions.

Question 37

The OECD tends to have a relatively open admissions policy.

Question 38

The OECD provides members with cutting edge research in media and seeks to predict microeconomic developments.

Question 39

OECD publishes books to assist members.

Question 40

The WTO is looking at cultural industries as a new frontier for its commercial trade rules.

Question 41

What was the Maitland Commission? Explain its historical context and arguments.

Question 42

How could the change in ownership of INTELSAT affect its interests regarding the third world?

Question 43

How did the NWICO debates manifest in the WSIS?

Question 44

Describe the nature of the conflict between the WTO and INCD.