Congressional--Constituent Telecommunication: The Potential and Limitations of Emergent Channels

Abstract

The study reported here undertakes an exploratory inquiry into the potential use of selected emergent telecommunication channels for communication between congressmen and their constituents. The potential and limitations of each channel are identified through interviews with a stratified judgment sample of U. S. Representatives and senior staff from the 93rd Congress. The interview data then form the basis for an assessment of the political and public policy implications of using emergent channels for congressional-constituent telecommunication. Three channels-cable television, information retrieval, and the videoconference-are perceived by more than half of the congressmen and staff as being potentially useful for constituent communication. Possible adverse effects or serious limitations are also identified, especially for cable TV polling and the videophone. The study concludes that priority should be given to research and pilot studies on those configurations where the potential public benefits appear to far outweigh the possible public costs or risks, such as with legislative telecasting and the community information center. Given further research along with public education and the appropriate public policy decisions, emergent channels appear on balance to offer at least some realistic hope for improving democratic political processes.