A multidimensional analysis of emerging signaling protocols

This work considers the protocol and design changes occurring within today's network architectures and the impact these changes may have on policymakers. The author postulates that the design of Internet-based networks is changing in terms of the protocols and services being offered. This change is driven by the introduction of new real time services. Among these new real-time services is telephony, traditionally a highly regulated service. The implementation of a traditionally regulated service on a non-regulated network raises difficult policy issues.; Emerging network designs may change the underlying competitive structure or other aspects of the Internet that policymakers find desirable. This research proposes that network design influences policymakers and that changes in design may alter policy perspectives. By examining the changes in the protocols, one can determine the changes that are occurring within the design of the networks. Then, by examining how policymakers perceive these changes, it is possible to consider the influence of design on policy perspectives. To provide an analytical framework for examining these issues, this research combined extensive surveys with various exploratory data analysis techniques. To perform this research, the author conducted surveys of protocol and policy experts to determine the perceived changes associated with the emerging Internet architecture. As such, this methodology is strongly tied to the opinions and beliefs expressed by the respondents. Therefore, the author employed a broad and large sampling method to obtain more representative and meaningful results. The results of this research indicate that the changes occurring within the Internet may indeed alter the way policymakers view the Internet.