The development of the International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium (INTELSAT) and Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), a public corporation in the United States for satellite development, has brought 80 member states in its fold and since 1964 has launched four international satellite programmes.
Perhaps, unfortunately for the development of international telecommunications particularly in both the news and educational areas, this technology has been used over whelming for international telephony mostly by countries with advanced economic development and particularly by the United States. Powerful ground stations are expensive and this has precluded use of satellite communications by developing nations and to some extent by news broadcast organisations.
In the main satellites have transmitted content of a singularly timely and newsworthy nature to world TV audiences-a moon shot, a major international sports event, a world shattering piece of hard news. But this exciting development in international telecommunications is still restricted to those who can afford to pay the expensive freight involved i. e. economically affluent countries’ major broadcast news organisations and international wire and press service agencies.
A democratic pluralism does not prevail as yet in international communications. Yet innumerable meetings under the aegis of UNESCO and other organisations have emphasised the enormous potential of satellite communications in bringing the developing countries abreast of the 20th Century, in creating a free flow of international news and in bringing a variety of educational experiences to peoples throughout the world.
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Economic, however, is not the only obstacle to a free world news flow. Local and regional political problems create barriers. Propaganda efforts stand in the way to unfettered information and news. Russia is accused of total news control and the United States is criticised for using the available technology for multinational corporate purposes rather than for educational and informational goals.
In the arena of international information each country has its own admitted informational nexus and the United States is no exception. The establishment of the United States Information Agency in 1953 was no international secret. The purpose of US1A is clearly to take information about American policies and philosophy to other countries around the world. Through every available communications, instrumentality-books, pamphlets, films, telecasts and exhibits-this agency has done its job on behalf of the United States.
The USIA issues an annual report to the President which is available to the public. In general, the organization distributes material to its various overseas posts which then distribute to the foreign newspapers and magazines. Many magazines are also published and distributed by USIA. One of the most important functions is the operation of the Voice of America which reaches millions throughout the world through radio transmitting stations abroad.
Neither the radio nor television efforts of USIA> incidentally are broadcast in the U.S itself, but are used exclusively for foreign distribution. An interesting sidelight to the USIA broadcast programme is the apparent conflict that some critics see in the juxtaposition of documentation designed to reveal the most affirmative aspects of this country with some of the westerns and the police and crime drama which are so widely distributed and viewed abroad.