Overview
Milton Mueller teaches and does research on the political economy of communication and information. He uses the theoretical tools of property rights analysis, institutional economics and both historical and quantitative social science methods. He has a longstanding interest in the history of communication technologies and global governance institutions. Mueller received the Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989.
Mueller's most recent research projects explore the efforts of citizens and activists to shape communication and information policy, both globally and nationally. His acclaimed book Ruling the Root: Internet Governance and the Taming of Cyberspace (MIT Press, 2002) was the first scholarly account of the Internet governance debates. His book, Universal Service: Competition, Interconnection and Monopoly in the Making of the American Telephone System (MIT Press, 1997) set out a dramatic revision of our understanding of the origins of universal telephone service and the role of interconnection in industry development.
His research has been cited and utilized by policymakers in the US, Europe, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. He is on the international editorial boards of the journals Telecommunications Policy, The Information Society, and Info: the journal of policy, regulation and strategy for telecommunication, information and media. For a complete listing of publications and current research projects see his Home Page.
Research Interests
Since coming to Syracuse in 1997, my research has focused on the following topics: digital convergence and its impact on the communication industry; virtual resources, such as names, numbers and radio spectrum and how they are appropriated and allocated; telecommunications industry liberalization and competition; Internet governance; domain names and trademarks; globalization and trade in telecom and audio-visual services; International institutions governing communication and information; global civil society and the role of citizen activism in shaping communication and information policy; privacy and digital identifiers.
Teaching Interests
Mueller teaches graduate-level courses in communication and information policy, the capstone course in the M.S. in Telecommunications and Network Management, and doctoral seminars on special topics tied to research projects.
Professional Interests
Mueller attends the annual TPRC conference, the International Studies Association, ICANN and World Summit on the Information Society meetings, and is an active participant in policy processes.
Personal Interests
Early music; digital imaging; baseball; good food, wine and beer; hiking - not necessarily in that order.