Dynamics of technological mediation: a case of television white space deployment

Abstract

Technological mediation provides a model for analyzing the role that internet service providers (ISPs) play in translating technologies from the "technological frontier" to their particular commercial context. Although its original conception defined three obstacles mediators encounter during this process (technical, commercial, and structural), how these obstacles unfold during mediation has yet to be fully investigated. Through an ethnographic case study with a small rural ISP, we deepen our understanding of this model, in particular the complex interplay between the dynamic technological environment and the experiences of the mediator. While innovation scholars know that commercial markets mature over time, this study illuminates how this process impacts the organizations who must adopt and localize these technologies.