The role of general interest intermediaries is becoming an important issue.

• Public intermediaries fulfill important roles, including: public access; development of reliable and useful information resources; and contributing to community social and economic development initiatives.
• Community organizations and social infrastructure play important roles in individual and, community economic and social development.
• Individuals rely on social institutions (intermediaries) to develop their skills and capacities, and to participate in society.
• Digital divide inequalities also exist at the community level with community groups, local business and municipal government.
• Intermediaries require sufficient funding and levels of expertise to successfully undertake their role in facilitating the development of social cohesion, human capital and, community-based social and economic infrastructure (HRDC, Industry, Heritage, Treasury Board).
• There are opportunities for the federal government to pursue objectives of national identity and cohesion by extending initiatives involving traditional media and institutions to national and community public intermediaries using the Internet (HRDC, Heritage).

The Internet is still in a development phase. This offers opportunities for government to pursue innovative means to meet economic, social and cultural policy objectives.

• The dynamic changes of the Internet will require a continual rethinking of government’s role.
• Priorities for government will likely include:

• Social and cultural content development (HRDC, Heritage);
• Economic policy initiatives (Industry);
• Support for public information intermediaries (HRDC, Heritage, Industry, Treasury Board);
• Support for institutions involved in human and social capital development, as well as social and economic infrastructure development (HRDC, Industry).