The "fourth-generation regulator" must oversee an increased range of services, delivered over multiple broadband and converged networks that form the digital ecosystem. More than ever before, regulators are now being asked to protect consumers from a stew of ills such as inappropriate content, faulty billing and fraudulent online activities. So important is the Internet, that fourth-generation regulators are increasingly becoming involved not only in the economic necessity of building affordable access, but also in the attendant social opportunities and challenges arising from better-connected communities.