October 3, 2007 9:28 AM
A Trio of Articles About the Need for Bigger, Better Broadband
Came across a trio of articles highlighting different discussions about a similar topic: the importance and vulnerability of the Internet.
"The Internet wasn't designed for people to watch television," he says. "I know because I designed it."
This quote came from Larry Roberts, who oversaw the development a direct ancestor of the Internet: a government network called ARPAnet.
I've often heard people talk about how the Internet wasn't designed to handle video, this is probably the most direct quote I've ever read.
But for all the complaints, the panel agreed the Internet is a remarkable, essential development. Said Metcalfe: "The problem is our [expectations] are going up faster than the technology."
This quote came on a panel last week hosted by SRI where a series of thought leaders convened to discuss the limitations of today's "sufficient" Internet.
I found this last quote to be rather compelling as it really cuts to the heart of the matter: the potential of the Internet is limitless, but the reality of the Internet is currently facing some real limitations.
"Even though we can't see the Internet, our economy is dependent upon broadband."
Michael Kleeman, a senior fellow at UC San Diego and at the Annenberg Center for Communication at USC, wrote this in a San Francisco Chronicle editorial on Monday.
This is another incredibly important point: the Internet generally works, but users often have little idea how it works, yet we're relying on it more and more every day, and there's still little widespread understanding of what the Internet even is.
All three quotes seem to me to point to the awakening of a real debate on national broadband policy in this country and, most encouragingly, a growing awareness and understanding of the need to not just sit back and continue to let the Internet grow on its own but instead aggressively pursue avenues that will allow us to ensure the Internet can continue to cement itself as a reliable cornerstone of our daily lives.