Infrastructure

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

________________________________________
From: Erik Cecil [erik.cecil () gmail com]
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2008 5:02 PM
To: David Farber
Subject: Infrastructure

Dave,

This might be of interest to the list.  The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently unanimously approved of a resolution 
calling upon the Administration, FCC and Congres to develop a policies that make high speed Internet access a national 
priority.  Some links / reporting follow:

http://www.speedmatters.org/blog/us-mayors-high-speed-internet.html
http://www.baller.com/pdfs/major_cities_uscm_res.pdf

Long story short, this is a question of infrastructure.  And it doesn't have to be complicated either.  The 1934 Act, 
as implemented in today's world stands as an enormous impediment to serious facilities-based competition.  We have too 
many laws created around 19th century views of technology, ruling over single purpose networks connecting single 
purpose devices in a world of multipurpose connectivity and interactivity of a scope and scale unimagined by any 
regulator, legislator, judge and many technologists even 20 years ago.

One thing, above all others is true, that unless and until we fundamentally alter the economics and policy assumptions 
of providing access to the edge, it won't happen.  We need to rethink Internet, cable, wireless, telecommunications, 
all of it.  No one silo captures what's possible, needed, and necessary in a world where devices need to interconnect 
for all sorts of reasons - from running smart grids, to utility metering and control, to designing sustainable cities.  
We need to think of connectivity as infrastructure, as a utility, not a service.  We need to provide raw connectivity, 
not, as Bob Frankston points out, arbitraged bits.  When we free ourselves from the limitations of our past 
assumptions, we enable ourselves to look at things in a new light.  We open up possibilities not yet imagined and 
create opportunities many of us see as long overdue. Geoff Daily, for example, suggests that communities lay conduit.  
This alone would fundamentally alter the economics of accessing the edge while keeping the government largely out of 
playing in the market (this is a big danger; the Section 253 battles b/t cable, wireless ops and munis did not occur 
without reason). See  http://app-rising.com/2008/07/the_best_municipal_broadband_s.html.

Food for thought.

Regards,

Erik Cecil





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