Re: Cisco: Smart grid will eclipse size of Internet

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Bob Frankston" <Bob19-0501 () bobf frankston com>
Date: May 19, 2009 7:06:08 PM EDT
To: <dave () farber net>, "'ip'" <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: RE: [IP] Cisco: Smart grid will eclipse size of Internet

This reminds me of http://frankston.com/public/?name=ipBPL and http://frankston.com/?name=TelecomPrison 
 and other reasons to be suspicious of the “smart grid”. We’re  
talking about low speed connections that can run over just about  
anything – barbed wire for example. So how can it be more expensive  
that all that so-called high-speed Internet?

Admittedly we are talking about a market that can’t spend small bucks  
– like the conversation I had in the 90’s with a company that sold LCD  
screens. They couldn’t sell one to X-Ray rooms – they could only sell  
them by the roomful because there was no mechanism for buying  
something that inexpensive.

Perhaps they are talking about “level 4 switching” in which we revert  
back to the omniscient network that turns off our dishwashers because  
we can’t be trusted to manage our own usage or purchase policies from  
third parties.

I’m getting very cynical about all these just-so stories that do real  
harm – like the one that confuses broadband with Internet  
connectivity. If you read throughhttp://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-09-31A1.pdf 
  you’ll see all the policies that presume that it is broadband, not  
connectivity, that enables all goodness to happen (including smart  
grids). It’s like saying that transportation system requires  
supersonic cars that enables grocery shopping.

Of course we want to have our devices connected and use digital  
protocols for managing systems. I’m just suspicious of the  
irresistible temptation to find refuge from Moore’s law. We need to  
retire the term “smart gird” and talk about the elements of each  
marketplace we have here rather than selling investors on the idea  
that there are big bucks to be gotten by all.


-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 18:19
To: ip
Subject: [IP] Cisco: Smart grid will eclipse size of Internet



Begin forwarded message:

From: dewayne () warpspeed com (Dewayne Hendricks)
Date: May 19, 2009 9:10:25 AM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <xyzzy () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Cisco: Smart grid will eclipse size of Internet

CISCO: SMART GRID WILL ECLIPSE SIZE OF INTERNET
Cisco sees a $100 billion market opportunity in the smart grid. The
company make communications equipment for the electricity grid --
everything from routers in grid substations to home energy
controllers. Cisco's move is a sign that the creaky electricity
distribution system is poised for a digital upgrade. Other high-tech
companies, including IBM, Intel, and several start-ups, are ramping up
smart-grid efforts to capitalize on expected investments from
utilities and federal governments. Cisco estimates that the
communications portion of that build-out is worth $20 billion a year
over the next five years. The idea of the "smart grid" is to modernize
the electricity industry by overlaying digital communications onto the
grid. Smart meters in a person's home, for example, can communicate
energy usage to utilities in near real time. That allows the utility
to more efficiently manage the electricity supply and potentially
allow a consumer to take advantage of cheaper rates.

<http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10241102-54.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
 >

Courtesy of the Benton Foundation <http://www.benton.org>
RSS Feed: <http://www.warpspeed.com/wordpress>




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