We Demand 100Mbps For All - Ok, um, now what?

We Demand 100Mbps For All - Ok, um, now what?
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We Demand 100Mbps For All
Ok, um, now what?
(old news - 03:50PM Wednesday May 09 2007)
tags: coverage · business · bandwidth · Op/Ed · Politics

Senator Jay Rockefeller is pushing a resolution urging the creation of a national broadband plan that would bring affordable, symmetrical 100Mbps broadband to the majority of the population by 2015. The push is in concert with the FTTH Council (see their nodded approval via press release pdf), a group consisting largely of hardware vendors who, for months, have been calling for a "100Mbps Nation." Unfortunately, the majority of their proposals have already been suggested in various bills (USF as rural broadband fund, laws allowing muni-broadband nationally).

Most bills are derailed because the country remains in partisan gridlock over the severity of this nation's broadband deployment problem, with industry giants telling lawmakers no problem exists. Meanwhile, determining broadband gaps remains difficult thanks to admittedly inaccurate FCC data collection, and existing rural deployment programs remain mired in dysfunction.

Something tells us demanding universal broadband via press release probably isn't going to cut it. Isn't the first step on the road to recovery admitting you have a problem? If that's true, there's apparently work to do.

Mapping American Broadband

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Nation's Largest ISPs Crafting Fake National Broadband Policy

Wednesday Morining Links

Connect ME: 90% Broadband Penetration by 2010

FTTH Council Wants 100Mbps For All

Tuesday Evening Links

AT&T Front Group Claims Internet End Is Nigh

Links: New Topic
Forums »

brianiscool @ 9th May 03:10PM:
Yes!

Lets make this happen with no bandwidth limits! Time for a new internet tax for everyone!
reply

Ricky Smith @ 9th May 03:10PM:
Uhh? Woo?

So when they say majority how much are we talking here? Other nations already have 100 Mbit and in 7 years from now is that really a huge difference? Verizon is already offering 50 Mbit in some areas.
reply

rodrod5 @ 9th May 03:15PM:
a waste

Nearly 50 Percent of Americans Have Little Use for Internet and Cell Phones, Survey Finds

»www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270392,00.html

this is a stupid idea and a waste...
reply

ColorBASIC @ 9th May 03:22PM:
Re: a waste

I submitted that item a few days ago to Karl. Never got FP.
reply

gravesg @ 9th May 03:24PM:
Re: a waste

^^ you apparently don't respect the internet.

as for 100mbps in every home ... it can't happen. not even in the next 10 years.

well actually it could happen but their would be people running servers left and right putting data centers out of biz .

why pay 100$ a month for a 20mbit line to the net for my server when i can get my neighbor to do it for like 20$ lol

personally i'd run maybe 10,20 game servers at 40$ a month on symmetrical 100mbps, and have my main pc as a WAREZ HOT BOX lol.
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tmc8080 @ 9th May 03:25PM:
shure.... now what?

I'm sure companies are going to be falling all overthemselves to make that a reality and take a LOSS after tons of freebies were already handed out to telcos... AT&T, Verizon. And cable rate increases are a cableco's best friend.. I'm sure they're chomping at the bit to make this work.

Har, har, har...

Oil companies are dying to get cheap gasoline to the pumps too..
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axus @ 9th May 03:26PM:
There isn't any content there

It's good to look at this issue. A resolution isn't really supposed to do anything but act as a call for action. Hopefully the call to action will actually lead to better study of the issue. I think a good starting point would be to review the existing state and commercial projects, and see what strategies work and don't work.

I'd hope that the government could pay for the last mile fiber infrastructure, and let companies compete to supply the internet connection to that point. Also, government shouldn't prevent anyone from selling an alternate last mile solution, that would be communism ;p
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ColorBASIC @ 9th May 03:29PM:
With tax credits will come deployment

He has a good idea in tax credits for deployment so long as it isn't a Verizon/PA redux. Double the credit if the deployment is with gen technologies.

»rockefeller.senate.gov/Issues/te···rnet.htm

And looking at Open Secrets his bread doesn't look overly buttered by the tech industry. Shocking.

Of course it doesn't help matters that 1/2 the people don't give a crap about the internet (according to a recent Pew survey).
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burgermeister @ 9th May 03:39PM:
And this will enhance my life how?

I can't see how 100Mbps is going to make my life better.

How fast will my Internet connection have to be to get it to paint my house or cut my lawn? That may be worth something! :-)
--
"I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm."
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Tzale @ 9th May 03:46PM:
Re: a waste

said by gravesg :

^^ you apparently don't respect the internet.

as for 100mbps in every home ... it can't happen. not even in the next 10 years.

well actually it could happen but their would be people running servers left and right putting data centers out of biz .

why pay 100$ a month for a 20mbit line to the net for my server when i can get my neighbor to do it for like 20$ lol

personally i'd run maybe 10,20 game servers at 40$ a month on symmetrical 100mbps, and have my main pc as a WAREZ HOT BOX lol.

Ever think that in the future data centers will be offering gigabit connections and not megabit connections as the norm for most servers? Or perhaps we will reach a point where bandwidth usage will reach a near maximum in terms of usage? Don't forget data centers offer 99.99999% reliability, NO ISP can offer that.

-Tzale
--
"I'm a Geek, Are You?"
reply

Tzale @ 9th May 03:47PM:
Re: With tax credits will come deployment

said by ColorBASIC :

He has a good idea in tax credits for deployment so long as it isn't a Verizon/PA redux. Double the credit if the deployment is with gen technologies.

»rockefeller.senate.gov/Issues/te···rnet.htm

And looking at Open Secrets his bread doesn't look overly buttered by the tech industry. Shocking.

Of course it doesn't help matters that 1/2 the people don't give a crap about the internet (according to a recent Pew survey).

By 2015, the Internet WILL be a part of EVERYONE'S life.... The Internet only started becoming a dominant force in the USA in the last 5-7 years, give it some time to develop...

The elderly don't count, they are ignorant to adopting new technology.

-Tzale
--
"I'm a Geek, Are You?"
reply

ColorBASIC @ 9th May 03:49PM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

Looks like you're in the 50% who use the internet but don't really give too big a crap about it.

»www.pewinternet.org/press_release.asp?r=140
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en102 @ 9th May 03:49PM:
Re: Uhh? Woo?

Symmetrical ?
Available to the masses ... or the few ?
--
Canada = Hollywood North
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Tzale @ 9th May 03:49PM:
Re: a waste

said by rodrod5 :

Nearly 50 Percent of Americans Have Little Use for Internet and Cell Phones, Survey Finds

»www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270392,00.html

this is a stupid idea and a waste...

No it isn't... As we move through the years, the Internet is becoming more and more a dominant force in our lives... It is only a matter of time before everything is connected to the internet.
--
"I'm a Geek, Are You?"
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ColorBASIC @ 9th May 03:51PM:
Re: With tax credits will come deployment

100Mb would be used/needed for services already available elsewhere like HD-IPTV. Nothing new to be seen here. For everything else you don't "need" 100Mb service, especially synchronous 100Mb service.

The benefit will come mainly from competition driving improvements in service and prices. As far as content...it'll just be another delivery method for the SAME content.
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ColorBASIC @ 9th May 03:55PM:
Re: a waste

It's not a dominant force in our lives. You live in a DSLR tech bubble. According to Pew, the majority of Americans, while having internet service, aren't obsessed with it. And even if people suddenly became obsessed, 100Mb symmetrical is overkill and unrealistic.

Dominant is a vague term. Electricity is dominant. Water is dominant. A 100Mb internet ain't.
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dr2500 @ 9th May 04:00PM:
A subscriber will demand between 35 and 70 Mbps by 2010

I said this before but some people keep bashing me on it.

We will see OVER 100Mbps by 2015. Gigabit to the home??
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telcolackey @ 9th May 04:02PM:
Re: Yes!

•We need a new tax as the old ones are getting stale. •The government is the best organization to decide how the Internet should be put together.
•People need this so we can spend more time in our home eating our super sized fries
•We need it symmetrical so we can share cool videos of we found for "free" from the other 100Mbps US users
reply

burgermeister @ 9th May 04:02PM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

Well, it's not that I don't care as much as I don't get what all the hype is about. I don't have any issues with the service I have now and overall, I'm pretty happy with it. What exactly are people downloading that would make them want that kind of speed?

From what I've seen with the people I know who use the shit out of the Internet, it's all about entertainment. While I think that's fine for them, I just don't like the idea of tax credits being used so someone can have more fun.

The money given away for such tax credits can be used for more important things, IMO. Alternative energy research would one of the first things on my list.

So where am I missing the point here? What does the average Internet user do that requires that kind of speed?

Tax credits still represent money lost for the government. It's gonna cost someone (us).
--
"I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm."
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gravesg @ 9th May 04:05PM:
Re: a waste

now you know how reluctant data centers are on upgrading their network. although you do raise a point.

how many of us would really need our server on 1Gbit ???

well i can think of a few things but thats me.

game servers only require about 5Mbit's of dedicated bandwidth both ways.

as for other applications, you idea is proly the best i've seen at dslr. man when 1Gbit is standard for data centers that will be a marvelous time.

i really hope cable tries to push ftth insted of docsis 3.0
just seems like fiber is the better choice here :)
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chiefeyes @ 9th May 04:06PM:
Re: With tax credits will come deployment

"The elderly don't count, they are ignorant to adopting new technology."

Interesting comment - I was going to offer a retort on behalf of seniors -- but then I noticed you live in NJ - selecting the toxic dump for NYC as a domicile hardly qualifies you as a mental giant. Cheers.
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anon @ 9th May 05:19PM:
Re: A subscriber will demand between 35 and 70 Mbps by 2010

maybe our government should find a way to payback our National Debt by 2015, or at least stop adding to it.

Last thing we should be worrying about right now is 100MBS symmetrical internet
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Tzale @ 9th May 04:19PM:
Re: a waste

said by ColorBASIC :

It's not a dominant force in our lives. You live in a DSLR tech bubble. According to Pew, the majority of Americans, while having internet service, aren't obsessed with it. And even if people suddenly became obsessed, 100Mb symmetrical is overkill and unrealistic.

Dominant is a vague term. Electricity is dominant. Water is dominant. A 100Mb internet ain't.

Yes, of course 100mbit isn't really needed by the average person TODAY... But there is no telling what the average person will be needing in 2015. Look at how many average people use YouTube, P2P, etc nowadays... A lot of this stuff was unheard of on dialup since it took hours to do what we can do in seconds or minutes on broadband... It is slowly, but surely taking a dominant role. The internet is the backbone of this country. Sheer massive quantities of bandwidth might not be required right now, but most people aren't comfortable with dialup any longer... I think the sweet spot is 1-5mbit, which is broadband. Don't forget that the majority of internet users are now on broadband.

-Tzale
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Pashune @ 9th May 04:20PM:
Re: A subscriber will demand between 35 and 70 Mbps by 2010

Sounds doable if you live in a city or nearby one.

In my area? The best effort speed you can get here PERIOD, is 5 mbps through Cable One.

DSL? Maximum stable speed is only about 2 mbit at best.

But by 2015, I'll have moved into the city, so I'm not worried. n_n bring on the blazing speeds.
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denden2002 @ 9th May 04:23PM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

well using your tax credits for "fun" (as you so eloquently put it) is much more constructive and progressive than using them for death and destruction. chew on that for a while.
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Tzale @ 9th May 04:23PM:
Re: With tax credits will come deployment

said by chiefeyes :

"The elderly don't count, they are ignorant to adopting new technology."

Interesting comment - I was going to offer a retort on behalf of seniors -- but then I noticed you live in NJ - selecting the toxic dump for NYC as a domicile hardly qualifies you as a mental giant. Cheers.

No need to be an asshole... That has nothing to do with this topic, and NEW JERSEY IS THE BEST STATE IN THIS COUNTRY... I'd take NJ over Maine ANY day.. Troll.... NJ is definitely not a "toxic dump" you have no idea WTF you are talking about and if you think Newark NJ and the turnpike represent NJ you have something wrong with your head. And since when has location had any effect on IQ? It sounds like your an uneducated hick from the deep woods of Maine.

And not all Seniors are ignorant, but historically older people are set in their ways and they don't like to change in the later portion of their lives... The majority of Senior Citizens that I know are not internet/computer users... In the future, Senior Citizens WILL be using the internet/computers because they used it while younger.

-Tzale
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tshirt @ 9th May 04:25PM:
Re: A subscriber will demand between 35 and 70 Mbps by 2010

But will the "demanding" subscriber be willing (and able) to pay for it?
Without placing the burden on other, less demanding subscribers? (via taxes, or "universal" service fees.)

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bi0tech @ 9th May 04:29PM:
Re: a waste

Maybe it's just me but whenever I see 'Foxnews' as any kind of reference for information I can't take it seriously.

'The Pew study found 15 percent of all Americans have neither a cell phone nor an Internet connection. Another 15 percent use some technology and are satisfied with what it currently does for them, while 11 percent use it intermittently and find connectivity annoying.'

'The telephone study of 4,001 U.S. adults, including 2,822 Internet users, was conducted Feb. 15 to April 6, 2006, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.'

Why is it I fail to see this as accurate? Even my 80 yr old grandparents have cell phones and use the Internet. I can't say I know a single person personally who does not use either on a regular basis, whether by choice or necessity.
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rodrod5 @ 9th May 04:29PM:
Re: a waste

I can tell you what the average pieces of crap across the street from me will be doing in 2015

they will be doing time in jail.....they will be dead.....or they will be doing just what they do every day.....sitting on their ass on the old couch on the porch while their 18-23 yo kids have a jammy jam in the front yard and bootleg and deal and watch their fatherless kids/cousins/borthers/sisters play on the toys they borrowed from the neighbors yard

unless the internet offers them a faster way to alert their "clients" than text messaging that it is time to swing by and leave a few peeps in the hooptie with the thumps on while one runs in for a 40 or something they can clinch in their fist....my neighbors will never need 100mb.....no matter how big a part of the hood they work
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burgermeister @ 9th May 04:30PM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

Try and keep on the topic.

Don't know when you meant by 'death and destruction', but my vote goes for alternative energy research. I didn't list 'death and destruction' as something I wanted to use tax credits for.
--
"I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm."
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rodrod5 @ 9th May 04:33PM:
Re: With tax credits will come deployment

new jersey is so childish and backwards they wont even let you pump your own gas

no wonder you are such a champion for gov handholding and gov intervention into something they need to keep out of
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KrK @ 9th May 04:39PM:
Re: a waste

The headline is actually very misleading (Surprise!).

If you actually read the article, the Study ACTUALLY says:

The Pew study found 15 percent of all Americans have neither a cell phone nor an Internet connection. Another 15 percent use some technology and are satisfied with what it currently does for them, while 11 percent use it intermittently and find connectivity annoying.

In reality, the headline should be "15%" or if you really stretch you could include the "11% who use it intermittently and find connectivity annoying." which would mean 26%.. Tops.

I don't see HOW you can include the 15% who say they use some cell phones and internet and are satisfied as is. Hell, even if you add all that together you still get only 41% so really it sounds like FoxNews just made that headline up to attract attention (sensationalize) it. (Who wouldda thunk it!)
--
"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!)
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chiefeyes @ 9th May 04:41PM:
Re: With tax credits will come deployment

Thank you --- your reply ( or should I say outburst) proves the point.
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Tzale @ 9th May 04:41PM:
Re: a waste

said by rodrod5 :

I can tell you what the average pieces of crap across the street from me will be doing in 2015

they will be doing time in jail.....they will be dead.....or they will be doing just what they do every day.....sitting on their ass on the old couch on the porch while their 18-23 yo kids have a jammy jam in the front yard and bootleg and deal and watch their fatherless kids/cousins/borthers/sisters play on the toys they borrowed from the neighbors yard

unless the internet offers them a faster way to alert their "clients" than text messaging that it is time to swing by and leave a few peeps in the hooptie with the thumps on while one runs in for a 40 or something they can clinch in their fist....my neighbors will never need 100mb.....no matter how big a part of the hood they work

OK, well if you don't believe there is any hope for them, there is still millions of people like myself who WILL be riding the wave of the future.
--
"I'm a Geek, Are You?"
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Tzale @ 9th May 04:42PM:
Re: With tax credits will come deployment

said by rodrod5 :

new jersey is so childish and backwards they wont even let you pump your own gas

no wonder you are such a champion for gov handholding and gov intervention into something they need to keep out of

Actually, I am against that law... Lets not get started on the shitty laws you have in Texas.... :p

Only one state in this nation would elect a governor such as George Bush and then allow themselves to be raped by illegal Mexicans.

-Tzale
--
"I'm a Geek, Are You?"
reply

Tzale @ 9th May 04:44PM:
Re: With tax credits will come deployment

said by chiefeyes :

Thank you --- your reply ( or should I say outburst) proves the point.

Proves what point? That you're acting like an idiot? I am against government "hand holding." I am against anti-smoking laws in public establishments, I'm against the full service gas laws, I'm against the 19+ laws on substances that should be 18 and above (smoking, drinking, etc).... I'm definitely don't want anymore government in my life...

So I don't see how supporting a 100mbit national fiber network is the same as supporting nanny laws....

I think you made an uneducated comment about New Jersey and many people on this site are laughing their asses off at you since you know shit about this wonderful state. What does Maine bring to this country besides lobster and people like yourself who are dickheads?

-Tzale
--
"I'm a Geek, Are You?"
reply

BF69 @ 9th May 04:53PM:
Re: a waste

said by rodrod5 :

Nearly 50 Percent of Americans Have Little Use for Internet and Cell Phones, Survey Finds

»www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270392,00.html

this is a stupid idea and a waste...

OK first of all FAUX News is the big clue here. Anything from them is pure shit.
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Jwobot @ 9th May 05:03PM:
Re: A subscriber will demand between 35 and 70 Mbps by 2010

I need faster speeds so I can download my songs from limewire in .1 seconds!!
reply

jester121 @ 9th May 05:08PM:
Re: a waste

Yeah, we know it by heart now, Fox news sucks, Bush is an idiot, Algore won, the world hates us.

Do you drones promise to come up with a new mantra after the 2008 elections? I sure as christ hope so.
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kd6cae @ 9th May 05:40PM:
Re: a waste

said by gravesg :

now you know how reluctant data centers are on upgrading their network. although you do raise a point.

how many of us would really need our server on 1Gbit ???

If you do alot of streaming audio at high quality bit rates, and you want to support lots of listeners, having a 1 gigabit per second connection would be useful. Also if you do lots of file transfer it'd be handy to have. A few data centers now offer 1GBPS, and though it won't be used much, for those that can use it, it will be handy for sure. A friend of mine has several internet radio stations and combined stream over 140mbps daily out his servers. What we really need is more upload at home, heck we've got plenty of download, now give us at least a solid 3mbps upstream!
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Zoder @ 9th May 05:42PM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

The thing is, we don't know what services people will create to take advantage of ubiquitous massive bandwidth.

With that type of infrastructure in place, we could see services developed that you might not even be able to imagine today.

Were you able to envision the modern broadband services available when you were on dialup 10-15 years ago and broadband to the home was first being discussed in computer magazines as a future technology?

You are also looking at the tax picture narrowly. If having 100 mbps symmetrical broadband increases US worker productivity, it will translate into a better economy, higher paying jobs, and the government taking in more tax revenue. Look at the hundreds of billions of dollars we spent on the interstate highway. I think you would agree, that the economy is much better off than had it never been built.
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rodrod5 @ 9th May 05:47PM:
Re: a waste

they only reported OTHERS findings moron

from PEW that even your fool networks report from
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T1 Rocky @ 9th May 05:48PM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

said by burgermeister :

I can't see how 100Mbps is going to make my life better.

How fast will my Internet connection have to be to get it to paint my house or cut my lawn? That may be worth something! :-)

If you don't know what your missing by not having 100 Mbps it's only because you lack vision. How many ground breaking projects have been abandoned because their wasn't the broadband network in place to get it to the consumers? It's like arguing in 1920 that the telegraph does the same thing as the telephone because it just delivers a message. So why waste all that money replacing the telegraph network with a phone network?
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xdeadhead @ 9th May 06:04PM:
people in hell want icewater too

but it aint gonna happen.
--
I am not herbert.
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anon @ 9th May 06:26PM:
Ridiculous

Absolutely ridiculous. I don't need a 100Mbps connection, I do perfectly fine with my 1.2Mbps connection. Why should I have to subsidize someone who wants a superfast connection in some podunk town of population 100 with my hard earned money? A broadband Internet connection is not a necessary good nor a public good. This will be way more costly than the benefits. Where the benefits are greater than the costs, private industry will build the network anyway since there will be profit to be had. There is currently spotty broadband access because the demand just isn't there compared to what it costs to build the network. Additionally, anything that the government does is almost always twice as expensive as a private industry.

I'm sorry, but socialism sucks. Besides, this is just corporate welfare to all the companies that will be building this network. What a horrible idea.
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pnh102 @ 9th May 06:36PM:
Re: a waste

said by bi0tech :

Maybe it's just me but whenever I see 'Foxnews' as any kind of reference for information I can't take it seriously.

Fear not! There are many people who feel the same way about SeeBS News, ABC, [MS|C]NBC, the New York Times, the Washington Compost, NPR and the like.
--
Only SHATNER is Kirk.
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pnh102 @ 9th May 06:44PM:
Re: With tax credits will come deployment

said by Tzale :

Only one state in this nation would elect a governor such as George Bush and then allow themselves to be raped by illegal Mexicans.

I'll bet you that Bush probably wore his seatbelt when he was governor!
--
Only SHATNER is Kirk.
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La Luna @ 9th May 06:49PM:
Re: a waste

said by bi0tech :

Maybe it's just me but whenever I see 'Foxnews' as any kind of reference for information I can't take it seriously....

Yes, especially since it's an Associated Press article. :uhh:
--
~~"As long as America is an infidel enemy, terrorizing it is a duty." Sayed Imam Abdul-Aziz el-Sheriff~~

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La Luna @ 9th May 06:54PM:
Re: a waste

said by BF69 :

said by rodrod5 :

Nearly 50 Percent of Americans Have Little Use for Internet and Cell Phones, Survey Finds

»www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270392,00.html

this is a stupid idea and a waste...

OK first of all FAUX News is the big clue here. Anything from them is pure shit.

Yet another flash of brilliance from another one that doesn't have a clue what Associated Press means. :uhh:

The comments on these FP articles often make these threads not even worthy of bothering with.
--
~~"As long as America is an infidel enemy, terrorizing it is a duty." Sayed Imam Abdul-Aziz el-Sheriff~~

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BloodRoses @ 9th May 07:19PM:
Too little, too late

Even if this "plan" were to be carried out by 2005, I'd be somewhat skeptical. By 2015 I can almost guarantee expectations will be at least 10 Gigabits, and likely beyond that.

We need to build for the future, and 100 Megabits is not it.
--
Cheers,
Stephanie - www.GlitterFaerie.com
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Freezone @ 9th May 07:27PM:
Re: Yes!

said by telcolackey :

•We need a new tax as the old ones are getting stale. •The government is the best organization to decide how the Internet should be put together.
•People need this so we can spend more time in our home eating our super sized fries
•We need it symmetrical so we can share cool videos of we found for "free" from the other 100Mbps US users

Sounds good sign me up :)
reply

Freezone @ 9th May 07:35PM:
Re: a waste

You will never have too much memory(ram).
You will never have too much storage.
you will never have too much cpu speed.
You will never have too much bandwidth.

All of the above have had so called experts say that no one would ever need more than X of Y. And every time they are proven wrong.

With the speed the apps will come. Have a little imagination. I still remember 300 baud modems on bbs using my commodore 64. That was 22 years ago. can't wait to see the next 22 years. (Provided we figure out the bee issue)
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Freezone @ 9th May 07:38PM:
Re: a waste

Yes but when you need those republican talking points there is no better source than good old FOX news.
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BF69 @ 9th May 07:38PM:
Re: a waste

Bo I love the Bush defneders. Not many of you left. 28% approve of Bush. That means 72% don't. FACT. Get over it. ironically most of you have jobs that require you to ask me if I want to supersize my value meal. Wannabe millionaire welfare reciptients are funny.
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Dagda1175 @ 9th May 07:47PM:
I'm not paying for it.

Show me in the Constitution where this is a requirement. it's not there, the tax needed to implement this would be illegal.
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bmn @ 9th May 07:52PM:
100Mbps to my house...

I certainly need it... That would make my work day quite a bit easier, especially if all the clients had it too. No more waiting half an hour to 45 minutes for patches to things like Acronis TI and suchto get sent over the internet.
--
Prove it...
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stomp357 @ 9th May 08:33PM:
Re: a waste

A 100Mb connection maybe overkill for alot of users today, but they said this about broadband back in the days of dial-up. Would you go back to dial-up in this internet age?
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Necronomikro @ 9th May 08:42PM:
Re: I'm not paying for it.

Just because you don't agree with a tax doesn't make it illegal. I'm very disappointed that tax money is wanted to pay for a bridge to nowhere in Alaska:

Ted Stevens has taken criticism for a wide variety of positions and actions taken in the Senate. This includes placing a secret hold on a bill that would allow easier accountability and research of all federal funding measures, describing the Internet as a "series of tubes" when taking a strong alliance with the telecommunications industry against network neutrality[6], and supporting perceived pork barrel projects such as the Gravina Island Bridge (known as the "Bridge to Nowhere" by its opponents) and the Knik Arm Bridge. He threatened to resign from the Senate if the federal earmark for the Alaskan bridges was sent to help repair Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina damage.
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Sammer @ 9th May 08:47PM:
Before or after Maglev?

Does this demand come before or after the one for 300MPH Maglev trains between every city?
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ftthz @ 9th May 09:13PM:
why not gbit

or higher?
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ydoucare @ 9th May 09:29PM:
...

i can't wait til they run 10 miles of fiber out to my house, WOOHOO!!!!111one
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normat @ 9th May 10:18PM:
Re: ...

Yes! Now lets move on to symmetrical gigabit.
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Mike @ 9th May 10:24PM:
Re: Before or after Maglev?

Our rail system sucks, our public education sucks, our airlines suck, our fuel efficiency sucks, our broadband sucks, our power system sucks, and our roads suck.

We can blow stuff up though pretty good. At least we get fireworks.
--
"If something about the human body disgusts you, complain to the manufacturer" - Lenny Bruce
What this country needs is a good five dollar plasma weapon.
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tschmidt @ 9th May 10:43PM:
Re: Too little, too late

Building for the future is always a trade-off between cost and what the technology is able to deliver.

While more is better at some point we will reach a point where speed is "good enough." Bandwidth has been a expensive commodity is short supply since the dawn of civilisation. We are rapidly approaching a point where biology will become the limiting factor, not the communication technology.

100 Mbps is a good bench mark to strive for. It is an order of magnitude faster then main stream Cable or DSL. 100 Mbps is able to deliver four HDTV streams (different stream for each member of the household). Faster upload will facilitate all sorts of personal web server services. An order of magnitude improvement is speed will encourage all sorts of new companies to enter the market delivering services that are not feasible over slower links.

The limiting technology in a Fiber network is the electro optical component. If we roll out a 100 Mbps FTTP network today, upgrading it to Gig or 10 Gig in the future will be relatively inexpensive since the expensive component, fiber, is already in place. The upgrade can be incremental saving cost by only upgrading specific customers.

/Tom
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Corona @ 9th May 10:59PM:
Re: a waste

AMEN!!!!
--
Corona "No, make no mistake. It's not revenge he's after; it's a reckoning."

Check out the band 1000 Miles From Home
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Rob A @ 9th May 11:04PM:
100Mbps...

Yeah, even by 2015, not gonna happen.
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jsouth @ 10th May 01:20AM:
Re: a waste

Waa. Read my tag and get over it.
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anon @ 10th May 01:44AM:
Re: Before or after Maglev?

said by Mike :

Our rail system sucks...

You're right, and honestly -- it makes me a little scared when I see people vilifying progress. I understand cynicism, yes, but something like universal broadband is something we should all be in favor of. Education is the silver bullet to the world's problems and what if this were the way to deliver it to all the hopeless people described above?

What's wrong with wanting universal broadband or 300MPG Maglev trains between every city? No one will ever bother to make it cost-effective until someone proposes that we really do it!
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lopinboy @ 10th May 01:49AM:
Re: a waste

said by gravesg :

how many of us would really need our server on 1Gbit ???

The same number of people who don't need more than 1 meg of RAM. At some point we'll need it and it would be nicer to have it now than to not have it when needed.
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rec9140 @ 10th May 09:12AM:
Re: Before or after Maglev?

said by Sammer :
Does this demand come before or after the one for 300MPH Maglev trains between every city?

A rail system with medium speed inner city rail, and HIGH SPEED INTER city rail serivce is NEEDED in this country.

Look at the LRT aka "T" it serves only one side of Pgh. while other areas have to suffer with useless bus service.

Plans to expand it have went no one for years! Till the LRT and downtown subway system (all of 4 stops) is expanded to serve the rest of the area its a not a real system. I support the LRT, but only if its EXPANDED. Its not been expanded in years. Upgrades to the Library line, upgrades to the Beechview line and elimination of stops every 5ft like on the old trolleys. Its still not enough.

Europe and Japan and the UK have thriving rail systems, and this country has DROPPED the BALL SINCE the late 50's and allowing the systematic abandonment and COMPLETE REMOVAL of rail lines. You should be able to get on a train at least twice a week from Podunk OH and get to a major city like Columbus/Cincy/Cleveland and get on a high speed train to get to other areas. That may be maglev or other technology. You do realize that a LOT OF RESEARCH on Maglev was and is done in Pgh.? And could benefit companies in the Pgh. area?

A good rail system for PASSENGERS and FREIGHT is vital to any country and what we have is just barely passing for freight.

And yes I am a railfan and completely biased.

As for broadband every outhouse in Podunk and Hooterville should have the ABILITY to get broadband be it DSL, crapble, or fiber is fine.

The USF should actually be used to provide UNIVERSAL service and not as a slush fund for the telcos.

Lack of oversight and corporate graft have allowed the telcos especially to lanquish in the 1970's. Now one telco wants to jump from 1970's to the 2000's in one step. And YES I would run over or plow under any thing to get FIOS.

BUT...

Had the telcos bitten the bullet like crapble did and invested and improved their networks then any one could get DSL any where the teclo copper network passes.

This is where the government needs to step in and start mandating and regulating this stuff. The teclo's have shown they can not do this without severe regulation and oversight....hmm....VZ and PA come to mind.

Many of those on here I wonder how many of them have the choice of choosing:

DSL - and multiple providers
crapble
and possibly FIOS

Versus what many in rural locations have a choice of:

DIALUP
VSAT
NO internet

I my self have a choice of:
crapble
dialup
ISDN

VZ has ceeded much of the HSI market to BH becuase they refused to upgrade the network to expand DSL expansion and this was long before FIOS even started. New development goes in same old tech and not DSL compatible. Thus all these new users get crapble for HSI.

So maybe those complaining this is bad idea should be restricted to dialup at 28.8 for awhile to see what a large area of the US has to suffer through, and its patchetic!

We created the internet and many areas can barely get connected let alone "cruise" the net.
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bi0tech @ 10th May 09:45AM:
Re: a waste

So then by that notion Fox then published every AP release ever? Yes I know it's an AP article, that has no bearing.
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Michieru @ 10th May 10:13AM:
Re: a waste

This is what I would "think" would happen if we did upgrade the network.

Say now most americans now have 100mbps, we see TV through the internet, we call through the internet, we are doing all these things. The more TV's you have the more streams and the more bandwidth required. So in the end we build this entire network to merge all services such as phone/TV/images and anything that requires huge amounts of bandwidth through one pipe, the last thing we need is the internet being used to deliver power over ethernet. In the end the cable that delivers it all would be a ethernet cable.

Now what?

You can now work at home and your standard telephone becomes a call center's telephone where you can work from the comfort of your home and still be paid a good amount of money to live on while keeping the costs and without the need to build these massive call centers.

The internet creating a global work place? The internet creating a international economy? The end of the US postal service by delivering mail through a tube and packages.

Wireless internet available anywhere, our cellphones now provide calling internationally from advanced network and agreements and the elimination of long distance calling when you can call anyone in the world.

While that might be a fantasy if we where to get 100mbps tomorrow that's what I can think of, and after that it's anyone's guess.
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burgermeister @ 10th May 10:35AM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

You do make several good points and you're right, there good things could come from it, but I'm not totally convinced.

I just don't see a direct relation to broadband speed and higher paying jobs. I agree that we're better off with what we have now compared to 20 years ago, but really, 100 mbps just seems a little extreme. To me it like the example of interstate highways (which are good) but expanded all over the country to a minimum of 20 lanes in each direction. A little extreme. Does that make sense?

Again, not trying to pooh-pooh the idea entirely, I just am having difficulty seeing the benefit.

If something is good, simply making it faster/bigger does not necessarily make it that much better.
--
"I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm."
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burgermeister @ 10th May 10:42AM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

Yes, maybe I do lack vision, that's why I'm asking.

How many groundbreaking projects have been abandoned? I have no idea, but I'd like to hear some examples that are not entertainment related. What I have now (my broadband connection) allows my family to do everything we need to with room to grow, including working from home.

And we're not talking the difference between telegraph and phone, we talking about the same thing (broadband) only faster. It's more like saying you have a phone at your house now and adding 10 extra lines to make your life better.
--
"I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm."
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T1 Rocky @ 10th May 12:51PM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

Great question. Unfortunately we will never know who is abandoning what ideas. Everyone has to rely on compression to try and get the data through these limited pipes and that hinders development.
As an example, the company I worked for in the late 1990s wanted to do VOIP. They had to wait until 2002 for there to be enough broadband penetration to make it into a consumable product. They have since sold to Cisco but they lost 5 years of development because they realized that this was an unusable product in the late 1990s.

Let you imagination run wild though. Video development is TOTALLY stymied by broadband limitations. How about a scanner in an ambulace that sends an xray to the hospital by seeking out the wireless linksys in any random neighborhood and then lets the hospital know what is coming? How about live traffic videos of any highway? How about video phones? How about virtual up to the second tours of anywhere?

Anything you can think of where point A needs information from point B will benefit from larger broadband. :D
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Ahrenl @ 10th May 01:29PM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

Increased bandwidth will allow complete communications integration.

This means having single point of contacts (ie. you only need to call one number to get in touch with a person; when I want to call my wife, I have to try the home phone, her cell, and her office), combination of services (so answering your phone in a popup window of your TV, or answering your front door on your TV, or on your cell phone. Automated control of your utilities, automatic ordering by appliances, and inventory tracking of perishables. There are A LOT of ways for greater communication availability to make everyone's life easier. Tired of losing things in your house? Wondering if you have a specific type of tool when you're at home depot? Want to know when someone knocks on your front door when your kids are home alone?

And this is just the stuff you can think up on the spur of the moment.. Image having entire industries of engineers dreaming up cool things. Of course without large amounts of bandwidth, on a wide scale, the markets will never materialize.
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Jim Gurd @ 10th May 01:30PM:
Re: I'm not paying for it.

said by Dagda1175 :

Show me in the Constitution where this is a requirement. it's not there, the tax needed to implement this would be illegal.

Unfortunately the 10th Amendment hasn't been enforced since the 1930s. :(
--
We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company.

-- Ernestine
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indyattic @ 10th May 02:02PM:
Watch what happens

Once the government starts providing it, it will be that much easier for them to control the content.

Another great idea, if you're a socialist.
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T1 Rocky @ 10th May 03:06PM:
Re: Ridiculous

Guess what? You already paid for it!!!!! Teletruth.org claims that the telcos have recieved the equivilent of $1000 per houshod in the US to pull out the fiber network. But since there is no accountability for the telcos (see lobbyists) they never bothered to build it. :(
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ColorBASIC @ 10th May 05:00PM:
Re: With tax credits will come deployment

Oh please. California rules ALL when it comes to being a sh!tty state.
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pfak @ 10th May 05:02PM:
Re: a waste

said by gravesg :

how many of us would really need our server on 1Gbit ???

DDoS mitigation.
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tmc8080 @ 10th May 06:30PM:
Re: 100Mbps...

said by Rob A :

Yeah, even by 2015, not gonna happen.

True, but loads of the USF funds should be pushing broadband into more rural routes across the country.. the northeast probably has one fiber per person already in place.. but not in rural America.. get rid of the waste, graft and fraud, and get down to the real work of using the usf funds properly!!USF should NOT fund low priced COPPER POTS telephone service anymore.. ensure voip services can get to 100% of the population and they can afford these services themselves, or they can pick up deposit bottles off the street to earn enough money, mow a lawn, actually provide a service and get some cash together..
Get a JOB!!
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patcat88 @ 11th May 04:06AM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

said by burgermeister
How fast will my Internet connection have to be to get it to paint my house or cut my lawn? That may be worth something! :-)
[/BQUOTE :

50-100mbit should be enough to have a remote-control-from-india muliple video cameras lawn mowers. You outsource the labor (moving it around) and therefore its cheaper. Just gas the mower, go online to start the mower and a call center rep will be assigned to pilot it for the next couple hours. Thats how a faster internet connection will mow your lawn.
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tschmidt @ 11th May 08:30AM:
Re: And this will enhance my life how?

said by burgermeister :

How many groundbreaking projects have been abandoned? I have no idea, but I'd like to hear some examples that are not entertainment related.

And we're not talking the difference between telegraph and phone, we talking about the same thing (broadband) only faster. It's more like saying you have a phone at your house now and adding 10 extra lines to make your life better.

It is less a matter of being abandoned then never implemented due to technical constraints.

Increased upload:
Home servers
Sharing family video/audio
Remote security
Remote access home computers
Facilitates telecommuting
Tele medicine

Increased download:
I know you said other then entertainment it allow access to audio/video resources anywhere in the world. I'd love to be able to access reference library material at home.

Anyone will be able to become a Cable provider - no longer need to have a local presence.

There is lots of other stuff I'm no creative enough to even imagine. After all broadcast radio and telephone were poo-pooed as to why anyone would value the technology.

/Tom
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anon @ 11th May 04:33PM:
Re: Before or after Maglev?

said by Indeed80 :

What's wrong with wanting universal broadband or 300MPG Maglev trains between every city? No one will ever bother to make it cost-effective until someone proposes that we really do it!

The real problem is all the lobbying which takes places in this country that prevents such developments which benefit everyone. Here are some other examples in addition to the telcos-

-Big Oil Refiners (in cahoots with the auto producers)
-Big Auto (stifling any sort of high speed rail outside of the NE corridor)
-Airlines (see Big Auto)
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Healbot @ 12th May 02:40AM:
Re: A subscriber will demand between 35 and 70 Mbps by 2010

The world is going to end in 2012 anyways
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harobikes333 @ 26th Jul 03:49AM:
Re: Yes!

ditto!!! I'd love that kind of connection!!!! ( I've actually thought about getting a T1... they run around 115 a month here....)
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