Hehe... just for a technical clarification, most of the video infrastructure these days either is or is becoming IP based; the last mile will be the last part that is converted to IP based in the cable industry because of the expense of switching out 100 million set top boxes.
The problem isn't IP; the problem is "best effort" IP where video (which requires a lot of guaranteed bandwidth in order to not look like your grandma's home videos) has to compete with everything else out there. So, just to clarify, IP as a technology is great for video; the Internet, on the other hand, is pretty lousy... But, definitely right on the rest--for _most_ uses, a reliable Internet connection is much more important than a fast connection. Hence why smart businesses will often eat the cost of a T1 which has a paltry 1.5Mb/s of bandwidth. The even bigger surprise is their utilization of that T1--by and large (on the T1's I've seen) _peak_ utilization is usually around 100-200Kb/s.... It's amazing how far bandwidth goes when you're not bit-torrenting movies :) On 7/25/07, Marlon K. Schafer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Well said! Internet is a rotten technology for video. IP just wasn't designed for it. Cable and Sat are great for video. I honestly don't understand what all of the hubub is about. I'm about to put broadband into a development with 1000++ lots. Almost all are camp trailers for summer residents. Those folks don't even have POWER out there yet! But they'll have broadband. Cheap and, at 1 to 3 megs it'll probably be better than what they really get at home. And why do they want broadband so bad? So they can stay in touch at work (could do that with sat access if it was really that big of a deal to them) and so they can email pics of the kids to grandma and pa. We as techs too often think that the world revolves around access. It doesn't. FEW people make a living via the net. Especially via 50meg access. For MOST people in this country the net is a tool! ONE tool out of many. It makes the job easier, faster and more convenient. The difference in job performance between waiting for fed ex and waiting for an email is night and day. The difference between getting that email in 100 seconds vs. 10 seconds is nothing. They'll still spend MOST of their time DOING something WITH the email! marlon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Clint Ricker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 2:01 PM Subject: Re: [WISPA] America's Internet Disconnect > What a load of fluff. Almost 20 paragraphs from an FCC chairperson > criticizing the current policy and not a single concrete suggestion, other > than some vague "more wireless and BPL" suggestion... > > I'm not necessarily a fan of the direction at the FCC. Still, I'm not > really sure that I've seen a smarter suggestion by and large on most of > their decision (except for the AT&T/BellSouth merger and perhaps their > lack > of a stance for net neutrality, although that's a complicated issue). > > Is 1.5Mb/s too slow? Really? The only application that needs faster > connections at the consumer level is video; I seriously doubt that an > extra > bit of lag on the YouTube videos is really going to "be a drag on our > economy". > > I'm not against faster broadband. More bandwidth is good and, judging by > developments in the cable and wireless industry, the next three years are > going to be a "watershed" point in bandwidth capacity in which we'll see > typical go from 3 Mb/s -> 50Mb/s for urban areas. > > Still, I'm even more puzzled by the criticism of slow broadband on the > WISPA > list...Wireless is a very limited technology in terms of bandwidth (on a > consumer, point to multi-point level). If anything, you should be > grateful > that you're not having to compete against 50 or 100Mb/s fiber > connections.... :) > > -Clint Ricker > Kentnis Technologies > > > > > > On 7/24/07, Mike Hammett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> America's Internet Disconnect >> By Michael J. Copps >> Wednesday, November 8, 2006; A27 >> America's record in expanding broadband communication is so poor that it >> should be viewed as an outrage by every consumer and businessperson in >> the >> country. Too few of us have broadband connections, and those who do pay >> too >> much for service that is too slow. It's hurting our economy, and things >> are >> only going to get worse if we don't do something about it. >> >> The United States is 15th in the world in broadband penetration, >> according >> to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). When the ITU measured >> a >> broader "digital opportunity" index (considering price and other factors) >> we >> were 21st -- right after Estonia. Asian and European customers get home >> connections of 25 to 100 megabits per second (fast enough to stream >> high-definition video). Here, we pay almost twice as much for connections >> that are one-twentieth the speed. >> >> How have we fallen so far behind? Through lack of competition. As the >> Congressional Research Service puts it, U.S. consumers face a "cable and >> telephone broadband duopoly." And that's more like a best-case scenario: >> Many households are hostage to a single broadband provider, and nearly >> one-tenth have no broadband provider at all. >> >> For businesses, it's just as bad. The telecom merger spree has left many >> office buildings with a single provider -- leading to annual estimated >> overcharges of $8 billion. Our broadband infrastructure should be a >> reason >> companies want to do business in the United States, not just another >> reason >> to go offshore. >> >> The stakes for our economy could not be higher. Our broadband failure >> places a ceiling over the productivity of far too much of the country. >> Should we expect small-town businesses to enter the digital economy, and >> students to enter the digital classroom, via a dial-up connection? The >> Internet can bring life-changing opportunities to those who don't live in >> large cities, but only if it is available and affordable. >> >> Even in cities and suburbs, the fact that broadband is too slow, too >> expensive and too poorly subscribed is a significant drag on our economy. >> Some experts estimate that universal broadband adoption would add $500 >> billion to the U.S. economy and create 1.2 million jobs. >> >> Future generations will ultimately pay for our missteps. Albert Einstein >> reportedly quipped that compound interest is the most powerful force in >> the >> universe. Investment in infrastructure is how a nation harnesses this >> awesome multiplier. Consider that 80 percent of the growth in >> fiber-to-the-home (super-high-speed) subscribers last year was not in the >> United States but in Japan. One does not need Einstein's grasp of >> mathematics to understand that we cannot keep pace on our current >> trajectory. >> >> I don't claim to have all the answers. But there are concrete steps >> government must take now to reverse our slide into communications >> mediocrity. >> >> To begin with, the Federal Communications Commission -- of which I am a >> member -- must face up to the problem. Today the agency's reports seem >> designed mostly to obscure the fact that we are falling behind the rest >> of >> the world. The FCC still defines broadband as 200 kilobits per second, >> assumes that if one person in a Zip code area has access to broadband >> then >> everyone does and fails to gather any data on pricing. >> >> The FCC needs to start working to lower prices and introduce competition. >> We must start meeting our legislative mandate to get advanced >> telecommunications out to all Americans at reasonable prices; make new >> licensed and unlicensed spectrum available; authorize "smart radios" that >> use spectrum more efficiently; and do a better job of encouraging "third >> pipe" technologies such as wireless and broadband over power lines. And >> we >> should recommend steps to Congress to ensure the FCC's ability to >> implement >> long-term solutions. >> >> We need a broadband strategy for America. Other industrialized countries >> have developed national broadband strategies. In the United States we >> have a >> campaign promise of universal broadband access by 2007, but no strategy >> for >> getting there. With less than two months to go, we aren't even within >> shouting distance. >> >> The solution to our broadband crisis must ultimately involve >> public-private initiatives like those that built the railroad, highway >> and >> telephone systems. Combined with an overhaul of our universal service >> system >> to make sure it is focusing on the needs of broadband, this represents >> our >> best chance at recapturing our leadership position. >> >> It seems plain enough that our present policies aren't working. >> Inattention and muddling through may be the path of least resistance, but >> they should not and must not represent our national policy on this >> critical >> issue. >> >> The writer is a Democratic member of the Federal Communications >> Commission. >> >> >> >> ----- >> Mike Hammett >> Intelligent Computing Solutions >> http://www.ics-il.com >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Would you like to see your advertisement here? Let the WISPA Board know >> your feelings about allowing advertisements on the free WISPA lists. The >> current Board is taking this under consideration at this time. 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