From Internet to Infobahn
Everything we read, spend money on, or do will literally be a database … Many people believe that privacy will be the nightmare issue of the NII.
Everything we read, spend money on, or do will literally be a database … Many people believe that privacy will be the nightmare issue of the NII.
We have to figure out what “universal access” means … I don’t think it means 24 hours of access to 500 channels of mud wrestling.
You’ll be able to see “Terminator 2” at any time of the day or night … I don’t know that the world is going to be greatly changed [for the better by this opportunity].
The U.S. government and industry should proceed with caution in entering the new digital age. High-capacity fiber systems probably will become a mainstay of all developed countries’ telecom infrastructure at some point in the next millennium. For the moment, however, it might be wise to slow the whole process down a bit.
The educational benefit of a high-capacity network is less than clear. The image of “Johnny” calling up full-motion video material along with a classroom or textual discussion of a major historical event is quite attractive; but it is difficult to see what this would add to Johnny’s understanding of the Treaty of Rome. Much of this function can be – and already is – handled through relatively low-tech equipment, such as VCRs.
It seems questionable whether providing U.S. homes and schools with 20-30 gigahertz of capacity would accomplish much, since most lack terminal devices … Personal computers are not predominantly found in inner-city, low-income residences or schools. Indeed, most U.S. public schools have a difficult time in supporting enough technology to teach the fundamentals of computing.
How much will it cost? Present estimates run between $300 billion and $1 trillion – obviously not rendering a lot of precision … If the high cost estimates turn out to be accurate, the RBOCs (serving 80 percent of U.S. households) may not be able to place enough debt to implement the NII.
The best schools, teachers and courses would be available to all students, without regard to geography, distance, resources or disability. Services that improve America’s health care system and respond to other important social needs could be available online, without waiting in line, and where you needed them.
For technology to become “pervasive” it has to be “more noticeable by its absence than its presence,” … like electricity or running water. When it does, the number of suppliers will shrink, and it will be harder for companies to differentiate themselves.
Job applicants coming out of college today [will] not ask to see organization charts, but would rather know “what’s the size of the pipe” available to their desktops.