[RTC List] Jobs & broadband

[Dave Thewlis]

Something that has not been remarked on in this thread is the change in 
kind, in addition to speed, that happens with a broadband connection - 
which is inherently an "always-on" connection.  For everyone I have ever 
talked to, whether in a business or personal context, moving to an 
always-on connection has caused a significant change in how they work 
(or play).

Back when we had dial-up we dialed in so many times a day to see if we 
had email, or anything else to be concerned about.  As a byproduct, this 
resulted in ways in which we arranged our day, and also divvied up our 
online and offline experiences into separate categories. 

The simple fact of an always-on connection means that how you work with 
e-mail, or the web, or connectivity, changes, in part because it becomes 
part of a larger and continuing process, rather than something you plan 
for and take time out for, and is woven into how you function 
minute-by-minute, i.e. in human process terms.  Of course there is an 
interruption factor, but it is simply more "normal" for humans doing 
their jobs (or simply living) to have this as available as water or 
power.  Ubiquity is the most important characteristic because it changes 
how we deal with it.

The analogies to "play", or non-business time, are certainly there, and 
in some ways stronger.  Also, the market for personal availability is so 
much bigger than business that it is likely to drive adoption anyhow.

The availability of broadband in the sense of always-on connectivity 
begins as an issue of kind, but as the speed of the connection 
increases, so does the variety of applications which take advantage of 
it. It is very hard in advance to predict what will be enabled by 
greater speed of connection, perhaps because our (business) experience 
is almost entirely defined by what we already do. Some applications 
wouldn't necessarily require always-on connectivity but do require high 
speed and availability (I'm thinking of medical applications), and 
broadband is the only choice available.  Some require availability and 
not speed (again medical for the moment) and the same point exists.

Ubiquitous availability and speed are two components of the same thing 
insofar as our technologies can deliver service, except (perhaps) in 
mobile scenarios, and even then increasingly the lack of a connection is 
the minor phenomenon - even in Humboldt County.

We already know that always-on transforms our behavior with respect to 
the internet and the facilities it provides,  and we can suspect 
(although maybe not predict) usages that will come with greater speed.  
There may also be a shift in *kind* with really high speeds.   In any 
case trying to judge the value of broadband by what we do now doesn't 
seem to be sufficient.

Dave Thewlis


Patrick Moon wrote:
> William Van Hefner wrote:
>> ...
>>
>> In more practical terms, if I had 100x the bandwidth that I have now, 
>> how would it help my
>> job opportunities or business? Would it somehow make my business more
>> competitive with those in other countries? Honestly, even from the
>> standpoint of being in an internet based-business, it wouldn't really 
>> help
>> all that much. Certainly not at the expense of increased taxes.
>>
>> Let's face it, most of the increased bandwidth usage these days has
>> nothing whatsoever to do with business need or job creation. It is going
>> to bring home users faster streaming video and audio, P2P, music
>> downloads, video games, movie downloads, pirated software and porn.
> ...
>
>
> My gut agrees with you, that the individual user at home or at work 
> (doing non-work related internet usage) takes more bandwidth then most 
> companies need for work related services.
> That said, I think there is a sea change happening.. looking at your 
> list "... streaming video and audio, P2P, music downloads, video 
> games, movie downloads, pirated software and porn." Bandwidth wise I 
> think that list is almost completely audio/video. The market has 
> spoken and there is an opportunity for new locations to take advantage 
> of this change.
> http://revision3.com/
> http://www.twit.tv/
> are great examples of a new way to do media.  With the bandwidth you 
> mentioned, they could easily be done here...
> or drawing on one of our strengths, how about a digital video online 
> video series on the pacific northwest in the style of
> http://www.earth-touch.com/
>
> I'm not saying the market is right here for these (even if we had the 
> bandwidth/redundancy).  I'm just saying things are changing and I 
> think those fringe users are actually showing you the future. A world 
> where video/audio are the main bits crossing the internet and the 
> large production houses have a hard time staying relevant.
>
> Braver minds then mine have to decide if Humboldt can/should ride this 
> wave.
>
> Cheers,
> Patrick Moon
>
>
>
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-- 
*Dave Thewlis, DCTA Inc.*
+1 707 840 9391 (voice) · +1 707 498 2238 (mobile)
http://www.dcta.com · dthewlis at dcta.com <mailto:dthewlis at dcta.com>
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