Should we oppose the Data Superhighway/NII?

Perry E. Metzger pmetzger at lehman.com
Fri Nov 12 08:49:32 PST 1993



Graham Toal says:
> In article <9311111430.AA28017 at snark.lehman.com> pmetzger at lehman.com writes:
> >A single fiber optic strand has enough capacity in theory to carry the
> >equivalent of every call made in the U.S. during the peak capacity
> >utilization period on Mother's Day. A single fiber can carry more data
> >than can be transmitted by the entire radio spectrum from low
> >frequency AM to Ku band satelite. Thats bandwidth for literally
> >thousands of simultaneous video signals.
> 
> "All the world's comms needs can be met with a single fibre"
> 
> contrast this with a famous quotation from history...
> 
> "All the country's computing needs can be met with a single computer"

You didn't understand the point. Not a SINGLE fiber. Each person would
have their own fiber into a switched fabric the way everyone has their
own phone line into a switched fabric. Each person would have all that
capacity TO HIMSELF. If he needed more, he could get two, or even ten,
not that he'll need more than one.

Perry






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