File this one under ‘Interesting thoughts from interesting people’.
In Bob Cringley’s columns in the past few months, he has been discussing issues around Net Neutrality. In the column linked below, he talks to Bob Frankston (creator of VisiCalc) about some ways Microsoft could use the Internet to fix the mess we’re in and fix he Bell-head mentality of our communications networks.
It’s a good read, as always. I particularly like Frankston’s comment below.
Link: PBS | I, Cringely . June 29, 2006 – If we build it they will come.
"Another [example of the collateral damage in the way out communications networks have been built] is that we have redundant capital-intensive bit paths whose only purpose is to contain bits within billing paths," Frankston explains.
Indeed, this a direct description of what many folks think is the power of telephone networks, wireless or wired. And this is the mentality that is creeping back into the Internet in the whole Net Neutrality discussion.
Then, Frankston restates a common disruptive idea – just bypass the damned gatekeepers and build your own network.
Concentrate less on womb-to-tomb and more on end-to-end by embracing
the idea of community-owned networks. One billion dollars each in seed
capital from Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, and Google would be enough to set
neighborhood network dominos falling in communities throughout America
with no tax money ever required. And they’d get their money back, both
directly and indirectly, many times over.
Hmm, what could GYM do with all their cash? If only they could play together kindly.
I think such a GYM-owned network is as much a pie-in-the-sky as re-educating network operators the Net Neutrality and being a bit pipe and such is good for business.
Are you as cynical as I am?
