Warning: The reason I've never been able to write blogs (or many emails) is that my mind often races ahead of my typing skills (today it definitely did). But I have thought about this topic so much in the past couple of years and esp in the last couple weeks, that I had to put it down, whatever snatches of ideas I could retain, before they shimmered away again! Apologies for the abrupt, incomplete writing. love to hear thoughts/ideas ..
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Communication networks are like roads. The functions of both can be described as "access" and "connectivity". Simplistically put, roads provide access to material and networks provide access to information. Both are essential for economy and development. But the models in which each is delivered today is very different. Governments build roads using public tax money whereas networks are singularly a business idea. Why this difference? If they were to be the same, one has to change:
First option: Can roads be a private service? Possibly with differentiated QoS (Quality of service!) for different users? I can pay a higher monthly rental to get a 2 Mbps instead of a 256 kbps connection. Could highways be multiple lanes such that one pays more to use a carpool-type fast lane? Is the issue is such a model in
A) Administration? It will be a logistical nightmare to track and charge every user for their usage? Or is it becoming more possible with modern day technologies, like RFIDs, Near Field Communication, Personal area networks (bluetooth etc)?
B) Is it a social issue? The right to movement and "physical connectivity" is so fundamental that it can't be left to the motives of a private enterprise? If left, it would create bigger chasms, rich getting richer, poor, poorer?
The hypothesis B above gives rise to the other option. If we believe that these "information superhighways" are going to become as fundamental a right as the highways of today, should all communication networks be built, owned and operated out of the public-tax money? And should they be openly and freely accessible to every citizen? The need for a patroling and policing system would inevitably follow. The traffic police of the information networks. Or would net-usage etiquette become as ingrained as a driving etiquette.
Will update this post as the thought crystallizes more ..
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1 comment:
Yeye,
Nice to see you on blog after a long time.
I like the model which is there in Gujarat. There are as many as three highways between ahmedabad and Gujarat.
One of them is totally free, it goes through all possible villages in middle.
Another one is a toll road, where there is nominal toll.
Then there is express way, which is really express, takes only one hour to reach ahmedabad. Only cars and busses allowed, toll is very high.
Completely maintained by private enterprises.
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