Daily Archives: May 15, 2008

Reporting from the Intelligent Community Forum in NYC…

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According to the Intelligent Community Forum, an intelligent community invests in broadband, knowledge workers, innovation, digital inclusion and marketing. Seven communities from around the world will be honored for their efforts and success.

I attended a pre-conference session yesterday. One of the highlights was learning about the regional initiative in NE Ohio. This is a 21 county effort on economic development, education and health care. Some 1500 organizations are connected via fiber. Schools have 2 Gb connections. Over 20 hospitals are working together and sharing costs on an electronic medical record.

It is a competitive world….how are doing in this race in Minnesota?

Broadband 2.0 Manifesto

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Thanks to Jim Baller (in his email newsletter) for pointing out the Broadband 2.0 Manifesto. In it from Heavy Reading, a research institute, outlines their manifesto for the next generation of broadband:

  1. Abundant bandwidth (100 Mbit/s early on 1 Gbit/s later)
  2. A two-way highway
  3. Always available (aka always on)
  4. Wireless and wireline
  5. Open access
  6. The channel for video
  7. A new communications medium (greater convergence in service)
  8. Safe and secure
  9. Plug and play
  10. Policy-enabled

I wanted to do a quick comparison to this list and the Blandin Foundation principles outlined in the Live at the Speed of Light reports published last year.

  1. Ubiquity
  2. Symmetry
  3. Affordable
  4. Competition
  5. World Class
  6. Collaboration
  7. Neutrality
  8. Interoperability

It’s not necessarily an apples to apples list. I think World Class could mean Abundant Bandwidth. Open Access could translate into competition. I like Heavy Reading’s addition of Safe and Secure. I like that Blandin has included is affordability.

Service that isn’t affordable really isn’t accessible. Heavy Reading is having a couple of conferences on the Future of the Internet – one was held in NY this week but I don’t see any mention of cost on the agenda.

Broadband on the Aran Islands

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Aran IslandWhile you all were working yesterday, I was on a boat to Inishmor the largest of the Aran Islands. It is off the west coast of Ireland. The population is 760 people (300 homes). The island is 9 miles by 2 miles and home to the largest Celtic fort built on a cliff. It’s an hour boat ride from Doolin on the mainland (maybe 30 minutes from Galway). Tourism has to be the largest industry – although AT&T used to have a factory there for developing wires or something like it. The sweaters are also famous.

It’s a very rural area – roosters on the front stoop, loads of cattle, and the tour guide showed us the donkey that was born last week kind of rural.

Inishmor got electricity in 1975. They generated their own electricity until 2000 (or 2003, I wasn’t taking great notes). Now they have an underwater connection to the mainland. They have broadband – well I saw at least one sign for Internet access and at least one hotel that offered free WiFi. (I didn’t actually bring my laptop – but I kept my eyes open.)

I just thought that was so telling – that a land that was so remote that they waited until 1975 to get electricity hopped on the broadband bandwagon relatively quickly.

In fairness the connection installed for electricity in 2000 made it easier to get broadband out there – but still kind of worth noting, I thought.