What bandwidth addiction will cost

[tannybogus]

Americans today spend almost as much on bandwidth the capacity to move information as we do on energy. A family of four likely spends several hundred dollars a month on cell phones, cable television and Internet connections, which is about what we spend on gas and heating oil.

Just as the industrial revolution depended on oil and other energy sources, the information revolution is fueled by bandwidth. If we aren't careful, we're going to repeat the history of the oil industry by creating a bandwidth cartel.

Like energy, bandwidth is an essential economic input. You can't run an engine without gas, or a cell phone without bandwidth. Both are also resources controlled by a tight group of producers, whether oil companies and Middle Eastern nations or communications companies like AT&T, Comcast and Vodafone. That's why, as with energy, we need to develop alternative sources of bandwidth.

Wired connections to the home cable and telephone lines are the major way that Americans move information. In the United States and in most of the world, a monopoly or duopoly controls the pipes that supply homes with information. These companies, primarily phone and cable companies, have a natural interest in controlling supply to maintain price levels and extract maximum profit from their investments � similar to how OPEC sets production quotas to guarantee high prices.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/372888_bandwidth31.html

Ruhroh!:argh:

[mike_c]

1. that's a VERY interesting comparison....

Makes you go hmmmm....

[tannybogus]

2. Made me sit up!

I'd never considered this before.
:crazy:

[Warpy]

3. That family of four needs to lose the cell phones

except for occasions like the kids are out on dates and might need to call home if the date's a creep or they get drunk or the family's on a long trip in a junker and might need triple A out on the road.

The rest of the package should be well under $150 if they do their homework.

It's not bandwidth that's costing them. It's addiction.

[bahrbearian]

5. Where did all the pay phones go?

[Warpy]

7. The only one for miles is in Walmart

and costs half a buck.

I can see why they were glad to get rid of pay phones, they were vandal magnets unless they were inside stores.

I just wish they'd come back. Maybe when people can no longer afford to have a cell phone stuck to their ear 24/7 the pay phone will make a comeback.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Our family of four has no land line

So we have cell phones instead.

[Matariki]

10. "pay as you go" phones cost averages $8.30 a month

and unused minutes accumulate. Good for emergencies, travel, and quick 'let's meet' calls.

[Warpy]

11. Unfortunately, too many people are addicted to the stupid things

and will need to have them surgically detached from the sides of their heads when they can no longer afford them.

[Muttocracy]

4. my internet went out last night and it really made me think

how much I use it for communication, getting news, the weather forecast, doing banking, other transactions. It's kind of frightening. There are so many cases now where even the government asks you to do some transaction online.

[CrispyQ]

8. I switched all my telecom services to Qwest & was without internet for almost two weeks.

I thought it would be easy, but I was surprised how much I use the internet -- from paying bills to looking for recipes to going to Mapquest to find out how to get somewhere. And that doesn't even take into account my DU addiction! The last few days I was downright anxious to get connected.

BTW, when you go to a coffee shop or a library where they offer online service, how secure is that? I didn't want to do bank transactions or purchases there since I didn't know if it was secure after you log off.

[Muttocracy]

9. I don't know - have heard not to do anything important at public connections

like airports, cafes, etc. esp. if it's wireless, and if there's no password involved.

Maybe ask in the computer forum - they can probably answer it.

I wonder too because it's likely I'll be moving and not have home internet access soon.