Broadband Usage November 2007
UK Broadband Usage Grows Inexorably....Digital Divide... Gridlock....Higher Prices are some of the Possible Outcomes: Can technology ever make us happy?
The BBC technology pages report that:
This is approaching an exponential rise as in Aprill 2003 only 17% of a smaller number of users had a broadband connection. However some members of the industry are worried that this massive rate of growth is set to flatten out dramatically. some even plead a social justice argument to ensure that the development of broadband accessibility will not flag too badly:
"With almost 40% of British households on the wrong side of the digital divide, the social and economic progress of the UK will be stalled unless the great majority of these homes can be brought on to the internet,"
As much as anything this shows how British society has become more and more polarised along class lines despite the New Labour government now in office for over 10 year committing itself to ensuring that there would be full digital citizenship.
Perhaps there is a case for a flat-rate national license fee to be levied just as there is is with the TV license. The fact that the BBC has historically beeen able to deliver a universal service to UK citizens utilising advanced technology shows that it can be done. Of course Gordon Brown's friends in the City might be a little sceptical of this possibility, however where there's a will there's a way. Surely the point of good government is to provide universally accessible infrastructure such as roads so that the rest of the economy can thrive.
Broadband for all at an affordable price. Look what a committment to broadband has done for South Korea - they're all online gaming geeks. OK so maybe Broadband prices should go up after all :-).
In the US they have a more creative use for broadband than the Koreans:
What complexity broadband is leading too...look out for "Bytelock" a word for the future grunged up version of cybersapce.
Netgridlock Panic
This worries many that a NetGridlock will ensue so the answer is similar to that of the argumnent about building motorways: create more capacity. Oh well at least the carbon footprint is a bit lower than car gridlock!
Internet services providers, such as Tiscali, say that the raft of recently launched on-demand services will "undoubtedly" congest the network.
BroadbandGirl
This is another reason for the Government / BT Wholesale to invest in a decvent broadband infrastructure for the uK- untill this happens cunsumers in Britain will be paying over the odds for the speeds that ISP’s can deliver, and this must be putting people off connecting.
21 Dec 2007, 10:57
Broadband
BT is investing heavily in a new technology called 21CN. This will enable broadband speeds of up to 100megs directly to your home. You can expect to see this arriving on your doorstep around 2010. Can’t wait.
28 Feb 2008, 23:36
Internet TV
Aparently the success of internet tv being pioneered by the bbc iplayer is using up so much bandwidth that isp’s are having to shape traffic.
17 Mar 2008, 16:57
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