BRING ON THE EXAFLOOD
[SOURCE: Washington Post 5/24, AUTHOR: Bruce Mehlman and Larry Irving]
[Commentary] Driven by a critical mass of fast connections and the arrival of a
"killer application" -- video -- broadband has arrived. Broadband, or
high-speed Internet connectivity, is the transformative technology of our
generation. Access to and effective use of broadband affects the ability of
individuals, industries and nations to grow, compete and succeed. If we can
match the explosion in digital content with the smarter and more robust
networks needed to get information to homes, businesses and schools, America
stands a good chance of regaining its global leadership in broadband access,
innovation and adoption. Yet as new content proliferates, today's high-speed
connection could be tomorrow's traffic jam. The strain on broadband
capabilities and the looming data deluge is often called the Internet exaflood.
"Exaflood" stems from the term exabyte, or 1.074 billion gigabytes. Two
exabytes equal the total volume of information generated in 1999. The Internet
currently handles one exabyte of data every hour. This mushrooming amalgamation
of data is pushing the Internet to its limits. Preparing for the exaflood is
critical to the nation's success. The Internet infrastructure must be robust
enough to handle all of the new data; this is often a challenge because the
Internet is really thousands of privately owned, individual networks stitched
together. It requires constant investment so that it will continue to grow and
run smoothly. All sides agree that we need ongoing investment in content,
massive upgrades of infrastructure and relentless innovation to handle the
phenomenal growth in data traffic. We need advancements in how we build and
operate networks, including new file compression technologies, upgraded traffic
management software, better spam and virus filters, and new delivery platforms.
And we need substantial investments in short-haul bandwidth through fiber to
homes, broadband over power lines, satellites and fourth-generation wireless
networks. The formula for encouraging such extraordinary investments is clear:
minimize tax and regulatory constraints and maximize competition.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/23/AR2007052301418.html
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