Well perhaps a few of those satellites will fall on Carillon Point where he's been playing Dr. Evil on this project. ian > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Nathan Newman > Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 1999 9:45 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [PEN-L:11019] RE: Bill Gates' space grenades > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Chris Burford > > > > A couple of days ago one of the better UK channels, Channel 4, had an > > astonishing programme about the build up of satellites orbiting > the earth. > > Bill Gates is now planning a very large number of satellites > each fixed in > > a low orbit to cover the globe so that the internet can be accessed from > > any point directly. > > Without going into the "debris" scenario, it is worth noting that the US > government - currently suing Microsoft of course - was instrumental in > subsidizing and lobbying globally for Gate's plan. Here's a > little excerpt > (a bit old I admit) from an old Microsoft report of mine touching on the > issue: > > ========================================== > Teledesic: Domination from the Skies > > But Microsoft's control of the standards for Internet access over cable is > apparently not enough; Bill Gates has personal plans to own a worldwide > system of satellites beaming Internet access to homes anywhere in > the world. > Rather than Microsoft encircling the world, Bill Gates is investing out of > his own pocket in a project called Teledesic, a plan to launch > 288 low-orbit > satellites that will relay Internet traffic to any point on the > earth. Gates > and fellow billionaire Bill McCaw (who made his fortune early in the > cellular phone industry) are the primary partners in this $9 billion > venture, with AT&T and Boeing each receiving a smaller stake for their > contracting role in the operation.[90] > > The revolutionary part of Teledesic's approach is that traditional > stationary satellites are so high up that delays in transmission make them > less useful for high-bandwidth transmission like the Internet, so > Teledesic > will have to coordinate low-orbit satellites careening 435 miles above the > earth at 16,740 miles per hour. Using government-financed technology left > over from Star Wars experiments, Boeing is helping them solve the problem > and get their satellites launched by 2002. That is when the > partners want to > start service to anyone with a satellite dish (that need be no > larger than a > dessert plate).[91] > > The irony is that this plan to create a massive worldwide Internet access > service controlled by two of the richest men in the world has > been assisted > by the U.S. government with a complex give-away of radio spectrum that > amounts to twice the total spectrum controlled by all of the > country's radio > and television stations put together--without the government being paid a > cent for this favor.[92] In fact, the government lobbied hard at the World > Radio Conference, the world governing board for operating such a satellite > system, to help Gates and McCaw get approval for their venture. > > So with government-financed research and free radio spectrum courtesy of > U.S. taxpayers, Bill Gates will be adding the final touch to his computer > network domination with the most comprehensive broadband Internet access > system in the world--an access system that will no doubt enhance > Microsoft's > monopoly in the computing world. > > --Nathan Newman >
