Cox Crow

Nothin' but 'Net

Wireless roaming crosses the 802.11b/cellular boundary.

This is one of the things that intrigues me about a Bluetooth-capable cellular phone, AirPorts, and Rendezvous. Think ubiquity.

5:38:08 PM # Google It!
categories: Industry

Another example of why lawyers need news aggregators

The Supreme Court's ruling in Festo v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Koygo Kabushiki could affect arguments in British Telecom v. Prodigy, just as their ruling in Verizon et al. v. FCC could affect the stock price of Covad Communications, among others.

4:45:12 PM # Google It!
categories: Law

How much would it cost to pull a line to my house?

The user can afford it: Home run fiber to the home from CO is $3500-$2500 and dropping. Painting a suburban home (lasts just a few years) costs $2000, automobile is $20,000+. Why would a bank invest in a Model T Ford in its first model year? Invest in the owner, not the car. Confusing the transport with its content could be a barrier to user financing.
— Dan Bricklin's notes on David Reed's presentation at Connectivity 2002

In rural areas, if you want a telephone, you often have to pay the phone company to pull the line to your house. The same goes for CATV service, which is one of the reasons why the state flower of West Virginia is the satellite dish. If you've tried to get CATV in the Bronx you know what I mean. The area I live in now is not exactly rural, but we still have the same problem: availability.

4:32:31 PM # Google It!
categories: Industry

Faster, Cheaper, SMALLER

c|net has an article on how the glut of optical networking components is affecting the market for alternatives based on nanotechnology. Interestingly, it includes a comment in line with David Reed's assertions that FCC regulations are archaic, suited to what was technically possible with early radio transceivers:

"These technologies will be very disruptive," said [Charles] Gerlach, [of the IBM Institute for Business Value]. "Right now you have European carriers spending billions to license spectrum. If a technology comes along that allows access to any spectrum, that undermines the whole investment."
[c|net]

Later, they publish a Gartner commentary with recommendations for optical networking equipment vendors.

4:18:24 PM # Google It!
categories: Industry

Remember the phone call in 2001: A Space Odyssey?

SBC and Lucent strike deal on VoIP. The distinction between local and long-distance service is more and more artificial.

3:43:17 PM # Google It!
categories: Industry

What is stopping you from buying broadband access?

When we were getting ready to launch the new portal, and associated client kit, the Decision Makers said we were targeting the sophisticated, experienced users, the ones who are ready for broadband. Given some of the site's features, I don't think they ever answered these two questions:

1. Who are the sophisticated, experienced users?
2. And what do they want?

Discussion of broadband access in general has not shown a perception of what people want, or is painting a false picture. I've been doing an informal market survey among my friends, who are arguably sophisticated, experienced users ready for broadband. None have mentioned "content" as a reason for buying broadband access.

What about broadband access makes you want to buy it?

• speed
• a persistent connection

And conversely, what is stopping you from buying broadband access?

• cost
• availability

How do you reduce the cost and improve availability while providing the buyer with what he wants? Note that the buyer couldn't care less about "content," so that's not a selling point.

12:26:08 PM # Google It!
categories: Industry