I’ve spent several hours this weekend trying to fix the internet. No, not fixing the Internet, like fomenting twitter protests against Google’s disregard of my privacy settings in Safari nor fighting moronic legislation like SOPA. I just needed to get the bits flowing into and out of the house.
Around the Miller household, access to the internet is a basic necessity. Somewhere in there with food, warmth and clothing. For example, a problem with the water might go unnoticed for half a day. If the internet goes down, I’ll hear about it somewhere between 500 milliseconds and 20 seconds. If the power goes out in the house, my users will report it: “Hey, Dad, the internet is down!” as they sit in total darkness, save the glow of their iPad or MacBook’s screen.
So, there you have it. The internet is a more important basic need than water or electricity.
Maybe I should invest in battery backup power for the cable modem and wifi router.
The apples didn’t fall far from the tree. When I travel, reliable internet at my hotel ranks higher than other trappings–except for bedsheets that aren’t scratchy. It’s even more important than the quality of the hotel’s bar. I’ll walk down the hall for a shared bathroom, or down the street for a cocktail, just to avoid >5% packet-loss and wifi dropouts.
The hotel where I stay next to our Paris HQ is besieged by more than 30 wireless access points in the neighborhood. If I’m unlucky enough to have a room on one of the upper floors, I’m doomed to a life of disconnected misery. OK, it’s really only a couple of hours in the evening between finishing a long, satisfying dinner at some brasserie and drifting off in Bordeaux-soaked slumber, but it’s annoying just the same. I can’t seem to keep a reliable connection. How do the neighbors who live here stand this? This is one of those rare cases where government interference is better than the alternative–radio interference. I might bemoan the cost of mobile data on AT&T, especially the absurd international roaming rates, but at least they can manage to deliver reliable service almost anywhere I go, without constantly typing credit card numbers or pin codes when I want to connect.
Just imagine if it were possible to organize all that broadband wifi investment in everyone’s home or apartment into a coordinated and shared community-wide wireless service. I had the chance to meet with Bob Frankston last year. Bob makes a good case for a “Bit Commons” and that the current telecom model to deliver internet services rewards network operators for limiting availability and innovation. The idea is that communities can organize to provide fast efficient connectivity at much lower cost and with greater accountability to its users than provided by today’s telecom monoliths. Local users would cooperate to run networks in their locale.
But, I suppose if the internet went down in my house, then it would be the neighbors, and not just my kids, yelling at me to get us back on-line.
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