In an age where progress is heavily constrained by the limits of the first mile networks (i.e., the twisted-pair copper from phone companies, and coax from cable companies that connect homes and business to core networks), it's extremely important that anyone approaching the issue of addressing that problem understand the weight that the late-1990's long-haul fiber bubble places on Fiber To The Home (FTTH) or Fiber To The Premesis (FTTP) initiatives (FTTx collectively). Fiber is, without question, the technology that will be deployed in place of twisted-pair and coax networks. The journey to this inevitable FTTx future is, however, obstructed by many countervailing interests and historical baggage. Om Malik's book,
Broadbandits: Inside the $750 Billion Telecom Heist, documents how the telecommunications industry stumbled in a race to cash in on the build-out of long-haul fiber networks. It's my opinion that the market and public skepticism resulting from the telecom scandals have, and will, retard the oh-so-necessary deployment of fiber infrastructure in the first mile. In fact, it's this "hangover" that appears to be keeping the telecom industry from playing a leadership role in FTTx. Read the book.
This year marks the beginning of my two-year appointment by Greg Nickels, Mayor of the City of Seattle, to the Citizens' Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB). The board advises the Mayor's office and the City Council on technology and communications issues facing Seattle. Although my background includes a variety of technology competencies, my primary contribution will likely be with the committee consulting on Seattle's Broadband Initiative. Watch for the new FTTx (Fiber To The Home and Fiber To The Premises) category on this blog to follow developments over the next couple years.
