An Examination of the Evolution of Broadband Technologies in the UK

The aim of this thesis is to examine the reasons due to which Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) became the most widely used technology to deliver broadband connectivity in the United Kingdom (UK). The research examines the outcome starting with events in 1960s when broadband as it is defined today did not exist. The research shows that a combination of factors involving regulatory decisions, changing market conditions, and unexpected technological breakthroughs contributed to the current day mix of broadband technologies in the last mile access in the UK. To interpret the events that have shaped the development, deployment, and adoption of broadband technologies in the UK, the thesis draws from various theoretical ideas related to Science and Technology Studies (STS) to understand and analyse the events. In order to discover and establish the historical context, the thesis employs original, unpublished interviews along with the extensive use of archival material and secondary sources. Influenced by some of the core ideas of social constructionist studies, this research combines concepts from economic studies of technological change along with themes involving maintenance of technology, path dependence, and the role of bandwagon effect. These research threads are combined to understand the way development, deployment, and adoption of broadband technologies took place in the UK. The research is intended to contribute to the understanding of technology in a constantly changing regulatory and socio-economic environment and how it is shaped by multiple factors. The targeted readership is researchers, analysts, and decision makers working with broadband technology, telecommunications policy, and STS. Further research is suggested in the form of studies of wireless broadband technologies and the role of regulatory policies in the development of the UK communications market

Germany\u27s New Telecommincation Law

This article is a critical, comparative introduction to West Germany\u27s new telecommunication law that suggests solutions to some of the problems the new law creates but does not address. Government regulations both at the national and international levels, however, often lag behind, are often sorely outdated, and frequently hamper attempts to modernize. When the regulations are current, they tend to be episodic, seemingly more designed to defuse existing trade crises than to anticipate and avoid them. However, constructive governmental regulation of telecommunications at the national level is stirring. It is beginning to look as though telecommunication at the national level may become an exception to the general pattern of crises defusion regulation, even though some telecommunication changes seem to have been motivated by the most provincial notions of national self-interest. International governmental agreement and regulation aimed at generally developing and maintaining an open, stable, fair and vigorous international telecommunication order remain to be created

Wild but wired? The construction of society and technology in rural Strathclyde.

This study critically examines the co-construction of society and technology in rural Strathclyde during the late 1990s. A range of uses of information and communications technology (ICT) - spanning employment, community development and education – is accounted for, in a variety of highly localised settings on the islands of Arran, Islay and Jura and the Kintyre peninsula. Explanation is offered as to why certain outcomes have been arrived at. The reflexive relationship between technology and society is then highlighted, as it is shown that the challenge of introducing ICT to the region has affected change in local governance structures, catalysing new partnerships while challenging existing power relations. Building upon recent work in rural studies relating to the post-productivist countryside, theories derived from the sociology of science (specifically Social Construction of Technology and Actor Network Theory approaches) are employed in an attempt to heighten understanding of local sensitivity to 'globalising' technologies. A qualitative methodology is employed, consisting of depth interviews conducted with leading local actors throughout 1997 and 1998. The narratives give insight into these actors' beliefs and motivation as they have attempted to guide the innovation, diffusion and application of ICT in the region. Critical insight is sought as to how their frequently conflicting understanding of rural needs acts as a constraint upon the contingency of technical development locally, prompting certain courses of action to be favoured above others. The study draws more generally upon the experiences of rural Strathclyde to build a model of local sensitivity to technical change in the countryside. It is argued that the power to act rests in many hands and that those local actors who possess the necessary skills and resources to act as 'conduits' - linking local and 'global' circuits of production and consumption - do not always behave in ways that optimise local outcomes. Only under certain conditions can the effective deployment of ICT enable 'powerful' localities to act competitively 'at a distance' in seeking new trade and investment. It is argued that failure to appreciate the diversity of possible local responses to the provision of ICT has sometimes left policy-makers with exaggerated expectations for technically driven rural restructuring

Ocean hydroclimate : its influence on climate.

The statistical synthesis of selected oceanographic parameters (SST, SST anomalies, boundary heat exchanges, etc. ) over a specified period of time at a given place or over a given area is defined as ocean "Hydroclimate". Research and etymological background leading to the adoption of the term hydroclimate is discussed. Oceanic influence on atmospheric climate is described. In particular, the ocean's role within the earth's hydrologic cycle and heat budget is explained through hydrospheric, lithospheric, and atmospheric interactions, as related to SST distributions, ocean currents, upwelling, sea-breezes, and monsoons. SST anomalies as a cause of short period climatic variations are examined. The deep-sea sediment record of past SST conditions is shown to indicate past effects of the ocean on climate. A previously defined numerical index describing oceanicity, a quantitative measure of the ocean's effect on climate, is reviewed. An evaluation of hydroclimatic products most useful to meteorologists was prepared and includes a categorized list and individual evaluations of 62 hydroclimatic products.http://archive.org/details/oceanhydroclimat00buchCaptain, United States Air ForceApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Sherwood Music School Annual Catalog 1926-1927

The 1926-1927 Annual Academic Catalog for Sherwood Music School, featuring information about the School, its affiliated branches\u27 purpose and locations, department descriptions, courses of study, course descriptions, student services, biographical information about and images of faculty, and tuition information.https://digitalcommons.colum.edu/sherwood_cat/1010/thumbnail.jp

Yes scotland versus better together: how did it all happen?

On the 18th of September 2014, Scottish voters have rejected political independence by a margin of 55,3% against 44,7%. Yet during more than 16 weeks, two opposing campaigns - Yes Scotland versus Better Together - have strived to convince Scotland that political independence versus keeping the Union was the best choice for Scotland’s future. Filled with many unexpected moments, the campaign was intense, vibrant and almost breathtaking. The purpose of this article is to deliver a coherent and consistent account of the Scottish campaigns in order to make sense of the “no” vote. In this article, we will proceed in four moments: first, we will put the referendum in context; second, we will highlight major aspects of the campaigns; third, we will bring the political process up to date and will clarify the terms of the agreement reached under the Smith Process. Finally, in the last part, we will summarize the lessons to learn from the political outcome of the referendum

Call centre employment a qualitative study

This study explores aspects of the nature and experience of call centre employment. In 1972 only 42% of UK households had a home-based telephone (BIFU, 1996). By 2000 98% of UK homes had access to either fixed-line or mobile telephone services (Oftel, 2001). The commercial exploitation of this artifact is now being realised through call centres employing sophisticated information and communications technologies. Virtually unheard of a decade ago, UK call centres provided jobs for an estimated 264,000 people in 2001 (Datamonitor, 1999). They have increasingly attracted public and academic attention, much of the latter focused on issues of employee control and surveilance. This study uses analyses of call centre-related newspaper articles, a survey of Scottish recruitment and employment agencies, covert participant observation, and interviews with agency representatives and call centre employees to explore issues such as recruitment and selection, the nature and experience of employment, and employee turnover in call centres. The ethics of using covert methods are discussed. Four main conclusions emerge from the study. First, call centre employment can be differentiated from other occupations on the basis of recruitment and selection practices, employee skils and differences in work environments, performance monitoring and supervision practices and regulation of workplace behaviour. Second, job characteristics may predispose employees to low levels of job-related well-being and burnout. Third, levels of employee turnover may be linked to occupational novelty and the availability of pre-employment realistic job information. Fourth, automated systems are beginning to replace routine, repetitive, low value tasks, resulting in changes in the nature of call centre employment. Those jobs that remain seem likely to be more demanding with complex tasks and an emphasis on quality rather than quantity of interactions. The implications of the study's findings and conclusions for future research and for call centre employers and their employees are considered