Open Access to Cable Data Networks

The networks that are generically referred to as ?cable? today began their lives with a particular purpose: the distribution of television signals within a community. Given this history, cable networks have always operated under a regulatory regime separate from telephone networks?. Telephone systems are regulated as common carriers: telephone network services must be made available to all potential customers in a non-discriminatory fashion. Cable networks, in contrast, are not subject to the requirements of common carriage: cable system operators are under no legal obligation to make their networks available to anyone who wants to use them to distribute content (for example, a new television channel), and have in fact historically exhibited a high degree of vertical integration between conduit (cable networks) and content (TV channels). As ever more cable systems gain the capability to connect their subscribers to the Internet, this reality has sparked an intense legal wrangling and debate over the issue that is referred to as ?open access.? 1 Should cable systems with the capability to transmit data be required to allow any service provider to access customers through the cable network? Or is the current industry structure?in which service providers can only gain direct access to a cable system if they succeed in negotiating an agreement with the cable operator?a more appropriate way forward

The Disruptive User - Internet Appliances and the Management of Complexity

Bringing networked computing to new users and new contexts entails a disruptive decrease in the level of user patience for complexity. This paper discusses the tensions involved in making devices as easy to use as traditional appliances, within the context of the open and rapidly changing Internet. It distinguishes class 1 appliances, whose function is fixed by the manufacturer, from class 2 appliance, whose functionality is determined by an associated service provider, and posits a third class of appliance that would achieve true ease of use by leaving control with the user while simultaneously automating much of the complexity associated with that control

A Taxonomy of Internet Appliances

The world is evolving from one in which almost all access to the Internet comes from personal computers (PCs) to one in which so-called Internet appliances (IAs) will make up a greater share of end-user equipment. Today's PC is a general-purpose, highly configurable and extensible device ? an "intelligent end-node" of the sort the Internet's designers had in mind. As such, it allows users much freedom of choice (such as which service provider to use, which Web sites to visit, and which new software to download) in exchange for dealing with associated complexity. An IA is a device connected to the Internet, but beyond that there is little consensus on functionality and target markets. There is, however, general agreement that it reduces the level of complexity seen by the user. A variety of approaches to reducing complexity are being pursued. These fall on a spectrum from totally fixing the function of devices, to automating the configuration of more general purpose systems. In the middle are devices whose functions appear more or less fixed to the user, but which retain some limited capability for upgrade through their Internet connection

Measuring Broadband’s Economic Impact

Does broadband matter to the economy? Numerous studies have focused on whether there is a digital divide, on regulatory impacts and investment incentives, and on the factors influencing where broadband is available. However, given how recently broadband has been adopted, little empirical research has investigated its economic impact. This paper presents estimates of the effect of broadband on a number of indicators of economic activity, including employment, wages, and industry mix, using a cross-sectional panel data set of communities (by zip code) across the United States. We match data from the FCC (Form 477) on broadband availability with demographic and other economic data from the US Population Censuses and Establishment Surveys. We find support for the conclusion that broadband positively affects economic activity in ways that are consistent with the qualitative stories told by broadband advocates. Even after controlling for community-level factors known to influence broadband availability and economic activity, we find that between 1998 and 2002, communities in which mass-market broadband was available by December 1999 experienced more rapid growth in (1) employment, (2) the number of businesses overall, and (3) businesses in IT-intensive sectors. In addition, the effect of broadband availability by 1999 can be observed in higher market rates for rental housing in 2000. We compare state-level with zip-code level analyses to highlight data aggregation problems, and discuss a number of analytic and data issues that bear on further measurements of broadband’s economic impact. This analysis is perforce preliminary because additional data and experience are needed to more accurately address this important question; however, the early results presented here suggest that the assumed (and oft-touted) economic impacts of broadband are both real and measurable

Global e-Readiness - For What? Readiness for e-Banking (JITD)

With the rapid diffusion of the Internet worldwide, there has been considerable interest in the e-potentials of developing countries giving rise to a 1st generation of e-Readiness studies. Moreover, e-Readiness means different things to different people, in different contexts, and for different purposes. Despite strong merits, this first generation of e-Readiness studies assumed a fixed, one-size-fits-all set of requirements, regardless of the characteristics of individual countries, the investment context, or the demands of specific applications. This feature obscures critical information for investors or policy analysts seeking to reduce uncertainties and/or make more educated decisions. But there is very little known about e-Readiness for e-Banking. In particular, based on lessons learnt to date and their implications for emerging realities of the 21st century, we designed and executed a research project with theoretical as well as practical dimensions to answer the question of e-Readiness for What, focusing specifically on e-Banking, based on the very assumption that one size can seldom, if ever, fit all. We propose and develop a conceptual framework for the "next generation" ereadiness - focusing on different e-Business applications in different economic contexts with potentially different pathways - as well as a data model - to explore e-Readiness for e-Banking in ten countries

The Promise and Peril of Parallel Chat in Video Meetings for Work

We report the opportunities and challenges of parallel chat in workrelated video meetings, drawing on a study of Microsoft employees’ remote meeting experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that parallel chat allows groups to communicate flexibly without interrupting the main conversation, coordinate action around shared resources, and also improves inclusivity. On the other hand, parallel chat can also be distracting, overwhelming, and cause information asymmetries. Further, we find that whether an individual views parallel chat as a net positive in meetings is subject to the complex interactions between meeting type, personal habits, and intentional group practices. We suggest opportunities for tools and practices to capitalise on the strengths of parallel chat and mitigate its weaknesses

Specialist Respiratory Outreach : a case-finding initiative for identifying undiagnosed COPD in primary care

Acknowledgments This report is independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research Wessex ARC. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health and Social Care. We are very grateful to Optimum Patient care and their team for their help and support with the data extraction and application of the case-finding risk score. We would also like to thank: The participants, Mark Stafford-Watson (PPI) in memorial, Colin Newell, Dr Fiona McKenna, Dr Andy Powell, Dr Helen Myers, Dr Stuart McKinnes, Dr Mark Williams, Dr Louisa Egbe, Dr Richard Baxter, Dr Sarah A’Court, Dr Elisabeth Willows, Dr Gareth Morris, Dr Ford, Dr Kate Lippiett, Wessex Clinical Research Network, West Hampshire CCG and Southampton City CCGPeer reviewedPublisher PD