The Pittsburgh I-Net |
Opportunities | |
Experiences | |
Lessons | |
Robert D. Carlitz | |
Information Renaissance | |
Pittsburgh, PA | |
April 6, 2001 | |
Opportunities |
Rebuild of cable system | ||
Fiber/coax hybrid | ||
Possibility of laying extra fiber | ||
Shared infrastructure | ||
City | ||
Schools | ||
Libraries | ||
Community groups |
Themes |
Value of dark fiber | |
Common needs of diverse groups | |
Economies of scale for aggregated services and support | |
Political complexity of building meaningful collaborations |
Structures |
CityÕs negotiating team | ||
External consultants | ||
Schools | ||
Libraries | ||
I-Net Working Group | ||
Information Renaissance | ||
80 community service organizations |
Responses |
Rejection by AT&T of dark fiber I-Net | |
Preference for managed services | |
Acquiescence of city to this position | |
Evolution of parallel negotiations |
Fragmented I-Nets |
City I-Net | |
School I-Net | |
Library I-Net | |
Community I-Net | |
Statement of Principles between AT&T and the I-Net Working Group |
Implementation Today |
Cable system Ñ partially built | |
City I-Net - partially built | |
School I-Net Ñ partially built | |
Library I-Net Ñ partially built | |
Community I-Net Ñ not yet built | |
Alternative mechanisms for connectivity Ñ many possibilities |
Alternatives |
Smart Buildings | ||
common backbone/shared Internet access | ||
shared user support | ||
Point to point wireless links | ||
rapid deployment/low recurring costs | ||
Excess capacity of school I-Net | ||
Public waves via DWDM |
Practical Lessons |
Aggregation lowers costs | |
New technologies enable service to new audiences | |
Anchor tenants can make a network affordable | |
Flexibility and creativity can exploit new technologies for public benefit |
Philosophical Lessons |
The Digital Divide reflects a division between rich and poor | |
The local regulatory process needs mechanisms that encourage the deployment of new technologies adequate to support sustainable community services |