RE: New Wireless Technologies -Reply

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RE  Wireless:

Like any new technology, there are risks and bugs that need to be to be 
addressed to push forward...

(I suspect people 60 years ago believed the same thing about rotary dial 
phones.)


I invite folks to call one of our school districts (Crab Orchard in rural, 
Southern IL -  618/438-9711)  who have come together with Hughes to try a 
new asynch technology for Internet access.  The initial word is very 
promising.


Is it the end-all, cure-all?  In its current form, probably not, but Hughes 
and Crab Orchard are working to make sure that the technology is viable -- 
kudos to both.
(By the way,  this is a great lesson to teach our kids:  not everything in 
life is "turn-key", you've got to work to get the benefits.)

Bottom line is that the partnership offers an opportunity for access in 
areas where traditional telco rates are high, and helps push developing new 
technologies in new markets -- a win-win -- not flawless, but a big leap 
forward.  Many times, even the threat of a wireless option makes the telco's 
react positively -- real-life examples will work even better.


I suspect there are other folks out there with similar stories on wireless.


Cutting new paths does not come without some pain, and my read is that many 
folks  are so risk-averse that they shy away from opportunities.   I 
understand the pressures that education decision-makers face from Boards, 
Parents, and others to come up with sure-fire, low-cost solutions -- however 
 --  HAIL THE PIONEERS!!!


Ricardo Tostado
Learning Technologies
Illinois State Board of Education
312/814-3228



 ----------
From: Jack McFadden
To: jmcfadden; marty
Cc: us-nd
Subject: New Wireless Technologies -Reply
Date: Wednesday, September 11, 1996 11:18AM

Marty et al,

I've read with interest of Dave Hughes' efforts out west with wireless
connections between schools using unlicensed spectrum, and the
NII/Supernet filings at the FCC.  I presume that's at least a part of the
coming wireless technologies to which you refer.  Sounds real
promising; but my planning mode of constructive pessimism causes me to
wonder two things:
  1)  I'm not a radio (i.e. wireless) technologist, but folks I've worked 
with
who are give me the impression that installing and managing radio
technologies can be a bit of a black art, with subtle idiosyncracies not
encountered in commodity wireline technologies - perhaps especially for
new wireless technologies, and
  2)  I'm not convinced that K12 school systems are the right place to
provide the test bed for a new technology that may require some hard to
come by radio/wireless expertise and that will in effect be used for
mission-critical activities.

I'm not from Missouri, but I need the NII/Supernet advocates to "show me"
that a school system without a Dave Hughes to lean on can introduce
this stuff effectively as the Wide Area Networking method before I can
feel real comfortable about the technology's application to K12.

If all we were talking about was theoretical long-term prospects I
wouldn't even bother bringing this up - I believe you're right about this in
the long-term, but I suspect we're talking about a "fix" that could become
a significant part of the near-term picture in resolving the Telecom Act's
requirements for K12/library connectivity.  It looks real appealing to say
we've got a new low-cost technology that will save us from having to
bulk up the Universal Service fund to cover the subsidies for all those
phone lines and T1's the schools are going to need.

Anything other than a stable, commodity technology platform has a thing
or two to prove before I'd recommend it to a customer like a school
system as their near-term solution.

  -Jack McFadden

>>> Marty Tennant <marty@sccoast.net> 09/11/96 08:10am >>>
 ---snip snip
...New inexpensive wireless technologies, unregulated, with very high
bandwidth.  It's gonna knock the telcos and cable tv companies for a loop
(no pun intended).  Because it will use a unique unregulated part of the
spectrum, it will make a lot of the new  spectrum owners wondering if
they bought too soon.

There is a new networking world coming folks.  It will not resemble
anything we've seen before.  Whoopie!!!

Marty Tennant

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