Word: bandwidth
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Fraunhofer IIS back in 1987 as a way of compressing CD-quality sound files. The technology made it possible to take songs from a CD and "rip," or convert them into MP3 files, usually in violation of copyright. But even in the mid-'90s, when faster computers and high-bandwidth connections to the Internet made it possible to seek and find MP3 files, ripping CDs was a tedious process...
Harvard's network has so far withstood the onslaught, and so long as the bandwidth consumed does not interfere with academic use of the network, access to Napster ought to be maintained. The University does not have a legal obligation to block Napster. As an Internet service provider, Harvard should be protected by federal laws that properly rest responsibility for illegal actions with the user rather than the network owner. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences already prohibits intellectual property violations under its network policy; if Harvard were punished for violations of its own policies, it would feel pressure...
...business. The plan isn't to go head to head with established fiber-optic carriers such as AT&T, Qwest and Williams Communications. Instead, Enron wants to use new switching technology and its expertise in trading pipeline access to transform a modest telecom network into a powerful arbiter of bandwidth. Enron's bet is simple: supply and demand will increase exponentially, turning bandwidth into a tradable commodity, just like gas and electricity. Along the way, why not partner with companies such as Blockbuster and use this new technology to offer content--like movies--and blow it through existing, underutilized pipe...
...most interesting old-economy company around. Since moving its trading operations from the phone to the Web eight months ago, the company has doubled revenues to more than $30 billion. Most of that is made through trading everything from energy and paper to weather risk derivatives and now bandwidth--more than 800 offerings in all. Think of eBay, but instead of auctioning $5 used Baby Gap pajamas, the company trades $600,000 blocks of natural gas--and pockets commensurately huge commissions. Boasts Enron president Jeffrey Skilling: "In terms of dollars transacted, we're the world's largest online site...
Despite all Wall Street's enthusiasm for Enron's bold plans, there are still plenty of skeptics. Critics point out that there is barely a market today for the company's bandwidth trading exchange. They also stress that pushing digital signals through pipe is a world away from routing natural gas. Although there is plenty of cable across the country, carriers are not set up to mix and match access to it. "It's a very, very difficult concept," says Nolles. Even the Blockbuster venture is risky: technology aside, there is also the highly political question of digital rights...