The Future Of The Web

[Bluecow]

Houston Cronicle

So they're proposing, along with colleagues at other universities, to radically overhaul America's Internet infrastructure, from the backbones that transport data around the world, to conduits into homes.

To jump-start the process the National Science Foundation awarded $7.5 million Wednesday to several academic institutions, including Rice, to develop technologies 2,000 times faster than dial-up and up to 250 times faster than DSL or cable modems. And they want to bring this ultra high speed to 100 million homes.

"We need to take the next step," said Ed Knightly, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice.

In recent years high-tech leaders, as well as organizations such as the Brookings Institution, have pushed the federal government for a national initiative on universal broadband access. They estimate a proliferation of ultra high-speed Internet access could generate up to $500 billion for the economy.

The consortium of scientists charged with the task will focus during the next five years on determining the best, most economical configuration of routers, fiber-optic cable and other network infrastructure. They will also study network reliability and security issues.

Rice will be the center of wireless research. Knightly's team will set up several wireless beacons around the Rice campus to test technology that can deliver high-speed Internet access. The goal is to send out focused beams to nearby computers, rather than a mass signal in every direction.

Eventually, he said, anyone with a laptop should be able to sit down anywhere in Houston and tap into an ultra-broadband connection.

Current broadband technologies of cable and DSL lines operate well below the threshold needed to consistently deliver DVD-quality television or videoconferencing.

With the proposed standard of 100 megabits per second, experts say, the Web's true potential can be achieved: High-definition video can be delivered on demand. Home videos can be sent to family members in a matter of seconds. Employees can work from home, with a video image of a co-worker one push of a button away.

None of it will come cheap. At an estimated $500 to $1,000 per home, the potential price tag could top $100 billion.

Critics say there is no proof more broadband will make people more productive. They also note that although broadband access is available to the vast majority of U.S. consumers at home, only about one-third -- some 40 million Internet users -- connect via broadband.

But, says the project's leader, industry is already rushing to make super-broadband available in some communities. If the entire network is not upgraded, such changes could create a bottleneck that bogs down the entire system, said Hui Zhang, an associate professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University.

And although there is no guarantee industry will adopt the project's recommendations, Zhang noted that AT&T is a partner in the research, and many of the participants have worked in industry.

"It's valuable to step back, and take a look at the network as a whole," Zhang said. "If this is going to be there for the next 100 years, it's important to do it right."