The author’s 1976 “state of the art” as captured by . . . 2012 “state of art.”
Policy Perspectives
This week, Ars Technica features a delightful article on the TI-80 graphing calculator which is going…color. You expected to me say “away,” didn’t you? You expected that a single-purpose electronic device without broadband connectivity is being herded off into the sunset of cassettes, calculator watches, dot matrix printers and film, right? Nope – as the article notes, “the constraints of the graphing calculator are key selling points. They provide something of a known quantity when it comes to doing math, especially on standardized tests, where a fully programmable smartphone with Web access would not be allowed”” That, plus the math they are challenged to digest has not changed across the centuries.
I have a few old school devices at home – a 1976 TI-30, and a circa 1920s Royal typewriter that visiting children cannot fathom (“Look, a computer without a screen!”) (of course, I had to find a YouTube video to teach me how to install the ribbons that I bought on line). And they served their respective purposes well, and even continue to be of some value (the typewriter conveys messages with more warmth than those formed by shots of toner from an inkjet).
But for every technology that holds value after its heyday, there are some that are destined to be placed in the repository of “nevermore” (when was the last time you started your car by hand-cranking the engine?). In this thoughtful paper, Genband explains why the “countdown to shutdown” of TDM-based facilities and technologies must be addressed. Genband focuses on the lifecycle of equipment, including the availability of such things as replacement parts and people who know how to install them, when it explains the risks that lurk behind a “wait and see” approach. From a regulator’s perspective, the FCC is asking for public comment on separate petitions filed by AT&T and NTCA respectively. Both petitions start with the assumption that the physical evolution of the network is imminent, and seek regulatory constructs consistent with their respective interests and perspectives.
NTCA grounds its approach in ensuring that the public interest of universal connectivity and access is maintained. That goal requires not just regulatory attention but, as demonstrated by the Genband paper, consistent network upgrades that preempt end-of-life equipment failures. The process will be neither easy nor brief. Some transition will occur organically as carriers replace and upgrade their networks; other aspects may require a cascading series of network upgrades in order to accommodate preceding updates. At bottom, though, all aspects of the evolution must be consistent with universal service principles to ensure reasonable comparable connectivity in all quarters of the nation.
The new TI-80 evidences evolved technology that holds true to its mission. Separately, differently, policy makers have a mission defined by the Communications Act. The network evolution must adhere to that as it unfolds.
