<nettime> Frequently Asked Questions about Bandwidth

[eric@media-gn.nl (Eric Kluitenberg)]

WE WANT BANDWIDTH!

A public research by De Waag - the Society for Old and New Media from
Amsterdam @ Hybrid Workspace
documenta X, Kassel 8 - 17 July 1997.

FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Bandwidth

# What is Bandwidth?

band. with n (ca. 1937) 1: a range within a band of wavelengths,
frequencies, or energies; esp: a range of audio frequencies which is
occupied by a modulated carrier wave, which is assigned to a service, or
over which a device can operate
2: the data transfer rate of an electronic communications system
(Webster Dictionary)


BANDWIDTH IS THE CURRENCY OF THE INFORMATION SOCIETY


# What is the Currency of Bandwidth?

bps = bits per second
Kbps = 1024 * bps (kilobits per second)

At the Hybrid Workspace 128 Kbps of connectivity is available.
This equals the total bandwidth of the entire academic network of Romania,
which is also 128 Kbps of connectivity.


EQUAL ACCESS FOR ALL


The Bandwidth applications are broadening the gap between the information
rich and the information poor

# What is an Internet node?

A communications network transfers data from source to destination through
a series of network nodes.


Country: / Number of Nodes: / Inhabitants per Node:

Netherlands  /  270.521  / 57
Germany   /  721.847  / 115
Japan  /  734.406  /  170
Romania  /  8205  /  2600
India  /  3138  /  300.000
Cameroon nodes:  0

# What is a back bone?

back. bone n (14c) 1: spinal column, spine 2: something that resembles a
backbone: as a: a chief mountain ridge, range, or system b: the foundation
or most substantial or sturdiest part of something c: the longest chain of
atoms or groups of atoms in a usu. long molecule (as polymer or protein) 3:
a firm and resolute character 4: spine 1c
(Webster Dictionary)

Internet network backbones are owned by the large telecom operators. There
is a continuous process of the concentration of power. The largest Internet
connectivity provider of the world, UUNet Technologies, owns most of the
infrastructure of Europe: EUnet. National EUnet-subsidiaries like EUnet
Germany have been bought in the last years by UUNET. UUNET is based in
Virginia, USA, 40% of its stock capital is owned by Microsoft corporation.


THE MORE CHANNELS THE LESS OWNERS


# Why is Bandwidth important for all of us?

In the information society the social debate and social communication has
increasingly shifted from the physical public space to the electronic
public space; the communication space of electronic media. To have
Bandwidth means to be able to access information and put your own
information inside this electronic space. This new public space can only
truly be called 'public' if bandwidth is distributed equally, so that every
voice can make itself be heard.

WE DEMAND FROM NATIONAL, EUROPEAN, AND GLOBAL POLICY MAKERS THAT 10 % OF
THE WORLD'S DIGITAL BANDWIDTH WILL BE RESERVED FOR THE PUBLIC SPHERE


(Some examples: Public Libraries, cyber caf�s, community networks such as
the Digital City Amsterdam, or the Internationale Stadt Berlin, community
services)


# What are PUSH Media?

PUSH MEDIA means that the Net turns into a hybrid of the existing Internet
and other computer network structures and old and new forms of broadcast
for mass audiences. PUSH media exploit the potential of digital networking
to create much more diversified models of content distribution.
The rise of PUSH MEDIA, however, threatens to marginalise existing
low-bandwidth ('Flinstone Speed') infrastructure and low-bandwidth access
to essential information and communication services.

PUSH MEDIA WIDEN THE GAP BETWEEN INFORMATION RICH AND INFORMATION POOR EVEN
MORE


# Why PUSH Back?

To PUSH Back means: Broadcast for all. Access to information and
communication should be a fundamental democratic right. In the process of
accelerating technological change and revolution the diversity of
democratic voices is under threat and measures are called for to maintain
them. There should be continual support for the access and production
infrastructure of local producers and providers of content.

We demand that the European Union will emphasise and develop more decidedly
the social and cultural components of existing European Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) programmes.


DEMAND THE SAME BANDWIDTH FOR ALL


# References on the Internet:
Hybrid Workspace:
http://www.documenta.de/workspace
Society for Old and New Media:
 http://www.waag.org
We Want Bandwidth!:
http://www.waag.org/bandwidth
Webster Bandwidth definition:
http://www.nethotel.dk/ephos/en/thesauru/T892.htm
Jargon Bandwidth definition:
http://nmsmn.com/~cservin/jargon/b/bandwidth.html
An atlas of Cyberspaces:
http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/casa/martin/atlas/atlas.html
Internet Domain Survey:
http://www.nw.com/zone/WWW/top.html  Current world map of the Matrix and
the Internet: http://www3.mids.org/mapsale/world/index.html
Romanian National Backbone network topology:
http://www.rnc.ro/nb/nb.html
UUnet backbone network map:
http://www.uu.net/lang.en/network/
Boardwatch Magazine list of Internet Service Providers:
http://www.boardwatch.com/isp/backbone.htm
Cook report on evolving Internet Infrastructure:
http://cookreport.com/evolving.html
Telecommunications Map of the World  Bandwidth Conservation Society:
http://www.infohiway.com/way/faster/index.html


The Bandwidth team @ the Hybrid Workspace
documenta X - Kassel, 8 - 17 July 1997:

The Society for Old and New media is based in Amsterdam and designs
information for public spaces. Prototypes, applications, products and
software are being developed - through the public research method - to
offer people real possibilities to participate in the information society.
The society hosts the Tactical Media network and the Next 5 Minutes
conferences.

The people of the Society for Old and New Media, Belissima & Hybrid
Workspace: Yariv Alterfin, Birgitte B�langer, Jan van den Berg, Simone
Berghuys, Michael van Eeden, Thomax Kaulmann, Eric Kluitenberg, Mieke
Gerritzen, Ellen Pronk, Bastiaan Lips, Geert Lovink, Patrice Riemens, Pit
Schulz, Thorsten Schilling, Martin Schitter, Mareen Stikker, Ace Suares,
Nina Meilof.

SOCIETY FOR OLD AND NEW MEDIA
DE WAAG Nieuwmarkt 4, 1012 CR Amsterdam
Tel: +31-20-557 9898 - Fax: +31-20-557 9880
Web sites: www.waag.org/bandwidth   &
www.icf.de/workspace
e-mail: bandwidth@waag.org



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