Its a big question. I am challenging myself to envision the world with 100 gigabytes download speed, here in every house in Vermont. I see some big changes possible with education, which I started to get at in my last post. The excitement is that with unfettered access to the internet the world's on line repositories of knolwedge and the global brain are there to help you learn anything you want. Anything. Anytime. For example, a network of micro grids makes much more sense than a mega grid for our electricity generation, distribution and uses. The technology and resources are there to create your own micro grid and be liberated from the constraints of the power companies. In many cases this is possible. I envision the smart grid as the web 2.0 of electricity. In other words, that user generated power is the future. The cost of the power lost in transmission along monolithic networks are precisely the savings we can leverage to decentralize our grid. This democratization of power is part of the paradigm shift accompanying the transition to the digital age, and a component of what it means to have ubiquitous broadband here, or anywhere for that matter.
But think about simple day to day commerce. Instead of each household going out to buy individual items, things are ordered all on line and a delivery service stops by as needed. This makes much more sense than endless trips to the store; instead, fleets of energy efficient delivery vehicles routed through a GPS system would be making their rounds. More people would be working from home, perhaps tending gardens or creating other localized enterprises, perhaps participating in their children's education. Travelling would be special, not a commute. This reduces emissions and wear and tear on the roads.
I see a dynamic between a hyperlocal intensification of the value and understanding of location and a global connectedness that is always learning, being exposed to diversity and new ideas. The content that we create as we live our lives in our specific location is like the water beneath our feet and flowing around us. Our content is, like our water, our most precious resource. Is it being bottled and sold? Our media is as vulnerable. Equally our participation in the emerging global web is what defines and adds value to our unique content. That dialogue with the global village is an important part of what rejuvinates our ability to be creative and innovate.
I would love to hear how you envision what effects broadband to every household in Vermont would have.
