MERIT

“There is no reason any individual would want a computer in their home.” – Founder and former CEO of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

“The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty – a fad.” – President of Michigan Savings Bank advising clients not to invest in Ford Motor Co., 1903

“Cellular phones will absolutely not replace local wire systems. Even if you project it beyond our lifetimes, it won’t be cheap enough. People don’t realize how tied they are to a single place.” – Inventor of the cell phone, 1981
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[/visibility] These famous quotes – though sometimes taken out of original context – have become legendary “fails” from really smart people. Predictions like these have reminded me over the years never to say “never”. I once could not understand the value of a camera on a mobile phone – thank God I was never quoted on my initial thoughts! How wrong I was. I find myself still questioning mega innovations, since I’m somewhat conservative by nature – but have learned to keep an open mind in thinking about the future.

With that as a backdrop, I’ll hark back to a national forum I attended last year on the role of research & education networks (R&E’s) in furthering last mile networking for communities. Now, I was new to the R&E world last year, and didn’t fully understand the “industry”. However, I did note that the entire conversation was focused on burying or hanging fiber optic cable. Strange, I thought – given the heavy capital costs, complex permitting and laborious effort involved. Not being one who likes to make waves, I listened intently. Near the end, when it was obvious that wireless technologies were not going to be an option discussed, I sheepishly raised my hand and asked if anyone had ever considered broadband wireless. There was an awkward pause. Had I gone somewhere I shouldn’t have? Was this a taboo topic?

What I found, however, was that once introduced, the topic was indeed of interest to many in the R&E community. So much so, that several other states’ R&E’s are now working together with Merit on a study, being facilitated by MSU’s Quello Center, to better understand how wireless technologies can be employed by the R&E community. We believe we’re helping to solve grand challenges like closing the homework gap for underserved communities; finding ways to help researchers use sensor networks; and just developing cheaper ways to extend fiber networks. Wireless is way outside the realm of most R&E’s traditional expertise, but our innovation and access missions drive us forward to develop new solutions.

Innovative organizations like Google and Facebook are exploring radical new ways to extend networks through balloon and drone fleets. The federal government is heavily urging 5G wireless research. AT&T is advancing wireless technology based on the power grid’s distribution network. Innovative educational and research organizations like Northern Michigan University and Wayne State University are finding ways to use their Educational Broadband Spectrum (EBS) for societal benefit.

There are ways in which research and exploration can be done in this area with very low risk, and Merit is beginning that work in partnership with our members and our peers and our commercial partners. We believe it’s imperative for the R&E community’s future that we understand and be positioned to leverage wireless technologies – lest our legacy be forever buried or hung – or hoisted by our own petard in Internet history.

What do you think? Should R&E’s explore possibilities in this area? What problems would you like solved?

Interested in learning more about the WILMA study? Go to http://quello.msu.edu/research/wireless-innovation-for-last-mile-access/