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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It appears I was incorrect about cable
modems. I humbly apologize to the group. I thought that cable modems
were digital at least out to the street.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=ldiffey@technologyforward.com
href="mailto:ldiffey@technologyforward.com">Larry Diffey</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=nanog@merit.edu
href="mailto:nanog@merit.edu">nanog@merit.edu</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, July 05, 2001 2:34 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> broadband clarification</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Alright, for all of you who decided to lecture me
on the definition of broadband and it's meaning in strict engineering terms,
allow me to clarify (especially for the snotty ones).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>First off, words can have more than one meaning and
that meaning should be taken in context. For example; I'm sure that none
of you really think that a cable modem is a modem since it doesn't do AD/DA
conversion but we all understand that it's simply a device used to connect a
customer to a provider. After all "cable modem" is nothing more than a
marketing term so that customers have a rough understanding of what the device
does (not that they always understand that either).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When I chose to use the term broadband as a
reference point for my survey, I mistakenly thought that your brains would parse
that out to mean "an minimum acceptable level of bandwidth for consumer internet
traffic". If you consider that to be current DSL/Cable speeds fine.
If you take that to mean some future technology using quantum mechanics
fine.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So, if you're going to lecture me on the definition
of bandwidth then please stop using the term modem unless you're talking about
an actual modem device.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The question then remains: <STRONG>What (in your opinion) constitutes
broadband according to the services that have been promised to consumers but not
yet delivered?</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Yes, I understand that it's not just speed, but
take everything else into account when you consider the minimum
speed.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Feel free to be immature enough to flame me for my
lecture.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Larry Diffey</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>