Looking into the future

   I don't know about you, but I use the Internet all the time - for business and for personal use.   I do my research, my shopping, my daily reading, conduct business, communicate in ways I never thought possible, and I satisfy my curiosity.  It really is shocking to think that just 12 years ago I couldn't even imagine how I would use such a thing. 

  Now I have a new worry - will the internet be able to keep up?   My PC can't keep up and I replace it at the most every two years with the best of the best and the fastest of the fast- and yet - it seems to get slower and slower.  Today, everything appears to be converging on the web:  interactive and video intensive services (and who knows what else is on the way) seem to absorb a lot of resources. Will that get slower and slower?  Will I be able to go for a cup of coffee while I am waiting for a video to load?

   I thought we were on solid footing as broadband now reaches about 94% of the market according to Leichtman Research Group, and that we were able to conduct business at "lightening speed".  Apparently not.  With all the new applications like YouTube, will my broadband start to look like dial-up?  How will I conduct my business?   How will I be competitive?   These were exactly the same questions I asked when I was fighting the fight for broadband access.

   Will the web start to "slow down"?   And who is addressing this issue?   According to an article by David Lieberman in USA Today, technology analysts at Nemertes Research who project traffic growth and compare it with plans to increase capacity, say that we will slow down, and that it will impact new and important innovations and technological advances, such as tele-medicine, long distance education - our businesses, and our lives. I guess that when you think about it, it is only logical that as usage and applications increase, the technology has to improve in order to accommodate the traffic.  

  No question about it, some of us are "high users"; just as we out-grew dialup and were able to purchase newer and faster broadband, we will need products and services available to us that will help us keep up with our business needs.   I need to invest in my business to stay competitive - let's hope that the products and capacity are there and available to me.