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| Fiber optical cables |
The idea that the internet has changed the ways in which information is disseminated and people communicate with each other has become so ubiquitous in this day and age that its true implications are increasingly blurred. As the ways in which society both conforms to and changes the processes of the digital age increase, the aforementioned statement seems inadequate when it comes to explaining such a big leap. But one emerging form of internet technology is striking in both its simplistic structure and seemingly great potential to change the way people use the internet: fiber optics. Using bundles of optically pure glass fibers to transmit digital information, this technology is growing in its popularity due to its cost-effectiveness, reliability, and speed. (HowStuffWorks) In looking at the ramifications of this shift, it is reasonable to conclude that by its very nature, fiber optics has the potential to change the ‘space’ of the internet and be beneficial for society, while at the same time opening up potential for greater regulation, both by internet providers and government.
Fiber optics communication has emerged as a leading alternative to the older, less efficient copper pathways for transmitting internet signals. Though fewer providers currently use them, two fiber optics services (Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-Verse) are now available to more than 40 million American homes. And what exactly sets fiber optics apart from the traditional means of internet signal transmission? Commonly known as “fiber-to-the X”, these cables serve as a direct connection between a communication center and these millions of households, and have been voted by Consumer Reports as being preferable to other, non-fiber services. But the intimately connective nature of these cables seems to bring about a whole slew of ideological questions: for one thing, does this shift towards high-speed signify that the pace of technology might be moving too fast? And will it serve to improve the quality of communication or create the potential for more surveillance and corporate control? (Heffernan)
Since the use of fiber optics has yet to take foot as dominant within the realm of information technology, it follows that the subtler implications of its use have not been explored to a great extent. However, an interesting case study in the potential effects fiber optic cables may have on a society can be seen in the case of Zimbabwe. As of February 1st, 2011, the landlocked southern African state was awaiting the arrival of fiber optical cables that would eventually allow it to be internationally networked. Following the installation of these cables, it is anticipated that eventually economic growth and job opportunities will follow, as well as a decreased cost for internet access. (Zhou) According to Marshall McLuhan, these predictions can easily be explained by one principle: technologies transform knowledge from one form to another and in turn have the potential to connect people within a single consciousness. (61) This deterministic view of technology would suggest that the ways in which fiber optics remediate information into not only a digital form but a more efficient, higher capacity signal could vastly improve the ways in which a somewhat isolated society, such as Zimbabwe, communicates with the rest of the world. An equally positive review would be forecasted when looking at a transhumanist perspective, which sees mankind as being “released from the chains of poverty, finitude, disease and ignorance” and effectively reaching its full potential through the advancement of technology. (Graham, 157) Indeed this idea of fiber optics bringing progressive change seems to be mirrored by Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Tenda Biti, who is quoted by Zhou as saying that “the completion of the fibre optic cabling across the length and breadth of Zimbabwe is a must do.”
In examining the implications of this shift towards what service providers would like us to believe is the most optimized possible form of internet, it must be recognized that “cyberspace” is inherently different from what we think of as being real space. And just as certain constraints and regulations must be attributed to the workings of life in real space, it follows that cyberspace must be regulated in its own way as well, so as to prevent its potential from being grossly abused and misused. In the way that law attempts to enforce norms and institutions that, at least in theory, aim to better society, cyberspace should ideally exist and be governed in a manner that it functions in a way that benefits those who use it to the highest extent possible. (Cohen, 213) However, the fact that fiber optics allows for a more direct connection between service provider and internet user could potentially be dangerous when considering recent pushes that have been made in cyberlaw: in late 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed a set of laws that, in attempting to prevent telecom companies from forming oligopolies, would enable them to use their own discretion in blocking users from using certain kinds of internet content and charge fees for using the faster broadband lines. (Heffernan)
Critics have argued that this defies the ideal of “net neutrality” in prioritizing certain content, and that in effect this would seem to legalize censorship (as mentioned by Heffernan.) Cohen discusses the “invisible” nature of control and power in digital media, and states that regulation is determined by “expert processes by which technical standards are defined and revised.” These processes may be carried out by telecommunications companies themselves, as well as by the government, but either way they tend to be quite opaque to the average consumer and above all cater to market, rather than customer interests. (252) And so in the case of fiber optics, it is troublesome to think how these already mysterious processes by which internet usage is regulated could be further altered in the favor of large corporations, perhaps at the expense of democracy: the proximity between telecommunications companies and users of fiber optical internet seems to inherently allow for greater regulation in that it has been written into the protocol of fiber optics. As discussed by Galloway, the democratic potential of the internet is challenged by the fact that relatively miniscule number of contributors hold all the power in deciding how information may be disseminated amongst the masses. (187) The very nature of fiber optics in telecommunications is that it uses light signals rather than (less reliable) electrical pulses to transmit information over long distances, and this direct connection inherently allows greater potential for regulation to the detriment of the user. (HowStuffWorks)
The creation of the internet certainly had a dramatic effect on the spread of information in society and the ways in which people communicate with each other. But technology is constantly changing, sometimes too quickly for politics and social norms to evolve with it. As the use of fiber optical technology in communication becomes increasingly widespread, it follows that certain aspects of how it affects people are simply out of our control. However, one can only hope that the potential for a faster, more direct internet connection is used to the advantage of those who choose to use it, and not as a tool to compromise the democratic ideal of the internet.
Works Cited:
Cohen, Julie E. (2007). “Cyberspace as/and Space,” Columbia Law Review [Vol. 107:210]
<http://www.columbialawreview.org/articles/index.cfm?article_id=850>
Alexander R. Galloway (2006). “Protocol vs. Institutionalization,” New Media, Old Media: A History and Theory Reader, Chun & Keenan (eds.), 187-196.
Elaine L. Graham (2002). “Nietzsche gets a modem: transhumanism and the technological sublime,” Representations of the Post/Human. 154-175.
Heffernan, Virginia, “Rewired.” New York Times Magazine, December 30, 2010. < http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/magazine/02FOB-medium-t.html?ref=themedium>
HowStuffWorks. “How Fiber Optics Work.” HowStuffWorks, Inc. <http://communication.howstuffworks.com/fiber-optic-communications/fiber-optic3.htm>
McLuhan, Marshall (1964). “Media as Translators”, Understanding Media: the Extensions of Man.
