Broad-Band Interactive Communication Services to the Home: Part II--Impasse

Abstract

Four years have passed since the survey was conducted leading to the preceding paper [1]. Little work has been done, and even less progress has been made toward the goal of the new system developments. The present paper explores impediments that the writer believes are presently blocking the development of the potential broad-band cable interactive services industry. The key issues present are identified and a statement of the missing elements is provided. The paper concludes that broad-band cable information services to the home can be turned into reality even as early as the late 1970's or the mid 1980's. The writer suggests that governmental intervention may be required, primarily in standard's development, since present developments appear to be proceeding along dead-end trajectories. And, unless corrective action is taken we could easily inadvertently delay by many years the date when two-way services are able to pay their own way and thus be economically viable. Doing without also has its price. Society pays a high, although intangible, penalty in not having early access to a highly social, useful system until a much later date than technology and long-range economics would dictate.