One year on ... (27 November 1999) One year ago Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Web, contacted us, in response to an email, with an extended quote which has been reproduced all over the world. It has lost none of its force so we reproduce it again, in full, here. (Tim stated at the time that it should only be reproduced in full). As an economic enabler, universal Internet access for all in a country is very important. To be practical, Internet connections must be permanent - after all, when available but unused they need take no resources apart from the local wire. The time taken to dial up over a telephone line makes many uses of the internet - such as checking the weather, or ordering a turkey, prohibitively bothersome. Regulatory systems and charging which support the status quo in which the telephone system is used to dial every time the internet is used hobble a country's ability to use the network - it is a bit like asking a motor vehicle to be preceded by a man carrying a red flag. It is forcing the new technology to operate in the mode of the old technology. I would also point out that a connection bandwith which allows access to essential emergency, health and transport information, and also allows consumers to browse electronic catalogs and order online, requires very very much less bandwidth than higher-end applications such as video. A reasonable target, then, is that a permanent connection to the internet at low bandwidth should be subsidized by high bandwidth connections such as those used by commercial sales sites. This will boost the adoption of the internet as an economic medium, bringing the country concerned to the forefront in its ability to exploit new technology. When higher bandwith is required, I can imagine this being available in a number of ways, as a flat rate - this is essential - or per session, bought from a competitive set of carriers, with a click of a button, on demand. Personally, having the luxury of a permanent (ISDN-speed) connection at home I notice the change of role the computer plays in the home - it becomes immeasurably more friendly -- one is much more inclined to order things, pay bills, and check news and weather using it than when one does not have to wait and bother with dialing in to a service provider. Tim Berners-Lee Cambridge, Massachusetts November 1998 Things have come a long way since then. Perhaps the most telling evidence of this is simply what we do now. Next week we will be: attending the TMA 32 conference for two days; meeting First Tuesday; provisionally getting together with Cisco; having a journalist attend the Committee meeting on Monday. None of these - none of these would have been conceivable a year ago.