Tik-109/110.300 Telecommunications Architectures: History of Telecommunications Networks

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Tik-109/110.300 Telecommunications Architectures: History of Telecommunications Networks Tik-109/110.300 Telecommunications architectures: History of telecommunications networks Hannu H. KARI/Helsinki University of Technology (HUT) TML-laboratory/CS/HUT Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 1 Agenda 1. Chicken or Egg? 2. Early history 3. 1900-2000 Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 2 Chicken or Egg? • Wired or wireless communication • Wireless • Hand signals, fire beacons, flags, mechanical semaphores, telegraph • Telegraph (Telegraph: Tele=Far; Graph=Graphien=To Write) • Telephone •Radio Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 3 Early history •1753 • Charles Morrison, in Europe, proposes an electrostatic telegraph system in which the use of 26 insulated wires conducting charges from a Leyden jar cause movements in small pieces of paper on which each letter of the alphabet is written. •1763 • Bosolus describes a system similar to Morrison's except he uses only two wires, and a letter code. •1799 • Volta, in Italy, develops the "Voltaic Pile," or battery. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 4 Early history •1820 • Sept. 18 – Schweigger invents his "multiplier," the electromagnetic coil. •1830 • Needle Galvanometers were in use in England to indicate railroad track conditions & control trains. •1831 • Faraday discovers the properties of induction between parallel conductors. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 5 Early history •1832 • Nicholas demonstrates a 5-needle electric telegraph in Berlin. Schilling, a Russian diplomat, demonstrates his electric telegraph in Germany. The system uses five numerical indicator needles which are used to identify a specific 5-digit code. • A code dictionary relates these codes to words. • Morse makes his first notes regarding his "Recording Electric Magnetic Telegraph" and a dot - dash alphabet code. Later, Jackson claims credit for Morse's invention, saying he had supplied key information. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 6 Telegraph pictures 5-needle sounder key register Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 7 Morse code and others A .- N -. B -... O --- C -.-. P .--. D -.. Q --.- E . R .-. F ..-. S ... G --. T - H .... U ..- I .. V ...- J .--- W .-- K -.- X -..- L .-.. Y -.-- M -- Z --.. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 8 Early history •1833 • Gauss and Weber apply the idea of Schweigger's multiplier to telegraphy. •1833 • Samuel Morse demonstrated first device to send signals over wires. Close switch on 1 end of wire, mark paper tape on other end. Device used to mark signals is called a REGISTER. Not until 1849 did people think of receiving code by ear. Designed a SOUNDER - mounted in a wooden box (a resonator) to mechanically amplify sound. •1835 • Morse (44 years old) develops the concept of the "Morse Register" and a numbered-word code. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 9 Early history •1836 • Morse builds his first functional telegraph instrument (now located in the National Museum in Washington). It consists of an old picture frame fastened to a table. The wheels of an old wooden clock, which are moved by a weight, carry a thin strip of paper forward. Morse demonstrates the instrument to several friends, including Leonard D. Gale. Schilling simplifies his electric telegraph to use a single needle and a more precise code. Morse invents the "relay” to solve the problem of current loss on long lines. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 10 Early history •1837 • June 10 – The Cooke and Wheatstone electric "Five Needle Telegraph" is patented (#7390) in London. The instrument requires six wires between each of its stations. This European telegraph had no means of recording messages; Morse felt this to be a great disadvantage. •1838 • Implementation of Morse's first letter code. Each letter of type had sawteeth filed in the edge to activate the sending machine. A letter's code symbol length was based upon the various quantities of type found in the printer's office. The register was an electromagnet-activated pen, drawing the sawtooth symbols on a thin strip of moving paper. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 11 Early history •1838 • Jan 24 – Morse demonstrates his telegraph over a ten mile circuit at N.Y. University. Transmission speed was recorded at 10 w.p.m. • Steinheil, in Germany, publishes improvements to the Gauss and Weber work. He also discovers "earth return" (ground). •1839 • June 26 – Morse applies for an English patent on his Electric Telegraph, but is turned down because of the information already published by Cooke and Wheatstone (June 10, 1837) on their "Magnetic Needle Telegraph. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 12 Early history •1842 • Telegraph poles and ceramic insulators are in regular use in Europe. Morse installs a submarine cable between Castle Garden and Governor's Island in New York. •1844 • May 1 – First test of new overhead wire, quickly strung 35 km through treetops and on posts, from Annapolis Junction to Washington, D.C. •1845 • In Europe Cooke & Wheatstone patent a "Single Needle Telegraph" which requires only one overhead wire and earth return. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 13 Early history •1849 • First teleprinter circuit, New York to Philadelphia. Uses Royal E. House teleprinter. The unit, which resembles a small piano, was the first telegraph instrument to print actual letters rather than code symbols. •1851 • Since the Morse code's space letters (C, O, R, Y and Z) and long L cause problems when used with submarine cables, the "International" or "Continental" Morse code is developed at the International Telegraphic Conference in Berlin. It combines portions of the Davy code (1838) and the Bain code (1846). Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 14 Early history •1852 • The first "Channel Cable" is laid between London and Paris. •1854 • Cyrus Field consults with Morse on an "Atlantic Cable." •1857 • Automatic sender, 70 w.p.m., is invented. Ink recorders and perforators are re-introduced. •1858 • Trans-Atlantic cable is successfully laid by warships, but breaks limit its usefulness. In only 24 days, communication between the U.S. and Europe is lost. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 15 Early history •1859 • Western Union sets up the "92 Code" of numbered phrases. "73" is included and means "Accept my compliments. "30" is defined to mean "The end. No more." •1861 • Oct 21 – Beginning of coast to coast telegraph communication in the United States. Western Union joins wires from the east with wires from the west at Salt Lake City, completing the first transcontinental telegraph. • Oct 24 – Pony Express ends, ruining many investors. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 16 Early history •1866 • Permanent communication is established by wire from the United States to Europe with the completion of the second Atlantic telegraph cable. •1867 • U.S. buys Russian America (Alaska) from Russia. Purchase was initially urged by Western Union president Hiram Sibley, because W.U. needed that route, a 16,000 mile land wire through western Canada, Russian America, across the Bering Strait and through Siberia, to link America with Europe. This scheme was abandoned in 1868 when the Trans-Atlantic cable proved to be successful. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 17 Early history •1868 • July 28 – A truly successful Trans-Atlantic cable is finally laid by the vessel "Great Eastern." •1870 • The Post Office takes over several failing telegraph companies. •1875 • First "gallows type" telephone tested by Bell and Thomas Watson in an attic room at 109 Court Street, Boston. It transmitted recognizable speech sounds but not intelligible speech. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 18 Phone pictures gallows phone Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 19 Early history •1876 • Bell files his patent application. First telephone patent (U.S. No. 174,465) allowed and issued to Bell on March 7th. • March 10th, Bell speaks the first complete sentence transmitted by variable resistance transmitter ... "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you!” • The world's first long distance telephone call (one-way) was received at Paris, Ontario by Bell from his father and uncle at Brantford, Ontario over "borrowed" telegraph lines. • Gardiner Greene Hubbard, one of Bell's financial backers and sharer in Bell's patents, offers to sell the telephone invention to Western Union Telegraph Company for $100,000. Western Union refuses the offer. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 20 Early history •1876 • The world's first two way long distance telephone conversation over an outdoor wire (borrowed telegraph line) takes place between Cambridgeport and Boston, Massachusetts between Bell and Watson. •1877 • First telephones rented for business use, on a private line between Boston and Somerville, Massachusetts. • First service rental paid for telephones (private use) in Charlestown, Massachusetts ($20 for 2 Telephones for 1 Year). Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 21 Early history •1878 • The first commercial telephone exchange is the world is opened at New Haven, Connecticut with 21 subscribers on January 28th • The first telephone directory is published by the New Haven District Telephone Co. (21 Listings) on February 21st •1879 • (February 17th) National Bell Telephone Company formed • Telephone Numbers. The latter part of 1879 and the early part of 1880 saw the first use of telephone numbers at Lowell, Massachusetts. Tik-109/110.300 Fall 2000 © Hannu H. Kari Page 22 Early history •1879 • This story is that during an epidemic of measles, Dr. Moses Greeley Parker feared that Lowell's four operators might succumb and bring about a paralysis of telephone service.
Recommended publications
  • Samuel B. Morse, Painter (PDF)
    Motto/Logo ( Nicole Greaney) Thesis (Group) Influences and Comparison to Leonardo DaVinci (Joe Fiore) Biography (Traci Gottlieb) Works (Nicole Greaney) Slide Sh ow o f Wor ks /Des igns (Nico le G reaney ) Place (Kristen Alldredge) Itinerary (()Traci Gottlieb) Lesson Plan (Kristen Alldredge) Mock Web Site (Joe Fiore) Web Page for Guidebook (Traci Gottlieb) Conclusion (Group) Without Samuel Finley Breese Morse’s expansive imagination, consequent creatiiivity and perseverance developed through artistry, he would not have been cappgable of making his other contributions to the world, such as Locust Grove and the telegraph. Morse is the American Leonardo because he is an ideal Renaissance Man, with mastery in the dualisms of art and science. •Why an artist? • as a boy, favorite activity was drawing • while attending Yale , drew pictures of classmates/sold them for spending money • setbacks: Self Portrait • art still new in America, not much of a demand • ititimpatient, expect tdittihed instant riches • acquired an enhanced sense of determination • eventually led to his success as an inventor • became ppyrominently known as an artist in the 1820s and 1830s • foundation of the National Academy of Design • offered a position as a professor of painting/sculpture at NYU • an idea caught Morse’s imagination • struggled with invention; never gave up • SUCCESS • purchase of Locust Grove • remembered as an inventor, not an artist.. Self Portrait Landscape Paintings Thomas Cole Portraits Inventions • Natural Talent Samuel Morse • Hudson River School of Art • European Styles Morse as a Renaissance Man Mastery of the “duality of science and art” Inner genius of the painter/inventor Further Comparisons 1808.
    [Show full text]
  • Samuel Morse's Telegraph
    1 SAMUEL MORSE’S TELEGRAPH (The Start of the Communications Revolution) Steve Krar We live in the information age where more and more information is required at all times. There never seems to be a time when information is so readily available, but this has not always been the case. The today’s communications revolution includes radio, telephones, television computers, fax machines and satellites. So fast is the change in communications that we sometimes forget the machine that started it all. The Telegraph The telegraph was born at a time when few grasped even remotely what electric current was, let alone what it might do. The telegraph was a landmark in human development from which there could be no retreat. For the first time messages could routinely travel great distances faster than man or beast could carry them. Samuel Morse In October 1832 Samuel Morse, an early pioneer of the telegraph, on his way home from Europe met Dr. Charles Jackson who asked whether electricity took much time to travel over a long wire. The idea began to obsess Morse and before reaching shore, he had sketched the basic elements of a telegraph instrument and a crude version of a code based on dots and dashes. News from Europe in early 1837 told of the great strides being made in telegraphy; Morse realized that if he did not finish the invention soon, his efforts might be wasted. Finally, in February 1837 Congress directed the Secretary of the Treasury to ask for proposals for a telegraph. Morse’s Telegraph Morse thought that if he could perfect the electromagnetic telegraph that he had designed, in 1836, it would answer the government's needs.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Forms of Long-Distance Communication
    EARLY FORMS OF LONG-DISTANCE COMMUNICATION In this material, you will learn about Telegraphy, Telephone and GSM architecture Before the development of the electric telegraph in the 19th century revolutionized how information was transmitted across long distances, ancient civilizations such as those in China, Egypt and Greece used drumbeats or smoke signals to exchange information between far-flung points. However, such methods were limited by the weather and the need for an uninterrupted line of sight between receptor points. These limitations also lessened the effectiveness of the semaphore, a modern precursor to the electric telegraph. Developed in the early 1790s, the semaphore consisted of a series of hilltop stations that each had large movable arms to signal letters and numbers and two telescopes with which to see the other stations. Like ancient smoke signals, the semaphore was susceptible to weather and other factors that hindered visibility. A different method of transmitting information was needed to make regular and reliable long-distance communication workable. Did You Know? SOS, the internationally recognized distress signal, does not stand for any particular words. Instead, the letters were chosen because they are easy to transmit in Morse code: "S" is three dots, and "O" is three dashes. The Electric Telegraph In the early 19th century, two developments in the field of electricity opened the door to the production of the electric telegraph. First, in 1800, the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) invented the battery, which reliably stored an electric current and allowed the current to be used in a controlled environment. Second, in 1820, the Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851) demonstrated the connection between electricity and magnetism by deflecting a magnetic needle with an electric current.
    [Show full text]
  • Telephone Talking to Your Neighbor Hasn’T Always Been As Easy As Picking up the Receiver
    INVENTIONS The Telephone Talking to your neighbor hasn’t always been as easy as picking up the receiver BY CATHERINE V.O. HOFFBERGER “Mr. Watson, come in here. I need you!” These historic words are as recognizable as Martin Luther King Jr.’s inspiring “I Have a Dream” and John F. Kennedy’s philosophical “Ask not what your country can do for you— ask what you can do for your country.” Uttered by one Alexander Graham Bell on March 7, 1876, this quote is remem- bered not for its eloquence or effect, but for what it represents: the invention of that great tool of everyday life, the Telephone. Bell, born in Scotland to a deaf mother in 1847, followed the professional footsteps of his father, uncle and grandfa- ther, all professors of elocution (the study of speaking). Young “Aleck,” a passionate elocutionist, specialized in teaching speech to the deaf. Telephony, the science of producing sound (‘phono’) electrically over distance (‘tele’), was the rage among Three weeks later, Mr. Watson famously heard Bell sum- 19th-century inventors. The telegraph, created in England moning him over its wires. As his was the first telephone in 1833 and soon improved by American Samuel Morse, to truly work and receive a patent, Bell was credited with accomplished that in staccato, on-and-off rhythms. By the the invention. mid-1800s, it was the world’s means of long-distance audi- Bell’s fledgling business sold just six telephones in its ble communication. Bell and other scientists across first month. But by 1891, the company, by then known as Europe and in the United States including Antonio AT&T (the Atlantic Telephone and Telegraph Co.), was Meucci, Johann Philipp Reis, Elisha Gray and Thomas operating some 5 million phones in America.
    [Show full text]
  • Rethinking the Role of History in Law & Economics: the Case of The
    09-008 Rethinking the Role of History in Law & Economics: The Case of the Federal Radio Commission in 1927 David A. Moss Jonathan B. Lackow Copyright © 2008 by David A. Moss and Jonathan B. Lackow Working papers are in draft form. This working paper is distributed for purposes of comment and discussion only. It may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder. Copies of working papers are available from the author. Rethinking the Role of History in Law & Economics: The Case of the Federal Radio Commission in 1927 David A. Moss Jonathan B. Lackow July 13, 2008 Abstract In the study of law and economics, there is a danger that historical inferences from theory may infect historical tests of theory. It is imperative, therefore, that historical tests always involve a vigorous search not only for confirming evidence, but for disconfirming evidence as well. We undertake such a search in the context of a single well-known case: the Federal Radio Commission’s (FRC’s) 1927 decision not to expand the broadcast radio band. The standard account of this decision holds that incumbent broadcasters opposed expansion (to avoid increased competition) and succeeded in capturing the FRC. Although successful broadcaster opposition may be taken as confirming evidence for this interpretation, our review of the record reveals even stronger disconfirming evidence. In particular, we find that every major interest group, not just radio broadcasters, publicly opposed expansion of the band in 1927, and that broadcasters themselves were divided at the FRC’s hearings. 1. Introduction What is the role of history in the study of law and economics? Perhaps its most important role in this context is as a test of theory and a source of new hypotheses.
    [Show full text]
  • Does the Communications Act of 1934 Contain a Hidden Internet Kill Switch?
    FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS LAW JOURNAL VOLUME 65 I SSUE 1 J ANUARY 2013 D OES THE COMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1934 CONTAIN A H IDDEN INTERNET KILL SWITCH? David W. Opderbeck FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS LAW JOURNAL VOLUME 65 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2013 Editor-in-Chief DENNIS HOLMES Senior Managing Editor Senior Production Editor JONATHAN MCCORMACK JESSICA KRUPKE Senior Articles Editor Senior Notes Editor AVONNE BELL JOHN COX Articles Editors Managing Editors Notes Editors RHONDA ADATO N. JAY MALIK ALLARD CHU ROBERT HOPKINS KATHERINE MANTHEI BETSY GOODALL ROBERT VORHEES EMILY SILVEIRO-ALLEN JOSHUA KRESH CHARLES POLLACK Journal Staff KEENAN ADAMCHAK BEN ANDRES JAMES CHAPMAN ANDREW ERBER ADETOKUNBO FALADE DAVID HATEF MATHEW HATFIELD ADAM HOTTELL DARREL JOHN JIMENEZ EVIN LUONGO JAMI MEVORAH MILENA MIKAILOVA MELISSA MILCHMAN CLAYTON PREECE SEETA REBBAPRAGADA MEREDITH SHELL MICHAEL SHERLING MARY SHIELDS TOM STRUBLE HOLLY TROGDON MARGOT VANRIEL CARLA VOIGT BRANDON WHEATLEY MICHAEL WILLIAMS JARUCHAT SIRICHOKCHATCHAWAN Faculty Advisors PROFESSOR JEROME BARRON PROFESSOR KAREN THORNTON PROFESSOR DAWN NUNZIATO Adjunct Faculty Advisors MATTHEW GERST ETHAN LUCARELLI NATALIE ROISMAN RYAN WALLACH Published by the GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL and the FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS BAR ASSOCIATION Does the Communications Act of 1934 Contain a Hidden Internet Kill Switch? David W. Opderbeck* TABLE OF CONTENTS I.! INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 3! II.! THE WAR AND EMERGENCY POWERS IN SECTION 606 OF THE COMMUNICATIONS
    [Show full text]
  • Sarah Clemens* Journalists Face a Credibility Crisis, Plagued by Chants
    FROM FAIRNESS TO FAKE NEWS: HOW REGULATIONS CAN RESTORE PUBLIC TRUST IN THE MEDIA Sarah Clemens* Journalists face a credibility crisis, plagued by chants of fake news and a crowded rat race in the primetime ratings. Critics of the media look at journalists as the problem. Within this domain, legal scholarship has generated a plethora of pieces critiquing media credibility with less attention devoted to how and why public trust of the media has eroded. This Note offers a novel explanation and defense. To do so, it asserts the proposition that deregulating the media contributed to the proliferation of fake news and led to a decline in public trust of the media. To support this claim, this Note first briefly examines the historical underpinnings of the regulations that once made television broadcasters “public trustees” of the news. This Note also touches on the historical role of the Public Broadcasting Act that will serve as the legislative mechanism under which media regulations can be amended. Delving into what transpired as a result of deregulation and prodding the effects of limiting oversight over broadcast, this Note analyzes the current public perception of broadcast news, putting forth the hypothesis that deregulation is correlated to a negative public perception of broadcast news. This Note analyzes the effect of deregulation by exploring recent examples of what has emerged as a result of deregulation, including some of the most significant examples of misinformation in recent years. In so doing, it discusses reporting errors that occurred ahead of the Iraq War, analyzes how conspiracy theories spread in mainstream broadcast, and discusses the effect of partisan reporting on public perception of the media.
    [Show full text]
  • Making Radio Pirates Walk the Plank with Aiding and Abetting Liability
    Arrr! Sever Thee Transmitters! Making Radio Pirates Walk the Plank with Aiding and Abetting Liability Max Nacheman * TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 299 II. THE INTERTWINED FATE OF BROADCAST REGULATION AND PIRATE RADIO ............................................................................................. 301 A. Origins of Radio Broadcast Regulation in the United States .. 301 B. Pirates of the (Air)waves: The Swell of Unauthorized Broadcasting ............................................................................ 303 C. From Radio Pirates to Cellular Ninjas: The Future of Unauthorized Broadcasting ..................................................... 304 III. UNAUTHORIZED BROADCASTING POSES A UNIQUE ENFORCEMENT CHALLENGE THAT MAY BE ADDRESSED BY ESTABLISHING AUTHORITY TO CRACK DOWN ON AIDERS AND ABETTORS OF PIRATE BROADCASTERS .............................................................................. 305 A. The FCC’s Enforcement Procedure for Unauthorized Broadcasters Is an Inadequate Deterrent to Pirates ............... 306 B. Aiding and Abetting Liability Would Cut the Supply Chain of Essential Resources to Unauthorized Broadcasters ................ 309 1. How the United Kingdom Sank Pirate Radio ................... 310 2. Aiding and Abetting Liability for Securities Violations ... 311 IV. THREE WAYS TO CRACK DOWN ON AIDERS AND ABETTORS OF UNAUTHORIZED BROADCASTING: STATUTE, RULEMAKING, AND EXISTING CRIMINAL LAW .............................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Inventing Television: Transnational Networks of Co-Operation and Rivalry, 1870-1936
    Inventing Television: Transnational Networks of Co-operation and Rivalry, 1870-1936 A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the faculty of Life Sciences 2011 Paul Marshall Table of contents List of figures .............................................................................................................. 7 Chapter 2 .............................................................................................................. 7 Chapter 3 .............................................................................................................. 7 Chapter 4 .............................................................................................................. 8 Chapter 5 .............................................................................................................. 8 Chapter 6 .............................................................................................................. 9 List of tables ................................................................................................................ 9 Chapter 1 .............................................................................................................. 9 Chapter 2 .............................................................................................................. 9 Chapter 6 .............................................................................................................. 9 Abstract ....................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Myth of the Sole Inventor
    Michigan Law Review Volume 110 Issue 5 2012 The Myth of the Sole Inventor Mark A. Lemley Stanford Law School Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr Part of the Intellectual Property Law Commons Recommended Citation Mark A. Lemley, The Myth of the Sole Inventor, 110 MICH. L. REV. 709 (2012). Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr/vol110/iss5/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Michigan Law Review at University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Michigan Law Review by an authorized editor of University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE MYTH OF THE SOLE INVENTORt Mark A. Lemley* The theory of patent law is based on the idea that a lone genius can solve problems that stump the experts, and that the lone genius will do so only if properly incented. But the canonical story of the lone genius inventor is largely a myth. Surveys of hundreds of significant new technologies show that almost all of them are invented simultaneously or nearly simultaneous- ly by two or more teams working independently of each other. Invention appears in significant part to be a social, not an individual, phenomenon. The result is a real problem for classic theories of patent law. Our domi- nant theory of patent law doesn't seem to explain the way we actually implement that law. Maybe the problem is not with our current patent law, but with our current patent theory.
    [Show full text]
  • GAO-02-906 Telecommunications
    United States General Accounting Office GAO Report to Congressional Requesters September 2002 TELECOMMUNICATIONS Better Coordination and Enhanced Accountability Needed to Improve Spectrum Management a GAO-02-906 Contents Letter 1 Results in Brief 2 Background 5 Concern Over Concentrating Authority Led to Divided Structure for Spectrum Management 6 Methods for Allocating Spectrum Face Difficulties and Are Not Guided by a Coordinated National Plan 11 Issues Have Emerged Regarding the Adequacy of U.S. Preparations for World Radiocommunication Conferences 19 Federal Officials Said Activities to Encourage Efficient Federal Spectrum Use Are Hindered by Staffing and Resource Problems 25 Conclusions 34 Recommendations for Executive Action 35 Agency Comments 36 Appendixes Appendix I: Major Parts of the Radiofrequency Spectrum and Their Uses 38 Appendix II: Timeline of Spectrum Management 40 Appendix III: Comments from the Federal Communications Commission 67 Appendix IV: Comments from the Department of Commerce 69 Appendix V: Comments from the Department of State 71 Figures Figure 1: Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee’s Membership 10 Figure 2: Percent of Spectrum Shared by Federal and Nonfederal Users (9 kHz to 3.1 GHz) 12 Figure 3: Spectrum Reallocation Process 13 Figure 4: Relationship of U.S. Participants in Preparing for World Radiocommunication Conferences 21 Figure 5: NTIA Frequency Assignment Process 26 Figure 6: Timeline of Spectrum Management (1895–1925) 41 Figure 7: Timeline of Spectrum Management (1925–1955) 47 Figure 8: Timeline
    [Show full text]
  • Telegraph: Early Postal Role
    Telegraph: Early Postal Role Before the 1830s, a "telegraph" was any system of sending messages over a distance without a physical exchange between the sender and receiver. The few telegraph systems then in operation were "optical telegraphs" — they did not transmit messages electronically, but visually, with people receiving and sending visible signals.1 Although chains of relay towers extended the reach of transmissions, optical telegraphs could not be used at night or in bad weather. Congressional Interest in Telegraphs In February 1837, Congress asked Secretary of the Treasury Levi Woodbury to investigate and report on the "propriety of establishing a system of telegraphs for the United States."2 This request was due at least in part to a petition of Captain Samuel C. Reid to establish a national telegraph system the month before.3 On March 10, 1837, Woodbury sent out a written request for information to knowledgeable persons. He received more than a dozen replies, including one from Samuel F. B. Morse, an art professor at New York University. All but one respondent discussed the feasibility of installing optical telegraphs along the country's coast lines. Morse, however, enthused at length about an "entirely new mode of telegraphic communication," one he conceived during an ocean voyage five years earlier — an electromagnetic telegraph.4 In a letter of September 27, 1837, Morse informed Woodbury that his electromagnetic telegraph would work "at any moment, irrespective of the time of day or night, or state of the weather," noting that "this single point" established "its superiority to all other modes of telegraphic communication now known." Another point in its favor was its ability to record messages, which meant messages could be received even if the device was unattended.
    [Show full text]