[Air-l] "last mile" query

[elw at stderr.org]

That's a telco industry term, not originally an academic term.

The telephone network is very different between switching stations than it 
is between those switching stations and individual homes.  Thus, the "last 
mile" terminology originated as a way of pointing out that the 
edge-of-network deployment issues were very different than those 
surrounding the core network - which is often made up of fiber, microwave 
links, et cetera.  Things that you wouldn't expect to have run from the 
switching station to the curb in front of your house/apartment/etc.

"last mile" has of course been co-opted and adopted by people who want to 
talk about cable, fiber to the curb, etc.  But -- start with practice in 
the telecoms industry.

[You might consider hunting around in some of the testimony from the Ma 
Bell monopoly case...]

--elijah



On Fri, 8 Sep 2006, Jonathan Sterne wrote:

> Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 13:03:37 -0400
> From: Jonathan Sterne <jonathan.sterne at mcgill.ca>
> Reply-To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
> To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
> Subject: [Air-l] "last mile" query
> 
> Hi All,
>
> This is a request for bibliographic help.
>
> I can find countless resources that USE the idea of the "last mile" to talk
> about end user access issues in a wide range of contexts.  But I am having a
> much harder time tracking down the origins of the term or its early
> development with respect to cable, the internet and other networked
> technologies.
>
> Any suggestions would be much appreciated, including suggestions for
> "classic texts" in the development of the idea.
>
> Thank you.
>
> --Jonathan
>
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