[Chapter 637: The Information Superhighway is Congested]
The Soviet carrier is pretty much finished. Sometimes, a softer approach works better than going in hard. Not only are the losses smaller, but the results can be very thorough.
"Ugh, Lisa, have the tech department come over. The internet's down; have them check the lines," William White fumed. It was early in the morning, and how could the internet be down when there were still over a hundred emails waiting for him to respond?
"Sir, it started acting up last night. The tech department says the server bandwidth isn't enough. They're planning to install a dedicated line. If your emails are international, the speed will still be slow."
"Cough, what's that supposed to mean? Aren't a lot of people online in America now?"
Lisa wasn't quite sure how to respond. Can there be too many? Back in the day, you'd just check emails and maybe complain a bit on a BBS if you had time. Things were definitely different now; in addition to NBC Online, several media outlets were beginning to utilize the platform.
"Okay, get Tom over here and inform Filson as well. If it's congested here, other places must be crashing too."
"Sure thing, sir. I'll make the calls right away."
William White had plenty to vent about, especially regarding that ridiculous Gore Bill that had supposedly already taken effect by now.
To be fair, William White was overthinking it; although the so-called High-Performance Computing Act had passed, implementing it without compromise would still take a long time.
"Sir, I've already looked into it. I've arranged for NBC Online's news images to be compressed."
"Tom, how significant is this gap? If you compress the format, it'll affect user experience. This isn't a long-term solution."
"Sir, the servers are in the telecom data center; the issues aren't too big here. Los Angeles is not so bad, but New York just reported that besides the dedicated lines for securities, all other lines are congested. The telecom companies weren't prepared for the sudden surge in user demand."
Alright, William White was taken aback; this was far beyond what he could resolve. It seemed the Justice Department would need to break up the telecom companies again.
Despite his strong aversion to antitrust actions, William White had to admit that these monopolistic companies were indeed slowing down the dissemination of new technologies.
"It's all about making a profit without needing a lot of capital investment," was the prevailing thought among the smaller Bell companies. Even with a change in leadership, that viewpoint wouldn't change. It looked like they needed some pressure.
"Sir, Mr. Filson has arrived."
"Good, let him in. Lisa, make sure we aren't disturbed."
"Sure thing, sir."
William White had plenty of tricks up his sleeve to deal with those bastards. Since it was nearly impossible to make a significant breakthrough in traditional fields, he needed to scale up quickly in the IT sector to compete with those guys.
"Filson, we can utilize our cable TV network to provide information services."
"Sir, that's quite an investment. Your wireless TV network already covers over 40% of American households."
"Money isn't an issue; let's roll this project out for financing. I don't have time to wait; those guys are utterly inefficient. Ridiculous information superhighway -- this whole thing is a joke."
"Alright, if that's the case, we'll definitely attract a lot of investors."
"Filson, there's no option now. Did you notice? Those conglomerates are starting to pay attention to Silicon Valley. If we want to do something, it has to be now. Wait a few years, and we'll lose our first-mover advantage."
Tom and Filson exchanged glances, shocked; they hadn't expected this mishap would lead to such a response.
"Sir, what else do I need to do?"
"Tom, send out a notice announcing that NBC Online has major plans. We'll aim to increase internet speeds by at least tenfold, and the pricing will be much lower than it is now. As long as you have a cable TV signal at home, you're good to go. Of course, if you're not our customer, it'll take longer. We also welcome other cable networks to join."
Tom and Filson were left speechless; they were certain that once this news broke, it would create a huge wave in the IT sector. Their boss would inevitably dominate the headlines again. Those shortsighted idiots were in for a rough ride this time.
So what if the internet slowed down a bit? They'd still have to pay. If they had any guts, they wouldn't even use it.
...
"Damn it, what's going on? Why has our stock price dropped so much?" Pacific Telecom was one of the seven Bell companies. Current CEO Henry had just enjoyed a cozy lunch with his secretary.
He had been planning to relax, only to receive a call from the stock department manager.
Well, there goes his chance to rest; a 5% drop in stock price within fifteen minutes was a disaster.
"Sir, NBC Online just released a statement about how the current phone lines are in disrepair. They plan to use the national cable TV network. According to them, the speed at which information spreads will increase by at least tenfold. The existing phone lines are too thin to handle the responsibilities of an information superhighway."
"Damn, what does thickness have to do with it? High-voltage lines need to be thick too; why don't they just use those?"
"Sir, that's not the issue. It's not just us; all telecom stock prices are dropping. We need to clarify the situation, as some board members are already expressing dissatisfaction and asking for an emergency board meeting."
Henry was truly panicking now; he knew exactly what was at stake. If a board meeting was called, those giant sharks would tear him apart.
In reality, not all board members were shortsighted; there were several demanding that they hasten the deployment of fiber optic networks.
...
"Ha-ha, Al, your high-performance computing bill has the tycoon very unhappy!"
As an experienced politician, Al Gore wasn't one to feel shy about it. If he couldn't handle the heat, what was he doing in politics?
"Bill, this time he's right. Even though I'm infuriated by his dismissive attitude towards my bill, I can't get mad. The influence, Bill, the influence that William White has in the IT sector -- it's something I can't compare with. And if you want to win this time, NBC must remain neutral. If they fully back Bush, your chances are slim."
Bill was frustrated; couldn't they be a bit more indirect? If it weren't for this issue, do you think I'd have the full support of the Donkey?
Come on, as my campaign partner, this stings a bit!
"Al, I see it differently."
"Oh? Do tell."
"William White doesn't have a clear stance. Just look at his donations. I'll tell you this: the amount I've received is the same as what Bush has."
"Bill, are you sure?"
"Absolutely sure. It's just a timing difference for me; I'll be a week late. As for NBC, it's a neutral news outlet."
"Alright, I'll need to keep an eye on that. We definitely need to respond to this information superhighway."
"Of course, I support the high-tech industry. If I'm elected smoothly, I'll definitely increase support."
That's American politics for you; during election years, strange things tend to happen. Some issues that seemed insignificant could be blown out of proportion.
*****
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