The local network has evolved for the conveyance of speech-band signals in an efficient manner. Fortuitously, this network can also carry higher frequency signals, although with some restrictions. The advent of modern semiconductor technology has allowed engineers to exploit these higher frequencies to provide additional services.Initially these additional services were generally restricted to analogue pair-gain and alarm systems but, with the birth of the information technology age, the capability of the local network to carry high-speed digital signals is being exploited.From a review of the characteristics of the local network and an assessment of its ability to carry digital signals a perception of the future evolution of the local network and the likely penetration of digital systems emerges.
The real challenge of Alaska's changing telecommunications landscape is approaching the opportunities in an orderly and logical manner. Given the exciting nature of the possibilities that new technology presents, it is all too easy to get wrapped up in what is new, instead of what is truly useful. For that reason, the main focus of the Telecommunications Information Council (TIC) in the near future will be developing and adopting a comprehensive technology plan for the state, and then examining where new technologies fit into that plan. The Knowles/Ulmer administration's first task in this effort was to reinvigorate the TIC and charge it with taking the lead in bringing Alaska back to the forefront of telecommunications technology. Our state has long had a reputation for leading the way in telecommunications. Our climate, geographic size, and location have always forced Alaskans to be innovators in technology. Supercomputers and satellites have operated in and above our state for many years, but much of that momentum was waning. That needed to change.
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