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To: Robert Sheldon who wrote (540)	6/11/1999 2:37:00 PM
From: pat mudge	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2347

Robt -- Thanks for news links. Found this: news.com Regarding TERN, how are their head-ends leading the competition? By what standards are you judging? Or are you speaking hypothetically in terms of what they'll offer a year or so down the line? Are their head-ends part of DOCSIS now? I'm not challenging you; I really don't know. Pat

To: Robert Sheldon who wrote (540)	6/17/1999 12:16:00 PM
From: lml	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2347

Robert: Sorry I haven't responded sooner. Been busy. Anyway, I wanted to respond now before you disappear from this thread. Let me preface that your input is valued here -- & that because your views are challenged does not mean they are not appreciated. For the record, no one here needs to be invited to post, so please do not use it as an excuse to retreat from your statements or abandon this thread. But as someone has responded, you cannot expect everyone here to accept your opinion as gospel. I thank you for your reference to several articles available at TERN's website. Though I have not yet digested all the material, I do feel you have yet to respond adequately to the issues I raised in my previous post to you. I am stunned. It appears that you do not understand that fiber can not be brought to the doorstep of every home in the country. We have been speaking about cable as a last mile solution – one of several. And how CMTO and TERN fit into this. Yes, fiber is used for a general loop around a city but the cable infrastructure in place delivers the last mile access. Fiber To The Node -- Please I certainly realize that delivering fiber to the curb at the present time is unrealistic -- never contemplated it in my post to you. But I presently believe that systems that do not undergo some level of fiber upgrade will run into bandwidth problems going forward. MSOs are not only "charged" at present with delivery of 2-way access so that delivery of Internet access, telephony & the interactivity of DTV is possible, but also the transmission of HDTV signals a few years down the road. Case Study My MSO plans no fiber for its upgrade, but installment of a 860 MHz co-axial system. The headend is located about 15 miles away. The current plan calls for 1900 subscribers per node. I was invited down to their offices a few weeks ago to get a preview of their @Home service now available in the immediate franchise area & was unimpressed. IMHO, I think the service will suck big time. The TERN Solution Are you saying that the TERN modem can resolve all the bandwidth issues raised by the foregoing media with the necessity of laying fiber in the plant? If so, than why are the many MSOs spending big $$$$ laying fiber when they could save those $$$$ by going with the TERN platform & leaving their legacy co-axial systems in place in their entirety. The Real Issue My hypothesis suggests that there exist some MSOs that are focused on the longer term demands that will placed upon their infrastructure & are willing to make the investment today in fiber. And there are other MSOs looking to do the minimum to provide 2-way access but are not presently concerned with bandwidth issues raised by transmission of HDTV signals & the ability to handle large amounts of traffic predicted as b-c e-commerce becomes a significant portion of the future economy. IMHO, some MSOs are doing the minimum expecting to sell out to the bigger operations such as T, TWX or Paul Allen's Charter Media & let them make the necessary investment in fiber. Does the TERN platform (w/o a fiber upgrade) provide for this longer term solution? Or is it really a strategy directed at the more cost conscious MSOs unwilling or unable to make the larger investments in fiber?

To: Robert Sheldon who wrote (540)	6/23/1999 7:32:00 PM
From: lml	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2347

Hi Robert: Came across the following article today. It reminded me of the discussion I thought I was having with you. See techweb.com Here's an excerpt of the pertinent paragraph relating to our discussion: "Setting up two-way operation is not the final step to broad-ranging availability of high-speed Internet access through cable networks. But it is the essential underlying step. Others include the growing availability of cable modems. Considering the cable industry has about a 5 percent buy rate for its Internet access service-and there will soon be a million subscribers-it's fair to estimate that this cable service is now available to about 20 million people. This progress doesn't mean that physical-layer challenges don't exist. Yet the biggest concerns may not be addressed until the new era begins: They involve whether the networks hold up to the increased traffic pressure and, if not, whether providers will move to make deep changes or try to find quick fixes." Comment if you wish.