Re: <nettime> The Five Minutes App

[John Hopkins <jhopkins@neoscenes.net>]

One of the reasons that the Internet quickly took off in the US was the 
existence of toll/charge-free local phone calling unlike in most/all of Europe 
in the late 80s early 90s. That and the concept of the '800' number whichcould 
be called from anywhere in the US with no charge. This made constant internet 
connectivity easily affordable and standard for most locations. Local telephone 
connections were so cheap that it wasn't hard to afford a complete second 
telecom line to be used exclusively for a dial-up modem connection to the'net.

I recall in Europe before the wide-spread divestiture of the national telecoms 
that any calling, local or long-distance had a per-minute charge that was 
frustrating and stressful. When I was based in Iceland, calls to the US cost 
upwards of U$D 6.50 *per minute*! One had to plan calls accordingly. 'Free' fax 
access of any kind was coveted!

These two very different initial conditions made for divergent practices early 
on. Amurikans had the luxury of constant connectivity, the Euro crowd were on an 
expensive meter.

I don't remember the year that the first free local telecom connections started 
up in Europe -- I think Berlin was the initial city in Germany in perhaps 
1996-7? -- where local calling came free with the 'regular' monthly service fee. 
That was a revolution! I suppose there are others here who could comment in more 
detail on that wave. (Udo Noll, are you here on nettime? I remember the first 
time we met in Köln in 1996 at your company Digital Online Media, a local 
internet access company -- I was so thankful for a 'normal' connection inyour 
offices there, what I was used to in the US, at least.) Back then, I was based 
in the Nordic countries mostly, although I did a lot of guest teaching in 
central Europe at the time, along with random time in the US.

When doing a month-long residency at the Muthesium Kunst Hochschule in Kiel, in 
1996- or 7, running a workshop 'networking and creativity' or such, the building 
with the computer lab did *not* have an internet connection -- so when inquiries 
were made of Deutsche Telekom to activate the connection (almost literally 
flicking a switch in the main building, the cabling was already installedfrom 
the main building to the lab building). DT wanted something like 15K Dmarks for 
the 'service' -- such was their monopoly position!

cheers,
John

On 01/Aug/17 18:03, Yvette Johnson wrote:
> Check e-mail


--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dr. John Hopkins, BSc, MFA, PhD
hanging on to the Laramide Orogeny
twitter: @neoscenes
http://tech-no-mad.net/blog/
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