Joi Ito has the right idea about next generation networks.

"More bandwidth is just about more hardware. The way it SHOULD be."

- from Joi Ito's Web

Amen Joi. Amen.

I would like to see municipal governments take over fibre distribution in the same way they manage water distribution. Just bring it to my house and let me deal with the flow. If I want a 1G bitshower, I'll hook up 1G bitshowerhead. If I want a 10G bitshower, I'll hook up a 10G bitshowerhead. Every house on the block should have dark fibre terminating at its front door, and every household should be its own ISP.
Imagine what the network would look like if our local governments realized that they don't need to perpetuate the cableco/telco monopolies into the *next* century. Imagine the value that this would unlock. Imagine the benefits this would create for the global economy.

Screw Web 2.0 - what is the next generation network going to look like and what do *we* have to do to get it there. I'm tired of hearing about what AT&T and Rogers want to implement as the Next Generation Network (read as: closed networks that they will use to shovel more of their content down to us at exorbitant monthly rates).

What do *you* want to see in the Next Generation Network? I bet your vision is much closer to Joi's than it is to AT&T's.