Dear Editor,
So in the UK, just as here in Germany, everyone is clamoring for faster broadband (Article by Mark Sweney, The Guardian, 19th January 2022, link below).
That all sounds good but is it really the way we want to go? Hasn't digitalisation not already led to far too much isolation and "cocoonisation"? Especially during the pandemic! What about older or disabled people who feel excluded or left behind by the massive acceleration, dislocation and complication which comes with modern technology?
And let's not forget that broadband relies on fibre-optics which draw significant quantities of electricity to power the switches and repeaters: Indeed, very soon "The Internet" will consume over 20% of all electricity produced (number published in previous reports by The Guardian).
My recommendation would be for EVERYONE to return to good old copper-wire telephones: Yes, you wouldn't be able to stream in high-definition but, with a good modem/router, you would have enough capacity for text, audio and reasonable video. Surely that would be better ... simply for our sanity!
And, at any time (e.g. during power-outage, component shortage or a virus), we would have the option to return to the good old telephone. Which draws a mere 5 volts ... from its own circuit!
If, instead, we insist on taking the super-high-tech path and then the system goes down, we really will be "up the creek without a phone".
Regards
