The current move towards convergence and broadband was mentioned in the last chapter, while discussing the issue of access and barrier with respect to the internet. These technological trends, which are resulting in the destruction or significant curtailment of the net's open nature, will be discussed in greater detail in this chapter.

But before doing so, we should note that broadband and convergence are two aspects of a single phenomenon. The convergence of broadcast, telecommunications and information technologies is not technically feasible in the absence of transmission channels of large information-carrying capacity, that is, broadband. On the other hand, broadband links may not be economically viable if they are not used to deliver multiple high-value services typical of convergence.

Convergence

Convergence informs all aspects of social life, spanning business, economy, politics, and culture in addition to technology. The following definition provided by the online encyclopedia Webopedia is of interest to us: “The coming together of two or more disparate disciplines or technologies. For example, the so-called fax revolution was produced by a convergence of telecommunications technology, optical scanning technology, and printing technology.”

Another online encyclopedia offers a more common definition: “a term for the combining of personal computers, telecommunication, and television into a user experience that is accessible to everyone.” The ‘converged’ technology has come to be known as ICT, information and communication technologies or, according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, “information and computing technology”.