InternetUsage

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=History of Internet=

On Oct 29, 1969, Charley Kline sent the first packets on ARPANET from UCLA as he tried to connect to Stanford Research Institute. The third generation of IBM computers which uses microchip provided better capability of data transferring. In the 1990s the introduction of the World Wide Web launched the globally spread internet.

=ISPs=

A total of 42 ISPs (Internet Service Provider) listed in Canada; 281 ISPs in U.S.([|Freedomlist], 2006) Price range from FREE to hundreds dollars per month. South Korea offers the cheapest internet access, followed by Canada, Turkey, then US. Luxembourg offers the most expensive internet access. Many ISPs are owned by publics instead of government therefore the availability and the growth of internet can be controlled by individuals.

=Dial-up=

Dial-up internet requires a modem which transfer voice to digital electronic signal over the telephone lines. Slow data transfer speed range from 14.4bps to 56kbps and must rely on phone line connection or through mobile phones interfaces. With such slow speed, it takes longer time to open a web page and takes longer time to browse web sites with multi-media contents such as flash, java script, shockwave or even just a few bigger pictures. Because of the unstable telephone line connection and the slow speed, sometimes it creates problems transferring data to computers. Although 97.8% of household with telephone service in Canada; 94.1% in U.S.([|Government of Canada],2006), the disadvantage of slow speed connection of dial-up internet did not cause a great impact on internet usage.

=**Broadband**=

Faster data transfer speed range from 1.5 Mbps to 100 Mbps up. Two main types of broadband internet are DSL and Cable. The former one uses telephone line connection; latter one uses cable TV connection. In addition, 97.8% of household with telephone service in Canada; 94.1% in U.S and 69% of households with cable TV subscribers in Canada; 65.1% in U.S.

"For 2004, researchers estimate that 5.2 million Canadian households will have a broadband connection, accounting for 66% of online households. By 2007, 81% of online households will have a broadband connection."([|Internet World Stats], 2006)

"Broadband services are being driven by a government regulator keen to establish Canada as a leading information economy and an attractive country for investment."([|Internet World Stats], 2006)

Current example of broadband internet: ISDN, DSL, Cable, Satellite, Point to Point and Wireless:

=Common Usage=

With internet connection, many activities can be easily done from a single location(ie: home, office) by a computer such as email, data searching, advertisements, business trading, entertainment, education, communication, blogging…etc. Nearly every activity can be replaced by the usage of internet. Yet there is still something internet cannot exchange such as human senses: odour, somato-sensory (pain, temperature, touch). Furthormore, many digital interactive TV use internet as their medium to transfer data and users' command. Similarly, phones do not rely on traditional phone lines anymore, internet phones such as VOIP(Voice Over Internet Protocol) use internet connection to place phone calls from VOIP modems at a very low rate or even free cost of charge for international calls. The advantage of fast internet has alsobenefited

=Internet Penatration=

In Canada, 594 out of 1000 people use internet; in U.S., 597 out of 1000 people use internet. ([|Government of Canada], 2006). One major cause is the cost to use internet access. In Canada, an average price in U.S. currency to use internet is $22.05; in U.S. it is $24.13.([|Government of Canada], 2006) Canada is declared to have the 2nd cheapest rate of internet access in the world. "Ipsos-Reid reports Canadian usage of the internet is up to an average of 12.7 hours a week, compared to three years ago at 8.7 hours in 2002."([|One degree], 2006)

=Economy=

Canada is the world leader in e-commerce. "The government has actively encouraged initiatives, including the development of digital and broadband networks, to develop high-speed access throughout the country suitable for wireless and Internet applications."([|Internet World Stats], 2006) As the internet usage grows, many business activities can be conducted in a more efficient and simple way. For instance, online conference, online banking, online proposal and file TAX online. With the convenient usage of internet, traditional time consuming tasks can be eliminated and replaced by more efficient online process.

=Concerns=

The most important concern is to protect our innocent children from internet usage. In information society, there could be millions of great helpful information yet there could be billions of the opposite. As the great penatration of internet grows everyday, censorship and surveillance must be considered to prevent faulty use of internet by any child. Althought many browsers have the ability to restrict certain unwanted online contents, they still cannot prevent a child from exposure of unexpected spyware and spam. Besides, almost every internet users are aware of online instant messaging but how can you protect a child from talking to the wrong persons? According to Michelle Levesque's lecture, parents play an important role on supervising their children using the internet. There are software which can protect the unwanted attacks such as Firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware...etc However, there is still great risk to provide your personal information online because identity theft has been prevalent. Child online safety is a critical issue of internet usage, and to safely explore the internet, strong regulation on cyber crime must be enforced.

=Future Trend=

As the increasing growth of internet usage expands, we can predict that the internet will penatrate every inch in Canada and USA within years. With cheaper or perhaps free use of wireless connections will decrease digital divide and the gap will be closed by faster and more reliable connection speed. Despite the existing strong infrastructure of cable TV and telephone lines, expensive wires will need to be upgrade and expanded according to the great demand. Thus wireless connection like WiFi, Satellite, and 3G will dominate the old ISPs systems(cable/DSL) and play important roles on improving mobilities as you can get online anywhere and anytime you wish.

=References=

Freedomlist, 2006, located at http://www.freedomlist.com/ Government of Canada,2006, located at [|http://www.investincanada.gc.ca/en/884/Facts_and_Figures.html#Cable%20and%20Telephone%20Subscribers] Internet World Stats, 2006, located at http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats2.htm#north One Degree, 2006, located at http://www.onedegree.ca/2005/08/12/canadian-internet-usage-up-other-media-down Google image source: http://www.memolink.com/images/community/june_05/junecaption.jpg