High-tech types: What would you do with a lot of available 'Net backbone?

[KamaAina]

There is a method to my madness; ask Mr. Avatar. According to the Progressive Policy Institute's New Economy Index, New Orleans came surprisingly close to such 'Net hotbeds as SF, DC and Seattle in terms of backbone infrastructure -- and that was a few years ago, "pre-K" as they say down there.

http://www.neweconomyindex.org/metro/part4_page5.html

8 Seattle 49
9 Orlando 46
10 San Francisco 45
11 Richmond 44
12 St. Louis 44
13 Washington 43
14 Austin 43
15 New Orleans 43

Presumably all or most of the infrastructure, centered on the relatively undamaged Central Business District, has been repaired -- but with the reduced population and business activity, traffic may not return to its pre-K levels for years. Which begs the questions, What to do with all that bandwidth that's just sitting there?, and, How could it be deployed to support business that could help the recovery effort?

Data mining doesn't exactly have the best reputation right now :P so let's focus on something N.O. is already good at: content provision for 'Net-based entertainment. This would have the salutary side effect of giving many N.O. musicians a reason to get back in from places like Austin and (gulp) Nashville where they have settled (temprarily, we fervently hope).

Ideas welcome! Operators are standing by...

[Deja Q]

1. Use it for more web-based applications and lay off support staff.

That's what the industry is doing; right down to thin clients and other means of centralization (aka "eggs in one basket". Microsoft Basket(tm). )

[KamaAina]

2. Perfect! That'll fit well with Bush**co's desire to keep N.O. depopulated.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

Seriously, for many decades now, the only way to coax business to locate in N.O. has been to offer them access to something they can't get elsewhere: the port, obviously, and more recently oil and gas reserves. It is my hope that the backbone could be the 21st-century version of the port: a "renewable" resource that serves to move other resources (information, in this case).