The world of fiber optic connections reaching neighborhoods, homes, and businesses will represent as great a change from what came before as the advent of electricity. The virtually unlimited amounts of data we’ll be able to send and receive through fiber optic connections will enable a degree of virtual presence that will radically transform health care, education, urban administration and services, agriculture, retail sales, and offices. Yet all of those transformations will pale compared with the innovations and new industries that we can’t even imagine today. In a fascinating account combining policy expertise and compelling on-the-ground reporting, Susan Crawford reveals how the giant corporations that control cable and internet access in the United States use their tremendous lobbying power to tilt the playing field against competition, holding back the infrastructure improvements necessary for the country to move forward. And she shows how a few cities and towns are fighting monopoly power to bring the next technological revolution to their communities.

This book is a collection of works dealing with the important technologies and mathematical concepts behind today's optical fiber communications and devices. It features 17 selected topics such as architecture and topologies of optical networks, secure optical communication, PONs, LANs, and WANs and thus provides an overall view of current research trends and technology on these topics. The book compiles worldwide contributions from many prominent universities and research centers, bringing together leading academics and scientists in the field of photonics and optical communications. This compendium is an invaluable reference edited by three scientists with a wide knowledge of the field and the community. Researchers and practitioners working in photonics and optical communications will find this book a valuable resource.

Explores and analyzes past and current technologies and trends in multimedia communication Digital natives—those persons born in the digital age—have an ever-widening range of wireless-enabled devices at their disposal. They are the drivers of multimedia communications, continually seeking out the technologies and distribution channels that best match their needs. This book outlines the changes in telecommunications that are occurring to meet these needs. It addresses the continually increasing requirement to provide connections that make the electronic encounter as natural and convenient as possible, exploring the vast assortment of devices that exist as part of everyday living for digital natives. Featuring precise diagrams and tables to illustrate the evolving environment, the book begins by describing the competitive interactions of telephone, cable TV, and cellular mobile companies in providing services and content. It outlines the creation of digital multimedia streams and how they are transported, explains what multimedia connections are available, and summarizes the activities of competitors while providing an overview of their markets and customer statistics. This book uniquely covers wireline, optical fiber, cable, and wireless access methods, explaining the coding required to create digital streams. It combines ethernet with provider bridging and multi-protocol label switching and highlights the necessity to serve legacy streams. In addition, the book addresses controversial issue: will incumbent communications providers ever overtake Internet as the chief source of digital feeds and popular contents? Featuring extensive references and a glossary of multimedia terms, Connections for the Digital Age is written for digital natives and other persons with an interest in multimedia communications; industrial, commercial, and financial managers; engineers; software professionals and Internet specialists; and students at technical schools and universities.

An introduction to photonics and lasers that does not rely on complex mathematics This book evolved from a series of courses developed by the author and taught in the areas of lasers and photonics. This thoroughly classroom-tested work fills a unique need for students, instructors, and industry professionals in search of an introductory-level book that covers a wide range of topics in these areas. Comparable books tend to be aimed either too high or too low, or they cover only a portion of the topics that are needed for a comprehensive treatment. Photonics and Lasers is divided into four parts: * Propagation of Light * Generation and Detection of Light * Laser Light * Light-Based Communication The author has ensured that complex mathematics does not become an obstacle to understanding key physical concepts. Physical arguments and explanations are clearly set forth while, at the same time, sufficient mathematical detail is provided for a quantitative understanding. As an additional aid to readers who are learning to think symbolically, some equations are expressed in words as well as symbols. Problem sets are provided throughout the book for readers to test their knowledge and grasp of key concepts. A solutions manual is also available for instructors. Finally, the detailed bibliography leads readers to in-depth explorations of particular topics. The book's topics, lasers and photonics, are often treated separately in other texts; however, the author skillfully demonstrates their natural synergy. Because of the combined coverage, this text can be used for a two-semester course or a one-semester course emphasizing either lasers or photonics. This is a perfect introductory textbook for both undergraduate and graduate students, additionally serving as a practical reference for engineers in telecommunications, optics, and laser electronics.

Module 24, Introduction to Fiber Optics, is an introduction to fiber optics.The Navy Electricity and Electronics Training Series (NEETS) was developed for use by personnel in many electrical- and electronic-related Navy ratings. Written by, and with the advice of, senior technicians in these ratings, this series provides beginners with fundamental electrical and electronic concepts through self-study. The presentation of this series is not oriented to any specific rating structure, but is divided into modules containing related information organized into traditional paths of instruction.