LECTURES, Weeks 1-3
TELE 350 – Telecommunication Systems
Fall, 2003
Week 1
8/25/2003
TELE 350
Housekeeping:
–pass out syllabus
–pass around the class list (attendance)
–Introducing the Instructor
–review syllabus
–Objectives (technology, integration, presentation skills, web skills)
–textbooks
–Grading
–Schedule (note assignments; there will be field trips; more questions next time)
–Introducing the Students
–Course Commitments

Implicit & Explicit Course Agreements – Dr. Finn
1. I will be at every scheduled class (except as noted below).
Date
Nature of My Other Commitment
2. I will begin class on time, and start on time after breaks.
3. I will end class on time.
4. I will come to each class fully prepared.
5. I will be truly “present” in class at all times – alert, listening actively, and participating fully.
6. I will take personal responsibility for my situation, even when unforeseen events occur.
7. I will treat each of you with respect
8. I will adhere to the GMU Code of Conduct.
9. I will communicate with you as soon as I know that some other commitment will interfere (or is
interfering) with one of these course commitments.
What are the most important communication systems, methods or devices TO YOU PERSONALLY (put the
most important ones first)?
 (have them List – here’s mine)
1. Telephone
2. Computer / e-mail
3. Television
4. Books
5. Newspapers
1
Overview of Semester:
–dizzying array of technologies
–hard to make sense w/o roadmap
–we’ll use several roadmaps:
–Interpersonal vs. Mass
–Personal vs. Impersonal
–Information Sys vs. Communication Sys
–10 Attributes
–
Examples: Mass Comm
–Newspapers
–Magazines
–Books
–Phonograph
–Movies
–Broadcast Radio
–Broadcast TV
–Cable TV
–Audio Cassettes, CDs
–Videocassettes
–New Wireless Technologies
–New Wired Technologies
–On-Line Newspapers
–Computers, Internet, WWW
Examples: Interpersonal Comm
–Face To Face
–Letters
–Telegraph
–Telephone
–Radio (Ship, Short-wave, CB)
–E-Mail
–Answering Machines
–Voice Mail
–Fax
–Video Conferencing
–Video Phone
–Computers
–Internet, WWW
Overview of Telecommunications
Tele
- “At A Distance”
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Telecommunications
–(Electronic) Comm At A Distance
–“Mediated”
The Field of Communication
–Interpersonal
–Small Group
–Large Group
–Organizational
–Mass
Mass Communication
–One Way
–No Direct Feedback
–1 To Many (Millions?)
–Dispersed Audience
–Edited / Packaged
–Impersonal
Interpersonal Communication
–Two Way
–Feedback
–1 To 1, 1 To Many
–Not “Packaged”
–Personal
Mass / Interpersonal Communication
–Mass, Interpersonal Theories; where do “new technologies” fit?
–One-way, two-way
–1 to 1, 1 to many, many to many
–mass: dispersed receivers
–Personal / impersonal communication
S-M-C-R
Model of Communication
–Source
–Message
–Channel (w/ encoding before and decoding after)
–Receiver
Plus:
–Feedback (to regulate flow of comm)
–Noise (distortion/errors)
Technical and Non-technical Internet Structures
Related to Personal Communication
 Emoticons
 Acronyms
 Netiquette
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Anonymous Remailers
Public Key Encryption
E-mail: POP Implementations
E-mail: IMAP Implementations
Listservs
Newsgroups
Computer Conferencing
NOT Related to Personal Communication
 Spam
 Cookies
 Virus Hoaxes
 Urban Legends
 Firewalls
 Software Filters
 Carnivore
 Gopher, ftp & telnet
 Internet Addiction
 Evaluating Source Credibility
 Opt In vs. Opt Out
 Search Engines
Areas Of Telecommunications
–The Technology
–Policy & Regulation
–Industry Structure
–Economics Of The Media
–The Production Of Messages
–Effects Of The Media
–On Individuals
–On Groups
On Society
Components of a Computer Network
 CPU / Server(s)
 Conduit (Transmission media; “pipe”)
 Terminals
 Peripherals
Class Exercise 1a
List as many terminal devices as you can.
Organize then in categories that make sense to you.

First do individually
4
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Then in a group (of 3)
Computer Technology
Components Of A Computer Network
–CPU
–Processing
–Storage Device
–Transmission Medium / Conduit
–Terminal Devices
–Peripherals
Traditional Types Of Computers
–Mainframes
–Mini-Computers
–Micro-Computers
New Classifications
–Servers
–“Mainframes” Disappearing
–Client-Server
–Terminals, Printers, Other Peripherals & Output Devices
4 Types Of Computer “Capacity”
–Storage Capacity
–Access Speed
–Processing Speed
–Transmission Rate
Five Trends In Computing
–Increased Speed
–Increased Capacity
–Miniaturization
–Decentralization
–End-User Control
Computers (Continued)
Storage And Processing: The Heart Of The
Digital Computer
–A Bit:
–A Byte:
–A Kilobyte:
–A Megabyte:
–A Gigabyte:
My PCs
–Storage:
A 0 Or 1
8 Bits (00000001)
256 Possible Arrangements
1,000 Bytes (1,024)
1/2 Page Text
1,000,000 Bytes
500 Pages
1 Billion Bytes
500,000 Pages
From NO hard drive, to 10 Mb,
20 Mb, 340 Mb, 3.2 Gb,
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Processing:
20 Gb, 80Gb, 160Gb
From Clock Speed of: 33 KHz, to
80, 200, 650 KHz, 2.24 MHz
Fiber:
–Today: 2.5 Gb/Sec
–New Fiber: 80, 160 Gb
Week 2
1.25m Pages
40m, 80m Pages
9/8/2003
TELE 350
Housekeeping:
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review syllabus questions?
Contact Sheet
Due Week 4: Critique 1
History Of Telephony Regulation,
AT&T, & Industry Structure
History of Common Carrier
–Telegraph:
Invented 1844
–Telephone:
Invented 1876
–Intercom Uses
–Music Uses
–Invention of Switching
–Long-Distance
–Rise of AT&T
–AT&T’s “Natural Monopoly”
–1913 Anti-Trust Action

 Led to “Kingsbury Commitment”
 AT&T Promised To:
 Stop Unfair Practices (Refusal to Interconnect)
 Pursue Universal Service

1925: Bell Labs Founded
History Of Telephony Regulation,
AT&T, & Industry Structure (Con’t)

AT&T Made up of 4 Components:
 22 BOCs
Local Phone Service
 Long Lines
Long Distance Service
 Western Electric
Equip. Manufacturing
 Bell Laboratories
R&D
–1949-56 Anti-Trust Action 
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Gov’t Stopped Effort To Break Up AT&T
AT&T Agreed To Stay Out Of Computers
–1968 Carterfone Decision 
Competition In The Equipment Business
–1969 MCI Decision

Competition In The Transmission (LD) Business
–1974 Anti Trust Action Started
–Vertical & Horizontal Monopoly
–Gov’t Wanted AT&T To Give Up Western Electric (Equipment Business)
History Of Telephony Regulation,
AT&T, & Industry Structure (Con’t)
1981 Computer Inquiry II Decision
–Computer Companies Were Transmitting Data Over Phone Lines
–Could Continue Offering “Enhanced Services” - Unregulated
–AT&T Could Offer “Enhanced Services” And CPE - Under A Separate Subsidiary
–1974-82 Anti-Trust Action 
1984 Divestiture
–AT&T Keeps LD, WE, & Labs; Spin Off Bocs
–AT&T Keeps 400,000 Employees, 600,000 Go With BOCs
–AT&T Keep $40 B In Assets, Gives Up $60 B
–22 BOCs Re-Organized Into 7 RBOCs
–NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, Bell South, Ameritech, US West, S. Western Bell, & Pacific
Telesis
History Of Telephony Regulation,
AT&T, & Industry Structure (con’t)
–RBOCs Not Allowed To:
– Manufacture Equipment
–Get Into LD
–Offer Enhanced Services
–RBOCs Keep Yellow Pages, Pay Phones
–Telecomm Act Of 1996
–“Open Competition”
–Re-Regulation (Not De-Regulation!)
–Cable, Local Phone And LD Companies Can Offer Each Other’s Services
–“Once there is Competition”
–Comm Decency Act Of 1996
–V-Chip (Television) Proposal
–Banned “Indecency” On The Internet
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Ten Attributes Common to ALL
Communication & Information Technology (CIT)
Type of Content
 Text
 Audio
 Still Image
 Moving Image
 Raw Data
 Implications:
 Bandwidth, User Interface
Directionality
 One-Way
 Two-Way
 Implications:
 Degree of Non-Simultaneity
Degree of Non-Simultaneity
 Simultaneous / Non-Simultaneous Dichotomy
 Then, Varying Degrees of Non-Simultaneity
 Implications:
 Storage
Type of Conduit
 Wired
 Wireless
 Implications:
 Impacts Degree of Mobility
Analog / Digital Representation
 Analog
 Digital
 Implications:
 Storage Capabilities
 Transmission Capabilities
Access Points
 One to One
 One to Many
 One to One Many Times Over
(Rather than Many to Many)
 Implications:
 Number of Simultaneous Users
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Type of Connection
 Switched
 Networked
 Broadcast
 Implications:
 Directionality
 Degree of Non-Simultaneity
Bandwidth
 Narrowband
 Baseband
 Broadband
 Implications:
 Impacts Transmission Speed
Storage
 Content Preservability
 Content Retrievability
 Content Searchability
 Content Modifiability
 Implications:
 Impacts Ease of Use
 Impacts Flexibility & User Control
User Interface
 Type of Content Addressed
 Input / Output Devices
 Feature Richness
 Feature Operation
 System Navigation
 Implications:
 Impacts Ease of Use
 Impacts Mobility
Note:
–Very Few Technologies are “Pure” Examples
–Most are Hybrid
Class Exercise 2
Name 1-4 Technologies (Systems) that fit in each of the 4 boxes below.
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One Way
Two-Way
Simultaneous
Non-Simultaneous
Week 3
9/15/2003
TELE 350
Housekeeping:
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Introduce new student(s)
Due Week 4: Critique 1
Discuss Web Assignments
 Level of web design experience?
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To sign up for STARS Center Courses go to
 http://media.gmu.edu/workshops/
Upcoming courses of interest to TELE 350

Create & Upload a Basic Web Page (9/15, 7:30 pm)

Dreamweaver I (9/18, 10:30 am)
Lecture
 Finish History of Common Carrier
 10 Attributes
Class Exercise 3
List ALL the basic consumer choices people must make when ordering:
1.
Home (land line) telephone service
2.
Cell (wireless) telephone service
Organize these into categories of decisions (it may help to think about the questions a sales rep might ask
the consumer).
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