You would never guess Ted Stevens wasn't a techie. Of course, at the time, neither were most of his colleagues in the senate. At least Ted
was aware that the internet is "not a truck."
The Quote:
''The internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck. It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it's going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.''
— Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) 2006
Context
Sitting chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Ted Stevens was attempting to argue against internet regulation during a debate on Net Neutraliity in 2006. The Net Nuetrality legislation would have prohibited ISPs from charging some companies higher fees based on the traffic they generated.
There's a chance Senator Stevens may have "dumbed down" his explanation for the not-so-net-savvy senators in the room. (Keep in mind that widespread use of the internet didn't come about until the mid-90s.)
If you think about it, "series of tubes" isn't really a bad metaphor. But the remark brought a tremendous amount of criticism that characterized Stevens as just plain dumb — a characterization that's still presumed true today.
What Is The Internet, If Not a Series Of Tubes?
According to Google: "The internet is a vast network of interconnected computers and networks that use TCP/IP to communicate.
It includes:
- Data centers: These are physical locations that store and process data.
- Internet exchange points: These are locations where different networks connect and exchange data.
While the fiber-optic cables are a crucial part of the internet's infrastructure, they are not simply tubes. They are complex systems containing multiple strands of fiber-optic cable, according to NPR.
Who Said It:
Ted Stevens (1923-2010) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009. He was the longest-serving Republican Senator in history at the time he left office. Stevens has been described as one of the most powerful members of Congress during his tenure.
In 2008, Stevens was convicted of Feeral Corruption and subsequently lost his bid for re-election. His sentence was vacated, however, and the underlying indictment was dismissed due to gross prosecutorial misconduct.
Stevens died in a plane crash on August 9, 2010. He and several others were en route to a private fishing lodge in Alaska.
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Alaska
Featured
Internet
Inventing the Internet
Net Nuetrality
Republicans
Senators
Ted Stevens
Word Salad
Word Salad & Brain Farts
