Will politics retard high tech here?

On second thought, that's a stupid question. Of course politics, our brand of politics will retard our ability to adopt high technology in information and communication in this country. It already is. At a time when Internet companies merge with old fashioned media companies in the US because of the demands of that phenomenon called convergence, our lawmakers act like hick town politicians that most of them are.

All these mergers going on all over the world among telecom, media and Internet companies are nothing more than the acceptance of the reality that we are moving into convergence. In the future, there will be just one wire going into consumer homes and that one wire will provide entertainment, Internet and regular telephone services.

That means the cable company, the broadcasting station, the Internet service provider and the telephone company will just be one business. Yet, congressional franchises being passed by our Congress prevents a phone company from going into cable or vice versa. The era of the mega franchise is here. Our congressional leaders can ignore this development at our country's peril.

Up until now, I didn't think that one wire delivery would include electricity. But apparently, the convergence concept has advanced one more step. Last Wednesday's issue of the Financial Times of London carried an interesting story in its technology page that reported just that. Europe, it turns out, is moving towards adopting a new technology called Powerline Telecommunications Technology (PLT).

PLT gives electricity users two-way, high-speed access to data communications services over existing electricity networks. PLT has considerable potential to accelerate the availability of fast, cost-effective Internet service for anyone connected to an electricity grid. And for power distributors like our own Meralco, marginal incremental cost in additional equipment would make the cost of entry into the telecommunications business very affordable and the deployment very rapid.

The beauty of this new technology, specially to countries like us trying to build up our infrastructure but have little funds is the efficiency that PLT will deliver. For the end-users, connection costs would be low because the network providers could reuse existing infrastructure, while "always on" services could be offered.

Come to think of it, maybe the DOTC should abandon that very expensive and graft prone Telepono para sa Barangay project and instead work with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to expand the reach of electric coops into the hinterlands. If this PLT is as good as the Financial Times article says it is, we could hit two birds with one stone: electrify the country and bring them telecommunications as well with just one wire.

The FT reports that currently available PLT products can transmit data rates at up to 1 MB per second -- nearly 20 times faster than a standard 55 KB modem.

But the technology is still evolving and it is certain that it would be much faster still in the not too distant future.

It is a fantastic concept. You just plug your computer in the wall socket and you get the Internet as well.

You plug your television and you get the cable channels. The same thing for the regular phone. One drawback here is, if the jellyfish attack Napocor's power plants and cause a power failure, everything will also be totally dead.

I had breakfast with BSP Governor Paeng Buenaventura last Friday and his big news is something many might think unbelievable: Erap had been born again. No, no, no. Not that born again, lest some people I know start jumping up and down, clapping their hands and shouting alleluia. What Tio Paeng means has to do with a new Erap in relation to how he now approaches his job as President of the Republic.

Tio Paeng didn't use this word, but I think it captures the essence of the new Erap: natauhan. His continuous decline in the polls must have jolted him into realizing that there must be something he is doing wrong. But, the macho that he is, he is not about to admit his faults publicly. Anyway, he is doing something to reverse the situation in his own quiet way.

First of all, Erap is resisting the urge to make cute responses to ambush interview questions. This is taking a lot of energy from him, but it seems to be working so far. A more formal press conference once or twice a month as is the case in the White House, will probably be the way to go.

Second, Tio Paeng says Erap has started to choose his friends. Hindi na daw masyadong ma-barkada. He now wants to be surrounded by people with no agenda. The Chinoy advisers, who have cause him so much grief, have been banished from the Palace. Even MJ, is old story na daw. Erap is instead, spending more of his time studying official papers.

Third, Erap no longer acts on the basis of who made bulong last. Tio Paeng says the President will not act particularly on economic matters without full discussion of the ECC.

Finally, he wants technocrats to help him run government. Notice that he imported a Filipino academician from Canada to take the place of Lenny de Jesus as head of the PMS. When he had to replace the BIR Chief, Erap did not appoint an Ateneo Class 55 classmate who was close to him and an old hand at the BIR. Even if his classmate was well qualified, the President decided on Dakila Fonacier (who didn't want the job) so that the message of "walang bata bata" comes out loud and clear.

Now, Tio Paeng says, it is a disadvantage to be tagged as a friend or a relative of Erap if you are after a presidential appointment. Just look and see, Tio Paeng says, how different things will be from now on.

A new and improved Erap is difficult to buy. But if Tio Paeng, someone whose judgment I have always trusted, says it is true, I have to give it some credence. Siguro nga. Mabuti naman. Tignan natin.

A mother had three daughters and, on their wedding, she tells each one of them to write back about their honeymoon.

The first one gets married and the second day the letter arrives with a single message, simply: "MAXWELL COFFEE HOUSE". Mother got confused and finally noticed a Maxwell advertisement, and it says: "Satisfaction to the last drop..." So, Mother is happy.

Then the second daughter gets married. After a week, there was a message that reads: "ROTHMANS". So, the Mother looks into the Rothmans ad, and it says: "LIFE SIZE, KING SIZE". And Mother is happy.

Then it was the third one's wedding. Mother was anxious. After four weeks came the message: "BRITISH AIRWAYS". And mother looks into the BA ad, but this time she fainted. The ad reads: "TWO TIMES A DAY, FOUR TIMES A WEEK, BOTH WAYS."

(Boo Chanco's e-mail address is [email protected])