The 20th century was full of technological advances that laid the path for communication to be what we know it as today. The 1900s are unique because they contained advances from start to finish. For example, the 1900s saw the first electronic message sent between two computers, as well as the copyright of the term "email" and the start of programs such as Microsoft Mail. Additionally, home computers such as Apple I were created in order to make modern email possible.
Visit this link for an accessible version of the timeline above.
Seal of the United States Federal Communications Commission by the U.S. government is in the public domain.
Telecommunications Act of 1996 The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is a revision to the Communications Act of 1934. According to the FCC's, or Federal Communications Commission, website, the purpose of the Act was to let anyone enter any communications business, specifically to let any communications company compete in any market against any other company. Section 255 is of interest regarding accessibility to patrons or consumers of these competing companies. It requires that telecommunications products as well as Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) must be accessible to people with disabilities. The United States Access Board provides the example of wheelchair ramps on sidewalks to explain the end goal. Not only are these ramps use to individuals with a wheelchair, but also assist those with strollers as well as delivery personnel. A technological example would be closed captioning. Originally designed for those with hearing difficulty or deafness, closed captioning is also utilized by restaurants or public transportation stations as it can be hard to hear in these areas.
Public Domain Image, "Bermuda," courtesy ofNASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
The Bermuda Project (1997) Bermuda is a small British territory, with a population of about 62,000. However, Bermuda has a strong economy and most of its citizens have the mean to access technology. In order for this to be of use and for Bermuda to become a factor in the larger world economy, owners must know how to operate this technology. This sparked the Bermuda Project. Stanford professors Eric Roberts (Computer Science) and Brigid Barron (Education) worked alongside the project's director, Caitlin Martin, as well as a handful of Stanford students to develop a computer science curriculum within Bermuda's two public high school. "Introduction to Computing" teaches students basic computer hardware web design, and the use of important applications such as word processors and spreadsheets. This course became mandatory for all student to take in Bermuda's high schools.
References Wood, Becki. "The History of WiFI." Purple, 27 May 2014, purple.ai/ history-wifi/. Accessed 14 Dec. 2017. McMeal, Harry B. "'Electrical Trust' to Dissolve as Ordered by Circuit Court." Telephony, vol. 61, no. 17, 1911, p. 484. Google Books, books.google.com/ books?id=QALnAAAAMAAJ&q=oyster+bay#v=snippet&q=oyster%20bay&f=false. Accessed 1 Dec. 2017. Madrigal, Alexis C. "The 1947 Paper That First Described a Cell Phone Network." The Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Group, 16 Sept. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/ technology/archive/2011/09/ the-1947-paper-that-first-described-a-cell-phone-network/245222/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2017. History.com Staff. "Marconi Sends First Atlantic Wireless Transmission." History.com, A+E Networks, 2010, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ marconi-sends-first-atlantic-wireless-transmission. Accessed 4 Dec. 2017. "Telecommunications Act of 1996." Federal Communications Commission, 20 June 2013, www.fcc.gov/general/telecommunications-act-1996. Accessed 6 Dec. 2017. Gibbs, Samuel. "How Did Email Grow from Messages between Academics to a Global Epidemic." The Guardian, Guardian News and Media Limited, 7 Mar. 2016, www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/07/email-ray-tomlinson-history. Accessed 4 Dec. 2017. Carlsson, Lennart. "Nordic Mobile Phones a Ringing Success." The New York Times, New York Times Company, 8 Oct. 1991, www.nytimes.com/1991/10/08/news/ 08iht-nord.html. Accessed 14 Dec. 2017. "The Commercial Pacific Cable Company." History of the Atlantic Cable and Undersea Communications, Bill Burns, 16 Mar. 2017, atlantic-cable.com/ CableCos/ComPacCable/index.htm. Accessed 3 Dec. 2017. Cackler, Joe, et al. "The Bermuda." Technology in Developing Economies, 17 Mar. 2008, cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/2007-08/ developing-economies/education-bermuda.html. Accessed 6 Dec. 2017. Anthony, Sebastian. "Original Apple I, Sold by Steve Jobs in 1976, Could Reach $1 Million at Auction." ExtremeTech, Ziff Davis, LLC, 4 Nov. 2014, www.extremetech.com/extreme/ 193512-apple-i-computer-sold-personally-by-steve-jobs-in-1976-could-reach-1-milli on-at-auction. Accessed 4 Dec. 2017. "1.0 Overview." United States Access Board, www.access-board.gov/ guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/ about-the-telecommunications-act-guidelines/background/taac-final-report/ 3-0-terms-and-definitions. Accessed 6 Dec. 2017.