Monday was the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental telegraph in the United States, in 1861. It took another 20 years for the charter of the Canadian Pacific to permit trans-Canada messaging to be routed without transit through the US.
Verizon’s PolicyBlog has an interesting viewpoint on this milestone.
Until the telegraph came in to being, it was impossible for messages to be relayed to people who were long distances apart any faster than the speed of a horse.
But Verizon also makes important observations on characteristics that distinguish today’s networks from the amazing transformative impact of the telegraph. I recommend reading it.