Anthony J. Pennings, PhD

WRITINGS ON DIGITAL ECONOMICS, ENERGY STRATEGIES, AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS

Lincoln and the Telegraphic Civil War

The Union proved more successful with the telegraph than the Confederate South. The telegraph served to coordinate troop movements and critical logistical supply in conjunction with railroads. General Herman Haupt designed the responsibilities of the North’s Department of Military Railroads: inventory the railroads and their distances, assess their condition, and determine the availability and prices of materials and labor for building and maintaining the lines.

Transatlantic Telegraphy

While Western Union was consolidating its power over the widespread US market, others dreamed of using the telegraph to connect with other continents. The dream of electronically connecting North American with Europe was held strongest by Cyrus West Field, a Massachusetts entrepreneur. Born sickly in 1819, Field developed a fierce temperament and drove himself intensely. […]

Telegraphy: The Time-Space Governmentality, Part II

While most considered the telegraph a novelty at first, its fame grew and it began to attract private capital. By 1851, over 50 different US companies were in operation.

Telegraphy: The Time-Space Governmentality

The transport of electrical signals over metallic wires resulted for the first time in almost instantaneous transmission across large distances and was often much more economical than a communication system dependent on the available modes of transportation. News traveled quickly, prices of goods synchronized between different geographical areas, and the West was tamed as descriptions of outlaws were quickly distributed.

The Web in 1909: E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops”

Distances that had only recently been transformed by steam-based rail and ship travel after thousands of years of horse and wind-powered travel were suddenly challenged again by the near instantaneous communications of the telephone and telegraph.

Common Carrier Law and Net Neutrality

Rather than reliance on the First Amendment that guarantees the right of free speech, telecommunications law developed partially from the Constitution’s requirement “To establish Post Offices and Post Roads,” but mainly from commercial law developed to protect the rights of consumers as well as suppliers. Legally, both railroad and telegraph technologies came to be designated as “carriers.”

Napoleon III and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)

Napoleon III, the nephew of the famous Napoleon Bonaparte, had years of experience using the telegraph and was convinced of its use in international affairs.

How IT Came to Rule the World, 2.1: Data Technology and Money

Data communication systems moved quickly from military experimentation to commercial exploitation as banks, news agencies, and other corporate actors who were moving branches and factories offshore utilized these new technologies.

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  • About Me

    Professor at State University of New York (SUNY) Korea since 2016. Moved to Austin, Texas in August 2012 to join the Digital Media Management program at St. Edwards University. Spent the previous decade on the faculty at New York University teaching and researching information systems, digital economics, and strategic communications.

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    anthony.pennings@sunykorea.ac.kr

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    The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of my employers, past or present.