Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.
Consider this: Every text message you send, every status update you
post on Facebook, and every online news story you read relies on
something as archaic as a cable on the bottom of the sea.
The first undersea cable was laid in the 1850s, connecting
Newfoundland and Ireland by telegraph. Over the years, the cables
have increased in reach and capability, stretching out for tens of
thousands of miles and reaching depths of up to 8,000 meters.
Of course, our reliance on undersea cables comes a fierce sense of
protection, which is why U.S. Navy commanders are growing
increasingly worried about Russia’s aggressive military operations
around undersea cables.
NICOLE STAROSIELSKI, author of “The Undersea Network” and a
professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University,
provides a history of the cables and explains what's at stake.
What you'll learn from this segment: A brief history of undersea
telecommunications cables that date back over 150 years. How
military operations might effect global communication. How seriously
we should take Russia's presence near these cables.
> CLICK TO ENLARGE
[http://www.submarinecablemap.com/]
Submarine Cable Map. Click to Enlarge
(TeleGeography)
