Mississippi Bell Labs - An Immodest Proposal
Apr 22, 2007 16:14 Filed in: Mississippi/Jackson
Prior to the breakup of AT&T, Bell Labs was one
of the most creative institutions in the world. So
many inventions and discoveries came out of an
institution that hired geniuses and told them to do
what they wanted to do, that it can honestly be said
that had Bell Labs not existed, the World would be a
vastly different place and much the worser. Because
of the unique exemption the government gave AT&T
for many years, it had to license its discoveries
very expensively. Unix, for instance, was practically
given to colleges and universities, which explains
why Unix and its descendants like BDS and Linux are
pervasive in the computer world.
Bell Labs is now owned by Alcatel-Lucent, and although its mission is similar to that of AT&T Bell Labs, the unique circumstances that made it such a national treasure no longer exist and it resembles a large corporate research organization more and more. This is clearly one of those instances where the application of market principles resulted in a monumental loss for us all.
Would it be possible for the State of Mississippi to establish such an independent laboratory? Is it desirable? Would it be a good investment of the admittedly scarce resources of this poverty-stricken state? Could the legislature and the executive branches be trusted to keep their political hands off the lab and simply let geniuses do what they do so well? Could the Department of Economic Development and the state universities be dissuaded from regarding it as a competitor? Big questions. Previous attempts have not turned out well:
Summaries of PEER Reports Vol. 1 1973-79
Summaries of PEER Reports 1973-2002
There could be some big benefits, though. The state would own a collection of valuable patents it could license to Mississippi businesses or businesses that are willing to move here for the long run as a condition of licensing. The people of Mississippi would gain both from job opportunities and from the licensing income that would help finance state government. And although the geniuses in the lab would be given freedom to work on whatever projects they wished, there would always be the understanding that they would be expected to direct some of that intelligence and creativity toward solving the manifold problems we experience in this poorest state.
The biggest problem with such an institution would be the demand for immediate concrete achievements. ITD was founded with great expectations of high-tech employment in the state and it didn't work out. A Mississippi "Bell" Labs would have to be established in the faith that something good will eventually come out of it and with a minimum guarantee of ten years' full funding.
There are many more problems that would have to be dealt with before something like this would have a chance to succeed. The composition of the board of trustees would be a huge problem. Many of the logical choices for the board would have sharp axes to grind, like representatives of higher education. Who gets to pick the geniuses to initially populate the labs? Once the lab gets up and started, the employed geniuses themselves could suggest new colleagues. Where to put the labs? Not on a university campus, but not too far away, either.
In spite of the obstacles, a successful Mississippi Labs would represent a coup. We should at least be discussing the possibilities.
Bell Labs is now owned by Alcatel-Lucent, and although its mission is similar to that of AT&T Bell Labs, the unique circumstances that made it such a national treasure no longer exist and it resembles a large corporate research organization more and more. This is clearly one of those instances where the application of market principles resulted in a monumental loss for us all.
Would it be possible for the State of Mississippi to establish such an independent laboratory? Is it desirable? Would it be a good investment of the admittedly scarce resources of this poverty-stricken state? Could the legislature and the executive branches be trusted to keep their political hands off the lab and simply let geniuses do what they do so well? Could the Department of Economic Development and the state universities be dissuaded from regarding it as a competitor? Big questions. Previous attempts have not turned out well:
Summaries of PEER Reports Vol. 1 1973-79
Summaries of PEER Reports 1973-2002
There could be some big benefits, though. The state would own a collection of valuable patents it could license to Mississippi businesses or businesses that are willing to move here for the long run as a condition of licensing. The people of Mississippi would gain both from job opportunities and from the licensing income that would help finance state government. And although the geniuses in the lab would be given freedom to work on whatever projects they wished, there would always be the understanding that they would be expected to direct some of that intelligence and creativity toward solving the manifold problems we experience in this poorest state.
The biggest problem with such an institution would be the demand for immediate concrete achievements. ITD was founded with great expectations of high-tech employment in the state and it didn't work out. A Mississippi "Bell" Labs would have to be established in the faith that something good will eventually come out of it and with a minimum guarantee of ten years' full funding.
There are many more problems that would have to be dealt with before something like this would have a chance to succeed. The composition of the board of trustees would be a huge problem. Many of the logical choices for the board would have sharp axes to grind, like representatives of higher education. Who gets to pick the geniuses to initially populate the labs? Once the lab gets up and started, the employed geniuses themselves could suggest new colleagues. Where to put the labs? Not on a university campus, but not too far away, either.
In spite of the obstacles, a successful Mississippi Labs would represent a coup. We should at least be discussing the possibilities.
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