This is an extraordinary essay. I read it on an hour-long bus ride, expecting a history of undersea cabling to put me to sleep. Instead, I devoured it.

The history of undersea broadband is the history of human civilization - it requires amazing leaps in technology, in international cooperation, in private-public negotiation. These three forces shaped the 20th century and are going to determine whether we survive the 21st century.

Absolutely essential reading.