---
title: Future Research Directions
tags: lecture, cs176c
description: View the slide with "Slide Mode".
---

# CS 176C:
Future Research Directions

[Slides](https://hackmd.io/@arpitgupta/HJwO8dpjU)

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## Learning Objectives
- Digital Divide
- Why are we still stuck in the past?
- What do we need to change the status quo?
- What is open-access infrastructure?
- AI/ML to fight Digital Divide
- What are self-driving networks?
- Why do we need self-driving networks?
- How can we build them (can we?)?

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# Digital Divide

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## Elephant in the Room!
- What is broadband (in USA)?

- Around **20 M+** don't have broadband access!

Sadly, `digital divide` is real!

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## Cable vs. Fiber
- Cable:
- DOCSIS 3.1: Upto 10/1 Gbps (shared)
- DOCSIS 4.0: Upto 10/6 Gbps (shared)
- Fiber:
- Upto [44 Tbps](https://www.engadget.com/44-tbps-internet-connection-154034760.html) (shared)

Fiber is better than Cable!

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## Why Fiber makes sense?
- Physics:
- Shannon Limit
- $C = B.log_{2}(1+SNR)$
- Bandwidth --> Frequency:
- 200-350 THz vs. upto 1.2 GHz
- Noise:
- less attenuation and interferences --> High SNR

Fiber is always better!

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## Why don't we have Fiber everywhere?
- Return on Investments:
- Fiber ROI is huge but slow (10-20 years)
- Example: Verizon FiOS required $18B (vs. < $ 10 B) investment for 14 % coverage
- Monopolies (Cable Cabals)
- Frontier
- ~13 M customers only had two or less options ([EFF report](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/04/frontiers-bankruptcy-reveals-cynical-choice-deny-profitable-fiber-millions))

This is worrying but not surprising!

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## What can we do?
- Build Open Access Networks
- Two-layer:
- Local government `owns` and `operates` the network, ISPs distribute the services

- Three-layer:
- an independent party operates the network

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## Open Access Arrangement


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## Success Stories


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## Open Access Support in California (1)

- SB-1130 Telecommunications (Passed on `May 26, 2020`)
- Fiber to all:
- Provide access to `high-capacity`, `future-proof` (read fiber) infrastructure to 98 % CA households

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## Open Access Support in California (2)
- Unserved household areas (scope broadened):
- Scope broadened:
- If 90% households have less than 25/25 (vs. 6/1) Mbps speeds
- Open access:
- deploy infrastructure to support 100/100 Mbps speeds

A step in the right direction!

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## Challenges
- Getting Service Providers
- Incentive and expertise mismatch
- big players have expertise but won't support
- Reputation
- Lack of expertise --> easy to mismanage
- Price Competition and Consolidation
- Hard to fight deep pocket services

Government lacks expertise to operate networks!

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# AI/ML to Fight Digital Divide

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## Self-Driving Networks

- Key idea:
- develop networks that can run themselves
- use AI/ML + programmable switches
- History:
- gained popularity in recent years
- Popularized by:
- Efforts at Google, Facebook, etc.
- Sonata-like systems and NSF/Princeton workshops

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## Self-Driving Networks
Original Vision
Closing the control loop!

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## Technical Push

- Fully, programmable, protocol-independent data planes, and mechanisms to program them (e.g., P4)
- More fine-grained, programmable network measurements (e.g., Sonata)
- Scale-out, distributed streaming capabilities (e.g., Spark, Storm)
- Customizable actions in the forwarding plane (e.g., with P4)

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## Self-Driving Networks for Open Access
- Operating Open Access Networks
- Government lacks expertise
- Can we transfer this expertise?
- Develop AI/ML-based systems that mimic *expert* network operators

(How )Can we develop self-driving broadband networks?

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## Self-driving Broadband Networks (Requirements)

- `Sense`: Scalable and flexible network-measurement infrastructure
- `Infer`: AI/ML-based solutions to infer diverse networks events in (near) real-time
- `Actuate`: Automate configuration of different network devices

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## Self-driving Broadband Networks (Approach)
- Develop programmable interface for active/passive measurements at modems/routers
- Use open-sourced AI/ML tools and edge cloud solutions to analyse network data
- Develop programmable interfaces for dynamically reconfiguring network devices (safely)

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## Summary
- This class:
- Digital divide
- Open access networks
- Self-driving (broadband) networks
- Next class:
- Measurements for self-driving networks