In reality, those who ask for the exemption will be the technically-inclined, who will know when the firewall interferes with their online activities. And so, while the digerati will have access to all the Internet has to offer, the rest of us will have access to only what HASCS thinks is important. And, as new applications rapidly emerge--applications that will take advantage of the Internet in ways we currently can't imagine--those of us behind the firewall will be forced to wait, with baited breath, until higher powers allow us to partake in the revolution.

If not a firewall, then what? For starters, HASCS might do well to place more urgency on improving the network's infrastructure.

"At present, Harvard's network infrastructure is incredibly insufficient," says Michael S. Vernal '01, who is also a teaching fellow for Computer Science 244: "Advanced Network Design Projects." According to Vernal, the FAS network is connected to the outside world via a single 100mbps (megabits-per-second) pipe. Each of the network's 12,000 connections shares this bandwidth. Says Vernal: "If one-third of the undergraduate population was using the FAS network at the same time, each student would be connected at the speed of a 56.6kbps modem." That's the connection speed you'd expect of your mom's AOL connection, not of a prestigious academic institution.

In the end, a firewall might do much to alleviate the current crises in network bandwidth. But at most, it should be in place only until HASCS has time to implement long-term education campaigns and infrastructure improvements. A permanent firewall on the FAS network is not just at odds with this University's commitment to academic freedom. It would hide away a vast chunk of the Internet from those of us who stand to learn from it the most.

Richard S. Lee '01 is a social studies concentrator in Pforzheimer House. His column appears on alternate Thursdays.