Current protocols are expected to become inefficient if used at speeds in excess of 1 Gigabit per second. While this premise is widely accepted, no model exists to explain the phenomenon. We define a model for understanding protocols which is aimed at explaining why such a barrier exists, and indicates alternate designs which do not have this limit. Existing protocols are akin to classical mechanics; 1 Gigabit/second is the speed near which relativistic effects emerge. In order to account for these effects, we need to express knowledge at a distance, latent measurement, and uncertainty as real entities, not negligible estimates. The result is a model which expresses not only existing protocols, and may contribute to a better understanding of the Gigabit communications domain.