[10880] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: The FCC strikes the Internet (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Miles R Fidelman)
Sun Mar 13 14:03:52 1994
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 1994 10:21:59 -0500 (EST)
From: Miles R Fidelman <fidelman@civicnet.org>
To: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: <m0pfdrG-000BbgC@mercury.mcs.com>
On Sat, 12 Mar 1994, Karl Denninger wrote:
> The Net <already> has flat-rate access in most metro areas. IF you really
> think that is important from a public policy point of view, force the
> telcos to provide flat-rate LONG DISTANCE and LOCAL phone service. Doing
> <that> is at least a level playing field (you can communicate in either
> voice or via data over such a line, at the CONSUMERs option).
>
Actually, flat-rate local service is the key point underlying all of
this. Right now, the Internet becomes flat rate if:
a. you are a large enough site to justify a leased line to your nearest
Internet POP, or,
b. you are a residential user, with unlimited local dialing and a local
flat-rate SLIP provider, or,
c. you are a small business/organizational user, with unlimited local
dialing and a local flat-rate SLIP provider
Note that case c. is the least common, and its the lack of flat-rate
business calling that's the sticking point. Even cheap SLIP service
becomes very expensive when you're paying $.01 or more per minute for
dialup access.
Also note that the heaviest social benefits will probably come when small
businesses, schools, libraries, etc. can get on the net at a
price-per-desktop comparable to that of larger sites.
One alternative to flat local business calling is better unbundling of
local loop services. I.e., if I, as a third party, can co-locate some
switching gear in a telco central office, and buy unbundled access to the
copper local loops (at a flat-rate), I can probably offer pretty cheap
flat-rate Internet service. The good news is that this is precisely the
kind of unbundling that long distance carriers, cellular carriers, and
budding PCS carriers are spending large amounts of time and money
lobbying for.
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Miles R. Fidelman mfidelman@civicnet.org
Executive Director 91 Baldwin St. Charlestown MA 02129
The Center for Civic Networking 617-241-9205 fax: 617-241-5064
Check out our gopher server:
CCN - The Center for Civic Networking
on the list of all gopher servers in the world.
Information Infrastructure: Public Spaces for the 21st Century
Let's Start With: Internet Wall-Plugs Everywhere
Then We Can Worry About: "Switched, Interactive, Broadband Services"
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