[10902] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: The FCC strikes the Internet (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Richard Civille)
Mon Mar 14 03:49:15 1994
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 1994 22:58:03 -0500 (EST)
From: Richard Civille <rciville@civicnet.org>
To: Miles R Fidelman <fidelman@civicnet.org>
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: <Pine.3.89.9403131015.A23365-0100000@world.std.com>
Never mind my last one. I got it. This is good. BTW, APT is only
dabbling on telecom-reg and not com-priv, so you might abstract this again
after a day or two, repackage it and post it to telecom-reg.
On Sun, 13 Mar 1994, Miles R Fidelman wrote:
> 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.
>
>
> **************************************************************************
> 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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Center for Civic Networking Richard Civille
P.O. Box 65272 Washington Director
Washington, DC 20035 rciville@civicnet.org
(202) 362-3831
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