[12823] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: What is required for information access?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Seth Rothberg)
Mon May 30 08:17:53 1994
Date: Sun, 29 May 1994 19:57:52 -0400
From: Seth Rothberg <SROTH@ucsvax.ucs.umass.edu>
To: com-priv@psi.com
X-Vms-To: in%"com-priv@psi.com"
Karl Denninger (karl@MCS.Net) writes, vis a vis universal access, that
80% of the population is already hooked up or can afford to be but that:
>the other 20% of the problem is more difficult, but bringing the net into
>the libraries of the nation on publically-accessible terminals -- not so
>people can write letters -- we already have a means to do that -- but so
>they can participate in the electronic discourse and get at the vast
>information stored here -- can enfranchise the other 20%.
>No massive government subsidy is needed. A 28.8kbps nailed-up leased
>circuit link to a library is sufficient. If you want to really make it
>more friendly, go for a 56kbps link. Today, that's enough. And today,
>that's affordable.
Karl, I'm curious. What are "nailed-up leased circuit links?" How much
is the 28.8kbps version? How much is the 56kbps? How much will it cost
to maintain them? What about increased phone bills?
I work at a fairly wealthy public library in a fairly wealthy university
town. Our endowment is big and funds about one third of our yearly budget.
Just under two-thirds comes from property taxes. The rest comes from the
state. We could not afford to pay, say, a $1000 a month out of our current
budget. We'd need a subsidy of some sort to get and maintain connectivity.
Seth
