[1322] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
my need for usage-based charging
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bob Sutterfield)
Tue Sep 10 16:19:25 1991
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 91 16:06:41 -0400
From: Bob Sutterfield <bob@MorningStar.Com>
To: com-priv@uu.psi.com
We usually wish to deliver our products to our customers
electronically, and this is usually the most convenient means for them
to receive it as well. Right now, I must rendezvous on a voice
telephone with their system administrator to set up the UUCP
connection from our machine to theirs. This requires considerable
time and effort because the information needed to set up UUCP
connections is not standardized ("What sort of modem is that? Should
I hit a carriage return after I get a carrier, or should I wait for
you to say login:?") and often requres plenty of trial and error.
We would much rather deliver our products via FTP to our customers who
are already connected to the Internet. But right now we can't, except
in a very few cases*, because traceroute() between our system and
theirs reports that the packets would traverse the NSF-sponsored
backbone, and that would be very blatantly commercial use of public
funded facilities.
If we (or our regional network) were connected to one of the CIX
member networks, there would be a much higher probability that we
could do business without tainting the NSF's wires. But the monthly
rates we've been quoted for connections to the CIX member networks are
hard to justify, given the frequency of our need for such connections.
Most of our day-to-day Internet needs are filled by our connection to
our local regional, where we fit comfortably within their guidelines.
If we could pay for a connection to a network that is unencumbered by
Acceptable Use policies, and that would get us to some fair percentage
of our customers, and if we could pay for that connection only when we
need to use it rather than with some monthly fee, then we would be
very eager to buy such a service.
* We have direct dialup PPP connections with some customers, which
were about as hard to set up initially as UUCP, but which are easier
to use over the long term.
