[15] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Breaking network funding out of central planning
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David J. Farber)
Wed Oct 17 19:18:24 1990
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 90 17:36:12 EDT
From: farber@central.cis.upenn.edu (David J. Farber)
To: Dan Schlitt <dan@sci.ccny.cuny.edu>
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
Ah, it is indeed dangerous to step up and involve oneself but here I
go...
I fully support the notion of direct funding of the network via the
end users. I have had a continuous problems how to do it.
Consider the following choices on how to supply the money:
1. put it in overhead. Sounds great but the feds want to cap overhead
and even if they allowed it, I would bet that it would be like
pulling teeth to get the monies allocated to new expanded service as
opposed to "writing off the current investment" and "communications
in general" (read as telephone system that needs replacement).
2. direct grant to researchers. The feds tend to cap the amount a
researcher can get in a grant. It is hard to get them to ask for
things that detract from student funding and summer salaries
especially with the endless demands that researcher try to get
"release time". Sounds hard to get real dollars that way. Also will,
say , a chemist be willing to provide out of his/her allocation of
funds networking for the Education faculty?
3. direct grant to institution by the fed. Who will do it. DOE
(that's education not energy). Will the NSF in the long term be
politically able to fund the non-sciences especially if the funding
for basic science gets cut?
All very very complicated. I would be happy to hear why I worry too
much.
Dave
