[1655] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Restraint of Trade
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Martin Lee Schoffstall)
Mon Dec 9 13:17:07 1991
To: the terminal of Geoff Goodfellow <geoff@fernwood.mpk.ca.us>
Cc: wls@psi.com (William Schrader), com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 09 Dec 91 09:50:56 MST."
Date: Mon, 09 Dec 91 13:13:18 -0500
From: "Martin Lee Schoffstall" <schoff@psi.com>
Originally the CIX met with ANS several times (well before interop) to discuss
interconnection. In the last meeting before Interop we were finally told
of the combits and exclusive nsfnet commercialization as fixed NSF policy,
this was then confirmed, and eventually documented. The documentation
(two letters posted) appear to be the entire basis of a complete 180 degree
change in a procurement, establishment of a virtual monopoloy, and the
virtual establishment of a industrial policy for the US Internet.
Minimally they represent an instutitutionalization of the concept
of paying on a per bit basis, all decided early last year.
At this point in time while the CIX is involved, it goes well beyond
a philosphical difference between the CIX model and the ANS model but
real damaage done past/present/future to various organizations.
As such, meetings have been held with merit/ans/nsf with independant
arbitrators present.
In addition for the US Internet as a whole, the
institutionalization of paying on a per bit basis is
an extremely large threat to the Internet that we know.
Using the
atomic clock analogy - we are now 5 minutes to midnight, it is time
to write your congress-person.
Marty
--------
Bill,
Perhaps this question would be better asked of you by NSF program
management in private: Do you have a suggested path that should be
taken to correct "these mistakes" and make you and other potentially
grieved parties "whole"?
Geoff
