[10648] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: CCN's Clarification re: Internet Local Loop
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Miles R Fidelman)
Thu Mar 3 14:42:38 1994
Date: Wed, 2 Mar 1994 11:56:57 -0500 (EST)
From: Miles R Fidelman <fidelman@civicnet.org>
To: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: <CLysFD.9s6@world.std.com>
On Tue, 1 Mar 1994, Gary R Wright wrote:
> You can buy today in many locations flat, unlimited access to an
> Internet connected host for $10 - $20 dollars/month. All you would
> need would be a cheap modem and a dumb terminal and you can access
> email, newsgroups, etc. If you want to download files/software etc,
> you'll need to buy a computer.
>
> This type of a service is *much* cheaper by far than any sort of
> direct IP-connected service available today. Setting up and running
> a TCP/IP host is getting easier but certainly costs something in
> additional software and time. Even if you are directly connected,
> you need a *permanently* connected host to spool newsgroups and mail
> for you and who knows what other services that will pop up in the
> future.
>
Several points:
i. SLIP service is becoming available at the $20/month price in many
areas, so the price difference between host service and IP service is
becoming a non-issue
ii. the real issue is local loop cost -- its really $10-20/month PLUS
LOCAL PHONE COSTS -- which for most businesses, schools, libraries is
around 1.5 cents/minute here, and I've heard of it being above 3 cents
per minute in some areas -- if you're on .5 hour/day, 5 days per week (a
small email user) that adds up to $9/mo., not a big deal -- if you're on
during business hours it adds up to around $150/month -- and if you want
to run a 24-hour server it adds up to $648/month, which is a huge piece
of change for a one or two host site
iii. an increasing amount of Internet data is graphical - and simply not
available if you're a dumb terminal connected to a host
iv. most (all?) of the easy-to-use Internet browsers require that your
desktop device be directly connected to the net
Just like with the telephone, the real social benefits of a
communications technology can only be realized when we achieve close to
universal service. Universal service for data networking means i.)
24-hour connectivity, and ii.) ability to access all services in an
easy-to-use fashion. Periodic dial-up to a text-only host service does
not come close.
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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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