[2066] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: pricing
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Dan Schlitt)
Thu Jan 23 13:16:50 1992
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 92 13:14:26 -0500
From: Dan Schlitt <dan@sci.ccny.cuny.edu>
To: com-priv@psi.com, mckenzie@BBN.COM
Alex,
You just bring up another aspect of the chargeback system which I am
well aware of and did not think was particularly relevant to the discussion.
The use of the chargeback mechanism to modify user behavior in my experience
comes in direct conflict with the cost recovery goals.
There are much more effective ways to modify user behavior than the phony
"pricing" of computer center services because the relationship is not one
of buyer to seller. As a veteran of countless computer committee
confrontations with computer center administrators who want to make the
price/tarriff buyer/seller model real I assure you that it doesn't last
past the first important research user running out of "funds" to obtain
the services.
/dan
