[2276] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Connecting to the Internet outside of the US?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bob Sutterfield)
Tue Feb 4 16:11:07 1992
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 92 15:55:37 -0500
From: Bob Sutterfield <bob@MorningStar.Com>
To: jhaverty@us.oracle.com
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: Jack Haverty's message of Tue, 4 Feb 92 09:36:39 PST <9202041736.AA00502@rivendell.us.oracle.com>
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 92 09:36:39 PST
From: Jack Haverty <jhaverty@us.oracle.com>
Is anyone "commercializing the Internet" in various parts of the
world a la ANS, PSI, AlterNet, InfoNet, Sprint, et al?
I'm working with some nonprofit organizations (missions, relief,
international development, etc.) that need reliable, low-cost
connectivity between very widely separated points on the globe. Right
now they're using direct intercontinental dialup links with UUCP or
Fido, and Telebit Trailblazers. They'd be open to the idea of a
service provider if one existed, and (here's the rub) if the service
provider wanted to provide service in the areas they're working.
They're willing to pay a little more for support if they know the link
will work, and particularly if the POP is a more local call, so they'd
be more inclined to use the network more frequently.
Unfortunately, they tend to work in the underdeveloped areas of the
world (they're development organizations, after all), where the
telecommunications infrastructure isn't even very solid, and the local
high-tech industry base is far from mature enough to provide enough
demand to support (e.g.) a PSI POP.
So the people who, in my opinion, are using networking technology for
the noblest of causes, are also using the lowest possible level of
networking service, and they have the hardest possible time of doing
it too, and with the least-trained or nonexistent tech support staff.
