[2711] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Perot & frustrations
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Randy Bush)
Sat Apr 25 03:15:06 1992
From: randy@psg.com (Randy Bush)
To: com-priv@psi.com (com-priv list)
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 92 0:10:40 PDT
In-Reply-To: <9204242238.AA16724@tmn.com>; from "Gordon Cook" at Apr 24, 92 10:38 pm
> To the ANS person who is upset at the "bullshit and muckracking..."
I ain't from ANS, and I ain't upset, just bored and interested in the
original subjects of this list. And if this is going to turn into
news.groups, I'll just turn it off as many others have.
> since if i remember correctly the nsf just paid for half the cost of a
> direct link for czechoslovakia to the internet, maybe it could do the same
> for RELcom, the largest russia net with 60,000 members and nodes in 70
> cities?
Although this might be more appropriately discussed in info-nets ...
Dunno if NSFNET will see it in their charter to pay for part of a link
to every country in the world. As it's out of my pocket, I would hope
that they might consider other means. As there are a lot of countries,
maybe they could get together and form regional backbones and save the
poor US taxpayer a bit of the cash you whine about when they spend it
on US infrastructure.
Luckily, the idea of regional backbones has occurred to others, such as
RIPE. And, would you believe that Demos/RELcom ('only' about 2,000
nodes from Misha's report in Trieste) is hoping to link to RIPE, and
Misha Popov will be at the RIPE meeting in a few days?
Knowing NSFNET's attitude of internationalism, I doubt the problems of
allowing those nasty evil empire packets on the NSFNET are entirely the
NSF's. Possibly there are teeny problems with the US laws and
regulations (which are in the process of change). And just maybe the
DOE and other NSFNET associates have their qualms as well.
But these are non-trivial and thorny issues, which will take some time
and work to resolve. It's easier, and some might consider more fun,
to just sit back taking pot-shots and telling everyone what and how
they should be doing. I sure wish I understood the details and players
well enough to afford such luxury.
randy
