[2836] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
CIX membership requirement for use of CIX
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (BRIAN KAHIN)
Wed Jun 10 10:45:31 1992
Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1992 09:40 EDT
From: BRIAN KAHIN <KAHIN@HULAW1.HARVARD.EDU>
To: emv@msen.com, mkapor@eff.org
Cc: com-priv@uu.psi.com
X-Vms-To: MAILER%"emv@msen.com",MAILER%"mkapor@eff.org"
Ed Vielmetti raised some provocative scenarios concerning
connectivity between ANS and CIX. Mitch Kapor's response raised some
very interesting questions in my mind about the role of the CIX
in controlling resale of network services.
Mitch Kapor <mkapor@eff.org> writes:
>Edward Vielmetti <emv@msen.com> writes:
>
>>Scenario 4: Pay for ANS CO+RE service, and wait for CO+RE to join the CIX
>> in its own right; this would gain all of the benefits of #1 without the
>> yearly CIX fee.
>
>Scenario 4 would not work this way. Even if ANS CO+RE itslef joins the
>CIX, all networks attached to it would still need to become CIX members to
>have CIX connectivity. You can eliminate this scenario.
>
>>
>>Scenario 5: Join some existing regional network, and arrange for them
>> to carry traffic both to the CIX (via whatever means) and to the NSFnet.
>
>Same point applies here. Networks exchanging traffic with the CIX need to
>be CIX members. Other CIX member networks or ANS may be used to reach this
>CIX, but use of a transit network which might be a CIX member does not
>relieve the requirement for a network to itself join the CIX.
To me, this suggests that CIX is setting a national policy on "resale" of
network services. Compriv readers may recall that resale was discussed
on this list at least with respect to AlterNet. My recollection was that
AlterNet permitted its customers to "resell" services. The World would be
example of such a customer. Must the World join CIX to access certain
portions of the Internet? Must Netcom and Portal join the CIX -- at least
as a practical matter? Is there any distinction in this regard between a
BBS (World), a network (Netcom), or a gateway service (Portal)? I'm not
sure these distinction make any sense, but I could be wrong. Or
is it a question of whether the customers are advertised as
networks under the domain name system? If they are merely
accounts on a host machine or host network (as for the three
examples above), does the host need to be a member of the CIX.
In any case, I would like to know the particulars of the CIX
policy and how it is implemented (e.g., in the bylaws or the
membership agreements or some other way).
Brian Kahin
Director, Information Infrastructure Project
Science, Technology and Public Policy Program
John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
79 John F. Kennedy St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-495-8903
Fax: 617-495-5776
kahin@hulaw1.harvard.edu
