[415] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: "Internet Accessible Dialouts"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (alison@osc.edu)
Fri Mar 22 16:04:44 1991
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 91 15:52:10 -0500
From: alison@osc.edu
To: com-priv@uu.psi.com, schoff@psi.com
I'd also like to see some discussion of this topic and also maybe
some words from NSF. The Cleveland FreeNet uses the OARnet facilities
(lines, routers, etc.) to reach the Internet, although they may have
never heard of OARnet. We provide network operations for them also,
in that we keep OARnet up and running. Now it's true that OARnet
receives funds from the state legislature, as well as directly from
schools in the form of membership fees, but it's not quite clear to
us if we receive the funds from the legislature to provide free service
for Cleveland FreeNet. Certainly the schools that pay membership fees
are not all happy about using bandwidth on OARnet for this purpose.
On the other hand, I and everyone else involved in OARnet also recognize
that in many ways the Cleveland FreeNet is A GOOD THING. That is effect,
they are creating a future market for us in introducing people to the
joys of networking, therefore I am not interested in giving them a hard
time. I'd far rather forge some kind of partnership that benefits us
both. Also, they seem sensitive to the issue of not impacting the
Internet (and its derivative OARnet) too much, so they are obviously
trying to be very responsible and good citizens.
Still, I'd like to hear anything Steve has to say about FreeNets.
