[521] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
ANS as Robin Hood
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (alison@osc.edu)
Fri Apr 5 03:47:49 1991
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 91 11:49:07 -0500
From: alison@osc.edu
To: com-priv@psi.com
The issues of how to charge (based entirely, partly, or not at all on
"use", of which packet count could be one component) and what the
money gotten by charging is used for are separate. Let's not confuse
them, please.
This is still a free market economy, and if ANS (as a non-profit
corporation) chooses to use the money which would be "profit" in order
to play "Robin Hood", as you so blithely put it, that is their
priviledge. It is just possible that they feel that by doing so they
will build a better infrastructure that will result in the network
having more utility for everyone, including the "for profit" companies.
In the long term view, they may be trading current profits for future
profits, or they could be actuated by altruism.
I think we might be cautious about making moral judgements about whether
choosing to use profit margins to build infrastructure or pay shareholders
is better.
