[652] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Must Privatization Come As a Blank Check?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (tmn!cook@uunet.uu.net)
Fri May 3 00:14:46 1991
From: tmn!cook@uunet.uu.net
To: com-priv@psi.com
Date: Fri May 3 00:10:23 1991
<<MESSAGE from>> Gordon Cook 03-MAY-91 0:10
cook@tmn
I continue to hear much talk about privatization of the network. We must
do it just as soon as we possibly can. i take this to mean the next 12 to
18 months.
What I do not hear is whether those who will be able to actually make the
decisions that effectuate the privatization believe that these decisions
can or even should be taken with the following goals in mind.
1. As long as the federal government is giving anykind of
monetary support to the network, there should be some entity with the
power to ensure that gateways remain open between the various network
providers
2. there should be some entity charged with the authority to set
standards for software at the switch level to ensure inter operability of
the various component backbones and inter operability with foreign high
speed nets
3. there should be some entity charged with the authority to rule
on access rights to the network on behalf of any user group that feels it
has been discriminated against.
I think it would be very important for the OTA report to the Congress to
hear from those government officials who will have the power to make these
decisions whether they think that privatization should take place without
these safeguards in place. Or whether they believe that there should be
safeguards and these are appropriate. Or whether they believe that there
should be safguards but that these are not the right ones?
I would also welcome any comments from network users or service providers.
