[8399] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: SprintLink 45 Mbps Announcement
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Gordon Cook)
Wed Nov 17 15:44:17 1993
From: cook@path.net (Gordon Cook)
Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1993 20:43:32 GMT
Apparently-To: <com-priv@psi.com>
Rick, wanna bet that what we will see is another year long EXTENSION of
the current NSF million dollar a month charitable donation to MERIT/ANS?
Bet you and Sprint and PSI could all bid on a CONTRACT to deliver those
services for the next year effective May 1 and do it for a good deal
less than MERIT/ANS is receiving.
Now if I didn't know any better I'd find myself wondering what is the
Vice President *more* interested in doing? Saving
taxpayer money - in which case the word should have gone out to NSF LONG
ago to start BUYING commercial services - or continuing to support the
R&D needs of IBM and now Northern Telecom?
Washington of course works in STRANGE ways. . . .
Just wonder what it will take for anyone inside the beltway to figure
out that development of a commercial high speed high tech internet is
now at critical mass and that solicitations like the current one not
only don't lead lead but actually DISTORT the marketplace.
Does it look like some research on IP over ATM over SONET at OC3c needs
to be done? Fine contract with Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf and CNRI to set
up a test bed to do it, don't place our bets on a vBNS.
Yes the solicitation OUGHT to be withdrawn. (But if it were, how would
you do it in such a way that MERIT/ANS wouldn't get an infinite extension?)
