[8454] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: ANS and the CIX
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Martin L. Schoffstall)
Fri Nov 19 16:43:10 1993
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1993 16:50:49 +0000
From: "Martin L. Schoffstall" <schoff@psi.com>
To: Ittai Hershman <ittai@ans.net>
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
Ittai,
>
> Anyone who is at all tuned in to the mass media has certainly realized
> that the Internet has come of age. The transition from our academic
> childhood of the 1980s to the commercial Internet economy of the 1990s
> has been hugely successful. With that success, however, came growing
> pains as chronicled on this list over the past two years.
>
> I think we can all agree the single largest driver of the Internet
> phenomenon is the value organizations and individuals derive from
> being able to obtain connectivity into a global mesh of networks that
> now interconnects upwards of 15 million people. ANS CO+RE Systems,
> Inc. ("ANS") has recognized this since its inception and has worked to
> develop business models that incent the interconnectivity which has
> driven the growth of the Internet.
If you remember the postings from 1990 and 1991 your "business models"
basically incented everyone to stop being an anonymous ftp server. So
i guess that was an incentive in a way.
>
> In August 1991, three Internet service providers formed an
> organization called the CIX to pursue a different vision of
> interconnectivity. The CIX embodied a business model that ANS did not
> believe was equitable or scalable. Since the CIX was created,
> however, ANS has attempted to work out our differences with the CIX
> leadership.
Equitable between whom? Is it equitable between all the CIX members?
Equitable to all its customers?
>
> In June 1992, ANS agreed to interconnect with the CIX on a provisional
> basis, at our expense.
All CIX participants connect at their expense.
> This connection has provided transit services
> on ANSNet to the CIX router in California for CIX members who are also
> ANS subscribers. Prior to initiating this service, ANS engineers
> collaborated with PSI and Alternet engineers to develop a routing plan
> which was made available by anonymous ftp after it was approved by both
> the CIX and ANS.
>
> A few weeks ago, on October 26th, two CIX members (PSI and Alternet)
> unilaterally installed a gateway router between the CIX router and the
> ANS attachment to the CIX with the express purpose of filtering those
> networks which are allowed to traverse the interconnect and blocking
> those they decided should not be allowed. Most CIX members found out
> about the filtering gateway after it was installed, as did ANS.
>
Sorry this is a gross distortion. PSI and Alternet did nothing unilateral.
This was discussed by the Board well in advance of implementation. Having
gone to Europe and discussed this with other CIX members I didn't find any
philosophical disagreement from the majority of the membership. One can
argue on the amount of notification.
> Since that day, dozens of commercial networks attached to CIX member
> networks (particularly in Europe) have reverted from AUP-free use of
> ANSNet back to being announced under the NSFNET AUP in order to regain
> connectivity. In other words, not only did this filtering gateway
> balkanize the Internet, it also made commercial networks more reliant
> on US Government subsidization. This is contrary to everything ANS has
> been trying to accomplish since its creation.
Your original plan balkanized the Internet into two camps, R&E and commercial.
>From this original philosophical decision imposed or not, but certainly
embraced in your business plan with fervor, ANS has endeavored to saddle
the known universe with the master plan.
>
> ANS has, therefore, chosen to join the CIX Association, effective
> immediately. By joining the CIX, ANS will carry at its expense all
> traffic between any site affiliated with a CIX member and any ANS
> CO+RE site, to the extent the CIX membership agreement and bylaws
> permit.
Congratulations.
>
> Given the vast quantity of words that have been broadcast on this
> forum on this topic, I thought it would be helpful to share with you an
> outline of the issues ANS has been grappling with throughout our
> discussions with the CIX leadership over the past two years. Most
> recently, on September 29, 1993, when Jordan Becker of ANS met with
> Bill Washburn, Executive Director of the CIX, in a face-to-face
> meeting in Washington D.C.
>
> What does ANS want from a Commercial Internet Trade Association:
>
> o A forum to develop recommendations for public policy and public
> commercial service standards, and a program for convincing the
> executive and legislative branchs of government to adopt these
> recommendations.
>
> o An objective of expanding business relationships among members.
>
> o An open forum that invites broad membership participation from
> all existing and potential Internet players (existing commercial
> Internet providers, LECs, PTTs, IXCs, startup dialup providers,
> regional networks, commercial system integrators).
>
> o High quality Washington DC representation to pursue the
> political agenda of all of its members.
>
> o Democratic governance of the CIX with member participation
> similar to a professional society or standards body.
>
> What does ANS *NOT* want in a Commercial Internet Trade Association:
>
> o A forum to establish or regulate business relationships among the
> members (e.g. interconnection agreements or settlements).
>
> o A private Internet service that competes with its members, or its
> non-members.
>
> o Any group activity that might be seen to restrain trade.
>
> o A governance structure that is not open to its members input or
> subject to changes that meet its members needs.
>
> Ways in which the CIX can become the Commercial Internet Trade
> Association that ANS envisions:
>
> o Create an environment that allows the CIX to expand its
> membership to include a broader set of data network service
> providers.
>
> o Develop a CIX mission statement that defines what the CIX mission
> is, and how it will seek to accomplish that mission.
>
> o Remove policies or restrictions that regulate the business
> relationships among its members (e.g. backdoor connections,
> settlements). These are not enforceable or appropriate for a
> trade association to manage.
>
> o Segment the levels and structure of organizational memberships
> that may be granted to encourge broader organizational
> participation including small startups, and large Fortune 500
> members.
>
> o Get out of the network services business. A trade association
> can not provide a high quality, well managed network service.
>
> o Amend the by-laws to ensure increased member-involvement in board
> of director selection, retention and oversight.
>
> In summary, it is our hope that the CIX Association becomes an
> effective trade association for the entire Internet service provider
> community. While it is not that today, ANS feels that the time has
> come to put aside past differences and begin to work together to
> ensure the continued success of the commercial Internet.
>
I believe from the above that you are implying that the CIX is "restraining
trade", or did I read that wrong?
That would be a very rich allegation.
But I'm glad that you are finally joining and embracing the vision that a few
of us non-rocket-scientists came up with in 1990.
Marty
