[8465] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: ANS and the CIX
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Susan Estrada)
Fri Nov 19 20:55:18 1993
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 93 17:54:49 PST
To: Ittai Hershman <ittai@ans.net>, com-priv@psi.com
From: sestrada@aldea.com (Susan Estrada)
Ittai:
I am pleased to see that ANS CO+RE has decided to join the CIX. Now, the
CIX has an even two dozen members (Alternet, Barrnet, Cerfnet, Connected
Net, Demon Internet, DCI, EUnet, Holonet, Hong Kong Supernet, Intercon,
Iowa Net, JVNCnet, NEARnet, Netcom, Nordic Carriers, NorthWestNet, Pipex,
PSI, Sprint, SURAnet, TheNet, Westnet, and World dot Net.)
I think it is useful to point out to the com-priv readers that some of the
"facts" shown below are not quite right regarding the filter that was
installed by the CIX on NSF AUP restricted routes. The facts are as
follows: The CIX board (5 members) was notified of the NSF AUP restricted
route and other non-CIX member route availability through the CIX router.
The board agreed that the CIX should not continue to propogate non-CIX
member routes and authorized the installation of the filters to avoid
possible AUP violations. The filters were installed.
The CIX is a trade association with international representation. It is
not driven by the interests of one or two members. The interests of the
entire membership and the commercialization of the Internet are the driving
factors. Since 1991, the CIX has provided a simple, but effective path for
exchange of commerical Internet traffic. In the future, the CIX will
continue to provide a neutral association to further commercialization.
Susan Estrada
At 16:00 11/19/93 -0500, Ittai Hershman wrote:
>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.
>
>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.
>
>In June 1992, ANS agreed to interconnect with the CIX on a provisional
>basis, at our 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.
>
>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.
>
>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.
>
>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.
>
>-Ittai
Aldea Communications, Inc.
