[8611] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Al Weis to Steve Wolff Memo of 1/15/91 in context of CIX vs ANS Dispute
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Dennis Perry - Unisys)
Fri Nov 26 06:15:05 1993
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 93 06:15:04 EST
From: perry@stars.reston.paramax.com (Dennis Perry - Unisys)
To: com-priv@psi.com, cook@path.net
Cc: perry@stars.reston.paramax.com
Gordon, Your report on the Al Weis memo to Steve Wolff reveals more
of a lack of understanding of the uncertainty at the time of how to
develop a national infrastructure then anything else. Perhaps you
were not part of the discsussions in late 1986 through 1987 of how
to continue to build a national infrastructure and at the same time
encourage private enterprise to begin to see the value and pick up
the momentum. There was quite a bit of discussion on whether
mid-levels should exist at all, or whether it would be better for just
an expanded "Arpanet" style network. Al's memo seems to reflect mor
of the latter thinking. Of course, the mid-levels, once funded and
brought to life, sought to continue their existance. In the world
which is now forming, the mid-levels face and even greater uncertainty,
as national providers of communication services began to team and
merge with cable providers, where does the existing structure go?
NSF subsidy does not last forever, nor should it. The stengths of the
existing structure will be enhanced and the weaknesses will be
taken advantage of. The winner will be the marketplace as long as
we do not think that anyone person's view is the right view and
think that we should legislate that view. Will Steve Wolff's vision
be the right one? or Al Weis' or Gordon Cook's, or Dennis Perry's?
Probably none of ours will be what develops, yet perhaps a bit of
each of ours will emerge in what we are now calling the NII. In the
end, there will always be a role for government to play, there will
be a role for private enterprise, and there will be a role for
those in-between entities which have special positions within
our society. If we all play our role well, the NII will develop
as a robust entity (entity does not imply a single provider), but
if we try to cause any player to extend its role beyond what is
proper, then we will see distortions.
dennis
