[9246] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: an Internet buying coop?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Dick St.Peters)
Sun Dec 26 12:40:34 1993
Date: Sun, 26 Dec 93 12:37:01 EST
From: stpeters@spare-parts.crd.ge.com (Dick St.Peters)
To: karl@mcs.com
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
Reply-To: <stpeters@dawn.crd.ge.com>
> From: karl@mcs.com (Karl Denninger)
> The trend is <towards> usage-metered services, not away from them. This is
> nothing new, and I see no evidence that in the voice world it is going to
> change.
> If this is tolerated in the voice world, why is it not seen as "ok" in the
> Internet access world?
Karl, I think your choice of words indicates the answer. In the voice
world, where the telephone is an accepted necessity that few homes,
much less businesses, would dream of doing without, metered service is
"tolerated" by businesses. They tolerate it only because they have no
choice. It is resisted heatedly by the public. I think the evidence
shows pretty clearly that people do not like metered service.
The Internet is still trying to earn its place among the gotta-haves.
It is trying to look attractive. Metered service goes a long way
toward making it look less attractive.
So we have a dilemma:
The Internet needs to be loved.
People hate metering of services.
The Internet has to be paid for.
--
Dick St.Peters
GE Corporate R&D, Schenectady, NY stpeters@dawn.crd.ge.com
