[9340] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: what has NSF done to follow congressional AUP mandate?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Stephen Wolff)
Wed Dec 29 17:50:46 1993
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1993 17:35:48 -0600 (EST)
From: Stephen Wolff <steve@nsf.gov>
To: com-priv@psi.com
Cc: cook@path.com
In-Reply-To: <9312290041.aa09967@pandora.sf.ca.us>
> As I told Steve Wolff in private mail last night I am really having
> difficulty in understanding *where* his policy direction comes from.
NSF is an agency of the Executive branch of the Federal government; the
chain of command is pretty straightforward.
If you're asking instead how policy is developed, how it evolves, and how
it is shaped in response to changing times, changing environments, and a
changing society, then you're asking about how all three branches of our
government operate - a topical area I understand at some level of
complexity and with I am sure some imprecision, and upon which I would not
presume to lecture you.
> Lets talk about this sacred AUP Steve
Didn't know you worshipped it; I don't.
> Has the NSF updated it since June of 1992? I don't think so.
No, we haven't.
> ...The new legisaltion said
> something like: *any* use that furthers the NSFnet's ability to support
> the general goals of R&E is acceptable.
The new legislation, which we welcome (i.a., for reasons evident below) is
an amendment to the NSF Act; it says:
"In carrying out section (a)(4) of this section, the Foundation is
authorized to foster and support access by the research and education
communities to computer networks which may be used substantially for
purposes in addition to research and education in the sciences and
engineering, if the additional uses will tend to increase the overall
capabilities of the networks to support such research and
education activities."
The crucial clause is the last: "...if the additional uses will tend to
increase the overall capabilities of the networks to support such research
and education activities."
The focus is still research and education. Additional uses must in some
sense "pay their way" (not necessarily in cash or in kind), so as to
"...increase the overall capabilities of the networks..."
It is under this rubric that, in the "new NSFNET solicitation" (NSF 93-52)
(1) shared use of the vBNS by its provider is explicitly allowed, and
(2) NAPs are completely level, AUP-free playing fields where all
packets and all providers are treated equally.
As you know, under the new architecture outlined in 93-52, the long-haul
commodity-level transport function of the current NSFNET Backbone Service
is replaced by service of private carriers; i.e., that function's fully
privatized. NAPs will be AUP-free and the services of the RA will be open
to all. Only the vBNS, which takes over the high-speed experimental
function of the current NSFNET Backbone Service, will restrict traffic.
We are grateful to Mr. Boucher and the Congress for explicitly giving NSF
the freedom in law to support these network enhancements in a way that
will benefit not only the research and education communities, but also
other users of the emerging National Information Infrastructure.
In the new scheme of things, we haven't "updated" the AUP, we've all but
done away with it.
-s
