[9960] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Feb COOK Report on Internet -> NREN Published
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Gordon Cook)
Sun Jan 30 23:17:52 1994
From: cook@path.net (Gordon Cook)
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 1994 04:15:09 GMT
To: com-priv@psi.com
The February 1994 COOK Report was published earlier this evening.
A COOK Report Exclusive -
THE INTERNET AS CORPORATE
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS PLATFORM
ANALYSIS OF WEAKNESSES OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHERS' APPROACH TO INTERNET USE
EVOLVES INTO MECKLERWEB
New Service - Announced Here for First Time - Has Potential to Change
Commercial Use of Internet
PP.1 - 5.
This article is the first announcement of MecklerWeb, a very innovative
Internet publishing and communications service.
We describe Chris Locke's ideas about the future of electronic publishing and
the Internet. Locke notes that most publishers have so far thought only in
terms of transfering the standard Gutenburg hard copy paradigm to electronic
format. He is not impressed by the ability to read Time or the New York Times
online.
He also describes the controlled circulation technical publication as an
endangered species. Why? Because as Internet growth and technical capability
continues to increase, companies will begin to question spending large dollar
amounts for one time non dynamic hard copy advertisements. He foresees the
ability to mount text and visual data on an internet gopher or web server at
an order of magnitude less cost as an attractive alternative.
We conclude with Locke's description of MecklerWeb, the commercial service he
is launching for Mecklermedia. This service will offer companies a turnkey
service for establishing an internet presence via the ability to announce
goods and services on a World Wide Web based server accessible via such
browsing tools as Mosaic. Additional services coordinated by industry based
coalitions are planned. (Article is 27 kilobytes long)
COX ENTERPRISES, BELLSOUTH & PRODIGY INVOLVED IN JOINT VENTURES IN ATLANTA
AREA, PP. 6-8
COX Enterprises has initiated a joint venture with BellSouth that will offer
an N11 dial up service for electronic yellow pages and for the classified ads
of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. It also is about to initiate a regional
Prodigy Service.
We publish a detailed summary of a talk given by COX Public Policy VP Alex
Netchvolodoff at the TeleStrategies Bell Atlantic TCI Merger Conference in mid
December. Also included is an interview with the developer of the regional
Prodigy.
INTERVIEWS SHOW
ADVANCED NETWORK AND SERVICES COMMERCIAL MARKETING EFFORTS IN
DISARRAY, PP. 9-10.
Over nearly three months in interviews with present and past ANS employees, we
have sought an understanding of the workings of the company. We learned that,
from the inside its functioning as a government funded testbed for the
products and services of its sponsors was more important than its commercial
mission. Employees told us that the commercial mission was hindered from the
very beginning CEO Al Weis' lack of understanding of the Internet's culture
and the needs of the commercial market place.
ANS was never able to get a clear marketing mission statement put together and
signed off on by everyone. As a result many marched to their own tune while
the company with its basic operating infrastructure costs paid for by the NSF
never fully understood what the actual cost of its delivery of commercial
services was. The boundaries between CO+RE and the non profit branch of the
company were never clearly demarcated. Both the image of the company and
responsibilities of individuals were blurred.
Run by research oriented technologists, ANS had difficulty developing a close
rapport with its customers. Long term marketing functions were never
developed and a plan to salvage the regional sales effort rebuffed. On
January 1, 1994 Joel Maloff sales VP left the company.
ONE PERSON'S VIEW OF TECHNICAL SYNERGIES
BETWEEN ANS AND NT,
P. 10
MCI AND ANS WILL WIN THE VBNS - NSF SPREADS PRIZES WIDELY - CAN OF WORMS SEEN
IN INTER - REGIONAL CONNECTIONS.
PP. 11-12
We believe that we have been able to piece together with a great deal of
certainty the identities of the winners of at least the first two components
of NSF Solicitation 93-52.
Herewith the prize winners:
1. The very high speed backbone: MCI with ANS as subcontractor.
2. The Network Access Points:
New York City - Sprint
Chicago - Ameritech and Bellcore
Washington DC - Metropolitan Fiber Systems
California - BARRnet and PacBell
(we don't feel 100% about this one - i.e. the California NAP)
3. Inter-regional Connectivity is the messiest of the lot. Here while we are
not certain, we believe that we see the clear outlines. CoREN apparently gets
the award for its mid-levels while not yet having a transport agreement signed
with an IXC. CoREN has apparently had a falling out with MCI which has been
unable to bid the desired ATM srevices. The other mid-levels we hear are
being funded to do their own thing. The most dire view is that there could be
the making of a chaotic situation, as a result of which the connectivity of
ANSnet may be very difficult to replace -- opening the possibility of a third
extension for MERIT and ANS.
Two quotes from the article: "one view that suggests the current ANS backbone
is unlikely to become CoREN. Since CoREN is to be ATM based the routers will
therefore have to be different. It also emphasizes a recent falling out
between CoREN and MCI apparently based on MCI's alleged unwillingness to give
credible ATM delivery dates and pricing to CoREN. This fact and the fact that
only about half the major mid-levels joined CoREN will ensure that there will
be a lot of disruption. When you combine CoREN's insistence on starting with
ATM with the fact that most of the rest of the mid-levels are being funded to
'do their own thing,' a smooth transition is unlikely."
"The players now seem so sure of the direction of the awards that they are
changing employers. In addition to Vint Cerf moving from CNRI to MCI in early
January, on January 18 ANS lost another vice president. Phill Gross, the
Chair of IETF who had worked for Cerf at CNRI before going to ANS in early
1991 moved back to MCI where he will again work on network architecture under
Cerf. We are told that Gross took most of his staff with him to MCI."
HAS ANS FULFILLED
CONDITIONS IMPOSED ON IT BY NSF IN SEPTEMBER 1990? PP. 12-13
Response to a COOK Report FOIA reveals that the NSF does not know.
IBM BUYS BANDWIDTH MANAGERS FOR ANS, P. 13
With network running at trueT-3 capability for the first time in December 1993
application of this equipment becomes practical.
WE LOBBY NATIONAL
SCIENCE BOARD, PP.14-16
We reprint a January 25th "briefing" sent to the National Science Board that
reminds them of the controversial elements of the NSF 93-52 award they will be
asked to approve on Feb. 10 -11, 1994. Summarizing the checkered history of
the last 3 years we present a case against an ANS-MCI reaward.
THE NSF DIRECTORUS ROLE IN THE SOLICITATION - CAN THE NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD
EXERT EFFECTIVE OVERSIGHT? PP. 17-18
We reprint com-priv comment from Steve Wolff explaining his role in the
selection process for NSF 93-52. We add the results of our research into the
actions of the National Science Board which having 40 to 50 NSF
recommendations per meeting to approve seldom if ever refuses to endorse what
comes up from below.
COMPUTER NETWORKS AND HEALTH CARE - PART 4, PP. 18 - 21
We publish the final installment of our special report, Computer Networks and
Health Care. The installment is in two parts: a short Policy Agenda for Using
the Internet for Medical Commerce and lengthy section called a Short Guide to
Resources.
_______________________________________________________________
Gordon Cook, Editor Publisher: COOK Report on Internet -> NREN
431 Greenway Ave, Ewing, NJ 08618
cook@path.net (609) 882-2572
COOK Report Subscriptions Range in price from $85 to $500.
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