[707] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
service provision
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Michael Scott Evenchick)
Thu Jul 9 10:05:29 1992
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1992 08:27:02 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
From: Michael Scott Evenchick <me1i+%ANDREW.CMU.EDU%CARNEGIE.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
We are graduate students from Carnegie Mellon University involved in the
Information Networking Institute. Currently, we are working on a project
to design and develop a "billing server" on the public computer networks,
namely the Internet. This "billing server" will provide billing functions
for various service providers who could sell their information services
electronically over the Internet. These billing functions would include
features such as customized billing, invoice creation, service charge
calculation and collection. In addition, the "billing server would provide
centralized authentication, directory services and customer inquiry handling.
Basically, it is a way of making additional electronic services available
on the Internet. These additional services could include services that
someone may want to offer but not free of charge. We envision anyone being
a potential service provider, including many of you. These services would
be available 24 hours a day, and the fees would be set by the service
provider. In college environments, the charge for many of these services
would be paid by the college through the students lab fee. There would be
no monthly fee or flat rate involved.
Attached is a market survey that we are asking you to fill out for us. This
survey will help us provide the best possible service to you in the future.
We greatly appreciate it if you could respond to this survey as soon as
possible. Please respond by email to me1i+@andrew.cmu.edu or
jmbe+@andrew.cmu.edu.
MARKET SURVEY
Name :
Business :
If Student
Major / Field :
Year :
Are there services that you are interested in providing?
Please circle all desired answers.
1) What methods of subscription would you like available to you?
a) electronic through the billing server
b) email to a system administrator?
c) paper mail
d) phone
e) all of the above
f) others __________________________
__________________________
2) What services would you like to see provided by the billing server?
(these services would be available to you free of charge)
a) directory of all service providers
b) account information (what, where and when services where used)
c) others __________________________
__________________________
__________________________
3) What online modifications would you like to be able to make?
a) address change
b) password change
c) customization of billing arrangements
d) format of bill / statement
e) ability to restrict access to some services (for employees or kids)
f) others __________________________
__________________________
4) How would you recommend dealing with hitting limits?
4a) If we allow you to set a maximum amount that you would like to spend
and the limit is reached before the job is complete should we
a) allow you to set a new limit
b) try to renegotiate a price and set a new limit
c) just give you an incomplete job
d) force service providers to give full price up front (may be hard
if not impossible for some service providers).
e) others __________________________
__________________________
4b) If a credit limit is reached should we
a) allow another form of payment
b) extend credit in good faith
c) just give you an incomplete job
d) force service providers to give full price up front (may be hard
if not impossible for some service providers).
e) others __________________________
__________________________
5) What methods of payment would you like to see the billing server make
available to you?
a) payment in advance (deduct money upon usage)
b) payment via purchase order
c) payment via credit cards
i) Visa
ii) Master Card
iii) Amex
iv) Discover
v) Diners Club
vi) others ________________
________________
d) payment via electronic funds transfer
e) payment via an open cash advance
g) others __________________________
__________________________
6) What types of services would you like to see provided?
a) CPU cycles
b) print spoolers
c) Housing searches (real estate or campus housing)
d) Employment opportunities
e) Travel reservation
f) Electronic library
g) Research materials (provided by professors and students)
h) Games and trivia quizzes
i) Pictures / rasters
j) Case studies
k) Corporate information systems (ie white pages)
l) Events listing
m) Information retrieval services
n) others __________________________
__________________________
7) What would you be likely to pay for some of the above services?
(keep in mind also what you might charge if you are going to provide
some services)
