[765] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: Access to the Internet
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lee Jaffe, McHenry Library, 408/45)
Fri Jul 17 09:55:48 1992
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1992 08:49:45 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
From: "Lee Jaffe, McHenry Library, 408/459-3297" <jaffe@ucscm.UCSC.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
The net is free to me in the same way that my desk and chair, use of the
restroom and my university library card are free to me. Yes, they cost
the university plenty, but for the time-being, the university puts these
resources in a different column than use of the gym and being able to park
on campus. This is because, in part at least, the university pays a flat
fee for membership to the regional Internet group and another for the
dedicated lines, which it then folds into its computing operating costs
and figures into its charges for connect, I/O and CPU time.
What I don't understand about possible commercialization of the Internet
is how this would be accomplished under the current structure and what
would compel us to abandon that structure? Internet access is managed
regionally by cooperatives, sometimes an agency under contract to the
cooperative. The coop is supported by the fees of the members. Why would
we dump or allow someone else to dump the coops in exchange for a
commercial provider? The only other weak point is the leased lines between
the regional nodes and these are already commercial. Whatever pressure is
brought to bear - loss of federal support, for instance - we could resist if
we were willing to carry the added burden. I guess it is inevitable that
the net is going to cost more, but I don't see that we will have to change
the underlying structure and therefore the way be pay for use.
Can anyone clarify what the threat is?
-- Lee Jaffe, UC Santa Cruz
