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From: wdegnan@f39.n382.z1.fidonet.org (William Degnan)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: BBS as a Business
Message-ID: <2891@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 13 Jan 90 06:38:00 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 28, message 9 of 10


In an article of <12 Jan 90 08:56:12 GMT>, iiasa!wnp@relay.eu.net
(wolf paul) writes:

 wp>To illustrate their argument, they maintain that when a sysop imposes
 wp>online time limits, but then gives time credit for uploads, that
 wp>actually constitutes a business transaction. He accepts the upload as
 wp>payment for increased online time.

We have yet to test this principle. It has been suggested that we send
in floppies with shareware along with our Southwestern Bell bills --
marked "paid in full".

If SWB would accept this as full payment, they could charge whatever
they want and we would not complain.  :)

Last I knew, they were willing to confine the definition to "requires
monitary compensation". Meaning you could take donations but you
couldn't require pay- for-play and still be classified as a residence
customer.

H o w e v e r ... they are still holding to the arbitrary one-line per 
bbs/machine/whatever requirement. You apparently could have 99 machines as 
long as they didn't share files with each other and if you couldn't do 
interline chats.

One of the major objections to this is that SWB doesn't really
understand what they are trying to control and the only way they could
insure tariff compliance is to come "look". It could get bloody.

I feel that it is SWB's responsibilty to provide dial tone to the
network interface. They have no business looking around on the
customer side of it.  They, considering their traditions, have a
somewhat different opinion.


Regards, Bill

Disclaimer: Contents do not constitute "advice" unless we are on the clock
William Degnan                   | wdegnan@mcimail.com !wdegnan@at&tmail.com
Communications Network Solutions | William.Degnan@telenet.com
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