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From: ddl@husc6.harvard.edu (Dan Lanciani)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: Dial up access to Internet facilities
Message-ID: <3103@husc6.harvard.edu>
Date: 1 Jun 90 00:35:40 GMT
References: <118@ultrix.uhasun.hartford.edu> <9005270423.AA19852@psi.com> <57952@bu.edu.bu.edu>
Organization: Harvard University, Cambridge MA
Lines: 32

In article <57952@bu.edu.bu.edu>, kwe@bu-it.bu.edu (Kent England) writes:
> In article <118@ultrix.uhasun.hartford.edu>, jbloom@uhasun.hartford.edu
> (Jon Bloom) writes:
> > In article <57875@bu.edu.bu.edu>, kwe@bu-it.bu.edu (Kent England) writes:
> > > We also have strict standards on quality of service, and we
> > > do not wish to compromise these standards in offering less costly access,
> ...
> 	All this adds up to quite a chunk of change.  Makes UUCP look pretty
> good, eh?      :-)

	One of the reasons that UUCP does indeed look good in this comparison
is that the current structure of UUCP networks (last I looked!) still allows
a site to join the network at as low a cost and with as poor service as it
can tolerate.  In many cases, e.g., a local phone call, that service can
be pretty good and pretty cheap.
	Many regional internet service providers forbid "third party"
connections and nets-behind-nets because they see such access as depriving
them of the revenue they would obtain from a directly-connected customer.
While this may be a valid business concern, and while it has the side effect
of allowing the regional to enforce a certain quality of service, it can
preclude some interesting and potentially cost-effective (at least for the
customers) structures.
	A more standard and quantitative method of charging for internet
service, e.g., per-packet accounting (sigh), might allow the existence of
low-end sub-service providers without threatening the income of the regionals.
That is, a regional need not worry whether two customers pay for 100
packets each or one subcontractor pays for 200.  Competition could then
drive the price of service down to a point where even an individule can
afford a connection...

				Dan Lanciani
				ddl@harvard.*