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From: randolph@cognito.Eng.Sun.COM (Randolph Fritz)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: The Moderator Who Doesn't Give A Shit
Message-ID: <7921@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 13 Feb 91 04:42:36 GMT
References: <74436@bu.edu.bu.edu> <1991Feb11.185846.20778@lavaca.uh.edu> <1991Feb11.212313.8461@uncecs.edu> <1991Feb13.031035.27179@looking.on.ca>
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Brad, it's not the least clear that small commercial BBSs are going to
last, businesswise -- I hope that ClariNet does.  I'm glad we have 'em
currently, but who knows how much longer they'll be around?  Having
Insty-Prints around the corner doesn't make me competitive with the
San Jose Mercury (the valley's best daily newspaper) or Metro (our
weekly).  If you have a smaller number of national or international
BBSs, even if the number is as high as 100 for the whole USA,
censorship becomes a real problem.

Looking at the larger boards, Usenet is far and away the most open,
and Usenet is the one funded heavily via educational institutions, the
Internet, and business contributions of service -- a mix of public and
private funds, with a heavy tilt towards public.

Looking at radio and television, now, the US networks that are the
most open are the publicly-funded ones.  NPR news is far and away the
best, though for quick reporting CNN is very good.

If you look at the world telephone networks, you get a different
picture.  The privately-owned, regulated ATT was one of the best
telephone companies in the world, if a bit autocratic; the European
public telephone networks were awful, though they're now leading the
way to ISDN.  If you look at electric power companies you'll get yet
another picture.

Tentatively, cautiously, I suggest that it appears that the most
successful large-scale public services have a mixture of public and
private control.  Is anyone aware of sociological or economic research
which bears on this conclusion?  Again, I would prefer to avoid the
vast general theories, since those are both inconclusive and abstract.

   nd t
 ou    ui
R Press  T  __Randolph Fritz  sun!cognito.eng!randolph || randolph@eng.sun.com
 ou    ui     Mountain View, California, North America, Earth
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