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From: cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu (Robert Jacobson)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: The Moderator Who Doesn't Give A Shit
Message-ID: <16656@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 18 Feb 91 17:42:20 GMT
References: <62778@bbn.BBN.COM>
Organization: Human Interface Technology Lab, Univ. of Wash., Seattle
Lines: 16


At an Office of Technology Assessment meeting I attended last week, in
Washington, D.C., absolutely NO mention was made of USENET or the
benefits the research community derives from its existence. All of the
parameters for NREN "efficiency" and "economic viability" proposed had
to do with two things only: higher-quality (and higher-cost) technology
in the network; and for almost everyone (with the possible exception of
libraries and K-12 schools), a policy of "pay as you go." Mitch Kapor
(so far as I could see) was the only person on the panel arguing for
complete ubiquity of access, on the grounds that anything less will
result in an NREN that cannot support the richness of dialogue that
takes place on the INTERNET cum NSFnet. I'm sorry, the positions 
expressed by Mr. Weis (president of ANS) were not encouraging in this
regard.

Bob Jacobson