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From: kiessig@idi.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news.adm
Subject: Broadcasting netnews?
Message-ID: <140@idi.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 23-Jan-84 17:50:42 EST
Article-I.D.: idi.140
Posted: Mon Jan 23 17:50:42 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 27-Jan-84 08:33:42 EST
Organization: Intelligent Decisions, Saratoga, CA
Lines: 42


	Since netnews is really broadcast oriented, there should be
a simple way to make use of this fact to massively reduce people's
phone bills.  I have a couple of ideas:

	1. Dial-in service

		There would be a single phone number that could
		be called, over which news would be broadcast
		at a particular time every day.  Something like
		a 900 number might work, although it might be
		too expensive.  I understand that there might be
		cheaper ways to accomplish the same thing, and am
		pursuing this further with the phone company.

	2. Satellite broadcast

		Credit for this idea really goes to Lauren.  The
		notion is to broadcast news over one or more of
		the VIR lines of some cooperative cable station.

	The first idea would not require any special hardware, and
should be negotiable with the phone company using available
technology.  The second idea requires dealing with a cable TV
station asking for a "special" service.  Contracts would be needed.
Some dish antennas will be needed, and special decoder boxes will
have to built.  In spite of this, the second idea has the potential
of being far cheaper in the long run, especially since there is a
possibility that the VIR space could be donated.

	The problem with both of these ideas is that special software
would be required.  Standard UUCP won't work in a broadcast mode.
The purpose of this article is to stimulate some discussion on this
idea, and to get some software ideas.  One nice thing about idea
number 1 is that sites could take turns exchanging news if a two
way connection is established, and some "Ethernet-like" software
could probably be used.  A 900 number or VIRs are both one-way.

-- 
Rick Kiessig
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