Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version VT1.00C 11/1/84; site vortex.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!vortex!lauren
From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: WARNING
Message-ID: <513@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 20-Jan-85 15:08:36 EST
Article-I.D.: vortex.513
Posted: Sun Jan 20 15:08:36 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Jan-85 06:00:42 EST
References: <69@cithep.UucP>
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
Lines: 26

The obvious factors surrounding the system are certainly complex enough
(in terms of libel, copyrighted materials, etc.) to make screening
seem pretty important.  Above and beyond that, I have discussed in the
past the various technical, financial, and other issues that also
point toward the need for screening (for example, the satellite carrier
giving us the time for free on their system [incredible!] is not giving
us the time just to send *all* our materials and cut our phone bills,
but to help create a useful and high quality operation.

Now, given a few million dollars (literally) I could probably go out
and rent a full transponder with enough bandwith to send EVERYTHING
(for awhile, anyway).  We'd also have to pay a fortune for transmitter
uplink time.  It wouldn't be on cable systems, so *everyone*
would have to have a private dish to receive it.  But even if we assume
no legal restrictions on content (a dubious assumption to say the least)
I wonder how many people would be willing to spend money for such a 
service with so many (and ever growing) "low information content" messages?
The data would have to run at an enormously high speed--greatly complicating
the buffering hardware.  As the net grew, there'd be no time to even
get the data into computers for reading, much less *do* the reading.

The scenario just above appears impractical.  Not only don't we have
the megabucks, but what would be created would be next to useless
for most people and would die as a tremendous waste of money.  

--Lauren--