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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!looking!brad
From: brad@looking.UUCP
Newsgroups: can.general
Subject: Re: A Canadian Unix Network?
Message-ID: <859@looking.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Aug-87 13:38:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: looking.859
Posted: Thu Aug  6 13:38:20 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Aug-87 08:40:36 EDT
References: <1987Aug4.235121.22896@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Reply-To: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Distribution: can
Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd. Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 43

In article <1987Aug4.235121.22896@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> usrgroup@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Peter Renzland) writes:
>
>In order to make uunet work in the Canadian environment the same  late
>night  discounts  would  have to be made available from either Telecom
>Canada, Telenet, or CNCP telecommunications.  In order to achieve  this
>an  intervention to the CRTC would need to be made, if the carriers do
>not see it in their own best self interest to provide the  same
>late  night  discount  that Telenet provides.  Other consumer
>groups may object to our request  on  the  assumption  that  this  may
>increase the cost of basic telephone service by cross subsidization.
>

Are you saying that you would lobby the CRTC to *force* carriers to provide
us with lower rates?  (Or are you saying that the CRTC's permission is
required to charge lower rates?)

If the former, you can bet that several people on the net would be the
first in line to present counter claims to the CRTC.  I have no desire to
communicate through at net that is hated by the carriers who move the
data.  It's not ethical.  If there were free trade in the telecommunications
area, we wouldn't have to worry much about this, though.

I have good hope for convincing the carriers to sell night service cheaply
of their own free will.  You must present it properly, though.  Prepare an
estimate of the data traffic (it will be large) and go to the offices
of these places requesting a bid (not a quote) for high-volumne late
night traffic (news) in combination with lower volume daytime traffic
(mail).


>If it is  possible  to  reduce  the  telecommunications  component  of
>usenet,  there would be no real reason to institute a special Canadian
>edition of uunet.

Actually, one of the biggest advantages of a uunet scheme is economies
of scale in administration.  In particular, only one site need keep
up to date routing information.  Also, a more logical addressing
scheme can be devised that is independent of changing physical
data links.

To me, this is as important as cost reduction.
-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473