Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ukma!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!NOTE.NSF.GOV!steve
From: steve@NOTE.NSF.GOV (Stephen Wolff)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: Commercial use of the Internet
Message-ID: <8902140913.aa11462@note.nsf.gov>
Date: 14 Feb 89 14:13:07 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 24


>  Could someone please send me any information that claifies what the
>  policy is on commercial use of the internet?

Unhappily, there is as yet no SINGLE policy, because the Internet is
administered by a number of different Federal agencies whose usage policies
differ.  The situation is complicated in the NSFNET case because the
mid-level networks (e.g., JVNCNET) are autonomous business entities with
their own policies.

Until a formal policy is issued by NSF (we ARE working on it!), you should
assume that traffic passed over the NSFNET Backbone must be "in support of
scientific research and other scholarly activities."

That does not rule out commercial use, obviously.

If your traffic is going to remain on JVNCNET, ask the von Neumann Center
folks for their policy.

The Federal Research Internet Coordinating Committee (FRICC), comprised of
folks who own bits of the Internet, has a draft joint usage policy under
discussion.

-s