This is a well-known scam. Beware! Jeffrey {New York} On Sun, 10 Jul 1994, Jeremy Butler wrote: > I picked this up off of another discussion group and am posting it on > SCREEN-L because of possible implications for LISTSERV-based groups such as > ours. > > ______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________ > Subject: Metered Pricing for Internet > Author: [log in to unmask] at SMTP-LINK > Date: 7/5/94 6:20 PM > > Sender: Brian McCormack <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Metered Pricing for Internet > > I really haven't spent a lot of time looking at this, but it appeared > that it might be important to all of us. I apologize for the > technicality. I think everyone should try to understand this, because it > could possibly have a major impact on our mailing list. > > TAXPAYER ASSETS PROJECT - INFORMATION POLICY NOTE > May 7, 1994 > > - Request for signatures for a letter to NSF opposing metered > pricing of Internet usage > > - Please repost this request freely > > The letter will be sent to Steve Wolff, the Director of > Networking and Communications for NSF. The purpose of the letter > is to express a number of user concerns about the future of > Internet pricing. NSF recently announced that is awarding five > key contracts to telephone companies to operate four Internet > "Network Access Points" (NAPs), and an NSF funded very high speed > backbone (vBNS). There have been a number of indications that > the telephone companies operating the NAPs will seek permission > from NSF to price NAPs services according to some measure of > Internet usage. The vBNS is expected to act as a testbed for new > Internet pricing and accounting schemes. The letter expresses > the view that metered pricing of Internet usage should be > avoided, and that NSF should ensure that the free flow of > information through Internet listserves and file server sites is > preserved and enhanced. > > Jamie Love, Taxpayer Assets Project ([log in to unmask]; but > unable to answer mail until May 15). Until then, direct > inquires to Michael Ward. > > If you are willing to sign the letter, send the following > information to Mike Ward of the Taxpayer Assets Project > ([log in to unmask], fax: 202/234-5176; voice: 202/387-8030; > P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036): > > Names: ___________________________ > Title: ___________________________ (Optional) > Affiliation: ____________________________________ > (for purposes of identification only) > Address: ______________________________________ > City; St, Zip ________________________________ > Email Address: _____________________________________ > Voice: __________________________________ > for verification) > > The letter follows: > > Steve Wolff > Director > Division of Networking and Communications > National Science Foundation > 1800 G Street > Washington, DC 20550 > > Dear Steve: > > It is our understanding that the National Science Foundation > (NSF) and other federal agencies are developing a new > architecture for the Internet that will utilize four new Network > Access Points (NAPs), which have been described as the new > "cloverleaves" for the Internet. You have indicated that NSF is > awarding contracts for four NAPs, which will be operated by > telephone companies (Pac Bell, S.F.; Ameritech, Chicago; Sprint, > NY; and MFS, Washington, DC). We further understand that NSF has > selected MCI to operate its new very high speed backbone (vBNS) > facility. > > There is broad public interest in the outcome of the negotiations > between NSF and the companies that will operate the NAPs and > vBNS. We are writing to ask that NSF consider the following > objectives in its negotiations with these five firms: > > PRICING. > > We are concerned about the future pricing systems for Internet > access and usage. Many users pay fixed rates for Internet > connections, often based upon the bandwidth of the connection, > and do not pay for network usage, such as the transfer of data > using email, ftp, Gopher or Mosaic. It has been widely reported > on certain Internet discussion groups, such as com-priv, that the > operators of the NAPs are contemplating a system of usage based > pricing. > > We are very concerned about any movement toward usage based > pricing on the Internet, and we are particularly concerned about > the future of the Internet Listserves, which allow broad > democratic discourse on a wide range of issues. We believe that > the continued existence and enhancement of the Internet > discussion groups and distribution lists is so important that any > pricing scheme for the NAPs that would endanger or restrict their > use should be rejected by the NSF. > > It is important for NSF to recognize that the Internet is more > than a network for scientific researchers or commercial > transactions. It represents the most important new effort to > expand democracy into a wide range of human endeavors. The open > communication and the free flow of information have make > government and private organizations more accountable, and allowed > citizens to organize and debate the widest range of matters. > Federal policy should be directed at expanding public access to > the Internet, and it should reject efforts to introduce pricing > schemes for Internet usage that would mimic commercial telephone > networks or expensive private network services such as MCI mail. > > To put this into perspective, NSF officials must consider how any > pricing mechanisms will change the economics of hosting an > Internet electronic mail discussion groups and distribution > lists. Many of these discussion groups and lists are very large, > such as Humanist, GIS-L, CNI-Copyright, PACS-L, CPSR-Announce or > Com-Priv. It is not unusual for a popular Internet discussion > group to have several thousand members, and send out more than > 100,000 email messages per day. These discussion groups and > distribution lists are the backbones of democratic discourse on > the Internet, and it is doubtful that they would survive if > metered pricing of electronic mail is introduced on the Internet. > > Usage based pricing would also introduce a wide range of problems > regarding the use of ftp, gopher and mosaic servers, since it > conceivable that the persons who provide "free" information on > servers would be asked to pay the costs of "sending" data to > persons who request data. This would vastly increase the costs > of operating a server site, and would likely eliminate many > sources of data now "published" for free. > > We are also concerned about the types of accounting mechanisms > which may be developed or deployed to facilitate usage based > pricing schemes., which raise a number of concerns about personal > privacy. Few Internet users are anxious to see a new system of > "surveillance" that will allow the government or private data > vendors to monitor and track individual usage of Information > obtained from Internet listserves or fileserves. > > ANTI-COMPETITIVE PRACTICES > > We are also concerned about the potential for anti- > competitive behavior by the firms that operate the NAPs. Since > 1991 there have been a number of criticisms of ANS pricing > practices, and concerns about issues such as price discrimination > or preferential treatment are likely to become more important as > the firms operating the NAPs become competitors of firms that must > connect to the NAPs. We are particularly concerned about the > announcements by PAC-Bell and Ameritech that they will enter the > retail market for Internet services, since both firms were > selected by NSF to operate NAPs. It is essential that the > contracts signed by NSF include the strongest possible measures to > insure that the operators of the NAPs do not unfairly discriminate > against unaffiliated companies. > > Recommendations: > > As the Internet moves from the realm of the research community to > a more vital part of the nation's information infrastructure, the > NSF must ensure that its decisions reflect the needs and values > of a much larger community. > > 1. The NSF contracts with the NAPs operators will include > clauses that determine how the NAP services will be priced. > It is important that NSF disclose and receive comment on all > pricing proposals before they become final. NSF should > create an online discussion list to facilitate public dialog > on the pricing proposals, and NSF should identify its > criteria for selecting a particular pricing mechanism, > addressing the issue of how the pricing system will impact > the Internet's role in facilitating democratic debate. > > 2. NSF should create a consumer advisory board which would > include a broad cross section of consumer interests, > including independent network service providers (NSPs), > publishers of Internet discussion groups and distribution > lists, academic networks, librarians, citizen groups and > individual users. This advisory board should review a > number of policy questions related to the operation of the > Internet, including questions such as the NAP pricing, NAP > operator disclosure of financial, technical and operational > data, systems of Internet accounting which are being tested > on the vBNS and other topics. > > 3. NSF should solicit public comment, though an online > discussion group, of the types of safeguards against > anticompetitive behavior by the NAPs which should be > addressed in the NSF/NAPs contracts, and on issues such as > NAPs pricing and Internet accounting systems. > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > TAP-INFO is an Internet Distribution List provided by the Taxpayer > Assets Project (TAP). TAP was founded by Ralph Nader to monitor the > management of government property, including information systems and > data, government funded R&D, spectrum allocation and other government > assets. 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