cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell) (02/19/91)
cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu (Robert Jacobson) writes: }I think we should seriously consider, also, that the force behind Prodigy }-- IBM -- is also the force behind ANS, Inc., the nonprofit firm }maneuvering to take over the privatized successor to the INTERNET, the }NREN. It makes me worry for the future of newsgroups. Perhaps you can explain some why it worries you. Fact is, the gov't has *always* contracted its networks out to private firms to operate them [dating from the very first: when BBN built, and operated [to the day it was decommissioned] the ARPAnet; BBN still runs the MILNET]. BBN also ran CSNET, the forerunning to NSFnet. I believe that in the current NSFnet, there are several private firms that run various components of NSFnet [BBN runs NEARnet, I think that the folks that run NYSERnet are commercial, etc] As I understood the IBM proposal that floated around the net a couple of months ago, IBM simply asserted that they would *operate* the net, and would make it more efficient by taking steps to operate it *well* --- that is, to ensure to NSF that the capacity they were paying for was going to what it was supposed to. At the time, I made two observations: 1) actual policy-level responsibility was to remain with NSF, so things were not really going to be much different than they are now. 2) I was hard pressed to argue against having the net *really* run according to its charter. Either we're knowingly 'stealing' some of NSFnet's capacity and it is important to keep that activity hidden, or else our use of their links is legitimate, in which case it will stay legitimate. It seems like we can only really fear 'losing' if you believe that [on point (1)] IBM will have a LOT of say about the policy of who is to be allowed to use the facilities and for what [and as I say, there is already asubstantial history to that and so far the funding agencies have stayed FIRMLY in control], or if you believe [on point (2)] that we'll be "found out" and the IBM will be able to put in place the 'muscle' to enforce the rules. /Bernie\
cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu (Robert Jacobson) (02/21/91)
My readings are that IBM will have more to say about a privatized NREN than the NSF. Yes, I could be wrong. Bob Jacobson