Cost of Internet (was: Should we oppose ... Superhighway)

Please don't confuse New York with the vast reaches of Rural America.  ALL
Internet access is a long distance call from many many location in the
world, including here.

I would *love to have a free national net available, 'cause I think I know
how to use it.  Others might abuse it, but I woul work the heck out of it.



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1993 17:29:18 -0500
From: "Perry E. Metzger" <pmetzger@lehman.com>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Should we oppose the Data Superhighway/NII? 


jdblair@nextsrv.cas.muohio.edu says:
> I'm not sure what you mean by "various groups," but I do think that
> a very basic net connection, with minimal services (access to
> government records, public domain postings, and similar information)
> should be provided either free or at a very minimal cost.

In New York City, the effective variable cost of an internet mail/news
connection is $27 a month -- less than you can panhandle in about
threen hours during rush hour, and I'm assuming you never use the
phone for anything else and call a couple times a day. The cost is
still dropping, and will doubtless be nearly invisible even without
any government intervention within a few years. My poorest unemployed
friend living in Hell's Kitchen in a fifth floor walkup apartment in
roach-infested tenement (no joke) has an internet connection via
Panix.

I therefore see no reason for government guarantees of net access --
it is obvious that anyone with even minimal initiative can get one
already, or will be able to within a few years. The cost of a net
connection is far less than the cost of, say, smoking, and there are
homeless people who still manage to smoke.

Perry

Wabasha-Kellogg High School says:
> Please don't confuse New York with the vast reaches of Rural America.  ALL
> Internet access is a long distance call from many many location in the
> world, including here.

It won't be long distance in five years (probably not even in two
years), and thats without any government help at all.

Perry

> Please don't confuse New York with the vast reaches of Rural America.  ALL
> Internet access is a long distance call from many many location in the
> world, including here.
> 
> I would *love to have a free national net available, 'cause I think I know
> how to use it.  Others might abuse it, but I woul work the heck out of it.
> 

I think the question should be:

 Do I want my taxes to pay for somebody elses Internet connection?

I would answer no... (a moot point though, since for one, I'm Canadian,
and for another, the government would probably do it anyway, whether you
want it or not...)

This attitude tends to put me on the opposition for government supplied
networks. Hell, I currently have 5 unix accounts scattered here and there
in cyberspace... I think the main problem is that most people *don't* see
the benefits they would get (I think e-mail probably being the biggest)
since most people are fairly computer illiterate, and even many of the
ones who can handle themselves quite well on a computer don't know the
first thing about the benefits of a network...

(These attitudes were gleaned from working about a year and a half in a
computer store... Wonderful places to meet all sorts of redundant people :)

-Oliver

| Oliver Seiler          + Erisian Development Group +  Amiga Developer  +
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