From: petrilli@nextover.pe.utexas.edu (Chris Petrilli)
Newsgroups: austin.public-net
Subject: Re: Example of the Need....and PROFIT to be had!
Date: 27 Jan 93 16:29:08 GMT
Reply-To: petrilli@nextover.pe.utexas.edu
Distribution: austin

In article <1jm913INNqm5@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>
aggedor@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (The Monster of Peladon) writes: 

David> Greetings: There has been some discussion here and elsewhere,
David> as to whether there is a need for an austin public Internet
David> access source.  I think I can give a good example of the kind
David> of user who would be *very* interested in this, and the reason
David> for that interest.

I don't think there has ever been a question of desire or need, in
fact the only thing "internet" related that we've been "up in arms"
over is the "need" for SLIP, not the need for Internet.

David> I currently have legitimate net access through UT.  I've found
David> the Internet to be both helpful and just plain fun as well.
David> It's a service that I would *never* be able to afford to take
David> advantage of unless I had it as a con- sequence of my
David> employment at the U.

I think this is a common occurance, and I'm in a similar position,
were it not for my employment at UT, I wouldn't have access to
Internet (this isn't entirely true, because I am a guest of the
university for my work for the Free Software Foundation).

David> The raason for this is simple.  I have made enough money to
David> purchase some good, if old computers.  I do not earn enough
David> however, to use the public Internet access services that are
David> running today, such as p$i or HoloNet.  I've been on the net
David> for about a year now and despite my income level, I've managed
David> to utilize it without blowing anything up.  B-)

You are in the same boat as a good friend of mine.  He's just learning
to use Internet, but he knows computers reasonably well, but he
certainly can't afford a "shiny new" computer that everyone else seems
to have.  Instead he uses a CP/M machine that he bought at an auction
and is reasonably happy with that.

David> I've made many friends worldwide through IRC, and would miss
David> them, as well as the other features of my Internet account if I
David> were to loose the account.  And that is exactly what is about
David> to happen.  After this semester I will be moving on to another
David> job, and my Internet access will go the way of all good things.
David> As the situation stands at the moment, I'll wave goodbye to my
David> friends, my useful information, my access on May 7.

I think this is something a lot of people are facing, even if it's
just leaving the University for school reasons, etc.

David> Would I pay someone a reasonable fee to retain access?  You're
David> darned right I would.  Right now I am paying $5.00 a month for
David> GeNieBasic Services.  As readers might know, GeNie compares to
David> Internet like a grain of sand compares to the Sahara Desert.
David> I'd much rather spend that money every month for access to
David> Internet without silly connect time charges or those other fees
David> that the current puclic services have.

I agree, that's one reason we've discussed flat rate charges (i.e.
X/month) rather than "usage fees."  The charge per hour system might
make more money (maybe, I don't know), but it would eat up more money
in "administrative" costs.  Also, I just don't like bean counters.

David> So where's the profit I talked about?  Right here.  There are
David> in my opinion, many people who used to have net access who
David> would jump at the chance to join a public access network,
David> especially if its first concern wasn't trying to upload as much
David> hard cash from its users as possible.  I feel that once the
David> news of a network such as the one that is being proposed gets
David> out onto thlocal BBS's, the main problem of the organizers will
David> be keeping up with the demand.

I agree in most parts, though one thing to realise is that we'll most
likely start with a 56K link to Internet (UT has MANY T1 lines), so
things will be slow in many respects compared to UT.  However, I don't
think it's unreasonably to ask user for donations to upgrade that to a
T1 line within a couple months (or a year).  A 56K line, for example,
is about $4-5K/year in cost.  I believe at T1 line runs something
around $20K/year in cost. While that's much cheamer on a per K of
performance level, it's still a lot of money.  For example, if we had
250 users that donated money, it would require that they donate
$80/year to maintain the T1 line.  (This doesn't include the added
cost in routers, etc.)

Just a thought.  Do you think many people would be willing to work on
a system like that?

David> So ends my response to those who say that the poor are too
David> ignorant to gain anything from Internet.  I think also that
David> I've proven the need.

I agree, though "need" for Internet was never really a question, it
was SLIP that was a question.

Hope that helps give you an idea, there should be a more detailed time
line, etc posted soon.

Chris
--
| Chris Petrilli
| petrilli@nextover.pe.utexas.edu, petrilli@gnu.ai.mit.edu
| All opinions are my own, if they even belong to anyone.