Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!hpda!fortune!wdl1!jbn From: jbn@wdl1.UUCP (John B. Nagle) Newsgroups: net.general Subject: Usenet topology suboptimal Message-ID: <170@wdl1.UUCP> Date: Fri, 24-Feb-84 22:08:31 EST Article-I.D.: wdl1.170 Posted: Fri Feb 24 22:08:31 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 2-Mar-84 15:14:16 EST Lines: 12 Given the fact that long distance rates for US interstate calls are such that the longest domestic interstate call costs less than three times the rate of the shortest one, the average path length in this network is much too long. No path within the continental US should contain more than three toll calls. The total long distance bills for the net are probably about twice what they would be if the topology were optimal. I suggest that every site that dials faraway sites should undertake to dial at least one site in each region defined by the first digit of the zip coder, and that the dialed site should be one willing to dial other sites in the same zip code block. This measure alone should reduce everyone's charges.