Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!A.ISI.EDU!CERF From: CERF@A.ISI.EDU Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip Subject: Re: Remote database services ??? Message-ID: <[A.ISI.EDU]24-Sep-89.13:22:03.CERF> Date: 24 Sep 89 17:22:00 GMT References: <34890@apple.Apple.COM> Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 32 Pat, In principle, your view ought to be an easy one to support, but access, usage and interconnection policy is complicated by the fact that the Internet is, in many parts, subsidized by the U.S. Government. As a consequence, agencies who provide infrastructure support have a fiscal responsibility to be sure that the infrastructure resources are not abused for personal or corporate gain. The informal Federal Research Internet Coordinating Committee (FRICC) members are working on policy statements to help guide us (users and servers) in this matter. As an example, it has been permitted to put up links to commercial email carriers (such as MCI Mail and CompuServe) as long as the carrier does not charge the government for emitting traffic from the Internet into the carrier's network. The carrier is free to charge its users for sending mail into the Internet. The National Research and Education Network (NREN) is intended to succeed the current Internet on a larger scale in size and in capacity (eventually reaching 3 gigabits/sec on its trunk links and capable of supporting as much as a gigabit between pairs of hosts that need this kind of bandwidth). It is the hope of the NREN sponsors that the system will eventually be feasible as a commercial offering and that direct government involvement in its operation can be minimized and perhaps completely eliminated. Finding suitable conditions under which commercial services can be made accessible to the Internet community is of real interest. Vint Cerf