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1993-11-09 - Re: Should we oppose the Data Superhighway/NII?

Header Data

From: “Perry E. Metzger” <pmetzger@lehman.com>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Message Hash: 5ff5f2c77a1c31cff7d101c516ff74d34759d949d13a6bd46aea0c85d6f37f45
Message ID: <9311092229.AA16015@snark.lehman.com>
Reply To: <9311092213.AA03580@ nextsrv.cas.muohio.EDU >
UTC Datetime: 1993-11-09 22:33:42 UTC
Raw Date: Tue, 9 Nov 93 14:33:42 PST

Raw message

From: "Perry E. Metzger" <pmetzger@lehman.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 93 14:33:42 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Should we oppose the Data Superhighway/NII?
In-Reply-To: <9311092213.AA03580@ nextsrv.cas.muohio.EDU >
Message-ID: <9311092229.AA16015@snark.lehman.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



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

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