From: Jeff Simmons <jsimmons@goblin.punk.net>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 03:11:45 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Guerilla Internet Service Providers
Message-ID: <199601030032.QAA00749@goblin.punk.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Jim Bell writes:

>It seems to me that phone line costs are turning into a floor price for
>Internet access, when they shouldn't really be.  The main asset telephone
>companies have, right now, is in RIGHTS OF WAY.  Put an ISP in a business
>park that allows you to run  your own dedicated copper pairs, and you've
>bypassed $25/month/line business phone line charges. 
>
>At some point, individual urban and suburban blocks could easily be
>"guerilla re-wired" for ISP access without serious trenching, etc.  The
>phoneco would still be involved, but in a far lower-profit mode, as the
>supplier of a single T1 to a multi-block area.  

That's assuming the phoneco cooperates.

Punknet is a 'Guerilla ISP'.  Twenty of us share a 128k ISDN line, 
distributed via high-speed modems.  It's been running fine for over
a year now, but Pacific Bell has evidently decided to get rid of us.

How?  Simply by refusing to either repair or replace our 25 pair trunk
line, which is rapidly degrading.  We've offered to replace it ourselves,
but according to them, it's illegal.  Right now, we've got three dead lines,
and two others that only will do 1200 baud.

We've been told that what they're doing is probably illegal, but it's the
old problem:  Where does an 800 lb. gorilla sleep?

We're fighting this like all hell, but who knows?  After they get rid of us,
I wonder who's next ...

- -- 
Jeff Simmons                           jsimmons@goblin.punk.net

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