Cost of Internet (was: Should we oppose ... Superhighway)

[Wabasha-Kellogg High School <0811wksh@ties.k12.mn.us>]

Please don't confuse New York with the vast reaches of Rural America.  ALL
Internet access is a long distance call from many many location in the
world, including here.

I would *love to have a free national net available, 'cause I think I know
how to use it.  Others might abuse it, but I woul work the heck out of it.



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1993 17:29:18 -0500
From: "Perry E. Metzger" <pmetzger@lehman.com>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Should we oppose the Data Superhighway/NII? 


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