you can spin this as you will -- comments re spin will be entertained for

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

Date: Fri, 19 Nov 93 16:00:09 EST
From: Ittai Hershman <ittai () ans net>
To: com-priv () psi com
Subject: ANS and the CIX


Anyone who is at all tuned in to the mass media has certainly realized
that the Internet has come of age.  The transition from our academic
childhood of the 1980s to the commercial Internet economy of the 1990s
has been hugely successful.  With that success, however, came growing
pains as chronicled on this list over the past two years.


I think we can all agree the single largest driver of the Internet
phenomenon is the value organizations and individuals derive from
being able to obtain connectivity into a global mesh of networks that
now interconnects upwards of 15 million people.  ANS CO+RE Systems,
Inc. ("ANS") has recognized this since its inception and has worked to
develop business models that incent the interconnectivity which has
driven the growth of the Internet.


In August 1991, three Internet service providers formed an
organization called the CIX to pursue a different vision of
interconnectivity.  The CIX embodied a business model that ANS did not
believe was equitable or scalable.  Since the CIX was created,
however, ANS has attempted to work out our differences with the CIX
leadership.


In June 1992, ANS agreed to interconnect with the CIX on a provisional
basis, at our expense.  This connection has provided transit services
on ANSNet to the CIX router in California for CIX members who are also
ANS subscribers.  Prior to initiating this service, ANS engineers
collaborated with PSI and Alternet engineers to develop a routing plan
which was made available by anonymous ftp after it was approved by
both the CIX and ANS.


A few weeks ago, on October 26th, two CIX members (PSI and Alternet)
unilaterally installed a gateway router between the CIX router and the
ANS attachment to the CIX with the express purpose of filtering those
networks which are allowed to traverse the interconnect and blocking
those they decided should not be allowed.  Most CIX members found out
about the filtering gateway after it was installed, as did ANS.


Since that day, dozens of commercial networks attached to CIX member
networks (particularly in Europe) have reverted from AUP-free use of
ANSNet back to being announced under the NSFNET AUP in order to regain
connectivity.  In other words, not only did this filtering gateway
balkanize the Internet, it also made commercial networks more reliant
on US Government subsidization.  This is contrary to everything ANS
has been trying to accomplish since its creation.


ANS has, therefore, chosen to join the CIX Association, effective
immediately.  By joining the CIX, ANS will carry at its expense all
traffic between any site affiliated with a CIX member and any ANS
CO+RE site, to the extent the CIX membership agreement and bylaws
permit.


Given the vast quantity of words that have been broadcast on this
forum on this topic, I thought it would be helpful to share with you
an outline of the issues ANS has been grappling with throughout our
discussions with the CIX leadership over the past two years.  Most
recently, on September 29, 1993, when Jordan Becker of ANS met with
Bill Washburn, Executive Director of the CIX, in a face-to-face
meeting in Washington D.C.


What does ANS want from a Commercial Internet Trade Association:


  o  A forum to develop recommendations for public policy and public
     commercial service standards, and a program for convincing the
     executive and legislative branchs of government to adopt these
     recommendations.


  o  An objective of expanding business relationships among members.


  o  An open forum that invites broad membership participation from
     all existing and potential Internet players (existing commercial
     Internet providers, LECs, PTTs, IXCs, startup dialup providers,
     regional networks, commercial system integrators).


  o  High quality Washington DC representation to pursue the
     political agenda of all of its members.


  o  Democratic governance of the CIX with member participation
     similar to a professional society or standards body.


What does ANS *NOT* want in a Commercial Internet Trade Association:


  o  A forum to establish or regulate business relationships among the
     members (e.g. interconnection agreements or settlements).


  o  A private Internet service that competes with its members, or its
     non-members.


  o  Any group activity that might be seen to restrain trade.


  o  A governance structure that is not open to its members input or
     subject to changes that meet its members needs.


Ways in which the CIX can become the Commercial Internet Trade
Association that ANS envisions:


  o  Create an environment that allows the CIX to expand its
     membership to include a broader set of data network service
     providers.


  o  Develop a CIX mission statement that defines what the CIX mission
     is, and how it will seek to accomplish that mission.


  o  Remove policies or restrictions that regulate the business
     relationships among its members (e.g. backdoor connections,
     settlements).  These are not enforceable or appropriate for a
     trade association to manage.


  o  Segment the levels and structure of organizational memberships
     that may be granted to encourge broader organizational
     participation including small startups, and large Fortune 500
     members.


  o  Get out of the network services business.  A trade association
     can not provide a high quality, well managed network service.


  o  Amend the by-laws to ensure increased member-involvement in board
     of director selection, retention and oversight.


In summary, it is our hope that the CIX Association becomes an
effective trade association for the entire Internet service provider
community.  While it is not that today, ANS feels that the time has
come to put aside past differences and begin to work together to
ensure the continued success of the commercial Internet.


-Ittai