Interesting People mailing list archives
Re: ANS and the CIX (second of two)
From: David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1993 12:46:37 -0500
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1993 16:50:49 +0000 From: "Martin L. Schoffstall" <schoff () psi com> To: Ittai Hershman <ittai () ans net> Ittai,
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.
If you remember the postings from 1990 and 1991 your "business models" basically incented everyone to stop being an anonymous ftp server. So i guess that was an incentive in a way.
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.
Equitable between whom? Is it equitable between all the CIX members? Equitable to all its customers?
In June 1992, ANS agreed to interconnect with the CIX on a provisional basis, at our expense.
All CIX participants connect at their 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.
Sorry this is a gross distortion. PSI and Alternet did nothing unilateral. This was discussed by the Board well in advance of implementation. Having gone to Europe and discussed this with other CIX members I didn't find any philosophical disagreement from the majority of the membership. One can argue on the amount of notification.
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.
Your original plan balkanized the Internet into two camps, R&E and commercial.
From this original philosophical decision imposed or not, but certainly
embraced in your business plan with fervor, ANS has endeavored to saddle the known universe with the master plan.
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.
Congratulations.
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.
I believe from the above that you are implying that the CIX is "restraining trade", or did I read that wrong? That would be a very rich allegation. But I'm glad that you are finally joining and embracing the vision that a few of us non-rocket-scientists came up with in 1990. Marty
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