more on Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Thomas Leavitt <thomas () thomasleavitt org>
Date: April 30, 2006 3:10:51 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Cc: monty () roscom com
Subject: Re: Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute

Dave/Monty,

What changed, after fifteen-plus years under the previous model?!? The
article's failure to describe the legal basis for the ruling and/or why
this dispute is different and distinct, and/or the precedent setting
nature of this ruling and how it differs from previous practice is very
frustrating!

I know plenty of small (under 5000 person) ISPs that still depend on
dial up for a substantial proportion of their revenue and as a backup
for DSL and for traveling customers... a ruling of this sort, especially
one that renders the ISP liable (how does that work?!?), is a death
knell to dial up, and will drive down adoption of the Internet for a lot
of people (they'll go back to casual / intermittent use, only connect
through WiFi at cafe's, etc. - I know a lot of poor people who simply
won't commit to a broadband contract). What will this to do non-profit
companies like LA Freenet (www.lafn.org), which my parents still use as
their primary Internet access method?

Thomas

----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute / Ruling
favoring Verizon may hike price of service
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 20:24:10 -0400



Begin forwarded message:

From: Monty Solomon <monty () roscom com>
Date: April 28, 2006 6:57:20 PM EDT
To: undisclosed-recipient:;
Subject: Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute / Ruling
favoring Verizon may hike price of service


Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute
Ruling favoring Verizon may hike price of service

By Keith Reed, Globe Staff  |  April 28, 2006

Service to thousands of dial-up Internet users in Massachusetts was
disrupted this week after a federal court ruled against a Quincy
company in a lawsuit that could have broad impact on the cost of
dial-up service.

The US Court of Appeals in Boston ruled April 11 that Verizon
Communications Inc. can charge per-minute fees for calls to local
numbers that dial-up users need to connect to the Internet -- in much
the same way that they charge for long-distance or other calls.

The ruling came after Verizon sued Global NAPs Inc., a Quincy company
that supplies local numbers to 28 Internet service providers for use
by their dial-up customers.

Verizon claims it is owed more than $65 million by Global NAPs. The
court did not rule on damages, but Verizon cut off Global NAPs's
access to its network, effectively shutting down Internet service for
customers of dial-up providers like MegaNet of Fall River, which had
to find another company to supply emergency connections for its
approximately 7,500 dial-up subscribers.

...

http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/04/28/
dial_up_provider_loses_net_access_amid_fee_dispute/
--  
Thomas Leavitt <thomas () thomasleavitt org> - 831-295-3917
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