Excellent article on Internet Peering Issues (fwd)

[howland () Priss com (Curt Howland)]

Since the issue of charging for peering has come up 
again, I thought the following article might be
interesting.

I do not agree with the government as benevolent
angel of mercy that the writer seems to, but that
doesn't fault either his data, nor the validity of
his conclusions based on that data.

To vastly over-summerize, he states that the ignorance
of charging for peering brings the arbitrary hammer
of government regulation closer sooner than would
otherwise likely happen.

I agree with his view that telecommunications is
rapidly merging, thus his idea that common-carrier
regulations will be applied to IP providers.

Curt-

----- Begin Included Message -----

> Date: Fri, 04 Dec 1998 12:00:03 -0500
> From: Rob Frieden <rmf5 () psu edu>
> Subject: Article on Internet Peering
>
> Colleagues:
>
>       You may find interesting an article I wrote entitled "Without Public Peer:
> The Potential Regulatory and Universal Service Consequences of  Internet
> Balkanization."  It appears in the current edition of the Virginia Journal
> of Law and Technology
> http://vjolt.student.virginia.edu/graphics/vol3/home_art8.html.
>
>       I examine the development of private peering with an eye toward assessing
> whether smaller ISPs, especially ones in rural areas, will face reduced and
> more expensive access opportunities.  I note the maturation of the Internet
> and the use of alternatives to Sender Keep All settlements has established
> a more hierarchical network of networks operating much like today's
> telecommunications network.  If this has occurred and if universal access
> to the Internet becomes a public policy mission, then the goal may have
> become more challenging and more expensive.  This dilemma arises at the
> same time as we face challenges on how to fund a more expansive universal
> telecommunications mission.
> Rob Frieden
> Professor of Telecommunications
> Penn State University
> 105-c Carnegie Building
> University Park, PA  16802