Re: Provider credibility - does it matter? was Re: Inter-provider relations

[Jim Dixon <jdd () vbc net>]

On Fri, 25 Oct 1996, Matt Ranney wrote:

> > to step forward at this point -- more Web traffic flows from the UK 
> > to the US.  That is, there is a small net flow of _benefit_ to the US
> > and a very large net imbalance in _costs_ to the UK.
>
> Obviously the costs are different, but how exactly are you measuring
> "benefit"?  What if there are just more net-savvy folks the UK that
> want to run Web sites, resulting in a higher ratio of servers to
> browsers than in the US?  Don't those people that put up Web servers
> then want people in the US to see them?

To my way of thinking, content providers are net producers of 'benefit'
and say dial-up users are consumers.  We adjust our prices to reflect
this: if you buy a leased line from us to run a Web server, we charge
you less; if you are a dial-up provider, we charge you more.

Most end users would agree with this model.  They pay their 10 quid /
15 bucks a month so that they can surf the Web.  They don't expect the
Net to pay them ;-)

--
Jim Dixon              VBCnet GB Ltd +44 117 929 1316  fax +44 117 927 2015
http://www.uk.vbc.net  VBCnet West   +1  408 971 2682  fax +1  408 971 2684

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