UUNET: Content vs. CIDR

Sat May 3 03:49:57 UTC 1997

> Theoretical question: What if ISP-X had only one dedicated connection
> behind it, and subsequently was 1/100,000 the size of NSP-Y. ISP-X's
> only connection was a single content provider: Yahoo.  
> 
> How do we resolve the settlement issues in this model? Why should
> the ISP-X pay NSP-Y to deliver valuable content to its consumers
> (dialup and dedicated)?

At the network level, Content Providers bear the cost of providing content
on the Internet. They must find another way to recoup this cost, and/or
pass it on to the consumers of that content. This should *NOT*, and never
be a networking issue.

> As diagrammed (with Internet / CableTV models referenced)

The CableTV model does not apply at all to the Internet, it is entirely
different technology. CableTV you have finite bandwidth, which is
broadcast. CableCo must choose what content to carry, and users get all
that content. In this essence the CableCo is the content reseller. The
Internet is not broadcast, ISP's are not content resellers, they provide
network access, the user can choose the content, and can establish a
relationship directly with the content provider. 

Routing IP packets are all NSP's should be concerned with, and insuring the
cost of routing those packets is recovered -- what is contained within
them, and the relationships between the two end nodes is irrelevant
(excepting the AUP).

	Matt