RFC 1527 (rfc1527) - Page 1 of 17
What Should We Plan Given the Dilemma of the Network?
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group G. Cook
Request for Comments: 1527 Cook Report
Category: Informational September 1993
What Should We Plan Given the Dilemma of the Network?
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard. Distribution of this memo is
unlimited.
Abstract
Early last year, as the concluding effort of an 18 month appointment
at the US Congress Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), I drafted a
potential policy framework for Congressional action on the National
Research and Education Network (NREN).
The Internet community needs to be asking what the most important
policy issues facing the network are. And given agreement on any
particular set of policy issues, the next thing we should be asking
is, what would be some of the political choices that would follow for
Congress to make?
It is unfortunate that this was never officially done for or by the
Congress by OTA. What we have as a result is network policy making
being carried out now by the Science Subcommittee on the House side
in consultation with a relatively small group of interested parties.
The debate seems to be more focused on preserving turf than on any
sweeping understanding of what the legislation is doing. That is
unfortunate.
In the hope that it may contain some useful ideas, I offer a
shortened version of the suggested policy draft as information for
the Internet community.
Table of Contents
The Dilemma of an Unregulated Public Resource in a Free Market
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Regulation is a key NREN policy issue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Technology Transfer Goals Achieved? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Context for Policy Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Whom Shall the Network Serve? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Access to the NREN is a key policy issue . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How Far To Extend Network Access? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cook