(Fwd) ISPACs

Quoting from Geert Jan de Groot's message:
> 
> On Wed, 27 Nov 96 09:38:39 +0000  "Mike Norris" wrote:
> >        Title     : Internet Service Provider Address Coalitions (ISPACs)
> >        Author(s) : T. Li
> >        Filename  : draft-li-ispac-00.txt
> >        Pages     : 5
> >        Date      : 11/25/1996
> 
> I don't think this will fly. The major cost of ISP's is their lines;
> changing between ISPACs means that the same infrastructure is used,
> and thus that performance level and price will be very similar
> amongst 'competitors' in the same ISPAC.

You are right, but the proposal still makes sense in my view

> I don't think it makes sense for a customer to change ISP between
> those in the ISPAC.

ISPs in the ISPAC could differentiate among themselves for other
characteristics than the transport infrastrucure: i.e. type of customers,
local scope, type of customer support, etc

> 
> Also, this would mean that the ISP's in the ISPAC give each other
> transit over their main international lines. That just doesn't make
> sense to me.

This is exactly what happens in Italy where a large number of small ISPs
use a small set of upstream big ISPs. Hence a sort of ISPAC is already
in place...

> 
> I must be missing something?

Are you still missing something?

> 
> Geert Jan
> 

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