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From: pjlahaie@achilles.net (Paul JY Lahaie)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd,comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit,comp.unix.sys5.r4,comp.unix.misc,comp.os.linux.development,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.386bsd.development,comp.os.386bsd.misc
Subject: Re: flat rates for Internet/phone (Re: X on dial-in)
Date: 23 Feb 1995 13:30:47 -0500
Organization: Achilles Internet Limited, Nepean, ON
Lines: 35
Message-ID: <3iik8n$q8@zeus.achilles.net>
References: <D3s19v.4M7@pe1chl.ampr.org> <D4DH09.BAo@pe1chl.ampr.org> <3ig1dn$6l5@nntp1.u.washington.edu> <1995Feb22.220136.7837@kf8nh.wariat.org>
NNTP-Posting-Host: zeus.achilles.net
In article <1995Feb22.220136.7837@kf8nh.wariat.org>,
Brandon S. Allbery <bsa@kf8nh.wariat.org> wrote:
>Sure; the billing is based on expected usage. But with the changes in usage
>brought about by modems, fax machines, etc., many local telcos are planning to
>drop flat-rate service... some already have (ask anyone in the LA or Chicago
>environs).
I guess that's one of the nice thing of having regulated phone service.
The only good thing about non-flat rate billing is that someone, somewhere
makes a massive killing. Be it AT&T, ANS or whoever. Someone will make
lots of money, cause it costs them X/month, and they charge per use. By
using a simple analogy, you can look at the following:
I charge per packet for FTP service. My costs are fixed. My hard
drive, maintenance, etc.. These are all fixed costs (a 50% filled hard
drive does cost less than a 90%). Now, when I charge per packet, I have to
recover my costs. Therefore I base my packet charges on worse case
scenarios (I'm a software house). I still have to pay if nothing
significant is released that month. Now, whenver my site gets really
active, I make lots of money.
As for FAXing/Modems. Modems are being slowly phased out. People are
already starting to switch to ISDN. And with ISDN 1-second dialing, it's no
big bother to do PPP-on-demand type services. As for FAXes, well, use the
ISDN FAXing interface. Don't know much about it, so I won't comment now.
- Paul
--
Paul JY Lahaie Internet: pjlahaie@achilles.net
Achilles Internet
Director of Technical Operations