From: Avi Freedman <freedman@netaxs.com> And they solicit our customers, sigh.
And someone with 2 T1s to Sprint has been saying "We are *the* Internet Backbone in South Jersey".
Everyone (of importance) agrees that in order to claim you're a backbone you have to (now, not a year ago) be connected to at least 2 public NAPs/MAEs and have at least one circuit that runs at DS3 or higher speed.
No, that is not correct.
A US Internet "backbone" is one which connects to ALL the NAP/MAEs in the US. Not just two. All of them.
Perhaps you can tell me where PSI connects, good sir... By my count it's MAE-East and CIX and nowhere else. There are a few major backbones not at the Chicago NAP. And none of the majors are at MAE-Chicago or any of the MAEs other than East and West.
Everyone else is just a "regional", of one size or another.
If anyone solicits your customers saying otherwise, report them for false advertising to the FTC, and sue the bastards.
WSimpson@UMich.edu
Avi