From what I hear the money in the infrastructure pool after *3* years is
Interesting RAC report. This focuses on the magic formula implied during the fall of 1990 when the MERIT partners and Steve "gave" ANS to the world. ANS would somehow leverage the backing of IBM and MCI into the creation "infrastructure" that would pay wonderful dividends to the research and education community. From January 1991 to the present - a three year period, NSF has poured approximately 30 million into the running of ANS via its payments to MERIT. probably LESS than $200,000. Hardly a significant pay back on 30 million of federal funds. HERE is the ONE demonstrable way in which ANS actually returns something to the network. Yet it does so behind closed doors and keeps its one charitable activity on the profit making side of the company where it is not required to submitt to public scrutiny. Why? Makes no sense. What is ANS hiding by doing this? What would ANS have to loose by 1. explaining exactly how funds are placed in the pool and 2. announcing the value of the pool every quarter? I asked Joel Maloff to explain this to me in October. He did so but the time was limited and I do not feel I have a thorough understanding. But why explain it just to me? Why not accept questions and put out the details in a press release. I asked Joel whether every time ANS connected a customer that customer paid 2,000 or 4,000 surcharge to the "inf. pool"? Answer: no. If the customer was connected to a core nodal router, nothing was paid to the pool. If to an end nodal router, I believe something went into the pool. Only problem is I am not aware that ANS has any attachments connected to ENSS nodes. The other instance apparently was when a commercial customer of a regional wanted blessing to send its packets across the ANS backbone. It got this blessing via an annual (?) contribution to the pool which has nothing to do with the existence or absence of CO+RE profits despite the fact that the pool is run by CO+RE. When a commercial customer makes a contribution to the pool why shouldn't it be announced to the community? How would ANS be harmed by full disclosure? And if ANS won't disclose, why won't NSF fulfill its oversight duties by monitoring and disclosure?? I mean the NAME of the NSF represenative on the pool apparently is classified? All other members of RAC were listed by name. Why not NSF?