Perhaps this is not contributing significantly to the S/N ratio on the operational mailing list and not without a potential to interrupt the non progress that some are making in their mission to establish interplanetary name services - read on. I'd like to thank Hong and Simona for pointing out the deadline for comments to the FCC and take a moment of your time to plead to the technically minded for a serious contribution to how the regulatory laws regarding interconnection between our networks are about to be written. A few data points rather than a policy diatribe: a) The "free peering" relationship is directly analogous to a "bill & keep" interconnection relationship between traditional telephone companies. b) Under the Communications Act of 1934 As amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 ("Act"), "telecommunications carriers" are under obligation to interconnect "with the facilities and equipment of other telecommunications carriers..." (Act, Sec. 251 (a) (1) c) The term "telecommunications", as used in the Act means "the transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user's choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received" Act, Section 3 (43) Like it or not, the FCC is now obligated to translate this into regulations that will surely be litigated and enforced. It's just my guess but more than a few of us have an interest in the outcome of the first round of regulations in this area. We have just a few weeks to file something meaningful. To be sure, those with interests that may not exactly coincide with your own will file comments. Whole Earth Networks will be filling formal comments utilizing specialized legal counsel. I'd encourage others to do so. It is true that numbers count when regulatory bodies get around to doing their knitting. To date, we ISP's in haven't paid much attention to this telco regulatory stuff and it could cost us real big if we don't take a serious interest in what these folks are about to draft. --david David S. Holub President CTO Whole Earth Networks (Hooked and The WELL)