Or...since the business model of many (but not all) major web sites is related to advertising, they should pay isp's for access to their audience (client base of isp). It is the audience that makes the web site more valuable....not the other way around.
Another fine com-priv debate rehashed... So if UUNET's web hosting division wants access to AOL's client base, the payments should flow which way? Personally, I think it would be great, because something like 85% of our 'paid' traffic with UUNET is to/from UUNET hosted web sites. When an ISP has both consumers and producers, or buyers and sellers, the value flows both directions. You get inequities when there is an pricing inbalance, e.g. international telephone rates. Competitive markets tend to force inbalances to zero. The problem is in a free and open competitive market, any settlement scheme with net difference between providers, will result in a new provider entering the market whose business will maximize their net settlements. International call-back telephone services is one example. Zero net settlements is actually a great barrier to entry for new providers. -- Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO Affiliation given for identification not representation