Although Sprint requested I not contact its engineers, I'll make and exception in this case.

| Some providers "requirements" seem to just add complexity for the | sake of complexity.

Oh, please. I have no need to prove the size of my NSPness.

I would appreciate it if you showed me the same courtesy.

The complexity is there because it's needed to make things WORK, so that you can get Internet connectivity.

I'm very aware how well things are working. I have lots and lots of customers that feel things are working so well they've spent their own money to buy separate network lines to St. Louis because of the way things are "working."

You could help make things easier for everyone to help keep you in business, rather than suggesting that people are out to get you.

The problem is you keep helping stay in this network business, I've been trying to get out of it. We've been trying to make things easier for customers to stay with their current network providers. We installed additional lines on the east coast, west coast, and Canada and offered to peer at additional places so other networks don't need to haul packets more than necessary and hopefully relieve some congestion. Instead some providers choose not to use the alternate paths we provided, but prefer to play hot potato with packets sending them twice around the continent. The result is customers ended up with and average of 31% packet loss between St. Louis and Dallas today. So customers feel the need to buy even more lines to St. Louis. My network business is growing like crazy, but you're killing my real business with your "help." I'm trying to help you keep your customers, why won't you accept the offer? -- Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO Affiliation given for identification not representation