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Name: Otis Richardson
Status: N/A
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Around 1995
Question:
I am presently doing research about the NII (National Information Infra- structure). How will the concept of 'universal service' be affordable to all Americans?


Replies:
In principle, the costs of network connection (to the internet for example) are really cheap - far, far cheaper than interstate phone service for example. The most expensive part is probably the local connections to the service, and that should at least be cheaper than cable. Of course, that is assuming the phone companies are not allowed to monopolize the business and gouge consumers for all they are worth.

That is referring to the real costs of transferring data. Actually getting the data you want may cost more, but so far the structures to do that (aside from CompuServe etc.) have not been set up yet, so who knows. It really should be relatively cheap though - unless monopolistic practices are allowed.

A Smith

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