On Sat, 2008-07-26 at 17:30 +0300, Imri Zvik wrote:
> While it is theoretically possible to setup a non-profit ISP, it is not
> practical.
> It takes A LOT of money to run an ISP - just the submarine uplinks costs a
> couple of hundred K's of $ per month, and even if you manage to get a serious
> staff working for you for free, or almost free (which I doubt, as ISP job is
> 24/7), you still need to buy expensive hardware, pay Bezeq for realms etc.
>
> So, unless you find someone with deep pockets who will fund this operation, I
> don't see how it is possible.
>
>
> But I do like the idea :)
The nonprofit ISP's costs would be covered by payments from its clients,
just like for-profit ISPs. The difference is that management will
answer to clients (via board of their representative, say) rather than
to profit-seeking owners. Therefore the utility function to be
optimized will be to give the clients the best service possible at a
given cost, rather than to maximize the owners' profits regardless.
Another way to express it is that it is analogous to: by buying
subscription to the ISP's service, a client gets a share in the ISP (to
be surrendered when he terminates his subscription). So he would
support a management which gives him good service rather than pay him
higher dividends.
I noticed that there were no comments about mesh networks with
WiFi/packet forwarding. Such things are inherently non-profit.
--- Omer
--
Philip Machanick: "caution: if you write code like this, immediately
after you are fired the person assigned to maintaining your code after
you leave will resign"
My own blog is at http://www.zak.co.il/tddpirate/
My opinions, as expressed in this E-mail message, are mine alone.
They do not represent the official policy of any organization with which
I may be affiliated in any way.
WARNING TO SPAMMERS: at http://www.zak.co.il/spamwarning.html
=================================================================
To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command
echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
