🚀 go-pugleaf

In <BzCKMp.uw@solaria.mil.wi.us> jgreco@solaria.mil.wi.us (Joe Greco) writes:

>Now, to answer the question that was posed, I understand that Marquette
>University offers SLIP/PPP connections, although there are a few "gotchas".
>This information is about a year old, but I believe it is still valid.

A connection through Marquette or UWM (or the Medical College or MATC
or any other WI school) is a connection to WiscNet.
Anyone making such a connection must pay WiscNet's fee. WiscNet's
literature says $10,000/year. However, I think this has changed
(under some circumstances) to the range of $2500-$2700, prepaid.
The lower price may only apply where another organization is providing
a low bandwidth connection, but I do not know for sure.  WiscNet
only provides 56K and T1 links

Also, WiscNet's charter is to support education and research. 
My opinion is that WiscNet/state-of-Wisconsin should also
support (small) businesses who have low bandwidth, non-proprietary
networking needs, like other states are doing because (affordable) 
commercial options are (or have been) lacking.

I know of a few small businesses that have a need for occassional "instant" 
data transfer (file or mail) to another company, either in the U.S. 
or elsewhere in the world, to remain competitive. These businesses 
cannot afford $1000 - $2000/month fee for a simple 14.4K SLIP link
that most commercial providers want (usually $250/month plus a long
distance telephone call) however, and would prefer to acquire the 
service locally. (Or do not want to manage a computer and networking
software themselves but want to pay someone else a fee to do that,
and to use a BBS type of service.) There are probably several businesses.

One option would be for interested parties to form an organzation
that gets a 56K or T1 line and then divides that up into dedicated
and on-demand dial-up IP service at 14.4K or 56K. Startup cost would
be $50-$100K, with monthly operating costs probably near $1500-$2000,
which does not consider any salaries or taxes that come with employees.
Anyone interested? Anyone win the lottery recently?

Dean