Re: Smoking gun in CA

[James Love <love@tap.org>]

  On Sat, 27 Apr 1996, Robert Berger wrote:
  > Also demand that ISDN equipment makers ALL support the fast call setup times
  > possible on ISDN, that ALL phone companies support D channel signalling and 64K
  > clear channel to support fast call setup and remove penalties (high first
  > minute charges vs following minutes).
  > 
  > Demand equipment makers and telcos to support D channel packet traffic so that
  > there is no cost to make ISDN "Look" like its permanently connected. (ie if you
  > had a web server at your home connected to your ISP via ISDN:
  
       Robert, this is what we actually filed in Virginia last week, and 
  this is also the approach we have used elsewhere.  Intel and AT&T have 
  also raised these same issues.  jamie
  
  VI.  BA SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO REPORT TO THE COMMISSION ON 
  MECHANISMS TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF DATA TRANSMISSIONS, 
  INCLUDING SYSTEMS OF PROVIDING "BANDWIDTH ON DEMAND."
  
     [snip]
  
  25.	As new applications for ISDN are developed, such as 
  video conferencing, ISDN delivered radio programs, or other 
  new services, one would expect new types usage patterns to 
  develop.  In general, one hopes that the current 
  infrastructure would be re-engineered to more efficiently 
  accommodate its use for purposes other than the traditional 
  analog voice services.
  
  26.	While BA and some other LECs seem alarmed at the 
  prospect that consumers might actually want to use the 
  copper wire network for something other than 6 minute 
  telephone calls, we have heard nothing from these monopoly 
  providers to make the network more efficient.  We believe 
  that most consumers are interested in maintaining "open 
  connections" to digital networks, in order to receive 
  various types of information in real time.  However, for a 
  number of important uses, it is not necessary to constantly 
  use the entire bandwidth that is available.  For example, in 
  Web surfing, much time is spent simply reading text on 
  pages, which doesn't require any bandwidth at all, since the 
  data has already been downloaded to the home computer.  
  Software exists, we are told, to allow ISDN users to 
  maintain connections through ISDN "D" channels, which are 
  apparently already open, and to open up B channels as 
  needed, in a Bandwidth on Demand (BoD) basis.  We ask the 
  Commission to require BA to study various models for BoD, 
  and report back to the Commission with 9 months on the 
  feasibility and cost of such systems.  This is very 
  important, and a much more constructive response to 
  potential congestion problems than charging per minute fees 
  on residential consumers.
  
  27.	For now, congestion by ISDN users is a non-issue.  In 
  Maryland, BA was only able to attract about 300 residential 
  ISDN consumers as of last fall.  In Virginia the number of 
  residential ISDN is also likely minuscule.  The current 
  problem is the lack of deployment and the dearth of new 
  applications, not congestion.  The Commission needs to prime 
  the pump now.  While BA begins to connect more than a 
  trivial number of residential ISDN consumers, it can be 
  required to do something constructive about bandwidth 
  management.  This will also give BA an incentive to solve 
  potential problems, rather than exploit them.
  
  
    jamie
  
  
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  James Love / love@tap.org / P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
  Voice: 202/387-8030; Fax 202/234-5176
  Center for Study of Responsive Law
     Consumer Project on Technology; http://www.essential.org/cpt
     Taxpayer Assets Project; http://www.tap.org
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