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Re: What exactly is an internet (service) provider?

2004-06-21 14:56:45
From: Markus Stumpf 

You have a contract. This should be listed in the contract and you
can read it before signing it. If the contract doesn't talk about
limits and they do limit you, sue them.

Sue on what grounds?  Who says that Internet service has no limits?
All reputable service providers have terms of service that include
limits, starting with something about network abuse.  (Never mind 
how well those limits are enforced.)  Many service providers limit
their users to not running "servers," but good luck finding someone
who knows what they mean by "server." 
Since there are always providers, you can't sue simply because you
bought an account with limits you failed to clarify.


Trying to find first line technical support people (never mind sales)
at a consumer grade ISP who knows has any idea what sort of filtering
their employer does is hopeless.  It's generally foolish to expect to
find someone who even understands the question.


(And, btw, some of the statements are incorrect.
- Some providers intentionally cut their customers
  off after 24 hours in order to force them to have
  a new IP address.

(Some "DSL modems" including the Actiontec 1524 kill TCP connections
after an hour or two all by themselves)


You have to look at what they sell. They sell "DSL Surf Accounts".
Surfers usually aren't online for 24 hours without interuption and
they don't have problems with the interupt in "normal use". If you get a
"business access" you will not have the problem in most of the cases.

I've not seen anyone selling "DSL Surf Accounts," but I've never looked,
and certainly not in Germany.

In any case, 
  - which of the classes in 
http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-klensin-ip-service-terms-02.txt
    is closest to a "DSL Surf Accounts"?

 - Should one of those four categories be renamed "DSL Surf Accounts"?

 - Should a new class named be "DSL Surf Accounts" be added?

 - exactly what filtering is imposed on a "DSL Surf Account"?  Is
     port 25 filtered?   22?  135 and 138?  Some or all UDP?  ICMP?

 - and the same questions for "business access."

Telling people to read contracts ISP today is disingenuous.  If the
IETF would define "DSL Surf Accounts" and "business access," then you
could hope to ask for one or the other.  You might then sue if you
didn't get whichever you wanted.


Vernon Schryver    vjs(_at_)rhyolite(_dot_)com

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