[SunRescue] Real ISPs

[Tim Hauber]

rescue at sunhelp.org writes:
>I'd rather be a customer or operator of an ISP with a different marketing
>formula, one that is "a la carte": You pay for bandwidth, and connect
>time, in line with what it costs the ISP to serve you, and its not
>horribly expensive. Its a lot less hassle for everyone involved. The
>question remains, is there enough of a market for it?
>
>-bob
>damned YANKEE

If you just looked at the number of people who would pay more than they
are, but expect what they paid for, then, yeah, there is a market. 
Unfortunately a big bunch of the stupid is between the ISP and the
customer, it doesn't matter how smart the ISP is, or how helpful, if the
guys that own the wires in between are stupid, you get hassles, and
neither the ISP nor the customer can really do anything about it.  I meean
here in NY state, Bell Atlantic can't even make a simple dial up hunt
group change without breaking the hunt group.  Once they weren't even
supposed to change our 24 line hunt group, and broke it into 3 distinct
groups, with a couple unnattached numbers thrown in.   Given this kind of
incompetence,  how do you provide reliable service?

I agree, I'd pay for service if I could find a provider, in the mean time
I live with a 33.6 dial up and dream about the future.

Of course, I do live in the boonies, my road isn't even real blacktop, so
part of my problems are caused by my choice of location. 

Tim