[Air-l] Re: AUP (Acceptable Use Policy)

[Bram Dov Abramson]

http://commposite.org/99.1/articles/abramson.htm#fn9:
>Jusqu'en 1991, les utilisations de l'Internet à caractère commercial 
>étaient limitées par la politique édictée dans l'AUP (Acceptable Use 
>Policy) de la National Science Foundation (NSF), qui énonçait le principe 
>général suivant: "NSFNET backbone services are provided to support open 
>research and education in and between US research and instructional 
>institutions, plus research arms of for-profit firms when engaged in open 
>scholarly communications and research. Use for other purposes is not 
>acceptable". Plus spécifiquement, la politique qualifiait d'usage 
>inacceptable l'utilisation du backbone du NSF -- la base de l'architecture 
>de l'Internet -- pour des activités lucratives. En 1991, le point 
>d'échange CIX (Commercial Internet eXchange Association) a été formé par 
>les réseaux General Atomics (CERFnet), Performance Systems International, 
>Inc. (PSInet) et UUNET Technologies, Inc. (AlterNet), pour transiter du 
>trafic commercial, passant ainsi à travers NSFNET et son AUP. S'apercevant 
>de l'énorme potentiel commercial de l'Internet, le gouvernement 
>états-unien a jugé que le temps était arrivé de modifier son rôle pour 
>encourager un financement privé et privatiser l'architecture du réseau. Le 
>23 décembre 1992, la National Science Foundation a annoncé qu'elle 
>arrêterait de fournir le backbone de l'Internet et, quelques deux ans plus 
>tard, des contrats ont été rédigés pour l'exploitation de points d'accès 
>central (Network Access Points - NAPs). Depuis, certains fournisseurs de 
>services ont adopté des "politiques d'utilisation acceptable des 
>ressources mises à la disposition de leurs abonnés".

Translated: Until 1991, commercial uses of the Internet were limited by the 
policy set out in the AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) of the National Science 
Foundation (NSF), which set out the following general principle: "NSFNET 
backbone services are provided to support open research and education in 
and between US research and instructional institutions, plus research arms 
of for-profit firms when engaged in open scholarly communications and 
research. Use for other purposes is not acceptable".  More specifically, 
the policy qualified as unacceptable any use of the NSF backbone -- the 
basis of the Internet's (then-)architecture -- for profit-based 
activity.  In 1991, the CIX (Commercial Internet eXchange Association) 
exchange point was formed by the networks General Atomics (CERFnet), 
Performance Systems International Inc (PSInet) and UUNET Technologies Inc 
(AlterNet) in order to transit commecial traffic, thus going around the 
NSFNET and its AUP.  Noting the substantial commercial potential of the 
Internet, the U.S. government judged that it was time to modify its role by 
encouraging private financing and privatise the network architecture.  On 
23 December 1992, the National Science Foundation announced that it would 
stop supplying the Internet backbone and, two-odd years later, contracts 
were awarded for the operation of central access points (Network Access 
Points - NAPs).  Since then, certain service providers have adopted 
acceptable usage policies as to the resources made available to their 
subscribers.

>Le texte intégral de la politique de la NSFNET en matière d'"Acceptable 
>Use Policy" est reproduit dans l'ouvrage de J.H. Ellsworth et M.V. 
>Ellsworth, "The Internet Business Book" (cf. 
>http://www.oak-ridge.com/ibb.html), dont le chapitre 4, intitulé 
>"Acceptable and Unacceptable Uses of the Internet", est disponible à 
>l'adresse électronique suivante: http://www.oak-ridge.com/ibbch4p1.html

The text of the NSFNET Acceptable Use Policy is reproduced in the book by 
J.H. Ellsworth et M.V. Ellsworth, "The Internet Business Book" (cf. 
http://www.oak-ridge.com/ibb.html), whose chapter 4, titled "Acceptable and 
Unacceptable Uses of the Internet", is available at the url 
http://www.oak-ridge.com/ibbch4p1.html.

cheers
Bram