Subject: Re: Best way to deal with bad advertisements?
To: SEAN@SDG.DRA.COM (Sean Donelan)
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 12:53:18 -0500 (CDT)
Cc: nanog@merit.edu> This was to keep the old NSF mid-level networks from losing connectivity
> with each other if they happened to choose different NSPs. I'm guessing
> the NSF connection program has wound down by now, so this isn't that much
> of a factor any more.Erm, rather a large number of entities still receive NSF connection funding.
It's rather amusing what some of them do with it.
Obviously, someone at the NSF is better qualified than I to comment on
this, but the NSF New Connections program is _not_ being "wound down."
If fact, it is being expanded. The current New Connections solicitation
adds K-12 institutions and vBNS connections.
What is being phased out is direct grants to regional networks. Many
regional networks were started with direct NSF grants. Often, the
regionals rather liked these funds, and pleaded with the NSF to keep
them flowing for just a little while longer. NSF Solicitation 93-52 was
the NSF's (successful, I believe) effort to end direct subsidies to
regional networks. NSF 93-52 offered funds for regional connectivity,
(connectivity out of the region, for example, via an NSP), decreasing
to zero over four years.
-tjs