Without over-simplifying, or taking a side, aren't we missing the point?
The big kids make the rules; if the little kids wanna play, they go along
with the big kids' rules. So the short, and
not-as-facetious-as-it-sounds, answer to "Why is UUNet committing this
atrocity" is "Because they have good reason to believe... 1) it will work;
and 2) they'll get away with, and profit from, it."
I think Scott Y. nailed it - we vote with our pocketbooks, and with our
networks. And we allow (or force?) our customers to do the same - we can't,
after all, eat all of these additional expenses, so end-user prices may be
driven up by UUNet's actions. If that doesn't meet with acceptance by a
balance of the Internet community, including end-users, then a reaction will
take place.
In the meantime, if your ability to provide service is compromised, I think
you'll find that this will prove an opportunity to the "pretty big"
providers, in that they will be able to fill the gap by selling transit.
And I think undercutting the "big kids" in pricing that service is not only
likely, but a moral imperative.
