Free Internet Access?

[Rod Clark]

> My personal view is that we should focus on servicing our member
> organizations - perhaps even providing SLIP/PPP connections to IP's, but
> more importantly to educate and involve grass roots non-profits in the
> type of communication benefits now available through e-mail and other
> means.  Phone lines are important - but we're going to get a lot bigger
> payoff encouraging the city to pay for text only access than by spending
> our meager financial resources on such expensive items.
> 
> We can do one thing very well now in terms of opening up internet access -
> we can help grass-roots organizations build a professional presence on the
> net consistent with our founding policies.  

Doug, 

   SCNA's members aren't organizations. The members are local
residents who have joined SCN as individuals. That's SCN's
consituency, not the organizations you mentioned.

   SCN's basic purpose isn't to subsidise free online brochures
for established organizations, many of whom can afford to pay
for printing, Web space and other such costs. SCN's purpose is
to provide access to the Internet for people who otherwise can't
afford it and who would otherwise have no access.

   To give away SCNA members' and SCN users' individual
donations to finance bigger and better "professional presences"
for such organizations is sending the members' money in the
wrong direction. We (including yours truly) support our Web
space "customers" with a great deal of unpaid volunteer time.
But given the choice, I'd far rather spend that same amount of
time supporting Web pages on which SCN's individual users could
express themselves.

   If anything, SCN should consider asking some of the bigger
organizations who now use SCN as a Web space provider for
voluntary donations, and use that money to support better dialup
services for those who can't afford a commercial provider.

   As far as depending on the City for essential support, I
wouldn't trust the City's politicians to consistently support
SCN's principles. Do you?

Rod Clark

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