Because so many people have asked for the results of my survey of commercial
Internet access providers, I am posting the report of the Mid-America
Association of Law Libraries' Internet Committee.
We looked at nine commercial Internet access providers; most of these were
identified through Peter Kaminski's PDIAL list (see below), but a few (Health
Sciences Library Consortium [HSLC] and Washington Library Network [WLN]) were
discovered via other sources.
These are by no means the only Internet access providers available; certain
parts of the country--particularly on the east and west coasts--are well
served by local or regional providers. For a more comprehensive listing of
individual Internet access providers, with their respective rates, see the
PDIAL (Public Dialup Internet Access List), compiled by Peter Kaminski; to
obtain a copy, send email with the subject "Send PDIAL" to
"info-deli-server@netcom.com."
Nonetheless, for what it's worth, I am posting our findings. Although
other vendors should be considered in other parts of the country, I think our
method of comparing pricing (including telecommunications costs, at various
levels of usage, and for various numbers of users) may be useful to others.
Thanks to everyone who expressed an interest, or who offered their comments.
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Extending Internet Access to All MAALL Members:
Options for Connectivity
A Summary of the Report and Recommendations of the
MAALL Internet Committee
May 4, 1993
In December 1992 the MAALL Internet Committee began to examine ways that the
Internet can be better integrated into the work of MAALL and its members.
Specifically, the Committee was charged with three tasks: (1) developing a
"buddy" or "mentor" system whereby those who already have Internet access and
some expertise could help train other MAALL members in how to use e-mail and
other Internet resources; (2) exploring and presenting options for access to
the Internet by all MAALL members, not just those in academic law libraries;
and (3) exploring how MAALL, as an association, could use the MAALL Discussion
List (MAALL@WUVMD.wustl.edu) most effectively.
Initial steps have been taken toward developing an "Internet buddy" system.
An announcement of the project and a request for volunteers was made, first on
the MAALL Discussion List, and then in MAALL Markings. At least one new user
has been successfully matched with an experienced colleague in this way.
The second task--presenting options for Internet access for all MAALL members
--is the most crucial one. For many reasons, Internet access has
traditionally been seen as limited to academics. For most university-
affiliated users, the costs of Internet access are subsidized by their
institution. This has created a serious potential for conflict among law
librarians; academics law librarians have increasingly come to rely on the
Internet as a quick and efficient means of communication, but non-academics
are increasingly left "out of the loop." For a regional chapter like MAALL,
this situation hurts everyone: private and court librarians are cut off from
much of the information-sharing going on among their academic colleagues, and
the academics are deprived of the expertise and perspectives of their
associates in the other libraries. Moreover, the private and court librarians
who wanted to gain access to the Internet, since they lacked the technical
support and other resources available in universities, often did not know how
to start. Therefore, it was one of the Committee's main tasks to facilitate
access to the Internet by all MAALL members by studying the options for access
and presenting recommendations to the MAALL membership.
The committee used published lists of commercial Internet access providers,
personal recommendations, and other sources, to compile a list of nine
nationwide Internet access providers (there are a number of state or regional
Internet access providers serving other parts of the country, but at this
time, none in the MAALL region). After these providers were identified, the
committee issued requests (via several Internet discussion lists) for comments
from users of these services. Finally, for comparison purposes, the Committee
tabulated the estimated costs of one year of Internet access, at several
different levels of use, for each of the nine providers (see Table). Costs
were found to vary greatly, and because of the different pricing structures
and connection options used by the various providers, the true costs were not
always apparent at first glance. Eventually, however, the Committee was able
to identify several options for low-cost access to the Internet which should
be affordable for all MAALL members.
For several reasons, group membership in a single access provider does not
seem feasible. There are too many variables to make one Internet access
option the best for everyone. Each of the commercial Internet providers
handles long-distance and local access differently in different cities, so
costs vary greatly from one city in the MAALL region to the next.
Furthermore, the administrative burden of billing MAALL centrally, and then
invoicing individual libraries, is more than MAALL is set up to handle.
Therefore, rather than selecting one Internet provider for everyone, the
Committee has come up with a series of recommendations. Individual libraries
may determine the suitability of each of these options for their own
situation.
Recommended Options for Internet Access
(1) In some instances, it may be possible to obtain free or low-cost
"courtesy accounts" at a university through your local law school library.
Ask your colleagues at your local law school library about the availability of
free or low-cost "courtesy accounts" through the university. Internet access
fees for universities are going up, so they may be less willing to provide
this service than they were a few years ago, but it is worth exploring.
Academic law librarians can contact the computing services departments at
their universities to present the idea; they can provide support for the
request by pointing out the benefits to the university of resource sharing
with other libraries, including access to the specialized expertise of law
firm librarians.
(2) If courtesy accounts through the university are unavailable, the most
inexpensive full-service Internet access providers are The Well and Delphi.
The Well charges $15 per month, plus $6 per hour ($2/hour basic usage fee,
$4/hour telecommunications charge through Compuserve packet network). For
membership in The Well, call (415) 332-4335.
Delphi offers two plans: the 10/4 Plan ($10/month, which includes 4 hours of
use; additional use is $4/hour), and the 20/20 Plan (20 hours of use per
month, for $20/month; additional use is $1.80/hour. Under both plans,
Internet access is an additional $3 per month. Telecommunications charges
vary; the basic charge for Sprintnet access is $9 per hour. However, Delphi
has a local access number in Kansas City, so there is no telecommunications
charge for users there. In addition, there is no telecommunications charge
for Sprintnet between 6:00 PM and 7:00 AM Monday through Friday, and all day
Saturday and Sunday. Users who can shift a substantial amount of their use to
those hours can thereby avoid telecommunications charges. (Costs for Delphi
in the attached Table include full Sprintnet telecommunications charges, so
these represent maximum costs.) For membership in Delphi, call (617) 491-
3393, or write Delphi, 1030 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138-5302.
MAALL Internet Committee
James Milles, Chair
John Christensen
Debbie DeSpain
Mitch Fontenot
Scott Umphrey
Aris Lee Woodham
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Provider Annual cost Annual cost Annual cost
@ 10hrs/mo @ 20hrs/mo @ 40hrs/mo
# Users # Users # Users
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
CLASS $1545 $2855 $4165 $2805 $5375 $7945 $5325 $10415 $15505
Delphi[1] $1524 $3048 $4572 $3120 $6240 $9360 $6432 $12864 $19296
Delphi - $444 $888 $1332 $276 $552 $828 $708 $1416 $2124
KC[2]
Delphi - $444 $888 $1332 $924 $1848 $2772 $1884 $3768 $5642
PoSTLink[3]
Dial n' $1490 $2930 $4370 $2690 $5330 $7970 $5090 $10370 $15170
Cerf
Holonet $1440 $2880 $4320 $2830 $5640 $8460 $5580 $11160 $16740
[4]
HSLC - $1450 $2900 $4350 $2650 $5300 $7950 $5050 $10100 $15150
non-profit
HSLC - $1700 $3400 $5100 $2900 $5800 $8700 $5300 $10600 $15900
for-profit
Portal $1459 $2918 $4378 $2659 $5319 $7978 $5059 $10119 $15178
PSIlink $1048 $2096 $3144 $1788 $3576 $5364 $3228 $6456 $9684
Class B (2400)
cities[5] $1188 $2376 $3564 $1908 $3816 $5724 $3348 $6696 $10044
(9600)
PSIlink $1248 $2496 $3744 $2148 $4296 $6444 $3948 $7896 $11844
other (2400)
cities[6] $1368 $2736 $4104 $2268 $4536 $6804 $4068 $8136 $12204
(9600)
Well[7] $900 $1800 $2700 $1620 $3240 $4860 $3060 $6120 $9180
WLN[8] $1345 $2515 $3685 $2365 $4555 $6745 $4405 $8635 $12865
--------------------
[1] 10 hours/month rate is calculated under 10/4 Plan; 20 hours/month and
higher is calculated under 20/20 Plan.
[2] Users in Kansas City have a local number, and no $9/hour
telecommunications surcharge.
[3] Users in St. Louis who subscribe to Delphi through PoSTLink (10/4 Plan
Only) have no $9/hour telecommunications surcharge.
[4] Includes $100 setup fee, plus $5/month, for P.O. billing; also includes
$7.50/hour for Tymnet; does not include hard-to-estimate
transmission/data charges or file storage charges.
[5] See PSIlink list of Class B cities. In the MAALL region, these are Des
Moines, IA; Kansas City, MO; Lawton, OK; Little Rock, AR; Oklahoma City,
OK; Omaha, NE; St. Louis, MO; and Wichita, KS.
[6] Includes $7.50/hour for Tymnet access.
[7] Includes $4/hour for dial access through Compuserve packet network.
[8] Includes $8.50/hour for 800 number access; users may also use regular
long distance service; also includes $2/hour fee for hours over 20/month.
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