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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
¬March 23, 1977 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Senator Edward Kennedy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Washington, D.C.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Senator Kennedy:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α≥read␈α≥in␈α≥␈↓↓Datamation␈↓␈α≥about␈α≥the␈α≥impending␈α≥technology␈α≥assessment␈α≡of␈α≥computer
␈↓ ↓H␈↓communications.␈α I␈αhave␈αlong␈αbeen␈α interested␈αin␈αthis␈α≡eld␈αand␈αits␈αpotential␈αfor␈αimproving␈αhuman
␈↓ ↓H␈↓life.␈α⊂ Enclosed␈α⊂is␈α⊂a␈α⊂paper␈α⊂delivered␈α⊂at␈α⊂the␈α⊂1976␈α⊂meeting␈α⊂of␈α⊂the␈α⊂American␈α⊂Association␈α⊃for␈α⊂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Advancement of Science.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈αhave␈αone␈αspecial␈αconcern.␈α It␈αis␈αthat␈αthe␈αgovernment␈αmay␈αinadvertently␈αcreate␈αunnecessary
␈↓ ↓H␈↓monopolies␈α∂-␈α∂either␈α∂governmental␈α⊂or␈α∂private␈α∂-␈α∂by␈α∂regulating␈α⊂who␈α∂can␈α∂o≥er␈α∂what␈α⊂services.␈α∂ My
␈↓ ↓H␈↓prime␈α
worry␈α
concerns␈α
electronic␈α
mail.␈α
 As␈α
I␈α
show␈α
in␈α
my␈α
paper,␈α
a␈α
consumer␈α
should␈α
use␈α∞the␈α
same
␈↓ ↓H␈↓terminal␈αfor␈α
electronic␈αmail␈α
as␈αhe␈αuses␈α
for␈αother␈α
interactive␈αcomputer␈α
services.␈α Moreover,␈αa␈α
citizen
␈↓ ↓H␈↓will␈α∂want␈α∂to␈α∂process␈α⊂his␈α∂electronic␈α∂mail␈α∂with␈α∂computer␈α⊂programs.␈α∂ For␈α∂example,␈α∂he␈α∂will␈α⊂≡nd␈α∂it
␈↓ ↓H␈↓convenient␈αto␈αbe␈αable␈αto␈αtype␈αY␈αor␈αN␈αor␈α"next␈αmonth"␈αto␈αhis␈αbills␈αas␈αthey␈αare␈αpresented␈αor␈αto␈αtype
␈↓ ↓H␈↓A␈α∂to␈α∂a␈α∞program␈α∂that␈α∂will␈α∂then␈α∞put␈α∂his␈α∂address␈α∞on␈α∂a␈α∂questionnaire␈α∂or␈α∞coupon␈α∂he␈α∂is␈α∂≡lling␈α∞out.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓These␈α
mail␈α
processing␈α
services␈α
are␈α
not␈α
natural␈α
monopolies,␈α
and␈α
will␈α
develop␈α
most␈α∞rapidly␈α
under
␈↓ ↓H␈↓conditions of free competition.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        In␈α
fact,␈αthere␈α
is␈αjust␈α
one␈α
natural␈αmonopoly,␈α
and␈αthat␈α
is␈α
the␈αbare␈α
communication␈αservice␈α
from
␈↓ ↓H␈↓telephone␈α∞jack␈α
to␈α∞telephone␈α
jack.␈α∞ If␈α∞the␈α
FCC␈α∞decision␈α
can␈α∞be␈α∞made␈α
to␈α∞stick␈α
so␈α∞that␈α∞any␈α
device
␈↓ ↓H␈↓certi≡ed␈α∞not␈α∞to␈α∞harm␈α∞the␈α∞telephone␈α
system␈α∞can␈α∞be␈α∞connected␈α∞to␈α∞a␈α
jack␈α∞in␈α∞the␈α∞wall,␈α∞the␈α∞way␈α
will
␈↓ ↓H␈↓remain␈α∞clear␈α∞for␈α∞all␈α∞the␈α
services␈α∞envisioned␈α∞in␈α∞my␈α∞paper␈α
except␈α∞those␈α∞requiring␈α∞very␈α∞high␈α
data
␈↓ ↓H␈↓transfer␈α
rates.␈α
 When␈α
high␈α
data␈α
rate␈α
services␈α
are␈α
o≥ered,␈α
they␈α
should␈α
also␈α
be␈α
o≥ered␈α
unmixed␈α
with
␈↓ ↓H␈↓information processing or storage except that incidental to the pure transfer of information.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        ␈↓αThe␈α∞worst␈α∞thing␈α∞that␈α∂can␈α∞happen␈α∞is␈α∞a␈α∞Postal␈α∂Service␈α∞monopoly␈α∞on␈α∞Electronic␈α∂Mail␈α∞in
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αwhich␈αone␈αrents␈αterminals␈αfrom␈αthe␈αPostal␈αService␈αand␈αcan␈αonly␈αuse␈αsuch␈αauxiliary␈αservices␈αas
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αthe Postal Service chooses to provide␈↓.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈αideal␈αsituation␈α
is␈αone␈αin␈αwhich␈α
the␈αowners␈αof␈αcomputers␈α
that␈αprovide␈αpublic␈αservice␈α
are
␈↓ ↓H␈↓distinct␈α⊂from␈α⊂the␈α∂terminal␈α⊂sellers␈α⊂and␈α∂renters,␈α⊂distinct␈α⊂from␈α∂the␈α⊂companies␈α⊂that␈α⊂provide␈α∂useful
␈↓ ↓H␈↓programmed␈αservices,␈αand,␈αif␈αpossible,␈αdistinct␈αfrom␈αthe␈αproprietors␈αof␈αdata␈αbases␈αwho␈αare␈αdistinct
␈↓ ↓H␈↓from␈α⊂the␈α⊂owners␈α∂of␈α⊂the␈α⊂≡le␈α∂computers␈α⊂where␈α⊂the␈α∂data␈α⊂bases␈α⊂reside.␈α∂ None␈α⊂of␈α⊂these␈α⊂should␈α∂be
␈↓ ↓H␈↓AT&T or the Postal Service.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        At␈α⊂Stanford,␈α⊂we␈α⊂have␈α⊃a␈α⊂project␈α⊂we␈α⊂call␈α⊂␈↓↓Dialnet␈↓␈α⊃to␈α⊂develop␈α⊂standard␈α⊂protocols␈α⊃that␈α⊂will
␈↓ ↓H␈↓permit␈α
any␈α
computer␈α
installation␈α
-␈α
whether␈α
a␈α
large␈α
time-sharing␈α
system␈α
-␈α
or␈α
a␈α
hobbyist␈αcomputer␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓provide␈α∪mail␈α∀services␈α∪for␈α∪its␈α∀users␈α∪to␈α∪any␈α∀other␈α∪system␈α∪that␈α∀implements␈α∪the␈α∀protocols.␈α∪ No
␈↓ ↓H␈↓equipment beyond telephone dialers and ␈↓↓modems␈↓ is required.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αSenator Edward Kennedy␈↓ ¬gMarch 23, 1977␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 


␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α
would␈α
welcome␈α
the␈α
opportunity␈α
to␈α
testify␈α
before␈α
an␈α
appropriate␈α
Congressional␈αcommittee
␈↓ ↓H␈↓on␈α⊂the␈α⊂problem␈α⊃of␈α⊂developing␈α⊂electronic␈α⊃communication␈α⊂services␈α⊂in␈α⊂such␈α⊃a␈α⊂way␈α⊂as␈α⊃will␈α⊂avoid
␈↓ ↓H␈↓monopoly.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science