Re: [gaia] draft-irtf-gaia-alternative-network-deployments. Adding "ownership" as a new category?

[Henning Schulzrinne <[e-mail]>]

This is a relatively new effort (a few years old), and I'm not aware of any
publications, as they seem more interested in cherry pickers than
conference publications. I will try to ask the person who was at the FCC
working on that topic.

A non-peer-reviewed report is at

https://ilsr.org/report-mn-rural-fiber/

(In general, that organization has a lot of material on "alternative"
networks, albeit with a positive bias rather than a neutral stance or
unbiased evaluation.)

Also, your definition talks about users participating in design,
deployment, operation and maintenance, but this is not how RECs work. They
pay professionals to climb poles and string cable; the coop members are
owners, but do not operate the network, just as they are not all volunteer
electricians and linemen.

On Mon, Apr 25, 2016 at 10:51 AM, Jose Saldana <[e-mail]> wrote:

> Hi, Henning,
>
>
>
> Rural electric cooperatives seem an interesting case, which could also be
> included in the classification.
>
>
>
> I have found some other information:
>
> http://remagazine.coop/broadband-the-new-greatest-thing/
>
> http://remagazine.coop/co-mo-broadband/
>
>
>
> They say that “While installing fiber optics to run its smart grid
> applications, the co-op found it could provide fiber-based broadband to
> members at very little additional cost.”
>
>
>
> As you say, this model does not fit with any other in our classification.
> But I think it does fit with our current definition, as we are talking
> about small-scale networks, in rural zones, owned by the users (they are
> cooperatives).
>
>
>
> 1.2.  Alternative Networks
>
>
>
>    The term "Alternative Network" proposed in this document refers to
>
>    the networks that do not share the characteristics of "mainstream
>
>    network deployments".  Therefore, they may share some of the next
>
>    characteristics:
>
>
>
>    o  Relatively small scale (i.e. not spanning entire regions).
>
>
>
>    o  Administration may not follow a centralized approach.
>
>
>
>    o  They may require a reduced investment in infrastructure, which may
>
>       be shared by the users, commercial and non-commercial entities.
>
>
>
>    o  Users in alternative networks may participate in the network
>
>       design, deployment, operation and maintenance.
>
>
>
> Do we have more information about them? Any research paper about this? I
> have found the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (
> http://www.nrtc.coop/pub/us/about/).
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot!
>
>
>
> Jose
>
>
>