Re: dark cloud seen over compuserve

D. Kirkpatrick (aeon@tiac.net)
Fri, 01 Sep 1995 23:39:02 -0500

In article <427dr2$658$1@mhadf.production.compuserve.com>, dannie hawkins
<71726.3204@CompuServe.COM> wrote:

> Beginning Sept. 10,`95, Compuserve introduces its new "pricing plan"

[lots of stuff snipped]

Under the current plan there are two services. On "basic" and one
"executive". Under current "basic" there is a flat fee of $9.95 and
unlimited use of some services such as news (not newsgroups - daily news)
weather, and certain reference materials. Included was a $9 e-mail
allotment. Most e-mail inside the system remained free but some large
messages and all internet mail was charged 10 to 12 cents each depending
on size. 180 minutes of connect to anything Internet related were thrown
in. All discussion forums were billed at $4.80/connect hour.

Under the new pricing plan there will be one service only which will be
$9.95/mo flat plus 5 hours of everything. After that there will be a cost
of $2.95/connect hour for anything accessed. Some services will remain
billable with a premium attached and those will be called-out as they are
now.

Depending on where you spent most of your time you will either save money
or it will cost you more. Essentially all that is happening is that they
are shifting some of the financial burden to attract more business users
as well as compensate for an increasing number of users that have totally
automated or semi-automated programs that cut actual on-line times down to
a few minutes of actual connect each day.

Not yet announced but coming will be a phase-in to all host micro
interface (HMI) protocols effectively phasing out ascii access. CIS and
Delphi remain two of the larger services that still accommodate the ascii
client.

ObPagan:-For the average pagan on a limited income (aren't most of us?)
there will be some savings realized but that will be tempered by the
dangling carrot to use it more.

-- 

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Dennis Kirkpatrick:  aeon@tiac.net --or-- 76334.3010@compuserve.com

                     http://www.tiac.net/users/aeon/

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