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Members IP Committee Recently I received e-mail concerning the fee for VDN service.For many IP organizations the fee appears excessive. At the last meeting of the CCN board the subject of VDN fees was discussed. In brief, it was decided that the subject, and that of other fees requires further study. Therefore the IP Committe should prepare material in support of the various arguements. In the meanwhile, the current fee structure will be followed. The current fee structure does not clearly demonstrate the disposition of the contributions made by IPs. It does not demonstrate the the benefits received by IPs and CCN. For example, the basic URL, www.chebucto.ns.ca, advertises CCN whenever it is used. Clearly a benefit (non-financial) to the organization. All users and IP's participate in this propogation of global awareness. CCN in turn provides basic services at no charge. The switch from the CCN identity to a unique VDN identity results in the loss of this benefit to CCN. Therefore, an element of the fee structure for VDN users must be financial compensation for basic services provided. Part of the fee should be allocated for setup and maintenance of the VDN on the system. In the ISP community there is normally an annual fee for activated VDNs. At CCN the provision of a VDN is a premium service, meant to solicite additional contributions. A portion of the fee is charitable, with the donation portion ($10+) eligible for a tax receipt. The organization is a community of haves and have-nots, with the former providing the availability of basic services to all through the minimum suggested IP fee. The fee for VDN is an extention of this concept. And finally, all service fees are subject to sales tax (15%). A decomposed fee structure may bring greater awareness and acceptance concerning the total fee imposed for the service. Your comments and suggestions would be appreciated. Doug McCann Chair
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