I'm wondering whether Wikimedia has ever considered participating in the
Internet2 research network (Wikipedia
article<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet2>t2>;
official website <http://www.internet2.edu>).
I had found out about it after reading a news article about how Missouri
University changing its 10 Gbit/s connection to 100 Gbit/s. I then read the
website and found that Wikimedia's and their missions go together very
well; part of it is the commitment to sharing and spreading information.
While they are focused on developing new technologies and that isn't
exactly Wikimedia's primary focus, I see big potential for Wikimedia to
benefit from participation on the network, as it could make our information
more accessible to researchers on the network.
When thinking about why Wikimedia wasn't participating, I noticed the costs
of membership. Wikimedia would participate as an Affiliate, which according
to the membership
page<http://www.internet2.edu/membership/membership_structure.cfm>fm>,
consists of "Non-profit organizations that are research- and/or
education-oriented, with a strong interest in Internet2's mission and
goals. They are committed to promoting the development and deployment of
advanced Internet applications and network services in the conduct of
research and education." (sounds like us!). For us, as a level 4 affiliate
(since our operating budget is certainly below 100 million US dollars a
year) , we would pay $10,000/yr.
I previously spoke to Ironholds about this, but neither he nor I know
whether the WMF has previously considered it.