AMS-IX is considering expansion to the United States

The Dutch internet exchange AMS-IX is considering an expansion to the United States to internet exchanges. That confirms the organization after a discussion on the mailing list of the AMS-IX.

“We have our members were asked what they would think if we are an American division would set up,” said spokeswoman Pauline Hartsuiker of the AMS-IX. The purpose of the division is to be in the United States internet exchanges such as AMS-IX in the Netherlands has already done. “We would like an internet exchange to the European model set-up,” according to Hartsuiker. In the U.S., internet exchanges, according to Hartsuiker more expensive and commercial, while the AMS-IX non-profit. Because some members of the AMS-IX also in the US, that can benefit from the expansion.

The organisation must of its members to get permission to go to the USA to expand; or the members of the planning support, it is not yet clear. One of them, Erik Bais of A2B Internet, speaks on the internal mailing list of the AMS-IX are worried about the plan. In the mail, that Pastebin was posted, it writes the Bais that the AMS-IX with the U.s. company is at risk under the U.s. Patriot Act to fall. That law regulates that the Us government can get access to servers of companies with operations in the United States, even if those companies are not American, and the servers are not in the US itself.

According to Hartsuiker of the AMS-IX is the organisation aware of the risks associated with the project stick. “We also have a lawyer involved who knows how this kind of thing in the USA,” she says.