Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!bellcore!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: edell%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Richard Edell) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Pacific Bell plans access to computers Message-ID: Date: 12 Jun 89 21:22:09 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Reply-To: Richard Edell Organization: University of California, Berkeley (student) Lines: 47 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 195, message 5 of 9 In article ulmo@ssyx.ucsc.edu (Brad Allen) writes: >[copied without permission from Santa Cruz Sentinel, June 9, 1989, Section B] >SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Pacific Bell said Thursday it hopes to compete with >the popularity of television by offering people easy access to computerized >libraries, bulletin boards and the use of electronic mail. > PacBell's California Online -- which will be available to anybody with a >personal computer, telephone and calling card -- will be among the first in >the nation to use a graphic-based system that simplifies procedures so only >a rudimentary familiarity with computers is needed. > "It's going to offer our customers a supplement to their current leisure >activities ... and among other things we've seen (in trials) a lot of >people who got away from the TV," said Roger P. Conrad, director of >Videotex Gateway Services. > "We feel this is a more productive way for people to spend their lives >and we think a lot of users are going to agree," he added. > Users will pay "info-entrepreneurs" fees based on the time they use >various services and will be billed on their monthly telephone statements. >Unlike some online information services, users do not have to subscribe >ahead of time. > Conrad said the types of services are limited only by vendors' >imaginations. PacBell will make money by selling telecommunication line >use to the companies. I believe Pacific Bell is talking about their recently approved 900 ICS (Information Calling Services). Pacific Bell 900 ICS is an intra-LATA service only (i.e. to cover all of California would require telephone lines (and equipment) in all 10 California LATAs, furthermore calls from outside of California would not be permitted). If I were thinking about becoming a Videotex Information Provider I would seriously consider the 900 services available through the long distance companies (AT&T, MCI, Sprint, Telesphere, et. al.). The per minute charges for 900 via IEC (long distance company) are greater but the simplicity of ONE set of phone lines in ONE location outweigh the increased per minute costs. If you were interested in Pacific Bell's Videotex services I would call the Mr. Conrad mentioned in the AP story you lifted -- a starting point would be to call 811-4976 (CA only, otherwise (213) 975-4976). -Richard Edell (edell@garnet.berkeley.edu) (UCB EECS student and 976 Information Provider) The above opinions are my own (but not exclusively mine).