Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: konstan@postgres.berkeley.edu (Joe Konstan) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Why DA Costs Should Be Spread Among All Subscribers Message-ID: Date: 11 Sep 89 22:54:32 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Lines: 40 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 366, message 3 of 8 I think there is a simple solution here. Why not allow DA operators to connect the call. In this fashion, if you request DA on a call, and are connected, there is (first time per number only) no fee. If you call DA for the same listing, or call DA and do not choose to place the call, then you are billed for it. This solves a number of problems: 1. Businesses which merely use DA to "verify" phone numbers would pay full cost. 2. LD companies could do the same thing, which would prevent people from calling AT&T information and using MCI (or whatever) to place the call. 3. Pay phones could be made into general exceptions to the rule. 4. All the legitimate exceptions could still be in place. A couple of details would need to be worked out: 1. How do you define "place a call?" I would go for connection, six rings, or busy signal (simpler than a later check against billed calls) which would probably get rid of "Sure, place it!" followed by an immediate hang up. Overall though, I think this is the type of SERVICE that a phone company should be providing, and there is no reason LD companies shouldn't compete on the quality of their DA services. Oh, and Barry Shein wrote: >>Does Sears charge for their catalogues? There's a lot of precedent to >>helping people find your products for free, that's all DA is. Well, last I looked, Sears, Penney's, and the rest charged for their catalogues, but gave you a merchandise certificate of about the same value good for mail order. (With Penney's, it is a $4 catalog, and a $5 certificate) This seems almost exactly the same, and I think it should work. Joe Konstan