Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: russ@alliant.com (Russell McFatter) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Do Modem Users Congest The Phone Network? Message-ID: <1888@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 4 Dec 89 20:45:54 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: Russell McFatter Organization: Alliant Computer Systems, Littleton, MA Lines: 53 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 556, message 2 of 7 While debating the question of how much load modem users actually create, I think that we've been missing a more important issue. Let me ask you the question: Why do you suppose the phone companies are really in favor of modem surcharges?? Does anyone really believe that this is out of a well-meaning intent to avoid the kind of dial-network overload that we only ever see on certain holiday afternoons and during major disasters? At least in THIS area, NYNEX seems to provide their own answer-- in terms of incredibly expensive, prime-time regional television advertisements telling you that you should be using the phone MORE. Keep in touch with everyone you know! Give 'em a call right now! This is backed by more TV and radio ads with themes such as "...you should have FAXed it!" and "How could you have known that the store was closed?? You should have called!!". Print ads do much of the same. Is this the behavior you would expect of a utility that is short of resources and wants to conserve them? (Contrast with an electric utility, which nowadays as they near peak capacity would never run an ad such as "Turn it way down and keep COOL this summer... with enjoyable central air conditioning"!!) Unfortunately, the BOC's tend to complain about the cost of providing some service until such a time as the rate commission gives in to the increase... and then they follow up with a marketing frenzy for the same service. New England Telephone has complained for years about not being allowed to charge for directory assistance, and they keep reminding us how it costs them "millions" of dollars. A friend of mine from New Mexico tells me that the story was the same there, but in his area a 60-cent-per-call charge was approved, and now they run advertisements telling you how much better it is to use directory assistance than to actually look up the numbers yourself. I suspect the same would be true for modem surcharges... "Don't sit there waiting for YOUR news... Poll your news host every five minutes!!" "Spend a good long time with your friendly local bulletin board service... Only $8.60 an hour! (based on a ten-hour call at lowest off-peak rates with maximum quantity discount and other provisions for calls in your local service area for a limited time only with rebate at participating locations.) I suppose that part of the basis of our (still a monopoly) phone network is to charge you something for (virtually) nothing: Tone service (they could actually save a lot of money by getting everyone to switch to tone and eliminate pulse dial)... Custom calling services (that are all handled at no extra expense by the central office's computer)... and the ubiquitous $8-$25 "service order charge" that represents 60 seconds that an service representative takes to punch your order for these into a computer. Haven't we had enough of this already? Russ McFatter russ@alliant.Alliant.COM (std. disclaimers)