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From: DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu) (DOUGLAS SCOTT REUBEN)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: COCOTs and 10xxx Access
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Date: 26 Jul 90 03:48:06 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 515, Message 6 of 12


Although I totally agree with John Higdon's post about COCOTs and the
CPUC which appeared in the Digest a few days ago, I must differ on one
point:

I have actually found a COCOT that allows 10xxx access! And it is NOT
one of those "converted" Pac*Bell payphones which Pac*Bell decided to
abandon and hand over to some slimey COCOT/AOS outfit...

If anyone is driving south from Sacramento on I-80, to the right,
about seven miles before the Vacaville (err ... the "Nut Tree") exit,
there is a Chevron and Unocal-76 gas station. (I think those were the
two...) There are always lots of trucks there. There are actually TWO
real-life COCOTs on the Chevron property that allowed 10xxx access
every time I tried. (Of course, less than two feet away on the Unocal
lot there were those ex-Pac*Bell COCOTs which blocked all 10xxx
calls...). So there do exist at least *two* COCOTs in the USA that
allow 10xxx access. I can just see the people at FCC Informal
Complaints in DC using that as an example, saying "See, we got a few
working ... don't rush us!" Yeah ... right...

Actually, for those not familiar with COCOTs in California, all COCOTs
(at least the ones I've used) use Pac*Bell for their local calling
card and operator services, and you only get into the problem of
blocking when you want to make a long distance call. Of course, many
of them still disable the Touch Tone pad after you enter your card
number, so you can't make sequence calls or tone in digits to
voicemail or an answering machine.

It also seems that all Safeway stores in the Bay Area now use private
payphones, as I couldn't find any Safeway with a real Pac*Bell phone
on their property.  (However, the one off of I-80 in Truckee has a
couple of Pac*Bells.)

Accordingly, I just shop at Lucky's!


Doug

dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu
dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet