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From: brian@apt.bungi.com (Brian Litzinger)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Complaint to Telco Brings Hostile Service Person!
Message-ID: <12347@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 18 Sep 90 19:00:17 GMT
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In article <12197@accuvax.nwu.edu> wmf@chinet.chi.il.us (Bill Fischer)
writes:

>When this joker arrived, he was incredibly hostile! He said he had
>been monitoring the line and every time he called, "some fax machine
>or something" answered the line. So I tell him that it's a modem for
>dial in and out of our little Xenix box. Now he's really hostile! "You
>are using a standard dial tone line, what you get is what you get ... If
>you want a data line, pay for it. You people abuse the system, but
>it's gonna change..."

I ran through this exact same gambit with Pac*Bell in California.

The answer was:

Pac*Bell gaurentees a certain set of specifications for voice lines
and "data lines".  I'm guessing that the specs are different for the
two kinds of line.

Our story is:

Our Telebit trailblazer began having very slow transmission rates.  We
called Pac*Bell and complained that the line was faulty.  They asked
us what we used it for and we explained about the modem.  At they
point the pitch about misusing the phone system started and that we
should get a "data line" if we expected the modem to work.  I
explained that our modem was specially designed to operate in the same
bands as the human voice and that we didn't need a "data line".  They
didn't buy my argument, but were willing to send someone out to look
at the line.

When the service person showed up we watched him test our voice line.
Inside the lid of his test box were two charts with the specifications
that the line had to meet.  One for data lines and one for voice
lines.  On the third test the box reported that the line failed to
meet the specifications for a voice line.

So off went the service person, and the Pac*Bell performed some
central office magic, and lo-and-behold our trailblazer was back up to
speed.

The moral is:

At least at Pac*Bell, they guarentee a certain set of specifications
with each type of service.  If your modem will operate within the
specs of a standard voice line, then that is all you need, all you
have to pay for, and all your using.

Also, I believe the reason the phone companies become hostile is
because they believe you are stealing service when you run data over a
voice line.  They mistakenly think you are using more than you are
paying for.

Disclaimer:

State Laws and Regulations vary. So will your mileage.

<>  Brian Litzinger @ APT Technology Inc., San Jose, CA
<>  brian@apt.bungi.com      {apple,sun,pyramid}!daver!apt!brian
<>  Disclaimer: Above are my opinions and probably wrong.