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From: phil@wubios.wustl.edu (J. Philip Miller)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Running Your Own Long Distance Company
Message-ID: <15114@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 30 Nov 90 11:38:01 GMT
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Organization: Division of Biostatistics, WUMS, St. Louis, MO
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 857, Message 7 of 12


The {St. Louis Post Dispatch} this morning carries a story about
William Outten, the owner of an answering service in surburban St.
Louis who is now offering "free" long distance calls from Jefferson
county into St. Louis.

Utilizing a scheme often mentioned here, he has been leasing lines
which allow unlimited calling into St. Louis and then allowing his
customers to connect with them with three-way calling.  He originally
was charging his customers $.03/min while SWBT charges .30 for the
first min and .17 for each additional meeting.  According to the Post
he was collecting $2,500/mo from his customers and paying Bell $700.
The PSC stopped this practice in September and are now seeking a court
order to stop the current practice.

Outten claims that now he is not offering telephone service and that
he should be treated no differently than anyone else who utilizes
three-way calling.  The PSC accuses him of "blatently skirting" state
regulations.

It is not clear whether the equipment utilized to make the connections
is commercially available equipment or of Outten's own design.  He is
described as a "telephone nut" and the equipment as a circuit the size
of a sheet of paper contained within a toolbox bolted to the wall in
his answering service.  He describes it as "This is something you
don't learn in college."

A decison is expected next week.


     J. Philip Miller, Professor, Division of Biostatistics, Box 8067
	 Washington University Medical School, St. Louis MO 63110
	     phil@wubios.WUstl.edu - Internet  (314) 362-3617
uunet!wuarchive!wubios!phil - UUCP (314)362-2693(FAX)  C90562JM@WUVMD - bitnet