Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: William.Degnan@f39.n382.z1.fidonet.org (William Degnan) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Still Another Phone Scam Message-ID: <15472@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 16 Dec 90 17:26:20 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 32 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 887, Message 4 of 12 On David Ptasnik (davep@u.washington.edu ) writes to All: DP>A California company called Flat Rate was offering long distance DP>users unlimited long distance calling for a flat rate of $195.00 per DP>month per line. A similarly named company in Texas had an interesting operation. They had DIDs in Austin, Houston, Dallas/FtWorth and San Antonio which went via tandem switching and T-1 to those cities. You could get a virtual FX from them. They also had store-and-forward dialers which were installed on their customers' outgoing lines to capture traffic to the local calling areas of their served cities. Sure looked like a narrow "window of opportunity" to me. It was. The price reflected their low overhead and as I understand it, did not permit them to continue those rates when SWB told them they were violating the access tariffs (a lot). I keep asking, "What ever happened to Flat Rate Communications?". They seem to have quietly dissappeared. Disclaimer: Contents do not constitute "advice" unless we are on the clock. William Degnan | wdegnan@mcimail.com Communications Network Solutions | !wdegnan@at&tmail.com -Independent Consultants | William.Degnan@telemail.com in Telecommunications | UUCP: ...!natinst!tqc!39!William.Degnan P.O. Drawer 9530 | ARPA: William.Degnan@f39.n382.z1.FidoNet.Org Austin, TX 78766-9530 | Voice +1 512 323 9383