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From: PCOEN@drew.bitnet (Paul Coen)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: More on BBSs and Phone Rates
Message-ID: <72211@bu.edu.bu.edu>
Date: 13 Jan 91 19:34:00 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 34, Message 2 of 8


        I just had to respond to the people who were claiming that
BBSs were no different than 900 numbers.  Remember -- the people who
are operating 900 numbers are usually at least breaking even on their
costs, due to the per-minute charge on the 900 number.  976 numbers
also generate revenue, I believe.  The "hobby BBS" does not.
 
        The comment about amount of usage is a semi-valid one.  Think
about it -- even if you pay-per-use, that isn't going to affect
incoming calls.  Since the call is being made by the other party, not
the BBS, there really isn't any easy way to apply measured service to
BBS lines.
 
        As far as home-run, local, non-revenue-generating dial a
prayer or other lines are concerned, why should they pay extra either?
Is the purpose of the business rate to charge for more use, or is it
so the phone company gets a cut of any profit you make via your use of
the telephone?  If you're not making money, or operating as a loss, I
really can't see the justification.
 
        The fact that when you get a residential line, last time I had
NJ Bell service anyway, you don't get anything telling you how much
you can use your phone should mean that you can stay on the line 24
hours a day talking to your friends in the local calling area.  Why
should it be any different when you hook a computer up to it?  The
average BBS probably doesn't use any more phone time (and maybe less)
than a family with several teen-agers.
 
        The average BBS isn't costing the local phone company extra
money, really.  As long as all the local circuits aren't busy, who
cares what the rest of the lines are doing?  That's like computer
center managers that say that running games on a minicomputer late at
night (when the computer would be otherwise idle) is COSTING them
money.  There's a difference between "cost" and "non-revenue-
generating," I think.  The only cost I can potentially see is that the
phone companies are actually having to maintain line quality, rather
than letting it degrade to the point where data communications are
difficult.
 
        Just so you know where I stand, I'm a co-sysop on a BBS owned
by Drew University.  The Drew Underground has six NJ Bell lines, which
we pay business rates on because they're located in University-owned
buildings.  (Of course, getting NJ Bell to repair problems is like
trying to squeeze oil out of a piece of rock, but that's another
story).  Fortunatly, the $$ comes from a University budget, not us.


   The preceeding may not even be my opinions, never mind Drew U.'s
Paul Coen         Academic Computer Center        Drew University