Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Ed_Greenberg@3mail.3com.com Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Accessing AT&T (Was AT&T ACUS) Message-ID: <16387@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 24 Jan 91 16:54:00 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 45 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 65, Message 2 of 11 Lars Poulsen writes: > The reason the PBX operators are blocking 10XXX is not to make > trouble, but to prevent getting billed for unauthorized calls. I am > sure this could be alleviated by ATT by defining a class of service > for designated subscriber numbers, that disallow calls without third- > party billing. (I think there is enough processing power in the POP > to manage this). Actually, 10xxx processing takes place at the RBOC (or other operating company) facility. There already _is_ a class of service that would allow this ... a coinless public phone, for example. There are other classes of service, including a predefined hotel/motel class of service that allowed the hotel industry to serve the travelling community for years. The hotel switches could also be programmed to allow 10xxx+0+ dialing, but not 10xxx+1+ dialing. Bally's in Las Vegas has this programming. They charge .50/call for access of this nature. It may be expensive, considering what you're paying for the room, but at least you know how much it will be, and can reorder the line with '#' afterwards for another call. It should also be remembered that the hotel isn't sunk if a call gets ticketed on AT&T. After all, they have a record of the call on their call detail recorder, and can add it to your hotel bill. The reason (IMHO) that hotels won't allow this sort of dialing is that they'd rather route the calls through their contracted Alternative Operator Service (AOS) which will (a) rape the customer and (b) kick back a significant portion of the proceeds to the hotel. Occasionally I find a hotel that has dial tone in their pairs, rather than sleeze tone. In fact, the number of such hotels is increasing. The majority I've experienced however, treat the phone as a profit center, and have jumped firmly on the newest telecom bandwagon -- "caveat emptor as long as we can get away with it." In my post about Las Vegas, I neglected to mention (so will mention here) that the sets in the hotel had RJ-11's in them marked Data port. A nice touch. Ed_Greenberg@HQ.3Mail.3Com.COM