Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: folta@tove.cs.umd.edu (Wayne Folta) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Many Software Designers of Caller ID Also Disliked it Message-ID: <16723@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 6 Feb 91 21:40:01 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: Wayne Folta Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742 Lines: 36 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 96, Message 7 of 10 >no need for CID. I feel that this is one large marketing scam only for >the RBOCs and feel that if I pay for a non-published listing, that CID >should be inactivated. Believe me, the software hooks are there. In Maryland, you can now dial *67 before a call and the CID box shows "Private #" on the display. As a (free) counter-feature, I would like to be able to have the phone company block all *67'd and otherwise private # calls from ringing my phone. If you want to call me (enter my house as it were), I believe I have a right to know who you are before granting you entrance. On another note, I wonder if the *XX to report crank calls to the phone company is a true alternative to CID. CID allows me (in theory) to find out who is crank calling, and attempt to solve the problem without resorting to legal proceedings. In some cases, this is more appropriate. Wayne Folta (folta@cs.umd.edu 128.8.128.8) [Moderator's Note: The way to refuse calls from blocked numbers is pretty simple if you also have call screening. Please note that *67 does not refuse to pass the caller's number to the CO ... but merely instructs the CO not to give it to you. So what you do is, you have to get called once by the blocked number. Answer it or not as you please. When that call is off the line, then do *60 #01# or whatever you do to 'add last caller whether or not you know the number' to your list of calls to be screened. Henceforth what they will get for their *67 + your number will be a recording saying "The customer you have called has activated call screening, meaning they are not accepting calls at this time." Even if they call back unblocked they won't get through. Anything that Caller*ID can grab can also be handled by its close cousin, Call Screening. Above code is from Bell of Illinois, your telco may have different codes / intercept messages. PAT]