Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!ria!uwovax.uwo.ca!telecom-request From: Barton.Bruce@camb.com (Barton F. Bruce) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: I Want to Buy a COCOT Message-ID: Date: 17 Mar 91 07:43:31 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Organization: Cambridge Computer Associates, Inc. Lines: 49 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 210, Message 10 of 10 In article , stevel@eleazar.dartmouth. edu (Steve Ligett) writes: > I'm gathering information for our school board. We would like to have > a pay phone in our school. It would be primarily for local calls made Here in MA, NET & T will put in a phone in other than truely public places, BUT someone pays a monthly charge to have it there. I think that after the volume reaches some level consistantly, it can be reclassed and is free. If you have UNLIMITED local calling (no per call and no message units) available, and you have some trunks that are screened (no 0+ type LD billable to you will work, but 0+ billed elsewhere [CC, Collect, or 3rd party] will and 1+ will), set your switch to route that station to screened trunks for local or 0+ calls, and to disallow 1+. GIVE the call away - it costs you nothing. Possibly have a vanilla time clock that cuts the line except in the off hours it is really needed. If the access time is only school committee meetings and other selected evenings, and the total hours of availability are SO few, it may well just make sense to GIVE local calls away if you can otherwise prevent any toll abuse. The cost of a coin phone might NEVER be recovered, and the hassle and expense of keeping it working is simply not worth it. Have the building's PBX handle keeping them local. Have the SMDR output keep track of expenses and simply try it for a while. If you have no PBX, there are relatively inexpensive toll diverters that can be wired between this phone and some office line you use. Or add an honor box for dimes or quarters. Have a sign that means it that says significant loss will result in removal, and excess over cost will be contributed to the scholarship fund. Publicly report how much gets so contributed, and all the nosey town folk will gossip about cheapskates that don't contribute. You are not in Boston or NYC. If you DON'T have unlimited local calling, you can get a limited functionality DUMB-DUMB COCOT phone that blocks ANY LD service, and simply connects the mike and eats the coin when the customer pushes the CLEARLY LABELED button that indicates the caller wants to pay and talk. Better get one that allows 911, and check if any FCC rules are being violated by blocking all LD. Get the cheapest that blocks fraud and collects some money. If you miss a little, tough. This is not supposed to be a major money maker, just a reasonable convenience for town folk. Try GTE Supply. There was a mag called "PAYPHONE" that I think changed its name. Some COCOT reader can probably supply it. There were plenty of ads in it.