Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uwm.edu!linac!att!pacbell.com!lll-winken!telecom-request From: chapman@alc.com (Brent Chapman) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Our Landlord Has a Charge-a-Phone Message-ID: Date: 2 Apr 91 00:35:40 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Organization: Ascent Logic Corporation; San Jose, CA Lines: 29 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 263, Message 3 of 16 In john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: > There is a diner in Los Angeles (the name escapes me) that has a phone > at every table. They are "genuine Bell" phones and each is connected > to CO dial tone. These are, in effect, Charge-a-Calls. You can place > 800, 10XXX, 950, 0+ (goes AT&T), but not local calls (except as 0+). > [Moderator's Note: On I-55 from here to St. Louis all the food/gasoline > stops along the way have a similar arrangement. At each booth in the > restaurant, a wall-phone is hooked to a one-way outgoing line. All > calls from the phone must be zero-plussed or 10xxx zero-plussed with > billing on a collect, third number or telco credit card basis. PAT] If you look at the customers at these joints, you'll probably see a relatively large number of long-haul independent truckers. These phones are commonly found at restaurants along Interstate highways. The drivers use them for such things as arranging delivery details of their current loads, lining up future loads, and simply calling home. I believe that many of them will allow incoming calls, on the assumption that if the driver is sitting there waiting for a call back, he's likely to order something to eat or drink while he waits. Brent Chapman Ascent Logic Corporation Computer Operations Manager 180 Rose Orchard Way, Suite 200 chapman@alc.com San Jose, CA 95134 Phone: 408/943-0630