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From: minich@unx2.ucc.okstate.edu (Robert Minich)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Caller ID problems
Message-ID: <1991Apr2.082031.2343@unx2.ucc.okstate.edu>
Date: 2 Apr 91 08:20:31 GMT
References: <1991Apr1.185518.9876@jato.jpl.nasa.gov>
Organization: Oklahoma State University Computer Center
Lines: 38

# I don't see how per-call blocking is a nice compromise, either.
# It rather defeats the purpose of caller ID, don't you think?
 
> Get a clue -- if you don't recognize the number, don't
> pick up the phone.
 
| Boy...I can see a whole HOST of problems this brings up.
| 
| You are at a pay phone trying to call a friend. Your friend, who is paranoid
| about answering calls that he doesn't know the number of, decides not to
| answer the phone because he doesn't recognize the number of that pay phone.
| 
| You try to make a phone call from a house who's owner believes in not
| giving his number out (especially if you are using his phone to call
| someone he doesn't know). The person you are trying to call is the same 
| friend in the previous example...AND he blocks calls that refuse to identify
| themselves.

To anyone who KNOWS: What happens when the operator calls (ie, collect
or person to person, etc.)? Assuming it's something recognizable, then
the solution to the above scenarios is to make an operator assisted
call.


| If it ain't broke...don't fix it. This whole Caller ID thing is pretty
| much BS imposed by TelCo in order to be able to trace phone calls faster.

First:  Being forced to either blindly answer the phone or miss a
        potentially important call _is_ broken. (Answering machines
        are a poor or unacceptable solution for some people.)

Second: The TelCo's have already been sending the information back and
        forth. They just didn't try to sell it before now.
-- 
|_    /| | Robert Minich            |
|\'o.O'  | Oklahoma State University| "I'm not discouraging others from using
|=(___)= | minich@d.cs.okstate.edu  |  their power of the pen, but mine will
|   U    | - "Ackphtth"             |  continue to do the crossword."  M. Ho