Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Wed, 3 Apr 91 20:52:24 GMT From: Lars Poulsen Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: End of the [Party] Line Message-ID: Organization: Rockwell CMC Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu 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 267, Message 5 of 11 Lines: 34 TELECOM Digest vol 11 issue 264 msg 1 reprinted an AP wire service story submitted by Bill Berbenich Georgia Tech, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 about the end of party line service in Woodbury, Connecticut. I enjoyed the story, but would like to make a couple of technical comments. I wish there were a way to get them back to Ms Cappiello of AP. > By JANET L. CAPPIELLO, Associated Press Writer ... > Woodbury Telephone is being allowed to eliminate the service now > because of a $1.8 million equipment upgrade, Mitchell said. > Eliminating party lines also became imperative because of computerized > 911-emergency response systems. > When a caller dials 911, the caller's address appears on a computer > screen at the dispatch center. With party lines, there's a risk that > the address could be that of the other customer, Mitchell said. This does not ring true to me. If the switch software can provide ANI for billing, I would expect it to provide ANI for E911 witout problems. It disturbs me when businesses deliberately tell lies to regulatory agencies. (It also disturbs me that we set up regulatory agencies that aren't technically competent to see through such fibs). While this particular obfuscation is relatively harmless, I bet that if the company fibs about harmless things they probably lie through their teeth about facts that have a material impact on the ratesetting. Lars Poulsen, SMTS Software Engineer CMC Rockwell lars@CMC.COM