Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: 29 Jun 91 21:49:30 GMT From: Kevin Boyd <9457boydk@vmsf.csd.mu.edu> Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Operator Busy Break-in Now Costs $1.60 Reply-To: 9457boydk@vmsf.csd.mu.edu Message-ID: Organization: Marquette University - Computer Services 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 499, Message 6 of 10 Lines: 44 In article , colnet!res@cis.ohio-state. edu (Rob Stampfli) writes: > Suppose the line is being used by a modem. I wonder what the operator > has been instructed to do in this case. Does the operator "listen" > first so as not to disturb the modem, or do they arbitrarily drop the > call? If they don't drop the call, what do they tell the intended > caller? (Mentioning that a modem is in use is, in my mind, giving > away details about the call in progress.) > [Moderator's Note: When the operator is asked to 'verify busy' or > interupt a call, they will first listen on the line only for a second > or two to detirmine the status. A single word or two of conversation It should be this simple, but I had another experience: Several years ago, I was working the studio control board for a LIVE radio football broadcast over dial-up lines. About midway through the first quarter, the operator did an emergency break-in on our line. It took me almost two minutes to get her off the line, while our announcers at the other end got more confused and angry. She simply didn't understand the concept of live radio over phone lines. (I finally had to talk to her supervisor to get the line cleared.) Apparently the person trying to break in was the control room operator from the radio station in the booth next to ours. Their dial-up line wasn't working, so he got the brilliant idea that he could get ahold of his announcer team using our line. I seem to remember that our station General Manager made both the telco and the other station regret the whole incident the next day. :-) I think the incident can probably be chalked up to an inexperienced operator at the telco. Regards, Kevin Boyd Marquette University Office of Campus International Programs Internet: 9457boydk@VMS.CSD.MU.EDU