Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!brl-bmd!Telecom-Request@usc-eclb From: Telecom-Request%usc-eclb@brl-bmd.UUCP (Telecom-Request@usc-eclb) Newsgroups: fa.telecom Subject: TELECOM Digest V3 #53 Message-ID: <640@brl-bmd.UUCP> Date: Sat, 3-Sep-83 01:34:23 EDT Article-I.D.: brl-bmd.640 Posted: Sat Sep 3 01:34:23 1983 Date-Received: Sat, 3-Sep-83 14:50:04 EDT Lines: 243 TELECOM Digest Saturday, 3 Sep 1983 Volume 3 : Issue 53 Today's Topics: "Unusual" User News Bulletin Unused Area Codes More Miscellanea Carterfone Rotaries Duck Soup Billing Malfunctions Special Instructions In New Hampshire ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 23 Aug 83 7:55:54 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: "unusual" user "...have your line disconnected if you receive a large number of calls and you refuse to get a rotary"?!? Just how would such refusal impact the phone system? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Aug 83 7:52:51 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: news bulletin Date: 24 Aug 83 2201 PDT COMPUTER TROUBLESHOOTER: 'Artificially Intelligent' Machine Analyses Phone Trouble WASHINGTON - Researchers at Bell Laboratories say they've developed an ''artificially intelligent'' computer system that works like a telephone network. Slug PM-Bell Computer. New, will stand. 670 words. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Aug 83 13:24:22 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: unused area codes Omitting N00, N10, and N11, the following area codes are not in use. (I am not sure about dialing instructions to Mexico.) 407,508, 706 (see under Mexico), 708, 718 (to be implemented 1984 in NYC), 719, 818 (to be implemented 1984 in Los Angeles area), 903 (see under Mexico), 905 (see under Mexico), 908,909,917 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Aug 83 16:01:07 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: more miscellanea 1964 Cincinnati Enquirer microfilm had many letter prefixes from Cincinnati area; most of these have the number 1 (as in CH1, etc.). Any reason for such 1's? I saw a pay phone at Cambridge, Ohio (614-439-9110) which had dial tone but still required deposit of 20 cents for calls which don't require coins on most DTF phones. (Such phone was put in by GTE of Ohio.) [GTE pay telephones in the Los Angeles area also required a dime before it would complete ANY call, dispite the fact that it was DTF (dial tone first). This is because the touch tone pad (or dial) is disabled until you insert the dime. --JSol] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Aug 1983 02:13 EDT From: DVW.STRAT@MIT-OZ Subject: Carterfone Just for clarity's sake I will quote directly from the C & P Telephone Acronyms Directory (with a legislative jargon section). "Carterfone decision - A 1968 FCC decision which held that telephone company tariffs containing blanket prohibition against the attachment of customer-provided equipment to the telecommunications network were unreasonable, discriminatory and unlawful. The FCC declared the telephone companies could set up reasonable standards for interconnection to insure the technical integrity of the network. Following Carterfone, the telephone companies filed tariffs for protective connecting arrangements to facilitate the interconnection of customer-provided terminal equipment." If you read that slowly, you can almost hear their distaste... --Bob-- ------------------------------ Date: Sunday, 28-Aug-83 18:18:44-PDT From: Lauren Weinstein Subject: rotaries How would not getting a rotary affect telco? Heh heh. I spent the better part of a day down at the Calif. PUC arguing about this topic (amongst others) in an informal hearing consisting of my clients, myself (as a consultant), a PUC official, and a bunch of officials from PacTel. The story is hilarious, since it involves PacTel bringing forth piles of statistics that they had gathered on incoming usage of my client's phone line (a telephone joke service called "ZZZZZZ" -- it was the last listing in the L.A. phone book). I successfully showed that most of their statistics were being erroneously interpreted -- clearly PacTel had not been expecting the people they'd be dealing with to know more about a typical Crossbar office and the toll network than they did! I had a great time demonstrating that the only reason they wanted my clients to get a rotary was that it would result in more COMPLETED calls (as opposed to calls that reached a busy singal). More completed calls means more revenue -- but does not directly reduce interoffice trunk loading or other significant factors in a Crossbar office. They never really admitted that revenue was the primary factor, but it became pretty clear. This is the *very* short version of the story -- the long version is very involved and this is not a suitable forum for such a discussion. The bottom line, however, is that many Telco tariffs give TPC a very broad ability to rather arbitrarily declare various actions to be "detrimental" to other person's phone service, even when this cannot be technically proven. This can turn some rather trivial situations into rather complex headaches. --Lauren-- ------------------------------ Date: 29 Aug 83 14:06 EDT (Monday) From: Denber.WBST@PARC-MAXC.ARPA Subject: Duck Soup >From the Fall 1983 edition of the Sharper Image Catalog comes: The phone that quacks. [really] A valued addition to the den or desk of any outdoorsman, the Decoy Phone artfully conceals the newest solid state technology. A soft, pleasant quacking characteristic of the species replaces harsh rings. Simply lift the head and you're on the line. The head also serves as a shoulder pad [that's using your head] to free your hands during important calls. Cord extends four feet and retracts automatically when you replace the handset. Pushbutton True-Tone dialing so you can access MCI and other long distance economy services. Weighs 7 lbs. [precooked, I assume], measures 13 1/2 x 9 x 7 1/2". The rugged, unbreakable ABS plastic has been beautifully detailed to resemble the finest collectible decoys. Yet it's strong, surprisingly light for its size, and comfortable to use. Mounted on its own solid oak base for even more authenticity. One year warranty. Adds the feel of the outdoors to any room, and a sure conversation starter [no doubt]. Use your 30-day return privilege to try the Decoy Phone in your home or office. You'll agree it's one of the most ingenious phones ever made. Decoy Phone #CDK365 $249. - Michel ------------------------------ Date: 31 Aug 1983 1757-EDT From: John R. Covert Subject: Billing malfunctions The OCCs, who at the present time generally do not receive information telling them that a call has been answered, supposedly will remove incorrectly charged calls simply by asking. But soon they will be able to receive the so-called supervisory information from the local operating companies. This supervisory information is right 99.99 (or so) percent of the time, but I've had occasional difficulty with false charging on calls into my home exchange (617 263) in Acton, which I thought had been fixed. I first noticed it when calling from a pay phone in Germany; my money started disappearing as soon as ringing started (pay phones in Germany require prepayment and count down the money as the message units elapse). I was told that the failing trunk had been found and fixed. But a couple of weeks ago, I was making a calling card call to home, got no answer, and also couldn't get the MCCS responder to notice my "#" so it would say "You may dial another number now." This could only have been caused by one of two things; a malfunction in MCCS, or the fact that the 263 exchange had reported answer even though it hadn't happened (the MCCS responder is only there before and after the distant end is on the line). So when the bill came in, I called the business office and complained. Only with great difficulty could I convince the representative that there could have been a malfunction. Finally she agreed to remove the charge, but told me that the matter would be referred to SECURITY. I told her that she better refer the problem to a technical department, not security, but she insisted that security had to be notified. I wonder what sort of treatment we'll get from the OCCs when this sort of thing starts happening. We all know that computers never make mistakes. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Sep 83 7:45:55 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: special instructions in New Hampshire The following turned up in the call guide for Portsmouth, Exeter, Dover, Somersworth, Rochester area (including adjacent Maine ex- changes); some rewording by me. Local calling also includes phones located within your city or town but served by exchanges other than those shown for your local calling area; no toll even if you dial 1+ 7 digit number; this does not apply to coin phones. (I don't know what exchanges--or parts of exchanges?!--are involved here.) [I've seen this in the Springfield, MA. Telephone directory as well. Apparently New England Telephone does this whenever it splits a town across an exchange boundary which is not "local" (assuming "local" implies that you don't dial a 1 first). --Jsol] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest *********************