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From: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Telephone mailing lists
Message-ID: <17@ttidcc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Nov-85 17:49:12 EST
Article-I.D.: ttidcc.17
Posted: Wed Nov 13 17:49:12 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 15-Nov-85 20:01:05 EST
References: <1042@mtuxo.UUCP> <504@ittvax.ATC.ITT.UUCP>
Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath)
Organization: The Cat Factory
Lines: 33
Summary: 

In article <358@sdcc13.UUCP> kemasa@sdcc13.UUCP (kemasa) writes:
>I think what this whole thing comes down to is a way to allow people to
>look up your phone number if they forget it without having to put up
>with junk phone calls.  It is easy to put up a sign in front of your
>house saying no salespeople, but how do you do the same thing with the 
>phone. ...

I think you've got the answer here.  The phone company, and other directory
publishers,  should  have  a service where a special character is placed by
your entry in the directories (especially the  reverse  directories).  Said
character  to  be  the  equivalent  of a "No Solicitors" sign on your door.
Anyone (or anything (-: ) calling such a  marked  number  for  purposes  of
delivering  a  sales  pitch would be subject to prosecution just as obscene
phone callers are now.

(Note: you probably don't want to be delisted from the  reverse  directory.
Other  people  use them besides salesmen.  E.g.: suicide prevention centers
use them to trace callers in emergency situations).

>If the  phone  company would  allow  you to know the number of the calling
>party I think it would get rid of junk phone calls and prank calls, and
>I don't think it would be that hard to impliment.

This is being implemented in some areas, but  it's  expensive  and  doesn't
work with long-distance calls yet.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe)
Citicorp(+)TTI                    The more I work with C, the more I
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.             appreciate the simple elegance of
Santa Monica, CA  90405           FORTRAN.
(213) 450-9111, ext. 2483
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