Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ll-xn!mit-eddie!bloom-beacon!EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU!DREUBEN
From: DREUBEN@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU (Douglas Scott Reuben)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: re: Mass 550 numbers
Message-ID: <8805192151.AA29742@BLOOM-BEACON.MIT.EDU.MIT.EDU>
Date: 19 May 88 21:51:32 GMT
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        In response to Dan Watson's question(s) in Digest #73 about
Mass. 550 numbers, yes, in New York we have the same system.

        NY Tel recently renumbered a lot of these services. Previously, there
were some interactive 976 numbers, as well as the standard recordings, and
"premium" 976 numbers that charged rather high rates (like San Francisco
has).

        New York Tel is now changing the services over to the "new" numbering
scheme:

        976 - General recordings, such as Weather (1212), Time (1616),
              sports, etc. (I think that only Chicago has a similar system)

        970 - Premium services, including pornographic ones, although not
              all HAVE to be at a higher cost. Generally, the 970 will
              contain the more objectionable services.

        540 - Interactive services, which callers can activate using a
              Touch Tone phone. (Trivia questions, Horoscope, wake-up
              calls 540-WAKE, etc...)

        550 - Chat lines, billed at $.20 for the first minute, and $.10
              each additional, and are somewhat regional. (IE, Long Island
              has one, NYC another, etc. I wonder what it would be like for
              someone with Three-way Calling to conference the two of them!!)

        900 Svc- These are the hardest to understand. I though 900 numbers
                 were national numbers, which any caller in the U.S. or
                 Canada could access for a specific fee, usually $.50 for
                 first minute, and $.35 cents for each additional. (Certain
                 services were blocked from Canada, and other Premium services
                 tended to cost more, but overall 900's fit the above pattern).

                  Now, in New York and New Jersey, there are two 900
                 "exchanges", 909 and 999 which offer REGIONALIZED conference
                 (chat) services, at about $.85 per minute. Callers from
                 201, 212, 914, 516, and 718 area codes can call, and be
                 conferenced with other callers from the same area. (One
                 of the 900 services says 215-Philadelphia can also access
                 its chat line, but I suspect callers from 215 only get to
                 talk to other callers from 215, and no one from the NYC
                 area.)

                 Some of these servies even charge you a "toll" if you are
                 near them. IE, if you are calling from certain sections
                 of Westchester, besides the normal rates, you pay a toll
                 charge! That never happened with other 900 numbers!

                 These seem to be "acting" a lot less like the "old" 900
                 numbers and more like a 700 number, or some sort of
                 phone number which transfers your call to a specific service
                 and allows for special billing. Are 900 numbers regulated
                 to the same extent (if at all) by local public service
                 commissions? Or are they a way to get around regulation
                 which may exist by using the 976/970/550/540 system?

                 Finally, perhaps the reason that the numbering system in
                 New York and Mass are the same is that both NY Tel and
                 and New England Tel are part of NYNEX. Here in Connecticut,
                 we don't have any of these, and the only 976 number is for
                 race track results (976-xxxx will get the recording...IE,
                 there seems to be only one 976 number...The weather is still
                 WEather6/936...) Good thing NYNEX wasn't able to buy SNET
                 some while back...Otherwise, we would have these silly TV
                 ads on at 2AM for the 900 services...You really have to
                 see them to believe them! They are INCREDIBLY idiotic!

                Any corrections/additions/deltetions/etc. are greatly
                appreciated, as always....

                -Doug


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