Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway From: wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil (Will Martin -- AMXAL-RI) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: "Toll-Free" 900? Message-ID: Date: 13 Feb 89 13:39:22 GMT Sender: news@vector.UUCP Lines: 26 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 61, message 4 of 9 Anyone else happen to notice the interesting gaffe or just plain error made on the Feb 11 airing of "Beyond Tomorrow" on Fox TV? There was a short segment in which one of the reporters plugged their, as she put it, "toll-free information line". ^^^^^^^^^ As she spoke, the screen displayed their 900 number: 1-900-nnn-4FOX ("nnn" means I don't recall what those three digits are! :-). As I watched that, I wondered: "A toll-free 900 number? How interesting..." ^^^ However, in the end credits, they gave the number again, this time with the standard disclaimer in tiny print about it costing 50 cents for the first minute, etc. So much for toll-free 900's... I wonder if their airing that statement about it being toll-free would be adequate legal grounds for viewers to refuse to pay for charges incurred by making calls to that number? Another interesting sidelight was that the reporter was depicted, and stated, that she was making this information call from Tokyo. I didn't think that 900 calls were internationally accessible, the same way that 800 calls were blocked off. Am I wrong on that? Is there international billing for these 900 call charges? Regards, Will Martin