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From: levitt@zorro9.fidonet.org (Ken Levitt)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Dial Pulse Month in TX
Message-ID: <2344@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 17 Dec 89 18:05:31 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 586, message 7 of 9


The following is reprinted from the FidoNet Consulting echo.
===========================================================================
 From:   Jim Westbrook
 To:     All Modem Users
 Subj:   International Pulse Dial Month

    12-14-89       JANUARY IS INTERNATIONAL PULSE DIAL MONTH!

    The Central Texas Sysop Association has initiated a grass-roots
    experiment of one method of containing the costs of running a BBS.
    As many of you are already aware, SWBT (the phone company) is
    involved in a Public Utilities Commission proceeding with several
    sysops from the Houston area.  The outcome of this proceeding may
    affect the expense of BBS operation by classing all BBS operations
    as non-residential customers.

    One of the peripheral expenses accompanying such a change would be
    an increase in the cost of optional services.  In the instance of
    tone dialing, the differential is approximately ten-fold (from
    approx.  50 cents/month to approx.  $5/month).  Over the course of a
    year, discontinuing tone dial would offset approximately two months
    of the basic non-residential service.  This makes it worthwhile to
    determine the impact on BBS operations if pulse dialing were adopted
    as "normal operations" for both BBS's and users.

    The experiment does not involve actual termination of tone dialing
    service, although that may prove to be a viable option.  All that is
    necessary to participate in the experiment is to change your modem
    dialing string to use pulse dialing instead of tone dialing.  In the
    case of Hayes-compatible modems this is simply to change from "ATDT"
    to "ATDP" as the dialing prefix command for your software.

    Please help us examine this alternative to taking our BBS's off line
    should they be re-interpreted to be non-residential.  Again, here's
    when and how to participate:

    START:     00:01:00  January 1, 1990
    FINISH:    23:59:00  January 31, 1990
    CHANGE:    dialing prefix to use Pulse Dial
               (ATDT to ATDP for Hayes-types)

    Thanks in advance for your assistance in this cost containment
    experiment.

                   Jim Westbrook
                   President - CTSA
                   Vice-President - COSUARD



Ken Levitt - On FidoNet gateway node 1:16/390
UUCP: zorro9!levitt
INTERNET: levitt%zorro9.uucp@talcott.harvard.edu

[Moderator's Note: I can't help but wonder if there is something else
this experiment is intended to communicate to SW Bell.....:)   PT]