Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: wolf paul Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: 976 in Massachusetts Message-ID: <2706@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 9 Jan 90 06:10:46 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria Lines: 27 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 14, message 5 of 13 In TELECOM-DIGEST 10/13, John Higdon writes: > >Initially, all telephones will be blocked from making 940 calls. > Excuse me, but how is a "940" provider supposed to make any money if > no one can call his number? Since the whole premise of 976, 900, > "940", etc., is to allow casual, impulsive calls and provide a > surefire billing mechanism, who would bother setting up a service that > would require clientele to go through elaborate preparations in order > to make calls? If enough consumers want this kind of service, someone will probably provide it. I am sure the phone company will be glad to provide a count of unblocked subscribers to potential service providers who can then decide if it is worth it. Allowing casual, impulsive calls just simply is not suitably for all types of materials, since there would be nothing to stop children from impulsively calling such numbers, nor does anyone who casually misdials a number need to be confronted with certain materials. Wolf N. Paul, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Schloss Laxenburg, Schlossplatz 1, A - 2361 Laxenburg, Austria, Europe Phone: [43] (2236) 71521-465 BITNET: tuvie!iiasa!wnp@cernvax.BITNET UUCP: uunet!tuvie!iiasa!wnp INTERNET: wnp%iiasa.at@uunet.uu.net