Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!eru!luth!sunic!tut!santra!mcsun!ukc!warwick!phupp
From: phupp@warwick.ac.uk (S Millington)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: NBS - phone tracing
Message-ID: <346@poppy.warwick.ac.uk>
Date: 7 Jan 90 19:42:03 GMT
Reply-To: phupp@warwick.ac.uk (S Millington)
Organization: Computing Services, Warwick University, UK
Lines: 26


     A few days ago, I think the 5th Jan, I saw "NBC Nightly News";
rebroadcast in the UK by "SKY News". I only caught the end of it, but basicly
it was about this subject of telephone companies sending the callers number to
the recipient.
     As a summary of what I can remember -

-- the number is sent regerdless of whether the caller is ex-directory or not.
-- the technology for any, including ex-directory, caller to overide the
   transmition of their number is available, it is up to the telephone company
   to use it.
-- ex-directory customers are still being charged for their now defunct
   service.
-- recievers are being charged to recieve these numbers.[ hey nice deal these
   telephone companies have got going here!].
-- the justified use of these numbers is that mail order companies, etc can
   check whether a caller is calling from one address and asking for goods at
   another[is someone playing triks on the dial-a-piza].
-- BUT these companies can now sell these numbers and addresses as mailing
   lists to other companies - including ex-directory numbers. This surely is
   the end of the true ex-directory number.

     Was there anything interesting in the first half of the story?

Stuart Millington.
phupp@poppy.