Telecom/1996-04-telecom-walnutcreek.iso/back.issues/1993.volume.13/vol13.iss551-600

Internet Message Format | 1993-08-24 | 1MB

Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa19605;
          8 Aug 93 2:03 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03058
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 7 Aug 1993 23:43:36 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA08355
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 7 Aug 1993 23:43:03 -0500
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 23:43:03 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #551

TELECOM Digest     Sat, 7 Aug 93 23:43:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 551

Inside This Issue:                       Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Is This Legal? (Gang Zhou)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Richard Osterberg)
    Re: Anonymous UUCP (was Re: 900 Numbers; FTC Rules) (Pierre Asselin)
    Re: Translation Help Needed with Telephony Terms in Spanish (Robt Morelos)
    Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN) (Fred R. Goldstein)
    Re: Push 1 to ... (Chris Ambler)
    Re: Dialing "1" First (Bob Goudreau)
    Re: Choosing LD Service (Jeff Miller)
    Re: Newton MessagePad Now Available From Apple (Monty Solomon)
    Re: Victory For 900 Users: FTC Rules Announced (Dave Levenson)
    Re: Looking For Information and Experience With LCI (Macy Hallock)
    Re: Movie: In the Line of Fire (Paul Houle)
    Re: Do We Have a Theme Song? (Scott Bridgewater)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gang Zhou)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
Date: 7 Aug 1993 17:38:41 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail],
writes:

> illegal?  Must the school provide equal access even though these are
                                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^
> not real phone numbers or lines which can be dialed directly from
> outside?  If this is in fact illegal, how can I make the school let me
> choose the carrier on a per-call basis (a la 10xxx)?  Apparently the
> equipment just doesn't allow 1+ or 0+ calls.

My school, USC, explained that there are certain kind of buildings
like hotel, prison, school residential buildings which are different
as normal residential buildings, so they don't need to provide equal
access to LD carriers. The lack of freedom of choosing LD carrier is
the very reason for our very high LD rates.

Is it true that the school dorms are in the same category of hotel,
prison in regards of equal access? I was told that students of
Stanford filed a law suit against the school. They lost in California,
and now the law suit reached the Supreme Court.


Gang

------------------------------

From: osterber@%husc8.harvard.edu
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
From: [e-mail] (Richard Osterberg)
Date: 8 Aug 93 03:08:06 GMT


> If I were to recommend anything to the telecom department, it would be
> to rebid their LD contract and get a better deal.  As far as them
> being responsible for unpaid LD calls, I would make arrangements to
> hold the grades of any offender -- I can't imagine a University or
> telecom department being responsible for any students unpaid bills!!!

I was told last year by our campus telephone office (talked to the
director himself) that the new ruling wouldn't force them to offer us
anything different.  Right now, Harvard gets an excellent rate from
MCI ... they receive a 50% discount on all long distance calls.
However, Harvard only passes a 5% discount onto students.  In other
words, 45% of what I'm paying in LD charges is going to Harvard.  They
claim that they need it to pay for things like directory assistance
operators and switchboard operators.

And -- I'm curious as to technical sides of the system.  Our system is
each phone line has an outside number (direct dial in).  We dial
9+xxx-xxxx to get out, but can dial the last five digits within
campus.  (All numbers ar 617-49x-xxxx).  What exactly would be the
term for this type of system?  Would it generally be capable of
providing 10xxx access?


Rick Osterberg   [e-mail]  617-527-6664  617-965-0370


[Moderator's Note: The name for your system is centrex. Yes, it can
provide 10xxx dialing.  PAT]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Anonymous UUCP (was Re: 900 Numbers; FTC Rules)
Date: 7 Aug 93 12:53:29 PDT (Sat)
From: [e-mail] (Pierre Asselin)


> [Moderator's Note: But as pointed out by some, UUCP operates without
> human intervention. So who is there to see the warning message?  PAT]

In practice, no one.  In theory, the calling site could turn on
debugging and the root user would later find the login banner in the
logs, if he cares to looks.  Of course it's too late by then.

It's hard to imagine anyone "innocently" setting up the config files
and dialing the 900 number by uucp.  More likely, the warning is meant
for unsuspecting browsers who try to dial in interactively.


Pierre Asselin, Santa Barbara, California   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Morelos)
Subject: Re: Translation Help Needed with Telephony Terms in Spanish
Organization: University of Hawaii, Dept. of Electrical Engineering
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 08:45:05 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

>> I am badly in need of official (CCITT ?) Spanish language translations
>> for the following terms:

>> Echo Return Level
>> Singing Return Loss

>> and the ever present: TIP & RING.  I know this varies from country
>> to country.  I have run into PUNTA, ANILLO, NUCA and "A & B". Any
>> ideas?

> I can propose the following translations:

> Echo Return Level: nivel de retorno de eco
> Singing Return Loss: perdida de retorno para el cebado
> Concerning Tip & Ring, the official Spanish terms are tron y ron.
                                      ^^^^^^^

But, surely you mean Spain's Spanish and not Latin American Spanish. I
have lived in Mexico must of my life and always had trouble understanding
books written in Spain.

May I propose the following:

Singing Return Loss: perdida de retorno de oscilamiento


Regards,

Robert H. Morelos-Zaragoza, Research Associate
Dept. of Information and Computer Sciences       e-mail:
Faculty of Engineering Science                   [e-mail]
Osaka University  Toyonaka, Osaka    560 Japan   [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Fred R. Goldstein)
Subject: Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Littleton MA USA
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 03:49:00 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Harold Hallikainen) writes:

> Can anyone give a BRIEF description of the electrical coding
> scheme on all these high speed twisted pair systems (such as ISDN)?  I
> haven't taken the time to research it at all.  How many bits per baud
> are being run?  Is it a multi-level coding system or just two or three
> level (such as positive/negative or positive/zero/negative).  I've
> always thought that on an analog medium, such as a pair of wires, we
> should run as many levels as we can until noise starts making level
> determination at the far end difficult, making the error correction
> overhead exceed the data throughput benefit of running more levels.
> Do such systems treat the twisted pair as a transmission line,
> matching the characteristic impedance to prevent reflections?  Do they
> work full duplex using some sort of hybrid, or just go real fast half
> duplex?  Can we use these techniques over leased lines ordered from
> the local phone company (like 3002 lines)?

One of the little sound bites I like to throw into my Transmission
class is that "at the bottom, all transmission systems are analog"!
So it's not a simple answer to a very good question.

I'll give a summary of ISDN.  The BRI S/T interface (inside wire) uses
Modified Duo-Binary (MDB) coding, which is a three-level code.  A 1 is no
voltage and a 0 is a positive or negative voltage pulse, each pulse
the opposite of the last (with some exceptions).  The coding used for
the Primary Rate, that is to say T1 and E1, is Alternate Mark
Inversion.  That's sort of like MDB except that 0's are no voltage and
1's an alternating pulse, but note that the pulse shapes are specified
quite differently for the BRI (Basic Rate 2B+D) and the PRI (T1/E1),
among other details.

At the U interface of the BRI (outside wire, local loop), the coding
is now usually "2B1Q".  This takes two bits from the scrambled data
stream and encodes them as +2.5, +.7, -.7, or -2.5 (about) volts.  So
one pulse is two bits (thus 2 Bits one Quat).  Don't quote me on the
exact voltages; I don't have the spec handy.  Again there's pulse
shaping.

To make all this work, impedance is specified, with very picky
transformers needed for S/T to meet spec.  S/T uses separate transmit
and receive wires, thus a 4-wire interface.  The BRI U uses one pair,
so there's some fancy echo cancellation done inside the transceiver
("UBAT", in AT&T terms) chip.  Real fancy.

3002 lines are utterly obsolete.  Voice-grade is now used for dial-up,
and the "state of the art" is being presented in the developing V.fast
world.  In lieu of 3002 most phone companies (in America at least)
will sell you 56k service.  THis could be provisioned using ISDN
technology, but in practice there are cheaper purpose-built line
drivers.


Fred R. Goldstein   k1io   [e-mail]
Opinions are mine alone; sharing requires permission

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Chris Ambler -- Phish)
Subject: Re: Push 1 to ...
Organization: The Phishtank
Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1993 04:05:59 GMT


[e-mail] (Rupa Schomaker) says:

> I'm looking for a `voice mail' type system which would interface with
> some sort of database.

> Is there a such a system which is commercially available that can do
> this?  Ease of programming would be nice.

While the system I've written won't do this out of the box, I do offer
custom changes at very reasonable cost (to toot my own horn, since you
asked :-)). The product, FSVMP, is essentially a voice BBS. It has
normal voice mailboxes, announcement facilities, and up to 560 public
topics which act like BBS areas (listen in chronological order, post,
reply, or reply to voice mail). It runs on a Talking Technology
PowerLine II card, which provides 2 lines. A multicard version (8
cards, 16 lines max) is in the works. This all runs on a PC under
MS/PCDOS. The 2 line version will run on a 386SX with 640K even.

Adding a feature like you ask would be very simple, as I've reserved a
number of top-level choices for expansion and customization.

If you want more information, I can be reached at [phone], or
send email and I can fax the information and spec sheet to you.

Sorry if this sounds like a commercial. I've deliberately left out
pricing and all that jazz to make it a bit more Usenet friendly :-)


[e-mail] | Christopher J. Ambler
[e-mail]  | Author, FSUUCP 1.32

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 17:58:42 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Bob Goudreau)
Subject: Re: Dialing "1" First


[e-mail] (David Breneman) writes:

> [e-mail] (John R. Levine) writes:

>> To tell a number like 802-5556 from 802-555-6789, there are
>> two dialing plans in use in North America.  In one plan, all calls
>> within your area code are dialed with seven digits, whether they are
>> local or toll.  In the other, all toll calls are dialed with eleven
>> digits, even within your area code.

> There's also another dialing plan -- all toll calls are dialed with a
> 1 first.  If its inside your area code, you dial eight digits; if its
> outside your area code, you dial 11 digits.  This is the way it was in
> 206 until last year when we were switched to 1-206 for all toll calls.

You're completely missing John's point, which is that the scheme you
describe (eight-digit dialing for intra-NPA long distance) is an old
hack whose time has now gone. Eight-digit dialing only works well when
no exchange in that area code matches some other area code.  However,
as you've seen recently in 206-land, quite a few areas have now been
forced to introduce N0X and N1X exchanges (like John's 802 example),
which causes the aforementioned ambiguities unless 8-digit dialing is
replaced by 7- or 11-digit dialing.  (The ambiguity can otherwise be
resolved only by the ugly practices of using a time-out after the
eigth digit, or (for touch-tone phones only) using a '#' tone as the
number terminator.)  And it will get even worse in 1995, when the
first NNX area code (334 in Alabama) appears.  By then, every area in
the NANP should have eliminated eight-digit dialing.


Bob Goudreau        Data General Corporation
[e-mail]    62 Alexander Drive
[phone]        Research Triangle Park, NC  27709, USA

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jeff Miller)
Subject: Re: Choosing LD service
Organization: Air Force Institute of Technology
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 23:00:48 GMT


> You see, I don't care about price, quality, and all those
> things because I know about 10XXX+ dialing.  What I want to do is make
> money by switching my long distance service, so I want to know which
> carrier I should subscribe to to maximize my chance of getting a check
> from another carrier to switch my service over.  The impression I have
> is that AT&T seems to send checks out to MCI subscribers, since this
> happened to a friend of mine whose landlord broke his lease, kicked
> him out, and changed the service on that line to MCI.  [Don't ask how
> we know that] He got a letter from AT&T offering him $70 to slam that
> number, so he happily cashed it.

Well, I'm a Sprint customer, and got a nice $75 check from AT&T a
month ago.  I've also been trying to decide if I should take them up
on the offer, or use it to wangle some free calls out of Sprint.
Seems to me we had a discussion on this three months ago or
so ... perhaps the esteemed Moderator could give us a pointer to which
issues in the archive apply?


Jeff Miller,  NH6ZW/N8,  AFA1HE (ex WD6CQV, AFA8JM, AFA1DO)
AFIT School of Engineering, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH


[Moderator's Note: Not off hand I can't tell you which issues, although
this discussion comes up from time to time. The way to find subjects
or authors in back issues (volumes nine through twelve -- 1989 to 1992)
is by getting the archives file 'index-vol.9-10-11.subj.Z' and/or the
file 'index-vol.12.subj.Z'. These are compressed files, so pull them
 from the archives (anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu) with the type set to
'I' for binary files. Uncompress them at your site -- not at the
archives, thank you! heh heh! ... 'grep Intro <filename>' for a help
file built into the indexes. I suggest you be very liberal in your
arguments to grep; ie don't check up/low case, and use wild cards
frequently, etc.  If you are too loose in your search, you will get
flooded with subject titles or author names. If you are too tight, you
will not get a hit, or not the hit you are looking for. Experient with
it. You can search for author names in these indexes as well.

These are called accelerated indexes: all they do is point to volumes
and *groups of fifty issues* in which the subject line or author name
can be found. You take the information gleaned from the indexes and
then go back to the archives and pull the *file of fifty issues*. You
get that to your site and you start your grep search all over within
that group of issues.  For volume 13 (this year) there is no index as
of yet. I suppose I should work up one for the first half of this
year, but it takes a bit of work. Prior to volume 9 (1989) no index is
available as of yet ... just one more thing waiting for time to work
on since the issues before that date were not in the same format as
now and I have not yet figured out how to automatically create an
index for those files.  To get the information you want from this
year until the index is prepared, grep the various back issues.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 22:57:47 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Newton MessagePad Now Available From Apple


> The words "Now Available" in the subject line are an exaggeration.  I
> spent yesterday rattling doors to try to buy one, and I'll share the
> details with you.  But NPR and other news sources say that unless you
> snagged one of the several thousand units for sale in Boston at the
> MacWorld Expo this week, you're out of luck until around Labor Day.

Computer City, CompUSA, and Computer Town have them in stock.  They
also have many of the accessories.

They all have the Newton Communications Kit.  The Newton Professional
Communications Kit is not available yet.


Computer Town    $797    603 893 8812 / 800 666 0004
Computer City    $869    508 626 2800
CompUSA        $899    508 875 8300


> But right now, there are a few flies in the ointment.  Aside from the
> delayed availability, the dealers who did have prices said they could
> only sell it in bundled systems, the Newton Communications Kit and the
> Newton Professional Communications Kit.

Lechmere and Computer City sell the basic Newton MessagePad for $699.

All of the Newton accessories are also available thru the
Apple Catalog 800 795 1000.


Monty Solomon / PO Box 2486 / Framingham, MA  01701-0405
[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Levenson)
Subject: Re: Victory For 900 Users: FTC Rules Announced
Organization: Westmark, Inc.
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 02:05:45 GMT


> [Moderator's Note: Maybe I am missing something here. Every UUCP-style
> account I have ever seen requires that the host have a daemon-user by

> I know (or am pretty sure) that UUNET has an anonymous
> FTP-like thing running on a 900 number, but anonymous UUCP? How does
> that work? How could the host possibly know how to hand out mail and
> news under the circumstances?   PAT]

Anonymous UUCP is supported by most versions of UNIX -- not for
delivery of addressed communications such as mail or news, but for
file transfers (much like anonymous ftp).  Anyone may enter a command
like: uucp uunet!~/ftp/sources/something mysystem!~/my_dir/ and
receive the file.  If the user's system is recognized as a UUNET
subscriber, then this call may be placed to their 800 or 703 or other
telephone number.  Otherwise, it may be placed to their 900 number.


Dave Levenson        Internet: [e-mail]
Westmark, Inc.        UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave
Stirling, NJ, USA    Voice: 908 647 0900  Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Macy Hallock)
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 23:20:18 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Looking For Information and Experience With LCI


> Does anyone have any experience with LCI?  I have a firend who is
> thinking about useing some of LCI's services and he would like to know

LCI does a fine job. I can reccomend them based on personal experience
as a telecom engineer.

A few notes that may be of interest:

They are not a nationwide company, but connect to several other
regional carriers (and all of the other major carriers) to handle
their nationwide requirements.

For switched dialup services, my experience with them has been first
rate.  I've got customers using them for substantial volumes of
incoming and outgoing calls, with good results.  Both 1+ customers and
T-1 access clients like the service and the price, too.

I'm a bit less happy with their leased line services that connect to
other carriers (but I am pleased with leased line service wholly
within their own system).  I've had a couple of finger pointing
episodes with LCI where they connected to another carrier for some
lines going to southern states via a third carrier. (In every case the
fault was _not_ LCI's, BTW).

LCI is the only major carrier that will work with me on technical
issues directly with Central Office people, who will change
programming or configurations to immediatly repair, modify or alter a
service to put a client back into service.  Every other carrier gives
me the run-around or ignorant droids, which I have to bypass in order
to get things fixed.

I use LCI for my personal and our company's services.

I really like their Feature Group B access, which other companies are
backing off on ...


Regards,

Macy Hallock N8OBG Voice= +1.216.723.3030 Fax= +1.216.723.3223 [e-mail]
Telemax Inc. and F M Systems Inc.   152 Highland Drive   Medina, Ohio 44256 USA

[Moderator's Note: I've found regards Orange Card billing matters and
such they are quite cooperative also. OC customer service goes through
their office in Pennsylvania.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Paul Houle)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1993 14:05:00
Subject: Re: Movie: In the Line of Fire


> After reading this Digest for a couple of years, I'm kind of
> skeptical of these ideas.  It would have made sense to me if the
> assassin had been calling through 1-900-STOPPER (though it would
> have taken too much explanation to the telecom-illiterate), but
> what do you other readers think?  Is there reason to believe that
> any end-user device could spoof ANI?  Could a government agency
> run a trace without telco assistance? (Let's exclude speculations
> about the NSA, since we all know they're magic and can do
> anything. ;-)

        I had some phriends who did some experimentation in the late
80's attempting to spoof ANI feeds; they had read some documents
describing the protocols used to communicate between IXCs and local
carriers.  Using an analog interface, a sequence of MF tone pulses is
used to transmit the calling and called numbers as well as some
information about the calling station and class of call.  Attempts
were made with a number of carriers to transmit tones to both spoof
and disrupt ANI transmissions during call setup, but these were
unsuccessful.

        What they ~were~ able to do is send false packets to certain
"third party" AOS services, the ones that blow you off with 2600 hz
when you ask to speak to a local or AT&T operator.  On some of these
services, the IXC-local interface resets when this happens, and puts
you through to a local operator when the trunk times out.  They
discovered that it was possible to send these guys a homemade
ANI/called number packet, although there are a large number of
countermeasures that could be put into this kind of system to prevent
this.  The bad guy in "In the Line of Fire" had a briefcase full of
electronic equipment, which would be consistent with this kind of
attack, which allows one to direct the ANI anywhere.

        Also, on some SxS switches, one could disrupt transmission of
the ANI spill to the IXC by flashing the switchook an operator comes
on the line and says "What number are you calling from?" and enters
the ANI information by hand.

        To misdirect ANI, there are a number of approaches based on
using somebody else's dialtone as well.  This would include
1-900-STOPPER, climbing a telephone pole, and the abuse of PBXs and
call-forwarding devices, all of which can be done without any
additional props.  However, the guy in the movie did seem to have the
ability to transmit an arbitrary number for ANI, since the secret
service busted in on an innocent family.  BTW, what number do calls
from 1-900-STOPPER appear to call from?  What happens when "The Joker"
sees this number?

        So far as running a trace without Telco "assistance", this has
been done many times by people who gained unauthorized access to Telco
computers.  It wouldn't suprise me if certain government agencies had
already made agreements with various carriers to make certain
information availible; if one could get real-time access to switches,
a smart "joker" could probably get through 1-900-STOPPR rather easily.


Origin: NETIS [phone]/432-0922 (HST/V32) (1:132/189)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Scott Bridgewater)
Subject: Re: Do We Have a Theme Song?
Date: 7 Aug 1993 19:27:53 -0400
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA


How about "Jocko Homo" on the touch tone telephone from the album
"DEVOTEES"?

If not...

"Telstar"  (!)


sb   <[e-mail]>

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #551
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id ab22386;
          8 Aug 93 3:28 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA25266
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 8 Aug 1993 01:01:33 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA01532
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 8 Aug 1993 01:01:00 -0500
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 01:01:00 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #552

TELECOM Digest     Sun, 8 Aug 93 01:01:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 552

Inside This Issue:                       Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Radar Detectors (Cliff Sharp)
    Re: Radar Detectors (was Re: New AM Band Violates ...) (Dave Levenson)
    Re: Reflections on Hacker Sentencing (Michael Covington)
    Re: 950 Calling Cards (Marshall Levin)
    Re: PCPursuit Service Still Around? (Jon Carmichael)
    Ring Detector Circuit (John J. Butz)
    PacBell Call Return (Randy Gellens)
    New Use For Orange Cards (J. Philip Miller)
    Local Calls via LD Carrier? (Paul Theodoropoulos)
    Reccomendation For Caller-ID Box Requested (Jeff Wasilko)
    Is Fiber Coming to New Jersey? (Steve Kass)
    How Does Switched-56 Interwork With ISDN? (Daniel R. Kegel)
    Administrivia: Looking to the Week Ahead of Us (TELECOM Moderator)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Radar Detectors
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 93 5:25:35 CDT
From: Cliff Sharp <[e-mail]>


I earlier wrote about radar detectors and offered a defense. TELECOM
Moderator noted in reply:

> [Moderator's Note: First, try that explanation around here and a lot
> of Chicago police would be upside your head in a minute. Second, for

   True, but they'd do the same in any other matter where they tried
to assert jurisdiction while having none.

> all your knowledge of FCC regs, how come you failed to mention the one
> which specifically says you are forbidden to act upon or profit from
> transmissions you happen to overhear which are not intended for you?

   Well, first, you're not forbidden to act upon overhearing a
transmission, you're forbidden to act upon its content.  Similarly,
you can't profit from the content, but there's no prohibition against
profiting from knowing that someone's on the air (although I can't
imagine too many other uses for that tidbit of information).

> What you hear on WGN-Channel 9 is intended for you to act upon and
> benefit from, i.e. the sponsor's messages. Radio transmissions in the
> frequency range where RADAR (it is an acronym for something, I forget

   RAdio Detection And Ranging.

> what right now) are *not* broadcasts. They are transmissions by
> (presumably) licensed radio operators and/or their employees (the
> police). They are not for your ears.

   There's a Supreme Court decision on that; I lost the papers during
my last move, but the folks at Escort (formerly Cincinnati Microwave)
are happy to send out their radar packet to anyone who asks, and it's
cited in there chapter and verse.  Paraphrased, the Supreme Court
Justice who wrote the decision said something to the effect that if
the police can use sneaky, surreptitious means to spy on your
activities (and in most cases without probable cause), the citizen has
every right to avail himself of any and all means to detect such
spying.

   But radar transmissions are broadcasts anyway.  They are rarely
specifically aimed, but sent to bounce off many cars (whether or not
the operator can see many cars in the beam path) and detect the
greatest frequency deviation caused by the Doppler effect.  I believe
47 CFR 90 defines them that way, but don't have a copy to refer to and
can't confirm.  This is because the police aren't transmitting to
themselves or other officers, but transmitting to the vehicle(s) and
monitoring the echo.

> How do you act upon or benefit from what you overhear on RADAR?  You
> slow your car down don't you? You act in your own best interest to
> avoid a ticket, don't you?  That amounts to acknowledging that you
> overheard something on the radio, which is illegal to do. You can't

   See the Supreme Court mention above; the Supremes don't agree.

   In any event, the primary reason I bought a radar detector wasn't
to speed.  First, my very first speeding ticket was a fraud, and only
luck got me out of it; the officer who wrote it had been thrown off
the force before I got to court, and the unofficial scuttlebutt was
that some judge had noticed that all his tickets for any given day
showed exactly the same speed.  He was apparently getting one good
reading and using the same reading all day without resetting his gun.
Had I had a detector at that time, I could have asked the officer to
repeat his performance of getting a reading on me without setting off
my detector, and could have testified in court that he wasn't
transmitting when I was within his range, had he not been caught at
it.

   The second reason is that everyone (now, admit it) can get a bit
heavy on the foot without realizing it from time to time.  If I toss a
gum wrapper on the sidewalk, seldom do I get more of a reaction than
"Pick it up", i.e. I get a second chance to correct my "error".  With
radar I don't get that chance.  The detector serves to remind me to
check my speed and make sure I'm doing what I wanted to do, that is to
stay within the limits (or at least with the speed of traffic).

   Finally, there are occasional reasons where I use the detector to
speed with impunity.  Most of them involve those clowns who do 75 to
pass me and then slow down to 40 until I pass them again.  Once I had
a bleeding passenger who had to get to the hospital fast, and didn't
need the aggravation of bleeding at 25 MPH or that of bleeding at 0
MPH while some officer wasted five precious minutes stopping me.

> two-way radio transmissions then benefit from them is illegal. You
> also seem somehow to think that a local police officer cannot detain
> or arrest you for violations of federal law. They certainly can; they
> can take cases to the US Attorney just as easily as they can take

   They can most certainly detain you in their capacity as duly
authorized agents of the law, but they cannot confiscate property that
does not cause an immediate danger to anyone or anything, and once the
Feds are in on it their only recourse is to act as witnesses to the
act.  That takes the whole thing out of the purview of state law,
which is the only place that radar detectors are banned.

> cases to the local prosecutor. Most cops would tell you that you have
> a smart mouth. PAT]

   With good reason, I might add.  :-) But again, they'd do the same
in any situation where they tried to assert jurisdiction or authority
they didn't have.

   And there's always the alternative of building a 100 watt transmit-
ter at 10.495 GHz and calling a Morse code CQ whenever I see a squad  .. :-)

   I don't have the 800 number handy, but I believe Escort Corp. still
sends out those "radar packets" free for those who'd like to see the
court citations and quotes from the justice.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Levenson)
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors (was Re: New AM Band Violates ...)
Organization: Westmark, Inc.
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 02:35:35 GMT


> frequency range where RADAR (it is an acronym for something, I forget
> what right now) are *not* broadcasts. They are transmissions by

RADAR = RAdio Direction And Rangefinding


Dave Levenson        Internet: [e-mail]
Westmark, Inc.        UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave
Stirling, NJ, USA    Voice: 908 647 0900  Fax: [phone]


[Moderator's Note: While your at it then, how about SONAR and LORAN
and ELF?  'Radar' is one of those acronymns which has turned into a
word on its own ... much like NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
and CARE (Committee on American Relief in Europe). Got any other
examples of 'words' which are really acronymns instead?   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael Covington)
Subject: Re: Reflections on Hacker Sentencing
Organization: AI Programs, University of Georgia, Athens
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 04:18:25 GMT


Couple of quick points:

(1) G. K. Chesterton's concept of the criminal as artistic prankster
is a nice anticipation of one type of cracker.  (See some of the
Father Brown stories.)

(2) There's more than one kind of cracker.

   (a) The "joyrider":
        - pure technological triumph; hacking to show what can be done
        - common before 1985 or so, becoming rare.

   (b) The "antihero":
        - wants to assume the social and cultural role of a "hacker";
        - expects to be admired by someone;
        - may have little real interest in technology, and no originality
            of technique;
        - more destructive than type (a), simply because he wants to make
            an _impression_ rather than achieve a secret technical success;
        - post-1985, grew up on video games.

   (c) The truly malicious:
        (fortunately still rare).


Michael A. Covington, Associate Research Scientist
Artificial Intelligence Programs      [e-mail]
The University of Georgia              phone [phone]
Athens, Georgia 30602-7415 U.S.A.     amateur radio N4TMI

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Marshall Levin)
Subject: Re: 950 Calling Cards
Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 93 04:36:58 GMT


[e-mail] writes:

> I work in a facility served by an ESS CO Centrex.  The telephone
> company has a toll restriction on most lines.  Unfortunately, this
> seems to restrict outgoing 800 calls as well as the ability to dial a
> 0+ call.  I'm looking for a carrier that offers 950 access on their
> calling cards.  I am not restricted from dialing 950-xxxx calls.

In addition to being able to use the 800 number, I have found that I
can use my MCI card with 950-1022 by dialing 950-1022 + destination
number + card number.


Hope that helps,

Marshall

------------------------------

Subject: Re: PCPursuit Service Still Around?
From: [e-mail] (Jon Carmichael)
Date: 7 Aug 93 19:12:00 GMT
Organization: The Continuum PCBoard - Pasadena, CA - 818-441-2625
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Jon Carmichael)


> [Moderator's Note: PC Pursuit is still around, and operated by Sprint
> over in (I think) Reston, VA. Try 1-800-TELENET but I am not certain.
> I do not think however PC Pursuit is designed for quite the
> application your associate has in mind.  PAT]

Acutally it is, ... they have a daytime version of the same
(PCPursuit) network, where connect time is billed at 3.50 or 4.50
dollars per hour.  You have a monthly minimum of $90.00, but for
business day use. It is intended where speed is not important and
saving money is. It's still a good deal.


JONC
The Continuum PCBoard -*- @9600+ call 818-441-2625   @2400- call 818-799-9633

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 93 11:50:16 EDT
Subject: Ring Detector Circuit


Help!

Could someone reply directly to me with an answer to following:

    What are the specs for a ring signal, so I can build
    a simple circuit to latch on detection of a ring.

Scanning the archives revealed liitle info to answer my question.


J Butz            ER700 Sys Eng
[e-mail]    AT&T - CCS

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: 06 AUG 93 20:21
Subject: PacBell Call Return


When I first started using Call Return, I noticed that if the returned
call was toll, it would appear on my bill with the last four digits
replaced by "****" (to prevent disclosure of the number, since CLID is
not offered).

On my most recent bill, however, there was a toll returned call, and
the last four digits were displayed.  The bill now identifies calls as
"direct" or "return" and notes that on returned calls, 'private'
numbers are not shown.  Not sure what they mean by 'private' since
normal usage would mean a CLID-suppressed number, but without CLID,
that doesn't make sense.  They may mean non-published.


Randy Gellens              [e-mail]
A Series System Software   [if mail bounces, please
Unisys Corporation         forward bounce msg to
Mission Viejo, CA          [e-mail]]
Opinions are personal;   facts are suspect;   I speak only for myself|

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (J. Philip Miller)
Subject: New Use For Orange Cards
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 18:37:56 -0500 (CDT)


Here is Missouri we have finally gotten CallerID and I quickly signed
up thinking that I could delete call return, call blocker, and select-
ive ring.

As I started thinking about it, it became clear that there was an
aspect of loss of privacy that I had never heard discussed in the many
years of reading the Digest -- now if I called home, or the office,
they would know where I was!  Normally this is, of course, no problem.
Since all calls out of the medical center show the same, generic
number, there is no problem with whether I am in my office or someone
elses.  I quickly did note that when I called from my cellular phone,
it registered as "Out of Area."  Now I do not know why that is,
particularly since my cellular service is from the B carrier -- SWBT,
the same one that provides the CallerID service.

It quickly dawned upon me, that I could use my friendly Orange Card,
kindly provided by the Moderator to also place an "Out of Area" call
and the recepient could not tell where I was -- and at a rather
reasonable cost even for a local call!


J. Philip Miller, Professor, Division of Biostatistics, Box 8067
   Washington University Medical School, St. Louis MO 63110
    [e-mail] - [phone] [362-2693(FAX)]


[Moderator's Note: Yes, you can do that. You can also accomplis the
same goal with Talk Tickets.  For more info, see me after the show!  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (paul theodoropoulos)
Subject: Local Calls via LD Carrier?
Date: 7 Aug 1993 18:20:25 -0700


I have a fuzzy recollection of postings in the Digest some time back
discussing ways to use one's long distance provider to make "local"
calls. The reason of course is to save money on the outrageous amounts
the local telcos sometimes charge (as I suffered this past month,
calling a friend sixty miles away, and through the nose for the
privilege). I also have very fuzzy recollection that there was some
question as to the legality of it.

Is my memory faulty, and on the off chance it *isn't*, can you provide
more information?


paul theodoropoulos    [e-mail]    [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Long distance carriers have to file tariffs with
state regulatory agencies in order to handle local calls, which some
of them do. Whether or not it is less expensive is an applications
thing for each user. You certainly have to dial extra digits to send
your calls that way. I think you will see in the next few years the
distinction between 'local carrier' and 'long distance company' be-
comes very blurred as the LD companies begin handling more and more
local service. Most of them are happy to have calls terminated right
at the subscriber's premises now rather than paying the local telco
access fees. And programs like AT&T's Easy Reach 700 service allow
calls to be placed within the local telco's LATA quite easily.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1993 22:52:35 -0800
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Wasilko)
Subject: Reccomendation For Caller-ID Box Requested


I'm getting Caller-ID service, so I need a box. I remember a thread
recently about a box with a hard to read display, so I'd like to know
which one to get (and which ones to avoid).


Thanks,


Jeff Wasilko, Information International    [phone]
Application Support Specialist

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 07 Aug 1993 23:26:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Is Fiber Coming to New Jersey?


I have heard rumors in the neighborhood that my town, Madison, NJ,
along with neighboring Chatham and Florham Park, will be equipped with
a fiber optic telephone network, as a demonstration site, by the end
of 1994.  Can anyone verify this, give details (fiber right to my
network interface?), or tell me what this will mean for me?


Steve Kass/ Math and CS/ Drew U/ Madison, NJ 07940
201-514-1187/ [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Daniel R. Kegel)
Subject: How Does Switched-56 Interwork With ISDN?
Date: 7 Aug 93 22:54:36 GMT
Organization: Image Analysis Systems Group, JPL


Hi,

I am trying to figure out what equipment I need to let a PC connect to
a switched-56 line and transfer files to another PC connected to an
ISDN line using the ZMODEM file transfer protocol.

One thing that I can't figure out is how a 56 kilobit/sec line can
talk to a 64 kilobit/sec line.  Where do the rates get matched, and
does either of the PC's have to know how to do/undo the rate
adaptation?

My ideal system would consist of a single plugin card for the PC
at either end, and no separate DSU or TA.

It would also have terminal emulation software for both ends that can
do ZMODEM file transfers and provide a simple 'host mode' (a la procomm)
that lets one PC act as a server which waits for phone calls, verifies
username and password, then lets the caller select which directory
they want to transfer files from/to.


Dan Kegel

------------------------------

From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Subject: Administrivia: Looking at the Week Ahead of Us
Date: Sun, 08 Aug 1993 00:21:00 CDT


Later this week marks the twelfth anniversary of the beginning of
TELECOM Digest.  August 11 is the day, if I can keeo things up and
running until then ... :(

The week ahead promises to be a difficult one where The Phone
Company is concerned with bills due and past due, and TPC making
their usual noises.  The financial condition of the Digest is
slowly improving and as the residuals come in from the various
affinity programs offered, there is a light, oh so distant, at the end
of the tunnel which began for me earlier this year.

Telepassport is taking a bit of time each day, and the residuals from
that are still about a month or more away. The Mutual of New York
people (MONY) have a couple thousand dollars of my money which is also
about six weeks away from arriving. Things loom so close, yet not
close enough where TPC and others like it are concerned. Plans in the
next few months include a reorganization of the Archives, more indexes
and reference material and hopefully a dialup where the Archives and
the Digest can be obtained by anyone calling in. There may possibly be
a fax version of the Digest available as well.

Please remember that TELECOM Digest production expenses including the
phone lines, archives and editorial costs are met entirely by myself
with the generous support of readers like yourself who want to see the
Digest continue as a high-quality mailing list and moderated newsgroup.
For a decade now, Usenet's comp.dcom.telecom newsgroup as been the
gateway newsgroup to the Digest and the 'mainstream' newsgroup for
telecommunications news, views and general discussion. Many readers
have contributed handsomely and generously in the past; others have
made modest but meaningful financial contributions within their means.
If everyone who reads the Digest regularly and benefits from it sent
one dollar *per year*, the financial burdens involved with production
costs, phone bills, etc would vanish forever.

As you feel it appropriate, support the Digest financially. There is
no connection between what appears in the Digest and what benefactors
choose to do or not do. I keep on being myself and sending this your
way; you keep on reading/writing and helping as you see fit. There are
no subscription fees required to be here with us; learning from us and
teaching us. That's what its all about!  Your donations appreciated,
and they may be made payable to TELECOM Digest and sent to the office.

Telecom Digest / 2241 West Howard Street #208 / Chicago, IL 60645 USA


Thank you!

PAT

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #552
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa08240;
          8 Aug 93 14:28 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA25966
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 8 Aug 1993 12:11:39 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12662
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 8 Aug 1993 12:11:05 -0500
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 12:11:05 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #553

TELECOM Digest     Sun, 8 Aug 93 12:11:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 553

Inside This Issue:                       Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Experience With USWest Phone Service (Joan Kroll)
    Cordless (Not Cellular) Modem Interface (Steven Hodas)
    PC Emulator For Teletel/Minitel/Videotext Needed ([e-mail])
    Re: T1, Internet Access (Barton Bruce)
    Re: T1, Internet Access (Brad Cox)
    Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible (David Lemson)
    Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible (Floyd Davidson)
    Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address (Ray Normandeau)
    Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address (Pat Turner)
    Re: L.A. Cellular Telephone Complaint (Steven H. Lichter)
    Re: Handsets For the Hearing Impaired (Nigel Allen)
    Re: Radar Detectors (was Re: New AM Band Violates ...) (Gregory M. Paris)
    Re: Need Sources/Info For Cheap Voicemail (Al Varney)
    Re: Area 205 to Split (Patton Turner)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Experience With USWest Phone Service
From: cmptech![e-mail] (Joan Kroll)
Date: Sun, 08 Aug 93 01:16:22 MDT
Organization: Computech BBS at 719.260.6279 - Colorado Springs, CO


We just left Houston for Colorado Springs about six weeks ago.  Since
then we have enjoyed the low crime and traffic, clean air and gentle
people. It seems the only predator out here is our friendly telephone
monopoly.  I say friendly because the phone answerers (BOPs -- babes
on phones as the teen boys say) ARE cordial -- they're just untrained
and apt to take your instructions and forget, change, manipulate,
mutilate, cancel them, ad infinitum ...

Here's what happened the first week:

1.  Ordered additional phone line to supplement the two we already had
installed before we moved into our house.  What did they do?  The cut
off our two lines and activated a third.  We only found this out when
our contacts called upset about the recording telling them that our
numbers had been disconnected! We also requested UNLISTED numbers.
Big mistake.  These gals take this stuff personally, I guess.  It took
four weeks of calling directory assistance and getting our three phone
numbers from the teledroids to convince USW that they hadn't done
their jobs.  Yet, all their documentation said it had been done, then
double and triple checked!! By what??? Monkeys with keyboards?  I
won't go into the confusion, frustration and hyperventillation I
suffered trying to get different services and long distance carriers
for different lines!  The people at USW ought to publish these
incidents in their own TELEBLOOPERS DIGEST -- they'd make millions!

  Before I called them, I'd say a prayer and drink tequila shooters
just to numb the pain I knew would be coming.  <g> I'm glad I never
had to order anything SPECIAL from them cause it sure seemed that
every request from fourth request for phone books to tenth requests to
put my damned long distance carrier back on my line to my final
mistake: ORDERING A FOURTH LINE!

   They lied about the installation date.  (at least the guy showed up
when I had proper clothes on -- the other guy banged at my dining room
window and found half of us in our skivvies -- he could have rung our
front door bell, but that would have required a few living brain
cells) Then after it was finally installed at the demarc, it provided
dial tone for a while then after a few hours, there wasn't even
battery on the line.  Two promised repair dates later they strung a
wire from the demarc across the grass, behind the deck, across the
neighboring field and to the telco box by the curb.  In the process,
they smashed flower pots and left the mess for you know who.  But the
line worked!

     Its been a month since they fixed line four, but the wire is
still draped across my property out in the open.  Its great to mow the
lawn around your own phone line.  But, I should have faith, after all
they did promise to send out a work crew to bury the critter only
three weeks ago!

     I don't want to go into the rest of it.  All I can say is that in
the move FUN WITH DICK AND JANE, I still cheer when they rob the phone
company -- and now you know why!


[e-mail] (Joan Kroll)
This came from Computech BBS .... +1 719.260.6279 in Colorado Springs, CO.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven Hodas)
Subject: Cordless (Not Cellular) Modem Interface
Date: 8 Aug 1993 08:13:33 GMT
Organization: University of Washington


Is there any reason you couldn't patch a modem into a standard handset
from a cordless phone? What would it take?


Steven Hodas             School of Education
University of Washington     Leadership and Policy Studies
206.285.5734             [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Cirs account)
Subject: PC Emulator For Teletel/Minitel/Videotext Needed
Organization: Tel-Aviv University Computation Center
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 08:47:18 GMT


We need an emulator for PC that runs the TELETEL terminal.  We also
need information about T100/T101 Standards.

Please email me directly at: [e-mail].


Thanks,

Itsik

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: T1, Internet Access
Organization: Digital Equipment Computer Users Society
Date: 8 Aug 93 03:25:18 -0400


In article <[e-mail]>, MARK EARLE <73117.351@
CompuServe.COM> writes:

> Maybe I'm calling/emailing the wrong folks, but so far no direct,
> simple answers have come forth.  Objective: Find out the costs to set
> up a service which would offer dial up access to Internet facilities.
> We envision something similiar to netcom.com. Callers dial with
> "standard" modems over plain old telephone service.  They get a unix

> The 'Unix' part is easy to cost out. The unknowns are: How do I get an
> "internet" connection? Where? Via what media? What does it cost, who

Who are the active regional Internet access providers in your area?
Failing them, try PSI, Alternet, or even (yuk) ANS. Sprint's
SprintLink is also good. They are clean and professional - you are not
cutting into their game. You are a GOOD typical potential customer now
that they have decided who they need to sell to. From Sprint you will
be able to resell even SLIP dialup service, but would ALSO need to be
a CIX member to resell anything heavier. If you have $s to blow
monthly, let Sprint supply a cisco and the FT1 csu/dsu. Far better BUY
a cisco 2000 (should be enough for what you described, else get a
3000), and a FT1 csu/dsu. Sprint techs MUST have your cisco's password
and be able to telnet or access it via SNMP.

You can start low speed at maybe 128kb over the T1, and can change on
a few days notice to the next speed for a nominal $250 processing fee.
$s for bandwidth is more like for the log of the speed. t1 is about
$2700 per month and 128 is probably ~ $1200 (without actually looking
it up) + the T1 loop to their POP. Buy low and grow as needed despite
the temptation to start big at 384 or 512kb.

> Best way to get an initial batch of 50 lines and then have
> expandability. Centrex, T1, and other things are mentioned. I can't
> imagine 50 or 500 RJ-11's and that many external modems laying around.
> Surely "something" exists that essentially takes t1 from the phone

You bet something exists, but you probably can't afford it.

The two vendors of T1 to modem to pad/terminal_server/slip_engine to
router all in the same rack and all without a rats nest of wires want
serious $s.

Primary Access sells to AT&T, Sprint, UPS, Compu$werve class
customers. Their traditional rack takes only 20 T1s and all 480 calls
wind up lumped on x.25 lines off to someones antique x.25 net.

They have noticed their market has changed and are rapidly redesigning
for modern terminal servers rather than x.25 pads. LAT, Telnet, SLIP,
CSLIP, PPP, should all be supported and the resulting ethernet should
then go to your choice of router to some wan port -- possibly frame
relay, ATM or FDDI for campus or remote POP use. For you, the ethernet
will be fine.

USR has noticed Primary Acceses unique spot in the market and is
making a much newer design that in a 7" high box supports only two T1s
(48 ports), but has some nice innovations. Four high speed busses,
three actually initially used, do the work -- no rats nest. They have
the modems on DSP cards, but the front end can be other cards for T1,
or yet others for ISDN Basic or ISDN PRI, or even POTS phone lines. In
many areas, telco T1 is a ripoff or not available. Use POTS front end
cards. When telco wakes up, use T1. The actual modem or terminal
server portion is unchanged.

Neither company is so stupid as to try to reinvent terminal servers or
routers, but will integrate from selected other vendors.

Obviously, ISDN can be handled, too! As can voice or FAX applications.

Note also that both support FG-B and FG-D as well as vanilla D4 format
T1 signaling. This means that on equal access to POP situations
(10xxx) or FG-B (950) they have not only what you dialed (DNIS) to get
there (the same trunks might serve several access codes) as well as
who you are (ANI), and they can very well selectively provide
different services or just simply route you internally to the ethernet
of the implied recipient where the IXC provides contract private
labled services for several entities all out of the verysame rack of
hardware.

USR claims that at $1000/port minimum, they are 1/2 of Primary Access.

So go buy a pile of USR Sportsters at $175 each, buy a DEC DS700 16
port job at 41% software developer discount off the $3200, and get a
cheap rack and a barrel of West-Taiwanese rs232 cables from computer
shopper at 95 cents each and you are in business.

Get your phone lines delivered to a RJ21X block -- 66 punch in to 25
pair Amphenol out. Don't get ripped by telco for $125 for the block.
FCC ruling allows YOU to provide it and it costs maybe $30 at Graybar.

Do spend the BIG bucks for RJ21x in and out lightinig protector of
serious grade. I have been using Porta Systems 581 blocks with their
Delta Modules.  These are SERIOUS CO grade protectors, but the 581
block no longer is available RJ21x in, but only out, so you have to
punch down a cable on the 66 in side and actually its best to punch
both sides as the 66 to 66 version is far cheapest.

But now, ITW's Links division HAS a new protector series JUST
available and has not only RJ21X in and out but has gender choice
even. Rugged protection for all 25 pair. Anixter is their big stocking
distributor.  A short connectorized cable form the actual RJ21X block
itself goes to protection, and then another longer cable (that
otherwise would have gone immediately to the RJ21X block) goes from
protection to the rack. Elcheapo 25 pair cable with connectors ($30
for a prefab 100 footer, less for shorter) gets you to your rack and
lets you move or relocate things easily.

At the rack, use a 25 port 'harmonica' to break out the cable to 25
RJ11 jacks.

$200-$400 here is VERY well spent. Get a serious ground but one BONDED
to the power ground so no potential difference exists between
differnet wires entering your rack. Get serious power protection. too.

Don't stack any think like modems more than three or four deep, and
look for cheap easily mounted power strips for all the wall-warts.

Each DS700 can run all 16 ports at 115.2kb and with the newest
optional s/w does LAT, Telnet, SLIP, CSLIP, PPP, and can use Kerberos.

Or look at Zyplex, Xylogics, Livingston, cisco, Telebit or many others.

If some alternate carrier like Met Fiber or Teleport Systems is
colocating with local telcos, and you want 'presence' in several areas
to provide local dial access, see if you can cut a deal for a
colocated rack in these guy's POP, or even contract for them to locate
your stuff in telco's space! They may be able to get T1s to you cheap.
For that type location, you WILL NEED Primay Access or the newer USR
rack mount T1 fed systems, and possibly in the -48VCD rather than the
110VAC version! You may be able to resell Telnet access to other local
BBSes out of your 'POPs'.

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 07:39:55 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Brad Cox)
Subject: Re: T1, Internet Access


MARK EARLE <[e-mail]> wrote:

> Best way to get an initial batch of 50 lines and then have
> expandability. Centrex, T1, and other things are mentioned. I can't
> imagine 50 or 500 RJ-11's and that many external modems laying around.
> Surely "something" exists that essentially takes t1 from the phone
> company and gives me seperate sync or async lines that the unix system
> can deal with.

I'm responding to the group because I'm really not sure why Telnet,
Tymnet, Sprintnet and so forth isn't this fellow's answer. Compuserve
and America Online use them extensively, hiding whatever the cost to
them is inside the subscriber's fee. The costs can't be *too*
exorbitant, given that AOL's fee is only $9.50/mo.

> I'm in Corpus Christi, TX if that makes any difference.  Replies to
> the Digest OK, or possibly, to my email and I'll summarize. Thanks!

I don't understand why this shouldn't work for Unix systems too,
especialy since it delivers connectivity via a local call from
everywhere to anywhere.


Brad Cox; [e-mail]; 703 968 8229 Voice 703 968 8798 Fax
George Mason Program on Social and Organizational Learning

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Lemson)
Subject: Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible
Date: 8 Aug 1993 14:30:18 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Christopher Zguris <[e-mail]> writes:

> I have service from MCI and I know they offer to code fax lines as fax
> lines on the bill -- but they rely on me telling them which lines are
> carrying data.  I have two or three lines that carry data and/or fax

I recommend against letting MCI know which lines are fax lines.  About
a year ago, I was sending a few overseas faxes from my home number and
got a few wrong numbers in the batch.  I called customer service to
try to get them credited (even a one minute call is several dollars).
At first I told them that I was making fax calls and when I finally
got to a customer service person, they told me that their computers
were down at the time but that they wouldn't issue credit for wrong
numbers on fax calls anyway.  I waited a day, called again, and told
them that I was making regular voice calls and got wrong numbers and
they cheerfully took them off the bill. (the computers were working
properly this time)


David Lemson   [phone] University of Illinois
Computing & Comm Services  Office System Administrator
Internet : [e-mail]  UUCP :...!uiucuxc!uiucux1!lemson
NeXTMail & MIME accepted BITNET : LEMSON@UIUCVMD


[Moderator's Note: What do they have against giving credit for fax
wrong numbers?  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Floyd Davidson)
Subject: Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible
Organization: University of Alaska Computer Network
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 06:21:49 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> Bruce Sullivan
<[e-mail]> writes:

> Now, before you all run off and flame me with YOUR PARTICULAR
> exception, I didn't say there's no way to tell, ever. I take greater
> issue with the "do" statement than the "can" statement. MCI, AT&T, et
> al, are unlikely to know or care, unless it's some part of a pre-
> existing business (usually) arrangement. I wouldn't expect them to
> have any idea which calls from my home came from a modem, fax, or a
> phone.

I know of precisely two instances where the phone company (LEC, IXC,
whoever) cares one hoot if it is a modem or a voice, and in neither
case is it recorded in any way, nor is there even a mechanism to
record it.

Instance one is Echo Cancellors/Suppressors are disabled when a modem
tone is present.

Instance two is when any system that can compress the bandwidth
required for a call is in use, it will be disabled for a modem.  The
last I knew (a couple years ago) there were NO long distance carriers
using compression on domestic calls.  (On many international calls you
are in fact going to be compressed.)


Floyd

[e-mail]        A guest on the Institute of Marine Science computer
Salcha, Alaska              system at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address
From: [e-mail] (Ray Normandeau)
Date: 8 Aug 93 02:28:00 GMT
Organization: Invention Factory's BBS - New York City, NY - 212-274-8298v.32bis
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Ray Normandeau)


> I decided to try the UnDirectory service mentioned by Blake Patterson
> (900-933-3330).  It successfully got (and pronounced) my brother's name and
> address in Newton Highlands, MA.

How much does the service cost?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 93 11:59 EDT
From: rsiatl![e-mail]
Subject: Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address


> number you have or address across the country. Remember, there is so
> much information *publicly available* between courthouse records, library
> criss cross books, post office box rental and forwarding address
> records, voter registration offices, and more, that you don't have to
> resort to illegal sources (for the public) such as NCIC.  PAT]

Pat,

One day my mother mentioned to me that she had never been on a piece
of timberland she owns since she bought it.  Since we were passing
through the county seat later that day, I asked her to stop at the
courthouse for a minute.  I walked up to the probate judges office and
asked to use the map room.  As usual they said "sure".  We went into
the map room, and I pulled the M-Z Alpha index (about 3" thick) and
looked up my mother's name.  There was only one parcel of land I
didn't recognize so I recorded the map and plot number.  Then on the
other side of the room I pulled out the plot map and found the
property.  I wrote down the land description.  After putting the maps
back up, I went downstairs and borrowed a topo map from the SCS/ASCS
people, copied it, and marked the property lines on it.  Total time
was about five to ten minutes.  My mother was amazed.  She thought I
had done something illegal, and couldn't believe this was public
information.  Apparently a lot of people think this isn't public
information.

Ob Telecom tie: I got real good at this doing OSP construction,
especially clearing land before plowing fiber.  Telco tells you where
the ROW is, but if you don't want to piss off the landowners who think
they own the land you call ahead.  Ten minutes of dozer work here, or a
load of firewood there works wonders.


Patton Turner  KB4GRZ  FAA Telecommunications  [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Your story is a good one. Yes, that's one reason
that skip-tracers, private detectives, etc make such good money. They
*know* about all the free, totally public information that's around
and exactly where to go find it. Remember, court houses are public
places as are criminal/civil trials, and by extension, all the paper-
work generated as a result. Just help yourself! There are databases
galore on the American public. Learn to use them.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven H. Lichter)
Subject: Re: L.A. Cellular Telephone Complaint
Date: 8 Aug 1993 06:07:30 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)


I had an experence with them when I first go my phone. For some reason
they wanted a huge deposit and was unable to tell me why since no
credit report was ever done. I contacted PacBell Cellular and within
an hour a tech from the local service company came out and programmed
my phone and within 30 minutes it was working. When I replaced it
with a handheld the dealer did it and again it was working within a
very short time.

Twice I have had to send phone in for service to them under the
extended service warranty, which by the way does not cost anything as
long as you keep the service for 12 months. Each time they sent a
loaner out by Federal Express and it was working almost as soon as I
called them as was it when I got my regular one back.  Their service
is very good and have not had any problems with it anywhere that I
have traveled and the roaming works fine. Also they have opted to wait
for the more advanced digital system where LAC has gone the other way.

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 8 Aug 93 08:30 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Nigel Allen)
Subject: Re: Handsets For the Hearing Impaired
Organization: Internex Online - Toronto, Canada [phone]


In Canada, special telecommunications equipment for people with
disabilities is available from the local telephone company.  Bell
Canada operates "Centres for People with Special Needs" in Montreal
and Toronto, and other telephone companies have similarly-named
offices which provide equipment to people with disabilities, and which
may also arrange for other company services, such as an exemption from
directory assistance charges for people who can't read the phone book.
The Canadian Hearing Society also sells telecommunications devices for
the deaf and other "special needs" telecom equipment.

In the United States and other countries, "special needs" telecom
equipment may be available from the local telephone company,
charitable organizations that work with people with disabilities (the
Canadian Hearing Society would be an example), mail-order companies
like Hello Direct (telephone 1-800-HI-HELLO in the U.S. and Canada),
and AT&T, which I think has a "special needs center" of its own.


[Moderator's Note: For all their other foibles and complaints people
have about them, the Bell Companies in the USA have always been very
generous and imaginative at finding solutions for people with disabil-
ities. Alex Bell was a teacher of deaf people, you know.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gregory M. Paris)
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors (was Re: New AM Band Violates ...)
Organization: Motorola Codex, Canton, Massachusetts
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 14:15:16 GMT


> and CARE (Committee on American Relief in Europe). Got any other
> examples of 'words' which are really acronymns instead?   PAT]

scuba -- self contained underwater breathing apparatus (invented
by Jaques Cousteau, I believe).


Greg Paris <[e-mail]>
Motorola Codex, 20 Cabot Blvd C1-30, Mansfield, MA  02048-1193


[Moderator's Note: Wow! That is a new one on me! I like it.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun,  8 Aug 93 09:22:00 CDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Need Sources/Info For Cheap Voicemail
Organization: AT&T Network Systems


Dub Dublin,HOU281 2303,CTN-596-3199, ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I need to find information about, and sources of *inexpensive* voice
> mail systems.  I need a fair amount of programmability (new voice
> information service), so I'm assuming a PC-based system is my best
> bet.  If it's real cheap, ....
> system soon.  It's VERY important that the system be able to execute
> arbitrary commands in the OS as a result of a user menu choice.

   If you're not tied to PC-hardware/software, Great Valley Products
(GVP) offers a "PhonePak(tm)" system for any Amiga A2000/A3000
computer.  Current mail order prices are $299 or less -- the A2000 is
going for steep discounts in the <$1000 range with hard-drive.  This
is a combination voice mail system (multiple mailboxes) and fax
store/print/forward/faxback system bundled with an internal script
language and AREXX (Amiga REXX) interface.

   On lines with "transfer" capability, the system can transfer calls
to other numbers based on caller input.  An internal database for
names, numbers and addresses is supplied, as is a scheduler for timed
sending of faxes.  The Amiga OS is multi-tasking, so the system can be
doing other things while handling phone calls.  The AREXX interface
allows virtually any program to be run (and controlled) from the
PhonePak software.

   If nothing else, this would make a cheap development/test machine;
such applications are not always easy to debug ... GVP can be reached
on [phone] (FAX on 215-337-9922).


Al Varney - just my opinion

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 8 Aug 93 11:58 EDT
From: rsiatl![e-mail]
Subject: Re: Area 205 to Split


Carl Moore writes:

> I don't have this in front of me: is there a 205-334 exchange
> anywhere?  Are there any local calls across the future 205/334
> boundary?

Sorry I took so long to respond.  334 acording to some SCB info I got
a while back is actually in Georgetown, GA, a small town just across
the river from Eufaula, AL.

It looks like the split was made along LATA lines.  I haven't been
back to AL since the split was announced, so I'm not sure.  As the
LATA lines pass just south of my hometown, Alexander City, and north
of Auburn University, I'll see about local calls on the east side of
the state as soon as I see the maps.  I think some Alltel area will be
cut in half regardless due to their large north-south range.  (Camp
Hill to south of Ecletic for anyone familiar with that area.)

There are some real crappy interconnects in Alabama, I feel sorry for
their customers when they fail to update ARS tables.


Patton Turner  KB4GRZ  FAA Telecommunications  [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #553
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa02434;
          8 Aug 93 21:10 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA16574
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 8 Aug 1993 16:13:43 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA31850
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 8 Aug 1993 16:13:14 -0500
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 16:13:14 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Would YOU Use a 'Voicemail Edition' of the Digest?

Dear Readers,

An opportunity has presented itself which seems to have some good
merit to it, and I toss the idea out for quick yes/no/maybe answers
to see if any interest is present.

This will be a multi-line 'voice BBS' service for TELECOM Digest and
comp.dcom.telecom participants.  Best of all, it will mostly be FREE
to participate in the message bases, etc.  Private voicemail boxes
will be available to friends of the Digest who have donated any amount
of money at any time in the past or who have purchased services from
the Digest.

   But *anyone* will otherwise be free to post messages in their
   own voice and listen to the replies from others.

There will probably be three message bases:

   One  :  General telecom related comments and questions
   Two  :  Technical comments and questions
   Three:  Conference/Seminar announcements; job postings; misc.

   Messages can be up to a minute in length; replies can be
   up to the same length.

   Participants can include their own name/address/phone in the
   messages or refer others to a voicemail box.

   Commercial messages for products and services can go in the
   third category above for some negotiable fee.

Users with voicemail boxes will be able to use them for whatever
purpose they wish, and all voicemail stuff will be *private and
unmoderated* ... the public areas will be 'moderated' in the
same way the Digest is now ... loosely, but with a goal toward
keeping things running smoothly.

Another category will be a series of helpful tutorial messages;
a sort of FAQ which I hope volunteers will agree to fill for me.
Naturally, you get to listen to comments about the Orange Card and
Telepassport while in the announcement area! <smile> ...

It might well be up and running in the next day or two, so I would
like *quick* answers from readers, directed to my personal email
address:   [e-mail]

REMEMBER: If you have already assisted financially with the Digest or
purchased any affinity services, you are *already entitled* to a free
confidential voicemail box if you want one (provided this service does
start).

The message bases would be intended as a fast, quick turnaround for
telecom related comments and questions. Your messages would stay
'on line' until the stacks filled up, then the oldest messages would
be deleted automatically. Depending on usage, that could be anywhere
between several days and three or four weeks.

Please let me know when you read this, with the understanding there is
no obligation whatsoever. If your company would be interested in
having a slot for commercial messages, please contact me also.

Thanks,


Patrick Townson
TELECOM Moderator











Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa02606;
          8 Aug 93 21:16 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03393
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 8 Aug 1993 17:17:55 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA15002
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 8 Aug 1993 17:17:22 -0500
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 17:17:22 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #554

TELECOM Digest     Sun, 8 Aug 93 17:17:20 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 554

Inside This Issue:                       Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Lynx ExtraLine Voice/FAX/Modem Switch (Steve Diamond)
    Re: What is Category 5? (Patton Turner)
    Re: Movie: In the Line of Fire (Richard Osterberg)
    Re: Looking For Information and Experience With LCI ([e-mail])
    Re: Is Fiber Coming to New Jersey? ([e-mail])
    Re: Area-Code Splits and State Capitols (Ken Rossen)
    Re: Valid Card Declared Invalid? (Brett Frankenberger)
    Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address (Elana Beach)
    Re: T1, Internet Access  (Garrett Wollman)
    Re: Local Calls via LD Carrier (A.T. Furman)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (William J. Carpenter)

                     ----------------------
TELECOM Digest is an e-journal devoted mostly -- but not exclusively --
to discussions on voice telephony. The Digest is a not-for-profit
public service published frequently by Patrick Townson Associates. PTA
markets a no-surcharge telephone calling card and a no monthly fee 800
service.  In addition, we are resellers of AT&T's Software Defined
Network. For a detailed discussion of our services, write and ask for
the file 'products'.

The Digest is delivered at no charge by email to qualified subscribers on
any electronic mail service connected to the Internet. To join the mail-
ing list, write and tell us how you qualify: [e-mail].
 All article submissions MUST be sent to our email address: telecom@eecs.
nwu.edu -- NOT as replies to comp.dcom.telecom.

Back issues and numerous other telephone-related files of interest are
available from the Telecom Archives, using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu.
Login anonymous, then 'cd telecom-archives'. At the present time, the
Digest is also ported to Usenet at the request of many readers there,
where it is known as 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Use of the Digest does not
require the use of our products and services. The two are separate.
All articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. Organi-
zations listed, if any, are for identification purposes only. The
Digest is compilation-copyrighted, 1993. **DO NOT** cross-post articles
between the Digest and other Usenet or alt newsgroups. Do not compile
mailing lists from the net-addresses appearing herein.  Send tithes and
love offerings to PO Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690. :)  Phone: [phone].

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 8 Aug 93 10:26:19 -0700
From: [e-mail] (diamond)
Subject: Lynx ExtraLine Voice/FAX/Modem Switch


I've experienced an odd problem testing the Lynx ExtraLine
Voice/FAX/Modem switch for which I'd appreciate some comp.dcom.telecom
expertise.  I'm attempting to use it to switch incoming calls between
a modem and a FAX machine.  What I liked about the Lynx was that it
doesn't require any special modem setup or the FAX operator to enter
any touch-tones, it's completely transparent.

The ExtraLine is supposed to work like this in the modem/FAX mode: it
routes incoming calls to the modem port, and if the modem answers and
connects, the Extraline is done.  If the modem doesn't answer or it
times out (in 15 seconds with ATS7=15) because the call is a FAX call,
the ExtraLine generates a simulated ringing signal to the FAX and then
switches the call to the FAX port.

My problem appeared in testing.  If I call from my second line, the
modem answers but the ExtraLine immediately switches to the FAX anyway
before I even get answer tone from the modem.  If I call from a
cellphone however, everything works fine.  Is there something
different about a call originating from the same central office as the
answering phone that would cause the answering line to see a call
differently and thus somehow confuse the ExtraLine?  And if so, is
there a solution other than not being able to handle modem calls from
within ones own central office?

I tried unsuccessfully to explain this problem to the Lynx people, who
of course found everything working fine when they called the modem/FAX
line.

I'd appreciate any suggestions!


Steve Diamond   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 8 Aug 93 11:59 EDT
From: rsiatl![e-mail]
Subject: Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN)


Harold Hallikainen writes:

>    Can anyone give a BRIEF description of the electrical coding
> scheme on all these high speed twisted pair systems (such as ISDN)?  I
> haven't taken the time to research it at all.  How many bits per baud
> are being run?  Is it a multi-level coding system or just two or three

BRI ISDN uses 2B1Q line coding for the outside plant.  Two bits per
baud, with voltages of +-2.5 and +-.83 volts.  PRI ISDN uses T1 like
coding ( AMI or B8ZS) with P-P voltages of up to 6 volts. ISDN S
interface (the inside wiring) uses 1 bit/baud, psuedoternary line
codes, and +-.75V.

> Do such systems treat the twisted pair as a transmission line,
> matching the characteristic impedance to prevent reflections?  Do they
> work full duplex using some sort of hybrid, or just go real fast half
> duplex?  Can we use these techniques over leased lines ordered from

Yes, most twisted pair transceivers use 100 or 130 ohms.  The former
seems to be the T1 standard.  ISDN multidrop segments (S interface)
use a terminating resistor.  Everything else I am familiar with uses
point to point links with the termination in the receiver.

All of the American stuff I know of uses full duplex except for some
ADSL and similar loops in very limited use, especially for anything
faster than a DSO with secondary channel.

Some other countries use a pingpong method to deliver ISDN.  This
decision was made before 2B1Q chips were available.

Notice I left out 10BASET?  I'll leave the LAN stuff to those more
knowledgeable.  Everything I mentioned was <= 1.544 mbps, and very
compatible with PIC/old UTP cable.


Patton Turner  KB4GRZ  FAA Telecommunications  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Movie: In the Line of Fire
From: [e-mail] (Richard Osterberg)
Date: 8 Aug 93 16:49:35 GMT


> It wouldn't suprise me if certain government agencies had
> already made agreements with various carriers to make certain
> information availible; if one could get real-time access to switches,
> a smart "joker" could probably get through 1-900-STOPPR rather easily.

My guess is that when you're protecting the life of the president,
*never* underestimate the power of government agencies.


Rick Osterberg   [e-mail]  617-527-6664  617-965-0370

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 14:06:23 -0400
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Looking For Information and Experience With LCI


In article <[e-mail]> TELECOM Moderator mistakenly
notes:

> [Moderator's Note: LCI is the fourth largest long distance carrier in
> the USA, coming behind only AT&T, MCI and Sprint in that order. Their
> corporate offices are in Virginia. They are also the carrier handling
> calls for the Orange Card, the affinity calling card program offered
> to readers of this newsgroup and Digest. Their service is good.  PAT]

Ummm, LCI, formerly LiTel, is based in here in Columbus (OH).


henry


[Moderator's Note: When I talk to some of their people, they are
always in an office in Virginia somewhere. Do they have a facility
there as well?   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Shag)
Subject: Re: Is Fiber Coming to New Jersey?
Date: 8 Aug 93 18:22:55 GMT
Organization: Screaming in Digital, the Queensryche Digest


[e-mail] writes:

> I have heard rumors in the neighborhood that my town, Madison, NJ,
> along with neighboring Chatham and Florham Park, will be equipped with
> a fiber optic telephone network, as a demonstration site, by the end
> of 1994.  Can anyone verify this, give details (fiber right to my
> network interface?), or tell me what this will mean for me?

First, to answer your subject line -- fiber's already here.  NJ Bell
has been targeting corporate, government, and institutional customers
so far, and has gotten quite a bit installed.  In aerial installation,
look for thin black cables, with orange sleeves around them at the
poles.  Easy to spot. :)

As for the demo towns -- I believe they're planning to fiber-ize two
towns as demonstrations, one up your way and one down along the shore
 -- Ocean County, I think.  This should mean ISDN for all the
residential customers in those towns.  I don't know if they'll be
doing this for free, but I suspect they'll be nice about it, otherwise
people would put up a fight.

As for people elsewhere in the state, a friend of mine tells me that
one _can_ now get residential ISDN in New Jersey, but that the first
ISDN customer in the exchange foots the cost ($1800) of getting the
ISDN card put into the ESS5 ...


Shag
[e-mail] - [e-mail] - [e-mail]
PPI 14.4 FXSA - ShagNet, Burlington County NJ - GeoWorks Ensemble 2.0 GeoSadist

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 8 Aug 93 14:20:40 EDT
From: Ken Rossen <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Area-Code Splits and State Capitols


> Rhode Island is approximately 35 x 45 miles. I forgot to mention,
> Acquidneck Island (Which is Newport and Jamestown) can't call BEYOND
> the island without incurring a toll.

Small correction: Aquidneck Island (which was at times called "Rhode
Island" and which gave the state its name) has the towns Portsmouth,
Middletown, and Newport on it -- but NOT Jamestown, which is by itself
on the adjacent Conanicut Island, connected to Aquidneck by one bridge
and to the Western bay shore by another.

One hopes that Jamestown callers are not charged nonlocal rates for
all off-island calls!


[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Brett Frankenberger)
Subject: Re: Valid Card Declared Invalid?
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 19:30:57 GMT


[e-mail] (Brett Frankenberger) writes:

> Stuff going through 10xxx is not verified by the local telco (Once you
> get the MCI bong, it's MCI's call).  Some LD companies, for whatever
> reason, elect to only accept LEC cards on their 10XXX access.  But
> it't strictly up to them.  I believe AT&T will accept its card or an
> LEC card on their 10288.
>
> [Moderator's Note: Oh? Stuff going through 10xxx is not validated by
> the local telco?  Then how come when I wanted to change the PIN on my
> AT&T Calling Card and had to ask twice to get it done, the second time
> the rep at AT&T said "I will send a FAX to Illinois Bell right now and
> ask what is the delay in processing this," ??  And how come she later
> said IBT had lost the original order to do it?  I believe that anything
> dialed via 10xxx is first examined -- in its entirety -- by the local
> telco, and then is handled, passed to a carrier, treated or whatever.
> How come whenever I want to change calling plans or do anything with
> my AT&T account the answer is always it will be done whenever Illinois
> Bell gets around to it, etc.?   PAT]

My statement was open to mis-interpretation.  First, I was referring
only to 10XXX-0- ... (but I think you know that). What I should have
said is that the validation is the responsibility of the IXC ... that
is, the IXC gives the bong, uses it's DTMF receivers to capture what
you dial, and then makes its own decision on whether or not to accept
the call.  It could decide to pass them all, reject them all, look in
its own database, or whatever.

Apparently in the case of AT&T, it looks in the database of LEC issued
cards, which AT&T does not have access to change.  AT&T could, if it
wanted, check the LEC database, and if there was no match, then check
its own database for AT&T issued cards.  For whatever reason, AT&T has
decided not to do this.  If it isn't in the LEC database, they don't
accept it, but it's the IXC that does the rejection (although said
rejection may be made based on information received from an LEC
maintained database).

If you don't key in a number after the bong, you will be connected to
an IXC operator, not an LEC operator.


Brett  ([e-mail])  (formerly [e-mail])

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Elana Beach)
Subject: Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 19:35:38 GMT


> [Moderator's Note: Your story is a good one. Yes, that's one reason
> that skip-tracers, private detectives, etc make such good money. They
> *know* about all the free, totally public information that's around
> and exactly where to go find it. Remember, court houses are public
> places as are criminal/civil trials, and by extension, all the paper-
> work generated as a result. Just help yourself! There are databases
> galore on the American public. Learn to use them.   PAT]
                                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Great!  But HOW?  Where does one start to find out all the ways of
becoming a do-it-yourself private investigator?  What books to buy or
what net.sources should I know about?

ObTelecom: My Caller-ID box from US West does not yet identify callers
from out of the US West territory, expecially long-distance.  Anyone
have any idea when this will change??


Elana


[Moderator's Note: Well, there is a company called 'Computer Detective'
which sells passwords to their system ... not inexpensively, I might
add. Its something like $750 for a password and a usage fee of some-
where above $20 per hour. In return you get access to drivers' records
for 49 states; the records of criminal and civil litigation in about
85 percent of the county courthouses in the USA including civil judg-
ments; tax assessments cross referenced by address; who owns the parcel
of land; numerous telephone directories and criss-cross directories by
telephone number and address; credit bureau files from the three major
bureaus; whether someone has ever been in prison or not, and what for;
I think they have about 200 'cooperating databases' they scan. You
call them with your modem, identify the person you are dealing with as
best you can, and the databases you want searched. Depending on how
wide and varied the search, and how common the name, results come back
in a few seconds or several hours later. You log off in that case and
they send email with the search results.

They are very ethical, i.e. they require a written form saying you
have 'legitimate business reasons' before they will access the credit
bureaus due to federal laws about same and they don't access 'non-
public' databases like NCIC. They content themselves with staying
totally within the law looking at *public* information. They also do
'box inquiry' with post offices to find out who belongs to given post
offices boxes and the actual street address of same.  PO Box info *is*
public, you know, if you know who to ask and the phrases to use when
you invoke Freedom of Information.

Their service is used to find deadbeat parents owing child support
money; locating people who owe money in general or to whom money is
owed; for finding old classmates for a reunion, whatever. They encourage
people to *resell* their service as a dealer, or information provider.
I think they even sell franchises under the name 'Computer Detective'
complete with helpful instruction manuals. In other words, people come
to you looking for someone. You charge $50 per hour, take down the
details, scan the databases and go back to your client the next day
with the results and tell them it took you three hours! :)  I would
begin one of thier franchises immediatly -- or at least obtain a pass-
word and become 'Internet Detective' if I had the damn $750 to start
with! I'd probably set up a server to take requests and email back
the answers, etc.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Garrett Wollman)
Subject: Re: T1, Internet Access
Organization: University of Vermont, EMBA Computer Facility
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 20:57:21 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, Brad Cox <[e-mail]>
wrote:

> I'm responding to the group because I'm really not sure why Telnet,
> Tymnet, Sprintnet and so forth isn't this fellow's answer.

In three words: "Because X.25 sucks."  In many cases, depending on the
system vendor, it is actually cheaper to install the sort of service
that other people have described, then just to buy the software to
make a system speak X.25.  Furthermore, the PDN's X.25 PADs are
generally limited to 9600bps maximum (and that's usually at the most
expensive rate), and often have difficulty dealing with modern
file-transfer and communications protocols.  As other people have
pointed out, if you go the route of getting T1 entrance facilities and
an expensive modem rack, you make it possible for people to connect to
you using other mechanisms besides modem; e.g., ISDN or Switched 56,
and depending on the sort of connection you buy from telco, it may
provide you with useful information about your callers which could be
used to provide enhanced services.

Back in the 1970s, there were two, parallel lines of networking
development going on.  One gave us the Internet.  The other gave us
Triple-X (X.25, X.121, and something else).  Which one would you
choose, today, knowing about the relative popularity of these two
technologies?


Garrett A. Wollman  [e-mail]
uvm-gen!wollman     UVM disagrees.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Local Calls via LD Carrier?
Date: Sun,  8 Aug 93 14:38:45 PDT


Thus spake our Moderator:

> I think you will see in the next few years the distinction between
> 'local carrier' and 'long distance company' becomes very blurred as
> the LD companies begin handling more and more local service. Most of
> them are happy to have calls terminated right at the subscriber's
> premises now rather than paying the local telco access fees.

What carries the signal over the infamous Last Mile?  If the density
of the alternate carrier's subscribers is far below the density of
subscribers to the by-appointment-to-their-majesties-the-Public-
Utilities-Commission local exchange carrier, I would expect the cost
per subscriber of installing their own local loops to be vastly
higher.


[Moderator's Note: The carriers will either go with T-1 or a satellite
dish on the roof, or similiar. If it suits them better, they will
still use local telco leased lines, etc, but if they do it will be
transparent to the end-user.  Consider now how AT&T is glad to
terminate directly for these guys who run chat services, etc. If the
carrier has to pay two pennies to the LEC for termination or a penny
to the end user instead, why not terminate with the end user if he
has the volume of traffic to warrant it.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Sun,  8 Aug 93 21:43:08 GMT
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories


[[Don't be fooled by where I work.  I don't know nuthin bout buzzin no
busies!]]

I have a recollection of reading/hearing somewhere that a lot of
thought and research went into the sound they chose for the ringer on
a phone.  The puzzle to solve was an optimization between using a
sound urgent enough to make you want to answer pronto and not using a
sound so annoying that you wouldn't want a phone.  (My scrambled
recollection of this may be confusing the original bells with today's
popular electronic warblers.)

It wouldn't surprise me to hear that the busy signal was chosen in a
similar way.  After all, since the billing model is that you don't pay
for busy calls in the US, the phone company wants you to give up as
soon as you know it's a busy.


[e-mail]                    [e-mail]    or
[phone], Fax x6406          [e-mail]
AT&T Bell Labs / AT&T EasyLink Services               LZ 3C-207

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #554
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa16754;
          9 Aug 93 6:25 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12564
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 9 Aug 1993 03:59:54 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA32173
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 9 Aug 1993 03:59:16 -0500
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 03:59:16 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #555

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 9 Aug 93 03:59:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 555

Inside This Issue:                       Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Fire in Australian Telephone Exchange (David E A Wilson)
    FTP Sites Wanted for IEEE, CCITT etc Docs (Ross Douglas Alexander)
    People, Not Profits (A.T. Furman)
    Internet to Commerical E-Mail (Van H. Schallenberg)
    History of AT&T, The Day Dr. Bell Was Buried (Craig Myers)
    Another Look At Alex Bell (was Re: Hearing Impaired) (Kai Schlichting)
    LORAN -- LOng Range Aid to Navigation (Bert Roseberry)
    Radar and Acronyms (Cliff Sharp)
    Status of Cellular Data (Peter Lucas)
    Dial N'CERF (Gary Edwards)
    Pager Followup (Dan Reiner)
    Re: How to Change Pager Alert Sound? (Jacob DeGlopper)
    Re: Caller-ID Software Wanted (Dan Lawrence)
    Re: Borneo Malaysia Phones (John Gottschalk)
    Please Recommend a BRI ISDN Box (Carl Oppedahl)
    Re: T1, Internet Access (Brad Cox)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David E A Wilson)
Subject: Fire in Australian Telephone Exchange
Date: 9 Aug 1993 12:29:03 +1000
Organization: University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.


Last week the TV news reported a fire in the Kiama telephone exchange.
It said that approximatly 20% of trunks were damaged (I think -- this
is from memory) and a number of special services (ATMs and railway
ticket machines) were out as well. The next day the local newspaper
had the following (small) article:

"Telecom fire linked to railway

A recently installed railway automatic ticket machine may have caused
a $300,000 fire in the Kiama Telecom building.  Police said the fire
caused extensive internal damage to the Manning St. building. State
Rail employees noticed sparks coming from the ticket machine at Kiama
station."

Note that I have not yet seen any confirmation that the ticket machine
was the cause.

The fire brigade had to break into the building to put the fire out.


David Wilson                [phone] voice, [phone] fax
Dept Comp Sci, Uni of Wollongong    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ross Douglas Alexander)
Subject: FTP Sites Wanted For IEEE, CCITT etc Docs
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 22:48:36 GMT


I'm after networking documents for (specifically IEEE 802.6, SMDS)
computer and telephony networks.

The documents I am interested in a sort of the following
  IETF - I know these ones
  IEEE - ???.ieee.org
  CCITT -
  Bellcore -
  AT&T -
  ISO -


Many thanks,


Ross Alexander   Computer Science   Auckland University

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: People, Not Profits
Date: Sun,  8 Aug 93 19:24:22 PDT


No sooner had I submitted my response to the following example of
capitalist-bashing:

> CLOSING THE "VALUES-GAP": NREN Takeover Moves Ahead Unopposed

> By Vigdor Schreibman

> ...These
> measures would authorize a takeover of the NREN by private industry to
> serve its own interests guided by the morality of the market place and
> the ethic of profit maximization...

Than I found the following, in the Usenet newsgroup alt.internet.access.
wanted, in an unrelated posting by Simon Poole (Zurich, CH), who is
involved with Internet operations in Europe:

>> considering that email service can be gotten from private
>> corporations in North America for anywhere from $10-$30/month.

> You forget that infrastructure costs are about one order of
> magnitude higher in Western European countries than in the
> states (a 64K leased line will roughly set us back the same ammount
> a T1 link would in the states)...

Permit me to summarize.  Western Europeans may pay far more for
communications bandwidth provided by their State-owned monopolies, but
they are at least protected from the horror of "private industry"
allowed to "serve its own interest."  Therefore, we should keep data
networking under the control of the folks who brought you the Clipper
Chip.

People, not profits.

While privatization programs pick up momentum in Russia, Hungary, and
Czechslovakia, and the Prime Minister of Poland puts her political
career on the line to get a key privatization bill through Parliament,
we in the USA are treated to Vigdor Schreibman.

> guided by the morality of the market place and the ethic of profit
> maximization.

To speak of "morality of the market place" and "ethic of profit
maximization," that is, to *qualify* the terms "morality" and "ethic"
to serve notice that they are not being used in the same sense that
decent, right-thinking people use them, is to presuppose that business
is, in some sense, basically immoral.  It is to imply that business-
people should be presumed guilty.

Better, instead, we should leave it all to the folks who brought you
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms?

Bibliography:  _The Road to Serfdom_ by Friedrich A. v. Hayek

> Federal Information News Syndicate, Vigdor Schreibman, Editor & Publisher,
> 18 - 9th Street NE #206, Washington, DC 20002-6042.  Copyright 1993 FINS.

Copyright?  Imagine my surprise.  Mr Schreibman couldn't POSSIBLY be
serving his own interests here, could he?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (u951007)
Subject: Internet to Commerical E-Mail
Organization: Oklahoma State University Computer Center, Stillwater OK
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 03:13:50 GMT


Has anyone ever developed a list of the formats necessary to send
internet electronic mail to commercial electronic mail services?  If
not, I would be interested in preparing such a list.  The list should
include only commercial electronic mail services, both in the United
States and in other countries.  Such a list would facilitate
converting from the normal address for a user on the service to the
internet format.  For example, I have compiled the following listing:

 SERVICE         FORMAT                            REMARKS

AT&T MAIL   [e-mail]           where xxxxxxx is service username

EASYLINK    [e-mail]      where nnnnnnnn is user number

COMPUSERVE  [e-mail]     where nnnnn.nnnn is user number
                                          with comma changed to a period

MCI MAIL    [e-mail]        where nnnnnnn is user number


If others would e-mail the internet format for other commercial
services I would compile and post.


Thanks,

Van H. Schallenberg
[e-mail]   [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: There have been some of these tables written up
before and in fact we have one in the archives at present although it
is a couple years old.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Craig Myers)
Subject: History of AT&T, The Day Dr. Bell Was Buried
Organization: JHU/Applied Physics Laboratory
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 02:47:15 GMT


This is a little late...

> From the "Events in Telecommunications History"

August 4, 1922

"Telephone service was suspended for one minute, just before sunset
(6:25 to 6:26 PM) on the entire telephone system of the United States
and Canada during the funeral service for Dr. Bell."


[Moderator's Note: This is correct. Although in his later years Alex
Bell had nothing to do with the Bell System (he really was not even
active much after the first couple years of the company), he remained
a major stockholder in AT&T as did his wife Mable. When he died about
the first of August 71 years ago, Mable called the executives of the
company to tell them of his passing and they agreed to that minute of
silence as a tribute. It took a couple days to get the message out to
the far flung branches of the company. There was not total silence
since some independent telcos became silent in sympathy with AT&T but
others did not. Numerous executives of the company attended the funeral
service that August evening, even though a lot of them hated Alex Bell
as much as he hated them when he was alive.

Some people in the company liked him a lot though, and remembered the
personal generosity of Mable and Alex several years earlier at the
time of the ugly incident at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works
employees picnic in Chicago when the boat on which the employees were
cruising sank in the Chicago River at Dearborn Street, drowning some
812 persons who were trapped under the overturned boat. As a shocked
Bell System grieved over the death of several hundred co-workers and
members of their families at the annual company picnic and awards
ceremony which had turned into a hideous nightmare, Alex and Mable
came to Chicago to personally visit the survivors and to make personal
gifts to the families of those who were killed in the disaster to
(as Mable put it) 'help tide them over as they try to begin their
lives again ...' When they visited Hawthorne Works three days after
the incident, they sat with employees in work-rooms at which half the
working places were empty -- co-workers who had lost their lives the
Sunday afternoon before -- and Mable took copious notes of the names
of those no longer living; their families received personal notes and
gifts from Alex and Mable a few days later.

Not everyone though agrees that Alex Bell was such a good guy. The
next message in this issue tells a different version of things.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Kai Schlichting)
Subject: Another Look at Alex Bell (was Re: Handsets ... Hearing Impaired)
Date: 8 Aug 1993 23:31:15 GMT
Organization: Newsserver, Comp.Center (RUS), U of Stuttgart, FRG


> [Moderator's Note: For all their other foibles and complaints people
> have about them, the Bell Companies in the USA have always been very
> generous and imaginative at finding solutions for people with disabil-
> ities. Alex Bell was a teacher of deaf people, you know.  PAT]

Some more information on Alex Bell: he had a deaf wife, but was not in
favour of the deaf community at all. In fact, he wanted to destroy
sign language, the only common denominator and centerpoint of culture
deaf people have, by forcing and promoting deaf people (including his
wife) to learn lipreading and have them go to oral school. If I am
right, he even promoted laws that would forbid deaf people to marry
(if both were deaf), to reduce the number of deaf people over all.
(Sidenote: This is nonsense of course; there are more than 150 common
causes for deafness, and only part of these are genetic reasons.)

Alex Bell was not a teacher for the deaf, he was the centerforce of
mainstreaming the deaf and destroying their unique culture, to clear
up with a myth, if it ever was one. To the deaf, he was the ultimate
person of intolerance and oppression.


Bye,

Kai   (Hearing, but a proud husband of a deaf wife.)


[Moderator's Note: Thank you very much for a challenging response on
this 71st anniversary of Bell's death. Are there rebuttals to Kai's
comments or validating remarks by other readers? Again, thanks.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 08 Aug 1993 22:08:17 EDT
From: Bert Roseberry <[e-mail]>
Subject: LORAN -- LOng Range Aid to Navigation
Organization: Digital Equipment Computer Users Society


Pat,

LORAN stands for LOng Range Aid to Navigation.

LORAN is one of the Coast Guard's responsibilities.

Although now most LORAN sites are becoming automated, the biggest
threat for Coast Guard people for many years was sending someone
to isolated duty on a LORAN station in the middle of no where.

Back several years ago when President Reagan bombed Omar Quedaffi
he fought back by trying to bomb the LORAN Station on Lampadusa,
a small island off of Italy.  The bomb fell short.

So much for trivia.

Bert Roseberry   [e-mail]   or
US Coast Guard   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Subject: Radar and Acronyms
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 93 18:01:53 CDT
From: Cliff Sharp <[e-mail]>


>> RADAR = RAdio Direction And Rangefinding

> [Moderator's Note: While you're at it then, how about SONAR and LORAN
> and ELF?  'Radar' is one of those acronymns which has turned into a
> word on its own ... much like NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
> and CARE (Committee on American Relief in Europe). Got any other
> examples of 'words' which are really acronymns instead?   PAT]

   SONAR - SOund Navigation And Ranging
   LORAN - LOng RAnge Navigation
   ELF - Extremely Low Frequency (which is among the hierarchy:
    ELF - Extremely Low Frequency        below 10 KHz
    VLF - Very Low Frequency        10 - 30 KHz
    LF - Low Frequency            30 - 300 KHz
    MF - Medium Frequency            300 KHz - 3 MHz
    HF - High Frequency            3 - 30 MHz
    VHF - Very High Frequency        30 - 300 MHz
    UHF - Ultra High Frequency        300 MHz - 3 GHz
    SHF - Super High Frequency        3 - 30 GHz
    EHF - Extremely High Frequency        30 -300 GHz
)

Other acronyms:

LASER - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
MASER - Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
    (coherent microwave beams, just as lasers give coherent light)
TASER - (before anyone asks) I think this is a made-up Trademark, but
    maybe it should be Telescoping Anti-personnel Shocker Emasculated
    by Rodney King  :-)
SEATO - SouthEast Atlantic Treaty Organization
TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
MAD - Mutual Assured Destruction (very apropos!)
JEEP = G.P. - General Purpose vehicle
WAC, WAVE, etc.  SHAEF, COMSEC, CINCPAC, probably a zillion other
         military ones
FUBAR
SCSI (scuzzy) - Small Computer Systems Interface
LATA - Lousy A**h*les Treating you Arrogantly :-)
BELLCORE - BELL COmmunications REsearch
UART - Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter
MODEM - MOdulator/DEModulator
CODEC - COder/DECoder
VOCODER - VOice enCODER
RAID - Redundant Array of Independent Disks

   Off the top of my head (that's all the barber could fit  :-)...


[Moderator's Note: The only one I will dispute with you is SEATO. The
/A/ stands for 'Asia' -- not 'Atlantic'.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: Peter Lucas <[e-mail]>
Subject: Status of Cellular Data
Date: Sun,  8 Aug 1993 22:23:47 -0400
Organization: Sponsored acct, H&SS Dean's Office, Carnegie Mellon, Pitts, PA


Can anyone post an update on what's going on in the world of cellular
data?  I used to assume that wireless data connectivity would evolve
out of alphanumeric pager service, but I gather that the cellular
voice carriers are gearing up to soak up their spare bandwidth by
providing cellular packet data.

Is this right? How's it going?  When can I expect to have affordable
two-way email from my laptop? I know about Embarc et al, but it is SOOOO
expensive. It currently appears to be far cheaper per byte to use a
cellular phone and modem than to use the alpha-pager services and that
seems crazy.  Anybody know what's coming down in this area?

------------------------------

Subject: Dial N'CERF
From: uttsbbs![e-mail] (Gary Edwards)
Date: 8 Aug 93 21:01:00 GMT
Organization: The Transfer Station BBS, Danville, CA - 510-837-4610/837-5591
Reply-To: uttsbbs![e-mail] (Gary Edwards)


A friend living in Sacramento mentioned he was interested in Dial
N'CERF.  Does anyone have any information regarding this that they can
share?  Supposedly, my friend believes this Dial N'CERF to be "THE HOT
SETUP!"


The Transfer Station BBS [phone] & 837-5591 (V.32bis both lines)
Danville, California, USA. 1.5 GIG Files & FREE public Internet Access

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dan Reiner)
Subject: Re: How To Change Pager Alert Sound?
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 00:55:22 GMT


I recently asked for information on changing the alert sound of a
Bravo-plus pager.  This turns out to be under the control of the
paging service, as I found out when I asked them a second time.  The
Bravo-plus is capable of at least four different sound patterns,
depending on what is transmitted to it.

Thanks to all who replied.

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 23:26:19 -0400
From: Jacob DeGlopper <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: How to Change Pager Alert Sound?


Dan Reiner writes:

> My Motorola Bravo-plus pager signals an incoming page with a loud,
> annoying "short-long, short-long" beep.  Other same-make/model pagers,

> I own my pager.  Can I change its beep style by moving a jumper or
> something like that?  Or is this in firmware?  The paging service

If you look at the bottom of your pager, inside the battery
compartment there are three gold contacts.  All pager options are
programmed via these contacts, so you need to find someone with a
Bravo Plus programmer.  I'm surprised your pager company wouldn't do
it for you -- that should be part of the service.  You either need to
find a different paging compnay or a Motorola dealer with the right
programmer.

You can not only change the beep cadence, but also add features such
as a priority alert that will make the pager beep even in silent mode
for certain phone numbers.


    Jacob DeGlopper, EMT-A, Wheaton (MD) Volunteer Rescue Squad
        Case Western Reserve University - [e-mail]
            LAN Administration, The Orkand Corporation

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dan Lawrence)
Subject: Re: Caller-ID Software Wanted
Date: 8 Aug 1993 17:30:11 -0700
Organization: "A World of Information at your Fingertips"


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Steve Taylor) writes:

> I am interested in computer software that displays incoming telephone
> numbers on my computer screen.  Caller-ID was just introduced in my
> area and I'm interested in a package to utilize it.

I am also looking for some CID software.  I have a Supra fax modem and
PC clone computer.  We just got CID in the 206 area (US west) and I
would like to have some software.  Ideally it should log all calls,
Display incoming number and name in BIG letters on the screen.  It
would be even better if it would announce the calling number over a
sound card (I have a sound blaster).  It would be nice if you could
substitute a custom sound file for particular numbers so it might say
"Dan's Calling!" instead of a number.  I am about ready to write it
myself but it would be nice to see what other peoples software does.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Gottschalk)
Subject: Re: Borneo Malaysia Phones
Organization: Prentice Centre, University of Queensland
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 03:10:41 GMT


[e-mail] writes:

>>> Smartfon is a 100m range cordless phone, which you use near to a
>>> posted transmitter.  It's smaller than a cellular phone, which I think
>>> may also be available.

>> If this is the same as the System used in Singapore, then you can
>> make only outgoing calls.  All over Singapore are the little signs
>> <CALL ZONE>

>> Very interesting concept -- I had not heard it being used anywhere else.

> These CT2 phones are used quite widely around the world, only the
> service name varies, usually it is a variation of 'Telepoint'.  In
> Europe I know that at least England, France and Finland have telepoint
> services.

In Australia the service offered by Telstra (AKA Telecom Australia) is
called Talkabout. It allows incoming as well as outgoing calls. When
the user of the cordless phone is not near a basestation the calls are
recorded using voicemail, and when the user registers with a base
station the recorded phone calls are played to them. While they are
registered they can send and recieve phone calls.

People can also buy (rent?) a base station for the home, and it can be
used in offices.

I hear that the cordless PABX technology is similar to the Talkabout
technology.


Regards,

John Gottschalk,             [e-mail]
Project Manager, CiTR,            [phone] (phone)
The University of Queensland, 4072,     [phone] (fax)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl)
Subject: Please Recommend a BRI ISDN Box
Date: 8 Aug 1993 22:50:20 -0400
Organization: Oppedahl & Larson


I am thinking of signing up with Basic Rate Interface ISDN from Nynex.
To do so I need an interface box that connects with the two-wire BRI
ISDN signal and provides "dial tones" and RS-232 connections.

Can some kind soul recommend makes of BRI boxes, and suppliers?


Thanks,

Carl Oppedahl AA2KW  (patent lawyer)
1992 Commerce Street #309
Yorktown Heights, NY  10598-4412
voice 212-777-1330

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 23:37:32 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Brad Cox @ GMU/PSOL)
Subject: Re: T1, Internet Access


[e-mail] (Garrett Wollman) wrote:

> In three words: "Because X.25 sucks."
> Back in the 1970s, there were two, parallel lines of networking
> development going on.  One gave us the Internet.  The other gave us
> Triple-X (X.25, X.121, and something else).  Which one would you
> choose, today, knowing about the relative popularity of these two
> technologies?

But I don't 'know' their relative popularity. It varies according to
whose propaganda I read. I know internet is popular in universities,
but America Online, GEnie, and Compuserve (and others) use X.25.
Compuserve and Prodigy's propaganda makes them loom very large. I have
no way of knowing for sure.

Incidentally, they don't "have difficulty dealing with modern
file-transfer and communications protocols" assuming you mean zmodem
which I use routinely without difficulty. They do seem to be
restricted to 2400 baud, but AOL keeps promising 9600 baud RSN.

If anyone has recent information re: number of subscribers for all
infoage services I'd be deeply grateful. I need it for a new book,
"Taming the Electronic Frontier".


Brad Cox; [e-mail]; 703 968 8229 Voice 703 968 8798 Fax
George Mason Program on Social and Organizational Learning

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #555
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa16525;
          10 Aug 93 2:21 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA23385
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 00:03:56 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30727
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 00:03:21 -0500
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 00:03:21 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #556

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 10 Aug 93 00:03:15 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 556

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Sprint Workers Fed Up, Start Unionizing (Nigel Allen)
    MCI PC Connect Plan (Eight Cents/Min Evening/Night/Weekend) (B.J. Guillot)
    Ringmate/CNID on Panasonic EMSS (Monty Solomon)
    Need Programming Information: Mitsubishi 1500 Cell Phone (Jim Miller)
    Hotel Rip-Off - is This a Record? (John Slater)
    Cell Phone Fraud and New Systems (Jon Allen)
    Information Request on PCN/PCS (Hans Kruse)
    Competition at the LEC Level (R. Shin)
    New Telecom Products in Sharper Image (Christopher Zguris)
    Re: Another Look at Alex Bell (Frank E. Carey)
    Re: Another Look at Alex Bell (Joel Upchurch)
    Re: Administrivia: Looking at the Week Ahead of Us (Michael Covington)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Nigel Allen)
Subject: Sprint Workers Fed Up, Start Unionizing
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 20:00:00 -0400 (EDT)
Organization: Echo Beach, Toronto


New Liberation News Service <[e-mail]> posted the following
story to misc.activism.progressive. I should mention that I've never
worked for Sprint, and that I therefore have no first-hand information
about the company. Perhaps someone from Sprint might care to comment
on the information in the NLNS story.

Sprint Workers Fed Up, Start Unionizing

by Linda Greene, NLNS

(NLNS)--Working at Sprint leaves a lot to be desired besides decent pay.

    Sprint requires its telemarketers, mostly women, to stay on the
phone for precisely 6.7 hours a day and talk with each customer for
exactly 150-210 seconds. A telemarketer has 10 seconds -- no more, no
less -- between calls and must make a sale every 3.5 minutes.

    Mostly women also, operators and service representatives at Sprint
make $6,000-7,000 less a year than others in the telephone industry,
which is largely unionized. The work schedules of Sprint operators
change completely every week. Ever try making a long-term child care
arrangement with a work schedule like that?

    If a worker arrives a few minutes late or leaves a few minutes
early six times in a year, she or he is fired. Flexibility for
emergencies or child care problems? Not at Sprint.

    Supervisors eavesdrop electronically on Sprint workers and impose
unrealistically high work standards and constant work speed-ups,
causing employee burnout and high turnover. Each year, 25% of Sprint
operators quit their jobs.

    Sex discrimination at Sprint? You bet. The wage gap between jobs
that mainly men vs. mainly women hold at Sprint is 25% greater than at
AT&T and the Bell companies.

    Sprint operators make $6,160 less a year than their unionized
counterparts at AT&T. Customer service representatives make $9,235
less; technicians, $3,445 less. In '91, William T. Esrey, chair and
CEO of Sprint, made $2.4 million, almost 100 times the average pay of
his nonmanagement employees.

    Sprint is the third-largest long distance phone company in the
U.S., with 10% of the market and revenues in the billions of dollars.
It employs over 16,000 people and owns local telephone companies in 18
states, for a total of 29,000 employees, nearly half of whom belong to
unions. Having merged recently with Centel, Sprint now owns cellular
operations in 19 states, for another 1,080 employees, and also owns
long distance services in 199 countries besides the U.S. That doesn't
count its special data transmission and video teleconferencing
services, marketed in over 100 countries.

    It's no wonder Sprint workers are ready to organize. Sprint
management, however, isn't cooperating. Rather, it has a formal policy
of busting unionizing activity and squelching free speech.  For
instance, all Sprint supervisors receive a manual on "union-free
management," and the company holds meetings at which attendance is
mandatory and only antiunion workers can speak.  Sprint has even been
known to prevent the posting and distribution of union leaflets in
public areas outside the company's buildings.  This year Sprint made
the Coalition of Labor Union Women's "Hit List" of the nation's most
sexist people and corporations, "for waging an anti-union campaign in
the face of the organizing efforts of its mostly female workforce ..."

    Recently Sprint workers successfully forced the company to alter
its policy on how workers should handle obscene phone calls. Other
phone companies and police departments recommend hanging up
immediately, but not Sprint management: it required operators to warn
the caller twice -- and then thank him for using Sprint before hanging
up! In March, Sprint agreed to let employees refer obscene calls to a
supervisor.

    Whether or not you're a Sprint customer, you can support Sprint
workers' efforts to unionize by joining Friends of Sprint Workers,
Communications Workers of America, 501 Third St., NW, Washington, DC
20001-2797 (phone [phone], fax [phone]). (Source: CWA).

                      -------------

The New Liberation News Service (NLNS) is a project of the non-profit
Institute for Social and Cultural Change that seeks to facilitate the
sharing of news, opinion, experiences, support and solidarity among
progressive, grass-roots media outlets. NLNS can be reached at PO Box
325, Kendall Square Branch, Cambridge, MA 02142; [phone];
[e-mail].

                      -------------


Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada    [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: There was a time when AT&T used to be a bunch of
nasty old devils to work for also in the company's pre-union days in
the early part of this century. People like Chicagoan Myrtle Murphy, a
retired (for thirty year's now! That's longer than some of you are old
and longer than any of you have worked for a living) operator at IBT
who was the first union steward here back in the 1930's changed that.
She recalls the other operators used to laugh at her and say stuff
like, 'you will never organize Bell ... no one can organize the Bell'.
The supervisors told the other workers to 'stay away from Myrtle; she
is a trouble-maker and she will get you in trouble with the Company
too', ... but she kept getting 'the other girls' to sign union cards
and come to meetings.  She was an operator for forty years.

I am reminded of 'Mother' Emma Jones. You recall her don't you? When a
reporter for a newspaper once asked her what was her occupation, she
thought about it for a second and said, "...my occupation? I'm a
Hell-Raiser." So was Myrtle and many of the other operators in the
1930's despite the fact that the Great Depression was on and like all
companies, Bell had a hundred women in line at the Employment Office
every day of the week ready to take a job and the food off the table
of someone else at a minute's notice for the princely sum of fifteen
dollars per week as an operator. Of course in those days five dollars
took home three large bags of groceries from the Safeway and a month's
rent was $20-25 for a nice apartment.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (B.J. Guillot)
Subject: MCI PC Connect Plan (Eight Cents/Min Evening/Night/Weekend)
Date: 9 Aug 1993 08:50 CDT
Organization: University of Houston


Passed along FYI to the group:

Press Release    07/26/93   09:00 EDT

Systems Solutions, the owner and operator of The Virginia Connection
bulletin board system, the Washington, DC area's premier PCBoard BBS
system located in Reston, VA announced today that The Virginia
Connection is one of the first bulletin boards in the United States
selected by MCI Telecommunications, Inc. to participate as an official
startup BBS member of the MCI PC CONNECT computer telephone network.
MCI PC CONNECT is an exciting new program being offered by MCI which
provides computer modem users with low long distance rates for
telephone calls made to bulletin boards from both intrastate and
interstate calls.

        MCI PC Connect(sm) FEE/RATES:
        =============================
     -  $3.00 monthly fee (does not apply towards usage)
     -  Includes calling to continental U.S. in addition to Alaska,
        Hawaii,
        Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

        PC Connect Customer to NON-PC Connect Customer:
        -----------------------------------------------
        $0.22 during Day (Mon-Fri: 8am - 5pm)
        $0.10 during E/N/W (Mon-Fri: 5pm-8am: Sat/Sun: 24 hours)

        PC Connect Customer to PC Connect Customer:
        -------------------------------------------
        $.176 during Day
        $.08 during E/N/W
        Friends & Family discount does not apply to fee

For an additional $1.50 per month, MCI PC Connect customers can include
in-state calls at the same MCI PC Connect plan rates as above.

        Available in the following states:
        ==================================

Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia,
Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas,
Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin

        Not Available in the following states:
        ======================================

Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine,
Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island,
Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming

It is important to remember that you must be a member of MCI PC
CONNECT in order to receive these rates!  The thousands of computer
bulletin board users should immediately contact MCI and become members
of this low cost calling service to take advantage of the low rate
structure and the ability to reach the best bulletin boards in the
country at the best long distance rates.

The Virginia Connection BBS has been in operation since 1985 and
serves thousands of users.  This BBS supports most computers with
features which include: 50,000 programs available for downloading,
National and International E-Mail via FidoNet, SmartNet, MetroLink,
and RelayNet International Message Exchange, 20 incoming telephone
lines connected to computer modems capable of operating from 1200 to
14400 baud, and on-line games for individual and team players.  This
BBS is a member of The Capital Area SysOps Association, a group of
over 200 metropolitan Washington, DC area bulletin board operators.

MCI PC CONNECT will allow computer users from most of the United
States to participate on these bulletin boards for very reasonable
long distance rates.  Now long distance callers will be able to
utilize the quality and depth of this exceptional BBS as local
computer bulletin board users have done for years.  Modem users can
reach The Virginia Connection BBS by dialing [phone].

In order to receive all information regarding this MCI PC CONNECT
service, call 1-800-333-2511 and MCI operators will provide you with
more details.  Call now!  Do not delay!  Don't be satisfied with less!
Take advantage of the service -- save money!

The Virginia Connection BBS
c/o Systems Solutions
11088 Thrush Ridge Road
Reston, VA 22091-4722

Contact:        Tony McClenny
Voice:          [phone]
Modem:          [phone]

                     --------------

Regards,

B.J. Guillot ... Houston, Texas USA

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 04:37:50 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <[e-mail]>
Subject: Ringmate/CNID on Panasonic EMSS


Will Ringmate (distinctive ringing) and/or CNID work with the
Panasonic KX-T123211D EMSS?


Thanks,

Monty Solomon / PO Box 2486 / Framingham, MA  01701-0405
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 09 Aug 1993 11:53:03 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail] (Jim Miller)
Subject: Need Programming Info: Mitsubishi 1500 Cell Phone


Hi everybody,

   I have a Mitsubishi 1500 TPK transportable cell phone, and would
like some information on it.

First, I would like the programming information on this unit. I
recently switched cellular carriers, and they changed one of the
security codes (for local/long-d/incoming only restriction, among
other things) to 0000. If you have programming information on this
unit, I would be more than happy to pay duplication and postage costs,
in order to receive a copy of it.

Second, this unit has some type of option for a data port. I have not
been able to find any information, specifications, or even a place to
purchase the option. If you know anything about this port, I'd like to
hear from you.


Thank you very much!

Jim Miller - PLEASE RESPOND TO: [e-mail], not the From: address.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 9 Aug 93 19:09:23 BST
From: [e-mail] (John Slater)
Subject: Hotel Rip-Off - Is This a Record?


I have just had the dubious pleasure of staying for a couple of weeks
at the Hyatt Regency Alicante in Anaheim, California. Being an avid
TELECOM Digest reader, I went straight to the rate card by the phone
even before I unpacked my case.

Even by British hotel standards (typically 400% mark-up on BT's
standard unit charge), the Hyatt was extortionate. Consider what they
charge for international calls:

    Operator-assisted rates (even though the call is direct-dialled)
    PLUS a $2.50 access charge per call!
    PLUS 45c per minute!!

Even a conservative estimate for a five or ten minute call weighs in
at several hundred percent mark-up. To my regret I never did call the
1-800 number listed on the card to compare AT&T's operator-assisted
and direct-dial call charges, and I never did collar the hotel
management to chew them out for such outrageous pricing -- I was
working and had better things to do.  Can anyone put some rough
figures on these items?

The charge for 1-800 calls was 75c, but they only seemed to charge
this for long-distance access numbers such as MCI (1-800-950-1022).
Local calls were 75c too.  Plain old 950-1022 was blocked. The card
said that all LD traffic was carried by AT&T, incidentally, but I did
use 1-800-950-1022 from the room once.

The domestic long-distance rates were similarly structured, but with a
lower access charge and a lower per-minute charge. (WHY? Why should
they rip me off any more just because I'm dialing overseas? The cost
to them is the same. I guess the answer is "because they can" :-( ).

Fortunately I was travelling on business, so I used BT's UK Direct
1-800 number with a BT card that is billed to my company. Next time
I'm in the US privately, I'll be using Telepassport.

Who needs COCOTs when hotels rip us off so effectively?


John

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jon Allen)
Subject: Cell Phone Fraud and New Systems
Organization: AT&T IMS - Piscataway, NJ (USA)
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 21:49:39 GMT


I just got home tonight and turned on channel 4 from New York to see a
story on new types of cell phone fraud.  It said that thieves are
using an ESN reader to read the ESNs and phone numbers right off the
air as people drive by (it said that the phones transmit this info to
the cell regardless of whether or not a person is talking), and then
program them into their own phones to rip people off.

The interesting part is that they said that next year, Cellular One
would be converting over to a digital system which would solve the
problem.  I am curious if anyone knows more about this specifically.
There must be some way to phase in the digital system so as that both
the old and new systems are active at the same time.  Do they share
the same radio frequencies?  If so, the system must somehow recognize
the different phones.  Or is this whole story just media hype?  I was
thinking about buying a cell phone, but if the current phones will be
obsolete in a year, it seems wise to wait.


Jon Allen


[Moderator's Note: Yep, ESN 'readers' are the latest thing in vogue
for phreaks. It lets them hit up the cellular carriers for a few
million per year with stolen ESN's which are sold to other unsavory
types.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Information Request on PCN/PCS
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Ohio University Computing & Technology Services
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 17:12:45 GMT


I have been asked to write a section of a report being compiled for
state regulators on Personal Communication Systems/Networks.

My specific area is the technical interconnection of the PCN/PCS to
the public (landline) network, including routing and number assignment
issues.

If you have any information you feel should be covered/included, or
can point me to sources of information, please send these to me.  The
deadline is short, so electronic and FAX routes are preferred.


Hans Kruse
McClure School of Communication Systems Management
Ohio University   9 S. College Street  Athens, OH 45701
614-593-4891 (voice)   614-593-4889 (FAX)  [e-mail]

Thanks!

------------------------------

Subject: Competition at the LEC Level
From: [e-mail]
Date: 09 Aug 93 09:53:43 EDT


I am doing a study examining the effect of competition and different
forms of regulation on local exchange carriers' costs.  To conduct
this study, I need information on the status of competition at the
local exchange level in various states.  I need to know whether
competition is allowed in the provision of intraLATA toll service or
in local exchange service.  I would like to know when such competition
was allowed for a given state or a tier-1 local exchange company, and
additional information on how long it took before a competitor
actually entered the market would be useful.

Please e-mail me at [e-mail]

I will summarize the replies and posted here.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 9 Aug 93 20:06 GMT
From: Christopher Zguris <[e-mail]>
Subject: New Telecom Products in Sharper Image


  I don't want this to sound like a commercial, but the new Sharper
Image catalog (800-344-4444) has a three interesting telecom items
(only available from the catalog):

1) Fone Link -- Use your cordless phone to control IR remote control devices.
No specific details in ad blurb.

2) Hands Free Ear Phone -- A hands free phone without a mike boom, the
mic is built into the ear piece, so you only wear a ear bud-type
earphone.

3) Cellular Phone Scrambler, scrambles cellular calls -- This one is
interesting. The blurb says you install the device (custom-wired for
your phone) and then call Secure-Net's 800 number and are billed by
Secure-Net.  I'm guessing that you call them using your secure line,
then they call your party on a land-line. Does anyone know about
Secure-Net? Is this something new?


Christopher Zguris   [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Ah, don't worry about commercializing this newsgroup.
As any idiot would tell you -- and many of them have told me -- the
death of Usenet occurred back in February when I made a three dollar
profit on an Orange Calling Card someone purchased from my office.
Why, the Chairlady of the California Cowgirls Association herself
pronounced the benediction and led the singing of the closing hymn at
the funeral service, which is still going on actually, there being so
many stanzas to sing, each with the old familiar refrain.  Like the
catsup people, the organist has 57 Variations on a Theme, each with
its own massive fugue. I guess they take a break for the pause that
refreshes now and then when the cowgirl goes off stage to change into
a fresh pair of (Mormon-defined) Holy Underwear, or 'garments' as they
are known by LDS insiders. Anyway, you committed a grievous sin: you
failed to include prices in your message and put stars and borders
around the text, ala VIC-20 phreak BBS messages.  And next time,
include the phrases 'final offer! and 'one week sale!'  in your
message if you expect me to accept a bribe for running it here. You
surely don't expect me to run anything here but Talk Ticket messages
for free do you?   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon,  9 Aug 93 10:16:51 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Another Look at Alex Bell
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories


There's a rather interesting view of the life of Alexander Bell
available to visitors to the Bell museum in Baddeck, Nova Scotia.  I
visited it decades ago and seem to remember learning that:

 - he was swindled out of his invention and his company very early on;

 - he became so bitter he left the country and renounced his citizenship;

 - he abandoned his interest in telephony and worked on manned flight.
   The museum has lots of information and displays on his kite
   experiments.

This does seem inconsistent with the reported visits to Hawthorne
families, etc.

Can anybody confirm my recollections of this long ago visit?

Needless to say, we aren't exposed to this view in house.


Frank Carey at Bell Labs       [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: He kept his considerable shares of stock in AT&T
until his death at which time the stock passed to Mable; that hardly
seems a way to swindle a man out of his invention and his company.
They did go to Canada to live, but he returned quite often to the USA
on business matters. He did grow disinterested in telephony which was
the main reason he did not take an active role in the company; that
and he didn't like many of the executives running things. But I don't
think he ever felt he had been cheated.   PAT]

------------------------------

Subject: Another Look at Alex Bell
From: aaahq01!upchrch![e-mail] (Joel Upchurch)
Date: Mon, 09 Aug 93 13:43:16 EDT
Organization: Upchurch Computer Consulting, Orlando FL


[e-mail] (Kai Schlichting) writes:

> Some more information on Alex Bell: he had a deaf wife, but was not in
> favour of the deaf community at all. In fact, he wanted to destroy
> sign language, the only common denominator and centerpoint of culture
> deaf people have, by forcing and promoting deaf people (including his
> wife) to learn lipreading and have them go to oral school. If I am
> right, he even promoted laws that would forbid deaf people to marry
> (if both were deaf), to reduce the number of deaf people over all.
> (Sidenote: This is nonsense of course; there are more than 150 common
> causes for deafness, and only part of these are genetic reasons.)

> Alex Bell was not a teacher for the deaf, he was the centerforce of
> mainstreaming the deaf and destroying their unique culture, to clear
> up with a myth, if it ever was one. To the deaf, he was the ultimate
> person of intolerance and oppression.

It looks to me like Kai wants to retroactively apply nineties
standards of political correctness to a century ago. I really doubt
that efforts to mainstream the deaf and teach them lip reading would
be viewed as oppression by the standards of Mr. Bell's era. As for
discouraging deaf people to marry it seems to me that could simply be
because a child without at least one hearing parent would have greater
difficulties learning to talk. It also seems hard to fault Mr. Bell
for not having available to him our medical knowledge of the causes of
deafness.

(If your mail bounces use the address below.)
Joel Upchurch/Upchurch Computer Consulting/718 Galsworthy/Orlando, FL 32809
[e-mail] {uiucuxc,hoptoad,petsd,ucf-cs}!peora!joel [phone]


[Moderator's Note: And thank you for adding to this thread.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 00:49:36 -0400
From: Michael Covington <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Administrivia: Looking at the Week Ahead of Us
Organization: AI Programs, University of Georgia, Athens


> August 11

An auspicious day: a spectacular meteor shower is predicted.

Michael A. Covington, Associate Research Scientist
Artificial Intelligence Programs      [e-mail]
The University of Georgia              phone [phone]
Athens, Georgia 30602-7415 U.S.A.     amateur radio N4TMI


[Moderator's Note: That's right! God is putting on the show in honor
of the twelfth anniversary of this Digest, one of the oldest, if not
the oldest continuing newsgroup/Internet mailing list on the net. :)  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #556
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa18168;
          10 Aug 93 3:20 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA31291
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 01:10:03 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03057
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 01:09:28 -0500
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 01:09:28 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #557

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 10 Aug 93 01:10:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 557

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Status of Cellular Data (Gregory M. Paris)
    Re: Status of Cellular Data (A.N. Ananth)
    Re: Status of Cellular Data (Jim Rees)
    Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address (Steven J. Tucker)
    Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address (Garrett Wollman)
    Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address (Tad Cook)
    Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address (Blake Patterson)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Tad Cook)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Harold Hallikainen)
    Re: Radar Detectors (Michael Covington)
    Re: Radar Detectors (Harold Hallikainen)
    Re: LORAN -- LOng Range Aid to Navigation (Garrett Wollman)
    Re: Valid Card Declared Invalid? (Mike King)
    Re: Do We Have a Theme Song? (Jim Haynes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gregory M. Paris)
Subject: Re: Status of Cellular Data
Organization: Motorola Codex, Canton, Massachusetts
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 18:27:20 GMT


> Can anyone post an update on what's going on in the world of cellular
> data?  I used to assume that wireless data connectivity would evolve
> out of alphanumeric pager service, but I gather that the cellular
> voice carriers are gearing up to soak up their spare bandwidth by
> providing cellular packet data.

By no means do I claim to be an expert on this topic, but at last
week's USENIX "Mobile & Location-Independent Computing Symposium" I
heard a presentation by Phil Karn of Qualcomm on an IP-over-CDMA
digital cellular implementation they've been working on.

Phil mentioned an effective data rate of 8 kbps for this digital
cellular IP connection.  At least one attendee claimed to be able to
better that rate using PPP, a Cellblazer (or maybe he said a Q-blazer)
modem, and a regular analog cellular connection.  In any case, the
data rate doesn't compare favorably with a "hard-fibered" connection,
but it still sounds pretty cool to me.

Of course, you have to wait for CDMA to come to your cell system
before you can take advantage ...


Greg Paris <[e-mail]>
Motorola Codex, 20 Cabot Blvd C1-30, Mansfield, MA  02048-1193

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (A N Ananth)
Subject: Re: Status of Cellular Data
Date: 9 Aug 1993 22:40:37 -0400
Organization: Biligiri International, Ellicott City, MD USA


In article <[e-mail]> Peter Lucas <plucas+@andrew.
cmu.edu> writes:

> Can anyone post an update on what's going on in the world of cellular
> data?

> Is this right? Hows it going? Anybody know what's coming down in
> this area?

Even though you ask specifically about cellular data, I assume you
really mean wireless datacom. At Westinghouse, we are involved in
putting together a geosynchronous satellite network that will provide
mobile datacom coverage to the entire North American continent. This
is the MSAT program and it offers a mobile field unit with a dish the
size of a frisbee and optional cellular interoperable voice and fax to
boot.

Brief details are: X.25/X.3 connectivity, custom protocols for
broadcast/multicast traffic, 2400/4800 bps, connectivity to all manner
of datanets and other prodigy-like services is planned.  The project
is under active development and is expected to be pressed into
commercial service in 3Q/4Q 1994.


ananth    <[e-mail]>  Work: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Status of Cellular Data
Date: 9 Aug 1993 16:18:33 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan CITI


In article <[e-mail]>, Peter Lucas <plucas+@andrew.
cmu.edu> writes:

> Can anyone post an update on what's going on in the world of cellular
> data?

This is part of our area of research, so I'll take a stab at it.  I'm
afraid this will be a bit US-centric, since that's what I'm familiar
with.

We mostly use analog modems over voice cellular.  This is the cheapest
way to go right now.  Bandwidth is around 6-8 Kbps, call setup times
are very long (a minute or so including modem connect time), and
roaming is a problem, but coverage is pretty good and it's relatively
cheap.

There are currently two cellular data service providers in the US,
Ardis and RAM Mobile.  These systems are sort of like the cellular
phone systems, but are data only, and are not affiliated with cellular
phone.  They have limited coverage, mostly only in cities and suburbs.
Bandwidth is around 10 Kbps, setup times are small, and cost is about
ten times that of analog modem over voice cellular.  These services
are resold by various value-adders, such as PSI, mostly for email.

On the horizon, there are three proposals for data over voice
cellular.  CDPD, or Celluplan II, puts data into unused "holes" in the
current cellular allocations.  It's intended to piggyback onto
existing systems as a transition to full digital cellular (see below).
I think it's being tested in a number of places, but I don't know of
any production deployment yet.

Qualcomm CDMA uses spread-spectrum technology for digital voice.  Now
that Phil Karn is working at Qualcomm, there is a good chance that any
CDMA systems will include provisions for data, probably using
tcp/ip/ppp.  CDMA is being tested in San Diego (home of Qualcomm) but
hasn't been deployed anywhere.

TDMA is a time-division multiplexed digital voice system that preceded
CDMA but is technically inferior.  I don't know whether it makes any
provision for data, but I suspect it does.  I think it's being tested
in a few places (probably Chicago, home of Motorola).  Either CDMA or
TDMA, but not both, will eventually be the successor to today's AMPS
analog system.

Any digital voice cellular system will probably have to include some
provision for data, since you can't run a modem over one of these.
The big question is whether the data services will be priced
reasonably, or priced like Ardis.  Peter Honeyman has said that some
day we may look back on the early '90s as the golden age of cellular
data communication.

There's also NAMPS, an analog stopgap being deployed by some cellular
service providers in congested areas.  It doesn't do data, and in fact
probably won't even carry modem traffic.

Then there's GSM, the non-US digital cellular system of the future.
It's been deployed in a few places, and I think it has provisions for
data, but I don't know much more about it.  It's unlikely to be
deployed in the US, since it wasn't invented here and can optionally
use encryption, which our government would like to outlaw.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven J Tucker)
Subject: Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address
Date: 9 Aug 1993 17:07:32 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Steven J Tucker)


In a previous article, [e-mail] (Elana Beach) says:

> [Moderator's Note: Well, there is a company called 'Computer Detective'
> which sells passwords to their system ... not inexpensively, I might
> add. Its something like $750 for a password and a usage fee of some-
> where above $20 per hour. In return you get access to drivers' records

Where can I get more information about/from this company?


Steve


[Moderator's Note: I refuse to say because maybe I will become a
dealer/representative for them in the near future. <wink> ... then I
can further commercialize the net by giving you my office address at
the Metro Office Building on Howard Street when you want to snoop on
your neighbors. If that doesn't cause the Friends of Cowgirl to insist
that their chairperson wear clean, fresh LDS-approved Holy Underwear
at all times, I don't know what will.  :).   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Garrett Wollman)
Subject: Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address
Organization: University of Vermont, EMBA Computer Facility
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 18:40:29 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, TELECOM Moderator noted in
response to Elana Beach <[e-mail]>:

> PO Box info *is* public, you know, if you know who to ask and the
> phrases to use when you invoke Freedom of Information.

Yet another reason to buy this service from a company like Mail Boxes
Etc.  (And you get the added benefit that alternative carriers like
UPS and FedEx can deliver to these "boxes".)

I should point out that a lot of people, reporters especially, like to
try to bluster their way to getting the information they want by
referencing FOIA.  Sometimes they do themselves more harm than good;
mentioning FOIA in a Federal courthouse isn't likely to get you
anywhere since the courts are not subject to FOIA and the officials
who work there know it.  (I could go into some detail about this, but
won't.)


Garrett A. Wollman   [e-mail]
uvm-gen!wollman      UVM disagrees.


[Moderator's Note: Years ago, Postal Form 1537 (authorization to
deliver mail to an agent, complete with true name and address of the
final recipient of the mail) was mandatory, and postal inspectors
would quite often review the forms. The mail drop was not supposed to
start accepting mail for a client until the Post Office verified the
form, which they did by giving it to the route carrier for the address
specified as the 'true' address of the client.  The carrier had to see
if there was a mailbox at the address specified with the name specified
so for a couple weeks the client had to scotch-tape the name "Smith"
or whatever on the front of his mailbox along with his own name so the
carrier would see it when he came past. Most mail drops are nothing
more than fraud-hives with a few legitimate customers among the ranks
of the carpet baggers and deadbeats.  Now the form is voluntary.  PAT]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 93 15:26:47 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Tad Cook)


[e-mail] (Elana Beach) writes:

> Great!  But HOW?  Where does one start to find out all the ways of
> becoming a do-it-yourself private investigator?  What books to buy or
> what net.sources should I know about?


Check out these books.  I found them in the online database at
Seattle Public Library:

AUTHOR MacHovec, Frank J.
 TITLE Private investigation : methods and materials / by Frank MacHovec.
 PUBLISHER Springfield, Ill., U.S.A. : C.C. Thomas, c1991.


 AUTHOR Akin, Richard H.
 TITLE The private investigator's basic manual / by Richard H. Akin.
 PUBLISHER Springfield, Ill. : Thomas, c1976.


[e-mail]  (if it bounces, use [e-mail])
Tad Cook     |  Packet Amateur Radio:  |  Home Phone:
Seattle, WA  |  KT7H @ N7DUO.WA.USA.NA |  206-527-4089


[Moderator's Note: Or, get any of those dreadful, gory {True Detective
Story} magazines at your local newstand and read the ads. There are
plenty of manuals offered in the classified ads, along with skip-tracing
services, mail drops and similar services in-between the "She Cut Off
Her Husband's Head and Shipped the Rest in a Suitcase to San Jose" and
"He Cruised the Malls Looking For Little Boys He Could Multilate" tales.
{The Christian Science Monitor} they ain't; but not nearly as boring
either.  Never an issue without at least one mutilation murder or sex
crime, usually as kinky as they come. :)   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon,  9 Aug 93 12:13:56 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address
Organization: AT&T


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Ray Normandeau) writes:

>> I decided to try the UnDirectory service mentioned by Blake Patterson
>> (900-933-3330).  It successfully got (and pronounced) my brother's name and
>> address in Newton Highlands, MA.

> How much does the service cost?

The UnDirectory national reverse directory costs $1 a minute.

(Service sponsor: Clarity Inc, P.O. Box 8357, Red Bank, NJ 07701.)

When I call the UnDirectory service I usually can get three lookups a
minute, but to get that rate I have to interrupt the spoken prompts
and punch in digits fast.  If the names and addresses are long, three
listings take longer than a minute.

One unadvertised UnDirectory feature I've found that speeds lookups:
When I make a mistake during number entry, I can press * to erase the
last digit.  The voice states the remaining last three digits so I
know where I am in the ten-digit number.  (Pressing # during digit
entry erases everything and I have to begin again.)

Do any phone companies allow midstream digit correction when placing a
phone call?  I've never heard of that option, but I'd pay for it.


Blake Patterson

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 93 15:28:32 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Tad Cook)



[e-mail] (Steven H. Lichter) writes:

> The last time I can remember PacBell having tours was some years ago
> when electronic switching was just getting installed. I'm sure you
> could get into one of their offices if you were to contact a division
> staff office or their main office in San Ramon. I know GTE gives tours
> to groups at times, but not like it was years ago. But then there are
> not a lot of people left that can take the time to work these things
> and try and answer some pretty dumb questions.

Some time back US West switched our local exchange from a combined
1AESS/#5XBAR to a new 5ESS.  I called the telco about a tour, and was
told there would be one for the neighborhood right after the cutover.
Following the cut date they had some labor problems, so they postponed
the tour.  They never did reschedule one.  I called several times, but
never could talk them into doing it.

A few years later I was talking to a neighbor who worked for US West
as a DA operator.  She said they had a DA office where she worked on
the top floor of that exchange.  When I mentioned my disappointment
about the tour, she said "lets go over there now, and I'll give you
one!" (this was Sunday afternoon).

We walked over to the office, she let us in with her keys, and I got
to roam through the whole place.  What particularly impressed me was
the amount of empty space left in the building now that the old
switches had been scrapped.  Judging by the number of prefixes served
out of this building, it currently has a maximum capacity of 80,000
lines.  There is another CO a couple of miles away in a much smaller
building that also serves eight prefixes.

The old switch room on the first floor was completely vacant.  There
was a big battery room in the basement, and a lot of trunks and fiber
optic equipment.  The switch was in a bunch of cabinets on an upper
floor.

It was totally unmanned, at least on this weekend.  There wasn't
really much to see.  Tours in the old days were probably much more
interesting, with those old steppers or crossbars making all that
wonderful racket.  Maybe that is another reason why they don't do as
many tours anymore.


[e-mail]  (if it bounces, use [e-mail])
Tad Cook     |  Packet Amateur Radio:  |  Home Phone:
Seattle, WA  |  KT7H @ N7DUO.WA.USA.NA |  206-527-4089

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen)
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 03:05:05 GMT


    Within the past few years, I've been able to arrange group
tours of the General Telephone CO in Santa Maria, CA and the AT&T
undersea cable termination here in SLO (in a several story underground
building mounted on springs).  Pretty neat stuff!


Harold

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael Covington)
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors
Organization: AI Programs, University of Georgia, Athens
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 04:37:36 GMT


You are quite right; the Electronic Communications Privacy Act only
forbids obtaining the _content_ of a transmission (they are thinking
in terms of modulated sound, picture, or data).  Detecting the
_presence_ of a signal on a frequency is permissible (and is necessary
for many kinds of engineering work and troubleshooting).

But the reason a state might have jurisdiction over radar detectors is
this: although they don't control radio transmitters or receivers,
they do control automotive safety.  Lots of places won't let you have
a TV set in the car visible from the driver's seat, because they
consider it a safety hazard.  Similarly, they could argue that a radar
detector is a device that impairs the safety of driving.

(I'm not claiming to _agree_ with them; merely pointing out the
possible argument.)

In response to the acronymns thread:

Initialisms (initial acronyms):

Laser - Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
Maser - Microwave... (ditto)
CMOS  - Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor


Syllable acronyms:

Transistor - trans(fer) (re)sistor
Fortran    - for(mula) tran(slation)


Recursive acronyms:

Gnu   -  Gnu's Not Unix
Mung  -  Mung Until No Good


Michael A. Covington, Associate Research Scientist
Artificial Intelligence Programs      [e-mail]
The University of Georgia              phone [phone]
Athens, Georgia 30602-7415 U.S.A.     amateur radio N4TMI

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen)
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 04:09:01 GMT


    All the legal issues surrounding use of radar detectors is
interesting, but I don't think I'd want to be in the business of
making something whose chief purpose is to help people violate the
law.  I've seen ads about how radar detectors promote safe driving.
Somehow I'm not convinced ...


Harold

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Garrett Wollman)
Subject: Re: LORAN -- LOng Range Aid to Navigation
Organization: University of Vermont, EMBA Computer Facility
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 19:20:08 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, Bert Roseberry <ROSEBERRY@
Eisner.DECUS.Org> wrote:

> LORAN stands for LOng Range Aid to Navigation.

Just to get a bit of telecom relevance here, one interesting thing
about the LORAN system is that it can be used to derive a very
accurate time signal.  Dave Mills and crew at the University of
Delaware have actually developed a timekeeper that listens to a LORAN
chain and provides a very precise timecode which can then be injected
into the NTP matrix to provide global time service.

For those who are unaware, NTP is the Network Time Protocol, a protcol
for deriving the correct (according-to-standard) time and setting same
on hosts, while operating over an unstable network of unbounded delay
on hosts which normally do something else.  According to various
authorities, NTP provides time service for PBS, Kennedy Space Center,
and the University of Vermont (at my insistence), using sources
including the standard time and frequency stations CHU, DCF, MSF, and
WWV, as well as LORAN-C, GPS, and the Australian national time
standard.  It is discussed in the newsgroup comp.protocols.time.ntp.


Garrett A. Wollman   [e-mail]
uvm-gen!wollman      UVM disagrees.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 9 Aug 93 08:58:05 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Mike King)
Subject: Re: Re: Valid Card Declared Invalid?


In TELECOM Digest, V13 #547, Pat asked:

> How come whenever I want to change calling plans or do anything with
> my AT&T account the answer is always it will be done whenever Illinois
> Bell gets around to it, etc.?

Because IBT acts as the agent for AT&T, under contract.  Regardless of
the disclaimer on your bills, IBT can and does provide much of the
data entry and collections support for AT&T in your area.

My former employer had an AT&T pro-WATS account for a while, and even
though the plan was through AT&T, and only discounted calls carried by
AT&T, the monthly adminstration fee was shown on the Ohio Bell
records.

Nine years after divestiture is a short time to undo over a hundred
years of tradition.


Mike King * Software Sourcerer * Fairchild Space * +1 301.428.5384
[e-mail] or [e-mail]  *  (usual disclaimers)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jim Haynes)
Subject: Re: Do We Have a Theme Song?
Date: 9 Aug 1993 20:13:03 GMT
Organization: University of California; Santa Cruz


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Daniel
MacKay) writes:

> ELO tunes: "Telephone Line" and "Ma Ma Ma Bell".

Which reminded me of the old and terrible pun:

    Q: What is the first name of the telephone company?
    A: Michelle

(Remember the Beatles song that goes, "Michelle, Ma Bell,...")


[e-mail]    [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #557
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa18702;
          10 Aug 93 3:55 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA05204
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 01:42:43 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA28721
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 01:42:07 -0500
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 01:42:07 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #558

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 10 Aug 93 01:42:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 558

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Another Look at Alex Bell (Kai Schlichting)
    Re: Another Look at Alex Bell (Jim Cobban)
    Re: Anonymous UUCP (was Re: 900 Numbers; FTC Rules)
    Re: Anonymous UUCP (was Re: 900 Numbers; FTC Rules) (John Macdonald)
    Re: Borneo Malaysia Phones (Harold Hallikainen)
    Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN) (Harold Hallikainen)
    Re: Busy Signal Strangeness (was Re: Revisit ..) (Jack Winslade)
    Re: How Does Switched-56 Interwork With ISDN? (Fred R. Goldstein)
    Re: ATT Truevoice (Ken Thompson)
    Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible (David G. Lewis)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Kai Schlichting)
Subject: Re: Another Look at Alex Bell
Date: 10 Aug 1993 05:47:08 GMT
Organization: Newsserver, Comp.Center (RUS), U of Stuttgart, FRG


Joel Upchurch (aaahq01!upchrch![e-mail]) wrote:

> It looks to me like Kai wants to retroactively apply nineties
> standards of political correctness to a century ago. I really doubt
> that efforts to mainstream the deaf and teach them lip reading would
> be viewed as oppression by the standards of Mr. Bell's era. As for
> discouraging deaf people to marry it seems to me that could simply be
> because a child without at least one hearing parent would have greater
> difficulties learning to talk. It also seems hard to fault Mr. Bell
> for not having available to him our medical knowledge of the causes of
> deafness.

If you knew a few people I usually communicate with, they'd tell you
that I am as politically incorrect as can be. But that's another matter.

You say it wouldn't be seen as oppression a century ago -- yes. And
that is as true as to say slaves are no human beings and deserve to
work (in 1830 maybe) or Indians are nothing but savages (90 years
ago?).  Oppression must be perceived from the perspective of the
oppressed, not the oppressors.

The reason not to allow deaf people to marry in order to protect a
(prospective) child is entirely bullshit (sorry about rude language,
but it's really hitting a nerve of mine): The brother of my wife
happens to be hard of hearing in an all deaf family, and the last time
I met him, he spoke pretty damn well! (There was external help, sure,
but he attends a normal school, for example, and signs equally well.
This is called BiBi in the deaf communities (Bilingual, Bicultural).

To line it out once more: it was Alex Bells' announced goal to
eliminate the deaf and the deaf community (which not existed in those
times), and to prevent deaf people from forming such a community. I
realize well that he was not really knowing what he was talking about
when arguing against marriages of deaf people, as he probably wasn't
even interested to take a look at the facts, in the form of statistics:

95% of all children of (both) deaf parents are hearing.
95% of all deaf children have hearing parents.

These are statistics that were accessible,or could have been produced
at that time.

Recognizing oppression and working against it is a part of PC that I
endorse, I will disagree on the means, though, that I see all around
me.


Bye,

Kai

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 12:11:00 +0000
From: Jim Cobban <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Another Look at Alex Bell


Kai Schlichting writes:

> Some more information on Alex Bell: he had a deaf wife, but was not in
> favour of the deaf community at all. In fact, he wanted to destroy
> sign language, the only common denominator and centerpoint of culture
> deaf people have, by forcing and promoting deaf people (including his
> wife) to learn lipreading and have them go to oral school. If I am
 ...

> Alex Bell was not a teacher for the deaf, he was the centerforce of
> mainstreaming the deaf and destroying their unique culture, to clear
> up with a myth, if it ever was one. To the deaf, he was the ultimate
> person of intolerance and oppression.

It is not reasonable to condemn Bell for holding a philosophy with
regard to the education of the handicapped which is still very widely
held today.  It was Bell's position that the deaf should not be
limited to the deaf community.  By learning lip reading and learning
how to vocalize speech which could be understood by the non-deaf, he
felt that the deaf could operate as full members of hearing society.
To that end he, among other things, established the first integrated
school for deaf and hearing students.  Do not confuse your own
opinion, or what you and your wife feel is best for her, with a
universal belief, even within the deaf community.  Many deaf people
worshipped Bell.  For example Helen Keller dedicated her auto-biography
to him, because he was the first person, other than her own father,
who treated her as a human being who could be taught to function in
society.  It was at Bell's instigation that Helen's father hired Annie
Sullivan as a tutor for his daughter.

However many deaf people resent the dogmatism and paternalism of the
education system which was instigated and inspired by Bell.  Lip
reading and vocalization or signed exact speech are useful to a deaf
person communicating with a hearing person, but they are frustratingly
slow for communication within the deaf community.  I know that in
Canada the Canadian Hearing Society and other deaf advocacy groups
have been contending with the educational institutions run by the
provinces in a long battle to introduce ASL as the primary instruc-
tional language.

What was Bell doing, in insisting upon [signed] English as the primary
language of instruction, and in insisting that the students respond to
the teacher in [signed] English, that is any different than the
insistence of our hearing educational systems that immigrants be
educated in the primary language of the country?  It seems to me it is
the deaf advocacy groups which are out of touch.  Every other handicap
that I hear about has its advocacy group insisting upon mainstreaming.
For example the Association for the Mentally Retarded, at least in
Canada, has changed its name to the Association for Community Living!

Bell may not have been a teacher "for" the deaf, but he definitely
considered himself to be a teacher *of* the deaf first, and an
inventor second.


Jim Cobban   [e-mail]                   Phone: [phone]
BNR Ltd.     bnrgate.bnr.ca!bcars5!jcobban    FAX:   [phone]


[Moderator's Note: My thanks to all who participated in this thread
which, despite the side you come down on, presented a side to Alex
Bell that most telephone/communication enthusiasts know very little
about. It was fun.  Thanks Kai, Jim, others.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 8 Aug 93 22:20:28 -0600
From: ivgate![e-mail]
Subject: Re: Anonymous UUCP (was Re: 900 Numbers; FTC Rules)


You are correct that UUCP connections are normally set up between two
cooperating sites, but Uunet's service is an exception to this.  I can
probably find a machine-readable copy of their blurb on this if you
want it.

Uucp users can be set up on a system in several ways.  One is to
provide each site with a unique login name, often times beginning with
'uu' by custom, but not by any mandate.  Any normal-looking user name
will work as long as the Permissions are correct and that the login
shell for that user login is set to /usr/lib/uucp/uucico or the local
equivalent.

Many times a common login name will be used for several sites.  This
can be 'uucp' or 'nuucp' in many cases but in actuality can be about
anything.  In this case the remote site is identified with the
S{sitename} packet in the UUCP handshake sequence.  In most cases, the
UUCP is set up to return the terse 'You are unknown to me' in the case
of an unknown site, but it can be set to accept a connection from any
site.

Uunet's service is simply a raw file copy -- the classical purpose of
uucp, and not really on the level of the mail, news, and other uucp
applications that we're familiar with.  Their Permissions are set to
give rdefault read permission to anyone.

As I said, if you want some promotional material on this service, I
can probably find it if I dig around here.


Good day.      JSW

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Macdonald)
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 14:12:59 -0400
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc.
Subject: Re: Anonymous UUCP (was Re: 900 Numbers; FTC Rules)


In article <[e-mail]>:

>> [Moderator's Note: But as pointed out by some, UUCP operates without
>> human intervention. So who is there to see the warning message?  PAT]

> In practice, no one.  In theory, the calling site could turn on
> debugging and the root user would later find the login banner in the
> logs, if he cares to looks.  Of course it's too late by then.

> It's hard to imagine anyone "innocently" setting up the config files
> and dialing the 900 number by uucp.  More likely, the warning is meant
> for unsuspecting browsers who try to dial in interactively.

Actually, practice is closer to what is above described as theory ...

Whenever a person configures a new connection for uucp, it is quite
likely that the first time that they use that connection it wil be
with debugging turned on.  There is just too much room for special
requirements or problems -- a typo in entering the phone number or chat
script, need for longer than normal delays for a particular
destination, choosing the best/right configuration choice [PEP, V32,
etc.].  So the login banner would likely be visible to a human in
passing, who might read it closely enough to notice particularly
obnoxiopus terms.

On the other hand, after the connection is set up and working, it is
likely that a banner message "our rates just changed from $0.50/min to
$99.99/min" would not be read by a human and would cause a big
surprize on the subsequent phone bill.  In the case of uunet's 900
number, it has been around long enough and it is clearly uunet's major
source of revenue but a source of publicity and a "win leader" (they
aren't losing on it, but otherwise it is much like a "loss leader")
that people can have a certain amount of faith that they aren't going
to have that sort of trick played on them.

Earlier, Pat mentioned that the need to find out the directory layout
on uunet to be able to ask for the particular files you want means
that a personal (voice) contact would need to be made first.  In fact,
uunet provides a ls-lR.Z file which is a compressed recursive listing
of the archive -- so all that is required is for the user to request
*that* file from the 900 dial-in number, read through it to find out
the pathname of the file(s) he really wants, and then ask for them.
(And possibly a few others that he hadn't known he wanted until he saw
them listed in the ls-lR.Z file. :-)

(Disclaimer -- I haven't actually used the 900 line service, since
our company has an regular account with uunet.ca.)


John Macdonald   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen)
Subject: Re: Borneo Malaysia Phones
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 03:23:12 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]1.
Unisys.COM writes:

> In Finland the Finnish Telecom markets only Motorola CT2 phone (called
> Silverlink 2000).  It is essentially a cordless phone using
> frequencies around 864 MHz.  40 channels, digital communication at
> 38400 bps range from 300 - 50 metres.  Telepoint service allows only
> outgoing calls; if you have bought your own base station, you can use
> it at home as a normal cordless phone.

    The home base station is kinda interesting.  It seems that
these could form microcells for people passing by, except that they'd
end up making someone's home phone line busy.  Still, it would be
interesting if somehow it would "find" another talk path and turn
everyone's cordless phone base station into a microcell.


Harold

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen)
Subject: Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN)
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 04:05:35 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail].
com (Fred R. Goldstein) writes:

> One of the little sound bites I like to throw into my Transmission
> class is that "at the bottom, all transmission systems are analog"!
> So it's not a simple answer to a very good question.

> At the U interface of the BRI (outside wire, local loop), the coding
> is now usually "2B1Q".  This takes two bits from the scrambled data
> stream and encodes them as +2.5, +.7, -.7, or -2.5 (about) volts.  So
> one pulse is two bits (thus 2 Bits one Quat).  Don't quote me on the
> exact voltages; I don't have the spec handy.  Again there's pulse
> shaping.

    I've gotten several mile local loops (for FM radio stations)
with 70 dB or more of dynamic range.  So, why do they only use 4
levels in the 2B1Q?  Seems like a lot more would be available
(stuffing more bps into a baud) before noise starts making it
difficult to determine what the actual transmit analog level is.  Or,
is the problem intersymbol interference where the level of one quat
has an effect on those surrounding it, making the level of this
particular quat difficult to determine?

> To make all this work, impedance is specified, with very picky
> transformers needed for S/T to meet spec.  S/T uses separate transmit
> and receive wires, thus a 4-wire interface.  The BRI U uses one pair,
> so there's some fancy echo cancellation done inside the transceiver
> ("UBAT", in AT&T terms) chip.  Real fancy.

    It seems that if the characteristic impedance of the line is
matched, there should be no "far end echo", or , at least, it should
be substantially attenuated.  The "near end echo" (side tone on POTS)
seems like it could be cancelled pretty well if we precisely know the
impedance the line presents to the interface.  If the far end has
indeed terminated the line with its characteristic impedance, then it
seems the near end should have the same impedance.  I haven't messed
with long twisted pairs to play with the transmission line effects,
but it would sure be fun.

It seems like the throughput of a line is going to be limited by its
analog dynamic range and the attenuation versus frequency.  Is the
attenuation versus frequency (frequency response) reversible with an
equalizer?  It seems that most equalizers that adjust the amplitude
response also adjust the phase response (making it nonlinear).

It also seems that a long twisted pair would have a linear phase
response (propogation delay relatively independent of frequency).  Can
we feed a high speed multilevel pulse waveform in one end of a twisted
pair and, with equalization, pull it back out the other end?

> 3002 lines are utterly obsolete.  Voice-grade is now used for dial-up,
> and the "state of the art" is being presented in the developing V.fast
> world.  In lieu of 3002 most phone companies (in America at least)
> will sell you 56k service.  THis could be provisioned using ISDN
> technology, but in practice there are cheaper purpose-built line
> drivers.

    We sell transmitter control and telemetry equipment to radio
and television stations.  They are generally using a 3002 type circuit
to send 1200 to 2400 bps full duplex data.  I'm wondering what other
sort of leased line circuits they could use, and how the data could be
coded to go down that line.


Harold Hallikainen              [e-mail]
Hallikainen & Friends, Inc.     [e-mail]
141 Suburban Road, Bldg E4      phone [phone] fax [phone]
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-7590  telex 4932775 HFI UI

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 09 Aug 93 07:31:18 CST
From: [e-mail] (Jack Winslade)
Subject: Re: Busy Signal Strangeness (was Re: Revisit ..)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: DRBBS Technical BBS, Omaha


In a message dated 04-AUG-93, Jack Decker writes:

> I can't really explain why this happened in your case, but I do know
> that GTE North in Michigan has always used a "supervising busy" signal
> as a test number (generally the exchange prefix + 9999) on their

Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall some test numbers that
supervised and de-supervised at about the cadence of a busy signal,
but without the tone.  If you called these through a couple of tandems
or (better ;-) some toll circuits, they had a very amusing series of
clunks and beeps.  I assume these were used simply to check (whatever)
for the proper response to far end supervision.


Good day.       JSW
DRBBS, Omaha  (1:285/666.0)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Fred R. Goldstein)
Subject: Re: How Does Switched-56 Interwork With ISDN?
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Littleton MA USA
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 04:23:16 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Daniel R. Kegel) writes:

> One thing that I can't figure out is how a 56 kilobit/sec line can
> talk to a 64 kilobit/sec line.  Where do the rates get matched, and
> does either of the PC's have to know how to do/undo the rate
> adaptation?

The Switched 56 network interworks with ISDN by using a 7-out-of-8 bit
mapping, within the network, which is also called V.110/56k.  The way
56k normally works is that the network carries it in 7 out of 8 bits
in a 64k channel; the low order bit carries signaling and is always
"1" during an active call.  ISDN can give you all 8 bits (signaling is
on the D channel) but the call setup message can indicate that
V.110/56k is in use, and thus you know that the low order bit of each
octet is padding.  The ISDN card or TA has to know how to do this, but
it's pretty standard.

Example: My Gandalf 5510 ISDN Bridge/TA can do 56k.  I had to test
some software against a router in France.  I dialed up the call using
AT&T's Accunet Switched 56 service and connected.  Most American ISDN
gear handles 56k just fine, since it's the only option available in
some areas (even on ISDN since the inter-office trunks are sometimes
old).  But the French folks had to hunt around for an ISDN terminal
adapter that could handle it, since everything there is 64k clear
channel.


Fred R. Goldstein [e-mail]
Opinions are mine alone; sharing requires permission

------------------------------

From: ken thompson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: ATT Truevoice
Date: 9 Aug 93 14:36:59 GMT
Organization: NCR Corporation Wichita, KS


Someone mentioned their impressions of Truevoice.  Lows boosted and
overall volumne increased.

Is not bandwidth needed to transmit a signal related to the bandwidth
of the information in that signal.  And if they reduce the highs, and
the bandwidth requirements, does not let them get more voice channels
into a given digital transmition channel?  Is not this marketing
getting people ready for the distorted sound quality as this carrier
crams more voices on a wire?  Will not high speed modems have trouble
with this distored channel, switch to slower speeds automaticaly and
maybe unknown to the user, and spend more time connected to get their
data through?  Am I too cynical?


Ken Thompson    N0ITL
Disk Array Hardware Development
Peripheral Products Division
NCR Corp.  an AT&T company
3718 N. Rock Road  Wichita,Ks 67226
[phone]
[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (david.g.lewis)
Subject: Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible
Organization: AT&T
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 16:36:24 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

> Well, yes.  Your fax or modem is taking a slow digital signal (say,
> 9600) and converting it to an analog signal.  The phone company is
> hardly going to take this analog signal, re-digitize it up to 56k and
> waste an entire voice channel on it.  It's much more economical for
> telco to demodulate it back to the original 9600 signal, wrap it up
> with a few others, and put them all on one 56k line.

"Economical" if the driving force in your cost equation is bandwidth.
At the limits, if bandwidth is infinitely expensive and processing is
infinitely cheap, the carrier should do as much processing as possible
to minimize bandwidth; if bandwidth is infinitely cheap and processing
is infinitely expensive, the carrier should use as much bandwidth as
necessary to minimize processing.

Reality is somewhere in the middle, of course; however, with 1.7Gb/s
fiber optic transport systems all over the place, I'd submit that
bandwidth is sufficiently cheap -- for a carrier -- that the
processing necessary to recognize a signal as data, determine which
modem standard is being used, connect the line to a modem of that
type, run that through a subrate mux/demux, and put the whole thing on
a data network -- at both ends of the connection -- is nowhere near
economical.


David G Lewis                              AT&T Bell Laboratories
[e-mail] or !att!goofy!deej     Switching & ISDN Implementation

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #558
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa24317;
          10 Aug 93 6:40 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11238
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 03:41:01 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11806
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 03:40:16 -0500
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 03:40:16 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #559

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 10 Aug 93 03:40:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 559

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Leftover Drops (Mark A. Cnota)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Danny Padwa)
    Re: 950 Calling Cards (Johnny J. Chin)
    Re: AT&T Spending $5(m) on Video Games (G. Deinstadt)
    Re: Traffic Calculator Wanted (Hans Kruse)
    Re: Tracking Incoming Calls (Al Varney)
    Re: Motorola Iridium (?) Satalite-Based Message Network (Hans Kruse)
    Re: Flow Control With Unixware (Steve Cogorno)
    Re: Zoom Hotshot (*67) Problem (Glen Ecklund)
    Inter-LATA Caller*ID Arrives in NJ (Dave Levenson)
    What is the Makeup of Caller ID Data? (Cliff Sharp)
    What is TOPMS? (Dave Grabowski)
    Looking For Low-Cost Voice Mail System (Steve Herman)
    How Calls Are Billed With the 'Carte France Telecom' (Jean-Bernard Condat)

                     ----------------------
TELECOM Digest is an e-journal devoted mostly -- but not exclusively --
to discussions on voice telephony. The Digest is a not-for-profit
public service published frequently by Patrick Townson Associates. PTA
markets a no-surcharge telephone calling card and a no monthly fee 800
service.  In addition, we are resellers of AT&T's Software Defined
Network. For a detailed discussion of our services, write and ask for
the file 'products'.

The Digest is delivered at no charge by email to qualified subscribers on
any electronic mail service connected to the Internet. To join the mail-
ing list, write and tell us how you qualify: [e-mail].
 All article submissions MUST be sent to our email address: telecom@eecs.
nwu.edu -- NOT as replies to comp.dcom.telecom.

Back issues and numerous other telephone-related files of interest are
available from the Telecom Archives, using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu.
Login anonymous, then 'cd telecom-archives'. At the present time, the
Digest is also ported to Usenet at the request of many readers there,
where it is known as 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Use of the Digest does not
require the use of our products and services. The two are separate.
All articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. Organi-
zations listed, if any, are for identification purposes only. The
Digest is compilation-copyrighted, 1993. **DO NOT** cross-post articles
between the Digest and other Usenet or alt newsgroups. Do not compile
mailing lists from the net-addresses appearing herein.  Send tithes and
love offerings to PO Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690. :)  Phone: [phone].

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark A. Cnota)
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops
Organization: Ripco Communications Incorporated
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 22:29:49 GMT


There is, and probably always will be, "multiple plant" in most urban
areas.  This means that the telco will terminate the same central
office pairs in more than one place, so they can be used at either
depending on where the need is. This is cheaper than providing
everyone with their own separate pairs all the way back to the C.O.,
including what you can predict for "future use" which may or may not
ever be used.

I think we can agree that it's economically unfeasible to send a
technician out to disconnect every unused drop or even to pull a
jumper wire at an interface box or inside terminal when a line is
disconnected. Pat's example above is a little extreme because not too
many single family homes have direct central office counts in them.
What is more common is for the drop wire (and the interface
cross-connect if applicable) to stay in place after a line is
disconnected so that if another line is ordered the same facilities
can be re-used, saving manpower. Now if the same central office pair
is in multiple with another interface or even direct to a distribution
terminal, it may get used over there at any time. The result would be
the appearance of dial tone in both places, including going all the
way through the "saved" cross-connect and drop wires, and through to
someone's black-yellow or whatever depending on house wiring.

The bottom line is this is a wiring problem (detarriffed) and is the
responsibility of the property owner. In a multi-tenant residential or
business situation, the subscriber should NOT be hunting around on the 66
block, the TELCO's side of the NETPOP. All new terminal installations have
the telco side and customer side clearly marked. And if you request, the
telco MUST convert your existing service to Network Interface, which
provides you with an RJ-11 jack or RJ-21X connecting block. This is a result
of deregulation and some people still aren't used to the idea. As a general
rule with the exception of wire maintenance plans, the telco can't be
responsible for customer wiring and associated problems, including anything
on the customer side of the demarcation point (NETPOP).

The above paragraph only applies to my knowledge of tarriffs effective
in Illinois Bell's serving area and might be different elsewhere.


Mark A. Cnota (Ameritech Outside Plant Engineering)
[e-mail]    [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Are you suggesting that it is *my problem* if my
phones are disrupted because in the building down the street some
tenant decides to save the cost of a professional installation by
doing it themselves and they park on my dial tone instead of their
own? You are correct that not too many single family homes have direct
central office counts in them, but Chicago is made up of lots and lots
of older highrise buildings with a rat's nest of wiring in the basement
for tenants and others to get into. Sure we have single family homes
here but we also have a lakefront full of one highrise after another,
many dating back years to when all those buildings had switchboard
service in them with a front desk lobby clerk.

Most of the old buildings got rid of their switchboards twenty years
ago in lieu of the tenant having their own phone service. Where telco
had previously had fifteen or twenty pairs come in and terminate on
the switchboard as trunk lines serving maybe 100-120 apartments, when
the board was yanked they had to come up with another hundred pairs or
so from the street that they could 'wire through' the big terminal box
in the basement to the house pairs into each apartment. Now where does
customer premises wiring begin exactly? Just inside the four walls of
my apartment, or at the house pair terminal box out in the hall, or in
the basement at the big box, or where? In many big old buildings, even
the house pairs are multipled between floors for gosh sakes!

Do the house pairs belong to the building or are they part of telco
plant?  If the building, then the building janitor can work on them,
right? If the wires inside my apartment are my responsibility and I
refuse to have wire-maintainence, then if the yellow/black pair I am
not using get shorted somehow is it my problem, the person living down
the street's problem or telco's problem? When we had the big Chicago
River flood last year, companies which got no flood-water at all still
lost their phone service. Why? Because all their pairs showed up as
multiples in the basement of the Pittsfield Building, two blocks away,
under twenty feet of water, or in the basement of the Board of Trade
Building under water. Whose fault is that? You are correct that people
who live in the suburbs in ticky-tacky houses that all look just the
same have a few pairs neatly put on the back of their house, and that
is it. Not so in Chicago.  The fire in the Paxton Hotel which killed
36 people several months ago also knocked out phones in splotches all
over the neighborhood because everything in the big terminal box
behind the Paxton switchboard got melted in the fire. Not to make
light of the tragedy, but who do I sue if my phones are not working,
the owners of the Paxton for the poor maintainence of their wires?
Or would you say my wires in their custody, or?

None of those big old wooden cabinets have locks on them; you just
lift the wooden front up and out of the way. Most people do not even
realize that between themselves and the CO may be five or six places
the pair can be jumped -- just look in the basement of the building
down the street.  I should start a school and teach the general public
about their phone service. Bell would hate me for it.  :)   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 09 Aug 1993 09:31:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail] (Danny Padwa)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?


> And -- I'm curious as to technical sides of the system.  Our system is
> each phone line has an outside number (direct dial in).  We dial
> 9+xxx-xxxx to get out, but can dial the last five digits within
> campus.  (All numbers ar 617-49x-xxxx).  What exactly would be the
> term for this type of system?  Would it generally be capable of
> providing 10xxx access?

> [Moderator's Note: The name for your system is centrex. Yes, it can
> provide 10xxx dialing.  PAT]

Is Centrex the only service that can provide this?  Harvard recently
(last three years) rebuilt its phone system (down to the local loops).
It had been Centrex before, but when they were installing it their
literature referred to the installation of their own 5ESS switch on
Ware Street.  This services the (617) 493, 495, and 496 exchanges

At the same time that this went in, the student (not staff/faculty)
numbers switched from the 498 to 493 exchange, and service (billing,
changes, features, etc) switched from New England Tel to the campus
folks.

They also have an interesting system for billing calls ... any call
that is chargeable (not "local" based upon the phone's calling plan)
requires the input of your PIN.  This allows making long-distance
calls from other people's rooms, and also (they say) helps avoid
roommate squabbles over phone charges, since everyone gets their own
bill.  It also opens a huge avenue for fraud (figure ~6.5k students, 5
digit PIN ... shouldn't take too many guesses), but now that the
University runs the phones, phone fraud is a University offense, and
grounds to be "required to withdraw".

I know that Columbia has a similar policy of billing a person, rather
than a phone, for LD calls.  Is this common?


Danny Padwa   [e-mail]   (or [e-mail])

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Johnny J Chin)
Subject: Re: 950 Calling Cards
Date: 9 Aug 1993 16:28:14 -0400
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


In article <[e-mail]>, Marshall Levin <mlevin@
nyx.cs.du.edu> wrote:

> [e-mail] writes:

>> I work in a facility served by an ESS CO Centrex.  The telephone
>> company has a toll restriction on most lines.  Unfortunately, this
>> seems to restrict outgoing 800 calls as well as the ability to dial a
>> 0+ call.  I'm looking for a carrier that offers 950 access on their
>> calling cards.  I am not restricted from dialing 950-xxxx calls.

> In addition to being able to use the 800 number, I have found that I
> can use my MCI card with 950-1022 by dialing 950-1022 + destination
> number + card number.

Does anyone know the 950-xxxx number for US-Sprint and AT&T?

Oh, AT&T now has an 800 number (in case the 10288 or 10-ATT does not work):

    800-321-0ATT
    800-321-1288


Thanks for all replies.

Johnny J. Chin ([e-mail])  LAN/WAN/PC Consultant
Onesimus Enterprises Int'l Inc.

------------------------------

From: GVC.COM!GDeinstadt (Gord Deinstadt)
Subject: Re: AT&T Spending $5(m) on Video Games
Organization: Not officially GeoVision Systems Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 17:27:06 -0400


In <[e-mail]> Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
writes:

> A few years ago some other company did the same thing, e.g. allow
> people to connect to a system and access video games and the
> equivalent.  The company went bankrupt because people couldn't see
> paying a monthly fee for access to video games when you can purchase
> them once.  Access to other people might be more valuable, I'm not
> sure.

Nabu did this in Ottawa, and although the company failed they had no
trouble selling consumers on the deal.  In marketing trials something
like 75 or 80 percent of customers signed up to pay after their free
trial was over, an astonishingly high rate.  Basically their kids
wouldn't let them drop out.

This was some years ago and the cost of video game cartridges and hard
disks has dropped, while the bandwidth of cable (8 Mb/s in the Nabu
system) no longer seems so great.  But the main problem is that all
the popular games are sewn up by the video-game makers and they seem
oblivious to the possibilities for telcom.

I do think that "access to other people" as you put it is worth a
WHOLE lot; games are just games but other people are friends.
Nintendo or a competitor could have set up a data network for
long-distance game playing years ago.  Their failure to do so, or even
to provide cheap modems and support for them in their games, is IMO
one of the great business blunders of the 20th century.  (Right up
there with Telex providers ignoring the advent of PCs.)


Gord Deinstadt    [e-mail]  <-- for the moment
                  [e-mail]     <-- permanent

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Traffic Calculator Wanted
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Ohio University Computing & Technology Services
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 16:46:34 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (McHarry)
writes:

> At one time I had a neat little program for doing traffic calculations
> on a PC.  Does anyone know where to find another?  It was a lot nicer
> than using the tables.

Telecom Library sells a traffic engineering handbook by Harder, Wand
and Richards; they include a PC program to compute most (but not all)
the tables in the book.


Hans Kruse

------------------------------

Date: Mon,  9 Aug 93 11:57:43 CDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Tracking Incoming Calls
Organization: AT&T


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Karen Conyngham) writes:

> I work for a social service agency and we cannot answer all the
> calls we receive.  As a result, even though we put many people on
> hold, we still have a number of abandoned calls.  We can install a

   "Abandoned" calls in telephony terms are those that ring but are
not answered.  Calls that reach "busy" are not "abandoned".

> We need a method of tracking the number of calls to a particular
> number, versus the the number of calls that get answered.  We do not
> want our legislators calling in to an Automatic Call Director.

   Isn't such "special" treatment just another means of "spoiling" them???

   That aside, most telephone companies are capable of performing all
sorts of "line studies" to determine number of calls reaching busy,
number answered, average call duration, etc.  Even if you're on a PBX,
some of those measurements are useful.  If you are not paying
"business" rates, they may be less eager to do the studies. If they
thing it will result in new lines or service sales to you, the
marketing group should be happy to discuss their measurement
capabilities.


Al Varney - just my opinion

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Motorola Iridium (?) Satalite-based message network ?
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Ohio University Computing & Technology Services
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 16:44:20 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Al
Dykes) writes:

> I recall that Motorola and a bunch of other companies announced plans to
> build a network of low orbit satelites to do store-and-forward messaging.
> This was a year or more ago. I have not heard anything since.

An article in the August 2 {Wall Street Journal} says that the "first
round of funding" has been completed, and gives some details of the
project status (nothing really new, however).


Hans Kruse   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Cogorno)
Subject: Re: Flow Control With Unixware
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 93 17:36:43 PDT


> I've also seen a box marketed especially for computers, that allows
> the computer to be off, and will power it up when a call comes in.  It
> monitors the modem connection, and will turn the power off again after
> the user disconnects and a time delay elapses.  So, if the computer
> hangs, you just need to disconnect and stay off for the time delay
> period.  May not work too well for systems with multiple users, or if
> you would rather leave the system powered up all the time.  The cost
> of this particular switch was just under $200.

Greg,

If this is for a Mac, there is a box called PowerUP that costs about
$35.  Works great.  As soon as a ring is detected, a Power On Signal
is sent through the ADB (Apple Desktop Bus -- the port you plug your
keyboard in) and the Power Supply (which is constantly monitoring for
this signal) fires up the Mac.


Steve   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Glen Ecklund)
Subject: Re: Zoom Hotshot (*67) Problem
Organization: U of Wisconsin Madison - Computer Sciences
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 04:15:05 GMT


[e-mail] (Dave Ptasnik) writes:

> Based on recent discussion here, I went out and bought a Zoom Hotshot
> Dialer from the local Graybar office. It was less than $50 and was
> very straight forward to set up.

> I set it to send a *67 one second after hearing a dialtone the first
> time on every call and it works like a champ.

> The problem: the unit apparently interferes with my modem. Calls at
> 14.4 will no longer connect to any other site, including the Practical
> Peripherals BBS. Calls at 9600 or slower seem to be OK.

I suggest that you get one of those $6 (I think) gizmos which are sold
to cut off the answering machine when a phone is picked up.  Rig it to
cut off the Hotshot when the modem is active.  This might not work,
however, depending on your wiring configuration, as you might not be
able to make it cut off the Hotshot for the modem without cutting it
off when a phone set at another location is used.

Before I got my second line, I had the gizmo set to disconnect all
phones when the modem was in use, so that no one would accidentally
interfere with my modem connection.


Glen Ecklund   [e-mail]
[phone] Office, 262-1204 Dept.
Sec'y Department of Computer Sciences
1210 W. Dayton St., Room 3355 University of Wisconsin, Madison
Madison, Wis. 53706 U.S.A.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Levenson)
Subject: Inter-LATA Caller*ID Arrives in NJ
Organization: Westmark, Inc.
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 01:27:24 GMT


In early July, we began seeing area codes other than 908 and 201 on
our Caller*ID display.  For the first time since the service was
offered in the state, we also began seeing an occasional "PRIVATE
NUMBER" display.

Some experimentation has shown that inter-LATA calls carried by Cable
& Wireless to our 800 number are the only ones that deliver these
out-of-area numbers.  Calls dialed to our 908 number via AT&T, MCI,
and US-SPRINT still arrive as OUT OF AREA.  Calls placed over Cable &
Wireless to our 908 number also show OUT OF AREA if they are billed
using the C & W calling card.  If there's anybody out there who is not
in the Northern New Jersey LATA, and who uses Cable & Wireless without
a calling card (as a dial-1 carrier, or who can select it with 10223)
who would like to call us on our 908 number, we can see if that works.

It would appear that the arrival of 800 portability coincided
(approximately, at any rate) with the arrival of intra-LATA Caller*ID
on 800 calls.  Is this a coincidence or not?

(Note: We also get 800 service from Telecom*USA, and they do not yet
deliver Caller*ID to New Jersey Bell.)


Dave Levenson        Internet: [e-mail]
Westmark, Inc.        UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave
Stirling, NJ, USA    Voice: 908 647 0900  Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

Subject: What is the Makeup of Caller ID Data?
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 93 13:26:18 CDT
From: Cliff Sharp <[e-mail]>


   While we're on the subject of CNID software, does anyone have the
data on the actual data format of the CNID data transmitted down the
telephone line between rings 1 and 2?  I'm looking for bit-by-bit
breakdown.

   Of course it's available from Bellcore, but my present state of
poverty precludes any such luxury.

   If anyone would be willing to share the information, I'd appreciate
it.  Don't know if the net is interested in such, so unless a
Moderator's note below suggests otherwise, email might be prudent.


Cliff Sharp    [e-mail]   OR  [e-mail]
  WA9PDM                  Use whichever one works

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Grabowski)
Subject: What is TOPMS?
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 05:17:56 GMT


  The subject says it all. What is TOPMS? A friend of mine works for
some company that does surveys for AT&T PBX System customers, and this
TOPMS thing keeps coming up. He wants to know what the heck it is (and
now I wanna know, too!)


Dave     [e-mail]    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Herman)
Subject: Looking For Low-Cost Voice Mail System
Organization: Philips Laboratories, Briarcliff, New York
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 16:36:46 GMT


I am looking for an inexpensive, stand-alone voice mail system. It
should have at least one incoming mail box to record sequences of
incoming messages. It needs to have several (four or more) outgoing
mail boxes which can be accessed by phone callers in response to
verbal prompts ("For information about foo1 press 1 on your touch tone
telephone.") I know that I can get this (and much more) with PC add-on
cards. However, I do not want to run a PC 24 hours a day. Therefore, I
am looking for a stand alone unit. Any hints would be appreciated.


Thank you,

Stephen Herman

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jean-Bernard Condat)
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 09:11:10 GMT
Subject: How Calls Are Billed With the 'Carte France Telecom'


     Since July 1st, France Telecom is pleased to announce the new
'Carte France Telecom' in place of the old 'Carte Pastel'.  Two types
of card are available:

     (1) 'Carte France Telecom selection' with ten pre-dial phone
         numbers.  You can give it to your children with only the
         possibility to dial your private and businness numbers;

     (2) 'Carte France Telecom' that give you the opportunity to
         phone without any coins:
         * from a public phone: the calls are bill all five calls
           directly on your phone bill associated with the card;
         * from any public or private line via the automatic
           3610 service (in France) and 'France Direct' service
           in all major countries (same billing process).

     The card possess an electronic encoding device with a 13-digit
number on it ... and a four-digit secret code (send by separate mail
as soon as you order the card).

     The new services already offer is the possibility to phone from
the TGV ("train a grande vitesse") in France and the possibility to
ask directly for a translator help between you and a foreigh corres-
pondant.

     Yesterday, I was in a great hotel and I have use my Carte France
Telecom for my work. My surprise was to discover that the hotel had
bill me 4 U (1 UT=FF.73 and is the minimal billing unit in France) for
the use of the free 3610 service.  This night I have phone 45 times
for zero FF ... but I will bill FF 131.40 for having use the hotel's
phone :-)


                         Jean-Bernard Condat
                          General Secretary
     Chaos Computer Club France, B.P. 155, 93404 St-Ouen Cedex, France
          Private Address: P.O. 8005, 69351 Lyon Cedex 08, France
               Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
         InterNet:  [e-mail]   or  [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #559
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa26976;
          11 Aug 93 1:51 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA13358
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 23:22:39 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA20990
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 23:22:00 -0500
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 23:22:00 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #560

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 10 Aug 93 23:22:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 560

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    CPSR and the NII (Mark Boolootian)
    Error Rates For 2400 Baud Modems (Dave Mc Mahan)
    ADSI-Protocol (Arnaud Leene)
    Desperate SWF Needs Help! (Margaret Labrecque)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Donald R. Sailer)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Bonnie J. Johnson)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Marc Unangst)
    Re: LORAN -- LOng Range Aid to Navigation (Floyd Davidson)
    Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line (Christian Weisgerber)
    Telecomics - Just Like a COCOT (David Leibold)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Boolootian)
Subject: CPSR and the NII
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 12:28:44 -0700 (PDT)


Passed on to the group FYI:

 Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 09:43:40 PDT
 From: Nikki Draper <[e-mail]>
 Subject: CPSR and the NII


              COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS ADD SOCIAL CONSCIENCE
                            TO NATIONAL NETWORK DEBATE

Palo Alto, Calif., August 6, 1993 -- At a recent meeting in Washington
D.C., board members from Computer Professionals for Social
Responsibility (CPSR) were challenged by top level telecommunications
policy experts to craft a public interest vision of the National
Information Infrastructure (NII).  The experts at the roundtable
discussion included Mike Nelson from the President's Office of Science
and Technology, Vint Cerf from the Internet Society, Jamie Love from
the Taxpayer's Assets Project, Ken Kay from Computer Systems Policy
Project, and Laura Breeden from FARnet.

"We were excited to discover that CPSR is in a position to play a key
role in shaping NII policy," said CPSR Board President, Eric Roberts.
"The commercial sector is already in the thick of the debate, but
there has been little coordinated response from the noncommercial
constituencies.  After talking about the issues and CPSR's role, the
Board committed to meeting this challenge."

So far, the debate about the NII has centered around fiber versus
ISDN, cable companies versus telephone companies, research versus
commercialization, and so on.  These are real questions with important
implications.  However, CPSR believes that a better starting point is
a set of guiding principles as the context for all these more detailed
questions about "architecture," technical standards, and prime
contractor.  Before arguing over bits and bytes, it is crucial to
clarify the vision and values that underlie a major endeavor like the
NII.

As individuals in the computing profession, CPSR's membership knows
that new technologies bring enormous social change.  CPSR's goal is to
help shape this change in an informed manner.  Key issues discussed in
the paper will include:

o     ensuring that the design remains both open and flexible so
       that it can evolve with changing technology.

o     ensuring that all citizens have affordable network access and
       the training necessary to use these resources.

o      ensuring that risks of network failure and the concomitant
        social costs are carefully considered in the NII design.

o      protecting privacy and First Amendment principles in
        electronic communication.

o     guaranteeing that the public sector, and particularly schools
       and libraries, have access to public data at a reasonable cost.

o     seeking ways in which the network can strengthen democratic
       participation and community development at all levels.

o     ensuring that the network continues to be a medium for
       experimentation and non commercial sharing of resources,
       where individual citizens are producers as well as consumers.

o     extending the vision of an information infrastructure beyond
      its current focus of a national network, to include a global
      perspective.

The national membership of CPSR brings a unique perspective to the
overall conception of the NII.  Throughout CPSR's history, the
organization has worked to encourage public discussion of decisions
involving the use of computers in systems critical to society and to
challenge the assumption that technology alone can solve political and
social problems.  This past year, CPSR's staff, national and chapter
leadership have worked on privacy guidelines for the National Research
and Education Network (NREN), conducted a successful conference on
participatory design, created local community networks, organized
on-line discussion groups on intellectual property, and much more.

To ensure that its position paper is broadly representative, CPSR will
work in concert with other public interest groups concerned about the
NII, such as the newly established coalition in Washington D.C., the
Telecommunications Policy Roundtable.  CPSR chapters are will be
conducting a broad based public campaign to reach out beyond the
technical experts and producers -- to people who will be affected by
the NII even if they never directly log on.

CPSR will begin distributing its completed paper to policy makers on
October 16th at its annual meeting in Seattle, Washington.  The
meeting will bring together local, regional and national decision
 makers to take a critical look at the NII.

Founded in 1981, CPSR is a national, non-profit, public interest
organization of computer scientists and other professionals concerned
with the impact of computer technology on society.  With offices in
Palo Alto, California, and Washington D.C., CPSR works to dispel
popular myths about technological systems and to encourage the use of
computer technology to improve the quality of life.

For more information on CPSR's position paper , contact
Todd Newman, CPSR board member, at 415-390-1614.

For more information about CPSR, contact Nikki Draper,
Communications Director, at 415-322-3778 or [e-mail].

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Mc Mahan)
Subject: Error Rates For 2400 Baud Modems
Organization:  Dave McMahan @ NetCom Services
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 18:18:57 GMT


Dear Telecom Modem Users,

I am currently trying to design yet another phone modem protocol that
is capable of handling some unique requirements of my product.  After
looking at the various standard modem protocols out there, I have
found that none will be able to fulfill all the objectives I need.
This is mainly due to lack of efficiency (Kermit and XMODEM fall into
this category) or inability to pass data in two directions at the same
time (ZMODEM falls into this category).  To make a long story short, a
unique protocol is required.

I have specified a protocol that will do the job.  My problem lies in
the fact that I don't have good data on types of errors that occur
when going through the public telephone network.  This means I can't
pick the optimal message packet size to trade off protocol efficiency
versus retransmit probability.  I would like input from you as to
where I can find this data.

Ideally, I'd like to get something in print so that I can justify
selection of various parameters in my protocol.  A publication,
magazine, or book would be ideal.  If the information exists at an FTP
site or one some network like CompuServe, I would like to get a
reference so I can go look it up.  If you only have information
locally due to your past experience or testing, I'd also like to get
that.  Please e-mail me directly with your references or info, as I
don't normally read all the newsgroups I'm posting this to.


        Information I'm Trying To Find:

I'd like to get specific answers the following questions.  In most
cases, I'm looking for hard numbers such as "AT&T guarantees a bit
error rate of 1e-5 or better for 99% of the time".  I don't need to
get answers such as "Your protocol should still work even if you get
an error once in a while."  My specific environment is using a 2400
baud modem running the CCITT V.22bis modulation scheme.  The link will
be using standard dial-up voice quality lines available in North
America and Europe.  A variety of long distance carriers could be used
(AT&T, MCI, Sprint, etc.), so please feel free to differentiate based
on the specific carrier if you have that type of information.  I will
be using modems that are compliant with the Hayes-AT command set.  One
side of the link will be a custom embedded product.  The other side
will be an MSDOS clone running custom software for this application.
Both sides will be using custom software and can be adjusted for
optimal conditions.

1) What types of errors usually occur?  Can I assume random errors due
to background noise (thus giving me a normal distribution of
errors) or are errors most probably going to occur in bursts?

2) What are the specific probabilities of the various error
mechanisms?  (I'd like numbers such as 1 error in 100,000 for 98.5% of
the time).

3) What are the general worst-case error probabilities I am likely to
encounter?

4) What are the effects of Call-Waiting on my carrier?  Will I always
lose carrier if Call-Waiting interruption occurs, or can I set my
modem parameters to be more tolerant of such errors?  If I do make
such changes, what side effects am I likely to see?

Thanks for helping me out on this.  Once again, please e-mail
information and references directly to me rather than posting to the
newsgroup.


Dave McMahan    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 11:58:56 +0000 (GMT)
From: [e-mail] (Arnaud Leene)
Subject: ADSI-Protocol
Organization: PTT Research, The Netherlands


I am currently looking at the ADSI-protocol. This protocol is meant to
make the users of CLASS-services happier. ADSI allows for the mixing
of data and voice. Thus the access to information services will be
much user friendlier than for instance the videotex-protocol. In order
to use ADSI the customer needs specific CPE, such as a Smart Phone.

It is unclear to me what the status of ADSI is at the moment. I have
the following questions:

 -    Is ADSI alreay a (Bellcore) standard?
 -    Will ADSI be implemented by the RBOC's? When?
 -    Are there any pilots in the U.S.?
 -    Who will deliver Customer Premises Equipment?

If you have an answer or can tell me where I can get an answer, many
thanks.


Dr. Arnaud Leene
PTT Research Tele-informatics
Post:            P.O. Box 15000, 9700 CD Groningen.
Fysical:         Winschoterdiep OZ 46, 9723 AC Groningen
Voice:             [phone]
Fax:             [phone]
Email (Internet):     [e-mail]
Email (X.400):         C=NL;A=400Net;P=PTT Research;S=Leene

------------------------------

From: octela!![e-mail] (Margaret Labrecque)
Subject: Desperate SWF Needs Help!
Organization: Octel Communications Inc., Milpitas Ca.
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1993 01:50:13 GMT


Help! I'm in marketing hell.  Former engineer (MIT MSEE '89) is in
between 1st and 2nd years of Stanford MBA program and naively fell
into a summer job which demands that she get a bunch of surveys filled
out.

"I'm desperate; my brain is becoming mush; cold-calling just isn't
my forte ... PLEASE HELP!"

This information will be used to evaluate the compatibility of
technologies that could integrate your computer and telephony
communication systems (voice-mail, E-mail and Fax) and will not be
made available to any parties outside of the surveying organization.
If you have any questions, call Margaret LaBrecque at [phone].

Please give answers for your site only and fill this out only if your
company uses VOICE-MAIL.

Name:
Title:
Company Name/Division:
Street Address:
City:                    State:        Zip:
Telephone:                Fax:

1. Which of the following characterizes your computing environment?
Check all that apply
(   ) Host/terminal    (   ) Client/Server    (   ) Networked PCs
(   ) PCs without LAN

If you check Client/Server or Networked PCs in question 1, please answer
the following questions.  Otherwise, skip to question 11.  Note:
Questions 2 through 5 seek to differentiate between LAN backbone(s) and
attached networks AT THIS SITE.

2.  NUMBER OF MAJOR LAN BACKBONES, a backbone being defined as a high-
speed link joining together several networks which may or may not run
the same protocols:

3. For this (these) backbone(s), how many support
(   ) a single common protocol
    (TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, AppleTalk, X.25, DecNet, OSI, SNA, etc.)
    present protocol:
    planned protocol:
(   ) multiple protocols
    present protocols:
    planned protocols:

4.  NUMBER OF MAJOR NETWORKS, a network being defined as a group of
desktop computers running the same protocol and connected by the same
physical media
present:
planned:

5.  On how many of the above networks are you running each of the
following?
(   ) TCP/IP    (   ) Novell IPX/SPX    (   ) AppleTalk    (   ) X.25
(   ) DecNet    (   ) MAP/TOP        (   ) OSI    (   ) SNA
(   ) Other

6.  If you are running different protocols on different networks, do
they communicate with each other via routers (Yes/No/Some do, some
don't) ?
present:
planned:

7. LAN ENVIRONMENT (4M/16M Token Ring, Ethernet thick/thin/10BaseT
/twist, StarLan, ArcNet, LocalTalk, X.25, FDDI, ATM, Frame Relay, etc.)
present:
planned:

8.  LAN Network Management Platforms (IBM NetView, SunNet, HP OpenView,
DEC EMA, etc.)
present:
planned:

9.  Server Operating Systems (Novell Netware, Microsoft Lan Manager, MAC
O/S, LAN Server--IBM, PC LAN Program--IBM, Vines--Banyan, UNIX--Solaris
1, 2.x, 4.x, HP, DEC, BSD, AT&T, DEC PathWorks, 3Com--3+, 3+Open, etc.)
present:
planned:

10.  Server Platform(s) (HP, Sun, IBM, Apple, DEC, SGI, Other)
present:
planned:

11.  Estimate number of desktop computers at your location
present:
planned:

12.  PRESENT Desktop Operating Systems (Estimate percentages)
(    ) Apple System 7    (    ) Prior Apple Systems    (    ) MS Windows
(    ) DOS only        (    ) Windows NT        (   ) OS/2
(    ) UNIX        (    ) Other:

13.  PLANNED Desktop Operating Systems (Estimate percentages)
(    ) Apple System 7    (    ) Prior Apple Systems    (    ) MS Windows
(    ) DOS only        (    ) Windows NT        (   ) OS/2
(    ) UNIX        (    ) Other:

14.  E-Mail Software Applications (Microsoft Mail, CC: Mail, SMTP,
SendMail, etc.)
present:
planned:

15.  FUTURE plans for desktop multimedia capabilities (fill
limited/fairly extensive/widespread penetration)
sound:
video capture:
fax/modem:
voice recording:
voice recognition:
other:


Thanks, everyone one of these gets me closer to freedom!

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (DONALD R SAILER)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
Date: 10 Aug 1993 13:17:40 GMT
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS - AMHERST


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

> They also have an interesting system for billing calls ... any call
> that is chargeable (not "local" based upon the phone's calling plan)
> requires the input of your PIN.  This allows making long-distance
> calls from other people's rooms, and also (they say) helps avoid
> roommate squabbles over phone charges, since everyone gets their own
> bill.  It also opens a huge avenue for fraud (figure ~6.5k students, 5
> digit PIN ... shouldn't take too many guesses), but now that the
> University runs the phones, phone fraud is a University offense, and
> grounds to be "required to withdraw".

We have a similar policy here at the University of Massachusetts and
when we switched from billing to the phone to billing the individual a
few years ago, our students applauded the move; they do not get into
the hassles with roomates over the phone bill anymore. Some
universities use 'station specific' authorization codes so a code
works from only one phone. This is more secure, but more inconvenient
for the students. Even if the number is guessed, the SMDR (Station
Message Detail Record) includes the phone number of the phone used to
place the call. Most places have no 'public' student phones, so it is
fairly easy to track down a hacker. At UMass, it is also a violation
of the code of student conduct to use someone elses auth code.

I believe Harvard is using New England Telephone Centrex service. It
can seem almost like a PBX, even for students.


Randy Sailer   University of Massachusetts   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 93 11:19:52 EDT
From: Bonnie J Johnson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?


I've been away for a couple of days and will try to answer some more
of the questions which have come in on the issue of equal access.

One person stated that he was told by the telecom office that certain
"buildings" don't need to provide equal access, and they point to
hotels, prisons, etc..

"Universities are in the same class as hotels, airport phones and we
ARE, by FCC definition, aggreators".  We (colleges and universities)
must provide equal access.  Some schools because of older switch
technologie were given more time than others to comply with equal
access.

If some schools, by older switch design can not provide basic 10xxxx
access, they CAN provide basically the same freedom by obtaining the
800 number for major carriers and advertising that number to its
customers, i.e. faculty, staff and students.

Right after the ruling came down, good old AT&T sent a message to the
higher ed institutions offering to "make them compliant for free".  I
suspect, don't know for sure, that their 800 number access to LD was
the way they were going to accomplish this.

The guy who wrote from Harvard and said the telecom Director told him
the new ruling wouln't require them to do anything just might want to
give the telcom director a copy of the FCC ruling.  Concerning his
switch, and dialing 9 to get out, this has less to do with the ability
to provide 10xxxx than does the switch type, i.e. 4600 gtd, 5ESS,
Intel, DMS, so forth.

For those individuals who say they don't have 10xxxx, ask the telecom
department for the 800's for access to the major carriers.

If anyone else wants a copy of the FCC ruling, give me your snailmail
address.


[Moderator's Note: Bonnie, would you want to just send that FCC ruling
along for inclusion here?  I would print it, and everyone involved
could give it to their telecom departments. Have you an easy way to
get the file on line and to the Digest?  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Marc Unangst)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
Date: 10 Aug 1993 11:32:06 -0400
Organization: The Programmers' Pit Stop, Ann Arbor MI


[e-mail] (Danny Padwa) writes:

> I know that Columbia has a similar policy of billing a person, rather
> than a phone, for LD calls.  Is this common?

Carnegie Mellon has a similar setup.  According to the information
I've received so far, telephone service is provided through a Centrex,
with long-distance provide by ACUS (AT&T College and University
Systems).  Internal numbers are dialed with the five-digit Centrex
extension number.  Outside local calls are 9 + 7D.  Long-distance
calls are 9 + NPA + 7D, followed by your eight-digit PSC (Personal
Security Code).  Calls are billed by PSC, not by line.

Interestingly enough, the materials I've gotten mention in several
places that I shouldn't sign up for calling plans like Reach Out
America or Reach Out World, because they "are not compatible with
[the] campus telephone service".  There are also no mentions of
equal-access; it will be interesting to see if 9 + 10XXX + 1 + NPA +
7D works like it should.


Marc Unangst, N8VRH    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Floyd Davidson)
Subject: Re: LORAN -- LOng Range Aid to Navigation
Organization: University of Alaska Computer Network
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 07:27:18 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail].
edu (Garrett Wollman) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, Bert Roseberry <ROSEBERRY@
> Eisner.DECUS.Org> wrote:

>> LORAN stands for LOng Range Aid to Navigation.

> Just to get a bit of telecom relevance here, one interesting thing
> about the LORAN system is that it can be used to derive a very
> accurate time signal.  Dave Mills and crew at the University of
> Delaware have actually developed a timekeeper that listens to a LORAN
> chain and provides a very precise timecode which can then be injected
> into the NTP matrix to provide global time service.

For many years now the LORAN-C station at Tok, Alaska has been the
source for syncronizing the station clock at the Fairbank Toll Center.
For the past two years it has been the secondary source but before
that is was primary for at least a dozen years.

The equipment we use to obtain a time base takes up most of a six foot
rack, and is all fairly old technology by today's standards.  But this
piece of equipment worked without flaw for about a decade.

And then one day it failed ... red lights, bong-bong alarms, the whole
bit.  And our old superviser (since retired, bless his heart) was
quickly on the spot, looking things over, and like all the rest of us
that had no idea how it worked: we were all dumbfounded.

But then, we heard (distinctly!  I heard it myself!) "Who went to
school on this thing?"

I just happened to be facing the a direction where the door to the
parking lot was visible.  I swear, honest, that when someone said
"Doug!", that I saw Doug, with coat in hand heading through the door
about as fast as he could move!

The boss never did find out what happened, but Doug ain't no dummy.
He had been to school on it when it was installed and ten years later
had no more idea than anyone what to do with it.  The boss was going
to expect him to fix it NOW.  Not finding him, it was ok if the rest
of us took awhile to figure it out and fix it slowly in an hour or so.

Darn thing has been breaking every six months since then ...


Floyd

[e-mail]  A guest on the Institute of Marine Science computer
Salcha, Alaska        system at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 14:20:46 +0200
From: [e-mail] (Christian Weisgerber)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line


In <[e-mail]> is written:

> Several weeks ago I phoned the AT&T Language Line and asked for some
> details about their service.  The marketing rep told me about their
> 140 languages available 24 hours/day, and offered to mail me some
  ^^^
Does anybody have a list of those available? 140 languages sounds like
a lot to cover the globe ... I mean, we're talking about business
languages here, aren't we?

I took a look at a map of Europe and started writing down languages,
came up with about forty and there's probably a dozen more (depending
on where you draw the European border probably dozens). Although I
don't think there would be much need for having an interpreter for,
say, Provencal or Frisian. Let's say about 30-35 languages for
Europe ... that still leaves a lot for Africa and Asia. Hmm.

Do we have readers in those parts of the world, who could comment?


Christian 'naddy' Weisgerber, Germany    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 93 23:25 EDT
From: [e-mail] (woody)
Subject: Telecomics - Just Like a COCOT


Today's episode of the Ernie comic started with someone with a broken
vehicle wanting to use the phone in the "Piranha Club", an association
dedicated to sleazy tactics for those not familiar with the running
gags of this strip.

The punch line (!spoiler!) in the last panel, where the "payphone" is,
goes:

A: "How does this thing work?"

B: "Two plums and a watermelon or three cherries and your call goes
through."

(What's so phunny about a standard Las Vegas COCOT? :-))


David Leibold

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #560
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa27729;
          11 Aug 93 2:09 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA04778
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 23:49:43 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09032
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 10 Aug 1993 23:49:06 -0500
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 23:49:06 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #561

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 10 Aug 93 23:49:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 561

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Internet to Commercial E-Mail (Mike King)
    Re: Internet to Commercial E-Mail ([e-mail])
    Re: Internet to Commercial E-Mail (Stan Hall)
    Inter-Network Mail Guide (was Re: Internet to Commercial) (Many Readers)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 93 18:06:29 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Mike King)
Subject: Re: Internet to Commercial E-Mail


In TELECOM Digest, V13 #555, [e-mail] (Van H.
Schallenberg) wrote:

> Has anyone ever developed a list of the formats necessary to send
> internet electronic mail to commercial electronic mail services?  If

Use anonymous ftp and connect to csd4.csd.uwm.edu.  Scott Yanoff has
collected many different inter-service formats into a document called
internetwork-mail-guide in the directory /pub.  The latest version I
have is dated 8/1/93.

Scott also creates the excellent "SPECIAL INTERNET CONNECTIONS" list
(inet.services.txt in the same directory) which he updates every two
weeks.  It's a great resource for finding stuff on the 'net.  The
latest is 8/2/93.

Finger [e-mail] for further information.


Mike King * Software Sourcerer * Fairchild Space * +1 301.428.5384
[e-mail] or [e-mail]  *  (usual disclaimers)


[Moderator's Note: Actually, he won't have to FTP, nor will any
readers since I have attached the file at the end of this issue.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Internet to Commercial E-Mail
Date: Mon,  9 Aug 93 06:56:52 PDT


For instructions on sending email between various commercial services
(i.e. how to get the addressing syntax right), see David Strom's
article, "How to Make E-Mail Gateways Work," Network Computing,
January 1992, p. 83 and 86.

------------------------------

Subject: Internet to Commercial E-Mail
From: [e-mail] (Stan Hall)
Date: Mon, 09 Aug 93 10:58:13 CDT
Organization: The Eternal Apprentice BBS, Oklahoma City, Ok


[e-mail] (u951007) writes:

> Has anyone ever developed a list of the formats necessary to send
> internet electronic mail to commercial electronic mail services?  If

There are two lists that I know of.

The first one is maintained by Scott Yanoff ([e-mail])
and is posted at least once a month to the folling newsgroups:

  comp.mail.misc, alt.bbs.lists, alt.internet.services, comp.misc,
  news.answers

The subject heading is:

  Subject: Updated Inter-Network Mail Guide

The second list is the "Internet Mailing Guide" maintained by Ajay
Shekhawat ([e-mail]).  The latest version I have is dated
04/15/1992 (Version 1.2).

If anyone is interested in either of these lists I will be happy to
send a copy via email.


[e-mail] (Stan Hall)
The Eternal Apprentice BBS, Oklahoma City, OK -- [phone]


[Moderator's Note: People may want to see the guide by Ajay, but the
other one is attached next in this issue so all the mailing list
people can have a copy as well.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Several Readers <[e-mail]>
Subject: Inter-Network Mail Guide (was Re: Internet to Commercial E-Mail)
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 20:24:56 CDT


[Moderator's Note: We have a copy of this in our archives although not
as recent as the version attached below. My thanks to the dozen of you
who sent this identical posting to my attention today. No names are
needed, you all know who you are. Thanks to all.    PAT]


           * INTER-NETWORK MAIL GUIDE:    Last Update: 8/1/93 *

Further modifications and (C) 1993 by Scott Yanoff ([e-mail])
Inter-Network Mail Guide - Original Copyright (C) 1992 by John J. Chew

This guide is available via anonymous ftp to: csd4.csd.uwm.edu

INTRODUCTION

This file documents methods of sending mail from one network to another.
It represents the aggregate knowledge of the readers of comp.mail.misc
and many contributors elsewhere.  If you know of any corrections or
additions to this file, please follow the instructions in the section
entitled 'HOW TO FORMAT INFORMATION FOR SUBMISSION' and then mail the
information to me: Scott A. Yanoff <[e-mail]>.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

If you just want to browse the guide manually for information, this is what
you need to know.  The guide is organized as a list of entries.  Each entry
tells you how to get from one network to another.  Here is what a typical
entry might look like:

  #FROM: mynet
  #TO: yournet
  #RECIPIENT: youraddress
  #CONTACT: contactaddress
  #INSTR: send to 'youraddress@thegateway'

This means that to send mail FROM a network called 'mynet' TO a
RECIPIENT address 'youraddress' on a network called 'yournet', you
should follow the INSTRUCTIONS shown and address your mail to
'youraddress@thegateway'.

Names and descriptions of the possible FROM and TO fields:

N: aol           ; America Online; America Online, Inc.; commercial;
N: applelink     ; AppleLink; Apple Computer, Inc.; in-house;
N: arcom         ; X.400; ?; ?;
N: att           ; AT&T Mail; AT&T; commercial;
N: bitnet        ; BITNET; none; academic;
N: bix           ; Byte Information eXchange; Byte magazine; commercial;
N: bmug          ; ? ; Berkeley Macintosh Users Group; in-house;
N: compuserve    ; CompuServe; CompuServe Inc.; commercial;
N: connect       ; Connect Professional Information Network; ?; commercial;
N: easylink      ; Easylink; AT&T; commercial;
N: easynet       ; Easynet; DEC; in-house;
N: envoy         ; Envoy-100; Telecom Canada; commercial; X.400
N: fax           ; Facsimile document transmission; none; none;
N: fidonet       ; FidoNet; none; bbs;
N: genie         ; GEnie; GE Information Services; commercial;
N: geonet        ; GeoNet Mailbox Systems;

- Geonet Mailbox Services GmbH/Systems Inc.; commercial;
N: gold-400      ; GNS Gold 400; British Telecom; commercial; X.400
N: goldgate      ; GoldGate Telcom Gold; Net-Tel Computer Systems; ?;
N: greennet      ; GreenNet; Soft Solutions Ltd; commercial;
N: gsfcmail      ; GSFCmail; NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center; in-house;
N: ibm           ; VNET; IBM; in-house;
N: internet      ; Internet; none; academic;
N: keylink       ; KeyLink; Telecom Australia; commercial; X.400
N: mailnet       ; X.400; ?; ?;
N: mausnet       ; Mausnet; Mausnet; non-profit;
N: mci           ; MCIMail; MCI; commercial;
N: nasamail      ; NASAMail; NASA; in-house;
N: nsi           ; NASA Science Internet; NASA; government;

-  Dual-protocol: instructions given here pertain only to NSI-DECnet addresses
-  (NSI-TCP/IP addresses should be treated as shown for 'internet')
N: omnet         ; OMNET; OMNET; commercial;
N: peacenet      ; PeaceNet; Institute for Global Communications;

- non-profit;
N: prodigy       ; PRODIGY; commercial; ?;
N: sinet         ; Schlumberger Information NETwork; ?; ?;
N: sprintmail    ; SprintMail; Sprint; commercial; formerly Telemail
N: thenet        ; Texas Higher Education Network; University of Texas;
- academic ;
N: wwivnet       ; WWIVnet; WWIVnet; non-profit;

The 'RECIPIENT' record gives an example of an address on the
destination network, to make it clear in subsequent lines what text
requires subsitution.

The 'CONTACT' record gives an address for inquiries concerning the
gateway, expressed as an address reachable from the source (#FROM:) network.
Presumably, if you can't get the gateway to work at all, then knowing
an unreachable address on another network will not be of great help.

The 'INSTR' records, of which there may be several, give verbal
instructions to a user of the source network to let them send mail
to a user on the destination network.  Text that needs to be typed
will appear in double quotes, with C-style escapes if necessary.  If
the instructions consist simply of mailing to a certain address, this
will be indicated by the words 'send to' followed by a quoted address.
If there are alternative addresses, they will be marked 'or to' instead.

HOW TO FORMAT INFORMATION FOR SUBMISSION

Here is what I really want in the way of information.  If you are adding
a new network to the list, tell me what its official name is (pay attention
to capitalization), what the name of its responsible organization is, and
what kind of a network it is (academic, commercial, government, in-house
or non-profit).  If this isn't clear, look at the examples above.
For each connection, give me an entry that looks something like:

 #FROM: foonet
 #TO: barnet
 #RECIPIENT: baraddress
 #CONTACT: contactaddress
 #INSTR: send to 'baraddress@thegateway'

Note that 'contactaddress' must be an address expressed in foonet's native
format, and not that of barnet, since if a user is having trouble accessing
barnet, giving him/her an address on that net to contact for help is not
productive.  If there is no contact/postmaster address, please tell me.
If there are more complicated instructions, use additional #INSTR: lines.

Once you've got all the information together, send it to me in an e-mail
message with the words 'INMG update' in the Subject: line.  You can in
general expect an answer back from me within a week.

#FROM: aol
#TO: applelink
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: Internet
#INSTR: send to 'user@applelink'

#FROM: aol
#TO: compuserve
#RECIPIENT: 71234,567
#CONTACT: Internet
#INSTR: send to '71234.567@cis'

#FROM: aol
#TO: genie
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: Internet
#INSTR: send to 'user@genie'

#FROM: aol
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#CONTACT: Internet
#INSTR: send to 'user@domain'

#FROM: applelink
#TO: bitnet
#RECIPIENT: user@site
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]@internet#'

#FROM: applelink
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#INSTR: send to 'user@domain@internet#' (address must be < 35 characters)

#FROM: arcom
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to C=CH,A=ARCOM,P=SWITCH,ORG=us,OU1=uu,OU2=dd,OU3=Domain,S=fred

#FROM: att
#TO: bitnet
#RECIPIENT: user@site
#INSTR: send to 'internet!site.bitnet!user'

#FROM: att
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#INSTR: send to 'internet!domain!user'

#FROM: bitnet
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#INSTR: Methods for sending mail from Bitnet to the Internet vary depending on
#-      what mail software is running at the Bitnet site in question.  In the
#-      best case, users should simply be able to send mail to 'user@domain'.
#-      If this doesn't work, try 'user%domain@gateway' where 'gateway' is a
#-      Bitnet-Internet gateway site nearby.  Finally, if neither of these
#-      works, you may have to try hand-coding an SMTP envelope for your mail.

#FROM: compuserve
#TO: fax
#RECIPIENT: [phone]
#INSTR: send to '>FAX [phone]'
#INSTR: not transitive - message must originate from a CompuServe user
#INSTR: for calls outside the NANP, use '011' as the international prefix

#FROM: compuserve
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#INSTR: send to 'INTERNET:user@domain' (only from CompuServe users)

#FROM: compuserve
#TO: mci
#RECIPIENT: 123-4567
#INSTR: send to '>MCIMAIL:123-4567' (only from CompuServe users)

#FROM: connect
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#INSTR: send to 'DASN'
#-      and set the first line of message: '"user@domain"@DASN'

#FROM: easynet
#TO: bitnet
#RECIPIENT: user@site
#CONTACT: DECWRL::ADMIN
#INSTR: send to 'nm%DECWRL::"[e-mail]"' (from VMS using NMAIL)
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]' (from Ultrix)
#INSTR:   or to '[e-mail]' (from Ultrix via IP)
#INSTR:   or to 'DECWRL::"[e-mail]"' (from Ultrix via DECN)

#FROM: easynet
#TO: fidonet
#RECIPIENT: john smith at 1:2/3.4
#CONTACT: DECWRL::ADMIN
#INSTR: send to 'nm%DECWRL::"[e-mail]"'
#-      (from VMS using NMAIL)
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#-      (from Ultrix)
#INSTR: or to '"john.smith%p4.f3.n2.z1.fidonet.org"@decwrl.dec.com'
#-      (from Ultrix via IP)
#INSTR: or to 'DECWRL::"[e-mail]"'
#-      (from Ultrix via DECN)

#FROM: easynet
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#CONTACT: DECWRL::ADMIN
#INSTR: send to 'nm%DECWRL::"user@domain"' (from VMS using NMAIL)
#INSTR: send to 'user@domain' (from Ultrix)
#INSTR:   or to '[e-mail]' (from Ultrix via IP)
#INSTR:   or to 'DECWRL::"user@domain"' (from Ultrix via DECN)
#INSTR:   or to 'user@domain @Internet' (using ALL-IN-1)

#FROM: envoy
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#CONTACT: ICS.TEST or ICS.BOARD
#INSTR: send to '[RFC-822="user(a)domain"]INTERNET/TELEMAIL/US'
#INSTR: for special characters, use @=(a), !=(b), _=(u),
#INSTR:          any=(three octal digits)

#FROM: fidonet
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: convert to '[e-mail] ON 1:1/31

#FROM: fidonet
#TO: wwivnet
#RECIPIENT: number@node
#CONTACT: Kevin C. ON 1:100/215
#INSTR: convert to '#number @node ON 1:100/215'
#INSTR: WWIVgate; LOW TRAFFIC SITE, USE SPARINGLY..  Gateway is modem-based,
#-      they absorb cost of long distance connects to pick-up and deliver.
#-      Keep messages under 10K, use infrequently, do NOT use mail-lists or
#-      file/list-server commands.

#FROM: genie
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to user@domain@INET#

#FROM: geonet
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#INSTR: send to 'DASN'
#INSTR: set subject line to 'user@domain!subject'

#FROM: gold-400
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@host
#INSTR: send to '/DD.RFC-822=user(a)host/O=uknet/PRMD=uk.ac/ADMD=gold 400/C=GB/'
#INSTR: for special characters, use @=(a), %=(p), !=(b), "=(q)

#FROM: gsfcmail
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#CONTACT: cust.svc
#INSTR: send to '(SITE:SMTPMAIL,ID:<user(a)domain>)'
#INSTR: or to '(C:USA,A:TELEMAIL,P:SMTPMAIL,ID:<user(a)domain>)'
#INSTR: or send to 'POSTMAN'
#-      and set the first line of message to 'To: user@domain'
#INSTR: Help is also available by phoning [phone].

#FROM: gsfcmail
#TO: nsi
#RECIPIENT: host::user
#CONTACT: cust.svc
#INSTR: send to '(SITE:SMTPMAIL,ID:<user(a)host.DN.NASA.GOV>)'
#INSTR: or to '(C:USA,A:TELEMAIL,P:SMTPMAIL,ID:<user(a)host.DN.NASA.GOV>)'
#INSTR: or send to 'POSTMAN'
#-      and set the first line of message to 'To: [e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: aol
#RECIPIENT: A User
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to [e-mail] (all lower-case, remove spaces)
#INSTR: msgs are truncated to 32K (8K for PCs), all characters except newline
#-      & printable ASCII characters are mapped to spaces, users are limited to
#-      75 pieces of Internet mail in their mailbox at a time.

#FROM: internet
#TO: applelink
#RECIPIENT: user
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: arcom
#RECIPIENT: (G:John, I:Q., S:Smith, OU:ORG_UNIT, O:Org, P:PRMD, A:ADMD, C:CA)
#INSTR: send to:
#-  /G=John/I=Q/S=Smith/OU=ORG_UNIT/O=Org/P=PRMD/A=ADMD/C=[e-mail]

#FROM: internet
#TO: att
#RECIPIENT: user
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: bitnet
#RECIPIENT: user@site
#INSTR: send to 'user%site.bitnet@gateway' where 'gateway' is a gateway host
#-      that is on both the internet and bitnet.  Some examples of gateways
#-      are: cunyvm.cuny.edu mitvma.mit.edu.  Check first to see what local
#-      policies are concerning inter-network forwarding.

#FROM: internet
#TO: bix
#RECIPIENT: user
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: bmug
#RECIPIENT: John Smith
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: compuserve
#RECIPIENT: 71234,567
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR:   Ordinary Compuserve account IDs are pairs of octal numbers

#FROM: internet
#TO: compuserve
#RECIPIENT: organization:department:user
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR:  This syntax is for use with members of organizations which have a
#-       private CompuServe mail area.  'department' may not always be present.

#FROM: internet
#TO: connect
#RECIPIENT: NAME
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: easylink
#RECIPIENT: user mail number 1234567
#INSTR: send to: [e-mail]

#FROM: internet
#TO: easynet
#RECIPIENT: HOST::USER
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR:   or to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: easynet
#RECIPIENT: John Smith @ABC
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR:   this syntax is for sending mail to ALL-IN-1 users

#FROM: internet
#TO: envoy
#RECIPIENT: John Smith (ID=userid)
#INSTR: send to 'uunet.uu.net!att!attmail!mhs!envoy!userid'

#FROM: internet
#TO: envoy
#RECIPIENT: John Smith (ID=userid)
#CONTACT: /C=CA/ADMD=TELECOM.CANADA/ID=ICS.TEST/S=TEST_GROUP/@nasamail.nasa.gov
#INSTR: send to
#INSTR: '/C=CA/ADMD=TELECOM.CANADA/DD.ID=userid/PN=John_Smith/@Sprint.COM'

#FROM: internet
#TO: fidonet
#RECIPIENT: john smith at 1:2/3.4
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: genie
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to [e-mail]

#FROM: internet
#TO: geonet
#RECIPIENT: user at host
#INSTR: send to 'user:[e-mail]'
#INSTR:   or to '[e-mail]' (known to work for geo2)
#INSTR: known hosts: geo1 (Europe), geo2 (UK), geo4 (USA)

#FROM: internet
#TO: gold-400
#RECIPIENT: (G:John, I:Q, S:Smith, OU: org_unit, O:organization, PRMD:prmd)
#INSTR: send to 'john.q.smith@org_unit.org.prmd.gold-400.gb'
#INSTR:   or to
#- '"/G=John/I=Q/S=Smith/OU=org_unit/O=org/PRMD=prmd/ADMD=gold 400/C=GB/"
#- @mhs-relay.ac.uk'

#FROM: internet
#TO: goldgate
#RECIPIENT: 10087:CQQ061
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR:   or to '/G=10087/S=CQQ061/P=uk.ac/O=GoldGate/C=GB/'

#FROM: internet
#TO: greennet
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: [e-mail]    (or [e-mail] if mailing from JANET)

#FROM: internet
#TO: gsfcmail
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR:   or to '/PN=user/ADMD=TELEMAIL/PRMD=GSFC/O=GSFCMAIL/C=US/
#-        @x400.msfc.nasa.gov'

#FROM: internet
#TO: ibm
#RECIPIENT: [e-mail]_domain (syntax?)
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]_domain.ibm.com'
#INSTR: To look up a user's mailbox name, mail to [e-mail] with
#- the line 'WHOIS name' in the message body.

#FROM: internet
#TO: keylink
#RECIPIENT: (G:John, I:Q, S:Smith, O:MyOrg, A:Telememo, C:au)
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to [e-mail]
#INSTR: for keylink Private Mail Domains such as
#INSTR:   (G:John, S:Smith, O:MyDept, P:AusGov, A:Telememo, C:au)
#INSTR:   send to [e-mail]

#FROM: internet
#TO: mausnet
#RECIPIENT: hans schmidt @ box
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: mci
#RECIPIENT: John Smith (123-4567)
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR: or to '[e-mail]' (if 'JSmith' is unique)
#INSTR: or to '[e-mail]' (if 'John Smith' is unique - note the
#-      underscore!)
#INSTR: or to 'John_Smith/[e-mail]' (if 'John Smith' is NOT unique)

#FROM: internet
#TO: nasamail
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR: Help is available by phoning [phone] or [phone].

#FROM: internet
#TO: nsi
#RECIPIENT: host::user
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR:   or to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR:   or to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR: Help is also available by phoning [phone].

#FROM: internet
#TO: omnet
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR:   or to 'user/[e-mail]' (?)
#INSTR:   or to '/DD.UN=user/O=OMN/ADMD=TELEMAIL/C=US/@Sprint.COM'
#INSTR: Help is available by phoning [phone]

#FROM: internet
#TO: peacenet
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: prodigy
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'     For example: [e-mail]
#- Please note that this service is still currently being tested!

#FROM: internet
#TO: sinet
#RECIPIENT: node::user or node1::node::user
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR:   or to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: sprintmail
#RECIPIENT: John Smith at SomeOrganization
#INSTR: send to
#-  '/G=John/S=Smith/O=SomeOrganization/ADMD=TELEMAIL/C=US/@Sprint.COM'

#FROM: internet
#TO: thenet
#RECIPIENT: user@host
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]'

#FROM: internet
#TO: wwivnet
#RECIPIENT: number@node
#CONTACT: [e-mail] or [e-mail]
#INSTR: convert to '[e-mail]'
#INSTR: WWCPgate; LOW TRAFFIC SITE, USE SPARINGLY..  Gateway is modem-based,
#-      they absorb cost of long distance connects to pick-up and deliver.
#-      Keep messages under 10K, use infrequently, do NOT use mail-lists or
#-      file/list-server commands.

#FROM: keylink
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: John Smith <user@domain>
#CONTACT: (G:CUSTOMER, S:SERVICE, O:CUST.SERVICE, P:telememo, C:au)
#INSTR: send to '(C:au, A:telememo, P:oz.au, "RFC-822":"John Smith
#-  <user(a)domain>")'
#INSTR: special characters must be mapped: @->(a), %->(p), !->(b), "->(q)

#FROM: mausnet
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#CONTACT: sysop@k2
#INSTR: send to 'user@domain'

#FROM: mci
#TO: compuserve
#RECIPIENT: John Smith (71234,567)
#CONTACT: 267-1163 (MCI Help)
#INSTR: at the 'To:' prompt type 'John Smith (EMS)'
#INSTR: at the 'EMS:' prompt type 'compuserve'
#INSTR: at the 'Mbx:' prompt type '71234,567'

#FROM: mci
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: John Smith <user@domain>
#CONTACT: 267-1163 (MCI Help)
#INSTR: at the 'To:' prompt type 'John Smith (EMS)'
#INSTR: at the 'EMS:' prompt type 'INTERNET'
#INSTR: at the 'Mbx:' prompt type 'user@domain'

#FROM: nasamail
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#CONTACT: admin
#INSTR: send to '(site:smtpmail,id:<user(a)domain>)'
#INSTR: Help is also available by phoning [phone] and at 'admin/nasa'.

#FROM: nasamail
#TO: nsi
#RECIPIENT: host::user
#CONTACT: admin
#INSTR: send to '(site:smtpmail,id:<user(a)host.DN.NASA.GOV>)'
#INSTR: Help is also available by phoning [phone] and at 'admin/nasa'.

#FROM: nsi
#TO: gsfcmail
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to 'east::"[e-mail]"'
#INSTR: or to 'east::"/PN=user/ADMD=TELEMAIL/PRMD=GSFC/O=GSFCMAIL/C=US/
#-      @x400.msfc.nasa.gov'
#INSTR: Help is also available by phoning [phone].

#FROM: nsi
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#CONTACT: east::"[e-mail]"
#INSTR: send to 'east::"user@domain"'
#INSTR: or to 'dftnic::"user@domain"'
#INSTR: or to 'nssdca::in%"user@domain"'
#INSTR: or to 'jpllsi::"user@domain"'
#INSTR: Help is also available by phoning [phone].

#FROM: nsi
#TO: omnet
#RECIPIENT: user
#CONTACT: omnet.service
#INSTR: send to 'east::"[e-mail]"'
#INSTR: Help also available by phoning [phone] (OMN customers only)

#FROM: nsi
#TO: sprintmail
#RECIPIENT: John Smith at SomeOrganization
#CONTACT: east::"[e-mail]"
#INSTR: send to
#- '/G=John/S=Smith/O=SomeOrganization/ADMD=TELEMAIL/C=US/@Sprint.COM'
#INSTR: Help is also available by phoning [phone].

#FROM: omnet
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#CONTACT: omnet.service
#INSTR: Enter 'compose manual' at the command prompt.  Choose the Internet
#-      address option from the menu that appears.  Note that this gateway
#-      service charges based on the number of 1000-character blocks sent.
#INSTR: Help also available by phoning [phone] (OMN customers only).

#FROM: sinet
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#INSTR: send to 'M_MAILNOW::M_INTERNET::"user@domain"'
#INSTR:   or to 'M_MAILNOW::M_INTERNET::domain::user'

#FROM: sprintmail
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#INSTR: send to '(C:USA,A:TELEMAIL,P:INTERNET,"RFC-822":<user(a)domain>) DEL'
#INSTR: Help available within the United States by phoning [phone] and
#-      pressing '2' on a TouchTone phone.

#FROM: sprintmail
#TO: nsi
#RECIPIENT: host::user
#INSTR: send to
#-  '(C:USA,A:TELEMAIL,P:INTERNET,"RFC-822":<user(a)host.DNET.NASA.GOV>) DEL'
#INSTR: Help available within the United States by phoning [phone] and
#-      pressing '2' on a TouchTone phone.

#FROM: thenet
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: user@domain
#INSTR: send to 'UTADNX::WINS%" user@domain "'

#FROM: wwivnet
#TO: fidonet
#RECIPIENT: First Last ON zone:node/fnet
#CONTACT: 1@3469
#INSTR: convert to 'First Last ON zone:node/fnet @656'
#INSTR: WWIVgate; LOW TRAFFIC SITE, USE SPARINGLY..  Gateway is modem-based,
#-      they absorb cost of long distance connects to pick-up and deliver.
#-      Keep messages under 10K, use infrequently, do NOT use mail-lists or
#-      file/list-servers commands.

#FROM: wwivnet
#TO: internet
#RECIPIENT: [e-mail]
#CONTACT: faq-request@9702 or 1@9702
#INSTR: convert to 'user#machine.site.domain@506'
#-      If 'user' begins with digits, begin address with a quote.
#INSTR: WWCPgate; LOW TRAFFIC SITE, USE SPARINGLY..  Gateway is modem-based,
#-      they absorb cost of long distance connects to pick-up and deliver.
#-      Keep messages under 10K, use infrequently, do NOT use mail-lists or
#-      file/list-server commands.

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #561
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa02709;
          11 Aug 93 23:34 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA21613
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 11 Aug 1993 20:54:37 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30185
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 11 Aug 1993 20:54:01 -0500
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1993 20:54:01 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #562

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 11 Aug 93 20:54:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 562

Inside This Issue:                       This Concludes 12 Years of It!

    Re: Is This Legal? (James Olsen)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Gang Zhou)
    Re: Is This Legal? (H. Peter Anvin)
    Re: Valid Card Declared Invalid? (Jon Kimbrough)
    Re: Valid Card Declared Invalid? (Steve Cogorno)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Alan Boritz)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Dave Carpentier)
    Re: AT&T Spending $5(m) on Video Games (John Schroeder)
    Re: Caller-ID Across LATAs? (Bob Snyder)
    Re: Radar Detectors (Eric N. Florack)
    Re: Sprint Workers Fed Up, Start Unionizing (David Boettger)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (M. Otto)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 93 11:34:47 -0400
From: [e-mail] (James Olsen)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?


I summarized the FCC action on call blocking two years ago, when the
rules were issued.  Full details are available in the Federal Register
of August 16, 1991 (vol. 56, no. 159), pages 40793-9 and 40844-7.
Here are the main points:

 - As of March 16, 1992, all operator service providers (OSP's),
   including AT&T, have to provide "800" or "950" access numbers.

 - Also as of March 16, 1992, all COCOT's have to unblock 10XXX access
   code calls.

 - Also as of March 16, 1992, all non-payphone call aggregators (such
   as hospitals, hotels, and colleges) must unblock 10XXX calls if
   their equipment can safely do so.

 - All aggregator equipment made or imported into the US after April 16,
   1992 must unblock 10XXX calls as soon as it is installed.

 - As of March 16, 1993, all non-payphone call aggregators must unblock
   10XXX calls if they can safely do so at a cost of no more than $15.00
   per [inside] line.

 - By April 17, 1997, all call aggregators must unblock 10XXX calls.

This means that hotels, colleges, prisons, and similar 'call
aggregators' must not block 10XXX access codes unless

  -  Their switching equipment was made or imported before April 16,
     1992, and

  -  Their equipment cannot safely unblock 10XXX calls, and

  -  Changing the equipment to safely unblock 10XXX calls would
     cost more than than $15.00 per inside line.

If all three of these criteria are met, then the aggregator has
until April 17, 1997 to unblock 10XXX calls.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gang Zhou)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
Date: 11 Aug 1993 10:25:42 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA


In article <[e-mail]> Bonnie J Johnson
<[e-mail]> writes:

> If some schools, by older switch design can not provide basic 10xxxx

USC is setting up the phone system right now, so it must be a new
system, but they don't provide basic 10xxxx.

> access, they CAN provide basically the same freedom by obtaining the
> 800 number for major carriers and advertising that number to its

We can use the calling card via the 800 number for major carriers. It
seams that USC has done its part of "equal access", right? But it's
still not fair, or equal, because calling card bears a surcharge
.75/1.75 for every call.


Gang

------------------------------

From: hpa (H. Peter Anvin N9ITP)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
Reply-To: [e-mail] (H. Peter Anvin)
Organization: Hierarchial directory structure
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1993 16:45:54 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> of comp.dcom.telecom,
[e-mail] (Danny Padwa) writes:

> I know that Columbia has a similar policy of billing a person, rather
> than a phone, for LD calls.  Is this common?

Northwestern has a similar policy/system.  The students here hate it
because although the University made a bug fuzz about the "discounts"
we would get on long-distance calls, we got our *local* calls hiked to
business rate!  In Illinois Bell territory that means that even if you
are calling across the street you pay a per-minute charge, while
residential rates pay a nickel-a-call.

They make it even sneakier by sticking the monthly service bill on the
University tuition/housing bill that gets sent to the *parents*, so it
looks like a bargain on the bill (no monthly charge -- wow) but in
fact it is billed differently.

My main complaint about the system, however, is that they have
licensed AT&T to handle billing.  These people are incredible.  They
shut my phone service off and refused to reinstate it *for a week*
because of *their mistake*.  Their only excuse was "we are doing
billing on your university and our records are unavailable".  Uh-huh.


hpa
INTERNET: [e-mail]       FINGER/TALK: [e-mail]
IBM MAIL: 36073 at IBMX400  NeXTMAIL:    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 93 13:51:43 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Jon Kimbrough)
Subject: Re: Valid Card Declared Invalid?


In article [e-mail], our Moderator notes:

> [Moderator's Note: Oh? Stuff going through 10xxx is not validated by
> the local telco?  Then how come when I wanted to change the PIN on my
> AT&T Calling Card and had to ask twice to get it done, the second time
> the rep at AT&T said "I will send a FAX to Illinois Bell right now and
> ask what is the delay in processing this," ??  And how come she later
> said IBT had lost the original order to do it?  I believe that anything
> dialed via 10xxx is first examined -- in its entirety -- by the local
> telco, and then is handled, passed to a carrier, treated or whatever.
> How come whenever I want to change calling plans or do anything with
> my AT&T account the answer is always it will be done whenever Illinois
> Bell gets around to it, etc.?   PAT]

Hey, the people at AT&T aren't stupid! Why take the blame when you can
pass it off on someone else?

Actually, I can see where changing your calling plan or other
_billing_ related issues would be handled through IBT, since, as your
local telco, they handle the billing of your AT&T account.


Jon Kimbrough                              [e-mail]

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein, either stated or implied, are
solely my own and do not reflect Lockheed's views in any manner.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Cogorno)
Subject: Re: Valid Card Declared Invalid?
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 93 22:55:54 PDT


> Stuff going through 10xxx is not verified by the local telco (Once you
> get the MCI bong, it's MCI's call).  Some LD companies, for whatever
> reason, elect to only accept LEC cards on their 10XXX access.  But
> it't strictly up to them.  I believe AT&T will accept its card or an
> LEC card on their 10288.

> [Moderator's Note: Oh? Stuff going through 10xxx is not validated by
> the local telco?  Then how come when I wanted to change the PIN on my
> AT&T Calling Card and had to ask twice to get it done, the second time
> the rep at AT&T said "I will send a FAX to Illinois Bell right now and
> ask what is the delay in processing this," ??  And how come she later
> said IBT had lost the original order to do it?  I believe that anything
> dialed via 10xxx is first examined -- in its entirety -- by the local
> telco, and then is handled, passed to a carrier, treated or whatever.
> How come whenever I want to change calling plans or do anything with
> my AT&T account the answer is always it will be done whenever Illinois
> Bell gets around to it, etc.?   PAT]

Pat, I am not speaking from experience, but I would think that card
numbers are not processed by the local telco because my cardnumber
works when I am in NYNEX Territory even though I am a PacBell
customer.  I suppose the LECs could share the card info, but why would
they go through extra work to make this happen when AT&T has the
definative lists on their card numbers?

AT&T could do it.


Steve   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 11 Aug 93 07:53:01 EDT
From: Alan Boritz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops


[e-mail] (Mark A. Cnota) writes:

> There is, and probably always will be, "multiple plant" in most urban
> areas.  This means that the telco will terminate the same central
> office pairs in more than one place, so they can be used at either
> depending on where the need is.  This is cheaper than providing
> everyone with their own separate pairs all the way back to the C.O.,
> including what you can predict for "future use" which may or may not
> ever be used.

I don't know about you, but I don't have party-line service here.
Since I pay for individual line service I expect performance equal to,
or better than, that of any other individual line subscriber.  If NJ
Bell has any bridge-taps on my circuits they're getting away with it
only because I haven't discovered service degradation.

> I think we can agree that it's economically unfeasible to send a
> technician out to disconnect every unused drop or even to pull a
> jumper wire at an interface box or inside terminal when a line is
> disconnected.

No, I don't think we can agree on that issue.  If a telco can't afford
to perform competent work, they shouldn't be in business.

> The bottom line is this is a wiring problem (detarriffed) and is the
> responsibility of the property owner. In a multi-tenant residential or
> business situation, the subscriber should NOT be hunting around on the 66
> block, the TELCO's side of the NETPOP.

Granted that a tenant should not be poking around where he has no
business (no pun intended ;), but neither should a building owner
unless if he owns the backbone wire.  A tenant's demarc is *in his
demised space, not in any common area of the building*.

> [Moderator's Note: Are you suggesting that it is *my problem* if my
> phones are disrupted because in the building down the street some
> tenant decides to save the cost of a professional installation by
> doing it themselves and they park on my dial tone instead of their
> own?

In a matter of speaking, YES.  You (Mr. Tenant) have the responsibility
of insuring that the problem is not on YOUR side of the demarc, and to
get telco working on it.  One sure thing is that I (Mr. Building Owner)
have no responsibility to you or Mr. Telco in any respect unless if I
own the backbone wire, provide the dialtone, or physically damage the
tenant's or telco's facilities.

> Most of the old buildings got rid of their switchboards twenty years
> ago in lieu of the tenant having their own phone service. Where telco
> had previously had fifteen or twenty pairs come in and terminate on
> the switchboard as trunk lines serving maybe 100-120 apartments, when
> the board was yanked they had to come up with another hundred pairs or
> so from the street that they could 'wire through' the big terminal box
> in the basement to the house pairs into each apartment.

The scenario you've described is the exception, rather than the rule,
for typical New York City muli-tenant buildings.  However, if telco
haphazardly used former switch cabling for individual co lines it is
clearly THEIR responsibility to deal with the consquences of poor
facilities management later (assuming that someone hasn't purchased it
or taken it by legal means).

> Now where does customer premises wiring begin exactly?

No question about it: inside of a tenant's demised space.  A tenant
has no business dealing with, and has no legal rights to, wire in any
common area of the building without the building-owner's explicit
permission.  Telco's wire between the street and common areas of the
building is *backbone* wire and is treated differently than inside
wire, *Inside* wire begins at the customer's demarc inside of the
tenant's space.

> Do the house pairs belong to the building or are they part of telco
> plant?  If the building, then the building janitor can work on them,
> right?

Yes, the janitor could conceivably perform that function.  Backbone
wire ownership is governed by local property laws, consistent with the
FCC docket on the wire detariffing issue.  As long as telco continues
to supply dialtone through the facilities, they still own it.  Once
they abandon the cable, it belongs to the building.

For example, Western Union once provided direct service to customers
in the Empire State Building through their own underground and
backbone cables.  Years ago they discontinued service, and abandoned
the cables in place.  I had WU fire-stop their conduit from the street
(containing only a pull-string), and the other conduits they had
running from their right-of-way (in the street) was cleared and
re-used for Teleport fiber cables.  All of their backbone wiring
(still shown on their plant drawings) now belongs to ESB.  WU
literally gave up a treasured (and valuable) plant facility running
though some of the most expensive business real estate.  MCI (who
purchased WU's rights-of-way) now owns empty pipes into the basement
(and some well-preserved, but useless plant facility plans), and has
no legal rights to go any further.

> If the wires inside my apartment are my responsibility and I
> refuse to have wire-maintainence, then if the yellow/black pair I am
> not using get shorted somehow is it my problem, the person living down
> the street's problem or telco's problem?

Your responsibility extends to your demarc.  If you have bridges on
YOUR side of the demarc it's YOUR problem.  However, if the pair is
shorted, how do you know that there's someone else involved?

> Most people do not even realize that between themselves and the CO
> may be five or six places the pair can be jumped -- just look in
> the basement of the building down the street.

And most people couldn't care less, until their service is disrupted.
It's clearly telco's responsibility.  Just like hap-hazard fiber
service deployment, they will deal with the consequences sooner or
later, but how soon (or if at all) depends upon good (independent)
telecom people to make them answer for poor plant management.


Alan Boritz     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 18:44:33 -0400
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops


      [e-mail] (Mark A. Cnota) writes:

> depending on where the need is. This is cheaper than providing
> everyone with their own separate pairs all the way back to the C.O.,
> including what you can predict for "future use" which may or may not
> ever be used.

Up here, this becomes somewhat less of a problem with the use of the
SAC (service area concept) system. The plant is dedicated directly to
the SAC box from the CO, and any outgoing plant cannot be multipled
(at least in theory) <big grin>.

> What is more common is for the drop wire (and the interface
> cross-connect if applicable) to stay in place after a line is
> disconnected so that if another line is ordered the same facilities
> can be re-used, saving manpower. Now if the same central office pair

We call these situations "mail-outs", and the girls in assignment get
plenty upset when we try to steal one to patch-up another trouble.
It's policy to disconnect the old drop if a mail-out is to be assigned
elsewhere. I suppose it does cost more, though.

> business situation, the subscriber should NOT be hunting around on the 66
> block, the TELCO's side of the NETPOP. All new terminal installations have
> the telco side and customer side clearly marked. And if you request, the

I find the new BIPS and BEPS to work fine for this problem, they are
sealed and can even be locked to keep curious fingers out (and flames
in.). Course, building one of these out to a BIX system kinda makes it
moot, as the wires can again be accessed by John Q. We don't use 66
blocks anymore because of the hazards of fire and metal broomhandles.


Dave


[Moderator's Note: When Illinois Bell guys are working on the pole or
in some basement and they can't get a working pair, they just rip off
some other pair and let someone else worry about it. :)  One day my
second line went dead but my first line was okay. I look out the
window and see telco guy on the pole in the alley. I called Repair
Service then and there and said to the lady please call the guy on the
pole and tell him to undo whatever he just did. She gives me all this
sass about how do I know its not in my own equipment and if they have
to send smmeone out they will charge me, etc. I told her, look, I took
a course in logic in college, my phone is working fine five minutes
ago and now it is dead. I see a phone guy on the pole outside and you
want to tell me to check my instruments? I told her if I had to go
outside to see the man on the pole myself I would break his fingers so
he would never be able to work on telephone wires again in his life! :)
I guess they told him, because a couple minutes later I picked up
my second line and heard him talking to somebody in the office about
trying to get a good pair 'somewhere'. A long time ago I had a line
which was one-way incoming, thus only battery and no dial tone on that
line if you went off hook otherwise. The guys were really fond of
using that one whenever they came up short somewhere else. When they
heard no dialtone on it, they 'just assumed' it was an idle pair.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Schroeder)
Subject: Re: AT&T Spending $5(m) on Video Games
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 15:42:52 GMT


GVC.COM!GDeinstadt (Gord Deinstadt) writes:

> In <[e-mail]> Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
> writes:

>> A few years ago some other company did the same thing, e.g. allow
>> people to connect to a system and access video games and the
>> equivalent.  The company went bankrupt because people couldn't see
>> paying a monthly fee for access to video games when you can purchase
>> them once.  Access to other people might be more valuable, I'm not
>> sure.

    Actually, Sierra Inc. has a gaming BBS with interactive-online
gaming.  They've been running it for over two years, if I remember the
ads correctly, and apparently are doing well.  The BBS, from what I
under- stand is about 80% gaming and 20% customer service -- selling
games over the bbs and technical support type things.  I don't belong
myself, but know some people who do belong.  I've not heard of anyone
else doing this, but Sierra has stated in thier magazine that they do
fairly well and I'm sure that part of it is the novelty of interactive
gaming with people you don't know seeing VGA battles over your phone
line!

> I do think that "access to other people" as you put it is worth a
> WHOLE lot; games are just games but other people are friends.
> Nintendo or a competitor could have set up a data network for
> long-distance game playing years ago.  Their failure to do so, or even
> to provide cheap modems and support for them in their games, is IMO
> one of the great business blunders of the 20th century.  (Right up
> there with Telex providers ignoring the advent of PCs.)

    Well, maybe some other game companies will get on the bandwago
if Sierra doesn't pack it all in in a few years!  BTW: from an article
in the last Sierra Newsletter, Sierra was one of those companies
hard-hit from the drop in cartridge prices -- Almost wiped them out of
business!


John G. Schroeder                  [e-mail]
University of Nebraska @ Omaha     Omaha, Nebraska, USA
The Oracle/NetSeer                 The Oracle of the Heart

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bob Snyder)
Subject: Re: Caller-ID Across LATAs?
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 07:51:11 -0400 (EDT)


In article <[e-mail]>:

> First, it is conceivable that a local telco is handling the whole
> call, if an interLATA corridor has been authorized between the two
> area codes.  For example, New York Telephone is authorized to carry
> traffic from 212 to most of 201, even though that is interLATA,
> apparently because it convinced the FCC to honor some historical
> corridor.

Such a corridor does exist, but must be used explicitly, and does not
reach 201.  There is a corridor between the Philadelphia area of 215
and the New Jersey counties near Philly (Camden, Burlington, and I
believe Glouster counties) in the 609 area code.  Access is via 10NJB
on the NJ Bell side and 10BPA on the Bell of Pennsylvania side.

I believe the same thing exists between NYC and northern NJ counties.

> If this is how the 215-to-201 call was handled, then maybe that
> explains how the caller ID info got onto your screen.  I could imagine
> such a corridor for New Jersey Bell or for Bell of PA.

No caller ID information comes across this corridor.  At least, none
that I have seen, and I know I get called using 10BPA from Philly
because I do it to check my machine.


Bob

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 05:18:06 PDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors


In #557,Harold Hallikainen writes about how he wouldn't want to be in
the business of making something that allowed people to violate the
law.

Pardon me, Harold, but it seems to me that several other things
qualify as that. SCanners can be used for that, as well, yet these
have legal purposes.  SO can guns.  So can computers.

Any of thousands of things I might name.

And further, (To tie this back to telcom) I view this in the same
light as a subject I recall popping up in this list a couple years
ago ... that being extension phones.  Remember it used to be against
the law to have extension phones not installed by the telco?  I recall
(still have it on file someplace) a rather lengthy post from someone
in Michigan on just this subject. Took a whole Digest, as I recall it.
In both cases, the only harm being caused is the larger group, loses a
revenue source, regardless of the other (bogus) arguments presented.

Which, in fact, is the primary purpose of traffic radar ... a revenue
source.


/E

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 07:34:00 +0000
From: David (D.) Boettger <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Sprint Workers Fed Up, Start Unionizing


Oh, puh-leeze let's not start a pro/anti-union debate. This is NOT the
place for it. (You should know that, Mr. Moderator.)


David Boettger   [e-mail]
I don't speak for my employer.


[Moderator's Note: Certainly this is not a newsgroup to debate the
pros and cons of union membership, but when large telecom companies
find themselves in the middle of a debate on same by their employees
it does become newsworthy. No one can seriously say that unions have
greatly influenced the way AT&T has operated over the years. Good or
bad? That's a topic for elsewhere I guess, but the changes are very
plain to any historian of the company in the past hundred years.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms
Organization: University of North Texas
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 21:06:28 GMT


Cliff Sharp <[e-mail]> writes:

> LASER - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
> MASER - Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
>     (coherent microwave beams, just as lasers give coherent light)
> TASER - (before anyone asks) I think this is a made-up Trademark, but
>     maybe it should be Telescoping Anti-personnel Shocker Emasculated
>     by Rodney King  :-)

It's Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle; the inventor(s) came up with
the acronym to make it fit in with laser, maser, and the like even
though the principle has nothing to do with radiation.

> FUBAR

Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition.

> LATA - Lousy A**h*les Treating you Arrogantly :-)

What does it really stand for?  I'm a newcomer to this list/newsgroup;
is there a FAQ for frequently seen acronyms like the one that
sci.space and sci.astro has?


M. Otto   [e-mail]  "A virtual prisoner of UNT's VAX"


[Moderator's Note: Local Area Transport something ... yes we have
acronym files. All readers should have copies at hand for reference.
Go to the archives and pull all the files which begin with the word
'glossary'. Use anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu.  PAT]


Further note:  This issue concludes the twelfth year of publication
of TELECOM Digest. May year thirteen bring good luck to all of us!  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #562
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa23890;
          12 Aug 93 13:25 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30073
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 10:40:24 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA02444
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 10:39:44 -0500
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 10:39:44 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #563

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 12 Aug 93 10:40:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 563

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    NSA Seeks Delay in Clipper (Dave Banisar)
    Analysis of Bell Atlantic Cellular (Paul Robinson)
    GSM Roaming Experiences (Juha Veijalainen)
    Motorola 8000H Mail Order? (William F. Quinn)
    Checks From IXC's (was "Toner Phoners") (Ole C. Hellevik)
    *69 as Caller-ID? (Rob Hansen)
    Jabra Earphone (was Sharper Image Products) (Brian Hess)
    About Caller-ID blocking in Virginia (Paul Robinson)
    FCC Docket 91-35 (Bonnie J. Johnson)
    Copyright Law FAQ (Terry Carroll)
    Talking Thermometer (Paul Cook)
    Bell Canada Prepay Card Trial (David Leibold)
    Motorola Jobs (Gary Sanders)
    Starting Another Year Here (TELECOM Moderator)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Organization: CPSR Washington Office
From: Dave Banisar <[e-mail]>
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 9:37:14 EST
Subject: NSA Seeks Delay in Clipper


  NSA Seeks Delay in Clipper Case

     The National Security Agency (NSA) has asked a federal court for
a one-year delay in a lawsuit challenging the secrecy of the
government's "Clipper Chip" encryption proposal.  The suit was filed
by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) on May 28
and seeks the disclosure of all information concerning the
controversial plan.

     In an affidavit submitted to the United States District Court for
the District of Columbia on August 9, NSA Director of Policy Michael
A. Smith states that

     NSA's search for records responsive to [CPSR's] request
     is under way, but is not yet complete.  Because the
     Clipper Chip program is a significant one involving the
     participation of organizations in four of NSA's five
     Directorates and the Director's staff, the volume of
     responsive documents is likely to be quite large.
     Moreover, because the Clipper Chip program is highly
     complex and technical and is, in substantial part,
     classified for national security purposes, the review
     process cannot be accomplished quickly.

     CPSR called for the disclosure of all relevant information and
full public debate on the proposal on April 16, the day it was
announced.  While NSA has insisted from the outset that the "Skipjack"
encryption algorithm, which underlies the Clipper proposal, must
remain secret, the Smith affidavit contains the first suggestion that
the entire federal program is classified "in substantial part."  In
the interest of obtaining timely judicial review of the agency's broad
classification claim, CPSR intends to oppose NSA's request for delay
in the court proceedings.

     In another case involving government cryptography policy, CPSR
has challenged NSA's classification of information concerning the
development of the Digital Signature Standard (DSS).  The court is
currently considering the issue and a decision is expected soon.

     CPSR is a national public-interest alliance of computer industry
professionals dedicated to examining the impact of technology on
society.  CPSR has 21 chapters in the U.S. and maintains offices in
Palo Alto, California, and Washington, DC.  For additional information
on CPSR, call [phone] or e-mail <[e-mail]>.


David L. Sobel    CPSR Legal Counsel   <[e-mail]>

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 08:42:01 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Analysis of Bell Atlantic Cellular
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


A co-worker of mine obtained a cellular phone with service provided
via Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems (BAMS).  Bell Atlantic is the parent
company of C&P Telephone {of Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia and
West Virginia}.  I had the opportunity to read the introductory
pamphlet they send out and take notes. I thought this might be
interesting:

There is a "cute" thing: the page numbers at the bottom side are
telephone buttons: page 5 consists of a button with rounded sides that
says "5 JKL".  Page 12 has two buttons on it, and so on.

If your call is made to a number in the same area code, dial seven
digits.  If the number is in another area code, dial it plus the seven
digit number.  Dialing 1+ is not needed even for long distance calls.
International calls must be made by dialing "0".

Only calls to AT&T Long Distance will appear on the BAMS bill; all
other carriers will bill separately.

Airtime charges begin when the "send" key is pressed.  Each partial
minute of usage is billed as a full minute.  Airtime charges include
calls to opeator but do not include calls to busy numbers.

Automaic Call Delivery is available in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and
Metro New York.

Follow Me Roaming (FMR) is also available, by dialing *18 to activate
and *19 to cancel.  FMR automatically cancels at midnight.  The
pamphlet also states that "Follow Me Roaming is a registered trademark
of GTE Telecommunications Services."

The usual services on a home phone including Call Waiting and Call
Forwarding, among others, are available.  (Call Waiting is toggled
using the SEND key in place of the switch hook.)  Airtime is charged
for calls forwarded plus tolls and landline termination if sent to a
wire phone.

One feature mentioned is "Contact Line" which refers to "the most
advanced wireless service ever launched commercially in the U.S.,
assigns a phone number to a person, not a place.  Your number will
follow you anywhere -- you decide where your number will ring and which
calls you'll take ..." and it comes in four flavors.  Want to bet it's
more expensive than an AT&T 700 number and you pay for all incoming
calls?

Some dialable features include:

*BAM - Customer Service (No airtime charge)
*ITG - "Info To Go"  (Airtime plus toll if applicable.) Horoscopes,
       Ski Conditions, Soap Opera updates and so on.  You can get
       this for a local call on a wired phone by dialing the
       free (non surcharged) number from the competitive Yellow Pages or the
       C&P pages.
*JAM - Connects you to a traffic consultant who will find alternate
       routing around traffic backups.

Billing Indications also include:

* - Call Crosses a rate period between peak and off-peak
# - Call via call-waiting
@ - Call via 3-way
& - Call Forwarded call


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: 12 AUG 93 08:46
Subject: GSM Roaming Experiences


Two weeks ago I had a chance to use my Finnish registered GSM phone in
England.  In general I was quite happy with it.  Here are some notes:

* first difference I noticed that registering to a network (in
  my case Vodafone) took longer time than at home, some 20 - 30
  seconds instead of 5 - 10 seconds back home.

* calls were connected almost immediately, no difference between
  local or international calls

* GSM network coverage in central London was surprisingly patchy.
  For example Oxford street had several places were there was
  no network visible for my handheld phone (Ascom Crystal with
  small 1/8 (?) antenna).

* despite earlier information, roaming foreign customers pay the
  normal or almost normal rate for local (within UK) calls.  On
  the other hand, international calls were at significantly higher
  rates than back in Finland.

* some functions were not available.  For example, inquiring various
  call forwarding setups always returned a 'network error' message.

* normal office phones in England seemed to be very sensitive
  to GSM transmission.  I had to stay several metres away from _any_
  phones; otherwise people would not have been able to use them,
  all they would have heard was a loud buzz.

My own phone at home and my office phone are not so sensitive.  GSM
phone antenna needs to be within centimetres of the phone before you
can hear any interference.  Anyone got an explanation?  Lax EC
phone/electrical standards... ;-)


Juha Veijalainen    4ge system analyst, tel. [phone]
Unisys Finland    Internet: [e-mail]
>> Mielipiteet omiani ** Opinions are PERSONAL, facts are suspect <<

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (William F. Quinn)
Subject: Motorola 8000H Mail Order?
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 08:15:28 GMT
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: IBM Austin


Anyone know of a discount mail order company specializing in celluar
phone hardware?  Thanks.

------------------------------

Subject: Checks From IXC's (was "Toner Phoners")
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 93 22:43:19 PDT
From: ole!linqdev![e-mail]


Stephen Friedl ([e-mail]) and David Breneman
([e-mail]) both seem to complain that they
receive checks from various LD carriers.

Not only are businesses complaining that expected checks are not
received, some even complain of unwanted checks! Stop whining and make
sure you read incoming mail before you act upon it. USMail is not a
secure channel. This goes for checks and whatever else you might
receive. ~~:-(

I received a $75 check from AT&T approx three or four months ago with
the same 'endorse = switch' small print, but threw it away because I
like my current carrier (MCI).

A month or so later I received another check, and this time I called
MCI customer service ("I really love you, but this is seventy-five
bucks!), acting on a posting on c.d.t. Their customer-service person
asked me to mail her the check (with her name as attention), and I
received a thank-you-for-telling-us note a little while later.

Last Friday I got my last USWest phone bill and it included three
credit items from MCI, $75 (the AT&T check), $10 (I don't remember
what for) and $6.something (they had a different number for my second
international Friends and Family). Result: my total bill for this
month was 11.03C (that is credit), i.e.: MCI paid even my local phone
bill for that month.

I'm one happy phone customer, just hoping to receive more checks in
the mail. If I can use them I'll cash them, otherwise I will throw
them away.


Ole C. Hellevik   [e-mail]
I do not speak for anyone but myself.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rob Hansen)
Subject: *69 as Caller-ID?
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 07:59:12 PDT


As you probably know, Caller-ID is not available in California.

However, Priority*Ring (distinctive ring when someone on your personal
list calls you) and Call*Return are both available.

I personally use Priority*Ring, and have used it as a form of
Caller-ID.  When I suspected a certain individual was making annoying
calls to me, I deleted everyone else from my list and was able to
confirm or deny my suspicions.

I do not have Call*Return.  My question is this: If I call "John Doe"
who uses Call*Return on me, will the system read my number back to
him?  Assuming it won't and isn't allowed to, what happens if I'm far
enough away from John that I the call costs him money?  Will my number
show up on his phone bill?  If it will, isn't this a violation of the
rules?

Curious ...


Rob

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 93 23:32:49 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Brian Hess)
Subject: Jabra Earphone [Re: Sharper Image products]


> 2) Hands Free Ear Phone -- A hands free phone without a mike boom

The company that makes these has the euphonious name "Jabra"
(onomotopoeic for "jabber" to me :-).  They claim that the microphone
*does* pick up some room sounds, but it's not too annoying.  They also
make an earbud/mic combination for Macs so you can plug into the
mic/speaker on the back of your machine.

Their president said something about hoping for a cordless version
someday soon, and was describing a thing somewhat smaller than the
size of their current base unit, that would be tucked in your shirt
pocket.  And then she went on about R&D for a bone-conduction
microphone instead of the hole-in-the-earbud model.  Who knows ...

Anybody have any actual use data on these babies?  They certainly look
cute, but who can tell without having been on both sides of the
conversation with one.  (For example, I saw people here talking about
comparing some cordless digital thing with the Tropez.  Well, the
Tropez is just *awful* IMHO, doing low-res digitization and clipping
off the front of your speech (perhaps as a result of the res). You
don't know this of course, until a friend on the other end of the line
asks if you have a cold or something!)  Come on, fess up, you gadget
freaks who bought one as soon as you saw it -- inquiring minds want to
know!


Brian Hess    Active Ingredients, Inc.    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 08:23:12 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: About Caller-ID Blocking in Virginia
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


I was visiting my sister in Arlington, Virginia and wanted to check
something.

Since I "knew" that Caller-ID blocking is not available in Virginia,
and my sister is not a police officer or someone with special
permission, I decided to dial the *67 code to see what the recording
was for someone not authorized (in Maryland I'd get a stutter dial
tone meaning it was accepted.)

So I dialed *67 expecting a recording.

What I got was a STUTTER DIAL TONE!

I don't know anyone who has a Caller-ID box to try and ask them if
this works, but it makes me wonder: has C&P Telephone simply
programmed all of their switches in the Washington, DC area the same
way (and thus installed Caller-ID blocking in the Virginia suburbs
even though it's not required) or is it a mistake of some kind?  Or
are they simply implementing Caller ID block even though they don't
have to do so?

I don't want to ask the phone company in case it's a mistake, (then
again, some of them might read this column anyway ...)

I want to find out if this is a "real" block or just the switch
accepting *67 and then ignoring it.

Can someone who has (or knows someone who has) Caller-ID block
blocking in the Washington, DC Area (Montgomery & Prince George's
Counties in Maryland; Washington, DC; Arlington, and Fairfax Counties
and the independent cities of Fairfax, Alexandria, Vienna and Falls
Church, VA) give me a number to check that would refuse blocked calls?
I used to have one but I can't find it.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 08:49:02 EDT
From: Bonnie J Johnson <[e-mail]>
Subject: FCC Docket 91-35


Sorry Pat, I wish I could find an easy way to FTP but my source right
now is only hard copy-they are working on a version for the Mac, but
that wouldn't help.


Sorry,

bj


[Moderator's Note: Then as you volunteered earlier, people who want a
copy will need to contact you directly with their mail address.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 93 23:55:24 EDT
From: Terry Carroll <[e-mail]>
Subject: Copyright Law FAQ


In case anyone cares about this type of thing, I've written a fairly
extensive FAQ on U.S. copyright law, which is available via ftp from
charon.amdahl.com, /pub/misc.legal/Copyright-FAQ.

I've noted a lot of erroneous statements on copyright law on the net,
so I decided to do my part to try to clarify it.

For most assertions of law, the FAQ contains citation to statutes,
regulations, or cases for support.


Terry Carroll, Santa Clara, CA
Internet: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 15:27 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Talking Thermometer


Can anyone help me find a talking thermometer?  It would help if it
were rugged enough for continuous commercial use, read out in degrees
C, and even better if it had a telephone line interface, although this
is not an absolute necessity.


Paul Cook                        206-881-7000
Proctor & Associates        MCI Mail 399-1080
15050 NE 36th St.           fax: [phone]
Redmond, WA  98052-5378   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 93 23:17 EDT
From: [e-mail] (woody)
Subject: Bell Canada Prepay Card Trial


[from Bell News (Bell Canada / Bell Ontario) 9 August 1993]

Bell to conduct market trial for prepaid LD cards.

Bell, joined by BCTel and AGT, will conduct a market trial of a new
product that will allow customers in Canada without Calling Cards
[tm], credit cards or coins, to call virtually anywhere in the world.

Called HELLO! [tm] Phone Pass, the card is designed to help
international and domestic travellers in Canada.

The trials are scheduled to take place from September 20, 1993 to
March 31, 1994.

The HELLO! [tm] Phone Pass will become available on a Stentor-wide
national basis in spring 1994, pending the outcome of the trial.

Bell and the other Stentor phone companies are the first major long
distance carriers in Canada to test this new product.

The HELLO! [tm] Phone Pass service is just one of the many new
services we are rolling out for the benefit of our customers.

Convenient and easy to use, the HELLO! [tm] Phone Pass will be about
the same size and shape as a Calling Card [tm], and will be available
in denominations of $20 for the duration of the trial. The cost of the
card includes applicable federal and provincial taxes.

Eventually the HELLO! [tm] Phone Pass will be available in larger and
smaller denominations.

Customers will initially be able to purchase the cards at selected
Bell Phonecentre [tm] stores, or at vending machines in certain high
traffic areas. Over time, the cards would become available through
other convenient channels.

The cards will initially be available in English, French, Cantonese
and Japanese. Other languages may be available in the future.

To use the card, a customer simply dials 1-800 to reach an automated
multi- lingual voice response system. The customer then inputs a 12
digit card number found on the back of the card, followed by the long
distance number desired.

Once the number is dialed, the system determines the value remaining
on the card, and states the allowable number of minutes for that
particular call.

The call may continue until the funds ont the card reach zero, or
until the caller wishes to terminate the conversation. The voice
system informs the caller when the call is within one minute of
reaching zero funds.

Additional features will be added to the HELLO! [tm] Phone Pass
service as it evolves over time.

[end of article]

                       --------------------

DL: Some things come to mind in the above:

1) how did Bell Canada pull off the trademark on the word HELLO???

2) Talk Tickets seem to be similar (and perhaps even more advanced)
to the service Bell is trying here;

3) aren't there more digits after one "simply dials 1-800"?;

4) are Talk Tickets (the apparent inspiration for this new Bell Canada
venture) available to Canadians and/or usable from Canada?)


[Moderator's Note: In David's message above he referred to 'AT&T
Talk Tickets' and I removed the 'AT&T' part since that company is the
carrier for the Talk Ticket traffic but not the owner of the card
other than through very indirect connections with their largest
reseller and aggregator, etc. I don't know which debit card came
first; Western Union started with them about the same time as Talk
Ticket I believe. Everyone seems to have gotten the idea at the same
time as there are now several competing brands. Mine are still 39
cents per minute when purchased in quantity at a discount, but I don't
have nearly the distribution network of the big players.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 07:34 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Gary Sanders)
Subject: Motorola Jobs


I posted a note several weeks ago about the Motorola Iridium program
starting because I received a call from head hunters.

I received many email messages and a couple phone calls from people
wanting the head hunters info. At the time I didn't have it because I
wasn't interested in the job and just round filed the info. I received
a followup letter from them.  Here's the information. I have nothing
to do with the company; I am just passing on the info.

CCS Consultants
908-264-8300
I talked with Pamela Lamb.


Gary W. Sanders [e-mail], 72277,1325
N8EMR @ N8JYV (ip addr) 44.70.0.1 [Ohio AMPR address coordinator]
HAM BBS 614-895-2553 (1200/2400/V.32/PEP) Voice: 614-895-2552 (eves/weekends)

------------------------------

From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Subject: Starting Another Year Here
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 10:03:00 CDT


TELECOM Digest started on August 11, 1981 so the list has completed
twelve years of publication and starts year thirteen at this time.
The list has grown tremendously since the beginning, and now the
Digest is circulated not only through its own mailing list and on
Usenet (where it appears as comp.dcom.telecom) but also on just about
every email system in the world -- wherever people ask to subscribe --
and numerous independent bulletin board systems. Readers on GEnie and
Compuserve receive it as to readers on America On-Line, Prodigy and
quite a few other places. From one issue of the Digest every two or
three days in the beginning, the volume of mail has grown to the point
that several issues per day are needed to keep up with the flow most
days, and several hours per day of time are required to edit the
submissions, circulate them, and maintain the mailing list, among
other duties. My thanks are given to the many readers who have sent
notes of congratulations and encouragement in the past few days
marking this anniversary.

Please remember that TELECOM Digest is financially supported through
the generous gifts of readers and the sale of telephone services and
products on an affinity and ongoing residual basis. Your help is very
important -- more important than ever -- as year thirteen gets under
way here. Our office address is:

  Telecom Digest / 2241 W. Howard St. #208 / Chicago, IL 60645


Patrick Townson

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #563
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa02541;
          12 Aug 93 19:25 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA10546
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 16:40:20 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA23573
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 16:39:43 -0500
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 16:39:43 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #564

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 12 Aug 93 16:39:30 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 564

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Country Code Reverse List (Paul Cook)
    Call for Papers IFIP SEC'94 Caribbean ([e-mail])
    Bidirectional and 7-Bit Zmodem (Paul Robinson)
    Instream Inaccurate Digit Correcton (Paul Robinson)
    Unrequested Remote Call Forwarding (Paul Robinson)
    Cellular Phone With Mac Powerbook (Brandy N. Justice)
    Looking For Information: ISDN Data Modules (Kurt Kokko)
    A Converter From Pulse to Tone (Vittorio Mischi)

                     ----------------------
TELECOM Digest is an e-journal devoted mostly -- but not exclusively --
to discussions on voice telephony. The Digest is a not-for-profit
public service published frequently by Patrick Townson Associates. PTA
markets a no-surcharge telephone calling card and a no monthly fee 800
service.  In addition, we are resellers of AT&T's Software Defined
Network. For a detailed discussion of our services, write and ask for
the file 'products'.

The Digest is delivered at no charge by email to qualified subscribers on
any electronic mail service connected to the Internet. To join the mail-
ing list, write and tell us how you qualify: [e-mail].
 All article submissions MUST be sent to our email address: telecom@eecs.
nwu.edu -- NOT as replies to comp.dcom.telecom.

Back issues and numerous other telephone-related files of interest are
available from the Telecom Archives, using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu.
Login anonymous, then 'cd telecom-archives'. At the present time, the
Digest is also ported to Usenet at the request of many readers there,
where it is known as 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Use of the Digest does not
require the use of our products and services. The two are separate.
All articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. Organi-
zations listed, if any, are for identification purposes only. The
Digest is compilation-copyrighted, 1993. **DO NOT** cross-post articles
between the Digest and other Usenet or alt newsgroups. Do not compile
mailing lists from the net-addresses appearing herein.  Send tithes and
love offerings to PO Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690. :)  Phone: [phone].

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 18:35 GMT
From: Proctor & Associates <[e-mail]>
Subject: Country Code Reverse List


Sometimes I get a fax from overseas and there is no clue as to where
it is from.  I decided I needed a reverse list of country codes in
numerical order, after I wearied of paging through the AT&T
International Telecommunications Guide.

Here is one that I just sorted.  If there isn't one already in the
Telecom Archives, maybe this could go there.

Country    Country           Country    Country
 Code                         Code
  7 Armenia (C.I.S.)          350 Gibraltar
  7 Azerbaijan (C.I.S.)       351 Azores
  7 Belarus (C.I.S.)          351 Madeira Island
  7 Georgia (C.I.S.)          351 Portugal
  7 Kazakhstan (C.I.S.)       352 Luxembourg
  7 Kyrgyzstan (C.I.S.)       353 Ireland
  7 Lithuania (C.I.S.)        354 Iceland
  7 Moldova (C.I.S.)          355 Albania
  7 Russia  (C.I.S.)          356 Malta
  7 Tajikstan (C.I.S.)        357 Cyprus
  7 Turkmenistan (C.I.S.)     358 Finland
  7 Ukraine (C.I.S.)          359 Bulgaria
  7 Uzbekistan (C.I.S.)       372 Estonia (C.I.S.)
 20 Egypt, Arab Rep.          374 Latvia (C.I.S.)
 27 South Africa              500 Falkland Island
 30 Greece                    501 Belize
 31 Netherlands(Holland)      502 Guatemala
 32 Belgium                   503 El Salvador
 33 Andorra                   504 Honduras
 33 France                    505 Nicaragua
 33 Monaco                    506 Costa Rica
 34 Canary Islands            507 Panama
 34 Spain                     508 St. Pierre/Miquelon
 36 Hungary                   509 Haiti
 38 Yugoslavia                590 Guadelope
 39 Italy                     591 Bolivia
 39 San Marino, Rep.          592 Guyana
 39 Vatican City              593 Ecuador
 40 Romania                   594 Cayenne (Fr.Guiana)
 41 Liechtenstein             594 French Guiana
 41 Switzerland               595 Paraguay
 42 Czechoslovakia            596 French Antilles
 43 Austria                   596 Martinique (Fr.Ant.)
 44 United Kingdom            597 Suriname
 45 Denmark                   598 Uruguay
 46 Sweden                    599 Curacao (Neth.Ant.)
 47 Norway                    599 Netherlands Ant.
 48 Poland                    599 Saba (Neth.Ant.)
 49 Germany                   599 St. Eustatius
 51 Peru                      599 St. Maarten
 52 Mexico                    642 Antartica
 53 Guantanamo Bay            670 Mariana Is. (Saipan)
 54 Argentine Rep.            670 Saipan
 55 Brazil                    671 Guam
 56 Chile                     672 Antartica
 57 Colombia                  672 Christmas Island
 58 Venezuela                 672 Cocos Island
 60 Malaysia                  672 Norfolk Island
 61 Australia                 673 Brunei
 62 Indonesia                 674 Naura
 63 Philippines               675 Papua (New Guinea)
 64 New Zealand               676 Tonga
 65 Singapore                 677 Solomon Islands
 66 Thailand                  678 Vanuatu
 81 Japan                     679 Fiji Islands
 81 Okinawa                   680 Palau
 82 Korea                     681 Wallis & Futuna
 84 Vietnam                   682 Cook Islands
 86 China, People's Rep       683 Niue Island
 90 Turkey                    684 American Samoa
 91 India                     685 Western Samoa
 92 Pakistan                  686 Gilbert Islands
 93 Afghanistan               686 Kiribati
 94 Sri Lanka                 687 New Caledonia
 98 Iran                      688 Tuvalu
212 Morocco                   689 French Polynesia
213 Algeria                   689 Tahiti
214 Algeria                   691 Micronesia
215 Algeria                   692 Marshall Islands
216 Tunisia                AC 809 Anguilla
218 Libyan Arab Rep.       AC 809 Antigua
220 Gambia                 AC 809 Bahamas
221 Senegal                AC 809 Barbados
222 Mauritania             AC 809 Bermuda
223 Mali Republic          AC 809 British V.I.
224 Guinea                 AC 809 Cayman Islands
225 Ivory Coast            AC 809 Dominica
226 Burkina Faso           AC 809 Dominican Republic
227 Rep. of Niger          AC 809 Grenada (W.I.)
228 Togolese Rep.          AC 809 Jamaica
229 Dahomey (Benin)        AC 809 Montserrat
230 Mauritius              AC 809 Nevis
231 Liberia                AC 809 St. Croix
232 Sierra Leone           AC 809 St. Kitts
233 Ghana                  AC 809 St. Lucia
234 Nigeria                AC 809 St. Thomas
235 Chad                   AC 809 St. Vincent
236 Cent. Afr. Republic    AC 809 Trinidad/Tobago
237 Cameroon               AC 809 Turks/Caicos
238 Cape Verde Islands     AC 809 Puerto Rico
239 Principe                  852 Hong Kong
239 Sao Tome                  853 Macao
240 Equatorial Guinea         855 Cambodia
241 Gabon Republic            871 Inmarsat (E. Atl.)
242 Congo                     872 Inmarsat (Pacific)
243 Zaire                     873 Inmarsat (Indian)
244 Angola                    874 Inmarsat (W. Atl.)
245 Guinea-Bissau             880 Bangladesh
247 Ascension Island          886 China, Taiwan
248 Seychelle                 886 Taiwan (Rep of China)
250 Rwanda                    960 Maldive Islands
251 Ethiopia                  961 Lebanon
253 Djibouti                  962 Jordan
254 Kenya                     963 Syrian Arab Republic
255 Zanzibar (Tanzania)       964 Iraq
256 Uganda                    965 Kuwait
257 Burundi                   966 Saudi Arabia
258 Mozambique                967 Yemen(Arab Republic)
260 Zambia                    968 Muscat
261 Madagascar                968 Oman
262 Reunion Island            971 Abu Dhabi (UAE)
263 Zimbabwe                  971 Ajman (UAE)
264 Namibia                   971 Dubai (UAE)
264 Southwest Africa          971 Fujairah (UAE)
265 Malawi                    971 Ra's Al Khaymah (UAE)
266 Lesotho                   971 Sharjah (UAE)
267 Botswana                  971 Umm Al Qaiwain (UAE)
268 Swaziland                 971 United Arab Emirates
269 Comoros                   972 Israel
269 Mayotte Island            973 Bahrain
290 St. Helena Island         974 Qatar
297 Aruba (Neth.Ant)          975 Bhutan
298 Faeroe Islands            976 Mongolia
299 Greenland                 977 Nepal


Paul Cook                        206-881-7000
Proctor & Associates        MCI Mail 399-1080
15050 NE 36th St.           fax: [phone]
Redmond, WA  98052-5378   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 01:45 +0100
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Call for Papers IFIP SEC'94 Caribbean


  Call for Papers IFIP SEC'94 - updated information August 1993

                C A L L   F O R   P A P E R S

Technical Committee 11 - Security and Protection in Information
Processing Systems - of the UNESCO affiliated INTERNATIONAL
FEDERATION FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING - IFIP,

                      announces:

Its TENTH INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION SECURITY CONFERENCE, IFIP SEC'94
TO BE HELD IN THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES (CARIBBEAN), FROM MAY 23
THROUGH MAY 27, 1994.

Organized by Technical Committee 11 of IFIP, in close cooperation with
the Special Interest Group on Information Security of the Dutch
Computer Society and hosted by the Caribbean Computer Society, the
TENTH International Information Security Conference IFIP SEC'94 will
be devoted to advances in data, computer and communications security
management, planning and control. The conference will encompass
developments in both theory and practise, envisioning a broad
perspective of the future of information security.  The event will be
lead by its main theme "Dynamic Views on Information Security in
Progress".

Papers are invited and may be practical, conceptual, theoretical,
tutorial or descriptive in nature, addressing any issue, aspect or
topic of information security. Submitted papers will be refereed, and
those presented at the conference, will be included in the formal
conference proceedings.  Submissions must not have been previously
published and must be the original work of the author(s). Both the
conference and the five tutorial expert workshops are open for
refereed presentations.

The purpose of IFIP SEC'94 is to provide the most comprehensive
international forum and platform, sharing experiences and
interchanging ideas, research results, development activities and
applications amongst academics, practitioners, manufacturers and other
professionals, directly or indirectly involved with information
security. The conference is intended for computer security
researchers, security managers, advisors, consultants, accountants,
lawyers, edp auditors, IT, adminiatration and system managers from
government, industry and the academia, as well as individuals
interested and/or involved in information security and protection.

IFIP SEC'94 will consist of a FIVE DAY - FIVE PARALLEL STREAM -
enhanced conference, including a cluster of SIX FULL DAY expert
tutorial workshops.

In total over 120 presentations will be held. During the event the
second Kristian Beckman award will be presented. The conference will
address virtually all aspects of computer and communications security,
ranging from viruses to cryptology, legislation to military trusted
systems, safety critical systems to network security, etc.

The six expert tutorial workshops, each a full day, will cover the
following issues:

Tutorial A: Medical Information Security
Tutorial B: Information Security in Developing Nations
Tutorial C: Modern Cryptology
Tutorial D: IT Security Evaluation Criteria
Tutorial E: Information Security in the Banking and Financial Industry
Tutorial F: Security of Open/Distributed Systems

Each of the tutorials will be chaired by a most senior and
internationally respected expert.

The formal proceedings will be published by Elsevier North Holland
Publishers, including all presentations, accepted papers, key-note
talks, and invited speeches.

The Venue for IFIP SEC'94 is the ITC World Trade Center Convention
Facility at Piscadera Bay, Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles.

A unique social program, including formal banquet, giant 'all you can
eat' beach BBQ, island Carnival night, and much more will take care of
leisure and relax time.

A vast partners program is available, ranging from island hopping,
boating, snorkeling and diving to trips to Bonaire, St. Maarten, and
Caracas.  A special explorers trip up the Venezuela jungle and the
Orinoco River is also available.  For families a full service
kindergarten can take care of youngsters.

The conference will be held in the English language. Spanish
translation for Latin American delegates will be available.

Special arrangements with a wide range of hotels and appartments
complexes in all rate categories have been made to accommodate the
delegates and accompanying guests. (*)

The host organizer has made special exclusive arrangements with KLM
Royal Dutch Airlines and ALM Antillean Airlines for worldwide
promotional fares in both business and tourist class. (**)

(*)(**) Our own IFIP TC11 inhouse TRAVEL DESK will serve from any city on
the globe.

All authors of papers submitted for the referee process will enjoy
special benefits.

Authors of papers accepted by the International Referee Committee will
enjoy extra benefits.

If sufficient proof (written) is provided, students of colleges,
universities and science institutes within the academic community, may
opt for student enrollment. These include special airfares, appartment
accommodations, discounted participation, all in a one packet prepaid
price.  (Authors' benefits will not be affected)


INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

Five copies of the EXTENDED ABSTRACT, consisting of no more than 25
double spaced typewritten pages, including diagrams and illustrations,
of approximately 5000 words, must be received by the Program Committee
no later than November 15th, 1993.

We regret that electronically transmitted papers, papers on diskettes,
papers transmitted by fax and handwritten papers are not accepted.

Each paper must have a title page, which includes the title of the
paper, full names of all author(s) and their title(s), complete
address(es), including affiliation(s), employer(s), telephone/fax
number(s) and email address(es).

To facilitate the blind refereeing process the author(s)' particulars
should only appear on the separate title page. The language of the
conference papers is English.

The first page of the manuscript should include the title, a keyword
list and a 50 word introduction. The last page of the manuscript
should include the reference work (if any).

Authors are invited to express their interest in participating in the
contest, providing the Program Committee with the subject or issue
that the authors intend to address (e.g. crypto, viruses, legal,
privacy, design, access control, etc.) This should be done preferably
by email to < [e-mail] >, or alternately sending a faxmessage to
[phone] (Program Committee IFIP SEC'94)

The extended abstracts must be received by the Program Committee on or
before November 15th, 1993.

Notification of acceptance will be mailed to contestants on or before
December 31, 1993. This notification will hold particular detailed
instructions for the presentation and the preparation of camera ready
manuscripts of the full paper.

Camera ready manuscripts must be ready and received by the Program
Committee on or before February 28, 1994.

If you want to submit a paper, or you want particular information on
the event, including participation, please write to:

IFIP SEC'94 Secretariat
Postoffice Box 1555
6201 BN   MAASTRICHT
THE NETHERLANDS  -  EUROPE

or fax to:

IFIP SEC'94 Secretariat: [phone] (Netherlands)

or email to:

< [e-mail] >

Special request to all electronic mail readers:

Please forward this Call for Papers to all networks and listservices
that you have access to, or otherwise know of.


Sincerely,

IFIP TC 11 Secretariat

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 12:57:36 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Bidirectional and 7-Bit Zmodem
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


I'd like to find people interested in either a Bidirectional version
of Zmodem or in one which will operate on a 7-bit link.  (Current
Zmodem implementations use 8 bits.)

Those who are interested in:

(1) the idea; (2) the concepts; (3) in defining the specifications; (4)
in making suggestions; (5) in writing code;

are requested to write to me and if there is much interest, I'll set
up a mailing list to handle it.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 12:11:38 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Instream Inaccurate Digit Correcton
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


In an article titled " Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address", Blake
Patterson <[e-mail]>, writes:

> Do any phone companies allow midstream digit correction when
> placing a phone call?  I've never heard of that option, but
> I'd pay for it.

I don't see how you can do it now.  Unless we make the * key the
delete key at any point *except* as the first character of the dialed
number to allow for feature requests such as *70 or *67.  Since **
might be used for some features, a * could not be used to edit a star
code either.

The answer is to buy a phone that has on-hook dialing with a display
so you can do that.

We have two very nice laser fax machines at my office, both have the
capacity to read a fax in and store it and send it out after reading
it, so you can load one or more faxes into memory while a fax is being
sent or received.  There is a "clear" key on the front panel that if
you push it, it backspaces one digit off the dialed number (unless you
are dialing directly, then, of course it can't.)  It is a *very nice*
feature, especially on overseas calls where a number can be misread.

I wish the feature was more widely available.  I like the capability
of fixing a number before dialing it.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 11:20:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Unrequested Remote Call Forwarding
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


A posting on the Risks list discussed how an inmate at a state
penetentiary was able to get some private party's phone to be enabled
with Remote Call Forwarding (RCF), AND got someone from the phone
company to give them the security code over the phone.

I just thought about this.  A while back I had two additional phone
lines installed in my house to add to the two I already had.  At the
request of the person who wanted the extra line, I put "Ultra Call
Forward" (C&P Telephone's name for RCF) on one of the lines.

It just occurred to me, if I'm not mistaken, that the clerk did give
me the information (800 number if long distance; local number if
local) to set up the service and passcode) at the time I requested the
service change even though he did not ask me for any personal
identification when I placed the order.

It's been said on TELECOM Digest several times that inmates in prisons
make calls that have to be made collect only.  Are they referring to
the phones provided by the correctional facility or are the pay phones
set up so they cannot place calls other than collect?

If prison pay phones can only call collect, then the person that did
this had to have an outsider do this, or they had to be calling an 800
number (can prison phones call 1-800 numbers?  If not, how do they
call their lawyer if he has one?)


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1993 12:11:20 -0400 (EDT)
From: brandy n justice <[e-mail]>
Subject: Cellular Phone With Mac Powerbook


I'm attempting to hook up a Mac Powerbook with my cellular phone in
hopes of accessing the Internet. The Powerbook has an internal
modem... Global Village, I think. I'm not sure if I need a different
phone or what. Any suggestions? Do you know if I need any special
equipment or anything of that sort? Thanks for your help, because I
know nothing about this.


Brandy N. Justice    Furman University   Freshman   [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Kurt Kokko)
Subject: Looking for info -ISDN Data Modules
Organization: ESCA Corporation, Bellevue WA
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 16:38:28 GMT


I am looking for info on availible ISDN "data modules" (RBOC's term.)

I need a device to provide access to both B channels from a V.35 port,
and to support ACU (V.25 bis) dialing.

Our RBOC wants $1,100 per B channel.


Thanks,

[e-mail]   Kurt Kokko    [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1993 19:10:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: Vittorio Mischi <[e-mail]>
Subject: A Converter From Pulse to Tone


I am looking for a device that converts pulse signals into tone
signals.

I believe there must be circuits around. I am looking for something
that can be plugged into a PC as any modem board and can be used on a
bank of lines concurrently (that is from different users at the same
time).

It should be able to fill up a buffer and then spit out the sequential
string of tones quickly.

I also have a question on the conversion: are there any unique strings
of pulse signals that can be translated into the #,*,A,B,C,or D Tone?

Any comment, reference or offer for help is very appreciated.


Thanks,

Vittorio Mischi   Carnegie Mellon University  (standard disclaimers apply)

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #564
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa03262;
          12 Aug 93 19:57 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA26817
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 17:21:18 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA26570
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 17:20:41 -0500
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 17:20:41 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #565

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 12 Aug 93 17:20:40 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 565

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN) (Al Varney)
    Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN) (Fred R. Goldstein)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Jim Rees)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Gary L. Dare)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Atri Indiresan)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Paul Joslin)
    Re: Hotel Rip-Off - Is This a Record? (Ken Thompson)
    Re: Hotel Rip-Off - Is This a Record? (Greg Abbott)
    Re: Error Rates For 2400 Baud Modems (David Leibold)
    Re: Error Rates For 2400 Baud Modems (Paul Robinson)
    Re: Another Look at Alex Bell (Derek Andrew)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 17:49:34 CDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN)
Organization: AT&T


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Harold Hallikainen) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail].
> com (Fred R. Goldstein) writes:

> I've gotten several mile local loops (for FM radio stations)
> with 70 dB or more of dynamic range.  So, why do they only use 4
> levels in the 2B1Q?  Seems like a lot more would be available
> (stuffing more bps into a baud) before noise starts making it
> difficult to determine what the actual transmit analog level is.  Or,
> is the problem intersymbol interference where the level of one quat
> has an effect on those surrounding it, making the level of this
> particular quat difficult to determine?

   I've written about loop plant characteristics in the
"comp.dcom.isdn" a few times, and won't repeat all the stuff here.
Much of my meager knowledge is based on the book "Digital Transmission
Systems and Networks", Vol. II, M. J. Miller & S.V. Ahamed, Computer
Science Press, Rockville, MD, 1988.  A sub-chapter is headed "The
major limitations for loop data transmission" and details the
following imperfections of subscriber loops and their effects on ISDN
data rates:

   Physical:

- 1 or more guage changes between CO and subscriber
(each of these junctions can be a reflection point, and obviously
alter the overall loop characteristics)

- Bridged taps (open circuit cable sections tapped off the "main" loop)
(these provide reflections of transmitted signals, and attenuation
of signals from the far end, as well as major shifts in impedance.
Imagine a quarter-wave unterminated circuit bridged onto your loop
at one or more arbitrary points -- a reflected pulse will return
just in time to occupy the next bit position.)

- Loading coils, used on loops longer than about 18000 ft (5486 km)
(these suppress high frequencies to the point that everyone just says
these won't support the "U" interface) In the US in 1973, such loops
accounted for 24% of subscriber loops.  This number has certainly gone
down due to DLC, etc. deployment.

- Open wire (inductive 60 Hz coupling/crosstalk and impedance changes
with weather).

- Temperature (can change reactive component of impedance significantly).

   Electrical:

- Crosstalk (including crosstalk from adjacent T1 lines;)
- Lightning surges;
- EMF;

   In a 1973 loop survey of (pre-divest) AT&T loops, the average loop
was 7748.63 ft. long (2.262 km), had 4 sections and 1.64 bridged taps.
The average tap was 922.42 ft. (0.282 km).  Loops of less than 1000
ft.  had taps averaging 1333 ft. in length.  Characteristic impedance
toward the CO is markedly different than toward the subscriber on the
same loop.

>> To make all this work, impedance is specified, with very picky
>> transformers needed for S/T to meet spec.  S/T uses separate transmit
>> and receive wires, thus a 4-wire interface.  The BRI U uses one pair,
>> so there's some fancy echo cancellation done inside the transceiver
>> ("UBAT", in AT&T terms) chip.  Real fancy.

> It seems that if the characteristic impedance of the line is
> matched, there should be no "far end echo", or , at least, it should
> be substantially attenuated.  The "near end echo" (side tone on POTS)
> seems like it could be cancelled pretty well if we precisely know the
> impedance the line presents to the interface.  If the far end has
> indeed terminated the line with its characteristic impedance, then it
> seems the near end should have the same impedance.  I haven't messed
> with long twisted pairs to play with the transmission line effects,
> but it would sure be fun.

   See above -- remember that ISDN deployment SHOULD be possible
without doing fancy impedance matching on loops, and SHOULD continue
to work as the loop plant changes with weather, time, repairs, etc.

> It seems like the throughput of a line is going to be limited by its
> analog dynamic range and the attenuation versus frequency.  Is the
> attenuation versus frequency (frequency response) reversible with an
> equalizer?  It seems that most equalizers that adjust the amplitude
> response also adjust the phase response (making it nonlinear).

> It also seems that a long twisted pair would have a linear phase
> response (propogation delay relatively independent of frequency).  Can
> we feed a high speed multilevel pulse waveform in one end of a twisted
> pair and, with equalization, pull it back out the other end?

   The trickest part for ISDN seems to be handling echo since the
2-wire line is both sending and receiving at the same time (in the
2B1Q version).  You seem to be looking at a uni-directional signal on
a two-wire pair.  The four-wire version of ISDN will work over dozens
of miles, since this is essentially a low-speed verison of a T1
(1.544MHz) line.


Al Varney - just my opinion

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Fred R. Goldstein)
Subject: Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Littleton MA USA
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 05:19:03 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Harold Hallikainen) writes:

Sheesh!  I post a glib answer and somebody comes back with a
substantive reply!  :-)

> I've gotten several mile local loops (for FM radio stations)
> with 70 dB or more of dynamic range.  So, why do they only use 4
> levels in the 2B1Q?  Seems like a lot more would be available
> (stuffing more bps into a baud) before noise starts making it
> difficult to determine what the actual transmit analog level is.  Or,
> is the problem intersymbol interference where the level of one quat
> has an effect on those surrounding it, making the level of this
> particular quat difficult to determine?

The four-level signal was selected over a couple of three-level
proposals.  Remember they have to reliably distinguish an attenuated
signal in the presence of crosstalk.  The bit rate is 160 kbps, the
baud rate (symbol rate) is 80 kbps, and the energy peak is 40 kbps.
That's a lot higher than FM music, thus the shorter range.

>> To make all this work, impedance is specified, with very picky
>> transformers needed for S/T to meet spec.  S/T uses separate transmit
>> and receive wires, thus a 4-wire interface.  The BRI U uses one pair,
>> so there's some fancy echo cancellation done inside the transceiver
>> ("UBAT", in AT&T terms) chip.  Real fancy.

> It seems that if the characteristic impedance of the line is
> matched, there should be no "far end echo", or , at least, it should
> be substantially attenuated.  The "near end echo" (side tone on POTS)
> seems like it could be cancelled pretty well if we precisely know the
> impedance the line presents to the interface.  If the far end has
> indeed terminated the line with its characteristic impedance, then it
> seems the near end should have the same impedance.  I haven't messed
> with long twisted pairs to play with the transmission line effects,
> but it would sure be fun.

The NEXT (near-end cross talk) is easy.  The FEXT isn't terribly
tough.  What kills things is the junk in the middle.  While ISDN lines
are not supposed to have bridge taps (little stubs off the middle),
the reality is that bridge taps happen.  And a little bit of bridge
tap creates whopping echo somewhere, which the chip tries to cancel.
We actually verified (unwanted!) bridge taps on lines which were still
sort of working, but not working well enough to be useful.

> We sell transmitter control and telemetry equipment to radio
> and television stations.  They are generally using a 3002 type circuit
> to send 1200 to 2400 bps full duplex data.  I'm wondering what other
> sort of leased line circuits they could use, and how the data could be
> coded to go down that line.

If all you need is remote control and telemetry, low-speed analog is
fine.  Most datacomm can use 56k though, especially at the same price.
Digital lines are not like 3002s; they don't have the same terminators
and may have different repeaters.  And no bridge taps :-).


Fred R. Goldstein   [e-mail]
Opinions are mine alone; sharing requires permission

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
Date: 12 Aug 1993 16:53:35 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan CITI


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(James Olsen) writes:

> I summarized the FCC action on call blocking two years ago, when the
> rules were issued.  Full details are available in the Federal Register
> of August 16, 1991 (vol. 56, no. 159), pages 40793-9 and 40844-7.

I found a gopher server that has a link to the Federal Register, but
the link doesn't point at anything.  So someone probably has this
online but I don't know how to get at it.

The gopher is at gopher.netsys.com, port 2001, if anyone wants to
pursue it.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gary L Dare)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
Date: 12 Aug 1993 17:02:37 GMT
Organization: The Bloomingdale Insane Asylum (now Columbia University)


[e-mail] (Danny Padwa) writes:

> Is Centrex the only service that can provide this?  Harvard recently
> (last three years) rebuilt its phone system (down to the local loops).

I'm of the impression that "centrex" is a genericized term much like
"kleenex" (i.e., after a successful brand name, starting with a
capital letter).  You can get excellent technicals from using PABX
systems made by, say, Northern Telecom ...

> They also have an interesting system for billing calls ... any call
> that is chargeable (not "local" based upon the phone's calling plan)
> requires the input of your PIN.

> I know that Columbia has a similar policy of billing a person,
> rather than a phone, for LD calls.  Is this common?

Yes, it's called a calling card. (-; Seriously, types of calling cards
are proliferating at a wild pace and having internal ones is not that
much different from using your MCI card or getting your credit card
converted to an MCI card (as recently discussed).


Gary L. Dare    [e-mail]   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Atri Indiresan)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
Date: 12 Aug 93 15:14:11
Organization: University of Michigan


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(James Olsen) writes:

> I summarized the FCC action on call blocking two years ago, when the
> rules were issued.  Full details are available in the Federal Register
> of August 16, 1991 (vol. 56, no. 159), pages 40793-9 and 40844-7.

[details of conditions for aggregators to provide 10XXX access
deleted]

I enclosed this information to the head of the U. of Michigan Telecom
(UMTEL), along with this:

" I have been gathering information on the legal aspects of our
telephone service restrictions, and would like to know if UMTEL is in
compliance with these "equal access" regulations. My understanding is
that we have a rather modern switch, and there are no technical bars
to providing 10xxx service, at least to the major carriers. "

In his reply, he totally avoided the issue of whether the conditions
of the ruling, as posted by James Olsen, were met. He said:

" Yes, we have fully complied with all aspects.  This provides for equal
access for 0+ calls which we have always allowed.  This does not refer
to direct dial access.  We have legal representation on this issue and
adhere to all state and federal laws and tariffs. "

Do the FCC regulations say anything specific about 10XXX access, or,
is there legal opinion/agreement around that implies that 0+ access is
good enough? 0+ access is not equal to 10XXX, but is it equal enough
to satisfy the FCC?


Atri

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Paul Joslin (Sverdrup))
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
Date: 12 Aug 1993 12:57:17 GMT
Organization: Model Based Vision Lab, Wright Laboratory


In article <[e-mail]>, Gang Zhou ([e-mail].
edu) wrote:

> In article <[e-mail]> Bonnie J Johnson
> <[e-mail]> writes:

>> If some schools, by older switch design can not provide basic 10xxxx

> USC is setting up the phone system right now, so it must be a new
> system, but they don't provide basic 10xxxx.

>> access, they CAN provide basically the same freedom by obtaining the
>> 800 number for major carriers and advertising that number to its

> We can use the calling card via the 800 number for major carriers. It
> seams that USC has done its part of "equal access", right? But it's
> still not fair, or equal, because calling card bears a surcharge
> .75/1.75 for every call.

Another interesting change is that Universities may have to file
tariffs.

Apparently, AT&T filed suit against the FCC, saying that the FCC
policy requiring only the "dominant" carrier (i.e. AT&T) to file
tariffs was illegal.  A court agreed with them, and MCI was also
forced to file tariffs.  AT&T sued MCI and the FCC, saying the MCI
tariffs were vague, and succeeded in forcing MCI to file more detailed
tariffs.  According to Network World, the result of the suit may be
that all providers, from MCI and Sprint through aggregators, hotels
and universities, may have to file.

The FCC is challenging the ruling.


Paul R. Joslin  [phone]

------------------------------

From: ken thompson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Hotel Rip-Off - Is This a Record?
Date: 12 Aug 93 13:26:00 GMT
Organization: NCR Corporation Wichita, KS


[e-mail] (John Slater) writes:

> I have just had the dubious pleasure of staying for a couple of weeks
> at the Hyatt Regency Alicante in Anaheim, California. Being an avid

> Who needs COCOTs when hotels rip us off so effectively?

The phoney companies need rate approvals for their charges. ( Why they
call them trariffs still I do not understand.)  How can the hotels get
away with what they do?  It seems as if consumer agencies would go
after them.


Ken Thompson    N0ITL
Disk Array Hardware Development
Peripheral Products MPD-Wichita
NCR Corp.  an AT&T company
3718 N. Rock Road  Wichita,Ks 67226
[phone]
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 12:40:03 CST
From: Greg Abbott <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Hotel Rip-Off - Is This a Record?


[e-mail] (John Slater) wrote:

> I have just had the dubious pleasure of staying for a couple of weeks
> at the Hyatt Regency Alicante in Anaheim, California. Being an avid
> TELECOM Digest reader, I went straight to the rate card by the phone
> even before I unpacked my case.

> Even by British hotel standards (typically 400% mark-up on BT's
> standard unit charge), the Hyatt was extortionate. Consider what they
> charge for international calls:

> Operator-assisted rates (even though the call is direct-dialled)
> PLUS a $2.50 access charge per call!
> PLUS 45c per minute!!

Just as a side note, I recently complained to the Chicago Hilton
Towers regarding their policy to charge $1 for each local and 800
number call.  I received a telephone call from their Telecommuni-
cations Manager to inform me that she had forwarded my complaint
to someone at the corporate level.

It seems they had been receiving numerous complaints regarding this
policy.  Based on these complaints, a new policy was issued by
corporate to eliminate this charge.  I guess it does do some good to
complain occasionally!


GREG ABBOTT         E-MAIL: [e-mail]
9-1-1 COORDINATOR   COMPUSERVE MAIL: 76046,3107
                    VOICE: 217/333-4348
METCAD              FAX:   [phone]
1905 E. MAIN ST.    PAGER: 800/222-6651
URBANA, IL  61801   PIN # 9541

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (woody)
Subject: Re: Error Rates For 2400 Baud Modems
Date: 12 Aug 1993 02:42:27 GMT
Organization: Internex Online - Toronto, Canada [phone]


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dave Mc
Mahan) writes:

> I am currently trying to design yet another phone modem protocol that
> is capable of handling some unique requirements of my product.  After
> looking at the various standard modem protocols out there, I have
> found that none will be able to fulfill all the objectives I need.
> This is mainly due to lack of efficiency (Kermit and XMODEM fall into
> this category) or inability to pass data in two directions at the same
> time (ZMODEM falls into this category).  To make a long story short, a
> unique protocol is required.

There are protocols available in the BBS world that will send data in
both directions concurrently. The first well-known one was Bi-Modem,
and the recent protocol (with an open approach to protocol specs) is
Hydra. With Bi-Modem, and I think also Hydra, there is even an added
facility to allow for a "chat" channel while the transfer is taking
place; ie. a fraction of the bandwidth can be dedicated to on line
communication between a user and sysop, say. I believe the file
transfer activity is fairly continuous in both directions, akin to
Zmodem.

However, these may not be the only protocols, and hopefully the
protocol you specified will be useful for the task at hand.


David Leibold

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 12:37:28 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Error Rates For 2400 Baud Modems
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


> I am currently trying to design yet another phone modem protocol
> that is capable of handling some unique requirements of my product.
> After looking at the various standard modem protocols out there, I
> have found that none will be able to fulfill all the objectives I
> need. This is mainly due to lack of efficiency (Kermit and XMODEM
> fall into this category) or inability to pass data in two
> directions at the same time (ZMODEM falls into this category).  To
> make a long story short, a unique protocol is required.

Have you checked on the Bimodem protocol?  It's either from Vern Buerg
or S.H. Smith, I forget which.

> I have specified a protocol that will do the job.  My problem lies
> in the fact that I don't have good data on types of errors that
> occur when going through the public telephone network.  This means
> I can't pick the optimal message packet size to trade off protocol
> efficiency versus retransmit probability.  I would like input from
> you as to where I can find this data.

Find a copy of Chuck Forsberg's 1987 specifications and source code
(both in the public domain) explaining how Zmodem works and why it was
developed.

What you do is pick an 'optimum' size buffer based on how much data
would be transmitted in a stream and how fast the receiver can handle
it.  At 300 baud, it might be 128 bytes; at 1200, 1K; 2400, 2 or 4K;
and at 9600, 8K.  If there is an error, you tell the receiver to back
up to some point earlier in the transmission which is 'known good'.
This is done by a CRC. You keep count of the number of errors.  If the
number of errors starts to rise above a 'threshhold' then you reduce
the number of bytes sent in a packet to a smaller amount, e.g.  you
'throttle down' the packet size.  If the errors stay low, you can try
slowly increasing the size of the packet until you start getting
errors.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 06:56:47 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Derek Andrew)
Subject: Re: Another Look at Alex Bell (was Re: Handsets; Hearing Impaired)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: University of Saskatchewan


> Alex Bell was not a teacher for the deaf, he was the centerforce of
> mainstreaming the deaf and destroying their unique culture, to clear
> up with a myth, if it ever was one. To the deaf, he was the ultimate
> person of intolerance and oppression.

I took a sign language course recently and the instructore explained
the debate about 'deaf culture' to me. The pro-deaf culture stance is
that there is a unique culture among the deaf which is propogated by
being with other deaf people and using sign language. It is a culture
as powerful as any racial culture. They want to keep it.

The anti-deaf culture stance is that by continuing to promote sign
language rather than teaching lip reading, we are isolating the deaf
from the hearing culture. It prevents the deaf from integrating into
the larger hearing culture. Imagine if you only spoke Spanish and
tried to function in an English only environment, but were not capable
of learning even a few English words (like STOP or DANGER).

The politics were highlighted during the recent closing of the only
school for the deaf in this city. The students were distributed to
regular schools and given aids to assist in learning how to function
in the hearing community. The main discussions did not concentrate on
the benefits to the students, but rather on the loss of the centre of
the deaf community. It was the adults that were going to suffer, not
the students!

I wanted to send in this submission to show that there is another side
to destroying the deaf culture -- and it can be considered positive.


[e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #565
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa04313;
          12 Aug 93 20:51 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA04176
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 18:06:24 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA18068
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 18:05:45 -0500
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 18:05:45 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #566

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 12 Aug 93 18:05:45 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 566

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Status of Cellular Data (Robert Rosenberg)
    Re: Status of Cellular Data (Erik Ramberg)
    Re: Status of Cellular Data (Lynne Gregg)
    Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible (John R. Levine)
    Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible (Jan Ceuleers)
    Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible (Vance Shipley)
    Re: ATT Truevoice (David G. Lewis)
    Re: ATT Truevoice (Al Varney)
    Re: NXX Report: July 1993 (Trenton del Rey Gallowglass)
    Re: Who/What Determines Call (Vance Shipley)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Richard Thomsen)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 17:10:14 EDT
From: Robert Rosenberg <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Status of Cellular Data


> Can anyone post an update on what's going on in the world of cellular
> data?  I used to assume that wireless data connectivity would evolve
> out of alphanumeric pager service, but I gather that the cellular
> voice carriers are gearing up to soak up their spare bandwidth by
> providing cellular packet data.

> Is this right? How's it going?  When can I expect to have affordable
> two-way email from my laptop? I know about Embarc et al, but it is SOOOO
> expensive. It currently appears to be far cheaper per byte to use a
> cellular phone and modem than to use the alpha-pager services and that
> seems crazy.  Anybody know what's coming down in this area?

Our recent study of wireless data transport suggests that cellular is
indeed live and well, but there are a number of technology options
that must be assessed.

  Specialized mobile radio (SMR) is being developed as a digital
cellular-telephone technology. Though some industry experts maintain
that data business opportunities are less pressing than those for
voice, others are moving aggressively to provide data services or
combined voice and data services via SMR frequencies.

The reality is that in 1993 more cars and trucks have SMR than have
cellular telephones-though this a service that is arguably lower in
quality than cellular (measured by both transmission quality and
fraction of call attempts that are blocked because of no available
channels), lower in functionality (limited connectivity to the public
switched telephone network as well as to other customers), but also
lower in cost. Wireless data communications will find a market using
SMR frequencies, as a packet-radio overlay technology atop voice
services.

We expect to see dial-up cellular-telephone modems become increasingly
popular as a cellular telephone with dial-up data and fax modem
becomes a standard option on laptop or notebook PCs. The costs
associated with building wireless modems will slide down the cost
curve-in part because of the trend toward nomadic computing and growth
in the cellular-telephone network. These devices will function on
either a wireline or a wireless network, though the typical
applications will be to fax or to dial into a terrestrial wireline
network. However, Insight analysis suggests that the cost of dial-up
cellular-telephone service could make more cost-effective packet-radio
services the preferred mode for wireless data communications in the
next five years.

Packet-radio maps beautifully to data communications: it involves
sharing a scarce resource-radio spectrum-among many different users.
The packet-radio paradigm is assumed to be relatively
bursty-typically, an interactive terminal/host session actually will
send or receive information only 0.1 percent of the time or less.

The business question is will packet radio evolve via standalone
networks-such as Ardis and Ram Mobile Data, which employ SMR
frequencies to handle data alone-or will it piggyback off the
capital-equipment outlay for voice wireless network. If piggybacking
makes the better business case, will packet radio evolve using guard
bands in cellular network frequencies or via transmission over unused
frequencies in the cellular analog voice network, as adopted by the
backers of the cellular digital packet data (CDPD) protocols?

The key issue here is ease of use, which in part translates into
coverage.  Cellular-telephone networks already have greater geographic
coverage than SMR networks; hence the lower cost approach to wireless
data is to share costs with a voice cellular-telephone service
providers. Because of the open nature of the CDPD consortium formed by
McCaw, GTE Cellular, Sprint, and six of the seven RBOCs, the
willingness to publish an architecture, and to make the technology
available to all interested parties, Insight's analysis suggests
success for the CDPD consortium. Open systems rewrote the rules in the
computer industry in the 1980s and will continue to dominate computing
and telecommunications the 1990s. By way of contrast, those backing
cellular data via guard bands expect to reap profits from locking
customers into proprietary technologies and interfaces, an approach
out of step with present realities.


Bob Rosenberg   Insight Research Corporation  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: esl!SMTP![e-mail] (Erik Ramberg)
Subject: Re: Status of Cellular Data
Date: 12 Aug 93 21:24:38 GMT
Organization: ESL Inc.


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] wrote:


> Then there's GSM, the non-US digital cellular system of the future.
> It's been deployed in a few places, and I think it has provisions for
> data, but I don't know much more about it.  It's unlikely to be
> deployed in the US, since it wasn't invented here and can optionally
> use encryption, which our government would like to outlaw.

Of more importance is the fact that GSM is not working at full
capacity due to technical problems..this includes the frequency
hopping portion of the protocol.  Supposidly the problems are most
pronounced in large valleys.  (i.e. multipath) FYI GSM is not rated to
be of higher capacity than the current US AMPS standard.

The government is not totally opposed to encryption...take alook at
the CDMA system ... it uses encryption.

hmmmmm ...


Erik
Nothing that I say can be construed as the opinion of my employer.

------------------------------

From: Lynne Gregg <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Status of Cellular Data
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 10:00:00 PDT


Aside from work on CDPD (cellular packet data communications),
cellular networks are used extensively for voice, data, and fax
communications.  You'll find a range of PC modems that are designed
for use with cellular networks (containing added error correction and
compression).

If you have specific Q's on using cellular for your voice, data, or
fax communications -- AND optimizing communications, I'd be happy to
help.


Regards,

Lynne

P.S.  This was brought to you over McCaw's North American Cellular Network
(Cellular One)

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 12:33 EDT
From: [e-mail] (John R Levine)
Subject: Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible
Organization: I.E.C.C.


Hey, aren't we all missing what the point of the "modem tax" was?

The FCC has a well-defined set of connection protocols between local
telcos and long distance carriers, known as feature groups A through
D.  All normal long distance carriers use them, and pay per minute
charges for both origination and termination of about five cents per
minute.

The 1987 proposal simply was going to treat long haul data carriers
like Telenet and Compuserve (which is as much a network company as an
on-line service) the same way as long haul voice carriers.  People got
very upset, since the locals telcos would be charging a couple of
dollars an hour for incoming calls, same as they do to AT&T or Sprint.
The FCC backed off, so data networks hook up like business POTS
customers, not like long distance carriers.

There was a small fully of excitement a few months ago about whether
local telcos should be compelled to provide new features to data
carriers at the lower rate.  The answer seems to be no, but they can
keep their POTS lines forever.


Regards,

John Levine, [e-mail], {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jan Ceuleers)
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 18:23:22
Subject: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible
Organization: K12 Belgium (S-Team)


I quote david.g.lewis:

> I'd submit that bandwidth is sufficiently cheap -- for a carrier --
> that the processing necessary to recognize a signal as data, determine
> which modem standard is being used, connect the line to a modem of
> that type, run that through a subrate mux/demux, and put the whole
> thing on a data network -- at both ends of the connection -- is
> nowhere near economical.

And I'd submit that it's also impossible or at least impractical. Many
modems don't emit the CNG tone (a tone produced by automatic equipment
after dialing and while waiting for carrier; such as fax machines), so
that the carrier would have to listen for the 2100 Hz answer tone.
(Admittedly, this is already done for the purpose of disabling echo
cancellers).

However, at that time, it doesn't yet know whether this is a fax or a
modem call. Even assuming you know it's a modem call, you don't know
which protocol until it's fully negotiated. And still, how do you know
the protocol is fully negotiated? For example, HST modems first
connect using V.22bis and then switch to HST mode (I think).

The carrier would then have to break the speech path and introduce
modems at either end, already in the 'connected' state, without
causing loss of carrier.  This *might* be possible, but I think it'd
cause more grief than it'd be worth.


Jan

Origin: Experimenter Board, Antwerp, Belgium (2:292/857)

------------------------------

From: Vance Shipley <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Modem/Data Tax - Technically Possible
Organization: XeniTec Consulting Services, Kitchener, Ontario Canada
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 01:22:16 GMT


In Canada to avoid paying contribution charges which only apply to
voice networks a carrier must have a mechanism in place to detect, and
disconnect a voice call.  Unitel have used this for years on their
"Facsroute" service.  If there is no carrier tone on the line within
70 seconds they will disconnect the call.

I used to get calls from users of their Broadband service that would
consistently be disconnected.  The CRTC's regulations at the time only
allowed for private line use of Broadband for voice.  You could
however make a PSTN bound call and be tarrifed under Facsroute.  The
PBXs were supposed to keep the voice users from accessing Facsroute.
In these cases a routing problem in their PBX was allowing their voice
calls on to the Broadband lines and out to Unitel's (then CNCP) PSTN
access.


Vance Shipley, [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (david.g.lewis)
Subject: Re: ATT Truevoice
Organization: AT&T
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 17:38:02 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> ken thompson <kthompso@donald.
wichitaks.NCR.COM> writes:

> Someone mentioned their impressions of Truevoice.  Lows boosted and
> overall volumne increased.

> Is not bandwidth needed to transmit a signal related to the bandwidth
> of the information in that signal.  And if they reduce the highs, and
> the bandwidth requirements, does not let them get more voice channels
> into a given digital transmition channel?

You're confusing frequency with amplitude.  The bandwidth required to
transmit a signal is a function of the overall bandwidth of the
signal, not the amplitude of the signal at any given frequency.  If
you increase or decrease the amplitude across the frequency band or a
subset of the frequency band without affecting the overall bandwidth
of the signal, you don't change the transmission bandwidth required
(provided you don't exceed the limits of the channel in any other way,
such as boosting the signal level beyond the capacity of the channel
to handle it).

Furthermore, I don't think anyone has claimed that TrueVoice (TM) is
*reducing* anything, even amplitude; although boosting the level at
the low end of the frequency range will make the high end sound
relatively quieter, that's perceptive acoustics, not actual volume
reduction ...

> Is not this marketing getting people ready for the distorted sound
> quality as this carrier crams more voices on a wire?

No, because you don't cram more voices on a wire -- you're getting the
same digital trunk you always got.

> Will not high speed modems have trouble with this distored channel,
> switch to slower speeds automaticaly and maybe unknown to the user,
> and spend more time connected to get their data through?

No, because (a) as we've established (which I note CommWeek picked up
on a few weeks ago), the tone to disable echo control will disable
TrueVoice, and (b) the same bandwidth is available anyway.

> Am I too cynical?

Yes.


David G Lewis                              AT&T Bell Laboratories
[e-mail] or !att!goofy!deej     Switching & ISDN Implementation

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 14:00:45 CDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: ATT Truevoice
Organization: AT&T


Disclaimer:  I know nothing about AT&T TrueVoice(sm) implementation
except what I've read in the public press and non-proprietary news
releases.


In article <[e-mail]> ken thompson <kthompso@
donald.wichitaks.NCR.COM> writes:

> Someone mentioned their impressions of Truevoice.  Lows boosted and
> overall volumne increased.

> Is not bandwidth needed to transmit a signal related to the bandwidth
> of the information in that signal.  And if they reduce the highs, and
> the bandwidth requirements, does not let them get more voice channels
> into a given digital transmission channel?

   If you want to throw out fifteen years worth of digital
transmission equipment in order to re-slice the 1.544MHz T1 line
channels, I guess this would be possible -- but the cost would
probably be greater than the cost of just running more fiber.  I don't
believe most large carriers need more voice channels -- the trade
press believes there's plenty of fiber out there ...

   One thing to remember about digital switches is that they are all
"tuned" to switch 64Kbps PCM signals.  Since one of the major savings
of such switches is the ability to directly terminate DS1 and higher
rate signals, and switch the individual channels internally.  In order
to "re-slice" the signals without replacing the switches ($$$$$$),
some form of "front-end" would have to sit between the switch and the
fiber/transmission network, reshuffling the "compressed" bit stream
into switch-compatible DS1 signals.  This would cost $$$ and also
eliminate much of the advantage of the direct DS1 interface.

   And even more important, you took the phrase "lows boosted" and
seemed to assume that implied 1) highs were reduced and 2) less
bandwidth was needed.  This is incorrect, as I understand it.
Instead, think of it as just selectively amplifying voice using the
existing bandwidth.  Similar things happen in Dolby(tm) noise
reduction and "graphic" equalizers in automobiles, or in radio station
equipment that puts more "punch" in their limited bandwidth.  There
are many ("purists"??) that object that all of the above alter
voice/music in ways that "distort" natural sound.  Remember the vinyl
vs. CD debate?  The transistor vs. tube amplifier debate?

> Is not this marketing getting people ready for the distorted sound
> quality as this carrier crams more voices on a wire?

   But 80% of one consumer test group "preferred" the TrueVoice
enhanced sound quality.  So far as I can tell, there is no "cramming"
of more voices on a wire.  If that's what they wanted to do, why not
just keep the same "sound"?

> Will not high speed modems have trouble with this distored channel,
> switch to slower speeds automaticaly and maybe unknown to the user,
> and spend more time connected to get their data through?

   I've been told that non-voice (modem, FAX, etc.) signals will not
be affected.

   Just one aside: I seen some state that Tom's (you know, Mr.
Selleck) voice for the TrueVoice demo was recorded through
microphones/special equipment to make the difference sound even
better. NOPE. He made a trip to record his voice at Bell Labs in
Holmdel, NJ (not a studio).  He spoke through a "regular consumer
telephone set" over a regular AT&T switched network connection into an
AT&T Conversant(tm) voice response system.  You hear, as close as
possible, what Tom would sound like if he called you over a TrueVoice
connection. (summarized from Bell Labs News article.)

> Am I too cynical?

   Hard to say -- do you think OS/2(tm) is a plot to sell memory
chips?  Do you think UNIX(tm of BTL/AT&T/USL/????) is a plot to sell
memory AND hard drives?  That "multi-media"(tm unknown) is a plot to
sell memory/ hard drives/CPUs/monitors AND lots of peripherals?


Al Varney - just MY OPINION, not anything official

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Trenton del Rey Gallowglass)
Subject: Re: NXX Report: July 1993
Organization: The Monastary for Reclusive Monks
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 22:20:37 GMT


David Esan ([e-mail]) wrote:

> This is no longer our procedure.  The information in FCC #10 is now
> detailed enough that we no longer need to order the tape from BellCore
> and are using FCC #10 for our V&H information.

What is FCC #10?


Trenton    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Vance Shipley <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Who/What Determines Call
Organization: XeniTec Consulting Services, Kitchener, Ontario Canada
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 00:56:33 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> tim gorman <71336.1270@Compu
Serve.COM> writes:

> If you actually have an ISDN phone that is showing a name, it would be
> interesting to see how it is being implemented.

I have a Meridian 5209 set on my desk.  This is a DMS centrex business
set with several lines and display.  It is part of a large centrex my
company has in downtown Toronto.  The other day I called a friend at
Northern Telecom in Mississauga and lo and behold his first and last
name popped up on my phone!  I had never seen a name on the phone
before, only trunk group identifiers.  I wouldn't have been so
impressed if I didn't know their setup.  I would have assumed he was
also a centrex user.  The real situation is that he has an extension
on a Meridian 1 PBX with a primary rate access to the CO (Bell
Canada's MegaLink service).  Apparently the PBX is sending the CPND,
(Northern's Calling Party Name Display) across the PRA to Bell.

OK so this wasn't exactly 'an ISDN phone' but it's close :)

Incidently Bell Canada has "Number Replacement" available which allows
you to specify which number to send as the Calling Line ID.  You may
use the number of any line you have in the same NXX.  How you would
normally use this is by having all the outgoing trunk lines of your
PBX send the main listed number of your PBX as the CLID.  This
actually makes CLASS features like Call Return work with PBXs.

There is no recurring charge for Number Replacement and no setup
charge if you order it when you order your lines.  Remember to ask for
this when ordering lines in the future!


Vance Shipley, [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 08:57:14 -0600
From: [e-mail] (Richard Thomsen)
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops


In an article about "multiple plant" in urban areas, Pat says:

> None of those big old wooden cabinets have locks on them; you just
> lift the wooden front up and out of the way. Most people do not even
> realize that between themselves and the CO may be five or six places
> the pair can be jumped -- just look in the basement of the building
> down the street.  I should start a school and teach the general public
> about their phone service. Bell would hate me for it.  :)   PAT]

Most of us poor fools are at the mercy of the telephone company.  I
keep hearing stories of people getting fraudulent calls on their
bills, and TPC says "It must be your call, as it is your wire."  Is
there any definitive evidence that someone can post or something to
help us fight fraudulent calls on telephone bills?  Something to take
to the PUC or court or whatever, so that when TPC uses its "direct
wire" argument, it can be countered?

Of course, I suppose this "evidence" can be used to fraudulently get
out of paying for legitimate calls, so it could work both ways.  I
have no answers, but do have sympathy for the innocent party on either
side.

I have not (yet) been victimized by this, but I can see these big
green posts sticking up all over my area that I know contain all the
wires for the telephone system.  It would be trivial to open one of
these, attach clip wires to a line, and make telephone calls.  And I
would not even have to go to a neighbor's house to use the wires where
they enter.


Richard Thomsen    Los Alamos National Laboratory   [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #566
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa05492;
          12 Aug 93 21:48 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA10305
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 19:23:41 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA16571
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 19:23:02 -0500
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 19:23:02 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #567

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 12 Aug 93 19:23:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 567

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Cell Phone Fraud and New Systems (David Boettger)
    Re: Reflections on Hacker Sentencing (Anonymous-3)
    Re: Unrequested Remote Call Forwarding (Danny Burstein)
    Re: MCI PC Connect Plan (Eight Cents/Min Evening/Night/Week) (Hallikainen)
    Re: MCI PC Connect Plan (Eight Cents/Min Evening/Night/Week) (A. Gallatin)
    Re: Caller-ID Software Wanted (Paul Robinson)
    Re: Caller-ID Across LATAs? (John R. Levine)
    Re: Inter-LATA Caller*ID Arrives in NJ (Paul Guthrie)
    Re: *69 as Caller-ID? (Arthur Rubin)
    Re: About Caller-ID Blocking in Virginia (John Boteler)
    Caller-ID in Kentucky (Baron Chandler)
    Re: 800 Alternatives and Billing (Mike King)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Steven H. Lichter)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 07:58:00
From: David Boettger <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cell Phone Fraud and New Systems


Jon Allen writes:

> The interesting part is that they said that next year, Cellular One
> would be converting over to a digital system which would solve the
> problem.  I am curious if anyone knows more about this specifically.
> There must be some way to phase in the digital system so as that both
> the old and new systems are active at the same time.  Do they share
> the same radio frequencies?  If so, the system must somehow recognize
> the different phones.  Or is this whole story just media hype?  I was
> thinking about buying a cell phone, but if the current phones will be
> obsolete in a year, it seems wise to wait.

Your analog phone will be useful for a long time. 'Converting over' to
digital is really not what is going to happen. 'Phasing in' is more
like it. TDMA digital cellular (IS-54B) uses the same frequencies that
AMPS does. A cell could potentially use certain channels in digital
mode and certain channels in analog mode simultaneously (a 'hybrid'
cell). In fact, that's probably the way it will normally work. (Ob.
plug for employer: The Northern Telecom Dual-mode Radio Unit can
switch from analog mode to digital mode and back on-the-fly.) I
believe that Cellular One uses Ericsson stuff, so analog cell radios
will have to be replaced with digital-only ones, thus preventing an
analog user from ever using that frequency in that cell. All TDMA
mobile phones are dual-mode: They can switch between analog and
digital modes on a per-call basis.

Though the same frequencies are allocated for analog and digital
cellular, the two have totally different modulation schemes; of course
the system recognizes the different phones. Fraud protection is much
better in TDMA cellular. Privacy is also better, but if you want
secure communication, don't go wireless.


David Boettger    [e-mail]

The preceding opinions are my own and not the opinions of
    Northern Telecom or Bell Northern Research.

------------------------------

From: Anonymous-3 <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Reflections on Hacker Sentencing
Organization: Not Relevant
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 15:51:48 GMT


Pat,

I'm not sure how to handle this -- I'd like to respond as below to the
original poster, but wouldn't like to let some of the information out.
If someone read the below and knew my company, the identity of the
"cracker" would be clear, and I wouldn't like to be responsible for
the treatment of him following that ...

If it can be posted anonmously please do so, else please don't post
at all.

[Moderator's Note: Okay, one last time around on this. Here we go.  PAT]


In article <[e-mail]> Anonymous (telecom@eecs.
nwu.edu) writes:

> I'm done with probation and my community service (computer-related, of
> course), and I'm going to be entering my third year of college --
> majoring in computer engineering. I don't know how I'm ever going to
> find a job, with this felony looming in my past. I'm unsure if I'll be
> able to get it expunged, because there is no precident. What
> corporation would want to hire a convicted felon as an engineer?

I might.  I have on my staff a fellow that was popped for cracking a
system, and for causing damage to files on that system when being
hunted by some sysadmins.  I figured that he had done his time and
paid the price, and since he's a talented programmer I've given him a
job.  I suspect that most of the duties here have been interesting
enough to occupy his time, and he's not engaging in cracking any
longer.

'Course, if I find out he's still cracking I'll come down on him so
hard he'll wish he'd never heard of cracking ...

Anyway, sufficient talent and some demonstration of a willingness to
work can overcome a lot of old problems.

BTW: when he came here he thought we'd never heard of his past
cracking experiences -- I'd heard enough of them to understand that it
was mostly a case of raging hormones that got out of control, and
likely something I could've done myself.  I can't give much more
detail or give away the whole thing, but the only cost was some
sysadmin time and some pulled hair.  I'd not be likely to hire someone
that caused serious damage or loss.

> Who was the real criminal in all of this? Yes, I committed a crime,
> and it appears that I may have to pay for it for the rest of my life.
> Meanwhile, the person who works for Equifax who initially released the
> account information that let us IN the system in the first place is
> probably still working there. (No, I have no idea who this person
> was).

Personal note: stay away from this train of thought -- it's too close
to the "blame someone else" thinking that seems to pervade much of
society anymore, and close to the "he left the door unlocked" argument
used by burglars.  It doesn't wash.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (danny burstein)
Subject: Re: Unrequested Remote Call Forwarding
Date: 12 Aug 1993 18:49:25 -0400
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


In <[e-mail]> Paul Robinson <0005066432@MCIMAIL.
COM> writes:

> A posting on the Risks list discussed how an inmate at a state
> penetentiary was able to get some private party's phone to be enabled
> with Remote Call Forwarding (RCF), AND got someone from the phone
> company to give them the security code over the phone.

> It's been said on TELECOM Digest several times that inmates in prisons
> make calls that have to be made collect only.  Are they referring to
> the phones provided by the correctional facility or are the pay phones
> set up so they cannot place calls other than collect?

> If prison pay phones can only call collect, then the person that did
> this had to have an outsider do this, or they had to be calling an 800
> number (can prison phones call 1-800 numbers?  If not, how do they
> call their lawyer if he has one?)

When I first saw this note on Risks-Digest, I caught quite a few
problems in it (and sent off a respnse to them as well.)

Highlights: the posting is a reprint of an article in a newspaper, and
in it, the homeowner states that he became suspicious when his phone
would give lots of "single rings."

Usually when he picked it up, all he got wa a dial-tone. However, on
one occassion he was quick enough and got a recording saying something
like: "collect call from xyz prison, this call will be monitored, do
you accept ..."

Problems with all of this:

a) the single ring durign call forwarding is ONLY an alert that call
forwarding is in effect. Picking up the phone, even at that instant,
will NOT hook you into the call.

b) The aformentioned bit about the prisoners not being able to reset
the RCf since they can't make the calls.

c) All such RCF commands are stored by the telco. While it may not be
up to the standards of legal/criminal proof, it is certainly adequate
for screening purposes.

BTW, there is one possible addition to all this. (Assuming any of this
stuff is true), the inmates could have had someone on the outside
setting up the rcf, with the instructions being that "Jim" calls out
at 15:00-15:15, "Tom" at 15:30-15:45, etc. This -might- explain the
abilityoto pick up the call (i.e., if "Tom" called a few minutes
early ...)


Take care,

[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen)
Subject: Re: MCI PC Connect Plan (Eight Cents/Min Evening/Night/Weekend)
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 03:47:59 GMT


    Am I correct in guessing that MCI is demodulating the modem
data at the first opportunity, then dropping it into their network as
digital data instead of digitized audio which was previously modulated
with a digital signal?  If so, I'd suspect rates should be more bit
sensitive and less connect time sensitive (other than tying up their
modem ports), but maybe they just have a modem connect time charge and
are giving away the data transport?  Also, what shows up at the member
BBS?  Do they get a bunch of POTS lines with remodulated modem data?
Seems like they otta get a single digital circuit (DS0 on up) with all
the user data packetized and muxed down the one circuit.  This would
save the BBS from having to put in all those modems and serial ports.


Harold

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Alan M. Gallatin)
Subject: Re: MCI PC Connect Plan (Eight Cents/Min Evening/Night/Weekend)
Date: 12 Aug 93 13:06:20 GMT
Organization: Duke University; Durham, North Carolina  USA


In a previous article, [e-mail] (B.J. Guillot) wrote:
>        MCI PC Connect(sm) FEE/RATES:
>        =============================
>     -  $3.00 monthly fee (does not apply towards usage)

>        PC Connect Customer to NON-PC Connect Customer:
>        -----------------------------------------------
>        $0.22 during Day (Mon-Fri: 8am - 5pm)
>        $0.10 during E/N/W (Mon-Fri: 5pm-8am: Sat/Sun: 24 hours)

>        PC Connect Customer to PC Connect Customer:
>        -------------------------------------------
>        $.176 during Day
>        $.08 during E/N/W
>        Friends & Family discount does not apply to fee

> For an additional $1.50 per month, MCI PC Connect customers can include
> in-state calls at the same MCI PC Connect plan rates as above.

This is a nice deal, but really nothing special to MCI dial-one
customers.  MCI currently as a normal plan called "Easy Rate" which
runs $3/month and, like above, charges $.22/min day, $.10/min E/N/W --
the discount charges to a PC Connect Customer seems to take the place
of a F&F discount as the quoted rates are 20% less.  Now, if someone
called more than 20 BBS's which were PC Connect, that would be great
as a F&F list would not get strained. The real question here is: if
you get PC Connect, does F&F still apply to your voice calls?  If not,
it is time to start working out the tradeoffs -- if so, then people
using Easy Rate should just simply switch.

Also, for all interested people (as a side note): MCI recently
launched a new dial plan without any significant advertising.  "Any
Time" is a variation of AT&T's "Any Hour."  $9.90/month gets you
$.20/min day and $.11/min E/N/W -- The $9.90 gets you an hour which
takes day calls first.  There are exactly three differences between
this and AT&T:


   1)  AT&T's plan costs $10 (instead of $9.90) for same rates
   2)  MCI will give F&F discounts on calls under this plan
   3)  AT&T offers an additional $2 calling card option which gives
          a flat 20% off of calling card calls.

Hope this helps!


Alan M. Gallatin           Personal     <[e-mail]>
Student, Duke Law School   UJA or AJIN  <[e-mail]>
Durham, NC  USA            Jerusalem 1  <[e-mail]>

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 08:29:55 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Caller-ID Software Wanted
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


Steve Taylor <[e-mail]> writes:

> I am interested in computer software that displays incoming
> telephone numbers on my computer screen.  Caller-ID was just
> introduced in my area and I'm interested in a package to utilize
> it.  I have received many posts as to hardware like Supra's modem
> that displays it, but I'm interested in software.  Thanks for your
> help.

And exactly how are you getting the information?  Generally you need
some form of hardware to deliver it to a computer.  Since the
caller-id information is sent as a data signal, the usual device that
reads it is a modem.  Therefore the most common way is as a set of
characters delivered to a serial port on a PC.  Any program that can
obtain information from the serial ports on a PC will be able to read
it.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 10:33 EDT
From: [e-mail] (John R Levine)
Subject: Re: Caller-ID Across LATAs?
Organization: I.E.C.C.


> Such a corridor does exist, but must be used explicitly, and does not
> reach 201.

There's a corridor between New York City and most of 201 just like the
one between Phila and the Camden area.  You use 10NJB or 10NYT.  Most
telco payphones have been programmed to stuff 10NJB on applicable
calls unless overridden by a customer 10XXX.

I have no idea if CLID is passed to or from NYC.


Regards,

John Levine, [e-mail], {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Paul Guthrie)
Subject: Re: Inter-LATA Caller*ID Arrives in NJ
Date: 12 Aug 1993 11:57:24 -0400
Organization: The League of Crafty Hackers


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dave
Levenson) writes:

> In early July, we began seeing area codes other than 908 and 201 on
> our Caller*ID display.  For the first time since the service was
> offered in the state, we also began seeing an occasional "PRIVATE
> NUMBER" display.

> Some experimentation has shown that inter-LATA calls carried by Cable
> & Wireless to our 800 number are the only ones that deliver these
> out-of-area numbers.  Calls dialed to our 908 number via AT&T, MCI,
> and US-SPRINT still arrive as OUT OF AREA.

This information, while normally available in the IXCs network because
of CCS, is not transfered to the terminating operating company simply
because the IXC has no incentive to, not because of any technical
restrictions.  Bellcore is currently soliciting stakeholders from
interested parties to petition the FCC to force the IXCs to provide
this information to the terminating operating companies.  Seemingly
C&W has seen the way of things to come and has started passing this
info along.

> It would appear that the arrival of 800 portability coincided
> (approximately, at any rate) with the arrival of intra-LATA Caller*ID
> on 800 calls.  Is this a coincidence or not?

800 portability forced the IXCs to connect their CCS networks with the
RBOCs and independants.  If C&W was not previously so connected, then
this might have been the driving force.  Certainly, CCS connectivity
in the big three was very widespread even before portability.


Paul Guthrie    [e-mail]   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: *69 as Caller-ID?
From: a_rubin%dsg4.dse.beckman.com (Arthur Rubin)
Date: 12 Aug 93 17:54:59 GMT
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Arthur Rubin)


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Rob Hansen)
writes:

> As you probably know, Caller-ID is not available in California.

> I do not have Call*Return.  My question is this: If I call "John Doe"
> who uses Call*Return on me, will the system read my number back to
> him?  Assuming it won't and isn't allowed to, what happens if I'm far
> enough away from John that I the call costs him money?  Will my number
> show up on his phone bill?  If it will, isn't this a violation of the
> rules?

According to PacBell's insert, the last four digits of the number will
be X'd out on (his) phone bill.  (John Higdon reported he would refuse
to pay that portion of the phone bill.  I have not heard anything else
from him.)


Arthur L. Rubin: [e-mail] (work) Beckman Instruments/Brea
[e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] (personal)
My opinions are my own, and do not represent those of my employer.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Boteler)
Subject: Re: About Caller-ID Blocking in Virginia
Date: 12 Aug 1993 17:00:33 -0400
Organization: Express Access Public Access UNIX, Greenbelt, Maryland USA


[e-mail] writes:

> Since I [thought] that Caller-ID blocking is not available in Virginia,

Caller*ID blocking has been available in Virginia for over two months.


[e-mail] (John Boteler)

------------------------------

From: Baron Chandler <[e-mail]>
Subject: Caller-ID in Kentucky
Date: 12 Aug 93 13:45:06 CDT
Organization: Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY


After getting off the phone with SouthCentral Bell, I find that they
have enabled long-distance connections with caller ID.  Louisville,
KY, and Frankfort, KY (same area code, about 60 miles apart) have been
merged as well as a few other smaller areas.  Rather amazing, for
Kentucky -- but our governor has decided that we'll have a state-wide
fiberoptic network in place within 18 months ... (I am biting my
tongue but I am not holding my breath!)

I did get a very strange fluke one day -- recieved a 212 area code
call "supposedly" anyway.  But it wasn't at all.  We were somewhat
surprised to see an area code on the 'box'...  but it was just a
neighbor calling.  Wonder how it got thru the error checking?

Also, some 800 numbers are able to retrieve your phone number.
General Motors (1800-4-a-buick) for example.  Could someone explain
how this is achieved.  Is this what is known as ISDN Source Telephone
Recognition, or am I totally ignorant and way-off-base?


Thanks!

Baron Chandler    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 17:04:09 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Mike King)
Subject: Re: 800 Alternatives and Billing


In TELECOM Digest, V13 #548, Pat noted:

> [Moderator's Note: Back in the days when AT&T controlled all 800
> numbers (well, let's say in the 1970's - 1980's) 800 numbers did not
> work like they do now. Now, your carrier gets the number dialed,
> translates it to a regular number and dials it back out. In other
> times, your 800 number was a number unto itself with a physical wire
> pair which came to you and an instrument upon which you spoke. It was
> a separate and distinct thing. Now you get 800 on your regular line;
> then you had to have a separate instrument and wires. On the phone
> sitting there (which usually had a flat plastic piece across where the
> dial would go -- like an old manual service line -- since you could
> not dial out on it anyway; picking it up you'd hear battery but no
> dialtone) a little number sticker actually referred to it as 800-xxx-xxxx.

Ah, yes, I had well forgotten how much things had changed.  Now I
remember that Ohio Bell required that an 800 number had to be
terminated with TWO lines, minimum.  Of course, we assumed that if the
published 800 number was 800-xxx-1234, the second line was
800-xxx-1235.  But things didn't work that way. ;-)  I remember the
lack of dialtone when going offhook.  I also remember that 800
prefixes were allocated according to territory and whether the 800
number was in-state or out-of-state.  800-762 was in-state Ohio,
terminating in the 513 area, while 800-543 was out-of-state
terminating in Cincinnati.

> Where before AT&T handled the In-WATS call to the telco and said 'here
> is a call, who is it locally? Translate it and deal with it ...' now
> the carriers do the translations and simply hand telco a call to be
> completed to an already defined (by the LD carrier) number before the
> local telco even sees it.  Am I correct for once, someone?  PAT]

Yes, you're correct.  I humbly apologize for doubting you.


Mike King * Software Sourcerer * Fairchild Space * +1 301.428.5384
[e-mail] or [e-mail]  *  (usual disclaimers)


[Moderator's Note: And 800-621 was Band 6 Interstate terminating in
Illinois. Now and then I still see someone in Chicago with an 800-621
number and I realize they've probably had it for ten years or more.
When divestiture occurred, AT&T kept the lion's share of the 800-xxx
prefixes since they had all those 'banded' interstate and intrastate
billing plans in place in each state, each plan requiring its own one
or more of the 800-xxx numbers. The unassigned 'xxx' at that point
were the ones handed out to MCI, Sprint and other carriers.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven H. Lichter)
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Date: 12 Aug 1993 11:09:39 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)


Yes the step equipment was a lot more interesting. We had mockups of
switch trains that would let the tours see how the calls went through,
and there were also contests for free long distance calls. I know it
was fun to work those tours. We got paid for it and had a lot of fun.
But then in those days the job was fun; today all I can think of many
days it getting out of there or vacation. Had I been offered a package
I'm sure I would have taken it. I do my job the way I was trained, but
the stress level at times is really something.


Steven H. Lichter   GTECalif COEI

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #567
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa06673;
          12 Aug 93 22:46 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA23748
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 20:29:48 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA10678
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 20:29:09 -0500
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 20:29:09 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Toronto Free-NET FAQ


I got this a couple days ago, and although it is a bit long, I thought
it important enough to share with readers here. I like the concept of
Free-Net, which is something we really need here in Chicago; I guess
it is one more thing I'll have to spend money on when I win the
Illinois State Lottery or get lucky -- *real* lucky -- with those
little pull tabs McDonald's puts on the French Fry containers giving
prizes away.   :)    PAT]

  Date: Tue, 10 Aug 93 21:06:35 EDT
  From: Rick Broadhead <[e-mail]>
  Subject: Toronto Free-Net FAQ
  To: Telecom Digest <[e-mail]>

Pat,

This document is obviously too long for inclusion in the Digest, but
I'd appreciate if you could consider sending it out as a separate
issue (or item).  Free-Nets are on the leading edge of telecommunications,
and this document has had a very favourable reception on the Net.  We
want to get the whole world excited about this!

Just take a look at the list of cities with Free-Net organizing
committees!  45 cities around the world and growing every month!  The
FAQ has already been distributed on the net-happenings mailing list,
but TELECOM Digest would be a more appropriate spot.


Regards,

Rick

                    ---------------------


Q.  What city is missing from this list?

                  Dillon, Montana
                  Buffalo, New York
                  Cleveland, Ohio
                  Denver, Colorado
                  Peoria, Illinois
                  Elyria, Ohio
                  Medina, Ohio
                  Ottawa, Ontario
                  Tallahassee, Florida
                  Cincinnati, Ohio
                  Victoria, British Columbia
                  Columbia, Missouri
                  Youngstown, Ohio
                  Wellington, New Zealand


A.  Toronto

*********************************************************************
*                                                                   *
*                                                                   *
*           COMING MARCH 31, 1994.....THE TORONTO FREE-NET          *
*                                                                   *
*                                                                   *
*********************************************************************

News/Weather

local, provincial, national, and international news headlines, weather
forecasts....


Transportation

road and highway conditions, TTC route and fare information, VIA
schedules and ticket prices, GO Transit route and fare information,
airline schedules....


Travel and Tourism

convention and visitor information, travel and tourist information,
hotel/motel directories, sightseeing information, information on tourist
attractions in Toronto, information from foreign embassies
and consulates, travel advisories...


Education

directory of school trustees, public and separate school directories,
college and university program information, alternative education
information, information on continuing education programs....


Employment

job listings, union activities, employment standards information, job
training information....


Legal

legal aid services, general legal information


Library Information


We expect that the Toronto Free-Net will provide on-line access
to public library catalogues across Metropolitan Toronto.  Our goal is
to make it possible for Free-Net users to search the library holdings of
all six municipal library systems in Metro from the Toronto Free-Net.
Library representatives from East York, Etobicoke, North York,
Scarborough, Toronto, and York are working closely with the
Toronto Free-Net Committee.  The Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library
is also involved in the discussions.  We also hope to link the Toronto
Free-Net to university library catalogues around the world.


The Toronto Media


Ottawa's daily newspaper, the Ottawa Citizen, uses the
National Capital FreeNet to post guides to community events, the Arts,
sports, dining, and entertainment.  The Ottawa Citizen also has a
mailbox on the National Capital FreeNet so that users can electronically
submit a letter to the Editor.  We hope that the Toronto media will
participate on the Toronto Free-Net in a similar fashion.  The media
could use the Free-Net to receive suggestions and comments, letters to
columnists/broadcasters, and other items for publication/broadcast.
In addition, radio and television stations could place their broadcast
schedules on the Toronto Free-Net.

Here's just one example of how the media can use Free-Nets to
disseminate information to the community.  Shortly after Prime
Minister Kim Campbell announced her new cabinet, the Ottawa Citizen
posted the list of new ministers on the National Capital FreeNet.
Callers to the FreeNet were able to review the ministerial line-up
on-line and download (transfer) the list to their personal computers.


Who Will Pay For the Operation of the Toronto Free-Net?

Free-Nets depend on the generosity of the community.  It is expected
that the operating costs of the Toronto Free-Net will be covered by
grants and donations from the government, businesses in the community,
and from the users themselves.

By far, our greatest expense will be the phone bill.  To help us
offset this cost, businesses and organizations will have the
opportunity to sponsor phone lines.  Callers who receive a sponsored
line will see the name of the sponsor on the screen.


How Do I Become a Member of the Toronto Free-Net?

In order to have full use of the facilities on the Toronto Free-Net,
users will be required to complete and mail a registration form.
There is no fee to register, except for the cost of a postage stamp.
The registration form will be available on the Free-Net itself, as
well as at public libraries throughout Metro Toronto.  Anyone will be
able to access the Toronto Free-Net as a guest, and look around, but
only registered users will be given an account, and allowed to use all
of the services on the Free-Net.  When you register with us, you
become a member of the Toronto Free-Net.  You'll be assigned a
personal account name and a password.  An account is necessary in
order to send and receive electronic mail.


Is There a Time Limit on my Free-Net Session?

Yes.  To give everyone an opportunity to use the system, all users
will be subject to a limit of one hour on their Free-Net session.
However, there is no limit on the number of sessions that a Free-Net
user can have on any given day.


How Will I Access the Toronto Free-Net?

Anyone with a computer, a modem, and a telephone line will be able to
access the Toronto Free-Net by dialing a central telephone number in
Toronto.  The Toronto Free-Net will be menu-driven.  Once you connect
to the Free-Net, you'll be able to move around the system by selecting
options from menus on the screen.


Is Computer Literacy a Prerequisite to Use the Toronto Free-Net?

No.  Our committees are working hard to develop a system that is easy
to use, regardless of the user's level of computer experience.  The
Toronto Free-Net is a community computer system, and the community
must be able to use it.  When resources permit, we intend to develop
manuals and run training sessions to ensure that our users are able to
make optimal use of the system.  Ease of use is one of our most
important priorities.


Where Will the Toronto Free-Net be Located?

The Toronto Free-Net's administrative offices and its physical
facilities (i.e. the Free-Net computers) will be located in Metropolitan
Toronto; precise locations have not yet been determined.


Will the Toronto Free-Net Require Any Paid Personnel?

Yes.  While the Toronto Free-Net will be largely run by volunteers,
the size and scope of the system will make it necessary for us to hire
some staff.  A typical Free-Net will have a full-time Project Manager
or Executive Director, a system manager, a system administrator, and
clerical and technical support staff.


What If I Don't Have a Computer?

Public access terminals will be established at libraries throughout
Metropolitan Toronto for those people who don't have the capability of
calling the Toronto Free-Net from their home or office.  We expect
that community centers, schools, and hotels will want to provide
public access terminals as well.  Public access terminals can be
established virtually anywhere in the city.


Are Free-Nets Interconnected?

Yes. The Toronto Free-Net will be connected to other Free-Nets around
the world.  This means that users of the Toronto Free-Net will be able
to access the information on other community computer systems across
the United States and around the world.  The Toronto Free-Net will be
part of a growing network of community computer systems.


Here's How It Works:

On the Toronto Free-Net, there will be a list of all the participating
Free-Nets in the world.  To go to another Free-Net, you select that
Free-Net from the menu, and the connection is made automatically.
When the connection is in place, you will be physically connected to
the other Free-Net computer, just as if you were living in the host
city, and dialling the Free-Net locally.  As more and more Free-Nets
come on-line, the list of cities that you can electronically "travel"
to will grow.  It's conceivable that every major metropolitan city
will eventually have a community computer system of its own.  From the
Toronto Free-Net, you'll be able to access organizations, individuals,
and local information, just about anywhere in the world.  Just think
of the possibilities!

In order to have full use of the services on another Free-Net, you'll
have to register with them first, just as you have to register with us
to have unrestricted access to our facility.  But most Free-Nets will
accept registrations from outside their local calling area, so you
don't have to be a local resident to use the system.  Bear in mind
that registration isn't necessary if all you want to do is read the
information on another Free-Net.  Most Free-Nets will permit people to
use their system as a "guest".  A guest is a term for an unregistered
user, or a non-member.  Guests are free to look around the system and
view the databases, but they can't send or receive electronic mail.

Naturally, the Toronto Free-Net will be accepting connections from
users on other Free-Nets, just as other Free-Nets will accept
connections from our users.  We will also be accepting registrations
from anywhere in the world.  You don't have to be a Toronto resident
to use the system, or become a member of the Toronto Free-Net, but the
information on the Free-Net will be local and community-based.  Many
of the people that connect to the Toronto Free-Net from around the
world will be using our system as a guest.  But we also expect to have
many international users register with us, and become members.

You will be able to connect to the Toronto Free-Net via the Internet,
or by dialing a Toronto telephone number (area code 416).


How Will the Toronto Free-Net Impact Tourism?

While the Toronto Free-Net's primary focus is to serve the local
community, it will have an international audience.  The information on
the Toronto Free-Net will be available to thousands of people around
the globe, since it will be possible for anyone on the global Internet
to tap into the Toronto Free-Net and browse our databases.  The
Toronto Free-Net is already attracting international attention, and
once we open our doors to the public, people from all over the world
will be able to use the Toronto Free-Net to discover what Toronto has
to offer the visitor.  Without question, our tourism industry will
benefit from the exposure that the city will receive as a result of
the Toronto Free-Net's presence on the Internet.

We expect that Free-Net terminals will be placed in hotel lobbies
across Toronto so that tourists and other visitors can use the system
to get information about the city.  Tourists could use the Toronto
Free-Net to:

                   * find a taxicab
                   * get public transit information
                   * get a list of tourist attractions, their operating
                     hours and entrance fees
                   * obtain a list of restaurants in the city
                   * get the addresses of consulates and embassies
                     in Toronto
                   * get general facts about Toronto
                     (population, history, etc.)


Are Free-Nets Independent?

Each Free-Net is run autonomously, but all Free-Nets are affiliates of
the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN), based in Cleveland,
Ohio.  The NPTN distributes the software needed to run a Free-Net,
provides support to existing Free-Nets, and promotes the development
of community computer systems.  The NPTN also organizes an annual
meeting, which brings together representatives from all its
affiliates.  The term "Free-Net" is a registered servicemark of the
NPTN, so only affiliates of the NPTN are allowed to call themselves a
Free-Net.


Who Will Benefit From a Toronto Free-Net?

Residents

Residents are given free access to a wealth of community-related
information.  By removing economic and social barriers to information,
the Toronto Free-Net will make information more accessible to the
public.

Because the Toronto Free-Net will be connected to the Internet,
Toronto Free-Net users will be able to correspond electronically with
municipal, provincial, and federal government offices that use the
Internet.  The Toronto Free-Net will make it easier for officials at
all levels of government to communicate with their constituents.  It
is projected that by the end of 1995, all Federal Government officials
will have e-mail.  And by the end of this year, all Ontario Government
electronic mail accounts are expected to be conencted to the Internet.


The Community

Because the Toronto Free-Net is a volunteer effort, it provides new
and exciting opportunities for individuals to become more involved in
their community - by providing information to the Free-Net, starting a
Special Interest Group, serving on a Free-Net committee, or simply by
interacting with other Toronto Free-Net users.

Clubs and community groups will benefit from the Toronto Free-Net's
electronic messaging facilities, which will expedite communications
and make it easier for groups to share information, coordinate their
activities, and liaise with the public.  The Toronto Free-Net has
tremendous potential to draw the community closer together.


Community/Professional Associations and Government

Clubs and community groups will enhance their public relations by
participating on the Toronto Free-Net as an information provider.
Community organizations that establish an electronic mailbox on the
Free-Net will increase their accessibility and visibility to the
general public.  At any time of the day or night, Free-Net users can
leave messages for participating organizations and access information
on government and community services.  The Toronto Free-Net will
provide an innovative and powerful way for community organizations to
communicate with the public.

The government will find that the Toronto Free-Net provides a fast,
effective, and efficient way to distribute important information to
the community.


Seniors and People With Disabilities

Senior citizens and people with disabilities will be able to access
and exchange information easily and at no charge, without leaving
their home.


Teachers and Educators

The Free-Net will provide a cost-effective means for public and
secondary schools to teach telecomputing to their students.  Teachers
and students will be able to communicate with their counterparts
around the world, using the Free-Net's electronic mail system.  Many
public and secondary schools in the U.S. and Canada already have some
connection to the Internet.


Another Benefit:  Increased Computer Literacy

Computer literacy will increase in the community as people learn how
to use the Toronto Free-Net to gain quick and easy access to
information resources electronically.  Because the Toronto Free-Net
will give its members access to modern telecommunications facilities,
users will develop an understanding and an appreciation of the role
and importance of electronic communications and information
technology.


How Will the Toronto Free-Net Affect Employment?

The Toronto Free-Net has the potential to create new employment
opportunities in community and government organizations that actively
participate on the system.  Once organizations realize the benefits of
being involved with the Free-Net, they may assign personnel to serve
as the organization's liaison with the Free-Net.  These people would
update the organization's information on the Free-Net and manage the
organization's Free-Net mailbox.  They would also be responsible for
finding new ways for the organization to use the Toronto Free-Net to
improve its relations with the public.


How Will the Free-Net be Different from Bulletin Board
Systems and Commercial Services?

* The Toronto Free-Net will be free to the user, unlike commercial
  systems which charge for their services.

* The Toronto Free-Net will not be suitable for heavy commercial traffic

* The Toronto Free-Net has a mandate that is community-oriented, unlike
  many large commercial systems and small bulletin board systems,
  which have a much narrower focus, and appeal to users with specific
  interests.  The Toronto Free-Net will have dozens of community
  databases.  We'll have something for everyone!

* Many bulletin board systems are chat or message-oriented, and are
  designed for the computer hobbyist.  The Toronto Free-Net will
  be information-oriented, and it will be designed with the community
  user in mind.  No computer experience required!

* The Toronto Free-Net will not have software archives or offer
  computer programs.  The one exception may be off-line mail readers.

* The Toronto Free-Net will be funded by government and business
  donations

* The Toronto Free-Net will be very easy to navigate and use

It is not our intention to compete with commercial and smaller,
private systems.  The Toronto Free-Net will actually expand the market
for commercial services and bulletin board systems by increasing
computer literacy in the community.  We want to work with operators of
bulletin board systems and the larger commercial systems to promote
their use and make the general public aware of their existence.


When Will the Toronto Free-Net Be Operational?

The official launch date is March 31, 1994, but our rate of progress
depends on the amount of support we receive from the community.


Who Can Participate?

Everyone in Metro Toronto is invited to participate.  This is a
community effort, and there is an opportunity for everyone in the city
to get involved.


Does the Toronto Free-Net Committee Need My Help?

Yes!

We are actively seeking volunteers to help with public relations,
fund-raising, hardware and software issues, organizational matters,
and information collection.

We need clubs, community and professional associations, and the
government to contribute information to the Free-Net.  How can your
organization participate?

We are looking for institutions that are interested in being a public
access site for the Toronto Free-Net.

We need financial support to cover the costs of phone lines and
hardware/software.


How Can I or My Business or Association Get Involved?

Please contact anyone on the Board of Directors or one of the
Committee Chairs to find how you or your organization can contribute
to the development of the Toronto Free-Net.  We need volunteers from
the commmunity, as well as the involvement of businesses and community
associations to help the Toronto Free-Net achieve its true potential.

For further information on the Toronto Free-Net, contact:


Rick Broadhead                        [e-mail]    (Internet)
Faculty of Administrative Studies     ysar1111@yorkvm1         (Bitnet)
York University                    ...!bitnet!yorkvm1!ysar1111 (UUCP)
Toronto, CANADA

                   ---------------------


[TELECOM Moderator's Note: Isn't that a mouth-watering proposition?
But you know who else is missing from the list of cities? Chicago.
And we are going to desparately need the 'school house' programs
offered by Free-Net since it is pretty well established that our
public school system here will not be operational for some period of
time during the school year starting later this month.  I have
corresponded with the Free-Net people in Ohio to see what, if
anything can be done here, but where the money will come from I have
no idea at this point, and of course a year or better is needed to
even operate the humblest of sites.  My first thought on seeing this
message earlier this week was to get set up with on line terminals in
every public library and school in Chicago. "Dream on, Moderator,"
was the answer one person sent me in email.  Sigh ... sad, and true.

And what about your city? Is it on that list above?  If not, why not?
If you think a Free-Net is needed in your town as much as I think one
is needed here, then do this:

  First -- use anonymous ftp to nptn.org.
        Pull the several files in the /pub/info.nptn directory.

  Read them closely, then for more information write to:

        [e-mail]

My thanks to Rick Broadhead for passing along the FAQ on Toronto.
Best wishes in getting the site actually up and running!


Patrick Townson












Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa08054;
          12 Aug 93 23:49 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA20978
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 21:37:39 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12201
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 12 Aug 1993 21:37:00 -0500
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 21:37:00 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #568

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 12 Aug 93 21:37:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 568

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Call Tracker Device (Hindra Irawan)
    Re: When Will General Computing Conquer Telecom Switching? (Randy Gellens)
    Re: Radar Detectors (Dave Carpentier)
    Re: Radar Detectors (Cliff Sharp)
    Re: Radar Detectors (David Breneman)
    Re: Radar Detectors (Paul Robinson)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Dave Levenson)
    Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address (Justin Greene)
    Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address (wizzy![e-mail])
    Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address (Jack Decker)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Hindra Irawan)
Subject: Re: Call Tracker Device
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 19:10:37 GMT


Hindra Irawan ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Does anybody know of a device that would do the following:

>   - record the number called (tone and/or pulse dialing);
>   - record the time and day of the call made;
>   - record the duration of the call;
>   - dump the data collected to a PC or Mac;
>   - capable of handling multiple lines.

> The reason I asked this is because in the country where I am going
> (Indonesia) there are no such thing as itemized phone bill. I need to
> use this as an analysis tool. Hopefully so that I can work on my own
> as telecom consultant.

> If you have information on where to get such device and how much,
> please send it to my email address ([e-mail]).

Apparently my inquiry generated quite an interest among other netters,
so here is the summary of all the email I have received until today.
Some responses are edited for the sake of conciseness.

Thank you very much for all of you that have responded.


Cheers,

Hindra


At  2:06 PM 8/9/93 -0700, Jim Gottlieb wrote:

If you're going to have more than one line anyway, pick up a Panasonic
KX-T308 PBX.  It will do this for you and a lot more.  They are sold in
Indonesia.  Best to find a wholesale distributor.  I had one name in
Surubaya but not with me now.

You could buy one in the U.S. and take it with you, but it would be a
110V version.  Best to buy it over there.

Jim Gottlieb
E-Mail: [e-mail]    In Japan: [e-mail]
V-Mail: [phone]   Fax: [phone]   Voice: 824-5454

At  2:28 PM 8/9/93 -0500, Warne, John wrote:

The company Moscom makes a tip and ring scanner that will do most of the
things you want. The disadvantage is it comes in 48 line increments and
costs around $4,000.00.

It's a Model 548. MOSCOM Corporation, 300 Main Street, East Rochester,
NY 14445, 716-385-6440.

I'd appreciate a summary of any other units you hear about. I'm looking
for something in a smaller, less expensive package.

John Warne                      Voice: 904-336-3522  FAX: [phone]
Telecommunications Manager      I-NET: [e-mail]
School Board of Alachua County  CIS: 76424,2220
Fred C. Sivia, Jr. Support Center
3700-B NE 53rd Avenue           Gainesville, Florida 32609


At  2:38 PM 8/9/93 -0700, Herb Jellinek wrote:

Hindra yth,
        Mencobalah "Hello Direct"; nomornya 1-800-HI-HELLO
(1-800-444-3556).  Mereka tersediah banyak devisi seperti itu.

[translation]

        Try "Hello Direct", their number is 1-800-HI-HELLO (1-800-444-3556).
        They have a lot of that kind of a device.


At  5:18 PM 8/9/93 -0700, Steve Cogorno wrote:

I think you need a CAT or a Call Accounting Device.  AT&T sells them with
their popular Merlin, System 75 and SPIRIT systems.  If this is for home
use, you might want to get a Merlin Plus - not too expensive, but is very
full featured.  Also, just about every phone system should have some typew
of CAT that it supports.  AT&T's CAT also is programmed with your local
tariffs (I don't know if this would work in Singapore :-).  So you can also
get per-call costs on each call (to bill departments and the like.)  You can
also specify a percent to mark-up calls to account for system maintenence.

Steve [e-mail]


At  4:42 AM 8/9/93 -0400, Jack Decker wrote:

Among other devices you may hear about, I know that the Mitel Smart-1
dialer can do all of the above, more or less.  I say more or less
because it will unquestionably do the first three.  It will do number
four (dump the data) in REAL TIME to a printer or other device
connected to its serial port.  In other words, it doesn't have any
onboard memory to hold call detail - if the printer or computer isn't
hooked up to the Smart-1's RS-232 serial port at the time that a call
is placed, the detail for that call won't be recorded.  And you can buy
Mitel Smart-1 dialers in one, two, or four port (line) models... to
handle more lines, you add more dialers, which can be chained together.

However, I suspect that an "obsolete" XT class computer (which could be
dedicated to the task of recording call detail) connected to a Smart-1
might cost less than a unit designed specifically for call detail
recording.

I'm not sure but I think you can pick up Smart-1's on the used market
for $200 to $400 dollars (that's a guess, but I suspect I'm pretty
close... a single line unit might be even less).  If you get Telecom
Gear magazine, look for ads from Square One Electronics (U.S.
800-666-4300, International Sales 314-651-3162) or King Technologies
(800-489-7372).  Both sell refurbished Smart-1's.

The following paragraphs were lifted from an article about dialers in
general (referred to as "call controllers" here), and will give you a
little better idea of what else these units are capable of:

In addition to Call Detail recording, call controllers allow you to
deny (block) calls to certain phone numbers, telephone exchanges, or
area codes.  They allow you to route calls via particular long distance
carriers, possibly selecting the least expensive carrier for any given
call, and automatically (and transparently) adding any necesary digits
to complete the call (for example, you might dial 1 plus a number; the
call controller might translate that to dial into a carrier's switch,
then dial an account code and the desired number.  While this method of
long distance access isn't used much anymore, it's clearly within the
call controller's capabilities).

And, some call controllers allow you to assign an identification code
to each employee, and may even allow the assignment of project codes.
This, someone dialing a toll call would have to enter their ID code,
which would identify who placed the call (or restrict the call if an
invalid code is dialed), and then perhaps a project code that would
specify at the time of the call to which account the call is to be
rebilled!  Those in certain professions (e.g. attorneys and
accountants) find the ability to tag each call with a project code to
be invaluable.

Most call controllers have speed dial capability, allowing you to store
frequently called numbers in memory, and dial them using just two or
three buttons on your phones.  While many phones have speed dial
capabilities these days, the advantage of putting speed dial numbers in
a call controller is that the speed dial feature can then the used from
every phone in the building, even older "dumb" phones with no memory.
Many call controllers can even do esoteric functions like allowing you
to use touch tone phones on a rotary dial line (nice if you're on an
older exchange, or don't want to pay the phone company an extra monthly
charge for touch-tone service).

One final capabability that deserves special mention is the ability to
insert special dialing prefixes for calls to selected numbers, or all
numbers.  For example, you could automatically dial the code to cancel
call waiting whenever a toll call, or an international call is placed.
If you don't want your phone number showing up on the displays of
telephone customers who have Caller-ID service, you could prepend the
*67 blocking code to all outgoing calls.  You could also do number
translation on certain calls (for example, if your community doesn't
have 911 service yet, you can set it up so that when someone dials 911,
the local police number is called instead).

[End of material from article.]  In your situation, I think that the
Smart-1 has a couple capabilities that might be of interest to you.
One is "cloning"... you set up one unit with a "default" configuration,
then as you program units for new clients, you can "clone" the program
from your master unit into your client units.  Or, alternately, you can
program the units using a computer connected via the serial port.
Also, the Smart-1 accepts either touch tones or dial pulses and output
whatever the line will accept.  If your client wants to use touch tone
phones on a rotary exchange, no problem.  Or, if your client has some
rotary phones but you want to send touch tones to the phone company or
a LD carrier (e.g. via a "country direct" number), you can do that.
For example, if you have a client that calls the U.S.A. often, you
could program the dialer to look for calls to the international dialing
prefix and country code "1", and the dialer might then dial the U.S.A.
direct number, listen for "boing" tone, dial the U.S.A. part of the
number, dial an account code, and then cut through.  It would be
transparent to callers; they would never know anything unusual had
happened.

Well, that's about all I can tell you, and I just got a call that I
have to attend to, so I have to go.  Hope this helps.

Jack Decker | [e-mail] or [e-mail]


At  1:28 AM 8/10/93 -0500, - - wrote:

I'm working on such a device now. Let me know if you find anything else.

[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: 12 AUG 93 01:31
Subject: Re: When Will General Computing Conquer Telecom Switching?


> So my answer to when General Purpose Computing will overcome Telecom
> Switching: never.  There is simply no way that the general purpose
> computing community is ever going to bear the cost of the reliability
> that we consider mandatory for switching.

I'm not so sure.  One of the areas in which my company specializes is
mission-critical systems [no, those aren't sarcastic system which make
fun of your company's mission :-) ].  For example, an airline
reservation system, or a core on-line transaction processing system.
If an airline can't get at its reservation system, it loses money
big-time.  If a company which sells over the phone (such as a TV
shopping channel) can't get at its database, it is shut down.

Companies are demanding ever-increasing reliability for their
mainframe systems.  What is acceptable for a single-user PC is not OK
for a machine on which your business depends.

As for vulnerability to viruses, a system can be open and still be
more resistent than most.  Open means the ability to run applications
with a standard API (such as Posix), it is not a synonym for Unix.
Our A Series systems, for example, are already very open and getting
more so all the time.  The underlying hardware is object-oriented, and
uses tags to differentiate types of data.  So, it knows the difference
between an executable instruction and an operand.  It knows about
arrays and pointers, and dosn't permit indexing out of bounds or
pointing into an invalid area.  Coupled with the operating system
security, executable files cannot be created or modified except by
trusted compilers.  The absolute highest level of security is required
to mark a compiler as trusted.  There is no assembler (no need for one
because the high-level languages are fast and powerful, since they
match the hardware archetecture).  So, any program which tried to
infect other programs would fail, unless it has already totally
bypassed system security (not an easy feat).

The point of all this is that general-purpose computers are becoming
much more failure-resistant, and it is possible to have systems which
are open and resistant to viruses.  I would not rule out using general
purpose systems for switches, although the main problem I see is that
the operating systems are usually not ideal for real-time applications
(although the A Series is a very nice interrupt-driven hardware and
software archetecture).


Randy Gellens....................|[e-mail]
A Series System Software.........|...........[if mail bounces, please
Unisys Corporation...............|..............forward bounce msg to
Mission Viejo, CA................|[e-mail]]
Opinions are personal;...facts are suspect;...I speak only for myself

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1993 18:44:31 -0400
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors


[e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen) wrote:

> All the legal issues surrounding use of radar detectors is
> interesting, but I don't think I'd want to be in the business of
> making something whose chief purpose is to help people violate the
> law.  I've seen ads about how radar detectors promote safe driving.
> Somehow I'm not convinced ...

I suppose it could be likened to 'flashing' the golden-three to an
oncoming car to warn of a radar trap. If caught, you could say that
you were just trying to prevent someone from breaking the law.  Of
course, the police could say that you were creating a hazard by
flashing your lights.


Dave

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Radar Detectors
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 93 5:19:19 CDT
From: Cliff Sharp <[e-mail]>


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Harold Hallikainen) writes:

> All the legal issues surrounding use of radar detectors is
> interesting, but I don't think I'd want to be in the business of
> making something whose chief purpose is to help people violate the
> law.  I've seen ads about how radar detectors promote safe driving.
> Somehow I'm not convinced ...

   Darnit, I can't find the stuff, but part of the package I received
from Escort (formerly, and apparently still, Cincinnati Microwave)
contained an article from a major newspaper citing a traffic study
showing that people who used radar detectors were safer drivers, with
fewer accidents and more likely to use seat belts.  I believe they
even said such drivers were less likely to speed (although if they
did, this could be colored by the fact that such drivers could be less
likely to get caught).  I do notice, however, that most drivers who
_really_ speed (i.e., 20+ MPH over the limit) do not have a radar
detector visible.

   And as I mentioned in a previous posting, I have mine for totally
different reasons than speeding.  I'd like to hear from anyone who's
been driving for more than a month who hasn't found himself
unintentionally over the limit at some time or another, and who
wouldn't want a "second chance" to correct this before getting
ticketed for it.

   I strongly suggest to anyone with even a marginal interest in this
subject that they call Escort at 1-800-543-1608 and request their free
packet on radar.


Cliff Sharp   [e-mail]   OR  [e-mail]
  WA9PDM               Use whichever one works

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Breneman)
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors
Date: 12 Aug 93 19:59:32 GMT
Organization: Digital Systems International, Redmond WA


Harold Hallikainen ([e-mail]) wrote:

> All the legal issues surrounding use of radar detectors is
> interesting, but I don't think I'd want to be in the business of
> making something whose chief purpose is to help people violate the
> law.  I've seen ads about how radar detectors promote safe driving.
> Somehow I'm not convinced ...

Oh!  And here I thought you were talking about radar *guns*.  Let's
see -- warrantless search without probable cause ... yeah, that's
breaking the law alright.  Manufacturers say they promote safety ...
Yup.

There is nothing noble in blind obedience to unjust laws.


David Breneman          Email: [e-mail]
System Administrator,   Software Engineering Services
Digital Systems International, Inc.  Voice: 206 881-7544  Fax: [phone]
(Typical disclaimers vis a vis my employer, since somebody is *bound*
to find that last sentence controversial; and more's the pity.)

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 12:19:58 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


Harold Hallikainen <[e-mail]>, writes:

> All the legal issues surrounding use of radar detectors is
> interesting, but I don't think I'd want to be in the business of
> making something whose chief purpose is to help people violate the
> law.  I've seen ads about how radar detectors promote safe driving.
> Somehow I'm not convinced ...

This ignores the question about whether the law is right or not.  The
alleged purpose of the 55 MPH speed limit was to save gasoline during
a supposed oil shortage (which was caused by government allocation
rules).  When this oil shortage ended, the low limit stayed for a long
time therafter and is still in effect in some areas including my
alleged "Freestate" of Maryland.  No one ever asked the public whether
they wanted this law; it was imposed upon us (and usually over general
public opposition.)  If there was a vote I wonder what the result
would be, since most people who drive vote against the law by the
speed they use.

As with the ban on cellular receivers, it was imposed on the public
without regard as to whether it was right or moral to do so or whether
it was even necessary or even if it would work.

It is one thing to have a law to punish those who commit crimes
against others; this is the legitimate purpose of a government.
Punishing toll fraud is a valid activity. Laws prohibiting giving out
the contents of private communications over radio are probably
reasonable but that's borderline. Going beyond that which is the
legitimate purpose of government and using police power to define what
non-injurious conduct is acceptable gets into excess government
interference in the lives and property of the citizens and is usually
arbitrary and often capricious.

Also, when government gets involved in these things, it is always to
the detriment of its legitimate responsibilities.  Time spent tracking
down people who owned illegal receivers, if enforced, would take away
from resources which could be used to detect telephone fraud.

I can give other examples where the government gets involved in things
it has no business getting into and thus causing the legitimate
functions of government such as police protection to suffer, but they
are not germane to the subject of telecommunications.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Levenson)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms
Organization: Westmark, Inc.
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 21:38:53 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, Cliff Sharp <clifto@indep1.
chi.il.us> writes:

>    LORAN - LOng RAnge Navigation
>    ELF - Extremely Low Frequency (which is among the hierarchy:

and lots more, to which I would like to add:

    NTSC - National Television Standards Committee
     "   - Never Twice the Same Color


Dave Levenson        Internet: [e-mail]
Westmark, Inc.        UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave
Stirling, NJ, USA    Voice: 908 647 0900  Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Justin Greene)
Subject: Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 19:55:56 GMT


> Yet another reason to buy this service from a company like Mail Boxes
> Etc.  (And you get the added benefit that alternative carriers like
> UPS and FedEx can deliver to these "boxes".)

[Deleted stuff]

> [Moderator's Note: Years ago, Postal Form 1537 (authorization to
> deliver mail to an agent, complete with true name and address of the
> final recipient of the mail) was mandatory, and postal inspectors
> would quite often review the forms. The mail drop was not supposed to

[Deleted]

> of the carpet baggers and deadbeats.  Now the form is voluntary.  PAT]

I think it is still required.  The mailhouse is supposed to turn these
in to the PO so that they have it in their files.  I have looked up
private mail house boxes at the main post office.  The trouble is that
most private houses do not file the forms so the post office doesn't
have them and nobody cares (did I say problem ;-) ).


Justin Greene <[e-mail]> Finger for PGP 2.x public key


[Moderator's Note: According to the Mailing Requirements Division at
the Chicago Main Post Office, the form is now voluntary.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: wizzy![e-mail]
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 17:18 MDT
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: W.Z.I.
Subject: Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address


In article <[e-mail]>, TELECOM Moderator noted:

> [Moderator's Note: Years ago, Postal Form 1537 (authorization to
> deliver mail to an agent, .....  Now the form is voluntary.  PAT]

I have a mailbox, (and no, I neither bag carpets, beat deads nor have
any penniless ex-wives) and was recently required to fill out one of
these forms.

They also asked for *two* forms of identification (a credit card being
acceptable as one!). The owner was most apologetic, but said that the
PO required it. I only gave one -- my green card from the INS. I figure
nobody has a database indexed by that ...


Cheers,

Andy


[Moderator's Note: Individual agents can operate their maildrops by
whatever legitimate rules they choose. Some have gotten so tired of
seeing the postal inspectors they just make the form mandatory for
their own records and then when the customer complains, blame it on
the post office for requiring it.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 23:43:17 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Jack Decker)
Subject: Re: Phone Number -> Name/Address


In message <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Garrett Wollman) wrote:

> In article <[e-mail]>, TELECOM Moderator noted in
> response to Elana Beach <[e-mail]>:

>> PO Box info *is* public, you know, if you know who to ask and the
>> phrases to use when you invoke Freedom of Information.

> Yet another reason to buy this service from a company like Mail Boxes
> Etc.  (And you get the added benefit that alternative carriers like
> UPS and FedEx can deliver to these "boxes".)

[remainder of Mr. Wollman's message deleted]

And then Pat made this comment in response:

> Most mail drops are nothing more than fraud-hives with a few
> legitimate customers among the ranks of the carpet baggers and
> deadbeats.

Pat, I think you really need to get out of Chicago for a while; you're
becoming overly suspicious of everyone's motives.  The fact is that
out here in the hinterlands, many smaller post offices simply don't
have enough P.O. Boxes to meet the demand, so if you want a box without
waiting for weeks or months, you go to one of the independents. (Some-
how, I have to speculate that the downtown Chicago P.O., built in an
era when folks weren't as afraid to go downtown, has more than enough
boxes to go around).

Other reasons to use such a service: Better location, or cheaper price
for the size box you want to rent, or perhaps just less government red
tape.  Also, the fact that U.P.S. and similar carriers can deliver to
these drops is no small thing, and some of these places will even
receive incoming FAXes or telephone messages for you and place them in
your box.  And there's one other possible advantage -- you receive less
junk mail (since you don't get the mail addressed to "boxholder" that
you'd get in an official P.O.Box).

What I don't understand is why you'd be more suspicious of someone
renting a private P.O. Box as opposed to someone renting a regular
P.O. Box?  A lot of scams have been pulled off using "official" P.O.
boxes, and in the event that there is serious mail fraud, I'm sure the
private P.O. box outfit could be compelled to disclose whatever info
they may have about the box renter.  I doubt it is any less mail fraud
just because a private mail drop is used.  Perhaps you're just a bit
steamed because those in the private investigation business can't
easily get information about private mail drop users?


Jack Decker | [e-mail] or [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: This issue is getting full, so I will respond in
some detail in the next issue. I'll tell you in some detail about
the post office known as Loop Station Lockbox, 60690. There is too
much for a note here.   PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #568
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa12693;
          13 Aug 93 3:15 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09370
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 13 Aug 1993 00:49:47 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA14328
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 13 Aug 1993 00:49:08 -0500
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 00:49:08 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #569

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 13 Aug 93 00:49:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 569

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Chicago Post Office, Mail Drops, etc. (TELECOM Moderator)
    Interesting 800 Number Response (Chris Ambler)
    NPA Saturation (Yue-shun E. Ho)
    Promotional Calling Cards? (Peter Kaminski)
    ATT Sued by Centigram Over TrueVoice Name (Les Reeves)
    ANAC Codes by NPA (Les Reeves)
    Looking For DISCRETE MODEM Technology (S/W Modem Will Do) (Ajay Sanghi)
    I-405 Construction Hotline (Cellular Dial #405) (Ben Delisle)
    EasyReach Service Changes (John J. Butz)
    Prototype Unified Areacode Database Now Available by FTP (Graham Toal)
    Telecom Feature Interactions (John Adams)
    What Are the Cable Differences? (Yee-Lee Shyong)
    Cannot Share T1? (Ed Ellesson)
    More Three-Character 'From' Locations (Orange Card) (Carl Moore)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 23:26:03 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Subject: Chicago Post Office, Mail Drops, etc.


Jack Decker commented on my remarks about maildrops:

> Pat, I think you really need to get out of Chicago for a while; you're
> becoming overly suspicious of everyone's motives.

You don't have to live in Chicago to feel that way, but indeed, I'd
love to leave Chicago anytime, for good. The city is a dirty, rotten,
nasty, terrible place to live or visit. What other city can boast of
96 people violently murdered in the month of July alone, 18 of whom
were children under twelve years of age in gang related violence? You
may have heard or read in your newspaper that our public schools here
will not be in operation some or most of the school year which begins
later this month.  But I digress; let's go on ...

> The fact is that out here in the hinterlands, many smaller post
> offices simply don't have enough P.O. Boxes to meet the demand, so if
> you want a box without waiting for weeks or months, you go to one of
> the independents.

You have to wait 'weeks or months' here also for a PO Box depending
on the post office you go to. The two majors downtown (60680 and 60690)
are always full with a waiting list. And remember, you have to wait at
least a few days while the application you fill out is given to the
street carrier for your route. The carrier is supposed to verify that
your name is on a mailbox at the street address you put on your form.

> (somehow, I have to speculate that the downtown Chicago P.O., built
> in an era when folks weren't as afraid to go downtown, has more than
> enough boxes to go around).

Not really. The post office in the central part of downtown opened in
1974. I had my box at the old courthouse and post office on the same
location beginning in 1967; when they tore it down to build the new
post office (and a seperate federal building across the street) we
boxholders got shuffled off to a makeshift storefront place a block
down the street for the two years the construction went on. Once the
new place opened -- with about ten thousand boxes -- my box number
turned out to be a smaller size box than it had been in the old place.
I kept it so I could keep the number (I've had the box number 26 years)
and wound up paying less rent since now it was a smaller box. For
maybe a year they had lots of boxes available. But now, with the big
problem in many major cities of theft from mailboxes (in apartment
entrances, etc) many tenants in bad neighborhoods -- like mine for
example -- prefer to have some security for the mail so they use boxes
at whatever nearby post office has them. You are correct that the
downtown area in Chicago is totally deserted after about 6 PM plus all
day Saturday and Sunday, but downtown workers get their mail on the
way home.

Physically located at 210 South Clark Street, 60604, the lock boxes
are zip 60690. That post office is open 24 hours per day, seven days
per week in the box area, although the retail windows are closed. I go
in at 3 AM and get my mail if I happen to be in that area.

> Other reasons to use such a service:
> Better location, or cheaper price for the size box you want to rent,
> or perhaps just less government red tape.

I agree you can get boxes faster from the private agents and usually
at a size you prefer rather than what the PO has available.

> Also, the fact that U.P.S.  and similar carriers can deliver to these
> drops is no small thing, and some of these places will even receive
> incoming FAXes or telephone messages for you and place them in your
> box.

This is true, and the fact that the parcel services deliver to them is
one fact which makes them conducive to fraud. Let's say a company will
not usually ship merchandise on open account credit to a post office
box, or because they use UPS they can't ship to one. Many con-artists
will show their address as '<maildrop address> Suite 139' rather than
'Box 139', leaving the creditor thinking it is a legitimate company
in 'Suite 139'.

> What I don't understand is why you'd be more suspicious of someone
> renting a private P.O. Box as opposed to someone renting a regular P.O.
> Box?

I never said that. There are legitimate users of both services and
lots of illigitimate users of both services.

> A lot of scams have been pulled off using "official" P.O. boxes,

Certainly. Quite a few years ago, a chap took Diner's Club for about
$8000 in unpaid bills. They mailed the credit card to what he claimed
was his office address: 434 West Van Buren, #17, Chicago IL 60607. It
so happens 434 West Van Buren is the Main Post Office, and window 17
was for General Delivery; the boxes and windows are 60680.

> and in the event that there is serious mail fraud, I'm sure the private
> P.O. box outfit could be compelled to disclose whatever info they may
> have about the box renter.

Most of the agents don't have to be 'compelled'. The postal inspector
shows up, the agent gives him the records. Its no skin off his nose,
and he is not going to jail for his customers. Quite a few drops even
say in their service agreement that they cooperate with the Bureau of
Inquisition and other federal agencies if it comes to that.

> I doubt it is any less mail fraud just because a private mail drop is
> used.

No, you are correct. Fraud is fraud. If you deposit something in the
United States mail (or cause someone else to deposit something in the
mail such as a credit card mailed to you by a company) with the intent
of committing fraud, it is a federal crime. Some maildrop agents
themselves have scams going they blame on their customers, but then
post office clerks are not all honest either. 60690 has had some really
strange people working there over the years (about 60 full time people
work in lockbox during the day, and a dozen or so overnight). The postal
inspectors spy on the workers at 60690 to catch them stealing from the
mail. It used to be if you got a lot of cash money in the mail in your
box at 60690, God help you if the sorting clerks found out about it.

Now the sorting clerks in the basement or at the loading docks have to
wear coveralls with no pockets. But about ten years ago they hit up
the Missionary Fathers (that's a con in itself, the outfit which sends
you the free calendar or some cheesey pencil as your 'free gift from
the Indian children in the orphange; won't you send us money to help
support the orphans, etc; they had many boxes at 60690 for years) for
about $50,000 in cash over a year's time. Postal Inspectors 'salted'
Missionary Fathers' mail with marked cash and used hidden cameras to
watch the employee's restroom as mail sorters, counter clerks and even
one supervisor would help themselves to a few M.F. remittance
envelopes, disappear into the restroom and come out a few minutes
later with a twenty dollar bill in their pocket they did not have when
they went in and the rest of the evidence flushed away down the
toilet. Some had the nerve to go back for a second or third helping!

On another occassion, a credit card fraud ring hit Amoco/Standard Oil
for about a hundred grand; all the members of the fraud ring had boxes
at 60690 of course -- but four of them worked there as well in the
sorting room, all on the midnight shift. The postal inspectors knew it
was partly an inside job. Interestingly, the credit applications they
filled out had them 'living' at 170 West Harrison in a few cases and
'working' at the same address in others -- it is a mail drop.  I went
down to get my mail one night and everyone in the place was new except
for a couple people. All the other employees got fired in mass the
night before. Then after the Missionary Fathers mess, the inspectors
cleaned the place out again. Remember the clerk in the post office in
Toronto who worked on Oral Roberts for several years and about a
half-million dollars before they caught the guy?

So to respond to your statement, large urban area industrial size post
office box facilities can be and are many times fraud-hives also, and
its not just the postal patrons in all cases. :).  As we used to say
at Amoco/Diners Club credit card office when I worked there twenty
years ago, 'cash in the mail attracts undesirable strange hands'. At
least after I sued First National Bank in Small Claims Court several
years ago I got the pleasure of seeing them fire half their mail room
and remittance processing clerks -- 18 people -- in one day who were
caught stealing money after a two week investigation. Mail fraud,
credit card fraud and financial crimes in general are at higher levels
than they have ever been in this country.  Too many people on drugs
need money.

> Perhaps you're just a bit steamed because those in the private
> investigation business can't easily get information about private mail
> drop users?

It doesn't matter to me, Jack. As you pointed out, if the fraud ceases
being petty, the heat gets put on the private agents by postal inspectors
and others. For further protection, credit card issuers and other credit
grantors attempt to verify applications sent to them and a criss-cross
directory will list a mail drop for what it is. Generally that throws
up a red flag for a credit grantor, at least in a big urban area like
Chicago.  Say! Did you say I could move out of Chicago and come to
live at your house, or least put in a change of address and get my
bills all sent out there?  :)    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Chris Ambler)
Subject: Interesting 800 Number Response
Organization: The Phishtank
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 02:54:57 GMT


I just called an 800 number for an electronics supplier. After one
ring, I got, "Thank you for calling. Our office is now closed. Please
call back during normal business hours" ... and then after about 10
seconds (I noticed that it did not disconnect me, so I hung on to see
what would happen) I got, "We're sorry, your call could not be
completed.  213-xxx" ... the first message, interestingly enough, was
the same female voice that seems to do all of the "Thank you for
calling Pacific Bell" recordings when you call the phone*company here.

Anyone know what this was? A Pacific*Bell service?


[e-mail] | Christopher J. Ambler
[e-mail]  | Author, FSUUCP 1.32

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Yue-shun E. Ho)
Subject: NPA Saturation
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 21:08:26 PDT


I wonder what is the maximum number of user-dialable NPA that the
current rules allow.  Does someone here has all the published rules?
I believe the rule about the second digit can only be '0' or '1' will
soon be broken.  Any official estimation (from Bellcore) about when
this will happen?  Also, is there a rule about the second and third
digits cannot be the same?

Thanks much in advance.

Yue-shun
yue-shun e ho                   [phone] (home)  [phone] (work)
[e-mail]  or  [e-mail]  (personal)     [e-mail] (business)


[Moderator's Note: Early in 1995 is the changeover date. Zero or one
have to be the second digit now, and x11 or x00 combinations are not
used. 700, 800, and 900 are service codes rather than area codes. You
should be able to do the math and figure out the rest.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Peter Kaminski)
Subject: Promotional Calling Cards?
Organization: The Information Deli
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 20:39:30 GMT


Social acquaintances of ours have commemorated a special occasion by
mailing out a "have a call on us" calling card, with a photo of the
occasion on one side, and an 800 number, PIN, and dialing instructions
(for North America or international) on the back.

Is this the wave of the future?  Are the PIN(s) likely to be allocated
per promotion/occasion, or per card (looks like it is a series of 150
cards in this case)?  Do they still pay per hour for these kinds of
things, or is it perhaps some sort of flat rate deal with an upper
limit on use?

Ever more interesting doth telephony get,


Pete

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 18:44:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: ATT Sued by Centigram Over TrueVoice Name


* Centigram Communications, based in San Jose, California, said it has
filed a lawsuit against AT&T for trademark infringement.  Centigram,
which manufactures voice processing telephone equipment, said it uses
TruVoice to signify the quality of its voice technology.  The company
said AT&T has been using TrueVoice in its advertisements placed in
connection with its long distance services.  Centigram said it has
sought a temporary restraining order to block AT&T from using the
trademark and "AT&T has agreed to stop placing any new advertisements
using the mark 'TrueVoice'."  AT&T, however, said it has not made such
an agreement.  A court hearing is set for Friday, in which AT&T
expects "to prevail on the merits of the issue."  (Communications
Daily, 8/11/93)

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 18:46:19 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: ANAC Codes by NPA


Area Code / ANAC # to dial    Area Code / ANAC # to dial

201 / 958            205 / 908-222-2222
212 / 958            213 / 114
213 / 1223            213 / 61056
214 / 970-xxxx            215 / 410-xxxx
217 / 200-xxx-xxxx        217 / 290
305 / 200-222-2222        309 / 200-xxx-xxxx
312 / 1-200-5863        312 / 290
312 / 200-xxx-xxxx        313 / 200-222-2222
317 / 310-222-2222        317 / 743-1218
401 / 222-2222            403 / 908-222-2222
404 / 940-xxx-xxxx        407 / 200-222-2222
408 / 300-xxx-xxxx        409 / 970-xxxx
414 / 330-2234            415 / 200-555-1212
415 / 211-2111            415 / 2222
415 / 640            415 / 760
415 / 760-2878            415 / 7600
415 / 7600-2222            502 / 997-555-1212
509 / 560            512 / 200-222-2222
512 / 970-xxxx            516 / 958
517 / 200-222-2222        518 / 997
518 / 998            602 / 593-0809
602 / 593-6017            602 / 593 7451
604 / 1116            604 / 116
604 / 1211            604 / 211
612 / 511            615 / 830
616 / 200-222-2222        617 / 200-xxx-xxxx
617 / 220-2622            618 / 200-xxx-xxxx
618 / 290            713 / 970-xxxx
714 / 211-2121            716 / 511
718 / 958            806 / 970-xxxx
812 / 410-555-1212        815 / 200-xxx-xxxx
815 / 290            817 / 211
817 / 970-xxxx            906 / 200-222-2222
914 / 1-990-1111        914 / 99
914 / 990            914 / 990-1111
915 / 970-xxxx            919 / 711

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ajay Sanghi)
Subject: Looking For DISCRETE MODEM Technology (S/W Modem will do)
Organization: a2i network
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 23:34:02 GMT


I am looking for a discrete modem technology; by this I mean the old
modem technology when maybe just the OPAMS were used to build modems
rather than custom chips.

Specifically what I want to achieve is to be able to change the
carrier frequencies, play with different modulation schemes and filter
characteristics keeping intact the telephone line electrical
characteristics.

I don't know if there are software modules out there where all the
above mentioned parameters can be changed. Most probably, these
software modules would be written to be executed over a DSP.

1200bps speed, full-duplex is sufficient for me.

This request may sound primitive and weird, but trust me, I have a
good reason to do so.

I thank you for your consideration and help. Please email me your
replies.


Ajay Sanghi      Tel: [phone], email: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 19:24:39 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Ben Delisle)
Subject: I-405 Construction Hotline (Cellular Dial #405)
Organization: Eskimo North 206-For-Ever | Public Access Internet & Unix


U S West Cellular helps keep drivers moving during construction on
I-405.

    U S West Cellular and the Washington State Department of
Transportation are joining forces to help drivers deal with summer
construction on Interstate 405 in the Bellevue area, which is expected
to cause heavy congestion and lengthy delays. By dialing #405 on their
USWC phones, drivers can access the Department of Transportation
Hotline and receive up-to-the-minute reports on I-405 traffic
conditions. The service begins August 6 and will remain operational
throughout the planned 20-day lane closure period.  Calls placed to
"#405" will be toll and airtime free. Callers can also access the line
from the comfort of their home or office by dialing (206)-948-KARS.


[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 10:23:53 EDT
Subject: EasyReach Service Changes


A new EasyReach release cut over this past weekend.  I suppose
marketing will be sending out brochures to current subscribers to
highlight the new features.

I'd like to tell you all about one feature that I think is pretty
cool.  A Subscriber can get back inside the EasyReach subscriber main
menu after calling home or calling the forwarding number by pressing
"*R" on pre-answer or post-called-party-disconnect conditions.  This
feature is similar to sequence card calling, in that it saves the
subcriber the steps of hanging up, redialing the 700 number, and
re-entering the Master PIN.


J Butz            ER700 Sys Eng
[e-mail]    AT&T - CCS

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Graham Toal)
Subject: Prototype Unified Areacode Database Now Available by FTP
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 18:33:38 +0000


I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was putting together an
areacode database in machine-usable form; a first prototype of this is
now available for ftp from src.doc.ic.ac.uk:usenet/uk.telecom/
area-codes/areacode.*

The file currently covers only those areas in the zone.* files on the
telecom archives; Canada isn't covered and Michael Shiels is currently
preparing much more detailed listings for the USA.  However at 600K
already it's worth using as it stands, and I'll be updating the copy
on src.doc as regularly as I can.

I'd really like people who use areacode info online to fetch this and
adapt your own programs to use it -- feed back to me any changes you
need in the data format, and pass on any programs that use it for me
to add to the archive.

Apologies to everyone who has been waiting for this -- there's too many
of you to mail individually -- this is the promised announcement.  I'm
trying to get my own ftp server in place so that subsequent updates
will be more timely.


Graham <[e-mail]>

PS Anyone sending me big files by mail, *don't* send them to the above
address please -- I've set up a user '[e-mail]' that will
accept big files without forwarding them to my home machine like my
ordinary ID does. (Down an expensive BT phone line...)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (adams,john)
Subject: Telecom Feature Interactions
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 15:29:19 GMT


Yesterday's snail mail brought (unshredded for a change) concurrent
issues from the IEEE highlighting research into a growing topic of
concern within the industry, Feature Interaction within the public
network.  Appropriately, the IEEE Computer Magazine's cover chose a
"house of cards" illustration to bring attention to the seriousness of
the potential problem.

Having read the guest editor's introductions and the two tutorial
articles, I'm inclined to believe that there isn't much practical
information beyond these.  It's a shame that the editor's couldn't
have included some of the practical initiatives underway within the
industry.  The Internetwork Interoperability Test Program (IITP) is
making very strong contributions to insuring the integrity of the
underlying SS7 network in the US.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 18:07:01
From: [e-mail] (Yee-Lee Shyong)
Subject: What Are the Cable Differences?


Can anyone tell me what's the difference of cables using in Local
Loop (POTS), HDSL, ADSL, and T1?

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 17:07:04 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Cannot Share T1?


I have been told that SW Bell will not allow a T1 line to be shared
across both public switched access and private line services.  That
is, I am told that they will not permit you to subscribe to one T1
line with, say, 14 channels for dialup POTS service from the local CO
switch, and the other 10 dedicated to leased line service for data.
Does anyone know why a telco would not consider this to be a
reasonable service to offer?  (Especially since these services are
available from SW Bell over separate T1's.)  I would have thought
offering such a mixed service would be a simple matter of a few DACS
configuration entries.  Do all RBOCs have a similar policy?  Perhaps
this is a matter of regulatory jurisdiction?


Ed Ellesson    Emerging Technologies
IBM Networking Systems Architecture
(Standard Disclaimer: IBM may or may not agree)
PO Box 12195, C70/673
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 13:53:02 EDT
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: More Three-Character 'From' Locations (Orange Card)


My latest Orange Card bill has several different three-character
location codes in the FROM part.  Aside from BAL and MAK (I can't
figure out what MAK has to do with Delaware), I got the following:

800, for calls from the 717 area;
For two    calls from 814 area: BED (Bedford?);
For calls from Washington County, Md. (area 301): FRD (Frederick?);
For one call from Harpers Ferry, W. Va.: MAR (Martinsburg?);
For one call on U.S. 340 in Virginia just east of Harpers Ferry, W. Va.:
  LEE (Leesburg?);
 From the 215 area: FTW (Fort Washington, Pa.?  That's near Philadelphia.)
For one call from 908-996 in Frenchtown, NJ: CLI, which I also got from an
  earlier call from the Clinton, NJ exchange.

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #569
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa18879;
          13 Aug 93 7:05 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA27112
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 13 Aug 1993 02:12:38 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA31776
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 13 Aug 1993 02:12:00 -0500
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 02:12:00 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #570

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 13 Aug 93 02:12:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 570

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: How to Change Pager Alert Sound? (Vance Shipley)
    Re: Writing VoiceMail Program: Any Suggestions? (Paul Robinson)
    Re: How Does Switched-56 Interwork With ISDN? (Paul Robinson)
    Re: Flooding in the Midwest (Richard Thomsen)
    Re: Local Calls via LD Carrier? (Clarence Dold)
    Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line (Jim Rees)
    Re: Why do I Often Get "Off-Hook" Telco Message on Ans Machine (Ben Burch)
    Re: Traffic Calculator Wanted (Martin Weiss)
    Re: 950 Calling Cards (James R. Saker Jr.)
    Re: CPSR and the NII (Brad Hicks)
    Re: CPSR and the NII (Michael Peirce)
    Re: Analysis of Bell Atlantic Cellular (Carl Moore)
    Re: Analysis of Bell Atlantic Cellular (Jim Rees)
    Re: Toronto Free-Net FAQ (Rick Broadhead)
    Last Laugh! Why Light a Candle if You Can Curse the Darkness? (G. Gilder)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Vance Shipley <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: How to Change Pager Alert Sound?
Organization: XeniTec Consulting Services, Kitchener, Ontario Canada
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 11:53:07 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> Jacob DeGlopper <jacob@
access.digex.net> writes:

> You can not only change the beep cadence, but also add features such
> as a priority alert that will make the pager beep even in silent mode
> for certain phone numbers.

I have a Motorola Advisor alphanumeric pager.  I can change the alert
with the menu on the pager but what I would like to do is have
priority and none priority pages.  I want to have my email forwarded
to the pager as well as having emergency calls.  I would want the
emergency pages to use a long, loud alert while the email pages should
be either the short beep or the vibrator.  Can the Advisor support
multiple numbers?

Where can I find out what the capabilities of this thing are?


Vance Shipley, [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 08:34:26 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Writing VoiceMail Program: Any Suggestions?
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


Having used several voice mail systems, I'll mention some features
that I have used and liked:

1.  Time Stamp:  It says the time of the message and if not
    today, when.  For example, today is Wednesday when I
    wrote this message.

          A message sent today would be marked
          "2 47 am..."
          A message sent to me on Tuesday would be marked as
          "Yesterday, 4 14 pm...".
          A message sent Monday would come in
          "Monday, 3 0 4 am..."
          A message sent last week would come in
          "August 3rd, 12 noon..."

2.  Timed Call Back:  I can tell the system that if I get a
    message between 10am and 2pm, to call me at a certain
    number and ask me if I want the message, and all I have to
    do is input my password, and it will act exactly as if I
    had called it, giving me the regular prompts and so on.
    However, any message coming in between 2:01pm and 9:59am
    is held until 10:00am.  The nice thing about this is you
    can't miss messages.  If I call in and retrieve my messages,
    and there are none left, the system doesn't call me.

3.  Help:  If I wait too long after a prompt - usually 5
    seconds or so - the system will tell me what my options
    are at that point, like "Press P to play your message
    again, S to save it and go on to the next message,
    D to discard, B to back up to the previous message."
    When using administrative features (such as changing
    numbers for dial out, passwords, etc.) it prompts for
    the entries.

4.  Variable Help and Type-Through:  If I know the system
    I can set the help level low so that I only get help
    if I have a problem or are using an unfamiliar feature,
    but if I don't use the system much, I can leave it on
    full help and it will walk me through.  Also, I can
    "type ahead" in which I can press keys to do the options
    at any time when any prompt or announcement is on.

5.  Remail and non-remail.  I can forward a message to
    another mailbox on the system or I can mark a message
    as private so it cannot be forwarded.  (Useful for
    mailboxes used by a group.)

6.  Spoken Name: Each mailbox is identified by number until
    I give it a "spoken name".  In addition to the message,
    I can record a permanent identifier for the mailbox and
    this identifier is given out for messages from me.

7.  Send to others: I can send a message to someone at another
    telephone number and it will call them and attempt to
    deliver the message, asking for them by name and asking
    them to press "1" if they want the message, and allowing
    them to record a reply.  Or I can send a message to another
    mailbox user.  It will put my spoken name on the message
    unless I don't create a spoken name, in which case it will
    use the mailbox number.

8.  Identify mailbox messages: If a message is from another
    mailbox user, it will say, before the date,
    "From " and then the user's own spoken name.

9.  Distribution List: I can create a distribution list so that
    I can enter one identifier and all the people on the list
    are called and given the message.

10. Broadcast and mixed addressing:  I can create a message to
    be sent to multiple recipients, including users on the
    system, external users and distribution lists.

Just consider any feature available on E-Mail and it is probably
useful on voice mail.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 08:38:36 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: How Does Switched-56 Interwork With ISDN?
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


> My ideal system would consist of a single plugin card for the PC
> at either end, and no separate DSU or TA.

> It would also have terminal emulation software for both ends that
> can  do ZMODEM file transfers and provide a simple 'host mode' (a
> la procomm)  that lets one PC act as a server which waits for phone
> calls, verifies username and password, then lets the caller select
> which directory they want to transfer files from/to.

As for this, a good choice is a program called "Telemate".  Has
built-in Zmodem, a script language as powerful as many programming
languages, plus a prewritten host script that you can customize for
your own interests.

Telemate will access a port either (1) via the ROM-BIOS (2) via direct
computer-computer connection (3) via a modem (4) via a fossil driver.
It should be able to handle most any connection with one of these
capabilities.

Telemate version 4.00 is on many BBS systems including the SIMTEL-20
mirrors as "TM400-1.ZIP" through "TM400-4.ZIP" in (obviously) four
parts.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 23:26:14 -0600
From: [e-mail] (Richard Thomsen)
Subject: Re: Flooding in the Midwest


Pat,

    Last year, during Hurricane Andrew, you posted requests for
supplies and such to be sent to help the victims.  This year, you have
posted articles on the flooding, but no names and addresses of groups
for sending help.  Do you have any particular groups you recommend or
have heard that are doing some real good?  It may be nice to post the
addresses.

    By the way, I know of someone who sent some money to the
American Red Cross to help out after the hurricane.  He was inundated
with letters from them ever since asking for more money.  He got so
miffed at this, that I suspect he will never again send them anything.
I did not get inundated with requests, but I did get letters saying
"Some neighbors of yours in {northern New Mexico community} are still
suffering the result of Hurricane Andrew, and still need your help."
I guess I did not realize how extensive the damage was!


Richard Thomsen    Los Alamos National Laboratory   [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Yeah, didn't you know that Hurricane Andrew stormed
in to New Mexico with a huff and a puff like a Big Bad Wolf and blew
down the house where the three pigs lived? Mama Pig stuffs the envel-
opes, Baby Pig licks the stamps, and Papa Pig drives to the post office
to mail the latest appeal and pick up what money arrived in their post
office box the day before that the Post Office Pigs have not yet found
out about to steal. Since as any {TV Guide} telemarketing droid could
explain to you New Mexico is not part of the United States, it will be
necessary for the Pigs to appeal to the Mexican government for help.

Regards the unfortunate people around Des Moines and the upper part of
the river which flooded first, has the water gone down any at all? The
last picture I saw a few days ago showed the same water sitting in the
same fields, covering up the same houses, etc.  Now the government is
saying it is the most costly natural disaster in our history. I guess
they are still talking about buying up all the land and having the
people move elsewhere.  If you have money to spare, send it to the Red
Cross in your local community, noting it is for midwest flood victims.
Apparently they do not need food, nor clothing, nor ordinary household
supplies this time around: just money. So send money to the Red Cross,
not to the Pig family post office box!  :) PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Clarence Dold)
Subject: Re: Local Calls via LD Carrier?
Organization: Unisys Corporation SLC
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 15:49:09 GMT


paul theodoropoulos ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I have a fuzzy recollection of postings in the Digest some time back
> discussing ways to use one's long distance provider to make "local"

Assuming you are properly registered with the carrier, which is
certainly true if you have selected them as your equal access LD
carrier, you can force intra-lata calls to be carried by them, rather
than your default regional carrier, by pressing the access code prior
to placing any (all) phone call.  503-555-1212 would be routed to your
selected LD carrier, 525-1212 would probably be handled by your local
carrier. 10288#525-1212 would force the call to be passed to AT&T for
handling, rahter than allowing your local carrier to decide whether to
handle or pass.

Intra-Lata calls currently support the cost of providing "the last
mile", so I expect this price break to dissappear in the next several
months, as inra-lata traffic is also deregulated.


Clarence A Dold - [e-mail]
               ...pyramid!ctnews!tsmiti!dold

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line
Date: 12 Aug 1993 16:15:19 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan CITI


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Christian Weisgerber) writes:

> Does anybody have a list of those available? 140 languages sounds like
> a lot to cover the globe ... I mean, we're talking about business
> languages here, aren't we?

I believe India alone has over 100 mutually incomprehensible
languages.  But Language Line doesn't limit itself to the mutually
incomprehensible.  A recent message here indicated that it lists both
Czech and Slovak, for example.  If you include such "close but
different" languages, I think India has about 800, China has several
hundred, Africa has hundreds, and even the US has several dozen.

------------------------------

From: Ben Burch <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Why do I Often Get "Off-Hook" Telco Message on Ans Machine?
Organization: Motorola, Inc.
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 17:16:49 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> TELECOM Moderator noted in
response to Edward Zotti ([e-mail]):

> [Moderator's Note: The caller has to hang up sort of in the middle of
> the ring the machine is going to answer on.

Also, I have seen some machines that don't supervise a ring properly,
and they believe they have been rung during line testing.  Not too
hard a mistake to make. I did several phone answering devices for NT,
and it took a bit of work to supervise and count rings correctly in
the face of the several different ring cycles defined in the Handbook.
Most machines don't do this as they are usually programmed to answer
on ring two or above.


"I don't speak for Motorola; They don't speak for me."
Ben Burch                     | Motorola Wireless Data Group:
[e-mail]  | Good PDAs go EVERYWHERE.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Martin Weiss)
Subject: Re: Traffic Calculator Wanted
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 17:37:21 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (McHarry)
writes:

> At one time I had a neat little program for doing traffic calculations
> on a PC.  Does anyone know where to find another?  It was a lot nicer
> than using the tables.

I wrote a little C program that computes Erlang-B and Erlang-C
recursively.  If enough people are interested, I can post it.


Martin Weiss     University of Pittsburgh
Telecommunications Program  Department of Information Science

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (James R. Saker Jr.)
Subject: Re: 950 Calling Cards
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 03:57:44 GMT


[e-mail] (Marshall Levin) writes:

> [e-mail] writes:

>> I work in a facility served by an ESS CO Centrex.  The telephone
>> company has a toll restriction on most lines.  Unfortunately, this
>> seems to restrict outgoing 800 calls as well as the ability to dial a
>> 0+ call.  I'm looking for a carrier that offers 950 access on their
>> calling cards.  I am not restricted from dialing 950-xxxx calls.

> In addition to being able to use the 800 number, I have found that I
> can use my MCI card with 950-1022 by dialing 950-1022 + destination
> number + card number.

Something you might want to investigate is utilizing a smaller
interexchange carrier for your 950 traffic. From my investigation of
feature group B service offerings in Nebraska, I discovered that the
large carriers typically seem uninterested in residential 950 access
(and typically don't have products for it).

For example, when I lived just 25 miles north of Omaha (until 2 months
ago!), I explored 950 access since I lived in an area serviced by a
tiny independent local exchange carrier with a state-wide reputation
of excessively charging its customers. (Note: Nebraska's PUC does not
regulate local exchange carriers on rates and product offerings). My
findings were as follows:

AT&T:  Sales/customer service folks did not have information available
       on 950 products. Offered 800 calling card instead (at travel
       card rates -- much higher than feature group B should be!!!)

Sprint:Rep didn't even know what 950 access was. Told me I could
       10xxx or be pic'ed to Sprint "since Sprint filed tariffs in
       your state". I encouraged the rep to try placing a pic on my
       line, being in a non-equal access prefix!

MCI:   Actually has a 950 product available (that the sales folks
       were aware of). However, the product is rated the same as
       their 800 calling card.

LDDS:  Not behind our 5ESS at the time (to my knowledge) so not included
       in the exercise.

However, several of the smaller IXCs doing service in our area had
competitive feature group products (oriented towards dialer customers
actually) which were $0.05 to $0.10 cheaper than calling card
products.

For those who don't know why 950 access beats the heck out of 800
access from a strict costing perspective, here's a brief explaination
of the difference from a interexchange carrier's point of view. A
caller originating on feature group B (950) incurs per minute network
charges equivelent (or slightly less) than a feature group D (1+, only
in equal access areas). In dollars, we're looking at a charge ranging
between $0.028/min in larger BOC areas (PACBELL, Bell South) at lower
mileage to $0.12/min for tiny independents many miles from the access
tandem. Compare this with your 800 access charges
(Sprint/AT&T/MCI/WILTEL) which can range anywhere around $0.10 on up
and you have a considerable cost differential.

So, if you're interested in keeping costs down, negotiate with some of
the smaller interexchange carriers on a 950 product. If you can get
them down to $0.14/min day and $0.10/min offday, you're doing good!


Jamie Saker            [e-mail]
Systems Commando         Business/MIS Major
Telenational Communications    Univ. Nebraska at Omaha
MyLine: [phone]         fax: [phone]
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are mine and not my employers,
            nor the University of Nebraska at Omaha's.

------------------------------

From: mc/G=Brad/S=Hicks/OU=[e-mail]
Date: 12 Aug 93 16:53:18 GMT
Subject: Re: CPSR and the NII


 > o     ensuring that all citizens have affordable network access and
 >       the training necessary to use these resources. ...

 > o     guaranteeing that the public sector, and particularly schools
 >       and libraries, have access to public data at a reasonable cost.

Whenever the CPSR, or any other group, starts talking like this, I get
nervous.  Very, very nervous.

The 64-kilobit question is this: WHO defines "reasonable cost"?  The
provider or the customer?  If "all citizens have affordable network
access" then they can't price NII any higher than phone service ...
which means one of two things, (a) running it at a loss (hah), or (b)
holding a gun to my head again and demanding that I fork over yet more
dough.

Sigh.  Wasn't it Tom Foley who just the other day said that the
Democrat tax increases send "a clear message" to the American people:
"Stand and deliver"?  ("Stand and deliver" is obsolete slang for
"stick 'em up, then give me all your dough.")  The 30%+ of my gross
income that I'm paying in one tax or another isn't good enough, now
you want me to pay more, to subsidize every po'bucker and Welfare
brat's access to the Internet?

You think I'm being mean-spirited?  Even after the second-largest tax
increase in American history, and even if you believe that Congress
will keep its word on the promised cuts (and they never have, so if
you do, you're a fool), and even if economic growth does live up to
the Clinton administration's estimates, then after five years of
increasingly tough "deficit reduction" we'll still be outspending our
income by close to a trillion dollars per year.

I submit that whatever the benefits of granting Internet access to the
poor, they don't justify going further into debt at a time when the US
can't make more than token payments on its principal.

Internet access already costs a fraction of what it did ten years ago.
Leave it alone for ten more years, and it =will= be affordable to
everyone. If you screw with it, you'll break it.

NII: The liberals' answer to SDI.


J. Brad Hicks     Internet: mc![e-mail]
X.400: c=US admd=ATTMail prmd=MasterCard sn=Hicks gn=Brad

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael Peirce)
Subject: Re: CPSR and the NII
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 14:50:23 PST
Organization: Peirce Software
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Michael Peirce)


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail].
gov wrote:

> "We were excited to discover that CPSR is in a position to play a key
> role in shaping NII policy," said CPSR Board President, Eric Roberts.

It may (or may not) be well and good that the CPSR can lobby its way
into getting to influence policy in Washington, but is there anyone
out there besides me that get's ticked off when they start sounding
like they represent all "computer professionals"?

They sure don't represent me, nor most of the "computer professionals"
that I know, and I resent their attempt at coming across as such.

They should least change the title of their press released to say
"Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility add social concience
to national network debate".


Michael Peirce    [e-mail]
Peirce Software   Suite 301, 719 Hibiscus Place
                  San Jose, California USA 95117
Makers of:        voice: +1.408.244.6554 fax: [phone]
      Smoothie -- AppleLink: peirce & America Online: AFC Peirce

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 12:16:22 EDT
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Analysis of Bell Atlantic Cellular


Seven digits within the same area code; area code + seven digits if
calling a different area code;

Where is this being used from?  What about time-outs or N0X/N1X
prefixes or the coming of NNX area codes?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Analysis of Bell Atlantic Cellular
Date: 12 Aug 1993 17:08:18 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan CITI


In article <[e-mail]>, Paul Robinson <TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.
COM> writes:

> Airtime charges begin when the "send" key is pressed.

As anyone who has seen a cellular phone bill can tell you, the "SND"
key is short for "SpeND," not "SeND."

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 23:33:58 EDT
From: Rick Broadhead <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Toronto Free-Net FAQ


Pat,

The Toronto Free-Net FAQ that was posted on TELECOM Digest is an
abridged version.  Anyone who would like a complete copy is welcome to
e-mail me.


Rick Broadhead  Internet: [e-mail]  Director, Toronto Free-Net

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 93 00:16 GMT
From: George Gilder <[e-mail]>
Subject: Last Laugh! Why Light a Candle if You Can Curse the Darkness?


Surely Pan Am Telecom (PAT) will soon begin service delivering dark
fiber communications now that the FCC has ruled that the RBOCs must
also accomodate the forces of darkness.


[Virtual Moderator responds:  Ahem ... did I just hear my name taken
in vain?  Well George, its like my pastor, the Reverend Bob Dobbs of
the Church of the Sub-Genius once said, "--ck 'em if they can't take
a joke ..."  Stick around with us for awhile, okay? This newsgroup
gets almost as hysterical as some of the things I used to read in
dear old Malcomb's magazine before he departed this vail of tears.  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #570
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa26444;
          13 Aug 93 15:02 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA24132
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 13 Aug 1993 10:26:53 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30904
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 13 Aug 1993 10:26:13 -0500
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 10:26:13 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #571

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 13 Aug 93 10:26:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 571

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    The Information "Free"way (Rob Slade)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (A. Padgett Peterson)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Michael Jennings)
    Re: Radar Detectors (John Stanley)
    Re: LORAN -- LOng Range Aid to Navigation (Jack Winslade)
    Re: Valid Card Declared Invalid? (Andy Sherman)
    Re: Bell Atlantic Mobile Cell Features (Lee Sweet)
    Re: Pay-Phone Wanted -- Where to Get? (Michael G. Katzmann)
    Re: Un-directory (Ray Normandeau)
    Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN) (Al Varney)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rob Slade)
Subject: The Information "Free"way
Date: 12 Aug 1993 15:58:59 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway


Hannen Swaffer, about 1928: "Freedom of the press in Britain is
freedom to print such of the proprietor's prejudices as the
advertisers don't object to".

Currently popular "siggy" and tagline quote on the nets: "Freedom of
the press belongs to those who own one".

 From an article in the Vancouver Sun of August 3, 1993 (originally by
John Duncan and Nick Pront in the Toronto Star): "Computer information
networks free to the general public have been carrying chatter about
Karla Teale's manslaughter trial, including details that fall under
the judge's publication ban".

(I should, for those few non-Canadians on the mailing list, give a
brief resume of the case.  Karla and Paul Bernardo have been charged
with the murders, sex related, of school aged girls.  They are being
tried separately.  Their marriage has apparently broken up.  Paul
Bernardo legally changed his name to Paul Teale; Karla is being
referred to as Teale as well.  Paul has not yet stood trial.  Karla
has, has been convicted, and the judge imposed a publication ban on
the trial.)

I won't go into detail on the Sun article.  Some of the text is
reasonable; some is incorrect.  The important thing is the fact that
information banned from publication in the press is available on
computer networks and conferencing systems.  There is one other
absolutely fascinating aspect: according to an expert media lawyer
quoted in the article the posters are probably not breaking the law.
Apparently the publication ban covers only material obtained from the
court.  Publication of the same information, if obtained from other
sources, is permissible.

Let us look first at the gathering and dissemination of the
information itself.  This is only the latest of many recent examples
of information distribution being better served by the mere existence
of the technology than the efforts of the media.  Although the
relative numbers of those involved with computer networks are
relatively small, in comparison with either the general population or
the professional media, the technology allows for much more effective
management of information.  Information can be accessed or restricted
by subject, date and even author.  In contrast, the professional media
may give you some slight sorting by broad topical outlines, but you
only get today's events, unless you make extra efforts to create your
own archives, and rarely know who wrote or researched a piece.  A
system like Usenet, therefore, can generate the equivalent of fifty to
one hundred fat novels *per day*, and still remain accessible.  This
allows for the discussion of quite limited and specialized interests,
without the need for censorship on the basis of topic.  (I will freely
admit that there *is* a desperate need for censorship on the bases of
grammar, style and coherence ...)

As well, the networks, unlike the professional media, are directly
interactive.  In the case of the Sun article, I might wish to correct
the reference to BBSes as "information highways", since that term has
only recently come into use as a specialized reference to an upgraded
"backbone" for research institutions.  Were such an article to be
posted on a computer network, I could immediately do so, either
sending a reply to the author, or, if I felt that my trivial detail
was of sufficient interest to the world as a whole, "posting" a reply
in that particular "conference", "newsgroup" or "echo".  If I wish to
reply to the printed article, I have to find the mailing address for
the Sun, generate a physical letter, find an envelope and stamp and
take it to the post office.  Then, assuming the editors of the Sun can
stop laughing long enough, *they* have to find the address of the
Toronto Star and forward it on.  In the unlikely event that anyone at
either the Sun or the Star thought it worthwhile, my article might be
printed in a few of the papers to print the original article, about a
month after everyone had forgotten that there even was an original
article.

Now, I have an unfair advantage in critiquing the Sun article: this is
a specialized field and I am a specialist.  Very few of the general
populace even *care* that electronic bulletin board systems are not
called "billboards".  Journalists, after all, are selected on the
basis of journalism degrees, which does tend to cut down on the number
of other specialties one can acquire.  "online" computer users, on the
other hand, are selected only on the basis of possession of a
computer, a telephone and a modem.  This doesn't really exclude all
that many people, and very few "classes" of people.  (The very poor,
perhaps.  They can borrow, as many of us do.)  This means that there
is a very broad diversity of background available to the net as a
whole.

Another advantage the net has is dispersion.  Most computer networks
have connections in most of the developed world, and some in large
parts of the developing world as well.  Individual workers in the
professional media may have a few contacts in scattered places that
they can call by phone, but only a select few have the ability to
travel as they please.  Even these few media stars do not, and cannot,
have the constant, even daily, interaction that "net" workers have
with dozens of contacts in other countries and continents.  In common
with anyone in the "online community" I have friends that I found
through mutual interests, and have developed over the years.  However,
were I to select new fields of interest, I would likely be able to
obtain twenty to fifty valuable contacts within the first week of
joining a new topic.

It is this diffused nature of the net that leads to the legal aspects
briefly discussed on the article.  The media is prevented from
publishing any material obtained directly from the trial itself.  The
professional media, however, cannot afford to develop arcane contacts
simply for this one story, and therefore the trial goes unreported.
The net, on the other hand, already has more arcane contacts than you
can shake a stick at.  In addition to those directly on the net, there
are "friends of friends" which extend its reach greatly.  The
population of the net can be estimated (no one knows its true size
with any certainty) at about two million people.  Given that the
average person has about two thousand acquaintances, the number of
people in indirect contact with the net approaches the total
population of the earth.  (This estimate, of course, neglects a great
many factors, not least the duplication of friendships.  Still, it is
a figure to give one pause.)

The net, then, as an entity, has contacts that the most lavishly
funded media outlet can only dream of.  The publication ban which the
courts can impose on the media is meaningless in the context of the
net.  The law, and most governments, are completely unaware of the
scope of the net in this regard.  Politicians, fortunately or
unfortunately, are too busy devoting their efforts to getting elected
to keep abreast of such recent technological advances as the move from
vacuum tubes to transistors.  All sarcasm aside, however, only those
with direct experience of computer networks can even partially
understand their breadth and reach.  Governments may be blissfully
unaware of the developing cyberspace, or they may take panicked and
ineffectual action against some imagined threat.  Or, should some of
the leadership come to the beginnings of an understanding of the
nature of "inter"networking, they might start to use the powers of the
net for the better governance of regions and nations; assessing the
mood of the populace, interoffice communications, research and so
forth.  (The nets are woefully ineffectual as propaganda tools, but
you can't have everything.)

I have throughout this editorial contrasted, in a sense, the computer
networks with the established order.  This contrast is highly
unnecessary.  As just noted, established institutions ignore the new
technology at their peril.  They need not, however, fear it in all
cases.  Already some few of the professional media are doing research
on the nets for articles which then appear in print and on the
electronic media.  Class assignment for next week: would it be illegal
for a paper to research the Bernardo/Teale trials through the computer
networks, and publish that material?  Would it be illegal for a
reporter to research the trials through the nets and thus have a head
start on the competition once the publication ban is lifted?


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993

Vancouver      [e-mail]
Institute for  [e-mail]
Research into  [e-mail]
User           [e-mail]
Security       Canada V7K 2G6

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 09:24:56 -0400
From: [e-mail] (A. Padgett Peterson)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms


[e-mail] wrote:

>> FUBAR

> Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition.

Actually this is a "dual use" acronym probably invented by the
military containing a local meaning (among equals) and an "official"
meaning (subordinate to superior or vica-versa e.g. son to mother).

Pronouncing acronyms is old hat for Americans dating at least back
into the 1800s (Wobblies for IWW members) and was picked up early by
the military (during WWI the Curtis model JN was immediatelly dubbed
the "Jenny" and when a General Purpose vehicle was designed by for the
Army, with some influence by a "Popeye" character of the time, it
became the "Jeep".

The first multiple definition acronym that I am aware of was SNAFU
duning WWII or "Situation Normal, All F...ed Up" from this was
derived, FUBB (F...ed Up Beyond Belief), FUBAR (above), and, in the
Air Force the B-52 became BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F....er) in this case the
"public" translation was "Fellow". The most creative one I know of is
IHTFP which, often posted in public ares was "officially" translated
as "I Have Truely Found Paradise" and in private as "I Hate This
F...ing Place".

Since military technicians often became civilian technicians and
engineers, this tradition has carried forward in RTFM and RTFM-P
("Read The F...ing Manual" and "Read The F...ing Manual - Please !")
though pronunciation is not easy. Of course in E-Mail, pronunciation
is unnecessary 8*).


Warmly,

Padgett

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael Jennings)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms
Organization: University of Cambridge, DAMTP
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 03:39:37 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dave
Levenson) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, Cliff Sharp <clifto@indep1.
> chi.il.us> writes:

>>    LORAN - LOng RAnge Navigation
>>    ELF - Extremely Low Frequency (which is among the hierarchy:

> and lots more, to which I would like to add:

>    NTSC - National Television Standards Committee
>     "   - Never Twice the Same Color
>
    And whilst we're at it, the two competing TV systems:

    PAL - Phase alternation line
        - Picture always lousy

    SECAM - (Something in French I can't remember)
          - System even crappier than American method

Michael

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Stanley)
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors
Date: 13 Aug 1993 04:44:48 GMT
Organization: Coastal Imaging Lab, College of Oceanography


In article <[e-mail]> Cliff Sharp <clifto@indep1.
chi.il.us> writes:

> I do notice, however, that most drivers who _really_ speed (i.e.,
> 20+ MPH over the limit) do not have a radar detector visible.

I have noticed here in Oregon, when I get a chance to use I-5, that
most people who speed do not have radar detectors. Even those who are
20 over.

I know. I have been watching carefully. Especially the really fast
ones.  I bought a Gunn microwave emitter at Dayton last year. The fast
ones would be the most fun.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 93 05:37:24 CST
From: [e-mail] (Jack Winslade)
Subject: Re: LORAN -- LOng Range Aid to Navigation
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: DRBBS Technical BBS, Omaha


> Although now most LORAN sites are becoming automated, the biggest
> threat for Coast Guard people for many years was sending someone
> to isolated duty on a LORAN station in the middle of no where.

Years ago I spent time at the LORAN stations at Orote Point, Guam and
Saipan, about 100 miles north of Guam.  These were not nearly as bad
as some of the other, such as Tern Island, French Frigate Shoales or
Attu Island in the Aleutians.

> Back several years ago when President Reagan bombed Omar Quedaffi
> he fought back by trying to bomb the LORAN Station on Lampadusa,
> a small island off of Italy.  The bomb fell short.

If I remember my LORAN trivial correctly, MEDSEC (Coast Guard) had a
LORAN station in Libya up until a political p*ssing incident in the
early 1970's.  I forget any details of that incident.

When I was involved in LORAN, the older LORAN-A was being phased out
and the newer (now standard) LORAN-C was being phased in.  Other than
the fact that C was more accurate, it had a much greater range, thus
fewer stations were needed for any given coverage area.

Obtelecom: In 'another conference' there has been some recent
discussion on using LORAN signals (derived from an atomic frequency
standard) to calibrate oscillators in T1 (and similar) equipment, thus
making it more resistant to sync slips.


Good day,       JSW
Happy Birthday TELECOM Digest -- Happy Birthday DRBBS  (1:285/666.0)

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 22:41:17 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Andy Sherman)
Subject: Re: Valid Card Declared Invalid?


In article [e-mail], Pat the Moderator notes:

> [Moderator's Note: Oh? Stuff going through 10xxx is not validated by
> the local telco?  Then how come when I wanted to change the PIN on my
> AT&T Calling Card and had to ask twice to get it done, the second time
> the rep at AT&T said "I will send a FAX to Illinois Bell right now and
> ask what is the delay in processing this," ??  And how come she later
> said IBT had lost the original order to do it?  I believe that anything
> dialed via 10xxx is first examined -- in its entirety -- by the local
> telco, and then is handled, passed to a carrier, treated or whatever.
> How come whenever I want to change calling plans or do anything with
> my AT&T account the answer is always it will be done whenever Illinois
> Bell gets around to it, etc.?   PAT]

Pat, you're confusing a lot of different interactions between IXCs and
LECs, and assuming that they're all connected.

a) When you dial 10xxx+number, the end office switch waits to get the
entire number you are dialing before routing the call, so they can
grab inter-LATA calls, make sure you don't try to carrier-select an
800 call, etc.  Once they route the call to the IXC, they are out of
the DTMF interpretation business.  You get the bong from the IXC
switch, and it gets your digits.

b) If Illinois Bell had to execute the PIN change on your card, I
would assume it was the old-style card using your real phone number
plus a PIN.  In that case, the LEC was the number issuer, not AT&T.
These days, AT&T will still validate any LEC issued card number for an
AT&T call.  AT&T also provides validation services to the LECs for
local calls billed to the new style CIID numbers issued by AT&T.

c) The reason why IBT is in the loop on your calling plan changes is
that IBT is still providing billing service for AT&T.  That has
nothing to do with how the network does routing and card verification,
but has everything to do with how AT&T still does its measurement,
rating, and billing.


Andy Sherman     Salomon Inc - Unix Systems Support -
Rutherford, NJ [phone] -  [e-mail] or [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: decrsc![e-mail] (Lee Sweet)
Subject: Re: Bell Atlantic Mobile Cell Features
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1993 13:51:26 -0400 (EDT)


One correction, I believe ... the latest bill has a flyer that implies
that follow-me roaming is now *automatic* for BAM customers.  It says
you can disable this, but not permanently ... i.e., like the way
follow-me used to be, you have to enable it (then) or disable it (now)
daily.

Anyone have more details/experience with this? Seems like it would
have to be permanently-disable-able, like call-waiting and three-way
calling. (These are an extra monthly charge [automatically applied to
your bill!] if you didn't/don't call BAM and say "don't want it!".)


Lee Sweet                     Internet *lists* - [e-mail]
Chief Systems Consultant     Internet *e-mail* - [e-mail]
Datatel, Inc.                            Phone - 703-968-4661
4375 Fair Lakes Court                      FAX - 703-968-4625
Fairfax, VA 22033             (Opinions are my own, and only my own!)

------------------------------

From: slc1!vk2bea![e-mail] (Michael G. Katzmann)
Subject: Re: Pay-Phone Wanted -- Where to Get?
Date: 12 Aug 93 17:23:37 GMT
Reply-To: slc1!vk2bea![e-mail] (Michael G. Katzmann)
Organization: Broadcast Sports Technology, Crofton. Maryland.


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Christopher Hudel) writes:

> I'd like to put one of those old (or not so old) pay-phones in my
> apartment as a "novelty" item and wonder if anybody knows where I can
> pick one up and approximately how much I should expect to pay.

I picked up an unused COCOT (WECO housing / Elcotel electronics) at a
hamfest for $100. (I think they normally go for around $1000)

M H Z electronics in Phoenix, which is a second hand electronics
outlet had some GTE phone co (dumb) and WECO wall mount (like at the
airport) phone co phones, when I was there last.  Might be worth a
call.


Michael Katzmann         Broadcast Sports Technology Inc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     Crofton, Maryland. U.S.A
NV3Z / VK2BEA / G4NYV     [e-mail]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Un-directory
From: [e-mail] (Ray Normandeau)
Date: 12 Aug 93 17:11:00 GMT
Organization: Invention Factory's BBS - New York City, NY - 212-274-8298v.32bis
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Ray Normandeau)


> When I call the UnDirectory service I usually can get three lookups a
> minute, but to get that rate I have to interrupt the spoken prompts and
> punch in digits fast.  If the names and addresses are long, three listings
> take longer than a minute.

You could pre-program them in temporary memory locations of a memory
dialer for even more speed.

One unadvertised UnDirectory feature I've found that speeds lookups:
When I make a mistake during number entry, I can press * to erase the
last digit.  The voice states the remaining last three digits so I
know where I am in the ten-digit number.  (Pressing # during digit
entry erases everything and I have to begin again.)

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 18:51:29 CDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN)
Organization: AT&T


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]2.
dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
> (Harold Hallikainen) writes:

> The NEXT (near-end cross talk) is easy.  The FEXT isn't terribly
> tough.  What kills things is the junk in the middle.

{You bet -- and unfortunately without the middle, you got no loop!!}

> ...  While ISDN lines are not supposed to have bridge taps (little
> stubs off the middle), the reality is that bridge taps happen.  And a
> little bit of bridge tap creates whopping echo somewhere, which the
> chip tries to cancel.  We actually verified (unwanted!) bridge taps on
> lines which were still sort of working, but not working well enough to
> be useful. [...]

   Hmmm!  Assuming your idea of an ISDN "line" is the same as mine
(2B1Q U interface outside customer prem.), then howcome there's
something like 16 test configurations that a "U" interface has to
handle, and most have multiple bridge taps and multiple cable
guages???  One has, if I recall correctly, a bridge tap off of a
bridge tap.  Are you saying ISDN wasn't reliable over a 2B1Q two-wire
interface with a bridge tap?  Or were you talking about the S/T
interface (four-wire)?  Even the pre-ANSI AT&T U interface would
handle 12000 ft. with a bridge tap or two.

> Digital lines are not like 3002s; they don't have the same terminators
> and may have different repeaters.  And no bridge taps :-).

   Maybe you are talking "T1" (DS1 rate) lines with taps -- they can
be a problem only because there's no echo-canceling at the bipolar
level on these four-wire circuits.  For ISDN, the TELCos do NOT want
to have to "groom" every BRI line to remove all the lint.  :)


Al Varney - just my opinion

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #571
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa00873;
          13 Aug 93 19:12 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12998
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 13 Aug 1993 16:35:30 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA16418
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 13 Aug 1993 16:34:50 -0500
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 16:34:50 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #572

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 13 Aug 93 16:34:45 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 572

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Review of HyperACCESS/5 (Rob Slade, DECrypt Editor)
    Hearing Impairment (was Another Side of Alex Bell) (A. Padgett Peterson)
    New Directory Assistance Charges in Canada (David Leibold)
    Any Use For Dead ATT 510 Console? (Andy Meijers)
    Positions Available at the University of Arizona (Walt Moody)
    Wiring/Schematics/Info on Merlin? (Gregory J. Nelson)
    New Jersey Pulls the Plug on Computer-Dialed Calls (Thomas Hinders)
    Caller ID Box With Serial Port From AT&T (Russell Kroll)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 13 Aug 93 14:44 -0600
From: Rob Slade, DECrypt Editor <[e-mail]>
Subject: Review of HyperACCESS/5


This is a series on antiviral programs, right?  So what am I doing
reviewing a terminal emaulation program?  Well, HyperACCESS/5 is both.

I first heard about HA5 several years ago when I first started doing
antiviral reviews.  I have only recently, though, been able to get a
copy.  Without further ado, then:

PCHA5.RVW   930809
                               Comparison Review

Company and product:

Hilgraeve Inc.
111 Conant Ave., #A
Monroe, MI   48161
800-826-2760
313-243-0576
fax: [phone]
BBS: 313-243-5915
HyperACCESS/5 3.0


Rating (1-4, 1 = poor, 4 = very good)
      "Friendliness"
            Installation      1
            Ease of use       2
            Help systems      2
      Compatibility           3
      Company
            Stability         2
            Support           2
      Documentation           2
      Hardware required       2
      Performance             3
      Availability            2
      Local Support           1

General Description:

Feature rich communications and terminal emulation program, but
definitely for the advanced user.

                  Comparison of features and specifications


User Friendliness

Installation

I was surprised to find, given Hilgraeve's emphasis on virus
detection, that the disks, five 360Ks and three 720Ks, were shipped
unprotected.

Installation, interestingly, is not covered in the manual.  Amongst
the ads for Compuserve, Dow-Jones, NewsNet, OAG and other goodies, is
a flyer labelled "Quick Install Guide".  The only information on the
installation is that you run the INSTALL program.  (Installation
apparently makes no attempt to add to your "path": you are directed to
change to the HyperACCESS directory before running the program.)  The
manual does, however, list the files supplied, and their functions, in
Appendix J.

Installation, due to the fact that files are shipped compressed, is a
fairly lengthy process, taking 45 minutes on the old XT test machine.
It is not very dependable, either, missing some of the options that it
specifically asked me about during the process.

The only information about the disk space needed is a comment on the
card that you could install it to a 1.2 meg or larger floppy.  The
INSTALL program at one point gives you the option of a "full"
installation taking up 1.1 megs of space, or a 400K minimal
installation.  Unlike some other programs which allow this kind of
customization, you are only offered these two options, with nothing in
between.  In any case, it turns out to be nonsense.  The program will
not install if there is less than 1.5 megs of disk space available.  I
thought this might have been due to decompression needs, but, in fact,
this is the size needed for a full install.  Therefore, you *cannot*,
in contradiction to both the documentation and the INSTALL program,
install to a floppy disk.  I am not sure what the minimal installation
might be after you have deleted extraneous files, but I estimate it to
be about 1 meg.

Ease of use

While beginners will find HyperACCESS reasonably easy to use, it is
likely to be the "Power User" who is really interested in this
program.  There are a range of fascinating features, such as the
ability to use the mouse to choose options from the screen, even on
strictly text based systems.  Hilgraeve obviously sees PROCOMM as the
competition, and has followed, to a certain extent, the "one key
command" philosophy.  Not entirely; many of the HyperACCESS functions
must be chosen from a menu.  In certain cases, however, HyperACCESS
has chosen a better route.  Many of the "one key" commands are more
intuitive (Alt-H for help, for instance) and the menu and screen
layouts are more comprehensible.  Unfortunately, many of the screens
and functions are much less intuitive, and the program takes some
getting used to.

Once you start getting into the settings for various functions, this
is definitely for experienced users only.  One example: sending ASCII
text.  This is a fairly normal function, in that many users will
compose a message "offline", and then send it to the BBS, email or
text editing systems they are using on the "host" computer.  Many
"host" systems will present a "prompt" at the beginning of each line,
and it is best to "wait" before sending the next line.  HyperACCESS/5
has a feature to do so, and it is unthreateningly called "wait for
this character after sending each line".  However, the prompt
character to wait for must be entered as a hexadecimal representation.
(An "ASCII" character chart is provided.  As usual, it covers not only
the "proper" 7 bit ASCII characters but the 8 bit IBM PC graphics
characters as well.)

The script language, HyperPilot, is extensive and seems to owe much to
the C language.  The table of contents alone for the language
reference chapter is three and a half pages of very dense type.
Chapter eleven, however, does give a briefer overview of the more
common commands.  Once again, this is a compiled script situation.
Scripts that have not been pre-compiled with be so after the first
usage, if the proper files are all available.

Help systems

Alt-H is a "universal" help key, but this is another program where if
you don't know the answer already, you are going to have a hard time
finding it in the help system.

Compatibility

An interesting feature is the ability to "import" a Procomm dialling
directory file.  The program is also available for OS/2 and, in fact,
is shipped with both versions on disk.  VT terminal emulation is
generally good.  File transfer protocols are generally good, although
there is a problem with Kermit uploading.

Company Stability

Hilgraeve, and HyperACCESS 5, has been around for a while.  They have
not obtained a great "presence" in the communications software
industry.

Company Support

The usual.

Documentation

The documentation consists of one manual, plus the easily overlooked
"Quick Install Guide" flyer.  In general, the manual is clear and well
laid out.  (Small boxed "marginal notes" are sprinkled throughout the
manual, and are generally very helpful hints and points.)

However, it is at this point that the package deserts the "Power
User".  While the general information on how to use the program is all
there, the details on many of the more interesting points are lacking.
Many times, in reading the manual, I just got to the point where I
felt the next few pages would give me an explanation of a particularly
intriguing aspect of HyperACCESS/5, only to find that the next page
was a new topic or chapter.  The intermediate user will be easily able
to grasp and use the basic functions of the terminal program; the
advanced user is left wondering whether the experimentation necessary
is worth the effort to see if a specific advanced feature lives up to
its billing.

System Requirements

Must install to a hard disk.  May be able to run from HD floppies if
copied over.

Performance

HyperACCESS has a number of features not normally associated with
terminal emulation programs.  As mentioned previously, some of these,
such as the ability to "choose" menu options, on "text only" systems,
with a mouse, are minor but handy.

HyperACCESS/5, like PROCOMM, has a "host" mode.  The menus provided to
the caller are not as pretty as those of PROCOMM, but the
functionality is all there.  Again, since it is "built-in", there is
no need for programming on the part of the HyperACCESS user.  The
security aspects are also much better on HyperACCESS/5: there are
multiple options which can be allowed or denied.  One proviso - the
program ships with an "unlimit" password which, as it implies, allows
unlimited access.  The "unlimit" password does not require a specific
"account" name.  I would strongly recommend that all purchasers delete
this entry, even if they do not plan to use the "host" option.

The most bizarre of HyperACCESS's features is virus checking.  This is
intended to catch viral programs, or infected files, as they are being
downloaded.  Note that there are the same limitations with this virus
checker as with any other: compressed or archived files, or files
otherwise manipulated for transmission, may "hide" viral infections.
(HyperACCESS/5 does implicitly recognize this: another function is the
ability to "unzip" ZIP format archives.  This only works with PKZIP
1.1 format archives.)  The READ.ME documentation states that
HyperACCESS *is* able to find viral infections "inside" ZIP files, and
I was able to generate a virus detection alarm with some very common
infections that had been compressed with the PKZIP 1.1 format.  The
default, by the way, is that virus checking is off.  I strongly
suspect that "uploading" is not checked.  (Hilgraeve used to
"advertise" HyperACCESS/5 with a virus checking "copy" program called
HCOPY.  This is apparently still available on the Hilgraeve BBS, but I
have not seen it on other boards.)

A chapter is devoted to the additional benefits of "HA5 to HA5"
communications; in other words, calling another HyperACCESS/5 equipped
computer.  This is primarily concerned with promoting the proprietary
HyperProtocol file transfer protocol.  Some mention is made of "time
delayed" and "automatic" calls, but this can also be done with
"normal" systems and the script language.

Local Support

None provided.

Support Requirements

The intermediate user should be able to access the basic features of
the program.  (Some problems with installation may inhibit initial
use.)  Even the advanced user will need to devote several hours, and
possibly days, to the initial setup and learning more than the most
modest features.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993   PCHA5.RVW   930809

==============
Vancouver      [e-mail]   | You realize, of
Institute for  [e-mail]      | course, that these
Research into  [e-mail]         | new facts do not
User           [e-mail]         | coincide with my
Security       Canada V7K 2G6           | preconceived ideas

btw, my wife just reminded me that not only is today Friday the 13th
(have *you* done your scan today?) but it is also "Left Handers" Day.
She said that "they" must *still* think left handed people are pretty
"sinister" to make it a Friday the 13th.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 93 08:35:39 -0400
From: [e-mail] (A. Padgett Peterson)
Subject: Hearing Impairment (was Another Side of Alex Bell)


This bothers me to a certain extent. What we have is a gifted person
trying to change a culture. Rightly or wrongly is not an issue, it is
merely a fact that was. Certainly he was influenced heavily by his
family and by living with the hearing impaired at a time when
prothetics were of limited usefulness. *But he was trying.*

As one who has required hearing aids for over twenty years, I have
some experience in the matter. I am just fortunate enough that
prothetic art has progressed dramatically in that time. For me the
greatest challenge has always been when teaching and trying to
understand student's questions.  In this reguard, the latest
generation of hearing aids (I have a new pair of Danavox DCEs) are a
tremendous improvement.

 From this I also have certain opinions: First deafness can be divided
into two categorys, those who can achieve acceptable hearing with
prothetics and those who cannot. For the first group, "mainstreaming"
is an economic question since good hearing aids are not cheap (though
figures I saw a number of years ago indicate about a 700% markup at
the retail level from what the VA pays - before I get any flames from
the hearing aid vendors, I realize the effort required in testing,
fitting, moldmaking, and followups).

Second, there are certain advantages to "being able to turn the world
off" (such as when my son had colic and my wife would hand him to me
after removing my aids 8*) so it is not all bad.

True, for those who are completely deaf, there is no question that
special handling and education is needed but I suspect that these are
comparatively rare in comparison to those who, like Mr. Bell's mother,
merely need proper augmentation (from the depiction in the movie, I
would estimate that she was 60-70 db "down").

Personally, I am opposed to a "separate sub-culture" since separation
denies access to certain mainstream activities. Consider that fewer
than 1% of the world's computers are connected to the Internet and how
you would feel if it were not there. Most people are not even aware it
exists.

Further, consider that while some people refuse to wear hearing aids,
few shun a microphone. I fail to see the difference.

Finally, I would like to mention that "proper" hearing is a matter of
perception and IMHO the "average" person is far deafer than I am ! For
years my hearing aids have had inductive pick-ups designed for help
with telephones (you should have known I would get around to something
TELECOM related eventually). By flicking a switch I can turn off the
microphone and turn on the pick-up. You might wonder why it is not on
all the time - simply because I would be driven to destraction by all
of the inaudible sounds!

The fist time I noticed this was while designing large military gas
turbine engine conrols for Pratt & Whitney in the 1970s (translation:
working on the F-100 engine that powers the F-16 and F-15). The test
stands were quite noisy and one time instead of just turning off my
hearing aids (they function quite effectively as earplugs when off) I
put then into "telephone" mode and a whole new world of sounds
appeared.

I could hear the clicks of the pump relays, the jingles of the
igniters (which changed pitch when the engine caught), and all of the
myriad electrical noises which an engine creates. Soon I could tell
what was happening before it would register on the gauges and by
listening to the sounds could tune an engine to increase thrust and
reduce fuel consumption beyond all expectations. To my "deaf"
colleages, this was magic.

Today I tune my cars and my computers the same way much as an external
modem will tell a receptive listener the progress of a call but to
many it is still magic. "Hearing" the spark plugs firing can tell as
much as watching the ignition on an oscilloscope. (IMHO more 8*)

One time a number of people in the corner of a building where I worked
in Texas complained of headaches. Untracable. My hearing aid found
that when the headaches occurred I would hear a periodic BEEP from the
RADAR unit across the runway - when occationally pointed at the
building people got headaches for no medical reason. Another time a
friend complained that she always became depressed when she sat on the
end of a sofa. For some reason the house wiring gave off a sharp and
localized 60 hz hum right at that spot. Moved the sofa 18 inches away
and no more depression. Magic. I told her "the vibes are not right
here." - and was literally true.

Deafness is a matter of viewpoint.


Warmly,

Padgett

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 93 11:19 EDT
From: [e-mail] (woody)
Subject: New Directory Assistance Charges in Canada


The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
approved a wider scope of charges for directory assistance services on
Tuesday this week. This applies to BC Tel, AGT (Alberta), and Bell
Canada (Ontario and Quebec). The decision moves directory assistance
charging closer in nature to the sort of charges incurred in the U.S.

This was announced as CRTC Telecom Order 93-685. The use of a Telecom
Order is noteworthy, considering that rulings on public proceedings
like the directory assistance matter are usually rendered as a Telecom
Decision rather than a Telecom Order.

This means:

Long distance directory assistance (LDDA) requests (555.1212 calls)
will be chargeable. In Bell Canada's case, this will be 50 cents per
call.

Exemptions will apply from hospitals, specific mobile or toll station
uses, for the disabled, for those at least 65 years of age, and
possibly some types of public phones (like payphones) though that
didn't seem clear in the decision. Calls to 1-800 assistance remain
toll-free.

Bell Canada wanted to charge for local directory assistance (LDA)
calls for numbers that are "out-of-book": those numbers that are new
since the last directory, or have been changed. The CRTC denied this
request and ordered that such inquiries not be chargeable. That aspect
of the Order was based on the local service nature of such requests,
and the inability to obtain such numbers by other means. Charges for
numbers "in-book" could be justified in that a directory is already
provided to subscribers; calling an operator for a listed number is a
redundant effort for which a charge can be justified.

Maritime Tel & Tel in Nova Scotia is reported to have LDDA charges
already, according to {The Toronto Star}. These are 95 cents per LDDA
call, much higher than Bell, BC Tel and AGT would be charging (each 50
cents per LDDA call).

The issue of providing telco data to allow for competing directory
assistance services was left as a separate issue to be dealt with at
another time.

The last part of the decision text reads:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:

The proposed tariff revisions submitted by AGT under Tariff Notice
330, BC TEL under Tariff Notice 2705 and Bell under Tariff Notice
4505, as amended by Tariff Notice 4505A, are given final approval
amended as described below:

1. Requests for out-of-book LDA shall continue to be provided at no
charge.

2. BC TEL and Bell are directed to provide LDA/LDDA exemptions for
calls from the disabled and those with special needs.

3. Bell is directed to extend its proposed LDA exemption for calls
from subscribers over 65 years of age to include LDDA.

4. AGT is directed to exempt LDA calls from federal and provincial
hospitals.

5. AGT is directed to indicate in its tariffs that LDDA calls to
1 + 800 + 555-1212 are exempt from an LDDA charge.

6. AGT and BC TEL are directed to charge for LDA and LDDA requests for
company telephone numbers.

7. The companies are directed to file, within 14 days, tariff pages
reflecting the appropriate effective date.


David Leibold

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Andy Meijers)
Subject: Any Use For Dead ATT 510 Console?
Date: 13 Aug 93 14:12:46 GMT
Organization: Defense Logistics Service Center, Battle Creek MI


As part of a misc. lot at a state government auction, I ended up with
a ATT 510 operator? console, as was standard issue with the old System
85s, etc. Combo phone, speakerphone, squishy touch screen terminal,
pull out keyboard. Kinda cute, esp by 1985 standards.  DOES include
intro/training cartridge, KB stand, cords, etc. Seems to have a
parallel port socket, of all things.

Be even cuter if I knew what to do with it. It does <NOT> light up
with application of 110v. Unknown what the trouble is, could be minor,
could be a doorstop.

Lacking a System 85, or even a Merlin, I have no particular use for it
even in running condition. (I <ain't> gonna donate to my office for
their sys85 :^) )

Suggestions, Buyer addresses, direct offers, etc, welcome. Donation to
a worthy telecom student or non-profit org considered, if they think
they can repair/use it. e-mail, plz, Pat doesn't need the traffic.


Standard disclaimer- this has NOTHING to do with my agency.
[e-mail]
Andy Meijers DRMS-ZS       | PHONE:{FTS 552, DSN 932, COMM (616) 961} -7253
Defense Reutilization &    | UUCP:{uunet!gould!}dsac!dlscg1!s9d3002
Marketing Service          | INTERNET: [e-mail]
Battle Creek,MI 49017-3092 |   <<<< STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY !!! >>>>

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 12:25:58 -0700 (MST)
From: Walt Moody <[e-mail]>
Subject: Positions Available at the University of Arizona


The University of Arizona is accepting applications for the following
two management positions in the Center for Computing and Information
Technology - University Telecommunications:

                     COMPUTING MANAGER, PRINCIPAL
                         (CUSTOMER SERVICE)

Manage Customer Service which obtains/translates telecommunications
requirements into solutions.  Provides information through the campus
switchboard, newsletter articles, training classes.

                     COMPUTING MANAGER, PRINCIPAL
                            (FACILITIES)

Manage Facilities which includes planning, design engineering,
installation, maintenance,  operational integrity of the telephone/data
communications systems including 5ESS switch, Ethernet, 10 Base T,
Network Control Center, cable plant.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:  Bachelors degree in related field plus eight
years experience in telecommunications, including three years of management
experience (Both positions)

Customer Service:  Extensive knowledge, experience in telephone switching
systems, data network capability and functionality, voice processing
technology, and telecommunications management information systems.  Strong
planning, team building and interpersonal skills. Training experience
helpful.

Facilities: Extensive training and experience in data and telephone
communications system analysis, design, operation and maintenance,
inventory management, voice processing systems and telecommunications
management information systems.

Proficient with personal computers and software.  (Both Positions)

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or
Management Information Systems AND eight years of computing related
experience which includes four year directly related experience and
three years of supervisory experience; OR, Ten years of computing
related experience which includes four years directly related
experience and three years of supervisory experience.

Starting Salary Range:  $35,102 - $54,548 annually (Both positions).

A UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA APPLICATION IS REQUIRED and should be mailed to
address below. In addition, a letter of interest, resume, and three
refererences to: Paula Loendorf, Telecommunications, Building 73,
Tucson, AZ  85721.  Closing Date:  Sept. 1, 1993.

  Employment Services
  1717 E. Speedway
  Tucson, Arizona  85719
  [phone]
  T D D [phone]

The University of Arizona is an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action Employer

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gregory J. Nelson)
Subject: Wiring/Schematics/Info on Merlin?
Date: 13 Aug 93 14:00:09 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.


    I was wondering if anyone out there knows the wiring pattern
(i.e. what each of the eight wires is for) on a Merlin phone system.
AT&T seems loathe to part with this info.  A copy of a schematic/
technical manual would be invaluable.  I would be very grateful for
any info or pointers to info.  I am the Chief Engineer of a small
radio station and we need to make some ... er ... modifications for
broadcast use.  Thanks for any/all help!


Gregory J. Nelson  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 13 Aug 1993 16:23:16 EDT
From: Hinders, Thomas <[e-mail]>
Subject: New Jersey Pulls the Plug on Computer-Dialed Calls


TRENTON, N.J. (Aug. 13) UPI - New Jersey has pulled the plug on
computer-dialed phone sales.

Under a new law, those who use automatic-dialing equipment to deliver
totally recorded sales messages face fines of $500 to $800.


Tom Hinders/Soft-Switch    [phone] (v/vm)  [phone] (f)
Internet: [e-mail]
X.400: C=US A=Telemail P=Softswitch S=Hinders G=Thomas

------------------------------

Subject: Caller ID Box With Serial Port From AT&T
From: cmptech![e-mail] (Russell Kroll)
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 93 22:14:17 MDT
Organization: Computech BBS at 719.260.6279 - Colorado Springs, CO


I heard some time ago that AT&T had a device called the "ClassMate
10", which was a Caller-ID box with a serial port on it (no LCD).
However, when I tried to find out about what one was at the local AT&T
phone store, they had no idea what I was talking about.

I called 800-555-1212 and asked for the consumer products (or similar)
division os AT&T to see if they knew anything about it. Unfortunately,
they couldn't give me a number that corresponded to a division of that
nature.

So, I'd like the beef on these things.  Do they really exist, and if
so, who should I call at ATT to get the ball rolling?  US West should
have CID delivery here by September 14th (provided they don't treat
that like other things here at the house), so I'd like to get this box
soon.

In case anyone's interested, I'm going to hook this box up to one of
my machines and read the incoming data for verification purposes on
the BBS.


[e-mail] (Russell Kroll)  - or -  cmptech![e-mail]
This came from Computech BBS .... +1 719.260.6279 in Colorado Springs, CO.

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #572
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa10942;
          14 Aug 93 18:40 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA14810
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 14 Aug 1993 16:30:36 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03892
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 14 Aug 1993 16:29:59 -0500
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 16:29:59 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #573


TELECOM Digest     Sat, 14 Aug 93 12:12:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 573

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Leftover Drops (Leonard Erickson)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Dave Carpentier)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Sean Slattery)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Gary Breuckman)
    Re: Cannot Share T1? (Curtis Sanford)
    Re: Cannot Share T1? (John Kennedy)
    Re: Cannot Share T1? (Barton Bruce)
    Re: Cannot Share T1? (Steven L. Spak)
    Re: Bell Atlantic Mobile Cell Features (Lee Sweet)
    Re: Pay-Phone Wanted -- Where to Get? (Michael G. Katzmann)
    Re: Victory For 900 Users: FTC Rules Announced (Robert L. Ullmann)
    Re: Free French Phone Information From Publiphone (Alan Phipps)
    Re: Inter-LATA Caller*ID Arrives in NJ (Terry Kennedy)
    Re: *69 as Caler-ID (Dave Niebuhr)
    Re: ANAC Codes by NPA (Dave Niebuhr)
    Re: Flooding in the Midwest (Robert Bonomi)
    Re: What Are the Cable Differences? (Steven L. Spak)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 01:53:29 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops


In V13 # 562, Alan Boritz is rather positive that the demarc is inside
the tenant's space. I seriously doubt that this is correct, unless it
is some odd law in his state.

For example, according to this, I have *three* demarcs in my apartment.
That's how many jacks I have. The wiring runs all the way to the box in
the complex's laundry room.

My inquiries have resulted in the information that the demarc is that
box in the laundry room, and that the landlord is responsible for the
wiring unless *I* subscribe to the wire backup plan (and this is not
just from people who want to sell me the plan.

So I am curious as to what Mr. Boritz's *source* for his statements is?


uucp: uunet!m2xenix!puddle!51!Leonard.Erickson
Internet: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 09:49:34 -0400
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops


Moderator notes:

> want to tell me to check my instruments? I told her if I had to go
> outside to see the man on the pole myself I would break his fingers so
> he would never be able to work on telephone wires again in his life! :)
> I guess they told him, because a couple minutes later I picked up
> my second line and heard him talking to somebody in the office about
> trying to get a good pair 'somewhere'. A long time ago I had a line

Geeze, Pat, remind me not to move to your town for tel work! <grin>

Unfortunately, some people take instructions to the letter. That I&R
man up your pole may have been told that "the line on binding post 5
is spare" and, believing this was true, pulled your dropwire off.
There could be dozens of reasons why the information turned out false,
but regardless, he should have checked for dial tone first.  Odds are,
your line wouldn't have been dead for too long anyway because the
fellow on the CO frame would have noticed the jumper on your pair on
the MDF, and he would have told the I&R guy.

Happy 12th!

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 12:34 GMT
From: Sean Slattery <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops


Comments on NET customer service:

A while ago I called New England Telephone and asked them for a list
of all of our phone numbers, there were about sixteen.  I found only
fifteen dialtones at the demarc.  It seems that the installer had
assumed that all of the pairs that went to the pole in our parking lot
were carried on to the demarc.  According to NET that line had been
installed FIVE years ago (before I was telecom manager)! I called
customer service, explained what happened and had a 1,000 dollar
credit applied to my bill that month!

I am currently experiencing low volume (as in db, not use) on all of
our lines.  It seems that Watertown, MA. used to be serviced by the
Newton CO and that some of the pairs here may still terminate at both
the Watertown and Newton switches.  This is sort of the inverse of
leftover drops, one pair connecting to more that one CO.  I have been
working with a transmission engineer and he has been keeping me
informed at each step of the way, he calls ME periodically and gives
me status updates.

All and all the service I have received from New England Telephone has
been nothing short of amazing!  If there are any NET people out
there, thanks !!


Sean Slattery | Airflow Research | [e-mail]
Network Admin | Opinions expressed ARE those of my employer
              | in this instance.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gary Breuckman)
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 13:33:53 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Richard Thomsen) writes:

> In an article about "multiple plant" in urban areas, Pat says:

>> None of those big old wooden cabinets have locks on them; you just
>> lift the wooden front up and out of the way. Most people do not even
>> realize that between themselves and the CO may be five or six places
>> the pair can be jumped -- just look in the basement of the building
>> down the street.  I should start a school and teach the general public
>> about their phone service. Bell would hate me for it.  :)   PAT]

> Most of us poor fools are at the mercy of the telephone company.  I
> keep hearing stories of people getting fraudulent calls on their
> bills, and TPC says "It must be your call, as it is your wire."  Is
> there any definitive evidence that someone can post or something to
> help us fight fraudulent calls on telephone bills?  Something to take
> to the PUC or court or whatever, so that when TPC uses its "direct
> wire" argument, it can be countered?

> Of course, I suppose this "evidence" can be used to fraudulently get
> out of paying for legitimate calls, so it could work both ways.  I
> have no answers, but do have sympathy for the innocent party on either
> side.

An organization that I belong to has a line with an answering machine
that is used as a 'hotline' for announcements and information.  There
is only an answering machine, no instrument.  For years we have been
getting bills with '0 local calls,' and then one month there were two
local calls on the bill.  The person who has this equipment in his
house and handles the bills raised a fuss with Wisconsin Bell over
that whole 12 cents. Despite the past record and having no telephone
on the line, WI Bell insisted on printing a call detail sheet on those
two calls, mailing it to him with a return card, and having him look
at the numbers dialed to see if he 'recognized' them before they would
give him a credit.  What a waste of time and money (on BOTH their
parts).


[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Curtis Sanford)
Subject: Re: Cannot Share T1?
Date: 14 Aug 93 15:46:13 GMT
Organization: Ascend Communications, Alameda CA


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
writes:

> I have been told that SW Bell will not allow a T1 line to be shared
> across both public switched access and private line services.  That
> is, I am told that they will not permit you to subscribe to one T1
> line with, say, 14 channels for dialup POTS service from the local CO
> switch, and the other 10 dedicated to leased line service for data.
> Does anyone know why a telco would not consider this to be a
> reasonable service to offer?  (Especially since these services are

Most RBOC's are unable to offer this service because there is no
tariff filed with their regulatory authority permitting it.  The
InterExchange Carrers (IEC's) typically do offer this.  For example
ATT calls this SINA3.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Kennedy)
Subject: Re: Cannot Share T1?
Date: 14 Aug 1993 17:19:09 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico


In article <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
wrote:

> I have been told that SW Bell will not allow a T1 line to be shared
> across both public switched access and private line services.  ...
> Does anyone know why a telco would not consider this to be a
> reasonable service to offer?  ...

  I'm not the T1 tech, it's been filtered through two people, and
nobody seemed really knowledgeable, so don't look for specifics in
this answer.  (:

  We recently tried to use some spare channels off of a "voice" T1 for
"data" (really ~half of a T1 for SprintLink).  Everyone thought it
would be fine until it eventually tripped someone up at the local
switch.  In this case, "voice" and "data" are what _we_ are using the
line for (POTS or ISDN lines vs. eventual serial lines into a Cisco
router).  I've given up trying to use appropriate jargon with our
Pac*Bell guy down here.  (:{

  Apparently, at least the way we're set up, ALL of our T1 is going
through their switch, even though all the channels aren't in use, and
they won't or are unwilling make an exception.  The data channels
apparently won't like going through the switch at all for unexplained
reasons.  Multiple T1's wouldn't be a problem because some could be
run through the switch and others wouldn't be required to.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Cannot Share T1?
Date: 14 Aug 93 03:45:35 -0400
Organization: DECUServe


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
writes:

> I have been told that SW Bell will not allow a T1 line to be shared
> across both public switched access and private line services.  That
> is, I am told that they will not permit you to subscribe to one T1
> line with, say, 14 channels for dialup POTS service from the local CO
> switch, and the other 10 dedicated to leased line service for data.

Typically not every CO has a DACS. Here in the Eastern Mass LATA there
are only a dozen or so DACSes peppered about so no CO is very far from
one.

Try to even get the mix of trunks you want on one T1. DID trunks are
from the TRUNK side of the switch. POTS 1MB like lines are from the
LINE side and you can't get both on the same T1.

You CAN order NRS (Network Reconfig Service) where you get to diddle
with YOUR DS0s going through THEIR DACS. Probably not everything you
might want to switch through the DACS is tariffed for NRS support, but
with special assembly you probably *could* get everything there. You
would have a full T1 for DID trunks, a full one for POTS trunks, maybe
just DS0s for DDS lines, and a full T1 going into YOU. You would have
$PAID$ to get each one of these hauled to the DACS and connected
MONTHLY. You could then populate the T1 to you as you please.

The real world is forget it until co-located bypass carriers and
alternate dialtone providers are well entrenched in your state. They
will be 1) demanding telco be more reasonable and accomodating, and 2)
will have their OWN DACSes and #5ESSes to help you get what you want.

Only then will telco repent.

Were bypass carriers getting T1 to you at as low a price as they
*could*, you would not bother packing each full. And when telco wakes
up to THAT problem maybe you won't be using any of their services,
anyway.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven L. Spak)
Subject: Re: Cannot Share T1?
Organization: George Washington University
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 11:25:06 GMT


Most telcos will allow you to place voice and data on a "digital"
hicap (DS1).  Yes, all DS1s are digital; however, these hicaps are
slightly more expensive for the user since they have Stratum 1
traceable network timing.  They also usually interface a DACS (no
reference to AT&T intended :-) ) which allows for electronic grooming.


Steven Spak    [e-mail]
Transmission Engineer
Tel: [phone]   Fax:[phone]

------------------------------

From: decrsc![e-mail] (Lee Sweet)
Subject: Re: Bell Atlantic Mobile Cell Features
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 03:51:26 -0400 (EDT)


One correction, I believe ... the latest bill has a flyer that implies
that follow-me roaming is now *automatic* for BAM customers.  It says
you can disable this, but not permanently ... i.e., like the way
follow-me used to be, you have to enable it (then) or disable it (now)
daily.

Anyone have more details/experience with this? Seems like it would
have to be permanently-disable-able, like call-waiting and three-way
calling. (These are an extra monthly charge [automatically applied to
your bill!] if you didn't/don't call BAM and say "don't want it!".)


Lee Sweet                   Internet *lists* - [e-mail]
Chief Systems Consultant    Internet *e-mail* - [e-mail]
Datatel, Inc.                           Phone - 703-968-4661
4375 Fair Lakes Court                     FAX - 703-968-4625
Fairfax, VA 22033           (Opinions are my own, and only my own!)

------------------------------

From: slc1!vk2bea![e-mail] (Michael G. Katzmann)
Subject: Re: Pay-Phone Wanted -- Where to Get?
Date: 14 Aug 93 12:23:37 GMT
Reply-To: slc1!vk2bea![e-mail] (Michael G. Katzmann)
Organization: Broadcast Sports Technology, Crofton. Maryland.


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Christopher Hudel) writes:

> I'd like to put one of those old (or not so old) pay-phones in my
> apartment as a "novelty" item and wonder if anybody knows where I can
> pick one up and approximately how much I should expect to pay.

I picked up an unused COCOT (WECO housing / Elcotel electronics) at a
hamfest for $100. (I think they normally go for around $1000)

M H Z Electronics in Phoenix, which is a second hand electronics
outlet had some GTE phone co (dumb) and WECO wall mount (like at the
airport) phone co phones, when I was there last.  Might be worth a
call.


Michael Katzmann        Broadcast Sports Technology Inc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    Crofton, Maryland. U.S.A
NV3Z / VK2BEA / G4NYV    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert L Ullmann)
Subject: Re: Victory For 900 Users: FTC Rules Announced
Organization: The World in Boston
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 02:04:27 GMT


Re UUNET's 900 service at US$0.50/minute (as quoted by one person):
you can subscribe to world for US$5/month + US$2/hour, or US$20/month
for 20 hours + US$1/hour, and then you can access _any_ Internet
archive (including UUNET's) at the LD rate for your area to the
NYNEX-east-MA LATA. Call [phone] or telnet world.std.com.
Much more better.


Robert Ullmann    [e-mail]    [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Alan Phipps)
Subject: Re: Free French Phone Information From Publiphone
Date: 14 Aug 93 16:36:51 GMT
Organization: The Missing Link BBS, Santa Maria, CA  805-925-1129


Yes, I am also aware of Minitel, out here in Santa Maria, California,
USA.  While on a Paris BBS a while back, I downloaded an IBM emuation
of Minitel, and enables you to log onto the service via your IBM.  The
Minitel Emulator is very well designed and iconified.  I'm looking,
right now, for a Minitel access number in France.  Can you help me
out?


Thanks,

Alan Phipps   1@1805014 VirtualNet
[e-mail] (Alan Phipps)
The Missing Link BBS, Santa Maria, CA  805-925-1129

------------------------------

From: Terry Kennedy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Inter-LATA Caller*ID Arrives in NJ
Organization: St. Peter's College, US
Date: 14 Aug 93 02:54:31 EDT
Organization: St. Peter's College, US


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Paul
Guthrie) writes:

> This information, while normally available in the IXCs network because
> of CCS, is not transfered to the terminating operating company simply
> because the IXC has no incentive to, not because of any technical
> restrictions.

  Actually, I think it's actually "... because they have an incentive
not to.".  IXC's pay the local phone company some per-minute fee
(usually between four and five cents per minute) for the "service" of
the local phone company carrying the call to the subscriber. The IXC's
claim that the local operating company would sell the Caller ID data
(as part of the Caller ID service, Return Call, etc.)  and thus the
IXC should be compensated for providing the data (presumably by a
reduction in the termination fee). The disagreement is over exactly
what this data is "worth" to both parties.

> Bellcore is currently soliciting stakeholders from
> interested parties to petition the FCC to force the IXCs to provide
> this information to the terminating operating companies.

  I agree that this is probably the only way this is going to get
worked out.

  Of course, subscribers with large numbers of terminating calls can
already bypass the local operating company and get the calls delivered
via T1. The IXC normally passes all or part of the savings on to the
customer (as reduced rates for incoming 800 calls, etc.). It would be
interesting to see if anyone has been able to get Caller ID delivery
from an IXC via this method.


Terry Kennedy        Operations Manager, Academic Computing
[e-mail]    St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ USA
[e-mail]    [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 06:18:30 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Dave Niebuhr)
Subject: Re: *69 as Caller-ID


In TELECOM Digest, Vol. 13, Issue #563 From: [e-mail] (Rob
Hansen) writes:

> I do not have Call*Return.  My question is this: If I call "John Doe"
> who uses Call*Return on me, will the system read my number back to
> him?  Assuming it won't and isn't allowed to, what happens if I'm far
> enough away from John that I the call costs him money?  Will my number
> show up on his phone bill?  If it will, isn't this a violation of the
> rules?

In New York, yes it will if it was a call that would carry a charge.
The number won't be read back to him but will show up on the phone
bill.

It isn't against the rules in New York for this scenario to take place.

Also, if the person to whom you are doing a Call Return has blocking
enabled either per-line or per-call, his number will still show up.
That was a big hassle out here not too long ago.


Dave Niebuhr      Internet: [e-mail] / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, LI, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093
Senior Technical Specialist: Scientific Computer Facility

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 06:51:57 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Dave Niebuhr)
Subject: Re: ANAC Codes by NPA


In TELECOM Digest V13 #569 [e-mail] writes:

> Area Code / ANAC # to dial    Area Code / ANAC # to dial

> 201 / 958            205 / 908-222-2222
                                      ^^^
Huh?  If memory serves me 908 is an area code in New Jersey.  I know
that 205 is splitting to 334, but there must be some reason for having
to dial the 908 number for ANAC.

> 401 / 222-2222        403 / 908-222-2222
                                      ^^^
West Virginia has to call New Jersey also?

> 604 / 1116            604 / 116

How are these not being trapped as being international calls?

> 604 / 1211            604 / 211

Ditto:

> 812 / 410-555-1212        815 / 200-xxx-xxxx

So in 812-land, a person calls information in Maryland to get the
ANAC?

> 914 / 1-990-1111        914 / 99
                                      ^^
There must be some sort of a timeout on this.


Dave Niebuhr      Internet: [e-mail] / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, LI, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093
Senior Technical Specialist: Scientific Computer Facility


[Moderator's Note: I am not necessarily vouching for the information
given in his article, but I think there is some confusion in your mind
regards area codes and local dialing codes which *look like* area
codes. For example, dialing 908 or 410 is not going to produce the same
results as dialing 1-908 or 1-410 plus something. The '1' on the front
makes the difference. International calls being with 01 or 011, not
11x as cited in the above examples, therefore, no confusion would
result in dialing. As a further example, what would appear to be area
code '571' (if/when such a thing comes around) -- ie, dialed 1-571 --
is used for ringback here in Chicago, ie 1-571-your last four. Yet
there are working numbers in the 571 exchange as well.    PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 06:02:57 -0500
From: Robert Bonomi <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Flooding in the Midwest


   From converesations the end of last week. The Racoon River at Des
Moines, is back in its banks, and the Des Moines River is 'almost' so.
*Lots* of mess remaining to be cleaned up; practically all the -grass-
in those areas that spent significant time underwater is gone
(drowned, i guess) -- dust/erosion to worry about after it dries out,
oh joy.  I don't if tap water is safe to drink yet.


Robert Bonomi  [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Someone else wrote to mention that a lot of the
phone demarcs on the sides of people's houses, etc were absolutely
corroded beyond repair or cleanup. Amazingly as the wires begin to
dry out, the phones *are* working, but it is a lot like our scene here
last year when the Chicago River filled up many basements downtown
putting lots of the big terminal boxes in building basements under
water: the cross-talk has to be heard to be believed. Static; a half-
dozen voices faintly in the background as you try to make your call;
all kinds of goodies. Here, most of the tags on jumpers which desc-
ribed which wires went where were made illegible by the water, so
notes that in some cases had been written 30 or 40 years earlier by
telephone men long since departed ('this 50-pair goes to the answer-
ing service at <location>') left cleanup/fix-up crews scratching their
head and hoping for the best. Look at some of the 'multiple plant' in
the older big buildings downtown here under good conditions and try to
figure it out ... then do it when the writing on the little paper tags
tied onto the wires with string has been faded away. Telco outside
plant records here, to be charitable, leave something to be desired as
do underground utility records in general. When they were trying to
drain out the basements here, they decided to excavate in Randolph
Street just west of the river, only to find there were all sorts of
telco cables and other stuff there *they had not known about* prior
which were likely to be damaged if they continued digging there! Good
luck in Des Moines and other areas along the Mississippi getting
utility service restored to a pre-flood level of operation.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven L. Spak)
Subject: Re: What Are the Cable Differences?
Organization: George Washington University
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 11:42:35 GMT


POTS, ADSL, HDSL are all the same cable - 24 or 26 gauge copper.  It
may have load coils to balance out the natural capacitive effects.  It
may have bridge tap sections which are "hanging" off the main run
where previous customers may have lived.

T1 cable (true digital T1, not QAM, CAP, or DMT) is on NON-loaded
cable with bridge tap removed.  Any junk on the cable causes
reflections and poor response.


Steven Spak    [e-mail]
Transmission Engineer
Tel: [phone]   Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #573
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa11098;
          14 Aug 93 19:14 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12351
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 14 Aug 1993 17:04:18 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19344
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 14 Aug 1993 17:04:02 -0500
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 17:04:02 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #574


TELECOM Digest     Sat, 14 Aug 93 14:52:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 574

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Analysis of Bell Atlantic Cellular (Steve Forrette)
    Re: Analysis of Bell Atlantic Cellular (Michael D. Sullivan)
    Re: Chicago Post Office, Mail Drops, etc. (Steve Forrette)
    Re: Chicago Post Office, Mail Drops, etc. (Jorn Barger)
    Re: Chicago Post Office, Mail Drops, etc. (Tim Schmitt)
    Re: Country Code Reverse List (Jim Rees)
    Re: Country Code Reverse List (Bob Goudreau)
    Re: Local Calls via LD Carrier? (Mike King)
    Re: Interesting 800 Number Response (Steve Forrette)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Jim Rees)
    Re: Another Look at Alex Bell (Joshua Muskovitz)
    Re: Sprint Workers Fed Up, Start Unionizing (Brad Isley)
    Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line (Dinesh Rehani)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Randy Hayes)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Eric N. Florack)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Wilson Mohr)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Forrette)
Subject: Re: Analysis of Bell Atlantic Cellular
Date: 14 Aug 1993 11:03:28 GMT
Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Steve Forrette)


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Carl Moore) writes:

> Seven digits within the same area code; area code + seven digits if
> calling a different area code;

> Where is this being used from?  What about time-outs or N0X/N1X
> prefixes or the coming of NNX area codes?

This works just fine for cellular phones, as there is never a need for
a timeout, since the caller has to press SEND when they are done
dialing.  The cellular switch doesn't see the individual digits as
they are dialed, but just the complete number when SEND is pressed.  I
remember a few years ago when cellular was new, one never needed to
dial a 1 for a call, at least on the systems I used.  It was just
seven digits for intra-NPA, and ten digits for inter-NPA.  Then, they
started requiring a 1 so you could tell when a call had toll charges
in addition to airtime charges.

In fact, this is strictly interpreted by Cellular One of Seattle.  You
need seven digits for local, 1 + ten digits for toll (whether within
area code 206 or not), but interestingly enough, 800 calls don't need
a preceeding 1, since they are not "toll" long distance calls.  Also,
when roaming, you are always required to dial using the area code.
For local calls while roaming, only ten digits are required.  For toll
calls while roaming, 1 + ten digits are required.


Steve Forrette, [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael D. Sullivan)
Subject: Re: Analysis of Bell Atlantic Cellular
Date: 14 Aug 93 08:28:21 GMT
Organization: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA


In <[e-mail]> Carl Moore <[e-mail]> writes:

> Where is this being used from?  What about time-outs or N0X/N1X
> prefixes or the coming of NNX area codes?

We are talking about a cellular system.  One inputs the entire number
to one's phone, offline, then presses the "SEND" button.  No
time-outs.  The switch knows whether you have sent 7, 8, 10, 11, or
more digits, and there is no ambiguity, as there is with asynchronous
transmission of digits to the central office with regular phones.


Michael D. Sullivan <[e-mail] (MIME capable)>
<[e-mail]>   <[e-mail]>

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Forrette)
Subject: Re: Chicago Post Office, Mail Drops, etc.
Date: 14 Aug 1993 21:38:32 GMT
Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Steve Forrette)


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (TELECOM
Moderator) writes:

[discussion of maildrop fraud deleted]

> It doesn't matter to me, Jack. As you pointed out, if the fraud ceases
> being petty, the heat gets put on the private agents by postal inspectors
> and others. For further protection, credit card issuers and other credit
> grantors attempt to verify applications sent to them and a criss-cross
> directory will list a mail drop for what it is. Generally that throws
> up a red flag for a credit grantor, at least in a big urban area like
> Chicago.

Looking in the criss-cross is not necessary.  I use a private mail
drop for all of my mail (and no, I'm not doing for fraudulent reasons
:-)).  The last time I looked at my TRW credit report, it of course
had my current home address on it.  I was surprised to note that it
also said "not a residential address" right on the credit report.
Apparently, the credit bureaus know based on the zoning at that
address or some other method that the address given isn't really a
residence.  This could be because it's a mail drop, or perhaps just
your work address.  So, any entity that gets a copy of your credit
report knows that your given address isn't "really" your address right
away, without even have to do any special checking.  It is interesting
to me that I've never had any problems whatsoever with this being on
my credit report -- not even a question about it from anyone.


Steve Forrette, [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: What happens is all things are taken in context to
each other. If a person has a decent credit record, discrepancies in
the address between the credit bureau and the credit application are
overlooked. It is pretty well known that credit bureau files are not
always perfect by any means; addresses will not always be up to date
or previous addresses will be given as current addresses, etc. If a
person has lousy credit, or no credit then shows up with a drop address
it makes a difference, etc. Creditors have to make educated guesses
based on prior experience both with the individual and with the address
involved. If a credit report comes out looking 'too good' many creditors
will spend a few extra minutes on it also just to insure it is not a
fraud submitted by someone who got ahold of your bureau illegally.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 13:10 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Jorn Barger)
Subject: Re: Chicago Post Office, Mail Drops, etc.
Organization: MCSNet Subscriber, Chicago, IL


I got a PO Box at 60681 (Amoco Bldg) in 1987. I've had two instances
of people telling me they sent things, that never got to me.  I've had
my box closed and mail returned because they didn't give me the
renewal notice.  I've had packages returned in error. Last fall the
entire workforce there was replaced for bad performance.

(i ***hate*** monopolies!!! ;^)

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 08:44:36 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Tim Schmitt)
Subject: Re: Chicago Post Office, Mail Drops, etc.


Our Esteemed Moderator writes:

> At least after I sued First National Bank in Small Claims Court several
> years ago I got the pleasure of seeing them fire half their mail room
> and remittance processing clerks -- 18 people -- in one day who were
> caught stealing money after a two week investigation.

  Sounds like there's an interesting story behind this one.  Can you
share it?


UUCP:uunet!sgihbtn!tims * "The time has come," the Walrus said, "to
ARPA:sgihbtn!tims       *  speak of other things.  Of shoes and
          @uunet.uu.net *  ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and
                        *  Kings... and why the sea is boiling hot,
                        *  and whether pigs have wings.
                        *         -Lewis Carroll

[Moderator's Note: I thought the way that went was 'The time has come
the walrus said / to speak of many things / of shoes and ships and
sealing wax / and if the Moderator has wings  ...  :). There is an
interesting story; I started it the other day but never finished it
so I will try to work on it this weekend sometime.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Country Code Reverse List
Date: 14 Aug 1993 12:39:57 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan CITI


In article <[e-mail]>, Proctor & Associates
<[e-mail]> writes:

> Sometimes I get a fax from overseas and there is no clue as to where
> it is from.  I decided I needed a reverse list of country codes in
> numerical order...

You left out the United States!  Our country code is 1.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 11:58:40 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Bob Goudreau)
Subject: Re: Country Code Reverse List


Paul Cook writes:

> Sometimes I get a fax from overseas and there is no clue as to where
> it is from.  I decided I needed a reverse list of country codes in
> numerical order, after I wearied of paging through the AT&T
> International Telecommunications Guide.

> Here is one that I just sorted.  If there isn't one already in the
> Telecom Archives, maybe this could go there.

Well, fortunately, the Archives do already contain a reverse list
(including area code information within many countries).  In any case,
the mysterious faxed list has some interesting errors:

> Country    Country
> Code
>  7 Lithuania (C.I.S.)
>  7 Moldova (C.I.S.)
> 372 Estonia (C.I.S.)
> 374 Latvia (C.I.S.)

I could see them missing all four of the new 37x country codes, but
how they managed to miss just half of them is beyond me.  All four of
those countries got 37x codes at the same time.  Also, the three
Baltic nations have never been members of the Commonwealth of
Independent States.


Bob Goudreau        Data General Corporation
[e-mail]    62 Alexander Drive
[phone]        Research Triangle Park, NC  27709, USA

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 12:32:03 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Mike King)
Subject: Re: Local Calls via LD Carrier?


In TELECOM Digest, V13 #570, [e-mail] (Clarence
Dold) wrote:

> Assuming you are properly registered with the carrier, which is
> certainly true if you have selected them as your equal access LD
> carrier, you can force intra-lata calls to be carried by them, rather
> than your default regional carrier, by pressing the access code prior
> to placing any (all) phone call.  503-555-1212 would be routed to your
> selected LD carrier, 525-1212 would probably be handled by your local
> carrier. 10288-525-1212 would force the call to be passed to AT&T for
> handling, rahter than allowing your local carrier to decide whether to
> handle or pass.

While every phone company processes calls differently, where
intra-LATA competition is allowed, I've always seen the phone company
will take the intra-LATA call for themselves unless the 10xxx code is
dialed; even if the number is preceeded by 1 or 1 + NPA, the phone
company still takes the call.  In those cases, "1+ carrier" still
seems to mean "inter-LATA 1+ carrier."

If by "registered" you mean "subscribed," not all carriers require you
to be presubscribed to be able to send calls through their network.
None of the big three require presubscription, and I have two letters
from resellers with their own 10xxx codes who specifically invite me
to place my intra-LATA calls over their networks WITHOUT subscribing
for regular 1+ service.

I haven't heard an update, but I understand part of the push to allow
intra-LATA competition in California was the ability to choose a
default 1+ carrier for intra-LATA calls in addition to the inter-LATA
default carrier.


Mike King * Software Sourcerer * Fairchild Space * +1 301.428.5384
[e-mail] or [e-mail]  *  (usual disclaimers)


[Moderator's Note: And of course some local telcos are under no ob-
ligation to pass out intra-LATA stuff and they don't; they ignore
10xxx totally unless it is outside their LATA.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Forrette)
Subject: Re: Interesting 800 Number Response
Date: 14 Aug 1993 21:51:38 GMT
Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Steve Forrette)


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Chris
Ambler) writes:

> I just called an 800 number for an electronics supplier. After one
> ring, I got, "Thank you for calling. Our office is now closed. Please
> call back during normal business hours" ... and then after about 10
> seconds (I noticed that it did not disconnect me, so I hung on to see
> what would happen) I got, "We're sorry, your call could not be
> completed.  213-xxx" ... the first message, interestingly enough, was
> the same female voice that seems to do all of the "Thank you for
> calling Pacific Bell" recordings when you call the phone*company here.

I would say that the place you called did indeed disconnect.  If they
are using a digital switch, digital connection to the IXC, then it is
quite likely that you would not hear anything when they disconnected.
When the called party disconnects, the local telco will hold the line
silent for a few seconds, then return an intercept recording like the
one you got.  Note that it used to be common practice to return a
local dialtone to the caller at this point, but this does not happen
much anymore for fraud prevention reasons.  Anybody who has some sort
of toll restriction device on the line (such as a COCOT, PBX, or toll
restrictor) is very thankful that the telco does this - otherwise it
would be easy for a caller to get a "fresh" dialtone that the
restrictor doesn't know about thus enabling the caller to call
anywhere.


Steve Forrette, [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Date: 14 Aug 1993 14:12:12 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan CITI


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail].
Edu (Steven H. Lichter) writes:

> Yes the step equipment was a lot more interesting. We had mockups of
> switch trains that would let the tours see how the calls went through,

There is still a working step-by-step demo switch train in the telephone
museum in Atlanta, Georgia.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 10:17:42 EDT
From: Joshua E. Muskovitz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Another Look at Alex Bell


The role of Alex Bell in the deaf/Deaf culture is extremely well
documented in my wife's thesis/book, Education and Ideology -- A Study
of Deaf Education in America.  If you are interested, she has a few
copies left.  You can write to her directly ... she is Marli Mills,
[e-mail].


josh

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Brad Isley)
Subject: Re: Sprint Workers Fed Up, Start Unionizing
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 15:00:36 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Nigel Allen)
writes:

> Sprint requires its telemarketers, mostly women, to stay on the
> phone for precisely 6.7 hours a day and talk with each customer for
> exactly 150-210 seconds. A telemarketer has 10 seconds -- no more, no
> less -- between calls and must make a sale every 3.5 minutes.

Sounds like BellSouth.

> If a worker arrives a few minutes late or leaves a few minutes
> early six times in a year, she or he is fired. Flexibility for
> emergencies or child care problems? Not at Sprint.

Sounds like BellSouth.

> Supervisors eavesdrop electronically on Sprint workers and impose
> unrealistically high work standards and constant work speed-ups,
> causing employee burnout and high turnover. Each year, 25% of Sprint
> operators quit their jobs.

Sounds like BellSouth.


[e-mail]   (Brad Isley)    [phone](H)  493-2484(W)


[Moderator's Note: Sounds like a lot of telcos. And without realizing
it you may have answered the question 'is a union a good thing or not
for telco workers'. BellSouth is heavily unionized as are all the BOCs,
yet based on what you seem to be saying, the workers might as well
have saved all their union dues and bought something else with the
money instead.  :(  Labor unions in America are a long and complex
issue not really suited for this Digest, but the fact that much of the
industry operates the way it does today as a result of unions (or lack
of them) in the workplace cannot be overlooked in discussions here of
service tendered and the prices paid for it, etc.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 15:33:50 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Dinesh Rehani)
Subject: Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line


>> Several weeks ago I phoned the AT&T Language Line and asked for some
>> details about their service.  The marketing rep told me about their
>> 140 languages available 24 hours/day, and offered to mail me some
>  ^^^

> Does anybody have a list of those available? 140 languages sounds like
> a lot to cover the globe ... I mean, we're talking about business
> languages here, aren't we?

> Europe ... that still leaves a lot for Africa and Asia. Hmm.

> Do we have readers in those parts of the world, who could comment?

I agree with you, 140 seems like too large a number. I seriously doubt
anyone could come up with 140 languages that AT&T would want to spend
money on translating ... however, if they were going for the
'non-business' end of the market, 140 is much too small, I can tell
you that.

In India, where I come from, 15 languages are officially recognised by
the state for legal paperwork (all 15 appear on banknotes). There's a
couple of hundred more that are spoken by the people, aithough only
about 30-50 of these would have a well defined grammar, literature,
and distinctive script etc. Most of the rest would be spoken languages
only.

I have lived in Africa for some time, and if I had to guess at the
number of languages spoken by people in Africa, I would hazard 200 to
500 ... (whether they would be technically classified as dialects and
not languages is beyond me).


dinesh   ([e-mail])

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: 14 Aug 93 13:19 CST
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?


With regard to the Operator Services Act of 1990, those businesses or
institutions deemed "aggregators" were required to allow 10XXX-0
calling via different scenarios: 1) Those who can do so by simply
reprogramming their systems had to be compliant by March 16, 1992,
2) Those who can reprogram their systems for $15 per line were to do so
by March 15, 1993, and 3) Those who have older systems and would have
great difficulty complying as such were to comply by April 17, 1997 or
upon installation of new equipment that would allow such service.

The question also pertained to being able to block 10XXX-1+ dialing
which would bill calls to the aggregator as opposed to 10XXX-0+
calling, which requires calls to be calling card, collect, or
third-number billed. Although the issue of blocking 10XXX-1 + appears
to be very simple, one has to think beyond 1+ to 011+ (international
direct dialing via 10XXX). I believe many who thought they had
correctly placed security restrictions on their systems when
activating 10XXX calling were surprised with some direct dialed
international calls. Thus, programming had to be carried out to
10XXX-XXX+ dialing to restrict direct dialed international.

 From all of the institutions mentioned, there may be clear
compliance, non-compliance, or some may fall into number threea as
mentioned above. Once the status is known, it is very easy to see if
there is compliance or not.


[e-mail] (Randy Hayes)

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 12:05:06 PDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms


In your acronyms, nobody has mentioned that there were several radio
stations that used their callsigns for such. This is kinda fun, so ...

Around our area, here in ROchester, there were several 'unofficial'
translations, too.

WHAM = We Have A$$#0!es Managing. (True at that time)

WVOR = We Violently Oppose Rodents. (A local Gadfly who was on a
supposed anti-rat campaign suggested the station join them, because of
the callsign.  They never joined him, he was a bit of an idiot, but
the name stuck among the stations alums.)

WBBF= Weirdos, Bimbos, Bozos and Foul-ups.

WWWG= What went Wrong, Guys? (Owner of the day bought the number one
rated top 40 in town, and turned it into utter garbage in less than
two books.)

WRLX= We Really Like Xylophones. (They were an easy-listener)

WROC= We're Rotten Old Coots

WNYR= We're Not Young ... Really. (They did have an older staff than most.)

WHEC= We Have Excellent Coverage (Not really true since they had the
second lowest power output in town, and reception was dependant on
wind direction, and phases of the moon, and how fast the pet mouse
could run in the generator wheel.)

WBEN= We'll Be Embalmed, Now. (Another EZ listener)

WWBK= We're Wild Brockport Kids. (Brockport is a small town about 30
miles west of Rochester, and the station, being small-market, always
hired kids from nearby State U at B.)

WJBT= We Just Broke the Transmitter (Brockport, in it's later lives.
The CE was known as SHORT-OUT. Never stayed running at full power for
longer than a week.

WCBA= We Can't Buy Anything. (Nearby station noted for it's tight
budgets).

WENY= The Weenie. (Somehow I could never brag about that name, ya know?)

Then, of course the nighttime came, and we got stations from all over.

WWWE in Ohio= What went wrong? Everything.

(Pat: You'll like this:)

WLS=  What Lousy Shows!
WCFL= We Can't Find Lujack

In another situation, we had an FM EZL in town, that used an
automation system.  The first was called FRED. (Beeping Ridiculous
Electronic Device) His replacement was ALFRED (Another Lousy Beeping
Ridiculous Electonic Device).  Their competition was also running an
auto, which they named HERM, or Human/electronic replacement Machine.

Speaking of WCFL, I was given info that made me concerned ... I recall
little of it, but you being a native, Pat, perhaps you could say. I
caught word that a few years ago, there was an FM on the outskirts of
C-land, that started using the old call... WCFL. They were running
something of an excess of power for their class-A designation, as I
gather it. They were fined not once, but as I recall twice for the
same infraction. Can you tell me whatever became of that station?


[Moderator's Note: Sorry, I do not know what became of them. WCFL
operating at 1000 AM was originally owned by the <C>hicago
<F>ederation of <L>abor. WLS (890) was originally owned by Sears,
Roebuck; at the time the <W>orld's <L>argest <S>tore.  WGN (720) has
always been owned by the {Chicago Tribune} which we all know is the
<W>orld's <G>reatest <N>ewspaper. At the time WLS switched formats
from 'Prairie Farmer' and eighteen hours of brokered religious programs
one after the other every half hour on Sunday to the hard rock music
format they started in 1961, they got the nickname World's Lousiest
Sation for a few years.

WBBM (780) was started by a man named Charles Atlass in rural Illinois
about 1910 when he was a teenage ham radio operator. He moved to
Chicago in 1921 and applied for a license from the Federal Radio
Commission for the call letters WBBM since <W>e <B>roadcast from the
<B>road<M>oor Hotel Ballroom; and indeed he did; with jazz music every
evening in the early days, and talk shows interwoven with the music,
interviewing the cream of society's crop; elegant, rich, white people
who came to dance, eat and be entertained at this fine resort on the
northern edge of the city. Now seventy years later, the Broadmoor
Apartments is still there; a horrible slum building in a horrible
high-crime neighborhood about a mile east of me on the lakefront. The
'ballroom' has been abandoned for forty years, and caught fire a
couple times in the recent past as part of a dispute between drug
dealers over who got the territory and who had to stay out.  In 1971
or '72, WBBM had their fiftieth anniversary and did a remote from the
Broadmoor Apartments for old time's sake.  Two of the people on
location there for the show got mugged by the neighborhood welcoming
committee.

Our local Evanston station used to be WEAW, named for the owner of the
staton, Edward A. Wheeler. The call was changed to WOJO, but employees
said that still referred to boss Wheeler, the <O>ld <J>ag <O>ff.  :) PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 15:06:22 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Wilson Mohr)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms


In comp.dcom.telecom [e-mail] wrote:

> Since military technicians often became civilian technicians and
> engineers, this tradition has carried forward in RTFM and RTFM-P
> ("Read The F...ing Manual" and "Read The F...ing Manual - Please !")

We have always gone by the sayings "Read the Factory Manuals" and
"Read the Factory Manuals - Please!"


Wilson Mohr     [e-mail]
"ME speak for Motorola? No, I don't think so ..."

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #574
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa11734;
          14 Aug 93 21:30 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA24525
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 14 Aug 1993 19:27:40 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA13632
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 14 Aug 1993 19:27:01 -0500
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 19:27:01 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #575

TELECOM Digest     Sat, 14 Aug 93 19:27:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 575

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: The Information "Free"way (Mark Brader)
    Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line (Christian Weisgerber)
    Re: Country Code Reverse List (Paul Robinson)
    Re: Caller ID Box With Serial Port From AT&T (Macy Hallock)
    Re: ATT Truevoice (Kai Schlichting)
    Re: CPSR and the NII (Art Walker)
    Are we Being Ripped Off in New Zealand? (Jonathan Mosen)
    7-bit Zmodem (Cliff Sharp)
    Wanted: Cellular Phone FAQ? (Nadeem Haider)
    AT&T System 75 (Ian Eisenberg)
    Emergency TDD to Use 311 (Curtis E. Reid)
    Who Runs 800 DA? (Gabe M. Wiener)
    List of Some IVR Vendors Available (Nadeem Haider)
    RFD: comp.dcom.telecom.tech (Ron Dippold)
    Administrivia: Another Break-In; Weekend Reading (TELECOM Moderator)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Brader)
Subject: Re: The Information "Free"way
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 20:43:33 GMT


Robert M. Slade ([e-mail]), in a copyrighted article,
writes:

> (I should, for those few non-Canadians on the mailing list, give a
> brief resume of the case.  Karla and Paul Bernardo have been charged
> with the murders, sex related, of school aged girls.  They are being
> tried separately.  Their marriage has apparently broken up.  Paul
> Bernardo legally changed his name to Paul Teale; Karla is being
> referred to as Teale as well.  Paul has not yet stood trial.  Karla
> has, has been convicted, and the judge imposed a publication ban on
> the trial.)

This is substantially correct as I understand matters, but some
details need to be clarified.  My reference for this article is the
{Toronto Star} of July 6 and 7.

First, Karla's surname was Homolka and has indeed been changed legally
to Teale.  I'm not sure whether she used Bernardo as well.  I'll use
given names in this article to duck the issue.

Second, Karla was convicted of *manslaughter*, not murder. Manslaughter
is unlawful killing without malice aforethought.  One may speculate
that either (a) she was shown to have participated unwillingly in the
crimes, or (b) Karla took a secondary role in the crimes and the
prosecution plea-bargained a guilty plea to a lesser offense in return
for information already volunteered and/or future testimony against
Paul.

(The judge did say for publication that "her plea obviated a trial",
which was no surprise from the timing of the proceedings, and that she
had freely offered information.  He also said that "She did not
personally inflict the deaths", but to have done so is not a
requirement for a murder conviction.)

Third and most important, the publication ban is not permanent, but is
effective only until Paul's case has been concluded one way or
another, probably in a couple of years.  (Consequently, whether either
of the conjectures above is valid will no doubt become clear later.)
The ban was imposed on the grounds that it was the only way to ensure
a fair trial for Paul.

(I find this surprising -- I would have thought it sufficient that the
two prosecutions be combined into one case, particularly since they
relate to the same crimes.  But it was the prosecution that pushed for
the ban, and that was the reason given.  The judge said, "I believe
the consideration of a fair trial outweighs the freedom of the press
in these exceptional circumstances."  The ban is being appealed on
constitutional grounds.)

Under the ban, attendance at Karla's case was limited to certain
people with a direct interest in the case (such as family members of
the victims and accused, and certain police officers) *and* to
Canadian reporters, who are free to publish their articles when the
ban ends.  Of course, court officials must also have been present.
Foreign reporters were excluded because of the possibility that they
would publish while outside of Canadian jurisdiction.

> From an article in the Vancouver Sun of August 3, 1993 (originally by
> John Duncan and Nick Pront in the Toronto Star): "Computer information
> networks free to the general public have been carrying chatter about
> Karla Teale's manslaughter trial, including details that fall under
> the judge's publication ban".

It is perfectly legal to *speculate* about what may have happened, as
I did above.  It would also be legal to circulate *mis*information
about the case, as long as issues such as fraud or libel did not
apply.  What would not be legal would be for someone who *was* in the
group privileged to attend the case to (a) reveal that information
either on a computer network or otherwise, or (b) confirm that
someone's speculation was correct.  Accordingly, even if the above
statement is correct, no proof can legally be offered to support it.

Now, if it said, "details that *purportedly* fall under the ... ban",
that would be a wholly different matter.

> I won't go into detail on the Sun article.  Some of the text is
> reasonable; some is incorrect.  The important thing is the fact that
> information banned from publication in the press is available on
> computer networks and conferencing systems.

See above.  If Mr. Slade was present at the trial, he is in violation
of the court order.  If not, he is engaging in speculation as to what
is or is not a "fact".

> There is one other absolutely fascinating aspect: according to an
> expert media lawyer quoted in the article the posters are probably not
> breaking the law.  Apparently the publication ban covers only material
> obtained from the court.  Publication of the same information, if
> obtained from other sources, is permissible.

Right -- because in that case the "information" is only speculation.
This is fascinating?


Mark Brader, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, utzoo!sq!msb, [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 01:54:34 +0200
From: [e-mail] (Christian Weisgerber)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line


In <[e-mail]> was written:

> I believe India alone has over 100 mutually incomprehensible
> languages. [...]

Yes, I'm aware that large numbers of languages are spoken in the
mentioned regions. However, those are not major languages. What
languages would be considered suitable to conduct business in?
Especially in Third World countries people that can afford telephone
service are probably not stuck in remote areas with some obscure
language as their only one.

> ... and even the US has several dozen.

Seriously, would you consider conducting a phone call to the U.S. in
any language other than English or Spanish? Would you include Cherokee
in a language line of yours?

That's why I'm curious *which* 140 languages AT&T offers.


Christian 'naddy' Weisgerber, Germany   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 13:47:02 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Country Code Reverse List
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


Proctor & Associates <[e-mail]>, writes:

> 53 Guantanamo Bay

53 is Cuba; 539 is 'Gitmo' (Actually, Guantamo Bay numbers start with
5399).

You also missed two important countries:

   1  United States
   1  Canada

 >  AC 809 Anguilla

This and the other 22 countries should have been listed at '1809'
North America north of Mexico all begins with '1'.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 10:44 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Macy Hallock)
Subject: Re: Caller ID Box With Serial Port From AT&T
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: F M Systems/Telemax  Medina, Ohio USA


In article <[e-mail]> is written:

> I heard some time ago that AT&T had a device called the "ClassMate
> 10", which was a Caller-ID box with a serial port on it (no LCD).
> However, when I tried to find out about what one was at the local AT&T
> phone store, they had no idea what I was talking about.

Vodavi, an established telecom manfacturer owned by a very large
Korean electronics company, seems to be serious about the Caller-ID
market.

They have come out with two Caller-ID stand alone boxes, one of which
has a serial port for about $80.

Since we do not have Caller-ID in Ohio (and worse yet, I live in GTE
territory), I have been unable to test the unit myself.  Others who
have used it tell be its neat, but in short supply right now, as most
distributors have ordered limited quantities.

If anyone has trouble finding these and wants to try one, I will put
you in touch with a distributor as a courtesy (I'll refrain from
publishing the number on the net as a bow to non-commercialism.)


Macy Hallock N8OBG Voice= +1.216.723.3030 Fax= +1.216.723.3223 [e-mail]
Telemax Inc. and F M Systems Inc. 152 Highland Drive  Medina, Ohio 44256 USA

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Kai Schlichting)
Subject: Re: ATT Truevoice
Date: 14 Aug 1993 05:25:01 GMT
Organization: Newsserver, Comp.Center (RUS), U of Stuttgart, FRG


david.g.lewis ([e-mail]) wrote:

> In article <[e-mail]> ken thompson <kthompso@
> donald.wichitaks.NCR.COM> writes:

>> Will not high speed modems have trouble with this distored channel,
>> switch to slower speeds automaticaly and maybe unknown to the user,
>> and spend more time connected to get their data through?

> No, because (a) as we've established (which I note CommWeek picked up
> on a few weeks ago), the tone to disable echo control will disable
> TrueVoice, and (b) the same bandwidth is available anyway.

I was always curious about this: which is the tone to turn echo
cancelling off? and further: what is the tone to turn it ON
again,other than resetting the trunk? I would send that tone down the
line on some international calls, where I get a bad echo, sometimes;
would this work if I am the originator?


Bye,

Kai

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Art Walker)
Subject: Re: CPSR and the NII
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 05:54:55 GMT


mc/G=Brad/S=Hicks/OU=[e-mail] wrote:

> I submit that whatever the benefits of granting Internet access to the
> poor, they don't justify going further into debt at a time when the US
> can't make more than token payments on its principal.

Apparently it's the constitutional right of every American to have
cheap 'n easy access to alt.binaries.pictures.erotica ...


Art Walker ([e-mail]) ([e-mail])

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 08:19:00 +12000
From: [e-mail] (Jonathan Mosen)
Subject: Are we Being Ripped Off in New Zealand?
Organization: OUT OF SIGHT BBS, Auckland, New Zealand, 64-9-298-3805


Here in New Zealand, we've recently hosted a telecommunications show.
Many of the world's major individual and corporate movers and shakers
were present.  The limelight was stolen by an Australian telecommun-
ications "expert", who was doing the talk show circuit claiming that
the world's telecommunications companies were involved in a massive
cartel designed to extort huge sums of money from the unsuspecting
consumer.  He claimed that it would be possible for a call to be made
from New Zealand to Hawaii for 25 cents a day.  That's about 40 US
cents.

The reply from a representative of Telecom here in New Zealand
basically amounted to "but long distance calls are heavily subsidizing
other areas such as line rental".

I don't work in the telecommunications industry, but as someone who
often has phone charges of over $600 a month due to the huge amount of
LD calling I do, I'd like to hear some opinions from the experts in
the Digest as to whether we're all being ripped off, or whether this
Australian's analysis was too simplistic.


Jonathan


[Moderatator's Note: As international calling services such as Tele-
passport have gotten underway, a number of folks have begun noticing
how much less international calls *could* cost, with the proprietors
still making a profit. The TP rates are typically 40-50 percent less
than 'the cartel' charges. I don't know if I agree with his exact
figures or not, but even considering cross-subsidies where they still
occur, long distance in general costs too much.  PAT]

------------------------------

Subject: 7-bit Zmodem
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 7:12:11 CDT
From: Cliff Sharp <[e-mail]>


   From DSZ.DOC, 11/92 version:

 _______________________________________________________________________
 |   Feature              | ProCm | RZSZ | DSZ  | GSZ | ZCOMM | Pro-YAM |
 |________________________|_______|______|______|_____|_______|_________|
 |                        |       |      |      |     |       |         |
 |ZMODEM-90(TM)           | no    | YES  | YES  | YES | YES   | YES     |
 | Compression            | no    | YES  | YES  | YES | YES   | YES     |
 | MobyTurbo(TM)          | no    | YES* | YES  | YES | YES   | YES     |
 | 7-bit Paths OK         | no    | YES* | YES* | YES | YES   | YES     |
 |________________________|_______|______|______|_____|_______|_________|

 ProCm = ProComm Plus
 * Not available on all flavors or platforms


Cliff Sharp  [e-mail]   OR  [e-mail]
  WA9PDM                Use whichever one works

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 12:45:42 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Nadeem Haider)
Subject: Wanted: Cellular Phone FAQ?
Organization: Nova University, FL


Can anyone direct me to a FAQ list on cellular phones, if such a thing
exists? Just thought I'd give this a shot.


nadeem

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ian Eisenberg)
Subject: AT&T System 75
Date: 14 Aug 1993 00:59:27 -0700
Organization: (CYBERSPACE) Public Internet 206.286.1600


Does anyone know if an AT&T System 75 has positive disconnect on
disconnect? I mean when a caller hangs up will there be a CPC
disconnect. I need a drop in current or a reversal.

Also can anyone recommend a good voicemail system to integrate into
it?

Please reply to [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 11:13:18 -0400 (EDT)
From: Curtis E. Reid <[e-mail]>
Subject: Emergency TDD to Use 311


I saw an article in today's {Democrat and Chronicle} (Rochester, NY
August 14, 1993):

Begin Excerpt:

                  Rochester Tel, other firms plan
                   emergency TDD number for deaf

By Stephen Lowe, Staff Writer

    Rochester Telephone Corp. and other New York telephone
companies plan to introduce a statewide emergency number for people
with speech and hearing impairments.

    The 311 number is intended as a backup for users of the
telecommunications device for the deaf who are traveling and don't
know what number to call for emergency help.

    Now, some areas can handle TDD calls through 911.  Other areas
have differing seven-digit numbers for police and other emergency
services that may or may not take TDD calls.

    The 311 number also will serve as an emergency number for TDD
users in areas where 911 service is unavailable.

    "The object of 311 is to provide a universal means for a TDD
user to reach an emergency services provider," said Diana Melville,
spokeswoman for Rochester Tel.

    New York Telephone initiated the system and will introduce the
311 number when the service becomes available around the Capital
District of Albany tomorrow.

    In late October, New York Telephone, Rochester Tel and other
companies will start up 311 across the state.

    A person using a TDD can call 311 and the call will be routed
to a barracks of the state police.

    An attendant will take the call and dispatch emergency
services if they are needed.

    TDD users can still call 911 in areas with systems that can
handle TDD calls, such as Monroe, Genesee and Wyoming counties.

    And they still can call seven-digit numbers of emergency
providers that have TDD ability, such as the Ontario County Sheriff's
Department.

    Matthew Starr, program director for the Monroe County
Association for Hearing Impaired People, said there is a need for such
a system.

    "But I think they should make efforts to have all areas
covered by 911 systems to avoid the confusion," he said.

    Even with 311, the service is useless if there is no TDD
available, he said.  Often, public phones along highways do not have
built-in TDDs, Starr said.

    And even if a person has a portable TDD, many require power
outlets, which are not available at public phones along roads, Starr
said.

                           ---------------


Curtis E. Reid                [e-mail]
Rochester Institute of Technology/NTID    [e-mail] (DECUS)
52 Lomb Memorial Drive             716.475.6089 TDD/TT 475.6895 Voice
Rochester, NY 14623-5604  U.S.A.    716.475.6500 Fax (Business Use Only)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gabe M Wiener)
Subject: Who Runs 800 DA?
Date: 14 Aug 1993 15:27:23 GMT
Organization: Columbia University


I've often wondered about this.  Who runs 800 DA?  Does each long
distance carrier have their own bureau for this?  Or is there one
central 800 DA administered by ...?


Gabe Wiener -- [e-mail] -- N2GPZ -- PGP on request


[Moderator's Note: 800 DA is operated by Southwestern Bell out of an
office near St. Louis. I think Bellcore has ultimate responsibility
for it. The default for 800 numbers is a non-pub listing, but anyone
with an 800 number can contract to be listed at some fee through the
carrier which supplies their service. Administrative fees to run the
service and supply listings on demand include the cost of the phone
call to 800-555-1212 itself which is why the call is free to people
calling it.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 12:53:22 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Nadeem Haider)
Subject: List of Some IVR Vendors Available
Organization: Nova University, FL


A few months ago I had posted a request for a list Integrated Voice
Response systems' vendors and received quite a few email messages.  If
someone is interested in this I could post a list of all the vendors
and telephone numbers that I was informed about.  Let me know.


nadeem

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ron Dippold)
Subject: RFD: comp.dcom.telecom.tech
Organization: Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 22:04:46 GMT


Request for Discussion

Unmoderated group comp.dcom.telecom.tech

This will also be submitted to the moderated groups comp.dcom.telecom
and comp.std.wireless.  Note followups to news.groups - all discussion
should take place there.


Proposed Charter

This group would cover all general technology aspects of the
telecommunications industry in an unmoderated format.  This includes
communications mediums (physical transport, wiring, antennas), control
systems (switches, routing, ATM), wireless systems (AMPS, NAMPS, PCN,
PCS, CDMA, TDMA, GSM), and more (such as the history of the above, and
new advances).  It is expected that discussions which begin to focus
on implementation aspects of subjects which are covered by existing
groups would be moved to those groups - for instance, discussion about
Class 3 Fax design specifics would go to comp.dcom.modems.


Background

Currently, the Telecom Digest is gated to Usenet via comp.dcom.telecom.
Readers of this group and alt.dcom.telecom have expressed a strong
interest in a main hierarchy group for informal technical telecommun-
ications discussion.  It is believed that the existence of such a
group will encourage discussions on the subject that are usefully
different from what is currently available, and that there are enough
interested Usenet readers (although we'll see what the RFD brings).

------------------------------

From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Subject: Administrivia: Another Break-In; Weekend Reading
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 17:00:00 CDT


I was unpleasantly surprised to find out this afternoon that our
Digest has once again been victimized by a hacker. The damage was more
severe this time, with the telecom maintainence account broken into,
and a lot of the files erased. The mailing lists were stolen as well.
Readers may recall that a few months ago one of the mailing lists (the
one that happened to be sitting in place for sendmail to use it at the
time) got ripped off by a Big-Man-on-Campus who was blowing off steam
over on the alt side of things.

Today's incident caused about a two hour delay this afternoon in
getting messages out while the lists and a couple of my scripts used
to put together issues, etc. were reconstructed from backups I have
stashed away on other Internet accounts I own around the world. I
*think* the lists are all correct; if you had asked for cancellation
and suddenly see copies in your mailbox again, please let me know.
Obviously the people who asked for addition to the list won't know why
they did not get added until they write a second time. The mailing
lists are growing by leaps and bounds as more independent BBS sites
with internet connections are included (such as OnLine Now BBS,
joining the Digest today ... welcome folks!) and readers migrate to
the mailing list side from comp.dcom.telecom.

Its too damn bad 'some people' have to destroy the work of others to
get their own self-esteem to a manageable level. But then to a hacker,
a great joke and fun-time for all frequently involves destroying the
property of others and thinking nothing of it. I am reminded of the
time California Cowboy called me on the phone at home late one night,
giggling like a schoolgirl in love for the first time to demonstrate
how some phriends (who did what is not clear to me) had just a few
minutes earlier broken into the admin account of the voicemail system
of a long distance carrier's office here in the Chicago area. They
wanted me to listen to their handiwork; their newly recorded prompts
and obscene greeting message, etc. I thought to myself later, "I need
this?" ... So someone will eventually say who trashed me out today.
Hackerphreaks *have* to brag and tell others; it is their nature.

On a pleasanter closing note, two special mailings coming out to you
for your weekend reading:  the draft copy of a history of Arpanet,
and a very detailed version of the FCC Equal Access regulations for
you to print out and show the telecom people at your school. Watch for
them in your email most likely sometime Sunday.   Cheers.


PAT

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #575
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa03971;
          15 Aug 93 16:50 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA05938
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 15 Aug 1993 11:43:36 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30721
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 15 Aug 1993 11:42:45 -0500
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 11:42:45 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: FCC Equal Access Rules


Here is the copy of the Equal Access Order which was promised. First
read it and make sure *you* understand it, then show it to telecom
administrators at your school if you feel they are not in compliance.

  Subject: FCC Equal Access Order
  Date: Fri, 13 Aug 93 09:44:31 -0400
  From: James Olsen <[e-mail]>


For inclusion in the archives, here follows the FCC's 1991 order on
equal access and telephone consumer information.

56 FR 18519  NO. 78  04/23/91
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 64 and 68

[CC Docket No. 90-313; FCC 91-116]

Common Carriers; Operator Service Providers

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.


SUMMARY: These final regulations establish policies and standards for the
provision of operator services and implement provisions of the Telephone
Operator Consumer Services Improvement Act of 1990, Public Law No. 101-435,
104 Stat. 986 (1990) (to be codified at 47 U.S.C. 226). These regulations
will provide consumers with the opportunity to make informed choices when
using operator services and to freely reach their desired carriers.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 23, 1991.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:     Sally J. Novak, Enforcement Division,
Common Carrier Bureau, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Report and
Order in CC Docket No. 90-313 (FCC 91-116), adopted April 9, 1991 and
released April 15, 1991. The full text of the Report and Order is available
for inspection and copying during normal business hours in the FCC Dockets
Branch, room 230, 1919 M Street, NW., Washington, DC. The full text of this
Report and Order may also be purchased from the Commission's duplicating
contractor, Downtown Copy Center, 1114 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC
20036, [phone].

Summary of Report and Order

I. Background

  1. On April 9, 1991, the Commission adopted a Report and Order in CC Docket
No. 90-313 (released April 15, 1991, FCC 91-116) in order to establish
policies and standards for the provision of operator services and to adopt
rules necessitated by the Telephone Operator Consumer Services Improvement
Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 101-435, 104 Stat. 986 (1990) (to be codified at 47
U.S.C. 226) ("Operator Services Act" or "Act").
  2. On June 14, 1990, the Commission adopted the initial Notice of Proposed
Rule Making in CC Docket No. 90-313, 55 FR 29639 (1990) (NPRM). In the NPRM,
the Commission proposed specific rules aimed at solving problems in the
operator services industry that have persisted despite previous Commission
action. During the first week of October 1990, Congress passed the Operator
Services Act, which the President signed into law shortly thereafter. Under
the Act, the Commission must, inter alia, conduct a "general" rule making
proceeding to prescribe regulations that will implement statutory provisions
and establish certain standards and policies, and a monitoring/reporting
proceeding that will ultimately result in three reports to Congress. On
December 21, 1990, the Commission released a Further Notice of Proposed Rule
Making, 56 FR 402 (1991) (FNPRM) in order to: (1) "Initiate" the general rule
making and monitoring/reporting proceedings required by the Act; (2) propose
the required rules; (3) invite any additional comments that were necessary
beyond those submitted in response to the NPRM; (4) solicit the information
that must be examined in the monitoring/reporting proceeding; and (5) declare
that, under the Act, the access and payphone compensation issues must be
considered in a separate proceeding. The rules proposed in the FNPRM
supplanted those proposed in the initial NPRM.
  3. The Report and Order delegates to the Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau
authority to impose such reporting requirements as are necessary to fulfill
the monitoring/reporting obligations mandated by section 226(h)(3)(B) of the
Act, 47 U.S.C. 226(h)(3)(B). The monitoring/reporting proceeding was
initiated as Phase II of CC Docket No. 90-313.
  4. In response to the NPRM and FNPRM over 450 parties filed comments and
reply comments. The Commission is required by the Act to adopt the rules
required in the general rulemaking by May 15, 1991.

II. Discussion

  5. The majority of commenters agreed with the rules as proposed by the
Commission in the FNPRM. With the exception of rules for which clarification
or modification was requested, the Commission is adopting those rules as
proposed and without discussion./1/

NOTE /1/ The rules requiring OSPs to ensure aggregators' compliance by
contract or tariff with certain requirements were unopposed. See Sec.
64.703(e) (posting requirements), Sec. 64.704(b)(1) (call blocking), and Sec.
64.705(a)(5) (charges for access code calls). Commenters did not request
clarification with respect to the majority of definitions proposed in Sec.
64.708, specifically, subsections (a), (c), (d), (f), and (h). Section
64.704(a), which requires that "800" and "950" access be unblocked, was
supported by the commenters.

A. Definitions

  6. Section 64.708 of the rules defines a number of fundamental terms. The
Commission is adopting the definitions contained in Sec. 64.708 of the rules
with some clarification and modification.
  7. The Commission is adopting Sec. 64.708(b) of the rules, the definition
of "aggregator," with some clarification. An "aggregator" has certain
enumerated responsibilities under the Act and the Commission's rules, among
them posting the required information on or near the telephone and ensuring
that its telephones do not block "800" or "950" access. The Commission
believes that the "aggregator" is the entity that is in the position to
comply with these requirements through its access to and control of the
telephone equipment, a determination that must be based on the facts of each
situations. Congress has made clear that pay telephone owners, hotels, and
other premises owners may be aggregators under the Act. Therefore, a blanket
determination by the Commission regarding who the aggregator is with regard
to all payphones will not help to meet the Commission's goals of ensuring the
availability of consumer information and consumer choice. Instead, the
Commission will interpret the definitions broadly enough to ensure compliance
with the goals of the Commission's rules and the Act. Each entity that
exercises control over telephone equipment, whether through ownership of the
equipment, control of access to the equipment, or some other means, will be
responsible as an "aggregator" under the Act and the Commission's rules. In
some situations, the premises owner and the pay telephone owner will be
jointly responsible as "aggregators" by virtue of their joint access to and
control over the telephone equipment; in some situations the "provider of
operator services" will also be an "aggregator" who must comply with the
provisions of the Act and the Commission's rules. In order to remove any
ambiguity and to avoid debate over who is responsible for ensuring compliance
with the Act and the Commission's rules, joint aggregators will be equally
responsible for complying with the Act and the rules.
  8. The Commission concludes that the definition of "aggregator" does not
apply to correctional institutions in situations in which they provide
inmate-only phones. The Commission is persuaded that the provision of such
phones to inmates presents an exceptional set of circumstances that warrants
their exclusion from the regulation being considered herein. Accordingly,
inmate-only phones at correctional institutions will not be subject to any
requirements under the Act or the Commission's rules./2/ Phones provided for
the use of the public, however, such as those in visitation areas, would be
covered by the Operator Services Act and the rules.

NOTE /2/ Additionally, the carrier providing service to inmate-only phones at
correctional institutions would not fall under the definition of "provider of
operator services" as such service is not provided at an "aggregator"
location with respect to inmate-only phones. A carrier that provides service
to phones at correctional institutions that are made available to the public
or to transient users would have to comply with the requirements of the
Commission's rules and the Operator Services Act.

  9. The Commission also finds that hospitals and universities are clearly
within the scope of the definition of "aggregator." In discussing the
definition, the Senate Committee said that "[a]ggregators include hotels and
motels, hospitals, universities, airports, gas stations, pay telephone
owners, and others. S. Rep. No. 439, 101st Cong., 2d Sess. 10 (1990).
  10. The Commission is not persuaded that federal executive agencies (FEA)
should be excluded from the definition of "aggregator." The Commission has
previously found that governmental entities are subject to its jurisdiction.
Graphnet Systems, Inc., 73 FCC 2d 283 (1979) (finding that the United States
Postal Service was not exempt from Commission jurisdiction due to its status
as a governmental entity). First, the Communications Act has conferred upon
the Commission broad and expansive regulatory authority over interstate
communications by wire and radio. Second, while the term "person" in the
Communications Act is defined to include certain entities, there is no
indication that the list is all-inclusive and that entities not specifically
mentioned are to be excluded. Finally, when Congress has sought to exclude
governmental entities from the Commission's jurisdiction they have done so
explicitly./3/ The Commission also notes that the legislative intent of
Congress would be frustrated by excluding "governmental entities" from
regulation under the Operator Services Act and the rules. Hence, to the
extent such agencies make phones available to the public or to transient
users for the placing of operator-assisted interstate telephone calls, they
clearly provide the type of service contemplated by the Operator Services Act
and therefore come within the statutory requirements of the Act and under the
Commission's rules.

NOTE /3/ For example, radio stations operated by the United States are
excluded from regulation under title III of the Communications Act. The FEA,
however, points to the explicit inclusion of "governmental entities" within a
definition of person included in the Cable Franchise Policy and
Communications Act of 1984, Public Law No. 98-549, 98 Stat. 2779 (Title VI of
the Communications Act) as dispositive with regard to the issue of
jurisdiction over "governmental entities." The FEA contends that when
Congress wants to include governmental entities within the Commission's
jurisdiction, they do so explicity. There is no merit to this argument as the
definition of "person" in title VI of the Communications Act is for the
purposes of title VI specifically and was not meant to limit generally the
definition of "person" in title I. The fact that Congress has explicitly
confirmed that a government entity is a "person" under title VI does not mean
a governmental entity is not also a person under the title I definition.

  11. Those sections of the rules defining "operator services" and "providers
of operator services," sections 64.708 (g) and (i) respectively, will be
adopted as proposed. The legislative history of the Operator Services Act
states that "operator services" include

  Interstate telecommunications services that involve any assistance to a
consumer to arrange for billing other than to the number from which the call
was placed. This definition includes assistance provided either by a "live"
person or by automation, such as voice recordings or "bong-in-a-box"
services. Carriers may not escape this definition by employing a particular
technology that does not involve a "live" operator.

S. Rep. No. 439, 101st Cong., 2d Sess. 11 (1990). Clearly, Congress intended
that automated technologies be included within the definition of "operator
services" and that those who provide service through such automated
technologies are "providers of operator services" under the Act and the
Commission's rules. The Commission emphasizes that "store-and-forward" and
"bong-in-the-box" as well as other automated technologies do not fall within
the exemption to the definition of "operator services" found in Sec.
64.708(g)(1) of the rules. Further, the Commission is not persuaded that a
distinction should be drawn between automated billing provided by a hotel
vis-a-vis similar services provided by entities that offer such services as
their primary business. Hotels providing automated billing fall within the
definition of "provider of operator services" and must comply with the Act
and the Commission's rules.
  12. Consistent with the Act, the Commission is modifying Sec. 64.708(e),
the definition of "equal access," to reflect the inclusion of only those
orders amending the Modification of Final Judgment (MFJ) issued prior to
October 17, 1990 rather than inclusion of those orders modifying the MFJ
issued prior to the effective date of the rule. The Commission is adopting
the remainder of the definitions in Sec. 64.708 as proposed.

B. Consumer Information

1. Requirements for Operator Service Providers (OSPs)

  13. The Commission is adopting without modification Sec. 64.703(a) of the
rules that requires OSPs to brand calls, to allow consumers to terminate
calls before connection without incurring a charge, and to disclose
information about rates and charges without charge upon consumer request.
These requirements apply to both "live" operators and automated technologies.
With regard to the branding requirement in Sec. 64.703(a)(1), the first brand
must occur "at the beginning of the call." See 47 U.S.C. 226(b)(1)(A). The
Commission does not believe that a brand after a consumer has entered a
billing number and that number has been validated is "at the beginning of the
call." For automated systems, the Commission requires that the first brand
occur prior to the bong tone, since the bong tone usually signals callers to
begin entering a billing number. This requirement will help ensure that
consumers hear all of the branding information and have the opportunity to
make an informed choice to use a particular OSP.
  14. The Commission will not prohibit parties involved in rate-setting from
deciding which party will be named in the brand. The Commission will,
however, prohibit parties from branding in the name of another party if rates
are merely modeled on or copied from that party's rates and that party has
not consented to the use of its name in the brand.
  15. Finally, with regard to automated technologies only, the Commission
believes the provision of rate and other information via the use of a
separate toll-free number is a reasonable method of compliance with the
Commission's rule. As technology is developed that eliminates the necessity
for a separate number, however, the use of that number should also be
eliminated. The Commission clarifies that any rates quoted by an OSP must be
exact rather than approximate. The Operator Services Act is clear that quotes
for rates or charges must be for "the call" (see 47 U.S.C. 226(b)(1)(C)(i))
not for some hypothetical call. Rates should be quoted based on the pricing
of the specific call.

2. Aggregator Posting Requirements and State Requirements

  16. The Commission is adopting as proposed Sec. 64.703(b) that requires
aggregators to post certain information on or near telephones in plain view
of consumers and Sec. 64.703(d) that provides that the posting requirement
will not apply if state law or regulation requires an aggregator to take
actions that are substantially the same as the requirements of Sec.
64.703(b). The Commission finds that all aggregator telephones, including
those in non-equal access areas, are subject to the posting requirements.
  17. The Commission clarifies that the required information must be posted
on or near all aggregator telephones. For example, it is not sufficient that
the required information is posted on or near only one telephone in a hotel
suite or room with more than one telephone. Further, it is not sufficient
that tent cards or stickers on or near a telephone merely refer the consumer
to another source of information such as a pamphlet or hand-out that is not
itself within plain view of the consumer.
  18. The posting requirement adopted in these rules is a minimum standard.
State requirements that include all the information required by the
Commission's rule, though the wording may be different, will be
"substantially the same," as comtemplated in Sec. 64.703(d) of the rules.
Aggregators are responsible for complying with the Act and the Commission's
rules. Aggregators are also responsible for reviewing and complying with any
additional state requirements, where they exist.

  3. Double Branding

  19. The Act mandates that OSPs double brand for the three-year period
commencing 90 days after its enactment. See 47 U.S.C. 226(b)(2). The rule as
proposed required that OSPs double brand for three years from the effective
date of the rules. The Commission is modifying Sec. 64.703(c) of the rules to
provide that OSPs must double brand through January 14, 1994 in conformance
with the Act. This rule applies to all OSPs regardless of size and to all
calls including collect calls.

C. Prohibition on Call Blocking

  20. The Commission is adopting Sec. 64.704(a) and Sec. 64.704(b) as
proposed. Section 64.704(a) of the rules requires that aggregators not block
"800" and "950" access at phones presubscribed to an OSP. Section 64.704(b)
requires that OSPs withhold compensation on a location-by-location basis from
aggregators reasonably believed to be blocking such access.
  21. The Commission will not provide notice of blocking to an OSP before the
OSP is required to withhold compensation from an aggregator nor will the
Commission compile for public dissemination listings of aggregators who
purportedly block. The purpose of this rule is to provide additional
incentive to OSPs to ensure that aggregators do not block "800" and "950"
access. The Commission expects that OSPs will take steps necessary to ensure
such compliance.
  22. The Commission will make appropriate use of its forfeiture authority
against offending OSPs and aggregators. Under section 503 of the
Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 503, the Commission can impose substantial
forfeitures for willful or repeated violations of the Communications Act or
its rules, regulations, or orders: For common carriers subject to the
Communications Act, up to $100,000 for each violation or each day of a
continuing violation, up to a total of $1,000,000 for a continuing violation;
and for others, up to $10,000 for each violation or day of a continuing
violation up to a total of $75,000 for continuous violation. This Commission
will not hesitate to use its forfeiture authority against violators of its
rules.

D. Restrictions on Charges

  23. The Commission is adopting Sec. 64.705 of the rules as proposed.
Section 64.705 imposes restrictions on billing for unanswered calls, call
splashing, and surcharges for using a carrier other than the presubscribed
OSP. OSPs in equal access areas are prohibited from billing for unanswered
calls. The rule clearly recognizes, however, that answer supervision is not
available in non-equal access areas and requires that OSPs not 'knowingly'
bill for unanswered calls in non-equal access areas. Providers of automated
message delivery services (AMDS), may bill for the provision of AMDS, but a
provider of AMDS may not bill for the initial call when it is unanswered as
provided for in Sec. 64.705.
  24. The prohibition on splashing unless the consumer is informed and
consents strikes the appropriate balance in protecting consumers from being
billed for calls that do not reflect their originating points and allowing
consumers to make an informed decision to have calls splashed. Finally, by
prohibiting aggregators from imposing surcharges on access code calls that
are not charged for calls using the presubscribed OSPs, the Commission
further ensures that consumers have the ability to choose their preferred
carrier in a competitive marketplace.

E. Emergency Calls

  25. The Commission is adopting with modifications Sec. 64.706 of the rules
that establishes minimum standards for the handling of emergency calls by
OSPs. The Commission reiterates that the subject of emergency calls is an
area that the Commission has traditionally left to the states and stresses
that the Commission is adopting a minimum standard that is not intended to
preempt state requirements. The Commission notes that this standard applies
to "store-and-forward," "bong-in-a-box," and other automated technologies.
  26. The Commission is modifying the rule to require that, in instances
where the originating call location is different from the site of the
emergency and the site of the emergency is known, the call be connected to
the appropriate emergency service for the reported site of the emergency. The
Commission requires OSPs (i) to immediately connect an emergency call (ii) to
the emergency service provider that responds to the type of reported
emergency (iii) at the site of the emergency, if known, or, if not known, to
the originating location of the emergency call.
  27. The Commission is also modifying the rule to exclude specific examples
of dialing sequences that might initiate an emergency call. All emergency
calls, no matter how initiated, are covered by the Commission's rules.

F. Public Dissemination of Information

  28. The Commission is adopting Section 64.707 of the rules as proposed. The
Act requires that the Commission "establish a policy for requiring providers
of operator services to make public information about recent changes in
operator services and choices available to consumers in that market." 47
U.S.C. 226(d)(4)(B). In order that consumers are aware of changes in the
marketplace, the Commission believes it is necessary for each OSP to provide
information not only about itself, but also about the market within which it
is providing service. Accordingly, OSPs will be required to disseminate
information, upon request, that describes their own services, recent changes
in those services, and services and trends in the industry as a whole.
Detailed descriptions of rates, charges, and offerings of competitors were
never contemplated by the Commission. Rather, the Commission expects OSPs to
make available generic descriptions of any recent changes or innovations in
operator services. The Commission believes such descriptions may be done in a
fashion that complies with other applicable legal requirements./4/

NOTE /4/ With respect to the argument made by a commenter that the
requirement would violate the information services restriction of the MFJ,
the Commission notes that matters requiring interpretation of the MFJ are
properly within the jurisdiction of the district court. See NYSMSA Limited
Partnership, 58 RR 2d 525, 530 (1985). However, since no use of transmission
capability would be required to comply with the Act, it is unclear how the
MFJ is implicated.
  29. The Commission is not adopting an exception for smaller OSPs. Consumers
using even the smallest OSPs have the right to request and receive
information regarding that OSP's own rates and services as well as general
information regarding the operator services market.

G. Equipment Capabilities

  30. The Commission is adopting Sec. 68.318(d) of the rules as proposed. The
Act mandates that aggregator software and equipment manufactured or imported
on or after April 17, 1992, be technologically capable of providing access to
OSPs via equal access codes. 47 U.S.C. 226(f). The Commission is limiting the
equipment capabilities requirement to 10XXX capability for the 1992 deadline.
The Commission expects aggregator equipment that is the subject of the rule
to be technologically capable of providing access via the 10XXX access code.
The Commission will address issues relating to fraud and unblocking of the
10XXX access code in a separate proceeding./5/

NOTE /5/ Policies and Rules Concerning Operator Service Access and Pay
Telephone Compensation, Notice of Proposed Rule Making, CC Docket No. 91-35,
FCC 91-53, 56 FR 11136 (1991).

III. Final Regulatory Flexibility Analyis

  31. Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, the Commission's
final analysis is as follows:
  32. Need and purpose of this action. This Report and Order adopts
regulations to implement the Telephone Operator Consumer Services Improvement
Act of 1990, Public Law No. 101-435, 104 Stat. 986 (1990). The adopted rules
are intended to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive practices related
to their use of operator services to place interstate telephone calls and to
ensure that consumers have the opportunity to make informed choices in making
such calls.
  33. Summary of the issues raised by the public comments in response to the
Initial and Further Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis. There were no
comments submitted in response to the Initial or Further Regulatory
Flexibility Analyses that are relevant to the rules adopted herein.
  34. Significant alternatives considered and rejected. The Notice of
Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) and Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making
(FNPRM) in this proceeding offered many proposals. The commenters supported
the basic thrust of this proceeding, with many suggesting modifications to
the Commission's proposals. The Commission considered all of the alternatives
presented in the proceeding and considered all of the timely filed comments
directed to the various issues in the NPRM and FNPRM. After carefully
weighing all aspects of the issues and comments in this proceeding, the
Commission has taken the most reasonable course of action under the mandate
of the Operator Services Act.

IV. Ordering Clauses

  35. Accordingly, It is ordered, pursuant to sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 201-
205, 226, and 303(r) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C.
151, 154(i), 154(j), 201-205, 226, 303(r), that parts 64 and 68 of the
Commission's Rules, 47 CFR parts 64 and 68, are amended as set forth in Rule
Changes below.
  36. It is Further ordered That this Report and Order will be effective
thirty (30) days after publication in the Federal Register.

List of Subjects

47 CFR Part 64

  Communications common carriers, Computer technology, Radio, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Telegraph, Telephone.

47 CFR Part 68

  Administrative practice and procedure, Communications common carriers,
Communications equipment, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements,
Telephone.

Federal Communications Commission.

Donna R. Searcy,

Secretary.

Rule Changes

  Parts 64 and 68 of title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations are amended
as follows:

PART 64--[AMENDED]

  1. The authority citation for part 64 is revised to read as follows:

  Authority: Sec. 4, 48 Stat. 1066, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 154, unless
otherwise noted. Interpret or apply secs. 201, 218, 226, 48 Stat. 1070, as
amended, 1077, 47 U.S.C. 201, 218, 226, unless otherwise noted.

  2. A new Sec. 64.703 is added to subpart G to read as follows:

Sec. 64.703  Consumer information.

  (a) Each provider of operator services shall:
  (1) Identify itself, audibly and distinctly, to the consumer at the
beginning of each telephone call and before the consumer incurs any charge
for the call;
  (2) Permit the consumer to terminate the telephone call at no charge before
the call is connected; and
  (3) Disclose immediately to the consumer, upon request and at no charge to
the consumer--
  (i) A quotation of its rates or charges for the call;
  (ii) The methods by which such rates or charges will be collected; and
  (iii) The methods by which complaints concerning such rates, charges, or
collection practices will be resolved.
  (b) Each aggregator shall post on or near the telephone instrument, in
plain view of consumers:
  (1) The name, address, and toll-free telephone number of the provider of
operator services;
  (2) A written disclosure that the rates for all operator-assisted calls are
available on request, and that consumers have a right to obtain access to the
intestate common carrier of their choice and may contact their preferred
interstate common carriers for information on accessing that carrier's
service using that telephone; and
  (3) The name and address of the Enforcement Division of the Common Carrier
Bureau of the Commission (FCC, Enforcement Division, CCB, room 6202,
Washington, DC 20554), to which the consumer may direct complaints regarding
operator services.
  (c) Additional requirements for first 3 years. In addition to meeting the
requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, each presubscribed provider of
operator services shall, until January 15, 1994, identify itself audibly and
distinctly to the consumer, not only as required in paragraph (a)(1) of this
section, but also for a second time before connecting the call and before the
consumer incurs any charge.
  (d) Effect of state law or regulation. The requirements of paragraph (b) of
this section shall not apply to an aggregator in any case in which State law
or State regulation requires the aggregator to take actions that are
substantially the same as those required in paragraph (b) of this section.
  (e) Each provider of operator services shall ensure, by contract or tariff,
that each aggregator for which such provider is the presubscribed provider of
operator services is in compliance with the requirements of paragraph (b) of
this section.
  3. A new Sec. 64.704 is added to subpart G to read as follows:

Sec. 64.704  Call blocking prohibited.

  (a) Each aggregator shall ensure that each of its telephones presubscribed
to a provider of operator services allows the consumer to use "800" and "950"
access code numbers to obtain access to the provider of operator services
desired by the consumer.
  (b) Each provider of operator services shall:
  (1) Ensure, by contract or tariff, that each aggregator for which such
provider is the presubscriber provider of operator services is in compliance
with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section; and
  (2) Withhold payment (on a location-by-location basis) of any compensation,
including commissions, to aggregators if such provider reasonably believes
that the aggregator is blocking access to interstate common carriers in
violation of paragraph (a) of this section.
  4. A new Sec. 64.705 is added to subpart G to read as follows:

Sec. 64.705   Restrictions on charges related to the provision of operator
services.

  (a) A provider of operator services shall:
  (1) Not bill for unanswered telephone calls in areas where equal access is
available;
  (2) Not knowingly bill for unanswered telephone calls where equal access is
not available;
  (3) Not engage in call splashing, unless the consumer requests to be
transferred to another provider of operator services, the consumer is
informed prior to incurring any charges that the rates for the call may not
reflect the rates from the actual originating location of the call, and the
consumer then consents to be transferred;
  (4) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, not bill for a
call that does not reflect the location of the origination of the call; and
  (5) Ensure, by contract or tariff, that each aggregator for which such
provider is the presubscribed provider of operator services is in compliance
with the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section.
  (b) An aggregator shall ensure that no charge by the aggregator to the
consumer for using an "800" or "950" access code number, or any other access
code number, is greater than the amount the aggregator charges for calls
placed using the presubscribed provider of operator services.
  5. A new Sec. 64.706 is added to subpart G to read as follows:

Sec. 64.706   Minimum standards for the routing and handling of emergency
telephone calls.

  Upon receipt of any emergency telephone call, a provider of operator
services shall immediately connect the call to the appropriate emergency
service of the reported location of the emergency, if known, and, if not
known, of the originating location of the call.
  6. A new Sec. 64.707 is added to subpart G to read as follows:

Sec. 64.707  Public dissemination of information by providers of operator
services.

  Providers of operator services shall regularly publish and make available
at no cost to inquiring consumers written materials that describe any recent
changes in operator services and in the choices available to consumers in
that market.

  7. A new Sec. 64.708 is added to subpart G to read as follows:

Sec. 64.708   Definitions.

  As used in Secs. 64.703 through 64.707 of this part and Sec. 68.318 of this
chapter (47 CFR 64.703-64.707, 68.318):
  (a) Access code means a sequence of numbers that, when dialed, connect the
caller to the provider of operator services associated with that sequence;
  (b) Aggregator means any person that, in the ordinary course of its
operations, makes telephones available to the public or to transient users of
its premises, for interstate telephone calls using a provider of operator
services;
  (c) Call splashing means the transfer of a telephone call from one provider
of operator services to another such provider in such a manner that the
subsequent provider is unable or unwilling to determine the location of the
origination of the call and, because of such inability or unwillingness, is
prevented from billing the call on the basis of such location;
  (d) Consumer means a person initiating any interstate telephone call using
operator services;
  (e) Equal access has the meaning given that term in Appendix B of the
Modification of Final Judgment entered by the United States District Court on
August 24, 1982, in United States v. Western Electric, Civil Action No. 82-
0192 (D.D.C. 1982), as amended by the Court in its orders issued prior to
October 17, 1990;
  (f) Equal access code means an access code that allows the public to obtain
an equal access connection to the carrier associated with that code;
  (g) Operator services means any interstate telecommunications service
initiated from an aggregator location that includes, as a component, any
automatic or live assistance to a consumer to arrange for billing or
completion, or both, of an interstate telephone call through a method other
than:
  (1) Automatic completion with billing to the telephone from which the call
originated; or
  (2) Completion through an access code used by the consumer, with billing to
an account previously established with the carrier by the consumer;
  (h) Presubscribed provider of operator services means the interstate
provider of operator services to which the consumer is connected when the
consumer places a call using a operator services without dialing an access
code;
  (i) Provider of operator services means any common carrier that provides
operator services or any other person determined by the Commission to be
providing operator services.

PART 68--[AMENDED]

  1. The authority citation for part 68 is revised to read as follows:

  Authority: Secs. 4, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 208, 215, 218, 226, 313, 314,
403, 404, 410, 602, 48 Stat., as amended, 1066, 1070, 1071, 1072, 1073, 1076,
1077, 1087, 1094, 1098, 1102, 47 U.S.C. 154, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 208,
215, 218, 226, 313, 314, 403, 404, 410, 602, unless otherwise noted.

  2. Section 68.318 is amended by adding paragraph (d) to read as follows:

Sec. 68.318   Additional limitations.

  * * * * *

  (d) Requirement that registered equipment allow access to common carriers.
Any equipment or software manufactured or imported on or after April 17,
1992, and installed by any aggregator shall be technologically capable of
providing consumers with access to interstate providers of operator services
through the use of equal access codes. The terms used in this paragraph shall
have the meanings defined in Sec. 64.708 of this chapter (47 CFR 64.708).

[FR Doc. 91-9349 Filed 4-22-91; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712-01-M











Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa04169;
          15 Aug 93 17:46 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA02576
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 15 Aug 1993 15:31:08 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA02559
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 15 Aug 1993 15:30:32 -0500
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 15:30:32 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #576

TELECOM Digest     Sun, 15 Aug 93 15:30:30 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 576

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    There Ain't no Such Thing as a Free Network (Alan T. Furman)
    Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest (Les Reeves)
    Cellular Phone Helps Catch James Jordan's Alleged Murderers (Paul R. Coen)
    My Idea to Stop Cellular Fraud (Bruce James Robert Linley)
    About 'Terminal Compression' (Paul Robinson)
    CONNECT Sept/Oct Issue Review (Patricia Snyder-Rayl)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: There Ain't no Such Thing as a Free Network
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 93 03:34:21 PDT


Here is an exchange I found posted in alt.amateur-comp.  It deals with
the evolution of the Internet from a service which government
agencies, like DARPA and the National Science Foundation, provided to
funded researchers for the taking, to an industry which includes
commercial operators.

Remarks shown quoted are by Ronda Hauben, publisher of Amateur
Computerist, who believes that this change will impede scientific
research by driving up data networking costs.  The remainder of the
post is the response by Vadim Antonov.

           ========= from alt.amateur-comp ===========

In <24bcc5$[e-mail]>, Ronda Hauben ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Who will the govt support, and who will they pay to provide this service
> that was created with taxpayer money in the first place.

Taxpayers paid for *research*. Internet is no longer a research
project, it became a commodity.  No reason for the government to
provide services available commercially.

> And as soon as the NSF subsidy is off watch the prices skyrocket

Not.  I can't disclose commercial plans of my company but sure I know
that better than you.

> Commercial radio and tv and cable show what happens when the
> commercial world runs the show - its a very different
> world that exists - an advertising or commercial dominated
> content.

Those are *monopolies*.  The market of Internet services is completely
unregulated and the tough competition is already in there.

> The history of network development in the U.S. has been
> so successful with regard to the Arpanet and NSFNet
> and Usenet because the commercial market forces were
> controlled or not allowed.

The history proves right opposite. Look at the development of
networking in Russia -- before perestroyka only government has rights
to develop networks. Briefly, it was a disaster.  Then, as soon as it
become lawful private companies stepped in, and now the largest
network (RELCOM) has about 50 backbones all over the country and its
DNS has more than 10000 institutional domains. It produces more USENET
traffic than all Europe together.  My team started all this three
years ago with a single 486 PC, a Telebit modem and zero outside
investments. Now, in the USSR it wasn't (and still isn't) like US --
you can't go and buy a circuit from a phone company. Even installation
of a regular dial-up voice grade line takes months.

The reason for success? The network had no any kind of AUP (because it
wasn't funded by govt) and therefore enjoyed a strong demand from
"commercial" customers -- i.e. banks, newspapers, manufacturers who
paid real *money* which were immediately invested in further
development.

> Where they were given free reign as with commercial tv in the U.S.
> or even with radio, the people have no access, except to listen to
> what the party line is that will be passed onto us.

Who bars you from starting your own radio station? Ah, yeah, the
government regulations.

> Since deregulation of AT&T in 1984, the wonders of this so called
> "market driven" heaven has been a real fraud.

Hm. US has the cheapest phone tarrifs among all the industrial
countries *because* of that de-regulation.  FYI.

> Many of the pay phones around are a bunch of junk, often not
> working.

Because they belong to local providers which are *monopolies*.  Your
example proves exactly opposite to your "conclusions".

> There's no one to complain to.

Pick a phone book and call your congressman and tell him/her that
you're interested in de-regulation of the local telephone service
market.

> The essence of a net is that all parts of it are important -
> and that low quality at one part affects every other part.

The essence of Internet is *diversity*. If you don't like your
low-quality part go choose another provider.

> Which is really the govt giveaway of the product of years of
> research and experience to private companies to dissipate it
> into a Shop on your computer or inventory with your computer
> heaven.

Nah. The product is available to everybody equally. It's just some
people are willing to pick it and risk their money on making it a
service while others whine about free lunch going away.

> But there was an effort to privatize before the NSFNet was formed
> and it was somehow defeated then.

Huh? The word is not "privatization". Nobody's going to give NSFNET to
a private company simply because the actual hardware was private
property (of ANS) from the very beginning.

> In Britain in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, the
> Merchants like Mun claimed that their interests were the interests of
> the Nation. That if the King did what they needed to make them richer,
> the whole Nation would benefit.

Irrelevant.

> That wasn't true then.

> A similar argument is being made now by business interests.
> They have abolished any public interest.
> To help them make more profit is being touted as the saving for all.

Oh, no. Another commie. I thought i got my load of them in USSR.

> Their making more profit does not benefit me nor lots of other
> working people in the U.S.

Oh, sure.  Why should the things *I* do benefit *you*?  Are you a
cripple?  Can't you make your own living?

> The Arpanet could develop because it was free of commercial
> pressures, not because it was dictated by them.

Bull. ARPA stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency -- of the
Department of Defense.  It was a purely military stuff.  Like Star
Wars.

> The same was true of the NSFNet and Unix and Usenet.

NSFNET is operated by ANS which is a for-profit company.  Unix was
developed by AT&T which was (and is) for-profit company.  USENET is
not a physical network and essentially was developed by few people.

> To subject network development to the bottom line is to doom it.

Have you developed a network to judge people who did?

> But the fact that 25 years of expereince to build the net can be
> thrown out the window by the U.S. govt shows how weak any political or
> democratic rights are for the people in the U.S. and how captured the
> U.S. press is (again the wonder of the commercial world is
> demonstrated in the total submissiveness to govt and party politics of
> the U.S. press)

It shows that there are still people who keep forgetting that there
ain't no such thing as a free lunch.  In a sense (if you like "social
justice" and all other leftist crap) government spending tax money on
networks available only to elite effectively robbed poor and enriched
rich (aka professional elite).  Have you heard of miners and janitors
on the net recently?  Their tax dollars were spent on it, too.

>> Congratulations, Vadim!  The first informed posting I've read here
>> about the _future_ of the net.  :-)

> And so little informed posting about the past of the net as well -
> the net was originally developed by the U.S. govt to save resources
> (and money) by making it possible for different govt entities to
> share computer resources.

The network was designed to provide reliable way to communicate in
case of partial destruction of the network by an enemy.  It works fine
 -- allied forces were unable to destroy Saddam's command system which
was (surprise) based on TCP/IP.  Sharing resources etc wasn't the goal.

> That did save money, and that whole experience and lesson is being
> thrown out by the U.S. govt and those worthy citizens who are so
> anxious to save the U.S. govt money by grabbing the net for their
> profit making purposes.

Take a life. Commercial companies spend their own money to build
networks using the technology belonging to nobody.  Can you own a
natural law?  There is *NO* transfer of physical or intellectual
property from govt to private companies.  If you still see evil
capitalists going to steal everything you probably need a therapy.

> The future reorganization being planned is such a departure from
> the past and yet there is no discussion allowed challenging
> the change before it is rushed into being.

Discussion with *whom*?

> Seems a little like a coup doesn't it.

Seems like a reasonable move (and long overdue, I'd say).

> I didn't know the laws had been passed providing for all this by
> both the US House and Senate -- have they?

Both US House and Senat use commercial Internet service providers. FYI.

> What law provides for taking the net subsidy away?

What law says government has to distribute free toys for
white-collars?

> Who has made these decisions?

National Science Foundation.  If you don't like the decision, the
standard democratic procedure is open for you to dispute them.

> On what basis?

Because that's what they're for.

> What a racket.

Uh-huh. Can't you understand TANSTAFL?

> It seems there's a real effort to pretend that there was no past and
> that the present has popped out of nowhere -

It seems that somebody got no clue about the past and tries to
reinvent the history to fit it into a communist dogma.


--vadim   [e-mail]

Disclaimer: I do not speak for or express the opinions of my
present or previous employers.  All opinions above are mine.

         ========== end of Usenet post ==========


Forwarded to the Internet TELECOM Digest by Alan T. Furman
[e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Thanks very much for passing that along, Alan.
Actually we will be hearing more from Ronda this afternoon in this
group. I have a lengthy discussion of the early days of Arpanet and
some other comments by her which will go out as a special mailing
following this issue most likely, or sometime today.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 10:46:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest


Two teenagers have been arrested and charged with the murder of
Michael Jordan's father.  The news reports say that the content of
conversations made from Mr. Jordan's cellular phone led to the arrest.

Have similar cases not been thrown out when it was revealed that
cellular phones were monitored?

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 11:25:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: Paul R. Coen <[e-mail]>
Subject: Cellular Phone Helps Catch James Jordan's Alleged Murderers?
Organization: Drew University Academic Technology


I heard a news story on WCBS (880 AM, New York) this morning saying
that the two 18-year-olds arrested for murdering Michael Jordan's
father were tripped up in part by a cellular phone.

Apparently, he pulled off the highway to rest, they shot him, dumped
him in South Carolina, and kept the car for a few days -- and used the
cellular phone in the car.  The story claimed that the calls were
"traced," but I took that to mean that they looked at the numbers
called by the two via the cellphone and narrowed it down from there.

I'm not going to comment on the common sense of the pair -- if they
had any, they wouldn't have been shooting anyone in the first place.
If criminals were less careless, though, I don't know what the police
would do.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bruce James Robert Linley)
Subject: My Idea to Stop Cellular Fraud
Organization: UCLA Alumni, B.S. Computer Science & Engineering
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 05:15:52 GMT


I am not fully enlightened as to the intricacies of how the present
cell phone system works today but would like to suggest how it might
be improved to benefit the cell phone users and the cell phone
companies.  This is my little blurb.

    How about having the user pick some secret code when they first
activate their cell phone. This code is used as a seed value for a
psuedo-random number generating algorithm present in the cell phone
and at the cell company. When the user makes a call, the algorithm
generates a new psuedo-random number based on the previous
psuedo-random number and the initially chosen seed.

     This number would be used as a 'validation' of the user's ESN.
Since the user's phone and the cell company's system generate an
identical sequence of psuedo-random numbers, each side knows precisely
what validation code to expect from the user on the next call. But to
a crook, who never knew the initial seed value, his ESN reader reads a
seemingly unpredictable sequence of validation codes coming from every
user. Even though the crook can get the algorithm (it is the same for
all users), it is useless to him unless he knows both the users
initial seed value and the number of calls he or she has made.
Furthermore, if the crook gets lucky and duplicates the right
validation code, the real user's next call will FAIL since his stream
of validation codes is out of date. In this case, the user will at
least have been alerted that his or her account has been compromised
and can take corrective action by calling the cellular provider to
suspend the account and have a new seed value programmed into both the
user's phone and the user's account.

     Integration of this new system into existing cellular systems can
be accomplished by dedicating a range of ESNs to the new system just
like internet addresses are divided into groups as both, I believe,
are 32-bit numbers. So, for ESNs in the 192.*.*.* to 255.*.*.* (to use
the internet format) range, the system can expect a validation code to
follow. Older (lower) ESNs would work as always with no validation
code.

     Complexity is increased for the user's cell phone and the
carrier's equipment as well, but fraud would virtually go away. And
since both user and carrier share a unique and changeing validation
code, future digital systems could use the code to digitally scramble
the voice (like existing DES radios). So not only is fraud gone but
reasonable privacy is restored to the "phone system."

     Is this a good idea? Well, it means higher cell phone equipment
costs, at first anyway. It requires cell phone companies to spend
money to modify their system and the FBI/NSA may not like the digital
encryption part.  Cell phones would need to have some kind of flash
memory/eeprom/sram+battery to remember it's position in the stream of
psuedo-random numbers. Well, how does this sound or am I just wishing
for too much or asking the impossible? Or do cell phone companies
think everything's "good enough" the way it is.


Bruce James Robert Linley  | My opinions, I make 'em up.
B.S. Comp Sci & Engr, UCLA | [e-mail] | [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: No, they certainly do not think 'everything is good
enough the way it is'. Cell carriers are being eaten alive by fraud
and they hope to stop it soon. It is a remarkable testament to how
much money they have made in the past decade of their existence that
they can lose a couple million dollars a month in a few cases and
still be in business despite losses like that.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 02:33:36 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: About 'Terminal Compression'
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


A company (Inter Pact) has run a number of advertisements on the
Internet regarding the book 'Terminal Compression' which has been
subsequently released in text form which can be downloaded via FTP,
with the idea that if you read it you will send them a shareware
donation. I probably would never have read the book if it hadn't been
made available that way.

The copyright slugs on the text indicate publication years of
1991-1993, seemingly indicating a recently issued book.  (One of the
items in the book is the mention of the new E-Mail address for the
White House, which was only created this year.)

The book has a number of holes in it which I could see through.  I'll post
these to other news groups so as not to go into non-telecom issues; I'll
post larger articles to the Privacy and Risks lists.

I will except this to mention one which is so obviously inaccurate as
to be ridiculous: A government agency gets a court order telling the
newspaper in the story, "The New York City Times" (note: not 'The New
York Times' but the article makes clear that the paper on Sunday is
'34 pounds') to not print any articles dealing with the ability to
read CNG emissions (this is the leakage off a computer or monitor
which can be read like a radio transmitter from a distance by
electronic equipment.) A reporter writes an article from research, and
an agency gets a prohibition not against that article -- which is a
dubvious issue to get a prior restraint order against in the absence
of use of government material, anyway - but that this court order is
not to stop a particular article, but to completely prohibit any
articles regarding that particular *subject*!  I've never heard of a
judge that would even consider issuing that type of order, (an appeals
court would tear him to shreds) and this assumes the paper wouldn't
(1) print the article anyway and risk a contempt citation (2) print a
_blank_ article and a copy of the court order.  Apparently this order
was never publicized; any time a government agency tries to suppress
publication of something in a newspaper it usually makes _national_
headlines; the press takes threats to the 1st Amendment *very*
seriously.  CNN's use of the Noriega Tapes comes to mind, and, of
course, the Pentagon Papers and the A-Bomb schematics cases.

Without intending to spoil the story, I wanted to point out that it
mentions only AT&T as the national long distance carrier; a deafening
silence exists about MCI and Sprint.  Yet later in the book it
mentions 'FTS-2000' the private network for governmwent telephone
calls that MCI has unsuccessfully been fighting ever since 1/2 went to
AT&T and 1/2 went to Sprint, from the time of its creation.

At a point in the book, it mentions that the NSA uses its massive
computer arrays to monitor -- in real time -- every telephone call
connection made in the U.S., e.g. every dial call from and to any
point and the call being forwarded, and to where.  This seems to
forget that despite there being some 160 LATAs in the U.S. where every
call has to go through, not to mention the private cellular carriers,
plus local call forwarding setups and call forwarding through PBXs.
Plus private cellular companies, trunked mobile radiotelephone
companies, ham radio patches ...

Even in the book it mentions that one of the calls made by some of the
criminal elements in the book went to 'a Canadian Cellular Exchange'.  I
find it hard to believe that a Canadian telephone company is going to let
a U.S. government agency inquire into its phone system without a court
order issued by a Canadian judge.  Is Pacific Bell goint to allow someone
from the Canadian Department of Revenue or Scotland Yard have the list of
who owns what non-listed number without a U.S. Court Order?  I think not.
(I'll skip over the possibility of bribery for now.)

I find it a bit far fetched to believe that it is possible to put a 'pen
register' on every telephone call made in the United States.  If I call
into General Electric's PBX in New York, or Northrop's in Los Angeles,
is a call transferred out of it (one of perhaps 100 that go out at any
minute) mine or someone else's?

Also, in the story it notes that voice, fax or data transmissions are
detected and that encrypted ones are 'red flagged'.  This is a crock.
Bits are bits; there is no way to tell based on the bit stream going
through a data call whether the Zmodem Binary transfer I make is a ZIP
archive, an EXE file, a binary data file, a Word Perfect file, or a
binary file which has been processed with PGP or RIPEM.  Bits are
Bits; there is no means to differentiate between a compressed,
encrypted transmission (such as a file processed with PGP) and a
binary data file.  It could be possible due to echo cancellers to tell
if someone is using a data transmission device; whether a fax or modem
detection is possible is another thing.  And it also assumes someone
doesn't switch to a non-standard method of data transmission such as
combined voice and data on a compressed transmission channel.  Or
local calls to non-telephone networks such as Compuserve.  Or private
long distance companies that don't use Feature Group service, but
simply buy commercial inward lines in some cities and lease dedicated
trunk space.

The virus issues are a little ridiculous too.  Now a couple of years
ago a man named William Harrison, I think, wrote a book called
'virus'.  With the same basic idea: a series of rogue computer
programs can be used to allow someone to commit crimes.  Harrison's
book was much better: I've had more than 12 years of computer
experience as well as extensive use of MSDOS and there wasn't *a
single* technical mistake in Harrison's book.

My sister is of the opinion that people don't notice technical errors
in movies and TV shows.  I do and I'm certain other people do, too.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Patricia Snyder-Rayl)
Subject: CONNECT Sept/Oct Issue Review
Organization: GREX Public Access Unix [phone]
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 21:48:36 GMT



                  CONNECT Magazine -- Table of Contents
                  Vol. 1, No. 3  September/October 1993

                  Available at Newsstands on August 17th

FEATURES

Riding the Wild Internet by Peter M. Plantec
     The author shares his experiences as a relative newcomer to the
     Internet, and gives you some excellent tips on places to go and things
     to do on the Net.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation by Bill Rayl
     A look at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit
     organization devoted to making the online world a safer place for
     everyone.

Conferencing 101 by Joseph Sewell
     What is conferencing and how can you get involved? This article tells
     you what conferencing is all about, and includes some tips to help
     the novice COer.

GEnie's BBS RoundTable by David C. Cole
     The author introduces BBS users and sysops to GEnie's "gateway to
     online BBS resources."

Qmodem Professional 1.5 by Bob Retelle
     A look at the latest release of the Qmodem Pro telecommunications
     software from Mustang Software, Inc., producers of WILDCAT! BBS.

Your Business Needs a BBS by Susan Bloom
     A founding partner of The Business BBS shows how practically any
     business can benefit from running a company support bulletin board
     system.

Online Investing by Susan Futterman
     Resources available online can help you make better investment
     decisions. This article focuses on using CompuServe for your online
     investment needs.


COLUMNS

The Inside Line
     Editorial Staff Columnist Michael A. Banks takes a candid look at
     "Online Low-Lifes and Other Electronic Creatures."

Eye on America Online
     America Online is a great educational resource, and Columnist Julia
     Wilkinson takes you on a tour of AOL's impressive educational
     offerings.

BIX Balliwicks
     Columnist Tom Smith introduces CONNECT readers to the BIX
     information service and its connection to the Internet.

Connecting with CompuServe
     Columnist Jim Ness takes a look at company support areas on
     CompuServe, how forums get started, WinCIM for Windows, and
     travel-related areas on CIS.

Telecomputing the DELPHI Way
     DTP and graphics support on DELPHI are the topics Columnist Dick
     Evans covers this issue.

GEnie's Treasures
     Columnist Jim Mallory shows you how the gaming areas on GEnie can
     satisfy your needs.

The Internet Gateway
     Columnist Paul Gilster shows you how to get the most from your
     Internet e-mail account, including how to FTP by mail.

Staying Connected For About A Pound
     Wireless messaging using SkyTel's SkyStream is the focus of this
     issue's contribution from Columnist Marty Mankins.

Clear To Send (CTS)
     PC Columnist Victor Volkman reviews PowerBBS for Windows, a
     full-featured Shareware package and the first Windows-based BBS.

Dial M for Macintosh
     Columnist Ross Scott Rubin brings us the first of two columns
     focusing on AppleTalk Remote Access (ARA) and its potential uses
     and pitfalls for Macintosh modemers.


CONNECT magazine is available at the following magazine outlets:
B.Dalton Bookseller, Bookstop, Bookstar, Barnes & Noble, Doubleday,
Scribner's, Crown Books, Tower Books, Little Professor, Lichtman's
News and Books, Coles Book Stores, CompUSA, Computer City and Software
Etc. chains, as well as other chains and independent newsstands, book
stores and computer dealers in the U.S. and Canada. Call [phone]
to find the magazine dealer nearest you who carries CONNECT.

CONNECT is a bi-monthly magazine covering the major commercial online
services (such as America Online, BIX, CompuServe, DELPHI, GEnie and
Prodigy), the Internet, and bulletin board system networks (such as
Fidonet, WWIVnet, and GlobalNet). The magazine is platform-independent,
with columns focusing on PC-specific (DOS and Windows), Macintosh-
oriented, and Palmtop/PDA-related topics. Each issue also contains an
editorial column by renowned telecomputing author Michael A. Banks.
CONNECT currently has a bi-monthly circulation of 65,000.


Patricia Snyder-Rayl        | AOL: CONNECT       |voice: [phone]
Man. Ed.,  CONNECT magazine | CIS: 70007,4640    |  fax: [phone]
"The Modem User's Resource" | Delphi: UNICORNPUB |  BBS: [phone]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #576
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa04394;
          15 Aug 93 18:53 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03698
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 15 Aug 1993 16:44:38 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03682
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 15 Aug 1993 16:44:00 -0500
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 16:44:00 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #577

TELECOM Digest     Sun, 15 Aug 93 16:44:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 577

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    LCI Intl Forms Alliance With STN Inc (Canada) For LD (Jason Sack)
    Need Info About a MITEL SX-20 (Jeff Moskow)
    Looking For X.PC Developers (Ajay Sanghi)
    10xxx NOT Allowed on 1-800 (Paul Robinson)
    Call Signs (A. Padgett Peterson)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Gordon Torrie)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Christopher Zguris)
    Re: Caller ID Box With Serial Port From AT&T (Les Reeves)
    Re: 950 Calling Cards (Doug Rorem)
    Re: Area 205 to Split (Willard Dawson)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Tony Zuccarino)
    Re: Interesting 800 Number Response (Jeff Wasilko)
    Re: Are we Being Ripped Off in New Zealand? (Tarl Neustaedter)
    Re: Continuing Saga (Bruce D. Nelson)
    Re: Sprint Workers Fed Up, Start Unionizing (Steven H. Lichter)
    Re: ANAC Codes by NPA (David Leibold)
    Re: Emergency TDD to Use 311 (Dave Niebuhr)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 12:02:05 -0400
From: tellab5!uunet!dcity![e-mail] (Jason Sack)
Subject: LCI Intl Forms Alliance With STN Inc (Canada) For LD


     LCI to Form Alliance: {Globe and Mail}, Friday, August 13, 1993

     Dublin, Ohio - LCI International Inc. plans to form a "strategic
business alliance" with Canadian Long Distance telecommunications
reseller STN Inc. (Smart Talk Network Inc.)

     LCI is to buy up to $16.75 million (U.S.) worth of convertible
debentures in STN as well as a variety of support and information
services to facilitate STN's continued rapid growth in the Canadian
marketplace.

     The companies said that that they will form a seamless
transborder network offering a full complement of business and
residential services.

     LCI said it has certain rights to acquire a further ownership and
establish a substantial position in STN.  Details weren't disclosed.

                       --------------

Jason Sack

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jeff Moskow)
Subject: Need Info About a MITEL SX-20
Organization: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 19:27:13 GMT


Hi,

        One of our customers gave us a MITEL-SX20 PBX with a ten
button console.  This system is about nine years old and is configured
(we believe) for 24 lines/32 extensions.  As far as we know this
system is in working order, but alas we have no documentation on how
to wire it up and MITEL wants many hundreds of dollars for the
manuals.  If anyone has any idea on how to set this up (or knows where
I can find out), we'd appreciate and information.

Please respond in email as I don't regularly get these newsgroups.


Thanks very much,

Jeff Moskow    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ajay Sanghi)
Subject: Looking For X.PC Developers
Organization: a2i network
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 16:13:51 GMT


Looking for X.PC Developers still pursuing with it's development.
There used to be an X.PC developer's group. Is this group still there?

Has X.PC been ported over to Windows and UNIX?

Is it true that Lotus Notes uses scaled down version of X.PC?

Please email me your replies.


Thanks,

Ajay Sanghi    Tel: [phone], email: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 02:28:36 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: 10xxx NOT Allowed on 1-800
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


The other day at my office I needed to dial AT&T's switch on
1-800-321-0288, and by mistake I started to dial 10 as in a 10xxx
code.  Since 10xxx doesn't matter on 1-800, I figured I'd just keep
dialing and it would be ignored.  Part way through it 'supervised' or
whatever you call the click that you get when the phone system has
decided you've finished dialing.

I tried the same thing on my home phone which is not a C&P Government
Centrex and got the same result.  I dialed:

10288 1 800 3210

and heard a 'click' indicating the switch had completed the
connection.  The recording I got said the call I made 'could not be
reached with the carrier access code you dialed.'  So I guess C&P is
saying that AT&T gets its 1-800 service from MCI, perhaps? :) (They
did, once.)  :)

In short, despite the fact that 10xxx codes are irrelevant for 1-800
numbers, you cannot dial a 10xxx code ahead of a 1-800 number in C&P
Telephone area; the switch here will not allow it.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Most exchanges in Chicago will not allow it either.
If you do it, your call is bounced. You must dial without 10xxx.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 93 09:48:38 -0400
From: [e-mail] (A. Padgett Peterson)
Subject: Call Signs


Well, just ten miles from me is apropriately enough WGTO (540 AM
Stereo -- sounds amazingly good if you have a stereo receiver, usual
mush if not).

The local station is not really well tuned in -- was asked by a DJ what
the funny stripes on my Judge (who cares about the lawyers, I own a
Judge 8*) were.

For anyone who might share my interests, KGTO (1170 AM as I recall) is
in Tulsa, OK where Tim Dye keeps them straight.


Warmly,

Padgett

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Leftover Drops
From: [e-mail] (Gordon Torrie)
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 00:49:19 -0400
Organization: Torrie Communications Services


In volume 13, issue 559 the Moderator notes that pairs are multiplied
between floors in old buildings in Chicago.  Well, this also occurs in
old buildings in Toronto too.

I work in one five-story commercial building which has several
tenants, all businesses. While there is no question about where
customer premises wiring begins in this building, having pairs
multiplied between floors causes no end to problems. The tenants
aren't pleased to see a Bell Canada installer in the building because
it almost guarantees that one of the tenants will lose one or more
lines. The installers aren't particularly pleased either and
especially not if they must be called back to correct a problem they
created when installing additional service to one of the tenants.

After my employer lost service on some of the trunks to the PBX for
the second time, I typeset a sign reading "Please check for a
ground-start trunk before you conclude the pair is unused" and posted
it in each of the Bell phone "closets" I had access to.  Installers
who have worked here since then have said they think the reminder is a
good idea, however it has not eliminated the problem.

I believe that part of the problem is due to the age of the wiring.
The worst example is one "closet" where I am afraid to open the door
for fear that the various screw-terminal blocks and 66-blocks may fall
out -- they aren't even attached to the wall!  They are leaning
against the door and hanging by their cables or are resting on top of
the remains of a key system which is attached to the wall.

Another part of the problem is that installers for POTS have nothing
to do with digital services such as leased lines, Centrex Data (like
AT&T's Switched 56) or ISDN and installers for digital services don't
install POTS. Can one easily determine the difference between an
unused pair and a pair used for Centrex Data or a leased line with
only a buttset?


Gord Torrie


[Moderator's Note: We have bunches of those 'hanging by a thread'
boxes here. Some of those old terminal cabinets are full of
cockroaches and other bugs. One that sticks in my mind was a building
on the north side which was an old hotel built in 1912. Next door to
it (exactly up against it in fact) was another old hotel built in
1929. The feeder box from the street into the first building is a
wooden box under a back stairway, with five or six long strips with
screw terminals for the wires to each apartment. A little paper tag
fastened with string on one of the strips said (kid you not!) "the
pairs from binding post (some number, forget what) up to the end
are multipled to the new building next door, but also pick these
up at the Graymere across the street if the switchboard needs more
service. Talk to the operator before you connect these."  Written in
an old-fashioned, very elegant handwriting and all. Signed by a
'J. Miller', dated May, 1929. The screw terminals were corroded so
bad they could not be unfastened. Across the street in what had been
the 'Graymere', the area in the lobby where the front desk and switch-
board had been thirty years ago were mailboxes and behind the boxes in
the room where the mailman goes to toss the mail another big wooden
box -- the remains of the old switchboard system -- with a note saying
certain pairs ran to the 'new building'. Someone had scratched that
out and added a remark 'not anymore' dated October, 1963 which is
apparently when the old switchboard was yanked.  Fun, fun, fun!   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 93 01:59 GMT
From: Christopher Zguris <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops


  I'm in New York City, and in a fairly modern apartment complex I
used to live in the wiring was a 25 pair cable that ran up through
apartments above each other (in other words, each verticle "row" of
aparments had its own 25 pair), the cable bundle was located in the
closet. When I wanted another line, I had to empty the closet (a VERY
full closet mind you!) so they could have access because that is the
demarc for them. They wired a network interface into an unused pair.
The cable was slit in every apartment, so anyone with the time and
inclination could probably tap in to all the active lines above and
below their apartment. As far as scurity goes, it's obviously pretty
thin.

  Later on, the building management installed an intercom system that
worked through the phones in each apartmnent and when they did this
they required the apartment phone numbers. How does this system work
and since it's hooked up before the demarc who is responsible for it?
Isn't it illegal to hook things up before the demarc (that's telco
property/responsibilty right)?


Christopher Zguris    [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Long story about front door intercom systems which
work through phone lines. Some simply use a regular phone line to take
dialed digits and translate them to the regular telephone number and
dial it. Others take dialed digits and then jump on or camp on the
associated house pair, splitting the CO line for a couple minutes
while the front door caller is connected. I've got a file around here
about it, and we've had this discussion before. Which system is better
is a matter of preference and application. I've lived in buildings
which had one of each kind (CO based and customer premises based.)  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 19:21:35 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Caller ID Box with Serial Port from AT&T


The ClassMate 10 was sold by Bell Atlantic and AT&T.  It was
manufactured by MHE Systems Corp. of Tustin, CA.  They are no longer
in business and the Class Mate is no longer manufactured.

The Class Mate 10 was not a straight Bell type 202 device.  It had
firmware which formated the Caller ID packet into a bit more readable
presentation.

To the best of my knowledge, no Caller ID to RS-232 device available
today uses the same format used by the Class Mate.

Two sources for similar Caller ID to PC/RS-232 devices are:

1.  ANI 232
    Rochelle Communications
    Austin,TX
    512.794.0088  or 800.542.8808
    Minimum price for hardware+software: $ 250

2.  Whozz Calling?
    Zeus Phonstuff
    Atlanta,GA
    404.587.1541
    Minimum price for hardware+software: $ 99

Also, the Rockwell Datapump chip for V.32bis modems includes Caller ID
capability.  To implement Caller ID the modem manufacturer must
include some extra relays and other hardware.  Not all modems built
around the Rockwell Datapump include this feature.

Some models of the Supra, Zycel and Practical Peripherals V.32 modems
have Caller ID.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Doug Rorem)
Subject: Re: 950 Calling Cards
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 13:38:06 GMT


> Something you might want to investigate is utilizing a smaller
> interexchange carrier for your 950 traffic. From my investigation of
> feature group B service offerings in Nebraska, I discovered that the
> large carriers typically seem uninterested in residential 950 access
> (and typically don't have products for it).

Metromedia (formerly ITT) also offers 950 service (their number is
950-0ITT [950-0488]). Their customer service # is 800-275-0200.  I'm
not associated with them in any way except being a satisfied customer.


Doug Rorem   University of Illinois at Chicago

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Area 205 to Split
From: [e-mail] (Willard Dawson)
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 93 11:37:51 EDT
Organization: Willard's House BBS, Atlanta, GA -- [phone]


rsiatl![e-mail] writes:

> Carl Moore writes:

>> I don't have this in front of me: is there a 205-334 exchange
>> anywhere?  Are there any local calls across the future 205/334
>> boundary?

> Sorry I took so long to respond.  334 acording to some SCB info I got
> a while back is actually in Georgetown, GA, a small town just across
> the river from Eufaula, AL.

That is 912-334, a 5E in that actually is in Eufala, despite the fact
that it serves a piece of Georgia.  There is 615-334 in Decatur, TN.
There is no 205-334 in SCB-AL territory, but there could be in some of
the other local Alabama BOCs, I suppose (unfortunately, my copy of
this data is incomplete ...).


[e-mail] (Willard Dawson)
gatech!kd4nc!vdbsan!willard!dawson  emory!uumind!willard!dawson
Willard's House BBS, Atlanta, GA -- [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Tony Zuccarino)
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
Organization: Rockwell International
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 01:07:46 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] wrote:

> [[Don't be fooled by where I work.  I don't know nuthin bout buzzin no
> busies!]]

> I have a recollection of reading/hearing somewhere that a lot of
> thought and research went into the sound they chose for the ringer on
> a phone.  The puzzle to solve was an optimization between using a
> sound urgent enough to make you want to answer pronto and not using a
> sound so annoying that you wouldn't want a phone.  (My scrambled
> recollection of this may be confusing the original bells with today's
> popular electronic warblers.)

> It wouldn't surprise me to hear that the busy signal was chosen in a
> similar way.  After all, since the billing model is that you don't pay
> for busy calls in the US, the phone company wants you to give up as
> soon as you know it's a busy.

Where can one get ahold of the 'thought and research' that went into
some of the characteristics of the POTS service? I would be interested
in hearing the tradeoffs made as decisions were cast on the user
interface to the switched network.


Tony Zuccarino
Marketing  Rockwell International
[e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Well, you know the only reason we hear a ringing
signal from the other end is so that people will be assured their call
is being processed rather than ignored. The ring we hear in our ear
has nothing to do with the ring being given on the other end via the
phone bell; but if telco did not provide a ringing signal back to the
caller, many people would think that the phone was out of order. That
is the truth, seriously. No reason at all to provide a 'ringing sig-
nal to the caller which has no relationship to the signal given the
called party other than to placate or humor the caller.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 93 00:23:15 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Jeff Wasilko)
Subject: Re: Interesting 800 Number Response


> what would happen) I got, "We're sorry, your call could not be
> completed.  213-xxx" ... the first message, interestingly enough, was
> the same female voice that seems to do all of the "Thank you for
> calling Pacific Bell" recordings when you call the phone*company here.

> Anyone know what this was? A Pacific*Bell service?

No, more than likely an AT&T service. As I recall, AT&T offers a
service where they will play a stock message on your 800 number during
certain hours or days.

It seems that AT&T and many of the BOCs use the same person/people to
do the recordings.


Jeff Wasilko, Information International    [phone]
Application Support Specialist


[Moderator's Note: They all used that nice lady from down in Atlanta
for many years. Maybe some still do.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Tarl Neustaedter)
Subject: Re: Are we Being Ripped Off in New Zealand?
Date: 15 Aug 1993 04:02:43 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Marlboro MA


In article <[e-mail]> jonathan.mosen@OOSIGHT.N
ACJACK.GEN.NZ (Jonathan Mosen) writes:

> He claimed that it would be possible for a call to be made
> from New Zealand to Hawaii for 25 cents a day.  That's about 40 US
> cents.

> [...] I'd like to hear some opinions from the experts in
> the Digest as to whether we're all being ripped off, or whether this
> Australian's analysis was too simplistic.

That figure has got to be WAAAAYY off.

For $0.40/channel/day, your cable-laying costs have to be on the order
of $170/km per fully-subscribed T3 link. If you can lay a lot of T3
links in the same cable (and find buyers for the bandwidth), you can
let that cost balloon -- for example, at 20 T3 links in the cable, you
can spend about $3400/km. But selling more than 10,000 NZ-Hawaii
channels (continuous use, to make the $0.40/day) could be hard -- I'd
be VERY surprised if that much long distance traffic existed on that
line. 10,000 international calls/day, I can believe. But not 240,000
call-hours/day.

If you're interested in my back-of-the-envelope calculations for the
above; The cable cost has to be paid up front. Assume you sell 20-year
bonds at 7% interest to pay for the cable. Then:

    $0.40 * 672 channels/T3 = $268.8/day/T3 = $8064/month/T3.
    $8064/month pays the interest on $1.3M at 7%/year.
    $1.3M/8000km = $173/km.

And you still have to add in costs to maintain and power the cable,
not to mention administrative overhead, which means the cable cost has
to drop even further to match that $0.40/channel/day. I'd be surprised
if $100/km/T3 is within an order of magnitude. Depending on how many
T3 links you stuff in the cable, I'd be impressed at $10,000/km/T3.

There is no question that current international long-distance is too
expensive (witness that USA-to-anywhere is almost always cheaper than
anywhere-to-USA), but $0.40/channel/day is a pipe dream.

For comparison, I just priced what it will cost me in phone charges to
get an internet feed. The closest commercial provider is in Hudson, MA
(I live in Ashland MA, about 15 miles away). NYNEX standard rates are
$0.31+$0.11/minute.  Note, this is walking distance, not 8000km of
liquid hostility. By paying an additional $20/month (already nearly
double the $0.40/day), I can get my ashland-hudson rate reduced to
about $0.052/minute.

Oh, by the way, I think Massachusetts local rates are too high as well
 -- but I don't expect to live long enough to see them fall to
$0.40/day.


Tarl Neustaedter  [e-mail] (until Aug 20)
    New address under construction

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: Re: Continuing Saga
Date: 15 Aug 1993 04:12:05 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Bruce D. Nelson)


As you may recall, I have been locked in a continuing dialog with
Rochester Telephone concerning my two lines, one which could carry
v.32/42 calls, and one which couldn't, and despite switching all the
copper from the house to the CO, and even swapping lines, nothing
changed.

I got as far as talking to the the supervisor who is in charge of the
switch who did everything possible except swapping out line cards
(which he would need a work order for). Still no resolution. I was
suppose to call someone next week for that permission, etc.

Well, just as suddenly as the problem appeared on June 23rd, the
problem resolved itself without the help of the phone company this
evening. I'm sure I'll have some interesting conversations with all
the telco people who are working on the problem, when I tell them the
problem just "went away".

I'd like to thank all of you who posted suggestions and/or emailed
help with my problem. The insight into the innards of a telco were
quite helpful.


Bruce Nelson   (posting from an alternate account)


[Moderator's Note: With telco, problems tend to 'just go away' since
no one will admit to screwing up in the first place and no one will
admit to fixing things. You are only a customer, after all, what would
you know about anything?  :)    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven H. Lichter)
Subject: Re: Sprint Workers Fed Up, Start Unionizing
Date: 15 Aug 1993 04:58:28 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)


I seem to remember where AT&T and their unions came to an agreement on
monitorin. Centel which is part of Sprint also had some problems like
that. I believe GTE monitors as do most and the customers are warned
about it, but I don't know to what extent. Many years ago I was on
limited duty and worked in the office where a lot of customer calls
came in and I don't remember ever being monitored. Later on I saw
equipment in the basement of an office and was told it was for
monitoring.


Steven H. Lichter   GTECalif COEI

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (woody)
Subject: Re: ANAC Codes by NPA
Date: 15 Aug 1993 06:18:27 GMT
Organization: Internex Online - Toronto, Canada [phone]


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

> Area Code / ANAC # to dial    Area Code / ANAC # to dial

I should point out that a similar list was posted a few weeks ago...

>401 / 222-2222            403 / 908-222-2222
                                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^
Alberta tends to use 311 or 999 - the 908- number may have been for
another area.


David Leibold

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 93 07:14:19 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Dave Niebuhr)
Subject: Re: Emergency TDD to Use 311


In TELECOM Digest V13 #575 Curtis E. Reid <[e-mail]>
writes:

> I saw an article in today's {Democrat and Chronicle} (Rochester, NY
> August 14, 1993):

> Begin Excerpt:

>                  Rochester Tel, other firms plan
>                   emergency TDD number for deaf


> Curtis E. Reid                [e-mail]
> Rochester Institute of Technology/NTID    [e-mail] (DECUS)
> 52 Lomb Memorial Drive        716.475.6089 TDD/TT 475.6895 Voice
> Rochester, NY 14623-5604  U.S.A.    716.475.6500 Fax (Business Use Only)

I left the .sig in for a purpose.  TDD for the deaf to use in
emergencies is an *excellent* idea.  Now that the deaf are mainstreaming
into the hearing community in expanding numbers, some method must be
done to insure that the deaf can reach the emergency services if they
are required.

The recent discussions about Alexander Graham Bell and his wife and
now the referenced post will hopefully enlighten some to take
advantage of the work that the deaf can do, if just given half of a
chance.

Since 1978, I have worked with at least four graduates of the NTID on
a full-time basis and I don't remember how many summer students, and
it has been a rewarding experience and one that I'm proud to have.

I would like to ask Curtis to explain the mission of the NTID to the
readership so that they can learn about this very valuable school.
For those not familiar with the NTID, the name is National Technical
Institute for the Deaf.

Another school that can provide employers with excellent employees is
Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.  Almost all of the students
there are deaf.

Sorry for all the plugs, but as I said, I have had a very rewarding
experience working with the deaf over the years.


Dave Niebuhr      Internet: [e-mail] / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, LI, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093
Senior Technical Specialist: Scientific Computer Facility

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #577
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa04501;
          15 Aug 93 19:25 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA04418
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 15 Aug 1993 17:18:33 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA04411
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 15 Aug 1993 17:17:55 -0500
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 17:17:55 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: From Arpanet to Usenet


In an issue of the Digest earlier today, portions of a dialogue
between Ronda Hauben and someone else was printed, submitted by a
reader who thought it was interesting, as I did also. It so happens I
have a longer article by Ms. Hauben which arrived here a few days ago
that I was planning on running over the weekend, so the two compliment
each other quite well. Check out her article earlier today in the
Digest in case you missed it.  When part two of her history is
prepared, I hope she will send it to us.


PAT

   From: [e-mail] (Ronda Hauben)
   Subject: Draft: From Arpanet to Usenet
   Date: 11 Aug 1993 06:48:09 GMT
   Organization: UMCC, Ann Arbor, MI

                     (Draft for Comment)
     The Development of the International Computer Network:
                   From Arpanet to Usenet News
   (On the Nourishment or Impediment of the NET_Commonwealth)
                       by Ronda Hauben
              email: [e-mail]

          "The method I take...is not yet very usual; for instead
     of using only comparative and superlative words, and
     intellectual arguments, I have taken the course (as a
     Specimen of the Political Arithmethic I have long aimed at)
     to express myself in terms of Number, Weight, or Measure; to
     use only arguments of Sense, and to consider only such
     Causes, as have visible Foundations in Nature; leaving those
     that depend upon the mutable Minds, Opinions, Appetites, and
     Passions of particular Men, to the Conservation of others."
                    --Sir William Petty "Political Arithmetic"

     "The Nutrition of a Commonwealth consisteth, in the Plenty,
     and the Distribution of Materials, Condusive to Life."
                    --Thomas Hobbes, "The Leviathan"

Preface

     In the 1600's Sir William Petty, who has been called the father
of Scientific Political Economy, pioneered the development of what he
called "Political Arithmethic."(1)

     Political Arithmethic was the application of the scientific
method elaborated by Sir Francis Bacon and others of the 16th and 17th
century to the problems of the economy of a nation.  Political
Arithmetic involved the gathering of data distinguished by Number,
Weight, or Measure to determine the factors which contribute to the
material well being of the people of a society and those which were
the impediments to the production of social wealth. Petty only
considered those causes which "have a visible Foundation in Nature"
and discarded those that were dependent on "the mutable minds,
opinions, appetites, and passions of particular men." The International
Global network is one of the surprising developments of our time. What
are the factors that supported and nourished the growth and
development of this network and what are the impediments to continued
development and expansion.


Introduction

     Today there is an international computer network that spans
the globe and connects universities,  researchers and computer
workers and users around the world.(2) Twenty five years ago
these developments were nonexistent. This is "the largest machine
that man has ever constructed, the international global
network."(3) This significant world development has occurred in
the past 25 years and though it has involved millions of people
around the world, others who are not participants in this
exciting new global computer community know practically nothing
of its existence. This global network is accomplished by, and
makes possible, a high degree of automation. Society can now
provide for more of the needs of people with comparatively less
labor than ever before.

     Probably one of the most important examples of the promise of
this new technology is the creation and expansion of a users news
network called Usenet News.  Usenet reaches three to six million
people worldwide with over 3,500 different newsgroup subjects and
millions of bytes of articles. This news uses no paper, no glue, no
postage. Yet, this technology makes it possible for the users
themselves to determine and provide for the content and range of
information that is conveyed via this new news medium.(4) It also
makes possible the rapid response and discussion of articles posted
and provides a forum where issues can be freely debated and
information exchanged. This news provides for the information exchange
and learning needed by the system administrators, programmers,
engineers, scientists, and users. In turn, they contribute to the
network's development. The continuing growth of Usenet News is a
tribute to the millions of pioneers who have developed this new
technology of computer automation.

    J.C.L. Licklider is one of the early network pioneers. His vision
of an Intergalactic Computer Network helped to inspire these
developments. He and Albert Vezza, describing an earlier network
advance, wrote, "Shakespeare could have been foreseeing the present
situation in information networking when he said, `...What's past is
prologue; what's to come, in yours and my discharge"(5) The story of
the network's growth and development contains important lessons for
its continued expansion. The development of this international network
linking millions of people around the world now stands at a turning
point. Will it continue to go forward or will it be detoured? An
understanding of the environment and policies that nourished the
development of the network provides a scientific foundation on which
to base its further development and to serve its continued
contribution to the NET_Commonwealth.


Part I - The Development of the Arpanet

      In 1962, the report "On Distributed Communications" by Paul
Baran, was published by the Rand Corporation. Baran's research, done
under a grant from the U.S. Air Force, discusses how the U.S. military
could protect its communications systems from serious attack. He
outlines the principle of "redundancy of connectivity" and explores
various models of forming communications systems and evaluating their
vulnerability.(6)

      The report proposes a communications system where there would be
no obvious central command and control point, but all surviving points
would be able to reestablish contact in the event of an attack on any
one point. Thus damage to a part would not destory the whole and its
effect on the whole would be minimized.

     One of his recommendations is for a national public utility to
transport computer data, much in the way the telephone system
transports voice data. "Is it time now to start thinking about a new
and possibly non-existant public utility," Baran asks, "a common user
digital data communication plant designed specifically for the
transmission of digital data among a large set of subscribers?"(7)

      He cautions against limiting the choice of technology for such a
data network to that which is currently in use.  He proposes that a
packet switching, store and forward technology be developed for a data
network. However, because some of his research was then classified, it
did not get very wide dissemination.

     Other researchers were interested in computers and
communications, particularly in the computer as a communication
device. J.C.R. Licklider was one of the most influential. He was
particularly interested in the man-computer communication
relationship. Lick, as he asked people to call him, wondered how the
computer could help humans to think and to solve problems.  In an
article called "Man Computer Symbiosis", he explores how the computer
could help humans to do intellectual work. Lick was also interested in
the question of how the computer could help humans to communicate
better.(8) "In a few years men will be able to communicate more
effectively through a machine than face to face," Licklider and Robert
Taylor wrote in an article they coauthored. "When minds interact,"
they observe, "new ideas emerge."(9)

     People like Paul Baran and J.C.R. Licklider were involved in
proposing how to develop computer technology in ways that hadn't been
developed before.

     While Baran's work had been classified, and thus was known only
around military circles, Licklider, who had access to such military
research and writing, was also involved in the computer research and
education community.  Larry Roberts, another of the pioneers involved
in the early days of network research, explains how Lick's vision of
an Intergalactic Computer Network changed his life and career. Lick's
contribution, Roberts explains, represented the effort to "define the
problems and benefits resulting from computer networking."(10)

     After informal conversations with Lick, F. Corbato and A.
Perlis, at the Second Congress on Information System Sciences in Hot
Springs, Virginia, in November 1964, Larry Roberts "concluded that the
most important problem in the computer field before us at the time was
computer networking; the ability to access one computer from another
easily and economically to permit resource sharing." Roberts recalls,
"That was a topic in which Licklider was very interested and his
enthusiasm infected me."(11)

     During the early 1960's the U.S. military under its Advanced
Research Projects Agency (ARPA) established two new funding offices,
the Information Processing Technology Office (IPTO) and another for
behavioral science. From 1962-64, Licklider took a leave of absence
from his position at a Massachusetts research firm, BBN, to give
guidance to these two newly created offices.  In reviewing this
seminal period, Alan Perlis recalls how Lick's philosophy guided
ARPA's funding of computer science research.  Perlis explains, "I
think that we all should be grateful to ARPA for not focusing on very
specific projects such as workstations.  There was no order issued
that said, `We want a proposal on a workstation.' Goodness knows, they
would have gotten many of them. Instead, I think that ARPA, through
Lick, realized that if you get `n' good people together to do research
on computing, you're going to illuminate some reasonable fraction of
the ways of proceeding because the computer is such a general
instrument."  In retrospect Perlis explains, "We owe a great deal to
ARPA for not circumscribing directions that people took in those days.
I like to believe that the purpose of the military is to support ARPA,
and the purpose of ARPA is to support research."(12)

     Licklider confirms that he was guided in his philosophy by the
rationale that a broad investigation of a problem was necessary in
order to solve that problem. He explains "There's a lot of reason for
adopting a broad delimination rather than a narrow one because if
you're trying to find out where ideas come from, you don't want to
isolate yourself from the areas that they come from." (13)

     Licklider attracted others involved in computer research to his
vision that computer networking the most important challenge.

     In 1966-67 Lincoln Labs in Lexington, Mass and SDR in Santa
Monica, California, got a grant from the DOD to begin research on
linking computers across the continent. Larry Roberts, describing this
work, explains, "Convinced that it was a worthwhile goal, we set up a
test network to see where the problems would be.  Since computer time
sharing experiments at MIT (CTSS) and Dartmouth (DTSS) had
demonstrated that it was possible to link different computer users to
a single computer, the cross country experiment built on this
advance."(i.e. Once timesharing was possible, the linking remote
computers was also possible.)(14)

     Roberts reports that there was no trouble linking dissimilar
computers. The problems, he claims, were with the telephone lines
across the continent, i.e. that the throughput was inadequate to
accomplish their goals. Thus their experiment set the basis for
justifying research in setting up a nationwide store and forward
packet switching data network.

     During this period, ARPA was funding computer research at a
number of U.S. Universities and research labs. A decision was made to
include research contractors in the experimental network -- the
Arpanet. A plan was created for a working network to link the 16
research groups together. A plan for the ARPANET was made available at
the October 1967 ACM Symposium on Operating Principles in Gatlingberg,
Tennessee. (15)

     Shortly thereafter, Larry Roberts was recruited to head the ITPO
office at ARPA to guide the research. The military set out
specifications for the project and asked for bids. They wanted a
proposal for a four computer network and a design for a network that
would include 17 sites.

     The award for the contract went to the Cambridge, Massachusetts
firm Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. (BBN).

     The planned network would make use of mini computers to serve as
switching nodes for the host computers at sites that were to be
connected to the network. Honeywell mini computers (516's) were chosen
for the network of Information Message Processors (IMP's) that would
be linked to each other. And each of the IMP's would be linked to a
host computer. These IMP's only had 12 kilobytes of memory though they
were the most powerful mini computers available at the time.

     The opening stanzas of a poem by Vint Cerf, an Arpanet pioneer,
describe these early days of networking(16):

     Like distant islands sundered by the sea,
     We had no sense of one community.
     We lived and worked apart and rarely knew
     that others searched with us for knowledge, too.

     Distant ARPA spurred us in our quest
     and for our part we worked and put to test
     new thoughts and theories of computing art;
     we deemed it science not, but made a start

     Each time a new machine was built and sold,
     we'd add it to our list of needs and told
     our source of funds "Alas! Our knowledge loom
     will halt 'til it's in our computer room.

     But, could these new resources not be shared?
     Let links be built; machines and men be paired!
     Let distance be no barrier!  They set
     that goal: design and build the ARPANET!


     On Sept 1, 1969, the first IMP arrived at UCLA which was to be
the first site of the new network. It was connected to the Sigma 7
computer at UCLA. Shortly thereafter IMP's were delivered to the other
three sites in this initial testbed network. At SRI, the IMP was
connected to an SDS-940 computer. At UCSB, the IMP was connected to an
IBM 360/75. And at the University of Utah, the fourth site, the IMP
was connected a DEC PDP-10.

     By the end of 1969, the first four IMP's had been connected to
the computers at their individual sites and the network connections
between the IMP's were operational. The researchers and scientists
involved could begin to identify the problems they had to solve to
develop a working network.(6)

     There were programming and technical problems to be solved so the
different computers would be able to communicate with each other.
Also, there was a need for an agreed upon set of signals that would
open up communication channels, allow data to pass thru, and then
would close the channels. These agreed upon standards were called
protocols. The initial proposal for the research required those
involved to work to establish protocols.  In April 1969, the first
meeting of the group to discuss establishing these protocols took
place. They put together a set of documents that would be available to
everyone involved for consideration and discussion. They called these
Requests for Comment (RFC's) and the first RFC was April, 1969.(17)

     As the problems of setting up the four computer network were
identified and solved, the network was expanded to several more sites.
(18)

     By April 1971, there were 15 nodes and 23 hosts in the network.

     These earliest sites attached to the network were connected to
Honeywell DDP-516 IMPs. These were:

1 UCLA
2 SRI
3 UCSB
4 U of UTAH
5 BBN
6 MIT
7 RAND Corp
8 SDC ? (Systems Development Corporation)
9 Harvard
10 Lincoln Lab
11 Stanford
12 U of Illinois (Urbana)
13 Case Western Reserve U.
14 CMU
15 NASA-AMES

Then smaller minicomputers, the Honeywell 316, were introduced.  They
were compatible with the 516 IMP but at half the cost) were connected.
Some were configured as TIPs (i.e. Terminal IMPs) beginning with:

16 NASA-AMES TIP
17 MITRE TIP

(Listing of sites based on a post on Usenet, but the Completion Report
also lists Burroughs as one of the first 15 sites.)

     By January 1973, there were 35 nodes of which 15 were TIPs.

     Early in 1973, a satellite link connected California with a TIP
in Hawaii. With the rapid increase of network traffic, problems were
discovered with the reliability of the subnet and corrections had to
be worked on. In mid 1973, Norway and England in Europe were added to
the net and the resulting problems had to be solved. By September
1973, there were 40 nodes and 45 hosts on the network. And the traffic
had expanded from 1 million packets/day in 1972 to 2,900,000
packets/day by September, 1973.

     By 1977, there were 111 host computers connected via the Arpanet.
By 1983 there were 4000.(20)

     As the network was put into operation, the researchers learned
which of their original assumptions and models were inaccurate. For
example, BBN describes how they had initially failed to understand
that the IMP's would need to do error checking. They explain:

     "The first four IMPs were developed and installed on
     schedule by the end of 1969. No sooner were these IMPs in
     the field than it became clear that some provision was needed
     to connect hosts relatively distant from an IMP (i.e., up to
     2000 feet instead of the expected 50 feet). Thus in early
     1970 a `distant' IMP/host interface was developed. Augmented
     simply by heftier line drivers, these distant interfaces
     made clear for the first time the fallacy in the assumption
     that had been made that no error control was needed on the
     host/IMP interface because there would be no errors on such
     a local connection."(21)

     The network was needed to uncover the actual bugs. In describing
the importance of a test network, rather than trying to do the
research in a laboratory, Alex McKenzie and David Walden, in their
article "Arpanet, the Defense Data Network, and Internet" write:

          "Errors in coding control were another problem. However
     carefully one designs, codes, and performs quality control,
     errors can still slip through. Fortunately, with a large
     number of IMPs in the network, most of these errors are
     found quickly because they occur so frequently. For
     instance, a bug in an IMP code that occurs once a day in one
     IMP, occurs every 15 minutes in a 100-IMP network.
     Unfortunately, some bugs still will remain. If a symptom of
     a bug is detected somewhere in a 100-IMP network once a week
     (often enough to be a problem), then it will happen only
     once every two years in a single IMP in a development lab for
     a programmer trying to find the source of the symptom. Thus,
     achieving a totally bug-free network is very difficult.(22)

     In October 1972, the First International Conference on Computer
Communications was held in Washington, D.C. A public demonstration of
the ARPANET was given setting up an actual node with 40 machines.
Representatives from projects around the world including Canada,
France, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Great Britain and the U.S. discussed
the need to begin work on establishing agreed upon protocols. The
InterNetwork Working Group (INWG) was created to begin discussions for
such a common protocol and Vinton Cerf, who was involved with UCLA
Arpanet was chosen as the first Chairman. The vision proposed for the
architectural principles for an international interconnection of
networks was "a mess of independent, autonomous networks
interconnected by gateways, just as independent circuits of ARPANET
are interconnected by IMPs."(23)

     The network continued to grow and expand.

     In 1975 the ARPANET was transferred to the control of the DCA
(Defense Communications Agency).

     Evaluating the success of ARPANET research, Licklider recalled
that he felt ARPA had been run by an enlightened set of military men
while he was involved with it. "I don't want to brag about ARPA," he
explains, " It is in my view, however, a very enlightened place. It
was fun to work there. I think I never encountered brighter, more
creative people, than the inhabitants of the third floor E-ring of the
Pentagon. But that, I'll say, was a long time ago, and I simply don't
know how bright and likeable they are now. But ARPA didn't constrain
me much."(24)

     A post on Usenet by Eugene Miya, who was a student at one of the
early Arpa sites, conveys the exciting environment of the early
Arpanet. He writes:

          "It was an effort to connect different kinds of
     computers back when a school or company had only one (that's
     1) computer. The first configuration of the ARPAnet had only
     4 computers, I had luckily selected a school at one of those
     4 sites: UCLA/Rand Corp, UCSB (us), SRI, and the U of Utah.

     Who? The US DOD: Defense Department's Advanced Research
     Projects Agency. ARPA was the sugar daddy of computer
     science. Some very bright people were given some money,
     freedom, and had a lot of vision. It not only started
     computer networks, but also computer graphics, computer
     flight simulation, head mounted displays, parallel
     processing, queuing models, VLSI, and a host of other ideas.
     Far from being evil warmongers, some neat work was done.

     Why? Lots of reasons: intellectual curiosity, the need to
     have different machines communicate, study fault tolerance
     of communications systems in the event of nuclear war, share
     and connect expensive resources, very soft ideas to very
     hard ideas ...

     I first saw the term "internetwork" in a paper by folk from
     Xerox PARC (another ARPANET host). The issue was one of
     interconnecting Ethernets (which had the 256 [slightly less]
     host limitation). Schoch's CACM worm program paper is a good
     one.

     I learned much of this with the help of the NIC (Network
     Information Center). This does not mean the Internet is like
     this today. I think the early ARPAnet was kind of a wondrous
     neat place, sort of a golden era. You could get into other
     people's machines with a minimum of hassle (someone else
     paid the bills). No more....

     He continues:

     Where did I fit in? I was a frosh nuclear engineering
     major, spending odd hours (2am-4am, sometimes on Fridays and
     weekends) doing hackerish things rather than doing student
     things: studying or dating, etc. I put together an
     interactive SPSS and learned a lot playing chess on an MIT[-
     MC] DEC-10 from an IBM-360. Think of the problems: 32-bit
     versus 36-bit, different character set [remember I started
     with EBCDIC], FTP then is largely FTP now, has changed very
     little. We didn't have text editors available to students on
     the IBM (yes you could use the ARPAnet via punched card
     decks). Learned a lot. I wish I had hacked more.(25)

     One of the surprising developments to the researchers of the
ARPANET was the great popularity of electronic mail. Analyzing the
reasons for this unanticipated benefit from their network development,
Licklider and Vezza write, "By the fall of 1973, the great
effectiveness and convenience of such fast, informed messages
services...had been discovered by almost everyone who had worked on
the development of the ARPANET -- and especially by the then Director
of ARPA, S.J. Lukasik, who soon had most of his office directors and
program managers communicating with him and with their colleagues and
their contractors via the network.  Thereafter, both the number of
(intercommunicating) electronic mail systems and the number of users
of them on the ARPANET increased rapidly."(26)

     "One of the advantages of the message system over letter mail,"
they add, "was that, in an ARPANET message, one could write tersely
and type imperfectly, even to an older person in a superior position
and even to a person one did not know very well, and the recipient
took no offense. The formality and perfection that most people expect
in a typed letter did not become associated with network messages,
probably because the network was so much faster, so much more like the
telephone ... Among the advantages of the network message services
over the telephone were the fact that one could proceed immediately to
the point without having to engage in small talk first, that the
message services produced a preservable record, and that the sender
and receiver did not have to be available at the same time.(27)

          Describing email, the authors of the Completion Report
write:

     The largest single surprise of the ARPANET program has been
     the incredible popularity and success of network mail. There
     is little doubt that the techniques of network mail
     developed in connection with the ARPANET program are going
     to sweep the country and drastically change the techniques
     used for intercommunication in the public and private
     sectors.(28)

     Not only was the network used to see what the actual problems
would be, the communication it made possible gave the researchers the
ability to collaborate to deal with these problems.

     Summarizing the important breakthrough represented by the
Arpanet, they conclude:

          "This ARPA  program has created no less than a
     revolution in computer technology and has been one of the
     most successful projects ever undertaken by ARPA. The
     program has initiated extensive changes in the Defense
     Department's use of computers as well as in the use of
     computers by the entire public and private sectors, both in
     the United States and around the world.

          Just as the telephone, the telegraph, and the printing
     press had far-reaching effects on human intercommunication,
     the widespread utilization of computer networks which has
     been catalyzed by the ARPANET project represents a similarly
     far-reaching change in the use of computers by mankind.

          The full impact of the technical changes set in motion
     by this project may not be understood for many years."(29)


Notes for Part I:

(1) "The Writings of Sir William Petty," ed Hull, London, 1899,
reprint edition Kelley Publishers.

(2) "Internet Society News," vol 1, no. 2, Spring, 1992, back
inside cover.

(3) Ithiel de Sola Pool, "Technologies Without Boundaries,"
Cambridge, 1990, p. 56.

(4) See for example, Michael Hauben, "Social Forces Behind the
Development of Usenet News," The Amateur Computerist, vol 5, no.
1-2.

(5) "Applications of Information Network", Proceedings of the
IEEE, vol 66, No. 11, November, 1978, p.57.

(6) Ibid., September, 1962, pg. 2.

(7) Ibid., p. 40.

(8) "Man Computer Symbiosis", in "In Memoriam: J.C.R. Licklider
1915-1990."

(9) See "The Computer as a Communication device" in "In
Memoriam:J.C.R. Licklider 1915-1990", p. 21.

(10) See "The Arpanet and Computer Networks" reprinted in "A
History of Personal Workstations" ed by Adele Goldberg, N.Y.
1988, p. 143.

(11) Ibid., p. 143-144. See also "The Arpanet and Computer
Networks," Ibid.

(12) "Workstations", Ibid., p. 129.

(13) "Some Reflections on Early History," Ibid., p. 118)

(14) See for example, "Toward a Cooperative Network of Time-Shared
Computers," by Thomas Marill and Lawrence G. Roberts, Proceedings -
FJCC, 1966, p. 426.

(15) Roberts, p. 146.

(16) From "Requiem for the Arpanet" by Vint Cerf reprinted in
"ConneXions," vol 3, no. 10, Oct. 1989, p.27.

(17) See "The Completion Report," by F. Heart, A. McKenzie, J.
McQuillian, and D. Walden, BBN Report 4799, January 4, 1978.

(18) Ibid.

(19) Joel Levin on Oct. 17, 1990.

(20) See "Completion Report" and "Arpanet, the Defense Data Network,
and Internet" in the "Froehlich/Kent Encyclopedia of Telecommuni-
cations," vol 1.

(21) "The Completion Report," p. III-55.

(22) See "Completion Report" and "Arpanet, the Defense Data
Network, and Internet" in the "Froehlich/Kent Encyclopedia of
Telecommunications," vol 1, p 361.

(23) Ibid.  p. 361-2.

(24) "Workstations," p. 126.

(25) From Eugene Miya in alt.folklore.computers, comp.misc, Re:
Internet: The origins, Oct 16 1990.

(26) "Applications", p. 44.

(27) Ibid.

(28) "Completion Report", III, p. 113-116.

(29) Ibid., I, p. 2.


Ronda Hauben            write for email copy of Winter/Spring 1993 issue
Amateur Computerist     articles include Interview on Usenet and C News
[e-mail]        Sir Francis Bacon and Shorter Hours Bill
or [e-mail]            Social Forces behind Usenet News












Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa05172;
          15 Aug 93 23:27 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA07798
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 15 Aug 1993 21:12:15 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA07818
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 15 Aug 1993 21:11:40 -0500
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 21:11:40 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #578

TELECOM Digest     Sun, 15 Aug 93 21:11:30 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 578

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Some Thoughts About the Telecom Archives (TELECOM Moderator)
    Video Conference Standards (John Humm)
    Looking For PC Voicemail Card (Jeffrey J. Radice)
    Trans-Oceanic Cable Costs (was About New Zealand) (Danny Burstein)
    Online FCC Regulations? (Andrew Benson)
    Attleboro or South Attleboro (Carl Moore)
    Re: Dial N'CERF (Pushpendra Mohta)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Ehud Gavron)
    Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest (Gary Breuckman)
    Re: CPSR and the NII (Glenn R. Stone)
    Re: What is Category 5? (Re: ISDN) (Fred R. Goldstein)
    FNB, the Post Office and Me (TELECOM Moderator)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 21:00:32 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Subject: Some Thoughts About the Telecom Archives


People ask me about the archives, and how they can be accessed by
users without Internet/FTP connections. Email servers are one way, but
that can be long and very cumbersome, especially for a UUCP site. I
have talked with folks who wanted to consider the possibility of
putting it all on CD Rom ... nothing has developed from that either.

What I am thinking about now is putting the whole thing on diskettes,
the little 3 1/2 inch kind which hold 1.44 megs each. By my best
estimate, there would be about 65 such diskettes. The contents would
be arranged logically so that each diskette held certain files of the
same type.  For example, one diskette might contain all the issues
from 1 to X, the next next diskette would have all the issues from X
to Y, etc.  Another diskette would contain the area code files, and so
forth.

A printed index could describe in detail what all the diskettes had
on them, and people could order these for the cost of duplication and
mailing, etc.  Either you could order the whole set (and there would
be updates as needed; additional diskettes as new back issues of
the Digest were accumulated) or you could order individual diskettes
with the desired files only, etc.

I am thinking also that the only way I am going to get a reliable,
dialup, easy to use service for the Archives is by putting it up
myself, and for that purpose I could obtain an old computer I think
with a 100 meg hard drive, a copy of Procomm, and a phone line.
Trouble is, the only spare modem would be one at 2400 baud, and that
would be a slow process.

Now I am willing to work on either of these solutions -- and a solution
is needed if my mail is any indication from people asking for help
in getting files -- but I would like to know which way the readership
feels is best.  If someone has a method of mass-producing the diskettes
they would let me use, this would be wonderful. Or, a modem adequate
to move stuff *fast* over a phone line would also be good.

I'd like to make the Archives a more useful resource for the general
public -- meaning the many of you who cannot use FTP or Gopher -- but
I'm not sure what to do.

Can we have a discussion on it please?  If the Archives were copied
onto diskettes, how many of you would want them? Would larger five
inch diskettes be better?  I have more or less decided against CD
Rom because the people who approached me were all in it strictly for
the commercial aspects, and although I need money also, I really do
not want to put a big price tag on this. I want everyone to be able
to afford it who wants collections of back issues, etc.

Let me know your feelings.


Patrick Townson

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Humm)
Subject: Video Conference Standards
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 16:14:41 GMT
Organization: Security APL, Inc.


We have received proposals from Picture Tel and Compression Labs.
Both organization appear to be using a propritary video compression
standard as the preferred transmission link.  Question: What is the
video communication standard?  Do the products from both of these
organization support this standard communication?  What are the
advantages of the propritary video comprssion as comparred to the
standard?

Our objective is to do video conferencing between two offices of our
organization using two 56kb dialup circuts.  Most of video
conferencing will be by small groups staff members for training,
project meeting, staff meetings, interviewing, and marketing
presentations.  Anybody care to comment on the suitability of this
equipment for the above purposes.  Picture Tel is the system 150 model
50.  Compression labs is the Elispe system.  You can e-mail me direct
at [e-mail].  Thanks in advance.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jeffrey J. Radice)
Subject: Looking For PC Voicemail Card
Organization: Real/Time Communications
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 20:42:49 GMT


I'm attempting to set up a friend's business for voicemail using his
computer, so he doesn't have the overhead of paying a service for the
same.  I am not entirely familiar with the hardware, and software
required to do such a feat through a PC.

It will be running through probably a 386/25.  I'd prefer something
that is internal, and either DOS or Windoze is adequate as the OS.
The system will need to be able to coordinate at least 20
voice-mail-boxes using a touch-tone phone and a single phone number.
Security is of course a concern, but not necessarily the most major of
them.  Price is the biggest factor, as well as the ability to expand
to more mail-boxes.

Could someone direct me to sources for such items, a FAQ, or the
equivalent.  All, and any, help is appreciated.


Thanks,

[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (danny burstein)
Subject: Trans-Oceanic Cable Costs (was About New Zealand)
Date: 15 Aug 1993 18:37:14 -0400
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


Lots of earlier discussion about the economics of trans-oceanic cable
laying costs, financing, etc., deleted. but then

[e-mail] (Tarl Neustaedter) said:

> That figure has got to be WAAAAYY off.

> For $0.40/channel/day, your cable-laying costs have to be on the order
> of $170/km per fully-subscribed T3 link. If you can lay a lot of T3
> links in the same cable (and find buyers for the bandwidth), you can
> let that cost balloon -- for example, at 20 T3 links in the cable, you
> can spend about $3400/km. But selling more than 10,000 NZ-Hawaii
> channels (continuous use, to make the $0.40/day) could be hard -- I'd
> be VERY surprised if that much long distance traffic existed on that
> line. 10,000 international calls/day, I can believe. But not 240,000
> call-hours/day.

We all tend to forget that there is a LOT of additional traffic
carried over these links which is not part of the general public
trraffic.  For example, in this case, let's keep in mind that there
are various (US) governmental agencies located in Australia and New
Zealand which do all sorts of things they don't discuss, but which
require HUGE amounts of data traffic back to the US. Most of this
stuff requires full time transmission channels.

Based on a few public mentions of these folk (which, of course, may or
may not be true), and some back of envelope stuff, I would guess that
this traffic alone would take up 20% of the cable capacity.

And, for good measure, keep in mind that they might be sending the
same info (or spoofed material) over multiple links, including, for
example, using the NZ -> Australia ->Europe ->US cables, not to
mention quite a few others, and you rapdly find that LOTS of capacity
gets grabbed for national security type considerations.

And then, of course, there are the other countries that do similar
things. (I'm shocked to hear that there's spying going on in this
monitoring station!! ...)


[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 16:48:06 -0400
From: ANDREW BENSON <[e-mail]>
From: [e-mail] (Andrew Benson)
Subject: Online FCC Regulations?
Organization: Michigan Technological University
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 20:47:54 GMT


    Does anyone know if there's an online source for all FCC
guidelines?


Thanks,

Andrew Benson ([e-mail])

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 93 16:54:47 EDT
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Attleboro or South Attleboro


There was a message in the Digest stating that 508-761 Attleboro is
local to some Rhode Island points. 761 and 399 (in area 508) are South
Attleboro, not Attleboro, which is served by 222 and 226 in area 508.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Pushpendra Mohta)
Subject: Re: Dial N'CERF
Date: 15 Aug 1993 15:30:55 GMT
Organization: CERFnet


In article <[e-mail]> uttsbbs!gary.edwards@
PacBell.COM (Gary Edwards) writes:

> A friend living in Sacramento mentioned he was interested in Dial
> N'CERF.  Does anyone have any information regarding this that they can
> share?  Supposedly, my friend believes this Dial N'CERF to be "THE HOT
> SETUP!"

Give that man a cigar! :-)

Well, DIAL N' CERF is a dialup IP service provided by CERFnet.  This
allows individuals and organizations to gain dialup access to the
Internet  mail, news, slip, ppp etc ). For more information and prices
send a blank message to [e-mail].

Many organizations provide this service. For a list of such providers
send a message to [e-mail], requesting information on how to
connect.


Regards,

Pushpendra Mohta              [e-mail]        [phone]
Director of Engineering       [e-mail]     [phone]
CERFNet

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ehud Gavron)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms
Date: 15 Aug 1993 10:46 MST
Organization: ACES Research Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(A. Padgett Peterson) writes:

> [e-mail] wrote:

>>> FUBAR

>> Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition.

> Actually this is a "dual use" acronym probably invented by the
> military containing a local meaning (among equals) and an "official"...

But then ACRONYMS were invented by the military.  All Complete Rules
Or Names You Must Shorten.


Ehud Gavron  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gary Breuckman)
Subject: Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest
Organization: organized?? me?
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 20:55:45 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

> Two teenagers have been arrested and charged with the murder of
> Michael Jordan's father.  The news reports say that the content of
> conversations made from Mr. Jordan's cellular phone led to the arrest.

> Have similar cases not been thrown out when it was revealed that
> cellular phones were monitored?

I haven't seen the report, or any detailed information, but the
monitoring could have been done under court order, since they knew the
phone was missing, or perhaps the arrest was simply based on call
detail information.  Knowing who was called can help the
investigation, this technique being used with normal wired phone lines
also.


[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 00:21:15 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Glenn R. Stone)
Subject: Re: CPSR and the NII


In Telecom 13.570.10, Brad Hicks writes:

> Internet access already costs a fraction of what it did ten years ago.
> Leave it alone for ten more years, and it =will= be affordable to
> everyone. If you screw with it, you'll break it.

Hey, Brad, leave it alone for even less than that ... it's already
affordable to those of us in certain metro areas.  I can sink $100
into a cheap terminal, $50 into a cheap 2400 baud modem, $20/month
into a commercial account provider, and hey, presto!  I'm on the net.
Unlimited connect time and the whole nine yards.  Granted, it's not
universal, yet ... but I think yet is the operative word.  And, my
provider is not the only provider of this sort of service.  Note that
this costing is quite comparable to having a phone line installed paid
for month-to-month.

I have to second Brad's opinion that easy, cheap access to Internet
machines is only a short time away ... I'm just shortening his time
estimate by a good bit.  It's already here in a LOT of areas (most of
California, Dallas, Cleveland, New York, DC, and Seattle; Atlanta and
Boston RSN), and is spreading like wildfire.

Herr Clinton, leave it alone, it'll fix itself.

Telecom readers: Tell your politicians about it.

Oh, and if you want info on my Internet provider, send me email.


Glenn R. Stone ([e-mail])
Just a satisfied customer of netcom

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Fred R. Goldstein)
Subject: Re: What is Category 5 (re: ISDN)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Littleton MA USA
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 01:31:07 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]2.
> wrote:

>> ...  While ISDN lines are not supposed to have bridge taps (little
>> stubs off the middle), the reality is that bridge taps happen.  And a
>> little bit of bridge tap creates whopping echo somewhere, which the
>> chip tries to cancel.  We actually verified (unwanted!) bridge taps on
>> lines which were still sort of working, but not working well enough to
>> be useful. [...]

>   Hmmm!  Assuming your idea of an ISDN "line" is the same as mine
> (2B1Q U interface outside customer prem.), then howcome there's
> something like 16 test configurations that a "U" interface has to
> handle, and most have multiple bridge taps and multiple cable
> guages???  One has, if I recall correctly, a bridge tap off of a
> bridge tap.  Are you saying ISDN wasn't reliable over a 2B1Q two-wire
> interface with a bridge tap?  Or were you talking about the S/T
> interface (four-wire)?  Even the pre-ANSI AT&T U interface would
> handle 12000 ft. with a bridge tap or two.

Yes, our idea of an outside line is whatever was on the pole ahead of
time, at the "U" interface.  What we found out, all unofficially of
course because the actual trial details are not subject to being
publicized, lest the guilty be named :-), was that you can stretch a
line just so far.

The worst case of bridge-tap-itis occurred on an AMI line, using the
non-standard (but still more common here) AT&T 5E4 line card.  It is
rated for 12.5kf (given the loop in question) but actually worked fine
at 12.8, but NOT with a bridge tap!  But we also had a 2B1Q line or
two :-( fail with bridge taps on them.  All were beyond 12kf long.

The phone company folks say that ISDN is supposed to be installed on
unloaded lines without bridge taps, and the chip folks say that ISDN
is supposed to work over some degree of bridge taps, but a clumsy
technician working without line records can do amazing damage.
Remember these guys have no mobile radios or cellular with them; when
they want to talk to the office, they just climb a pole and tap in to
any old dial tone.  And if there's no dial tone on the buttinski, the
pair is free.  And ISDN doesn't put dial tone on a buttinski.  (Your
average lineman doesn't carry an ISDN buttinski and wouldn't know what
to do with one.)


Fred R. Goldstein [e-mail]
Opinions are mine alone; sharing requires permission.

------------------------------

From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Subject: FNB, The Post Office and Me
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 20:30:00 CDT


I've written up an article on the experience I had with First National
Bank of Chicago and the Small Claims case. But it turned out to be
longer than what I want to devote space to here, so I am asking for
the people who want a copy to write for it. Please write only to
'[e-mail]' so your mail does not clutter up the
incoming file of articles or possibly get set aside. I will it out
to whatever email address you give me, to do with as you wish.


Patrick Townson

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #578
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa01506;
          16 Aug 93 18:37 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03961
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 16 Aug 1993 15:50:16 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03019
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 16 Aug 1993 15:49:36 -0500
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 15:49:36 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #579

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 16 Aug 93 15:49:30 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 579

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    IEEE Editor Responds to J. Adams; Call For Papers (Nancy Griffeth)
    Re: Are We Being Ripped Off in New Zealand? (Paul Houle)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Jody Kravitz)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Harold Hallikainen)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Curtis Bohl)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Joel Upchurch)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Paul Houle)
    Re: Emergency TDD to Use 311 (Kai Schlichting)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Nancy Griffeth)
Organization: Morristown Research and Engineering
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 18:51:51 GMT
Subject: IEEE Editor Responds to J. Adams; Call For Papers


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail].
com (adams ,john) writes:

> Yesterday's snail mail brought (unshredded for a change) concurrent
> issues from the IEEE highlighting research into a growing topic of
> concern within the industry, Feature Interaction within the public
> network.  Appropriately, the IEEE Computer Magazine's cover chose a
> "house of cards" illustration to bring attention to the seriousness of
> the potential problem.

> Having read the guest editor's introductions and the two tutorial
> articles, I'm inclined to believe that there isn't much practical
> information beyond these.  It's a shame that the editor's couldn't
> have included some of the practical initiatives underway within the
> industry.  The Internetwork Interoperability Test Program (IITP) is
> making very strong contributions to insuring the integrity of the
> underlying SS7 network in the US.

As one of the co-editors of this issue, I agree that it's a shame that
we couldn't have included more work on initiatives that are underway.
We did send out an open call for papers, using all the usual avenues
and some unusual ones -- internal mail at a number of telecommunica-
tions companies, postings to a variety of netnews groups, including
this one, snail-mail, and printed advertisements.  We were quite
disappointed at the small response from Bellcore.

But I'm glad you found the introductions and the tutorials useful, and
sorry you didn't find the excellent articles in Computer by Fekete (on
specifications) and Velthuijsen (on the application of distributed
artificial intelligence to telecommunications) more useful.  These
areas will be increasingly important to solving the problem in the
future, when there may be many providers of services and no single
organization can expect to handle resolution of all interactions.

You may have been unhappy because of the speculative nature of these
articles, but for immediate application, you certainly shouldn't
ignore the work of Wakahara et. al. from KDD and Kuisch et. al. from
PTT Research on determining the information required to resolve
interactions.  These papers appear in Communications.  This is
important work, based on practical experience, on a part of the
problem that has been given far too little attention.

I should mention that the motivation of the two issues was more to
interest people in the problem than to present the solutions.  In an
open telecommunications network, feature interactions will be far more
likely and also more dangerous than they are at present.  We doubt
that the efforts of any single organization will suffice to solve the
problem, and since it's quite an interesting and important one, so we
are hoping to attract attention from outside the industry and even
from computer scientists who have no previous background in
telecommunications.

The papers that were published in Communications were originally
presented at the First Workshop on Feature Interactions.  Please
consider submitting a paper on the Internetwork Interoperability Test
Program (IITP) to the second Workshop on Feature Interactions, to be
held in Amsterdam next May (or to the third, to be held in Australia
in May, 1995).  Speaking as one of the organizers of the first
workshop, we were disappointed that there were only two presentations
on testing, one by Roshan Chaddha of Bellcore as part of a panel and
the other based on some work done at the University of Wisconsin by
Reps and Horwitz.  I'm sure that a discussion of your work on testing
would be most welcome.

You should also be aware of a mailing list that has been set up for
the use of people interested in the feature interaction problem.  You
can subscribe to it by sending mail to [e-mail];
postings go to [e-mail].

I'm including a (repeat) announcement of the workshop for your
information and that of other interested readers.


Nancy Griffeth   [e-mail]


              CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

      Second International Workshop on Feature Interactions
          in Telecommunications Software Systems

            Amsterdam, The Netherlands
                  May 9-10, 1994


                   DESCRIPTION

This workshop is the second in a series, whose mission is to encourage
researchers from a variety of computer  science specialties  (software
engineering,  protocol  engineering,  distributed   artificial  intel-
ligence, formal techniques, software testing, and distributed systems,
among  others) to  apply their techniques to  the  feature interaction
problem  that arises  in  building telecommunications software systems
(see the  back page  for a description  of the  problem).   We welcome
papers on avoiding,  detecting, and/or  resolving feature interactions
using either  analytical or  structural  approaches.   Submissions are
encouraged in (but are not limited to) the following topic areas:
  - Classification of feature interactions.
  - Modeling, reasoning, and testing techniques for detecting feature
    interactions.
  - Software platforms and architecture designs  to aid in avoiding,
    detecting, and resolving feature interactions.
  - Tools and methodologies for promoting software compatibility and
    extensibility.
  - Mechanisms for managing feature interactions throughout the
    service life-cyle.
  - Management of feature interactions in PCS, ISDN, and Broadband
    services, as well as IN services.
  - Management of feature interactions in various of the operations
    support functions such as Service Negotiation, Service Management,
    and Service Assurance.
  - Feature Interactions and their potential impact on system Security
    and Safety.
  - Environments and automated tools for related problems in other
    software systems.
  - Management of Feature Interactions in various proposed
    architectures such as TMN, INA, ROSA, CASSIOPEIA, SERENITE, or
    PLATINA.


                  FORMAT

We hope  to promote  a dialogue  among  researchers in various related
areas, as  well  as the  designers  and builders of telecommunications
software.  To this  end,  the  workshop will  have sessions for  paper
presentations, including relatively  long discussion  periods.   Panel
discussions and tool demonstrations are also planned.


                ATTENDANCE

Workshop attendance will be limited to 90  people. Attendance will  be
by invitation only. Prospective attendees are asked to submit either a
paper (maximum  5000 words)  or  a  single page description  of  their
interests and  how they  relate  to the  workshop. About  16-20 of the
attendees will be asked to  present talks. We will strive for an equal
mix of  theoretical results and practical experiences. Papers  will be
published in a conference proceedings.


                   SUBMISSIONS

Please  send five  copies  of  your  full original  paper  or interest
description to:

Wiet Bouma
PTT Research, Dr. Neher Laboratories
PO Box 421               or      St. Paulusstraat 4
2260 AK Leidschendam             2264 XZ Leidschendam
The Netherlands                  The Netherlands
E-mail: [e-mail]
Tel:    [phone]
FAX:    [phone]

                 IMPORTANT DATES:

November 15, 1993:  Submission of contributions.
January 15, 1993 :  Notification of acceptance.
February 15, 1993:  Submission of camera-ready versions.


             WORKSHOP CO-CHAIRPERSONS

Wiet Bouma & Hugo Velthuijsen (PTT, The Netherlands)


                PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Chair: E. Jane Cameron (Bellcore, USA)

Jan Bergstra           (CWI and University of Amsterdam,
                        The Netherlands)
Ralph Blumenthal       (Bellcore, USA)
Kong Eng Cheng         (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,
                        Australia)
Bernie Cohen           (City University of London, UK)
Fulvio Faraci          (CSELT, Italy)
Robert France          (Florida Atlantic University, USA)
Steve German           (GTE, USA)
David Gill             (MITRE, USA)
Richard Kemmerer       (UCSB, USA)
Eric Kuisch            (PTT Research, The Netherlands)
Victor Lesser          (University of Massachusetts, USA)
Yow-Jian Lin           (Bellcore, USA)
Luigi Logrippo         (University of Ottawa, Canada)
Robert Milner          (BNR, UK)
Leo Motus              (Tallinn Technical University, Estonia)
Jacques Muller         (CNET, France)
Jan-Olof Nordenstam    (ELLEMTEL, Sweden)
Stott Parker           (UCLA, USA)
Ben Potter             (BNR, UK)
Henrikas Pranevitchius (Kaunas University of Technology,
                        Lithuania)
Lynne Presley          (Bellcore, USA)
Jean-Bernard Stefani   (CNET, France)
Greg Utas              (BNR, Canada)
Juri Vain            (Institute of Cybernetics, Estonia)
Yasushi Wakahara       (KDD R&D Laboratories, Japan)
Ron Wojcik             (BellSouth, USA)
Pamela Zave            (AT&T Bell Laboratories, USA)


            WORKSHOP STATEMENT

The feature interaction problem has been a major obstacle to the rapid
deployment of new telephone  services.  Telecommunications software is
huge, real-time,  and  distributed;  adding new features  to  a  tele-
communication  system, like  adding  new functionalities to any  large
software system, can be very difficult.  Each new feature may interact
with  many  existing  features,  causing customer  annoyance or  total
system breakdown.  Traditionally, interactions were  detected  and re-
solved  on a feature by feature basis by experts who are knowledgeable
on all existing features.  As the number of features grows  to satisfy
diverse needs of customers, managing feature interactions in  a single
administrative domain is approaching incomprehensible  complexity.  In
a future marketplace  where features  deployed  in the network may  be
developed  by different operating companies  and their associated ven-
dors, the traditional approach is no longer feasible.  How  to detect,
resolve, or even prevent the occurrence of feature interactions  in an
open network becomes an important research issue.

The feature  interaction problem is not unique  to  telecommunications
software; similar problems are encountered in any  long-lived software
system that  requires frequent  changes  and  additions  to  its func-
tionality.  Techniques in  many related areas  appear to be applicable
to the management of feature interactions.  Software methodologies for
extensibility and  compatibility, for  example,  could  be useful  for
providing  a structured  design that can  prevent many feature  inter-
actions from occurring.  Formal specification, verification, and  tes-
ting  techniques,  being  widely  used  in  protocol  engineering  and
software  engineering, contribute a  lot  to  the  detection of inter-
actions.  Several causes of the problem, such as aliasing, timing, and
the distribution  of software  components, are similar  to  issues  in
distributed  systems.   Cooperative   problem  solving,  a   promising
approach for resolving interactions at run time, resembles distributed
planning and  resolution of conflicting subgoals among multiple agents
in the area of distributed artificial intelligence. This workshop aims
to  provide  an  opportunity  for  participants  to  share  ideas  and
experiences  in their  respective fields, and to apply their expertise
to the feature interaction problem.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Paul Houle)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1993 11:55:00
Subject: Re: Are we Being Ripped Off in New Zealand


        Sometimes it seems to me that the telephone companies think
that the "information superhighway" is going to be a big gold rush for
them.  The impression that I get is that they seem to think that they
are going to be able to charge rates that are proportional to
bandwidth, starting with the rate of voice telephone service.  So, if
you get T1 bandwidth into your house, they'll be making 24 times as
much money.

        This is the gloating behind the "YOU WILL" ads.  They think
that YOU WILL pay through the nose; I mean, let's face it, almost
every commercial digital data service from switched 56 to X.25 to
digital cellular is priced out of the market.  And then the phone
companies wonder why we're using modems on ordinary phone lines that
are not "conditioned for data transmission".  The fact is with
state-of-the-art technology, the cost of putting video-grade bandwidth
into a home and transmitting it cross country shouldn't be much more
expensive in the long run [the ~big~ cost is the fiber local loops
which will probably be used for at least 100 years] than voice grade
service costs today.  If the superhighway becomes reality, the phone
company will have to reduce the price of voice-grade communications to
almost nothing.  And if the phone company doesn't do it, people will
be able to set up very simple aggregation systems which ~do~ do it.
YOU WILL.


Origin: NETIS [phone]/432-0922 (HST/V32) (1:132/189)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jody Kravitz)
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Organization: The Foxtail Group
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 05:51:25 GMT


[e-mail] writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail].
> Edu (Steven H. Lichter) writes:

>> Yes the step equipment was a lot more interesting. We had mockups of
>> switch trains that would let the tours see how the calls went through,

> There is still a working step-by-step demo switch train in the telephone
> museum in Atlanta, Georgia.

There is a telecom museum in the "oldtown" part of Edmonton, Alberta,
which I visited this summer.  They have a cordboard with about 10
phones which the kids are invited to try out.  For the adults there
are DMS, Crossbar, and Step PBXs, in operating condition to try out.
There are a lot of very old things on display as well, such as phones
with 11 hole dials.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen)
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 06:09:24 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Steven H. Lichter) writes:

> Yes the step equipment was a lot more interesting. We had mockups of
> switch trains that would let the tours see how the calls went through,
> and there were also contests for free long distance calls. I know it
> was fun to work those tours. We got paid for it and had a lot of fun.
> But then in those days the job was fun; today all I can think of many
> days it getting out of there or vacation. Had I been offered a package
> I'm sure I would have taken it. I do my job the way I was trained, but
> the stress level at times is really something.

    I got tours of step offices in the SF east bay (Moraga is one
I recall) when I was in high school.  Also, in London (England) in
1986, I visited a museum of science and technology.  They had some
step equipment on display.  Any museums like that around the US?  Also
in high school I recall going to a museum somewhere around San Jose,
CA that had a bunch of old electronics, a lot of Edison's stuff.  They
also seemed to have a lot of German music boxes that used disks with
punched holes.  So, who's keeping the history for us?


Harold Hallikainen              [e-mail]
Hallikainen & Friends, Inc.     [e-mail]
141 Suburban Road, Bldg E4      phone [phone] fax [phone]
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-7590  telex 4932775 HFI UI

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Missouri 4-H Youth Development Programs)
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
Organization: University of Missouri
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 93 20:55:26 CDT


In article <[e-mail]>:

> [Moderator's Note: Well, you know the only reason we hear a ringing
> signal from the other end is so that people will be assured their call
> is being processed rather than ignored. The ring we hear in our ear
> has nothing to do with the ring being given on the other end via the
> phone bell; but if telco did not provide a ringing signal back to the
> caller, many people would think that the phone was out of order. That
> is the truth, seriously. No reason at all to provide a 'ringing sig-
> nal to the caller which has no relationship to the signal given the
> called party other than to placate or humor the caller.  PAT]

I always assumed in the old electro-mechanical CO, I found that the
ringing signal followed the ringing current transmission to the called
telephone.  In the Stromberg-Carlson exchange I toured years ago,
there was a gear motor driving a row of cams that switched the various
signals, including busy, ringing signal, and ringing current for the
entire exchange.

Can anyone confirm that in some of the old CO, the ringing signal was
actually the 20 Hz ringing current?  I was always interested in the
different ringing signal sounds that have been used in different COs.

On a related note, I remember when the whole exchange lost dial tone
one afternoon when the dial tone tube burnt out (this occured in the
early '80s).  Now, all we have to worry about is cable washouts from
the flood, etc.  Some people at home haven't had phone service for a
month due to the Missouri River flooding.


Curtis Bohl              Computer Programmer/Analyst
[e-mail]   4-H Youth Development
Alternate: [e-mail]           Programs

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
From: upchrch![e-mail] (Joel Upchurch)
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 03:41:35 EDT
Organization: Upchurch Computer Consulting, Orlando FL


> [Moderator's Note: Well, you know the only reason we hear a ringing
> signal from the other end is so that people will be assured their call
> is being processed rather than ignored. The ring we hear in our ear
> has nothing to do with the ring being given on the other end via the
> phone bell;

That does tend to explain people who call and claim that I answered
before the phone rang. And why my answering machine sometimes picks up
on the third or fifth ring when I call home, when it is supposed to
answer on the fourth.


(If your mail bounces use the address below.)
Joel Upchurch/Upchurch Computer Consulting/718 Galsworthy/Orlando, FL 32809
[e-mail] {uiucuxc,hoptoad,petsd,ucf-cs}!peora!joel [phone]


[Moderator's Note: Sure, because you get a ring, then they get a ring
in their ear. You grab the phone on the first ring or first half-ring
and the caller may not hear anything at all except your answer.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Paul Houle)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 11:13:00
Subject: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal


> Where can one get ahold of the 'thought and research' that went
> into some of the characteristics of the POTS service? I would be
> interested in hearing the tradeoffs made as decisions were cast
> on the user interface to the switched network.

        A good college library should have a set of back issues of the
"Bell System Technical Journal".  A victim of divestiture, it doesn't
exist anymore.  There still is some kind of "AT&T technical journal",
but it's not the same.

        Anyway, anyone who is into technical things, and not just
telecommunications, can spend hundreds of hours paging through back
issues.  For starters, there is Shannon's famous 1948 paper that
created the field of information theory.  [And, like most great
papers, it's still a better introduction to the field than any
textbook] There are articles discussing human factors research on
everything from the shape of touch tone pads to TSPS positions to the
abbreviation of commands in UNIX.  Don't forget the detailed
descriptions of every major and minor switching system that the Bell
System ever used.  And the articles about how they repaired the damage
that the STARFISH nuclear test did to the Telstar satellite.

        It even has good articles for people with criminal minds; one
article in the early 1960s gave phreaks the inspiration to build
themselves little blue boxes.  I also remember seeing one on
"designing compatabile currency" for coin phones that listed the
moments of inertia, magnetic properties and everything about US
coinage, and gave formulas for designing compatible "coins" out of
nearly arbitrary metals.

        In all, anything you want to know about the pre-divestiture
phone system is in BSTJ, as well enough wonderful technical articles
to keep your head spinning for days.


Origin: NETIS [phone]/432-0922 (HST/V32) (1:132/189)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Kai Schlichting)
Subject: Re: Emergency TDD to Use 311
Date: 16 Aug 1993 06:01:42 GMT
Organization: Newsserver, Comp.Center (RUS), U of Stuttgart, FRG


Dave Niebuhr ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I left the .sig in for a purpose.  TDD for the deaf to use in
> emergencies is an *excellent* idea.  Now that the deaf are mainstreaming
> into the hearing community in expanding numbers, some method must be

Now this is news to me! In the early 80's there was a mainstreaming
movement amoung the deaf, mainly because parents were fed up with bad
quality of education in deaf institutions, and sent their deaf kids to
normal schools. This has been changing a lot during the late 80's, and
by now, I'd say, there are more deaf people in deaf schools than ever
before. If you mean, however, 'mainstreaming' in the sense of
'integrating into the normal workplace', then you are right.

To have at least one sentence of rebuttal to what other posters said
in the thread about Alex Bell: building a deaf community and refusal
to learn lipreading/oral speech doesn't separate deaf people from the
real world, and I mean deaf, not hard-of-hearing. Even ten years of
learning lipreading enables them to read 25% of what has been said, at
most, all other is guess-work.  There are countless stories of horror
about 'oral school' amoung todays' deaf, and no, immigrants coming
into the country who refuse to learn English cannot be compared with
them. One group _cannot_ learn oral English, while the other _refuses_
to do so.  A helluva difference.

> done to insure that the deaf can reach the emergency services if they
> are required.

> The recent discussions about Alexander Graham Bell and his wife and
> now the referenced post will hopefully enlighten some to take
> advantage of the work that the deaf can do, if just given half of a
> chance.

> Since 1978, I have worked with at least four graduates of the NTID on
> a full-time basis and I don't remember how many summer students, and
> it has been a rewarding experience and one that I'm proud to have.

That the best students don't always get the best jobs was sadly
confirmed this summer for my wife: the hearing institute in Kresge/MI
could not give her an intership (as the student who made the best
impression in interviews,grades,interest) because she is a Canadian
citizen, and a big part to fund the interships came from a US
government agency, which ruled that no foreigners should be accepted,
albeit she attends school here in the US and pays foreign-student
tuitions (which now increase to insane levels, thanks to the
checkbouncers from the hill, four miles apart).  It ended with no
internship at all,at a GPA of 3.9 in three years straight.  America
first?  Quality is 30-day money-back-guaranty?  We never felt so
pissed and frustrated in a long time.


Bye,

Kai

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #579
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa24570;
          17 Aug 93 12:51 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA13454
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 02:40:39 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA22956
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 02:40:01 -0500
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 02:40:01 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #582

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 17 Aug 93 02:40:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 582

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Are We Being Ripped Off in New Zealand? (Laurence Chiu)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Macy Hallock)
    TrueVoice (tm) - The True Story (Dave Grabowski)
    Re: AT&T Language Line Choices (Will Martin)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Radio Stations) (Ron Bean)
    Re: Last Laugh! Why Light a Candle; Curse the Darkness (M. Terribile)
    Re: Administrivia: Need Issues 36-37 (TELECOM Moderator)

                     ----------------------
TELECOM Digest is an e-journal devoted mostly -- but not exclusively --
to discussions on voice telephony. The Digest is a not-for-profit
public service published frequently by Patrick Townson Associates. PTA
markets a no-surcharge telephone calling card and a no monthly fee 800
service.  In addition, we are resellers of AT&T's Software Defined
Network. For a detailed discussion of our services, write and ask for
the file 'products'.

The Digest is delivered at no charge by email to qualified subscribers on
any electronic mail service connected to the Internet. To join the mail-
ing list, write and tell us how you qualify: [e-mail].
 All article submissions MUST be sent to our email address: telecom@eecs.
nwu.edu -- NOT as replies to comp.dcom.telecom.

Back issues and numerous other telephone-related files of interest are
available from the Telecom Archives, using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu.
Login anonymous, then 'cd telecom-archives'. At the present time, the
Digest is also ported to Usenet at the request of many readers there,
where it is known as 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Use of the Digest does not
require the use of our products and services. The two are separate.
All articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. Organi-
zations listed, if any, are for identification purposes only. The
Digest is compilation-copyrighted, 1993. **DO NOT** cross-post articles
between the Digest and other Usenet or alt newsgroups. Do not compile
mailing lists from the net-addresses appearing herein.  Send tithes and
love offerings to PO Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690. :)  Phone: [phone].

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Are We Being Ripped Off in New Zealand?
From: uttsbbs![e-mail] (Laurence Chiu)
Date: 16 Aug 93 20:44:00 GMT
Organization: The Transfer Station BBS, Danville, CA - 510-837-4610/837-5591
Reply-To: uttsbbs![e-mail] (Laurence Chiu)


In a article, Jonathan Mosen said:

> Here in New Zealand, we've recently hosted a telecommunications show.
> Many of the world's major individual and corporate movers and shakers
> were present.  The limelight was stolen by an Australian telecommun-
> ications "expert", who was doing the talk show circuit claiming that
> the world's telecommunications companies were involved in a massive
> cartel designed to extort huge sums of money from the unsuspecting
> consumer.  He claimed that it would be possible for a call to be made
> from New Zealand to Hawaii for 25 cents a day.  That's about 40 US
> cents.

> The reply from a representative of Telecom here in New Zealand
> basically amounted to "but long distance calls are heavily subsidizing
> other areas such as line rental".

> [Moderatator's Note: As international calling services such as Tele-
> passport have gotten underway, a number of folks have begun noticing
> how much less international calls *could* cost, with the proprietors
> still making a profit. The TP rates are typically 40-50 percent less
> than 'the cartel' charges. I don't know if I agree with his exact
> figures or not, but even considering cross-subsidies where they still
> occur, long distance in general costs too much.  PAT]

As a NZ'er living currently domiciled in the US I have some sympathy
with this poster. There might be some validity to the claim that you
can call for cheaper since:

1.  Clear (2nd LD company in NZ) offers lower rates than Telecom;

2.  AT&T has a summer sale on at present where you can call NZ from
    the US for US$0.45 and I am sure they are making money on it;

3. MCI always has lower rates if you use their F&F scheme.

Has anyone seen a situation where a phone company made a financial
loss in a year?

BTW Pat's Telepassport's scheme looks interesting. Having a flat rate
(no higher first minute charge and time of day independent) is very
attractive since many international LD calls are faxes which take 60
seconds usually for one page.


Laurence Chiu
The Transfer Station BBS [phone] & 837-5591 (V.32bis both lines)
Danville, California, USA. 1.5 GIG Files & FREE public Internet Access


[Moderator's Note: Between the US and quite a few countries, Telepassport
operates at a flat rate per minute *calling to the USA* but with a
higher first minute on calls outbound from here. Other times not. I
think it depends on the deal they had to cut with the telecom adminis-
trations in exchange for allowing signalling. There are also a few
places where Telepassport has to take on an 'access fee' merely to
call their switch; typically 20-30 cents for the whole session regardless
of how many calls are made in the session or how long they last. This
is more money the PTTs extract for letting TP operate.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 23:33 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Macy Hallock)
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: F M Systems/Telemax  Medina, Ohio USA


In article <[e-mail]> is written:

> Can anyone confirm that in some of the old CO, the ringing signal was
> actually the 20 Hz ringing current?  I was always interested in the
> different ringing signal sounds that have been used in different COs.

Ringing, dial tone and other progress tones were derived in several
way in SxS and Xbar CO's.

Before solid state, transistorized tone generator became common, most
SxS CO's had rotary, belt driven tone (and ringing) generators.  These
were driven by DC motors off the 48V plant.  In smaller CO's a
generator start lead was carried off the many bays of equipment to
allow the units to shut down at low use periods (midnite to 6AM)

These were three or four generator units, that looked somewhat like
older auto generators or electric motors, with belts and pulleys,
mounted on a free standing frame that looked a little like a gray
steel frame end table.  There would be two complete units, to allow
for failures and maintance, located in the power room.  Depending on
the age and design of the CO, the interrupter camshaft might also be
part of this assembly.

In the AE CO's I worked in, the generators were more complex because
five frequencies of harmonic ring generator were required for party
line ringing.

Later, the early solid state units from Lorain and others came along
and began to replace these mechanical units.  Although well designed
for the application, the maintenance needs of the older rotary units
made transistorized units economical. The early units only were used
for audible tones (dial, busy, reorder and ringback), and incorporated
solid state interrupters to eliminate camshafts.  Later, ringing
generator was added.

There were tube based tone generation systems, but they seemed to be
used less often than mechanical rotary or transistorized systems.

On a few small CO's, and some PBX's ringback tone was actually
"leaked" generator voltage. Leich PBX's come to mind (Ugh!).  This
made for a "low pitched, fluttery sound" on 20hz ringing systems, and
sounded a little bit better with the cheaper 30hz power supplies.

Also, the tones were not standardized like today, and different CO's
would have different sounding dial tone and busy tone.  The one thing
that was standardized was the speed of the interruptions for busy (60
IPM) and reorder (120 IPM) tones.  Ringing was supposed to be 1 sec on
and 4 seconds off, but I saw other speeds.

Depending on the type of CO, ringback might or might not coinside with
the actual ring sent out on the line.

Crossbar systems used both kinds of plants, but usually used relay
chains for interruption instead of camshafts.  Since crossbar came
later than SxS in the US, transistorized tone genertors were more
common.

The all relay central offices made by North Electric and others tended
to use relay based interruptors and rotary generators until the Lorain
Sub-Cycle transistorized units caught in the early 60's.

I saw one all relay small CO with a relay and tube based generator
system that was truly odd when I first started in telephone in 1968.
It was replaced with a Sub-Cycle shortly thereafter, due to
reliability problems with the old unit.

The last fully mechanical rotary tone/generator plant I saw in service
was in a Northern Ohio Telephone Co CO in 1967.  (NOTC was purchased
by General Telephone in 1968).  It was in an AE SxS CO.  Rotary ring
generators worked fine, but the rotary tone generators could not make
precise dial tone, so many CO's had their tone plant updated when the
telco offered touch-tone to rotary convertors.  Directorized SxS CO's
and tone-equipped crossbar CO's were also converted.  Early touch=tone
receivers had absolutely no tolerance for non-precise dial tone.
(Lots of people didn't like the "new" dial tone and called repair to
complain, too)

Now, aren't you sorry you asked? [grin]


Macy Hallock N8OBG Voice= +1.216.723.3030 Fax= +1.216.723.3223 [e-mail]
Telemax Inc. and F M Systems Inc.  152 Highland Drive  Medina, Ohio 44256 USA
------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Grabowski)
Subject: TrueVoice (tm) - The True Story
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 02:43:53 GMT


  After the hundreds of messages here (which cost the net hundreds, if
not thousands of dollars, each) about the "TrueVoice Demo" number, I
felt it appropriate to really find out what the heck this thing is.
Someone (I forget who you are, but thanks!) E-Mailed me the patent
number, and voila! TrueVoice revealed.

[I'm not putting the whole thing here, because it's rather long and I
don't wanna type that much. Include are some highlights. All typos are
myne :) ]

[Note: This patent is registered in nine countries. My source didn't
have the US version available, but was able to obtain the European
version.  It is assumed that they are identical.]

Patent Number: EP-48953-A2    [US-5195132-A]

  "The invention relates to a method of processing speech signals
transmited by a telephgone station set, and more particularly relates
to a method of enhancing the quality of such signals before they are
supplied to the receiving telephone set."

  It is first noted that "telephone station sets" (i.e., your phone)
are "designed so that [they] noticeably attenuate signals below 300Hz.
In fact, the EIA standart (sic) RS-470 relating to the design of
telephone instruments recommends such attenuation below 300Hz. What
this means is that the quality of voice signals that are received at a
telephone station set is noticeable dimished as a result of severely
attenuating the level of such signals below 300Hz at the transmitting
station set."

  "... as a result of the aforementioned signals attenuation that is
introduced by a telephone station set, the quality of the voice signals
that the station transmits will be greatly diminished and, therefore,
will not represent the speaker's true voice signals."
                                 ^^^^^^^^^^ Cute, eh?

                      -------------

  Apparently, signals below 300Hz roll off sharply, at approximately
12dB per octave.

  We are shown a new frequency response curve, which raises signals
from 100-300Hz by 10-15dB. An "illustrative embodiment of the
invention" was put together with a Yamaha DEQ7 digital equalizer.

  This bass booster (my term, not theirs) is ideally placed in an echo
canceller in the LD switch.

  Specific details of exactly *HOW* they do it aren't given, but we
can assume that all they're doing is throwing in little boosters
everywhere in their echo cancellors to beef up the 100-300Hz range.

  That's *IT*. You see these lousy commercials of the bald head with
big lit-up ears every day, and this is all that they're doing. HMPF!
And it seems that what all us netters THOUGHT that they were doing is
*EXACTLY* what was being done.

  This patent seems so broad that I wonder if the other big two will
be able to implement similar setups without infringing on the patent.
Technically, it's rather easy to do (although, rather expensive to
outfit a world-wide network), so it's not like AT&T has some sort of
proprietary design.

  If there's enough demand, I might be able to get this scanned in and
posted for ftp.


Dave   [e-mail]   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 19:47:35 CDT
From: Will Martin <[e-mail]>
Subject:  AT&T Language Line Choices


Heavy sigh ... I guess nobody else is dumb enough to type all this
in ...

I have before me a leaflet dated 1991 advertising the AT&T Language
Line, with a page of tiny print listing all the languages offered at
that time.  Ever since this was first advertised, I suspected that
getting these translators on-line would NOT be as simple and quick as
the ads implied, and the recent post about how difficult it was to
actually USE the service reinforced my longstanding belief.  So I
would really like AT&T to PROVE that they can provide access to *any*
of their advertised listed languages in a short timeframe, suitable
for emergency use.  I'd especially like to see them show a "language
identification" procedure so that someone getting a call from a
panicked person speaking some totally-unrecognizable tongue could
patch in a Language Line server and have the language identified and a
suitable translator on-line before the person calling hangs up in
frustration (or is mugged into unconsciousness or burned to death ...).
I do not think that is possible; the reported frustration with an
in-the-news-recently Eastern European language leads me to believe
that rapid recognition and translation of the more obscure third-world
languages on the list below is highly unlikely ...

Here it is:

Adaric    Akan   Aklanon   Albanian  Amharic  Amoy  Anharic/Tigrina
Anwheiese  Arabic  Arixara  Armenian  Assyrian  Azerbajani  Bambara
Bamileke  Bengali  Bhopuri  Bicol   Bikom  Bulgarian  Burmese
Cambodian  Cantonese  Catalan  Cebuano  Chaldean  Chamorro  Chao-Chou
Creole   Cypriot  Czech  Dakota  Danish  Dari  Dutch  Estonian
Fanti  Farsi  Fijian  Finnish  French  Fukienese  Gaddang  Georgian
German  Greek  Gujarati  Haitian Creole  Hakka  Hangehouese  Harari
Haruba  Hausa/Yoruba  Hawaiian  Hebei  Hebrew  Hindi  Hmong  Hokkien
Hunanese  Hungarian  Ibanao  Ibo  Icelandic  Ilocano  Indones/Malayan
Indonesian  Italian  Jakartanese  Japanese  Javanese  Kankaney
Kapampangan  Kikuyu  Kiowa  Korean  Kurdish  Ladino  Lakota  Laotian
Libyan  Lithuanian  Luganda  Macedonian  Magani  Maghrebi Maithili
Malagaby  Malay  Malayalam  Man/Can  Mandarin  Mandinka Manxon  Mien
Min/urd   Moroccan  Nakota  Nanjingnese  Neapolitan  Ninponese
Norwegian   Oriya  Oromo  Palestinian  Pangasinan  Pao-An  Papiamentu
Pashto   Pidgin English  Pidgin-Hawaii  Polish  Portuguese  Pueblo
Pular  Punjabi  Quechua  Romanian  Russian  Samarinio  Samoan
Sardinian   Senegalese  Serbocroatian  Shanghaiese  Shantung  Sicilian
Sinhalese   Sioux   Slovak  Slovenian  Somalian  Spanish  Suchownese
Sundanese   Swahili  Swedish  Szechuan  Sagalog  Tagalog/Ilocano
Taiwanese   Tamil  Tewa  Thai  Tigrinya   Toishanese  Tongan  Toucouleur
Toyshanese  Turkish  Turkmen  Twi  Ukranian  Urdu  Vietnamese  Wolof
Wuxinese   Yiddish  Yoruba  ...

Hmmmm ... methinks they artificially expand this list by including
many dialects or slight variants on the basic, and I bet the same
translator(s) handle them all -- note all the national variations of
Arabic, for example. I hope you-all appreciate this; my eyes are now
killing me ... :-) Trying to read this tiny print and my screen at the
same time is next to impossible. I thought "Assyrian" and "Chaldean"
were dead languages known only by a few scholars these days -- are
there really people living around the Euphrates today speaking the
same language that was spoken in Ur? Talk about an oral history ...!  :-)


Regards,

Will

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms (Radio Stations)
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 19:38:59 CDT
From: Ron Bean <nicmad!madnix![e-mail]>


[e-mail] writes:

> In your acronyms, nobody has mentioned that there were several radio
> stations that used their callsigns for such. This is kinda fun, so ...

WORT = World's Oldest Radio Transmitter

   This "listener-sponsored" station was started in the mid-70's with
very little money (although they've been able to upgrade their
equipment and studios since then). I think the original transmitter
dated back to the 40's and could not be heard in some parts of the
city because the dome of the state Capital building was in the way. At
one point they also claimed to have the oldest wire-service printer
still in use (sorry, I don't know what model).

   Our "Mainstream" (state funded) public radio station is WERN, which
stands for Wisconsin Educational Radio Network. Their AM station is
WHA, which claims to be the "Oldest Station in the Nation" (it was
originally an experimental station called 9XM; their claim is disputed
by another station out east). Other stations on the state network
include:

WHAD = WHA--Delafield (near Milwaukee)
WHHI = WHA--Highland  (southwest Wisconsin)
WHLA = WHA--LaCrosse
WHRM = WHA--Rib Mountain (near Wausau)
WHSA = ? (Brule, near Superior)
WHWC = ? (Colfax, near Eau Claire)
WLBL = Land of Beautiful Lakes (Auburndale, central Wisconsin)
WPNE = North East? (Green Bay)

   Most of these were originally weather transmitters. They had a
"Weather Roundup" every morning at 7:16, when they would go down the
list and the engineer on duty at each station would read the weather
conditions. They used some kind of in-band signalling, so you'd hear
"<squawk> This is John Doe at WHSA--Brule, the temperature is 68
degrees, visibility 5 miles", or whatever. They stopped doing this
sometime in the 70's. Other stations have been added to the network
since then; the ones above are the ones I remember hearing each
morning. Only WHA and WLBL are still AM, the rest are now FM.

   BTW, some people claim that Wisconsin and Minnesota have
above-average public radio stations because we're close enough to the
Canadian border to be able to pick up the CBC, which sets a good
example for us.

Another I forgot above was WHA = Wisconsin: Heartland of America.


[e-mail] (Ron Bean)    uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!zaphod

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Last Laugh! Why Light a Candle if You Can Curse the Darkness?
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 11:54:45 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, George Gilder <0004091174@
mcimail.com> writes:

> [Virtual Moderator responds: This newsgroup gets almost as
> hysterical as some of the things I used to read in dear old Malcomb's
> magazine before he departed this vail of tears.  PAT]

Perhaps a virtual dictionary is in order?  The phrase is `vale of
tears,' as in `mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.'  Ol'
Capitalist Tool's editors would never have let that one get by!


(This man's opinions are his own.)
 From mole-end     Mark Terribile
[e-mail], Somewhere in Matawan, NJ


[Moderator's Note: I was just testing to see how many people would
catch this error!  :)    PAT]

------------------------------

From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Subject: Administrivia: Need Issues 36-37
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 02:00:00


A file of back issues from earlier this year in the archives got
corrupted somehow. I spent some time reconstructing it, but came up
short on two issues I have no other copies of:  36 and 37 from
the beginning days of this year in volume 13.  I am almost embarassed
to ask but does anyone have copies of those two issues so I can put
them in the archives?

Speaking of the archives, many of you wrote me Monday with your
thoughts on the Archives, i.e. CD ROM versus diskettes versus a dial
up versus putting them on UUNET's 900 line, etc.  I am sifting through
it all ... and probably Tuesday evening will run excerpts of the
messages you sent me.


PAT

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #582
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa24722;
          17 Aug 93 12:54 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19207
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 01:40:18 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA14497
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 01:39:32 -0500
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 01:39:32 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #581

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 17 Aug 93 01:39:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 581

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: CPSR and the NII (Alan T. Furman)
    Re: Looking For PC Voicemail Card (Gary Breuckman)
    Re: Free French Phone Information From Publiphone (Steven Schwartz)
    Re: Video Conference Standards (Bruce Taylor)
    Re: Status of Cellular Data (Jim Rees)
    Re: MCI PC Connect Plan (Eight Cents/Min Evening/Night/Weekend) (R. Eden)
    Re: Flooding in the Midwest (Bill Marshall)
    Re: Local Calls via LD Carrier? (Steve Cogorno)
    Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest (Jim Rees)
    Re: IEEE Editor Responds to J. Adams; Call For Papers (Al Varney)
    Re: FCC Equal Access Order (Mike Ho)
    Re: ADSI-Protocol (Jack Pines)
    Last Laugh! Here We Go Again: What Are These? (Warren Victorian)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: CPSR and the NII
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 03:54:17 PDT


Brad Hicks writes:

> The 64-kilobit question is this: WHO defines "reasonable cost"?  The
> provider or the customer?  If "all citizens have affordable network
> access" then they can't price NII any higher than phone service ...
> which means one of two things, (a) running it at a loss (hah), or (b)
> holding a gun to my head again and demanding that I fork over yet more
> dough.

"The whole idea of our government is this: If enough people get
together and act in concert, they can take something and not pay for
it."

            P.J. O'Rourke   _A Parliament of Whores_

> Sigh.  Wasn't it Tom Foley who just the other day said that the
> Democrat tax increases send "a clear message" to the American people:
> "Stand and deliver"?

I would associate it with a somewhat different posture ...

> The 30%+ of my gross income that I'm paying in one tax or another
> isn't good enough, now you want me to pay more, to subsidize every
> po'bucker and Welfare brat's access to the Internet?

The newer the technology, the fewer the people who can afford it.
This gets the Egalitarians started.  (You know who the Egalitarians
are -- they're the people who consider it a moral outrage that *nearly
half the population makes less than the median wage*!!!)  Their
solution is to demand subsidies, either monetary or in-kind, using
rhetoric full of conveniently vague terms like "having the wealthy pay
their fair share of taxes" or "reasonable cost" ... or "social
responsibility."

Please observe the consequences of this process.  The harder engineers
and entrepreneurs work to bring out new technologies, the higher their
tax rates and regulatory burdens.

> You think I'm being mean-spirited?

I think that you are being non-altruistic.  The 64-megabit question is
whether the only alternative is to be mean-spirited.  I consider this
a false dichotomy and therefore you are not.  That was the short
answer; the long answer is _Atlas Shrugged_ by Ayn Rand.


[Moderator's Note: Ah yes, the Socially Responsible people. I haven't
picked on them in awhile even though they've sent a few commentaries
I've run here. Maybe it is time to start on them again!  :)  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gary Breuckman)
Subject: Re: Looking For PC Voicemail Card
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 13:28:39 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jeffrey
J. Radice) writes:

> I'm attempting to set up a friend's business for voicemail using his
> computer, so he doesn't have the overhead of paying a service for the
> same.  I am not entirely familiar with the hardware, and software
> required to do such a feat through a PC.

I've had experience with both the 'Complete PC' and it's variations,
and the new 'National TY-IN' board.

Complete PC makes several boards, the 'complete answering machine'
which is voicemail only, the 'complete pc' which is voicemail, modem,
and fax, and several other combinations of the above.  The software is
very nice, it allows many mailboxes (hundreds?), you can designate
different passwords for each for retrieving messages, there are
options to forward messages to another number once received.  You can
set up a specific mailbox for fax and modem each, so the user would
dial that mailbox and be connected to the appropriate signal (internal
on the board, not an external fax/modem).  I understand the newer
versions of the board may be able to detect fax (CNG tone) and modems
(reverse modem tone) automatically.  The board can also take a list of
numbers and dial each with a message (illegal for advertising in some
areas, but nice for a club hotline, etc), at the end of the message it
can ask for a confirming touchtone or take a message back.

The NATIONAL board has not-as-nice software, but it's new.  It does
automatic fax recognition, and the next software release may do
automatic modem recognition.  It does NOT forward messages or do
outbound calling, but that's all in software and it might eventually.
The sound quality on outgoing messages is better than COMPLETE -- it
uses different compression on outgoing (where quality is important)
and incoming (where it's not AS important).

The National board is under $200, the complete board runs from about
the same place to more, depending on options.


[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 10:39:19 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Steven Schwartz)
Subject: Re: Free French Phone Information From Publiphone


In article <[e-mail]> is written:

> Yes, I am also aware of Minitel, out here in Santa Maria, California,
> USA.  While on a Paris BBS a while back, I downloaded an IBM emuation
> of Minitel, and enables you to log onto the service via your IBM.  The
> Minitel Emulator is very well designed and iconified.  I'm looking,
> right now, for a Minitel access number in France.  Can you help me
> out?

There are Minitel access nodes in New York.  If you really want a
France phone number, they can probably get it for you.  Call Minitel
at 212-399-0080 (voice) for information.


Steven H. Schwartz    Expert Systems Laboratory
[e-mail]    NYNEX Science and Technology Center
PROFS: SCHWARTZ@UNIX    500 Westchester Avenue
914-644-2960        White Plains NY 10604

------------------------------

From: Bruce Taylor <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Video Conference Standards
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 12:02:42 -0400
Organization: Telecommunications, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


(SG3) is best suited for lower speed connections (ie: 2*56 kbps,
384kbps, appears to be no difference if run at 768 kbps).

CLI, on the other hand, appears to have a protocol optimized for
higher bandwidth connections; from 1.5Mbps down to 768 kbps, and
perhaps 384 kbps as a lower limit.  112kbps connections are very poor,
in my opinion.

The two systems degrade in differing ways: PictureTel degrades image
quality (fuzziness) when too many elements are changing for a given
bandwidth, but the frame rate remains constant.  CLI keeps the image
sharp, but the fram rate slows, leading to 'strobing' effects, under
similar circumstances.

Given our choice of bandwidth here at CMU (2*56 or 112kbps via
Northern Telecom's Datapath product), we seem to have settled on the
PictureTel equipment.  The audio system is simple and adequate, and
the units are relatively portable.  We have two model 400s, a
classroom system with 46" monitor, and a model 100 (which is not
nearly as useful as the 400, by the way).

As for standards interoperability, there is the CCITT (yes, I know
they changed the name, but darn it... :-) H.261 standard, also known
as P*64 in the PictureTel world.  This is a least common denominator
standard, and the picture quality is not wonderful.  But it works.
Good for connections to Europe and the Pacific Rim.

There is a second CCITT standard (H.360?) for the higher order
functionality, such as remote camera controls, etc.  I believe that
this new standard is being introduced into recent releases of firmware
from the manufacturers.

Overall, 2*56 kbps is fine for small group interactions, but has
difficulty in dealing with, say, a twelve member panel on each end.
You may wish to consider the future addition of an inverse
multiplexer, to allow ganging of several 56 kbps lines together to
provide partial T-1 bandwidth on demand.


Best wishes,

Bruce Taylor   ([e-mail])    [phone]
New Projects Coordinator, Telecommunications, Carnegie Mellon University

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Status of Cellular Data
Date: 16 Aug 1993 18:57:32 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan CITI


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Russell E. Sorber) writes:

> NAMPS does do modem traffic in the same way as traditional AMPs (modem
> over analog voice).

Have you actually tried it, or are you just repeating what you've
heard?  My guess is that the narrower deviation will result in greater
phase distortion, which will result in poorer performance of standard
modems.  I would be surprised if you could get v.32 speeds out of a
NAMPS system.  I would be curious to hear from anyone who has tried a
v.32 or v.32bis modem over NAMPS.

> GSM digital systems are in commercial operation...  Because
> of the US frequency allocation differences and the large,imcompatible,
> AMPS base in the US it will not be deployed here.

I agree that we won't ever get GSM here, but your reasons don't make
sense.  GSM could be deployed in US frequency allocations easily
enough.  And any digital system will be incompatible with AMPS, so
that's not a reason to favor (for example) TDMA over GSM.

------------------------------

From: Robert Eden <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: MCI PC Connect Plan (Eight Cents/Min Evening/Night/Weekend)
Date: 16 Aug 93 10:44:50 CST
Organization: Texas Utilities, Glen Rose TX


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (B.J.
Guillot) writes:

>         MCI PC Connect(sm) FEE/RATES:
>         =============================

>         PC Connect Customer to NON-PC Connect Customer:
>         -----------------------------------------------
>         $0.22 during Day (Mon-Fri: 8am - 5pm)
>         $0.10 during E/N/W (Mon-Fri: 5pm-8am: Sat/Sun: 24 hours)

That's about what I pay for current MCI LD calls (plan+F&F).  With two
PC connect customers, it's a little cheaper (.02 a minute).

Where's the beef?  (or significant savings over normal LD)


Robert Eden    817-897-0491                       Glen Rose, TX
Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bill Marshall)
Subject: Re: Flooding in the Midwest
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 19:47:50 GMT


> [Moderator's Note: Regards the unfortunate people around Des Moines
> and the upper part of the river which flooded first, has the water
> gone down any at all?

The water has dropped in Des Moines. People are continuing the cleanup
process and the main water works is back up to full force. May areas
are debating if they will stay in their current locations, but most
are.

The Iowa City area (East central Iowa) is still having water problems.
Heavy rains last week caused the river to rise higher than ever before
this summer. Maybe someone from the University of Iowa could give
details.

Here in Ames, the river is out of it's banks (again), but was not
doing major damage, as of this morning.

Iowa is still very wet and any new rains cause problems.


Thanks for any support,


Bill Marshall   Computer Science Department
Iowa State University   [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: The American Red Cross is still making appeals for
assistance with the midwest flooding. They need cash.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Cogorno)
Subject: Re: Local Calls via LD Carrier?
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 15:06:04 PDT


> Assuming you are properly registered with the carrier, which is
> certainly true if you have selected them as your equal access LD
> carrier, you can force intra-lata calls to be carried by them, rather
> than your default regional carrier, by pressing the access code prior
> to placing any (all) phone call.  503-555-1212 would be routed to your
> selected LD carrier, 525-1212 would probably be handled by your local
> carrier. 10288#525-1212 would force the call to be passed to AT&T for
> handling, rahter than allowing your local carrier to decide whether to
> handle or pass.

I don't beliece that this holds true in all cases; Pacific Bell for
example, has switches that are smart enough to kick out 102881 before
intra-LATA calls.  If you want to use AT&T for a call that Pacific
Bell would normally handle, you must dial [phone] and follow
the instructions.  I have also been told that you can use 950 codes
(Cable & Wireless is rather agressive about letting people know about
this, but they are barred from specifically marketing it.  I think you
need to have a reason; ie: using their call accounting which Pac Bell
can't provide.)


Steve   [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Steve, your address above is bad. It appears to be
an error in your .forward file and the script it feeds. Your mail has
been bouncing today. Something to do with Procmail getting it.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest
Date: 16 Aug 1993 22:45:37 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan CITI


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
writes:

> Two teenagers have been arrested and charged with the murder of
> Michael Jordan's father.  The news reports say that the content of
> conversations made from Mr. Jordan's cellular phone led to the arrest.
> Have similar cases not been thrown out when it was revealed that
> cellular phones were monitored?

That's not what the reports I saw said.  The {Chicago Tribune} and the
{Detroit Free Press} both said that it was the call detail (when and
where the calls were made to) rather than the contents that led to the
suspects.  I don't think this amounts to illegal search, especially
since the records being searched belonged to the victim.

In fact, it seems unlikely that the calls were monitored, since no one
even knew a crime had been committed at the time the calls were made.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 18:02:21 CDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: IEEE Editor Responds to J. Adams; Call For Papers
Organization: AT&T


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Nancy Griffeth) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail].
  >com (adams ,john) writes:
        ^^^^^^^^^^^  Also known as Jack Adams

>> Yesterday's snail mail brought (unshredded for a change) concurrent
>> issues from the IEEE highlighting research into a growing topic of
>> concern within the industry, Feature Interaction within the public
>> network.  Appropriately, the IEEE Computer Magazine's cover chose a
>> "house of cards" illustration to bring attention to the seriousness of
>> the potential problem.

   Note that in many cases, the "seriousness" only means that some
combination of Features does not act in a manner assumed by some
customer of the TELCo.  When most folks read the referenced papers,
that's what they are thinking about.  But Jack's comments changed my
thinking to another form of "Feature Interaction" -- see below.

>> Having read the guest editor's introductions and the two tutorial
>> articles, I'm inclined to believe that there isn't much practical
>> information beyond these.  It's a shame that the editor's couldn't
>> have included some of the practical initiatives underway within the
>> industry.

>> The Internetwork Interoperability Test Program (IITP) is
>> making very strong contributions to insuring the integrity of the
>> underlying SS7 network in the US.

   When I first read this, Jack, I disagreed -- and would have told
you so at the last meeting.  But I've had time to re-think protocol
testing as a "feature interaction" problem, and believe this is
something overlooked by many standards groups.  While many protocol
problems are the result of poor requirements or implementations, there
are more and more of them showing up as interaction problems (failed
calls or unanticipated handling of calls).

> As one of the co-editors of this issue, I agree that it's a shame that
> we couldn't have included more work on initiatives that are underway.
> ....  We were quite disappointed at the small response from Bellcore.

   Note that Bellcore is constrained in much of their industry
research by legal agreements on the use/distribution of their
cooperative efforts with various vendors.  This area has a lot going
on, but not much of an avenue for publishing results.  As I understand
it, Bellcore would be happy if the only results were better quality
requirements to vendors (and I would be overjoyed at such an
improvement!!!).  Unfortunately, the current lack of real feedback to
Bellcore in the requirements cycle will probably prevent a dramatic
improvement in the near (five year) term.  Only when Bellcore can
address questions that come up during DEVELOPMENT can the problem be
truely addressed.  Anything else (such as the current process) is
based on correct and complete requirements reaching developers at the
beginning of development.  (Software engineering, NOT!!)

> In an open telecommunications network, feature interactions will be
> far more likely and also more dangerous than they are at present.  We
> doubt that the efforts of any single organization will suffice to
> solve the problem, and since it's quite an interesting and important
> one, so we are hoping to attract attention from outside the industry
> and even from computer scientists who have no previous background in
> telecommunications.

   Assuming Bellcore allows Jack some time away from the current
workload, I think Nancy's suggestion is a timely one.  Note that IITP
is primarily a test effort, and not an attempt to improve the SS7
protocol prior to implementation.  But it would provide some insight
into the interaction problems in even a relatively easy area.

   One thing I didn't see stated directly in the IEEE articles is the
fact that even when interactions are obvious, it is NOT EASY to
determine the "correct" manner of interaction.  It is not unusual for
two or more ways of resolving an interaction to each have support in
the telephony industry.


Al Varney - just my opinion

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mike Ho)
Subject: Re: FCC Equal Access Order
Date: 16 Aug 93 23:43:22 GMT


*IF* I am reading this correctly, this order appears to prohibit the
practice of charging 75 cents to reach an "800" number from inside a
hotel, at least to the extent that the "800" number is used to reach a
telephone company.

I have read the stuff around the relevant sections (which are quoted
below), and I'm confident that I didn't quote out of context --
however, set me straight if I did.

Does this effectively prohibit charges for 800/950 calls from inside a
hotel/ university?  If so, an FCC rep that I complained to a year ago
gave me the wrong answer.

                                 *    *    *

D.  Restrictions on Charges  (explaining Sec. 64.705)

  24. The prohibition....  Finally, by prohibiting aggregators from
imposing surcharges on access code calls that are not charged for
calls using the presubscribed OSPs, the Commission further ensures
that consumers have the ability to choose their preferred carrier in a
competitive marketplace.

Sec. 64.705   Restrictions on charges related to the provision of operator
services.

  (b) An aggregator shall ensure that no charge by the aggregator to the
consumer for using an "800" or "950" access code number, or any other access
code number, is greater than the amount the aggregator charges for calls
placed using the presubscribed provider of operator services.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (jack pines)
Subject: Re: ADSI-Protocol
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 00:10:59 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Arnaud Leene) writes:

>  ... deleted stuff about what ADSI does ...

> It is unclear to me what the status of ADSI is at the moment. I have
> the following questions:

> -    Is ADSI alreay a (Bellcore) standard?

Yes, if they publish it, it is a spec.  This doesn't mean they won't
change it.

> -    Will ADSI be implemented by the RBOC's? When?

Not necessary, the beauty of ADSI is that an ADSI server can talk to
an ADSI client over the existing physical plant.

> -    Are there any pilots in the U.S.?

You could implement your own, the first out will probably be home
banking.

> -    Who will deliver Customer Premises Equipment?

There are several large phone makers rumored to have prototypes already,
ie NT and Panasonic.  The only one I know of that you can buy now is
made by Philips for $700+ I think.


Jack Pines    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Warren Victorian)
Subject: Last Laugh! Here We Go Again: What Are these?
Date: 16 Aug 1993 20:57:03 -0700
Organization: (CYBERSPACE) Public Internet 206.286.1600


I found these wierd international phone sex lines in a magazine the
otherday and I was just wondering how these people can offer a service
like this for free. It makes no sense to me. Anyways it is pretty
hardcore and anyone into that type of stuff should give it a shout.

    011-censored by Moderator
       or
    011-censored by Moderator


[Moderator's Note: Gosh, not this one again. What's up Warren? Did
Seth leave and get another job, or is this his day off? Since I assume
you *know* how it is done (Lord knows everyone else on the net knows
by now), I won't bother to explain it again. I deleted those numbers
again also. If you are really serious, and asking a legitimate
question, I refer you for answers to the California Department of Sex
and Sleaze Phone Services, 900 Number Bureau. Ask for advice on how to
operate a Cash Cow and get Lots of Money by ripping off callers for
hot chat at $3.49 per minute. Ask how to do it so it can be kept
secret as to who really owns it and if you need to pay taxes on all
that money or not.  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #581
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa24818;
          17 Aug 93 12:57 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11170
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 16 Aug 1993 23:59:10 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA13104
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 16 Aug 1993 23:58:31 -0500
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 23:58:31 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #580

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 16 Aug 93 23:58:30 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 580

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Line Noise and Repair Service (Carl Oppedahl)
    Phones Swamped When Elvis Died (Carl Moore)
    Need Information on Very Old Plug Switchboard (David Nichols)
    Integrators Wanted (Timothy Ritchey)
    Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem? (Rajappa Iyer)
    Motorola PC-550 "Flip-Phone" Test Mode (Pat Barron)
    Wanted - Handheld Cell Phone - No Programming Adapter (Tom Perrine)
    Cellular Phones: Nokia 210 vs Motorola DPC (Stephane Gauvin)
    Fidonet Specs Wanted (Rich Bauer)
    AT&T Buys McCaw (Cellular One) (Bryan D. Boyle)
    Re: Federal Register On Line? (Harold Hallikainen)
    Northern Telecom Sells Direct in U.S. (Nigel Allen)
    Wait! Let me Get a Pen! (Adam Shostack)
    Re: My Idea to Stop Cellular Fraud (Jim Rees)
    Re: My Idea to Stop Cellular Fraud (Joel Upchurch)
    Re: ANAC Codes by NPA (Scott D. Fybush)
    Re: ANAC Codes by NPA (Peter Simpsom)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Brent Laminack)
    Re: 10xxx NOT Allowed on 1-800 (Al Varney)
    Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest (Steven H. Lichter)
    Re: Attleboro or South Attleboro (Cliff Barney)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl)
Subject: Line Noise and Repair Service
Date: 16 Aug 1993 08:33:14 -0400
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


More annoying service from NY Tel.

For weeks I had been noticing that from time to time, for no apparent
reason, the SQ (signal quality) light on my ZyXEL would flicker.  This
was while calling from my office in the 212-777 exchange.  I make
brief calls to lots of modem places, but most of my lengthy modem
calls are to panix, so I guess it should not be so surprising that I
would notice the SQ flickering mostly while calling panix.  Then EC
(error correction) would blink, showing a retrain in progress, and
often HS (high speed) would blink, showing a speed negotiation.
Usually I would end up back at a high speed connection.

On another of my lines, I was getting occasional clicks and faint
crosstalk of voices that I did not recognize.

Finally, last Friday, on the third of my lines, I would pick up the
phone and hear a modem call in progress.  Or fax, I suppose, but it
sounded more like modem to me.  And at that moment I was doing no
modem work at all.

So I called up friendly old NY Tel.  The woman took the repair order,
and promised it would be fixed by afternoon.  I asked that she have a
repair foreman call me back.  No call came, of course.

My telephones have lights that indicate whether the line is in use.
They do this in a fairly simple way, merely noting if the line voltage
has dropped below about 15 volts.  The next thing out of the ordinary
was to see the line-in-use lights flickering on and off for the second
line mentioned above -- the one with the clicks and faint cross-talk.

By the end of the day, there was still no callback from the repair
foreman, even after second and third requests by me.

Finally at 7PM in the evening, two repair techs showed up.  One of
them did nothing -- just sat around taking up floor space.  The other
one actually did work -- performing tests on the three telephone lines
from the cross-connect in the basement of my apartment building.  All
three lines had substantial imbalances, one with a nearly-perfect
short to ground.  These tests were done with and without the apartment
wiring connected, to confirm that the apartment wiring was not the
cause of the problem.  In each case the conclusion was that the
problem was in the wiring between my basement and the central office.

The fix for this, of course, is to use different pairs between the
basement and the central office.  But moving to different pairs
requires warm bodies in two places -- my basement and the central
office.  It took until the following morning to get the three phone
lines switched over to good pairs.

The phone company's failure to send the repair tech out when promised,
its failure to give a repair foreman callback even after three
requests, and its inability to move three pairs during one repair
session, all stand for poor service.

But now I do seem to have three clear phone lines again.  So all's
well that ends well, eh?


Carl Oppedahl AA2KW  (patent lawyer)
1992 Commerce Street #309
Yorktown Heights, NY  10598-4412
voice 212-777-1330

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 9:21:12 EDT
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Phones Swamped When Elvis Died


Among the special TV and radio items on yesterday (Aug. 15) about
Elvis Presley was a 1977 broadcast from Memphis announcing his death;
it included a public appeal not to make unnecessary phone calls,
because of the Memphis area being swamped with calls as a result of
Elvis' death (Aug. 16, 1977).

I have not heard of any such thing happening when John Lennon was shot
and killed very late Dec. 8, 1980 in New York.  I did hear there was
not much going as a result at the answering service which is still
handling my incoming calls, but that is over 100 miles away from New
York.  I do know that fans gathered outside the Dakota, where Lennon
lived, but it seems to me that he was more reclusive than Elvis.  (As
for that answering service, the big crush was caused March 30, 1981 by
the wounding of President Reagan.)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 09:37:19 EDT
From: [e-mail] (David Nichols {Prof Services} Sun Rochester)
Subject: Need Information on Very Old Plug Switchboard


I am about to acquire a very old plug switchboard (as soon as I can
get it from North Dakota to New York) and need any info on plug
switchboards I can get. I don't know much about it yet, other than it
is a "Kellog" made in Chicago, IL. From the pictures, it doesn't look
like it has any lights. My ultimate goal is to set it up in my house
as a working antique.  Any ideas about how realistic this might be?

Other interesting things I noted in two pictures: The microphone
dangles on a boom in front of the operator and the earpiece is
separate like the kind on the old "candlestick" telephones. Also,
there appears to be two cranks.

Given this brief amount of information, anyone know what this might be
worth (for insurance purposes)?

Please respond directly to me as it is hard for me to keep up with the
Digest.


Thanks!

David Nichols   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Integrators Wanted
Date: 16 Aug 93 09:57:46 EST
Organization: Ball State University, Muncie, In - Univ. Computing Svc's


I was wondering if anyone knew of a list of telecomunication
integrators which might be on the 'net?  If anyone could be helpful in
this arena I would be greatful.


Timothy Ritchey   Archaeological Resources Management Service
Ball State University  Muncie, Indiana 47306  [phone]
INTERNET: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Rajappa Iyer <[e-mail]>
Subject: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem?
Date: 16 Aug 93 15:23:40 GMT
Organization: NCR Corp., Network Products - San Diego


What are the pros and cons of using the same telephone number for both
the modem and voice? I really don't want to miss calls while I am on
the modem. Would call waiting help? Any input on this will be apprec-
iated.


Thanks,

Rajappa Iyer ([e-mail] - on assignment at NCR)


[Moderator's Note: Call waiting would NOT be helpful. Everytime you
got a call waiting it would knock the modem off the line. I think most
people are in agreement that if you can afford two lines and have the
wire facilities for it, do it that way, having one line for voice and
one line for modem/fax and/or voice overflow.  Voice line first, set
to hunt to the second line when busy, or else voice line first, with
call-waiting on it, but not the second line.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Motorola PC-550 "Flip-Phone" Test Mode
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 14:24:38 -0400
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


Can anyone tell me about the "manual test mode" on the PC-550
flip-phone?  It seems to be a special programming mode that is
accessed by shorting one of the pins on the battery connector to
ground (or pushing a button on a special test battery).  Some vague
reference to it is made in an addendum to the users' manual where they
talk about "C Scan", but they only give exactly enough information to
get the C Scan feature set up, and don't tell you anything else about
it.  Does anyone have a list of what one can do in this test mode?


Thanks,

Pat

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Tom Perrine)
Subject: Wanted - Handheld Cell Phone - No Programming Adapter
Date: 17 Aug 1993 00:48:18 GMT
Organization: San Diego Supercomputer Center, San Diego CA


I'm in the maket for a new phone.  I have a bag phone, and want an
additional, handheld phone.

I like the Oki's but, $$$ ...

I don't need more than two NAMS, don't care about alphanumeric (or
other) directories, I just want a fairly light (smaller than the
Motorola brick), basic phone.

I also want one that doesn't require a programming adapter.

Any recommendations?

(Please cc: replies to [e-mail])


Thanks!

Tom E. Perrine ([e-mail])  Voice: [phone]
San Diego Supercomputer Center   FAX: [phone]
P. O. Box 85608               San Diego CA 92186-9784

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Stephane Gauvin)
Subject: Cellular Phones: Nokia 210 vs Motorola DPC
Organization: Universite Laval
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 00:37:24 GMT


I am shopping for a *small* cellular phone. Two models seem to fit the
bill better than others: Motorola DPC, and Nokia 121. I would
appreciate any firsthand comment on these phones, pointers to magazine
reviews or to ftp archives (I've looked into telecom.archives, but
there is so much stuff in there I couldn't tell where/if there are
reviews).

I'll be a light user (less than an hour a month), only interested in
placing calls, so autonomy is not a major issue. The phone will be
used in well covered areas, so power is not a major issue either. I am
looking for a small, reliable, trouble-free unit. Will, maybe, shell
out more money to link a laptop.

My first impression is that the design of the DPC is more ergonomic
than the Nokia's, but the flip-phone may also be more vulnerable to
bad treatments.


Thanks,

Stephane

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rich Bauer)
Subject: Fidonet Specs Wanted
Organization: Critical Path Project
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 02:18:34 GMT


Where can I obtain complete technical descriptions (and/or code) for
writing applications which interface with the FIDONET network ?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bryan D. Boyle)
Subject: AT&T Buys McCaw (Cellular One)
Organization: Exxon Research and Engineering Co., NJ
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 22:48:30 GMT


So, AT&T, rather than fighting, bought McCaw Communications today for
$12 billion.  Now, this is interesting news.

(Heck, Cellular One (the child most known by consumers) only recently
got it right ... now the big mother takes it over and turns it into a
grey, colorless, boring company.  Oh well ... time to switch to the
wireline company here (Bell Atlantic).


Bryan D. Boyle         Physical: ER&E, Annandale, NJ 08801
#include <disclaimer>  Logical: Cogito sum, ergo sum, cogito.
908 730 3338           Virtual: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen)
Subject: Re: Federal Register On Line?
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 05:49:58 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

> I found a gopher server that has a link to the Federal Register, but
> the link doesn't point at anything.  So someone probably has this
> online but I don't know how to get at it.

> The gopher is at gopher.netsys.com, port 2001, if anyone wants to
> pursue it.

    Wow!  Is the Federal Register on line somewhere?  It would
sure save me a lot of trips to the library and digging thru microfiche!


Harold Hallikainen              [e-mail]
Hallikainen & Friends, Inc.     [e-mail]
141 Suburban Road, Bldg E4      phone [phone] fax [phone]
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-7590  telex 4932775 HFI UI

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 03:23 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Nigel Allen)
Subject: Northern Telecom Sells Direct in U.S.
Organization: Echo Beach


Northern Telecom has set up a toll-free number (1-800-842-7439)
so that residential and small business customers in the U.S. can
order directly from the company.

I don't expect Northern Telecom to offer a similar service for
residential customers in Canada because its residential telephones
have good distribution through telephone company retail outlets and
department stores.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Adam Shostack)
Subject: Wait! Let me Get a Pen!
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Brigham & Womens Hospital, Boston
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 22:09:41 GMT


I got the following message earlier today:

    "The number you have reached, 234-5678, has been changed.  The
new number is 234-5678.  Please make a note of it."

(The number has been changed to protect the innocent.)


Adam Shostack   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: My Idea to Stop Cellular Fraud
Date: 16 Aug 1993 22:51:08 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan CITI


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Bruce
James Robert Linley) writes:

>     How about having the user pick some secret code when they first
> activate their cell phone. This code is used as a seed value for a
> psuedo-random number generating algorithm present in the cell phone
> and at the cell company...

This is old technology.  There are several cellular phone systems
already in common use, such as GSM, that use a challenge-response
authentication system similar to the one you describe.  I think GSM
goes a step further, and puts the key onto a smart card.  You can then
insert this card into any phone, and make calls that get billed to
your account.

Authentication schemes were already well understood at the time that
AMPS was designed.  The fact that something like this isn't used in
the US borders on criminal negligence, in my opinion.

------------------------------

Subject: Re: My Idea to Stop Cellular Fraud
From: upchrch![e-mail] (Joel Upchurch)
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 03:11:18 EDT
Organization: Upchurch Computer Consulting, Orlando FL


[e-mail] (Bruce James Robert Linley) writes:

>     How about having the user pick some secret code when they first
> activate their cell phone. This code is used as a seed value for a
> psuedo-random number generating algorithm present in the cell phone
> and at the cell company. When the user makes a call, the algorithm
> generates a new psuedo-random number based on the previous
> psuedo-random number and the initially chosen seed.

It sounds fine to me, in fact as I recall I used a system where they
used a similar system to generate secure passwords. Of course I had to
have a special calculator, which I called my Captain Midnight Decoder
Ring, to login.

The problem, as I see it, is that phony ESNs are usually used for
roaming, which mean that the local cell would have to communicate back
to the home area of the user to get the appropriate code. As I
understand it, they don't do that now, so that would be a major
redesign of the system. If they did, I suspect they wouldn't need the
passwords. The computers would say the equivalent of, "He's roaming
over there? He's making a phone call here right now!" and shut down
the ESN.

As I understand it, roaming charges sometimes take weeks to show up on
the user's bill. If roaming charges were reported back to user's
cellular company the same day they were incurred, I suspect this would
cut out most of the fraud, if the cellular companies computers were
programmed to search for and act on discrepancies in billing
information. If a user is making a call in N.Y. and roaming in L.A. at
the same time (adjusted for time zones), it wouldn't take much to
figure out there is a problem.


(If your mail bounces use the address below.)
Joel Upchurch/Upchurch Computer Consulting/718 Galsworthy/Orlando, FL 32809
[e-mail] {uiucuxc,hoptoad,petsd,ucf-cs}!peora!joel [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Scott D Fybush)
Subject: Re: ANAC Codes by NPA
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 01:19:03 GMT


Another note on the ANAC list.  In Eastern Massachusetts (617/508),
ANAC can be obtained in two ways: 220 or 200-222-2222.  Some people
dial 220-XXXX to avoid having to wait for a timeout.  I prefer to dial
220#.  The "220-2622" given in the list is a specific example of the
220-XXXX method.  There is no 617-220 or 508-220 exchange.

And in NPA 716, the use of 511 for ANAC is limited to Rochester
Telephone areas.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Peter Simpsom)
Subject: Re: ANAC Codes by NPA
Date: 16 Aug 93 11:39:31 GMT
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
writes:

> Area Code / ANAC # to dial    Area Code / ANAC # to dial

       508         260-2622     (tht's 260-ANAC :-)


Peter Simpson   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Brent Laminack)
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Organization: Georgia Tech College of Computing
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 01:08:59 GMT


> I got tours of step offices in the SF east bay (Moraga is one
> I recall) when I was in high school.  Also, in London (England) in
> 1986, I visited a museum of science and technology.  They had some
> step equipment on display.  Any museums like that around the US?

In the parking/retail/auditorium building of the Southern Bell
headquarters here in Atlanta is a small telephone museum that is free
and open to the public during normal business hours. They have step
equipment on display.  It's basically just one big room with a bunch
of displays, but well worth the time if you're in the neighborhood.


Brent Laminack ([e-mail])

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 93 23:29:51 CDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: 10xxx NOT Allowed on 1-800
Organization: AT&T


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
writes:

> The other day at my office I needed to dial AT&T's switch on
> 1-800-321-0288, and by mistake I started to dial 10 as in a 10xxx
> code.  Since 10xxx doesn't matter on 1-800, I figured I'd just keep
> dialing and it would be ignored.  Part way through it 'supervised' or
> whatever you call the click that you get when the phone system has
> decided you've finished dialing.

> I tried the same thing on my home phone which is not a C&P Government
> Centrex and got the same result.
>  [dialed] and heard a 'click' indicating the switch had completed the
> connection.  The recording I got said the call I made 'could not be
> reached with the carrier access code you dialed.'

> In short, despite the fact that 10xxx codes are irrelevant for 1-800
> numbers, you cannot dial a 10xxx code ahead of a 1-800 number in C&P
> Telephone area; the switch here will not allow it.

   Bellcore believes that permitting the dialing of "10XXX" on calls
where "10XXX" is irrelevant is misleading to the caller, and could
lead one to the conclusion that the selected carrier is somehow
involved in the call.  That's why the LSSGR indicates a requirement to
allow 10XXX to be blocked on 1-800 and other related types of calls.
On the other hand, they say that even though 10XXX has no effect on a
call to "911", such calls should be completed by ignoring the 10XXX --
in this case, the "emergency" overides the "confusion about carrier
selection".

   If you believe Bellcore is incorrect in it's requirements, you can
write to them and explain why the requirements should be changed.  Or
you could explain the same thing to C&P/Bell Atlantic.  But it had
better be a really GOOD reason -- not just your irritation at mis-dialing.


Al Varney - just my opinion

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven H. Lichter)
Subject: Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest
Date: 16 Aug 1993 05:16:40 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)


In the news reports the police got the cellular phone records and put
pressure on the people that were called. I'm sure that is very legal.


Steven H. Lichter   GTECalif COEI

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 15 Aug 93 22:56:32 PDT
From: Cliff Barney <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Attleboro or South Attleboro


Ah, the Attleboros ... as it happens, there are three of them, North
Attleboro, Attleboro, and South Attleboro.  They are in Massachusetts,
on the Rhode Island line, and the Pawtucket, RI {Times}, right on the
other side of that line, gives them routine coverage, or did when I
worked there long ago.

To separate the towns, the paper referred to North Attleboro and
South Attleboro as "North" and "South," a practice that eventually
led to the memorable headline,

   "Car hits North pole".

Maybe you had to be there.


[Moderator's Note: Newspaper headlines can be very funny at times, and
occassionally it is quite by accident until after people see it in
print. I am reminded of a headline in the {Chicago Daily News} in May,
1935: Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were both in prison here for the
sex-slaying eleven years earlier of fourteen year old Bobby Franks,
the grandson of Julius Rosenwald, a vice-president of Sears, Roebuck
and founder of the Museum of Science and Industry. A homosexual tryst
with another inmate in the Joliet Peniteniary led to the stabbing
death of Richard Loeb that day in 1935. Now as all grammarians know,
and quite a few have reminded me, one must never end a sentence with a
preposition, although Moderators can be excused occassionally if they
do. How did the {Daily News} headline read when reporting Loeb's
death?  "Child Killer Loeb Ends Sentence With a Proposition". The
editor later insisted it was unintended.  :)    PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #580
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa29444;
          17 Aug 93 20:56 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA15020
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 18:04:54 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11584
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 18:04:15 -0500
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 18:04:15 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #583

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 17 Aug 93 18:04:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 583

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Bellcore to Yield NPA Duties (Wall St. Journal via Jonathan Rosenberg)
    Any Details on US West's Omaha Broadband Trial? (Will Dye)
    Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail' (Peter Rukavina)
    Caller-ID Box With a Serial Port (Russell Kroll)
    UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea (Bob Frankston)
    An Open Letter to [e-mail] (Frank Vance)
    Junk Mail and the Net (Jerry Leichter)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Steven L. Spak)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Russell Sharpe)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (David Josephson)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Tom Coradeschi)
    Re: Need Information on Very Old Plug Switchboard (Al Varney)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Macy Hallock)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Russell Sharpe)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Mike King)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jonathan Rosenberg <[e-mail]>
Subject: Bellcore to Yield NPA Duties
Organization: Bellcore
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 14:11:29 GMT


                     Wall Street Journal:New York-NY
                                 08/17/93
                                   P B5

In a letter sent to James Quello, chairman of the FCC, Bellcore's
President George Heilmeier said Bellcore no longer wants to administer
the North American Numbering Plan, the master plan for handing out
area codes and telephone carrier identification codes. Dr. Heilmeier
cited changes in the industry and an increasing number of claims --
"without basis" -- that Bellcore might favor the Bell companies or
local telephone companies.  According to Dr. Heilmeier, the
combination "has convinced Bellcore and its owners that it would be
wise to establish a plan for transferring" administration of the
numbering plan. The transition is expected to take a year to 18
months.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Will Dye)
Subject: Any Details on US West's Omaha Broadband Trial?
Date: 17 Aug 1993 08:54:05 GMT
Organization: University of Nebraska--Lincoln


I'm job hunting, trying to find a position developing interactive
television and other broadband services.  I have a degree in
Multimedia Computing, and some programming experience.  I've sent a
resume to U S West, and I'm trying to find out more about what they're
doing to develop broadband.

I've read about their broadband trial in Omaha, but I can find very
few details on what services they will offer, what hardware platform
they will use, or how the software will be developed.  I've read
{Telephony} and {The Wall Street Journal}, as well as a few other
magazines.

I'd like to learn as much as I can about them, in case I get an
interview.  Any suggestions out there on where I can find out more
about them, especially their Omaha trial?  Any comments on what kind
of an employer they are?  Thanks in advance.


Will   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 11:49:58 -0300
From: [e-mail] (Peter Rukavina)
Subject: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail'


As the response to my 'is there something like comp.dcom.snail-mail'
request resulted only in 'why not start one' and 'if you find anything
let me know' replies, I though I might post my enquires about 'regular
mail' here with hope that they might, in the heady atmosphere of
lock-box/flooded river discussion, pass muster.  I'm looking for
answers to the following:

(1) When I get mail from the U.S.A. here in Canada, the reverse side
of an envelope usually has small -- 10 to 12 point -- letter codes
rubber-stamped on it. What do these codes signify?  Can I 'decode'
them?

(2) Some U.S. zip codes have five digits, others have five and then a
hyphen followed by an additional four (this is called 'ZIP + 4' I
believe); do all U.S. addresses have a '+ 4' code and only some choose
to use it, or are the extra four digits reserved for special purposes?

(3) When I send mail to a U.S. address that is incorrect (or the
addressee has moved), I often get the letter returned with a large
orange sticker across the front with an 'ADDRESS INCORRECT: No
forwarding address' on it.  Sometimes, though, the sticker says
'ADDRESS INCORRECT: Forwarding Order Expired' and then lists a
different address below.  My question: I assume that what has happened
is that the addressee paid to have their mail forwarded for a time and
that time has now lapsed but the referal information has stayed in the
postal computers and the address they list is, in fact, the correct
one; would it not be more efficient/nicer to all concerned to just
forward the mail to the addressee in these cases?  It seems silly that
a letter to San Diego travels all the way to San Diego, gets the
correct address stamped on it and then gets returned all the way to
Canada. Am I missing something here?

(4) Addresses in the United Kingdom don't seem to have street numbers
associated with them as we tend to have here in Canada.  An example:
'Hayle Mill, Maidstone, Kent, England.'  What is the usual geographic
size of the elements of a U.K. address?  Is 'Hayle Mill' a single
building, a village, a post office?  Is Kent a province?  Are there no
street numbers because postal employees know where everyone is in a
give area?

(5) Further, the ISO country code for England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland is 'UK.'  Can I substitute 'UK' for 'England' in the
address above, or should I use it in addition thereto?

(6) Addresses in Germany seem to have a four digit number in front of
the city name (for example: '8000 Munich' or '8070 Ingolstadt'); is
this a 'postal code' in the Canadian/British/American sense or does it
mean something else?

Answers to any and all of these would be appreciated, either by email
or to this group as the Moderator advises.


Peter Rukavina ([e-mail])


[Moderator's Note: We have been a bit off-topic more than usual here
in recent days, so personal replies to Peter are probably best. To
answer one question though, *all* US places have a nine digit zip with
the final four digits optional except in the case of large mailers who
use the postal service at a discount. Typically the last four digits
narrow down your location to a single building, or a few buildings on
one block.  PAT]

------------------------------

Subject: Caller-ID Box With a Serial Port
From: cmptech![e-mail] (Russell Kroll)
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 10:52:21 MDT
Organization: Computech BBS at 719.260.6279 - Colorado Springs, CO


Thanks to all who responded.  I already have quite a few modems around
here, and don't need to get another one just to handle CID.  In case
others are looking for a source for the Classmate device, here's
something that may help:

  From: [e-mail] (Carl Shapiro)

I bought my `ClassMate Model 10 Caller Identifier Computer Interface'
by phone from:

    Bell Atlantic Business Supplies
    800 523-0552

                      --------------

I hope this will hope others with similar intentions.  I'm going to
give Bell Atlantic a ring on Monday and see how much they want for it.


[e-mail] (Russell Kroll)  - or -  cmptech![e-mail]

This came from Computech BBS .... +1 719.260.6279 in Colorado Springs, CO.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 09:21 -0400


As part of my advocacy of 900 alternatives, the UUNet 900 service does
present an interesting challenge for those wanting to use a credit
card instead of a 900 number. Since the login is accomplished via a
UUCP connection script, it seems feasible for UUnet to accept a credit
card number as part of the connection sequence. Or even use the credit
card information as the "login" line. UUNet could dial out and verify
the credit card information before it allows the user to make a
transaction. By using a non800 number, the only risk incurred would be
the theft of service but UUNet would not be stuck with 800 or 900
number charges if the credit card proved bogus.

One more case with 900 numbers seemingly like the obvious solution
until you think about alternatives. Personally, as an IP provider the
credit card solution seems preferable. Of course, some callers might
not have credit cards, but then they shouldn't qualify for credit via
900 either.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Frank Vance)
Subject: An Open Letter to [e-mail]
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 08:27:29 -0500 (CDT)


Dear Mr. or Ms. Postmaster,

  One of your users, named Warren Victorian (apparently a pseudonym),
sent the following message to the info-convex mailing list and the
Internet Engineering Task Force mailing list.  Since this message has
nothing to do with Convex computers or the IETF, the same message has
been sent to countless other mailing lists and newsgroups, and it
appears that said "Warren Victorian" has some tie to these numbers, I
would ask that you take appropriate action against this individual.

  According to reports I have seen, this same message has originated
from several other sites, and in each case, the site ultimately found
it necessary to revoke this user's privledges.

Warren Victorian writes:

> From [e-mail] Mon Aug 16 23:54:45 1993
> To: [e-mail]
> Date: 16 Aug 1993 21:26:56 -0700
> From: [e-mail] (Warren Victorian)
> Message-Id: <24pmmg$[e-mail]>
> Organization: (CYBERSPACE) Public Internet 206.286.1600
> Sender: [e-mail]
> Subject: What are these?


Thank you for your attention,

Frank Vance  +1.713.963.2426    Western Geophysical
[e-mail]    10001 Richmond Avenue
Fax: [phone]        Houston, TX 77042   USA


[Moderator's Note: I do *not* recommend that people write to cyberspace
administrators to complain, as I am sure they have seen many complaints
already on this latest junk posting. People don't need to send me any
more copies of the posting either asking 'have you seen this?'  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 07:22:07 EDT
From: Jerry Leichter <[e-mail]>
Subject: Junk Mail and the Net


I haven't heard much about the infamous "Seth" for a couple of days
now, but it seems he broke the ice.  The following message was sent to
a very-low- volume (20-30 messages/YEAR), purely technical mailing
list maintained at Xerox:

                         MAKE a LOVE connection NOW!

        Here's how YOU can be a part of INTRO-LINE, an amazing new
        way to meet 100's of people from your area (or from any area
        you want) for fun, hobbies, pen-pals, phone calls, romance,
        dating, and MORE!

        On your first call you'll be able to make contact with people
        who share similar interests, or who are looking for the same
        thing you are.  You can exchange phone numbers, or you can
        leave private messages.  You'll want to call back regularly
        to listen to the private messages others will be leaving
        for you.

                     CALL 1-900-xxx-xxxx, ext yyy NOW!

        Don't miss your chance to participate in this amazing system!
        People from all over the US & Canada are waiting to hear from YOU!
        Special price, this week only $2, 18 and over please.

     1-900-xxx-xxxx, ext yyy  18+ yrs  Avalon Comm  $2/min  Ft Lauderdale

The sender used the Finish "anonymous poster" server to send the
message as [e-mail].

Great.  Just what we need:  Anonymous, untraceable junk mail.


Jerry


[Moderator's Note: The way you deal with anonymous junk mail in news
is by putting anon.penet.fi and similar services in your kill file, or
news admins look for it coming through in the stream and bash it
there.  I think we will see a number of changes in news as private
ownership of the net gets underway. Among other things, a large number
of unmoderated newsgroups will be dropped, and requirements for
posting will be tightened up. Good idea? No, not really, but I feel it
is almost surely bound to happen. I think you will see moderated groups
almost exclusively as the century comes to an end. Again, a good idea?
No, there is room for almost everyone on this internet; but I don't
think the 'powers that be' in the next year or two or three are going
to see it that way.  :(   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven L. Spak)
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Organization: George Washington University
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 10:56:29 GMT


The Smithsonian Institution here in Washington has an excellent
Telephony History exhibit.  It's a permanent display too.


Steven Spak    [e-mail]
Transmission Engineer
Tel:[phone]   Fax:[phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Russell Sharpe)
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Date: 17 Aug 1993 12:47:03 GMT
Organization: Wellington City Council, Public Access
Reply-To: [e-mail]


New Zealand has a collection of equipment ranging from Western
Electric Rotary to British Post Office 2000 type Step by Step;
also a Grand Collection of manual boards, radio gear and test
equipment.

Sadly, Telecom New Zealand has stored them, somewhat inadequately out
of the public eye, until it is a) sold, or b) given an incentive from
the public/government that it is worth seeing.


Russell


[Moderator's Note: A few years ago Illinois Bell closed down the
museum the Telephone Pioneers were operating here so the space could
be used for their 'Work at Home Business Center'.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Josephson)
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Organization: a2i network
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 01:46:55 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Harold
Hallikainen) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
> (Steven H. Lichter) writes:

>> Yes the step equipment was a lot more interesting. We had mockups of
>> switch trains that would let the tours see how the calls went through,
>> and there were also contests for free long distance calls. I know it

> I got tours of step offices in the SF east bay (Moraga is one
> I recall) when I was in high school.  Also, in London (England) in
> 1986, I visited a museum of science and technology.  They had some
> step equipment on display.  Any museums like that around the US?  Also
> in high school I recall going to a museum somewhere around San Jose,
> CA that had a bunch of old electronics, a lot of Edison's stuff.  They
> also seemed to have a lot of German music boxes that used disks with
> punched holes.  So, who's keeping the history for us?

Don't know who's keeping the history but:

The Museum of American History in Washington (part of the Smithsonian)
has a communications exhibit with a working SXS switch that you can
dial and call the other phones there. It was dirty and worn-out
looking (mostly the plastic covers on things, that were supposed to
keep the steppers from getting dirty ;-)) but it worked. There are
also demos of the sound of various carrier systems, cable, mux, etc.
Not real long on technical info, but it was all there to see and hear.

The Electronics Museum in San Jose was, last I heard, in storage and
subject of a civic tug-of-war between various benefactors. Probably
more people on here who live over on that side of the valley can pipe
up about what's happening with it.


David Josephson <[e-mail]>

------------------------------

From: Tom Coradeschi <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Organization: US Army Armts RD&E Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 17:20:33 GMT


[e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen) wrote:

> I got tours of step offices in the SF east bay (Moraga is one
> I recall) when I was in high school.  Also, in London (England) in
> 1986, I visited a museum of science and technology.  They had some
> step equipment on display.

Still there as of December 1990. Neat thing about the setup was that
you could have it operate at normal speed (ratatatattat-bang!) or at a
much reduced (factor of 10?), so you could actually see what was
happening:-}

Definitely worth the trip! (well, if you're in London, anyhow:-})


tom coradeschi <+> [e-mail] <+> DoD #413

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 02:27:20 CDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Need Information on Very Old Plug Switchboard
Organization: AT&T


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(David Nichols {Prof Services} Sun Rochester) writes:

> I am about to acquire a very old plug switchboard (as soon as I can
> get it from North Dakota to New York) and need any info on plug
> switchboards I can get. I don't know much about it yet, other than it
> is a "Kellog" made in Chicago, IL.

> Given this brief amount of information, anyone know what this might be
> worth (for insurance purposes)?

> Please respond directly to me as it is hard for me to keep up with the
> Digest.

I did, but others may want to know as well.  Contact:

  The Museum of Independent Telephony
  Abilene, KS

I don't have their number, but they do have quite a collection of such
boards, as well as many other non-AT&T items. :( They are located a
short walk from the Eisenhower Museum.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 23:40:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail] (Macy Hallock)
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: F M Systems/Telemax  Medina, Ohio USA


In article <[e-mail]> is written:

>> Where can one get ahold of the 'thought and research' that went
>> into some of the characteristics of the POTS service?

> A good college library should have a set of back issues of the
> "Bell System Technical Journal". ...

Automatic Electric and ITT published similar journals.  These are also
worthwhile reading.  I spent hundreds of hours reading all of these
and more back in college 20+ years ago.

(and look where it got me ...)


Macy Hallock N8OBG Voice= +1.216.723.3030 Fax= +1.216.723.3223 [e-mail]
Telemax Inc. and F M Systems Inc. 152 Highland Drive  Medina, Ohio 44256 USA
------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Russell Sharpe)
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
Date: 17 Aug 1993 12:26:37 GMT
Organization: Wellington City Council, Public Access
Reply-To: [e-mail]


> I always assumed in the old electro-mechanical CO, I found that the
> ringing signal followed the ringing current transmission to the called
> telephone.  In the Stromberg-Carlson exchange I toured years ago,
> there was a gear motor driving a row of cams that switched the various
> signals, including busy, ringing signal, and ringing current for the
> entire exchange.

> Can anyone confirm that in some of the old CO, the ringing signal was
> actually the 20 Hz ringing current?  I was always interested in the
> different ringing signal sounds that have been used in different COs.

Here in New Zealand, there are still a handful of British Post office
SxS switches working. The last one I worked on was in '87.  (Since '84
We have been replacing all with NEC NEAX 61 Digital Switches)

The ringers were rotary -50v sets (1 active 1 standby) ...tones
generated are 400Hz for status tones (dial tone, busy etc.) and 25Hz
for ringing current. Cams attached to the end of the motor spindles
Generated the necessary Cadences (From memory, there were eight sets
of cams).

These ringers were mounted on a bench in the Power Room, or
alternatively in one above the other in a three foot rack.

Incidentally I put the Petone LX (Local Exchange) off the air during
routine maintenance. I was woring on one (replacing Cams) when the
other failed! (Took three minutes to get it together!)

 From about 1973 on the NZ Post Office started replacing these with
NEC Xbar Which had Solid State Ring Generators, with Relay Chains
providing Cadence.

Murphy's Law 2020 states: When you have standby equipment out of
service, there is a 60% chance that the active will fail.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 13:06:27 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Mike King)
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal


In TELECOM Digest, V13 #579, [e-mail] (Curtis
Bohl) wrote:

> Can anyone confirm that in some of the old CO, the ringing signal was
> actually the 20 Hz ringing current?  I was always interested in the
> different ringing signal sounds that have been used in different COs.

I've always been taught there's two sets of ring buses in a CO switch:
one to provide ringing current to the number being signalled, and one
to return ringback to the caller.  These buses are not necessarily in
sync.

During 1983-84, I was living in a house served by an AT&T Xbar (I'm
not sure which version).  My roommate had one of those cheapie phones
that chirps when it's supposed to ring.

Callers to our number would hear a high-pitched chirping (at low
volume) during the ringback.  When the phone was disconnected, no
chirping was heard during the ringback.

On a related note, (crossing to the "Extra Drops" thread), a previous
tenant had had three phone lines.  After we took occupancy, our line
was on one drop, someone else's line was active on our second drop,
and the third drop had battery but no dial tone.  We (kindly) had Bell
disconnect the second drop from the house.  The third drop would
return no dial tone when a phone was connected, but a number could be
pulsed down the line, and the dialed number (at least within our
switch) would then ring.  We couldn't hear ringback (or my roommate's
cheapie phone), and when the other phone was answered, no talk path
was cut through.

At least in that house, we didn't need a ring-back number to test our
phones.


Mike King * Software Sourcerer * Fairchild Space * +1 301.428.5384
[e-mail] or [e-mail]  *  (usual disclaimers)

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #583
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa29711;
          17 Aug 93 21:33 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA15985
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 19:07:45 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA10617
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 19:07:03 -0500
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 19:07:03 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #584

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 17 Aug 93 19:07:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 584

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Review of "The Matrix" by Quarterman (Rob Slade, DECrypt Editor)
    TAP/IXO Paging Software (Mark Rudholm)
    Facts About NTID (as Requested by D. Niebuhr) (Curtis E. Reid)
    Caller ID Deluxe Passes in Florida ([e-mail])
    Alphanumeric Paging Terminal Protocols (Allan Griefer)
    Digital 900MHz Phones For Local Modem Use? (Rob Pfile)
    Telephony Museums (was Re: Central Office Tours?) (Kyle Rhorer)
    Studies on Liberalization of Telecom (Meg Arnold)
    Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest (J. Philip Miller)
    Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest (Joe Bergstein)
    Re: Radio Station Acronyms (Dave O'Heare)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Cole Keirsey)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Radio Stations) (Mark A. Terribile)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Radio Stations) (Joseph M. Carey)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 17 Aug 93 11:26 -0600
From: Rob Slade, DECrypt Editor <[e-mail]>
Subject: Review of "The Matrix" by Quarterman


Digital Press
PO Box 3027
One Burlington Woods Drive
Burlington, MA   01803-9593
800-DIGITAL (800-344-4825)
"The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide", Quarterman,
1990, 1-55558-033-5
[e-mail]

If Ed Krol's book is the "user's guide" to the Internet, Quarterman's
work is the technical reference manual.  Taking as its title William
Gibson's term from "Neuromancer", "The Matrix" covers all aspects, not
just of the TCP/IP Internet proper, but all of the component parts,
major and minor, connected or not, which make up electronic
communication and cooperative computing systems.

It may be going a bit far to say this is the "reference" to the
developing cyberspace.  "Index" might be the more accurate term.  When
confronted with a technical problem, you likely won't find the
ultimate answer here, even with 700 pages of text.  You will, however,
find an initial discussion of pretty well any internetworking entity,
and either bibliography or contact information to take it further.

The book is divided into two main parts.  The first, labelled
"Background", is a conceptual discussion of networks and networking.
Specific protocols and bodies are covered here, but the details of
actual working networks are left to part two.

Chapter one is an introduction to the basic principles and components
of networks, and a description and outline for the rest of part one.
Chapter two covers "User Services" and the actual functions of
networks and "Computer Mediated Communications" (CMC is an important
acronym in the book), while chapter three explores the uses to which
these features and functions are put.

Chapter four and five deal with the various protocols and standards
used in network communication.  The technical protocols which fit
easily within the ISO/OSI model are discussed first.  "Meta"
protocols, which deal with management types of issues are covered
separately.

"Administration", chapter six, seems rather odd until one realizes
that it is laying out the way of examining and describing actual "real
world" networks that is used in part two.  It is difficult to say how
important this is.  On the one hand, the entries in part two are laid
out in a clear and logical fashion.  On the other, discussions of
purpose, administration and funding are too often neglected in
discussions of networking issues, and Quarterman's work puts a lot of
this back into perspective.

Chapter seven, "History and Future", is not exactly a "time line" of
computer communications.  Rather, there are interesting historical
tidbits from the stories of the development of component pieces of
"the net".  This chapter is fascinating reading, although by no means
exhaustive.  (Canada gets no mention at all in the development of the
X.25 protocol, although Quarterman does later redeem himself by
admitting that Datapac was the world's first public data net.)  (No
wonder there is so much to hate about Datapac.)  Of the future, well,
with the advantage of coming in halfway into Quarterman's projection,
perhaps it's best to say nothing.

Chapter eight deals with the various bodies involved in producing and
formalizing standards and protocols.  This section is a tremendous
resource in terms of the different groups involved in communications
development on an on- going basis.

Part two, as mentioned, details the actual "real world" networks.
Chapter nine gives an overview and outline of the scope of the
section, as well as dealing with the thorny issue of addressing
schemes.

Chapter ten deals with various "worldwide" networks (including, in an
interesting departure from network snobbery, Fidonet) while chapter
eleven covers the Internet proper.  Chapters twelve through twenty
describe the plethora of national and regional networks by continental
and sub-continental areas.  (And I do not appreciate the comment that
Canada is "too small to develop [networks] itself.")  Chapter
twenty-one briefly discusses proprietary commercial systems such as
the WELL, Compuserve and MCI Mail.  It is interesting to note that, in
the few years since publication, most of these systems now at least
exchange mail with the Internet.

There are two major appendices.  The first is strictly reference
material: a listing of public data networks.  The second is a
discussion of Computer mediated communication and the law.  Once
again, this is mostly U.S. law that is referenced, although European
Community regulatory bodies are mentioned briefly.

The last page of the book contains a questionnaire about the desire
for an "electronic" version of the book.  Such an ongoing project
would be highly interesting.  Unfortunately, it has not come to pass.
What has developed is "Matrix News", a monthly publication devoted to
the topic.  It is available in print, or in ASCII or Postscript format
electronically.  The number of maps and geographic "graphs" has spun
off a sister publication, "Matrix Maps Quarterly", which is available
in print or Postscript format.  Those interested can contact:

Matrix Information and Directory Services, Inc. (MIDS)

[e-mail]   [phone]   fax: [phone]
1106 Clayton Lane, Suite 500W    Austin, TX 78723  U.S.A.

As stated previously, this book does not contain technical details.
Although it discussed the RS-232 standard and TCP/IP protocol, it will
not assist you to configure a UUCP machine or program UDP packets.
The intelligent reader, even without familiarity with computer
concepts, should be able to comprehend the material included in the
book.  Novice readers, however, may find the text to be larded with
references to protocols, standards groups and other TLAs (Three Letter
Acronyms).  It would be a pity if they allowed themselves to be scared
off: Quarterman is a source that would allow the newcomer to start to
make sense of the alphabet soup.

"The Matrix" is not a "how to" book for connecting to the Internet,
although it certainly contains all the contacts necessary for doing
so.  Neither is it a treatise on the use of network communications and
functions, although some of the discussions of network usage are
considered and thoughtful.  The contents, although clearly explained,
are perhaps too formidable to be an "introduction" for the novice
network user.

I referred to it as an index at the beginning of this review.  Perhaps
it is primarily a signpost, pointing the way to the myriad paths of
networking and internetworking.  The scope of "The Matrix" extends too
far to examine each topic in detail.  At each point, however,
bibliographic references or organizational contacts are available for
further exploration.  No matter where you want to go, you can "get
there from here."

For those who merely wish to connect to Usenet and get alt.feethy.
peetchers, this book will not be necessary.  For those wanting to
explore the global possibilities of computer networking, this book is
a must.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993   BKMATRIX.RVW   930817


Vancouver      [e-mail]
Institute for  [e-mail]
Research into  [e-mail]
User           [e-mail]
Security       Canada V7K 2G6

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 15:24:10 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Mark Rudholm)
Subject: TAP/IXO Paging Software


I am in need of software that will do TAP/IXO alphanumeric paging for
any of the following platforms: MS-DOS, MS-Windows, Mac, or SunOS.

I checked the telecom archives (lcs.mit.edu) and found only a
hypercard stack from Brad Hicks which I dowloaded and decoded properly
but couldn't get to work.

Some time ago someone at "boy.com" (I think) posted an announcement
that they would send a Windows application for TAP paging to anyone
who asked.  Unfortunately, I lost the address.

Any pointers (or software) would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,

Mark D. Rudholm   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 17:39:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: Curtis E. Reid <[e-mail]>
Subject: Facts About NTID (as Requested by D. Niebuhr)


> I would like to ask Curtis to explain the mission of the NTID to the
> readership so that they can learn about this very valuable school.
> For those not familiar with the NTID, the name is National Technical
> Institute for the Deaf.

Thanks for the plug.  It's not often we hear about this.  As you
requested, I am copying an excerpt from one of our NTID publications
that we use to inform people about it.  Any typos are mine.  Enjoy!


Curtis

"The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), one of RIT's
eight colleges, provides deaf students with technological training
that leads to meaningful employment in business, industry, government,
and education.  Created in 1965 by Congress and funded primarily by
the U.S. Department of Education, NTID represents the world's first
effort to educate large numbers of deaf students within a college
campus planned principally for hearing students.  NTID's location
benefits both deaf and hearing students' academic, personal, social,
and communication development.

"Nearly 1,100 deaf students from across the United States as well as
from several U.S. territories and other countries study and reside at
RIT.

"NTID provides RIT's deaf students with technical and professional
training in 35 programs offered through its three schools: School of
Business Careers, School of Science and Engineering Careers, and
School of Visual Communications.  An NTID education prepares students
for technical careers in areas such as accounting, applied art and
computer graphics, applied computer technology, engineering
technology, medical laboratory technology, medical record technology,
and photo/media technologies.

"Traditionally, 95 percent of NTID graduates find employment in their
fields of study.

"NTID also provides extensive support services for deaf students
studying in RIT's other seven colleges.

"For hearing students, NTID also provides an associate degree in
educational interpreting."


Curtis E. Reid                [e-mail]
Rochester Institute of Technology/NTID    [e-mail] (DECUS)
52 Lomb Memorial Drive             716.475.6089 TDD/TT 475.6895 Voice
Rochester, NY 14623-5604  U.S.A.    716.475.6500 Fax (Business Use Only)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 16:01:02 -0400
Subject: Caller ID Deluxe Passes in Florida


Just got off the phone with the public relations person at the Florida
PSC, and she told me that the hearing just ended and it passed.  She
was a non-technical person and she didn't even know what Caller ID
was, but I assume that she is right about its passing.

Supposedly, we should be getting the name delivery with CLID sometime
within the next week.


Ron   ([e-mail])

------------------------------

From: Allan Griefer <[e-mail]>
Subject: Alphanumeric Paging Terminal Protocols
Date: 17 Aug 1993 02:40:23 GMT
Organization: IBM Almaden Research Center


I'm looking for a copy of the protocols used on serial lines between
the user's computer and the paging company.  I've heard of at least
two protocols; PET from Motorola and TAP from Telocator.  Does anyone
have copies that they can post or send to me?


Thanks,

Opinions are strictly my own,
Allan D. Griefer,       IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA
VNET/BITNET: GRIEFER at ALMADEN                Fax: [phone]
Internet: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rob Pfile)
Subject: Digital 900MHz Phones For Local Modem Use?
Organization: UW-Madison Computer Sciences
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 21:52:27 GMT


I have been thinking about getting a cellular modem for my powerbook,
but I fear this is probably just too expensive for what I would use it
for.  An idea i had the other day was to try using one of these
newfangled 900MHz phones so I can roam around the house and in the
immediate area with my 'book and still be able to dial out.

Does the 'spread-spectrum'/digital nature of the latest breed of these
portable phones preclude the use of a plain modem over the connection?
I assume the first breed of analog 900MHz phones would work just fine,
but i'd like the range and security of the digital flavor.


Thanks for any help.

rob pfile   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Kyle Rhorer)
Subject: Telephony Museums (was Re: Central Office Tours?)
Date: 17 Aug 1993 19:51:39 GMT
Organization: KRUG Life Sciences


Several people have mentioned museums with telephone equipment on
display.  I am interested in compiling a "directory" of sorts to such
museums around the US.  If anyone knowing the whereabouts/cost/hours/
etc of such places would e-mail the info to me, I will tabulate it and
post the directory once compiled.

If someone has already compiled a directory such as this, please let
me know where I can find it (I'm a relative newbie to the Internet).


Kyle Rhorer   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Meg Arnold)
Subject: Studies on Liberalization of Telecom
Date: 17 Aug 1993 17:40:43 GMT
Organization: SRI International


Hi.  This is a request which I hope will inundate me with information.
I am looking for the titles and publishers (as well as contact info
and publication date if possible) of reports and studies of the
effects of the liberalization of telecommunications.  Yes, I know
there are hundreds of these things.

My primary area of focus is the U.S. and the aftermath of the AT&T
divestiture, but I have a secondary interest in other regions of the
world that have experience their own forms of liberalization, such as
Autralia, New Zealand, UK, elsewhere in Europe.  Both pro and con
opinions are sought.

All I need are titles and publishers; I'll do the rest of the
gruntwork myself.  Thanks for all your help!  E-mail to me, and I'll
summarize, rather than inundating PAT.


Meg Arnold
SRI International
333 Ravenswood Avenue
Menlo Park, CA  94025
415-859-3764
[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (J. Philip Miller)
Subject: Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 09:07:18 -0500 (CDT)


> That's not what the reports I saw said.  The {Chicago Tribune} and the
> {Detroit Free Press} both said that it was the call detail (when and
> where the calls were made to) rather than the contents that led to the
> suspects.

This what the first reports that I saw seemed to say.  A TV report
yesterday (NBC) seemed to say that they got caught because they made
calls from the cellular phone to sex-phone lines.  Unless they gave
their names or their own credit card numbers I do not see how this was
possible.  If police talked to the phone sex ladies and got information
about the conversation, then it does not seem to be unlawful search
since the sex ladies can certainly tell anything that they heard on
the phone.  You hardly expect them to be confidential, do you?


J. Philip Miller, Professor, Division of Biostatistics, Box 8067
Washington University Medical School, St. Louis MO 63110
[e-mail] - [phone] [362-2693(FAX)]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Joe Bergstein)
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 21:26:29 -0500
Subject: Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest


Reply to message in "COMP.DCOM.TELECOM"

> Two teenagers have been arrested and charged with the murder of
> Michael Jordan's father.  The news reports say that the content
> of conversations made from Mr. Jordan's cellular phone led to the
> arrest.

> Have similar cases not been thrown out when it was revealed that
> cellular phones were monitored?

News reports I've seen and heard here in Washington D.C. indicate that
it was _not_ call monitoring, but billing records which led to the
arrests.  I believe the police used the call records to track down the
called parties, from whom they must have discovered the names of the
"perps" (perpatrators).

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 11:05:16 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Dave O'Heare)
Subject: Radio Station Acronyms


In Canada, there have been a few. CFRB stood for "Canada's First Radio
 -- Batteryless", to indicate the modern (!) technology being used.

In Ottawa, CKPM (an easy-listening station) changed their image and
playlist to a top-40 station, and changed their call sign to CFGO.
That supposedly stood for "CF Greater Ottawa". Coincidentally, a
gay-rights organization started to make nthe news about then, named
Gays Ottawa -- GO for short.  The radio station now refers to itself
as "Energy 1200".

All the radio stations that run contests and the like are on the same
choke exchange -- 750 XXXX.  Curiously, most winners of contests seems
to be from just outside the greater Ottawa city limits.


Dave O'Heare   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] ( Cole Keirsey)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms
Organization: U S WEST Advanced Technologies
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 18:52:42 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(A. Padgett Peterson) writes:

> [e-mail] wrote:

>>> FUBAR

> Actually this is a "dual use" acronym probably invented by the
> military containing a local meaning (among equals) and an "official"
> meaning

Then there are acronyms that have dual meanings quite by accident.
Two of my favorites are:

RCA -- "Radio Corporation of America" or "Rodeo Cowboys' Association"
and
ATM -- "Automatic Teller Machine" or "Asynchronous Transfer Mode"

Any additions?


C. C. Keirsey  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms (Radio Stations)
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 20:10:11 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, Ron Bean <nicmad!madnix!
[e-mail]> writes:

> [e-mail] writes:

>> In your acronyms, nobody has mentioned that there were several radio
>> stations that used their callsigns for such. This is kinda fun, so ...

> Another I forgot above was WHA = Wisconsin: Heartland of America.

WFAS, owned by Frank A. Sys and their FM sister, WWYD `Wiiiiide Stereo.'


(This man's opinions are his own.)
 From mole-end    Mark Terribile
[e-mail], Somewhere in Matawan, NJ

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (CAREY JOSEPH M)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms (Radio Stations)
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 17:21:30 GMT


Ron Bean <nicmad!madnix![e-mail]> writes:

> [e-mail] writes:

>> In your acronyms, nobody has mentioned that there were several radio
>> stations that used their callsigns for such. This is kinda fun, so ...

> WORT = World's Oldest Radio Transmitter

A couple of others in Chicago our moderator should know:

WLS - "World's Largest Store." Used to be owned by Sears-Roebuck
WGN - "World's Greatest Newspaper." Owned by the Chicago Tribune

And in Detroit there is:

WJBK - "Jesus Be Kind." Originally run by a religious organization.

A friend of mine, who works at WPWR in Chicago said there were some
minority organizations who _MISTAKENLY_ thought that stood for "White
Power."  He says it just stands for POWER (W is required).


Joe Carey   [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: In the early days of radio, when callsigns were not
in short supply (at least where workable combinations for abbreviations
were concerned), nearly all the call letters meant *something*. As
often as not it was the owner's name, and if his name started with W
or K, so much the better for him. And don't forget the international
shortwave giants:  WINB in Red Lion, PA is the World International
Broadcasters as one example. Religious station HCJB in Quito, Equador
(H is assigned in Equador) is another: Heralding Christ Jesus' Blessings.
And you have my blessings for this time around. See ya later!   PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #584
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa00119;
          17 Aug 93 22:15 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA17006
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 20:02:52 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA14414
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 20:02:21 -0500
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 20:02:21 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #585

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 17 Aug 93 20:02:15 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 585

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Is This Legal? (Brian Warner)
    Re: Is This Legal? (Andy Sherman)
    Re: Hotel Rip-Off - Is This a Record? (Bob Frankston)
    Re: AT&T Language Line Choices (Peter M. Weiss)
    Re: AT&T Language Line Choices (William M. Eldridge)
    Re: AT&T Language Line Choices (Paul Colley)
    Re: Video Conference Standards (Sandy Kyrish)
    Re: Video Conference Standards (Curtis Sanford)
    Re: FCC Equal Access Order (R. Kevin Oberman)
    Readback of Phone Number in 212-319 (Phydeaux)
    Re: AT&T Buys McCaw (Cellular One) (Gary Morris)
    Re: 10xxx NOT Allowed on 1-800 (Bill Hofmann)
    Re: Fidonet Specs Wanted (David Dodell)
    Re: AT&T Spending $5(m) on Video Games (Reid R. Buyaky)
    Re: Flooding in the Midwest (Cliff Sharp)
    Re: Phones Swamped When Elvis Died (Tad Cook)
    Re: Wait! Let me Get a Pen! (Carl Moore)

                     ----------------------
TELECOM Digest is an e-journal devoted mostly -- but not exclusively --
to discussions on voice telephony. The Digest is a not-for-profit
public service published frequently by Patrick Townson Associates. PTA
markets a no-surcharge telephone calling card and a no monthly fee 800
service.  In addition, we are resellers of AT&T's Software Defined
Network. For a detailed discussion of our services, write and ask for
the file 'products'.

The Digest is delivered at no charge by email to qualified subscribers on
any electronic mail service connected to the Internet. To join the mail-
ing list, write and tell us how you qualify: [e-mail].
 All article submissions MUST be sent to our email address: telecom@eecs.
nwu.edu -- NOT as replies to comp.dcom.telecom.

Back issues and numerous other telephone-related files of interest are
available from the Telecom Archives, using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu.
Login anonymous, then 'cd telecom-archives'. At the present time, the
Digest is also ported to Usenet at the request of many readers there,
where it is known as 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Use of the Digest does not
require the use of our products and services. The two are separate.
All articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. Organi-
zations listed, if any, are for identification purposes only. The
Digest is compilation-copyrighted, 1993. **DO NOT** cross-post articles
between the Digest and other Usenet or alt newsgroups. Do not compile
mailing lists from the net-addresses appearing herein.  Send tithes and
love offerings to PO Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690. :)  Phone: [phone].

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Brian Warner)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?
Date: 17 Aug 93 17:34:25 GMT


[e-mail] (Danny Padwa) writes:

> Is Centrex the only service that can provide this? ...

> They also have an interesting system for billing calls ... any call
> that is chargeable (not "local" based upon the phone's calling plan)
> requires the input of your PIN.  This allows making long-distance
> calls from other people's rooms, and also (they say) helps avoid
> roommate squabbles over phone charges, since everyone gets their own
> bill.  It also opens a huge avenue for fraud (figure ~6.5k students, 5
> digit PIN ... shouldn't take too many guesses), but now that the
> University runs the phones, phone fraud is a University offense, and
> grounds to be "required to withdraw".

> I know that Columbia has a similar policy of billing a person, rather
> than a phone, for LD calls.  Is this common?

We have a similar system at Stanford, which they installed about two
years ago. All the student numbers are 415-497-xxxx, most offices are
723-xxxx or 725-xxxx, and on campus you can just use five digits to
get to another phone on campus. It makes for some interesting
misdials, because there are some local off-campus numbers (pizza
joints, for one) that have exchanges which start with that 7-xx
prefix.

Our PINs are seven digits long, but we've had a problem with fraud
too; same threat of disciplinary action as well.

About six months after the system was put in place, there were a
couple of law students saying they had plans to sue the university
because they couldn't get access to other long-distance carriers. I'm
not sure how this ended up.


Brian Warner    [e-mail]      [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 14:35:30 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Andy Sherman)
Subject: Re: Is This Legal?


In article [e-mail], [e-mail] (Atri Indiresan)
writes:

> Do the FCC regulations say anything specific about 10XXX access, or,
> is there legal opinion/agreement around that implies that 0+ access is
> good enough? 0+ access is not equal to 10XXX, but is it equal enough
> to satisfy the FCC?

Since a University is considered an aggregator like a hotel, then 0+
access is probably all that is required.  By the way, 10XXX access may
be the method of choice for granting 0+ access.  10XXX+0+ is allowed.
10XXX+1+ is not.

If you think about it, this makes perfect sense.  Nobody expects a
hotel to provide 10XXX + 1 + access, just 10XXX + 0 + access.  The
FCC's unblocking order probably just classifies a dormitory as a big
hotel.


Andy Sherman   Salomon Inc  -  Unix Systems Support  -  Rutherford, NJ
[phone]  -  [e-mail] or [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Hotel Rip-Off - Is This a Record?
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 09:37 -0400


It would be helpful to tell when various hotel rip-off's have occurred
since the situation is changing. I rarely encounter 800 number
surcharges these days and other surcharges seem to be going away. This
is the case even when the phone itself is posted with a surcharge
price.  Apparently the outrage has had its affect. I also maintain an
800 number for both my house and my home server as a way of greatly
simplifying my use of hotel phones and avoiding surcharges for
operator-assisted calls (which typically does include dialed credit
card calls).

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 09:56:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: Peter M. Weiss <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: AT&T Language Line Choices
Organization: Penn State University


In article <[e-mail]>, Will Martin <wmartin@
STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL> says:

> would really like AT&T to PROVE that they can provide access to *any*
> of their advertised listed languages in a short timeframe, suitable
> for emergency use.  (...)

I would be careful of using a service for emergency use that was NOT
designed for same.  I wonder if AT&T is marketing it for that kind?
(I doubt it.)


Pete

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (William M. Eldridge)
Subject: Re: AT&T Language Line Choices
Date: 17 Aug 1993 10:28:27 -0700
Organization: UCLA Cognitive Science Research Program


> Toyshanese  Turkish  Turkmen  Twi  Ukranian  Urdu  Vietnamese  Wolof
> Wuxinese   Yiddish  Yoruba  ...

> Hmmmm ... methinks they artificially expand this list by including
> many dialects or slight variants on the basic, and I bet the same
> translator(s) handle them all -- note all the national variations of
> Arabic, for example. I hope you-all appreciate this; my eyes are now
> killing me ... :-) Trying to read this tiny print and my screen at the
> same time is next to impossible. I thought "Assyrian" and "Chaldean"
> were dead languages known only by a few scholars these days -- are
> there really people living around the Euphrates today speaking the
> same language that was spoken in Ur? Talk about an oral history ...!  :-)

I recall our military strategy three years ago as "bombing them back
to the stone age", and like with everything, they were apparently only
halfway successful -- but then four or five thousand years isn't too
bad, especially when some believe Earth started 5732 years ago.

On the other hand, differentiating Morroccan from Arabic is valid
(though one person could do both), and Maghrebi is completely
unrelated to Arabic from what I understand.


Bill Eldridge   [e-mail]    310-206-3960 (3987 fax)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Paul Colley)
Subject: Re:  AT&T Language Line Choices
Organization: Computing & Information Science, Queen's University at Kingston
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 17:29:16 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> Will Martin <wmartin@
STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL> writes:

> I have before me a leaflet dated 1991 advertising the AT&T Language
> Line, with a page of tiny print listing all the languages offered at
> that time.

What!?  English isn't on the list?  (but "Pidgin-English" is!)

French is on the list, hmmmm.  Good thing AT&T isn't a Canadian
company, that sort of language-prejudice (implying French is a foreign
language, but English isn't) would be a public-relations disaster
here.


Paul Colley   University:  [e-mail]
Home:        [e-mail]   watmath!ember!pacolley  [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 17:25 GMT
From: Sandy Kyrish <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Video Conference Standards


There appears to be some confusion, partially propagated by vendors I
fear, about the "inferiority" of the CCITT videoconference standard.
The following is excerpted from a messge I sent directly to John Humm.

A couple of things you should understand about the standards.  (Known
as H.261, for the video coding and encoding; H.320 is the "umbrella"
standard governing video plus audio plus control.)  H.261 is a very
robust standard at its fullest implementation, which is something
called CIF (Common Intermediate Format -- a mix between US and
European stds), specifying a frame rate of 30 fps and a resolution of
288 x 352 pixels, and lots of sophisticated signal processing stuff to
improve overall picture quality.  Despite what vendors will tell you,
no proprietary algorithm is substantially better than H.261 implemented
in its fullest glory, and is certainly not worth giving up interconnect-
ivity.

That said, the second thing to know is that for a codec to be
certified as "CCITT compatible", it only has to conform to the lowest
rungs of the H.261 standard ... a format called QCIF, for quarter CIF.
It is literally half the horizontal and half the vertical pixels (i.e.
144 x 176), or a quarter of the original resolution.  It also allows a
slower frame rate, which reduces the smoothness and increases the
jerky feeling.  It is true that at the QCIF implementation of H.261, a
vendor's proprietary algorithm may well look better, because it is
ramping up the resolution and frame rate, then comparing it to the
QCIF and saying, "See?  The standard looks terrible."

Some companies, like GPT Video Systems in Atlanta, are concentrating
on producing codecs that hew to the top end of the CCITT standard.  In
a "shoot-out" a while back at a systems integrator's place, the top
end of the CCITT standard was deemed a better picture than any
vendor's proprietary algorithm.  Don't fall for vendor hype about the
CCITT standard!  Each is obviously banking in the short term on
hanging on to a customer base.  They are all good companies but are
not doing the world a favor by pooh-poohing the H.261 standard.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Curtis Sanford)
Subject: Re: Video Conference Standards
Date: 17 Aug 93 18:01:51 GMT
Organization: Ascend Communications, Alameda CA


It has been observed that a considerable increase in audio quality, as
well as picture quality, may be realized by going from 2*56kbps to
3*56kbps (168kbps) using Picturetel's SG3 algorithim.  This does
require a (low-end) inverse multiplexer.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: FCC Equal Access Order
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 14:59:30 GMT
Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory


In Article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mike
Ho) writes:

> *IF* I am reading this correctly, this order appears to prohibit the
> practice of charging 75 cents to reach an "800" number from inside a
> hotel, at least to the extent that the "800" number is used to reach a
> telephone company.

I don't see anything out of context, but I also don't see anything
supporting your opinion that the $.75 is illegal. If the hotel/aggregator
charges for long distance access through their default carrier, they
can charge it for access to any carrier whether by 800 or 10XXX (or
even 950).

The only way to be sure if it's legal is to check on the charges for
calls through the default carrier. If there is a flat fee on long
distance calls, that same fee may be charged for access to another
carrier. (This does not mean that there are not other charges tied to
the use of the default carrier.)

The FCC requires aggregators to make the fees charged for phone use
available.  (It hardly ever is, though.) If you can get it, it may be
the only way to tell if there is a charge for calls through the
default carrier as the call detail at checkout will merely show a
three minute call for $5.30 or some such. How much of the $5.30 is the
access charge? Who knows?


R. Kevin Oberman        Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Internet: [e-mail]    [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 08:35:11 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Phydeaux)
Subject: Readback of Phone Number in 212-319


For those of you in NYtel land, pressing 958 will get you a readback
of your own telephone number in the 212-319 exchange.  I guess it may
work for others as well.


Happy dialing,

reb

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gary Morris @ignite)
Subject: Re: AT&T Buys McCaw (Cellular One)
Organization: Alsys Group, San Diego, CA, USA
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 16:51:08 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Bryan D. Boyle)
writes:

> So, AT&T, rather than fighting, bought McCaw Communications today for
> $12 billion.  Now, this is interesting news.

Also in the news yesterday was an interesting item about McCaw and
PacTel getting approval to combine their cellular systems in a joint
venture.  PacTel Mobile Services will merge with the McCaw operation
in the Bay Area, PacTel will buy McCaw's systems in the Wichita and
Topeka, and also merge in their 34% ownership of a Dallas cellular
system.

This means it's really PacTel and AT&T that are in this joint venture.


Gary Morris               Internet: [e-mail]
TeleUSE/Ada Development   UUCP:     uunet!alsys.com!garym
Alsys Inc. (TeleSoft)     Phone:    [phone] x128
San Diego, CA, USA        Fax:      [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bill Hofmann)
Subject: Re: 10xxx NOT Allowed on 1-800
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 17:03:20 GMT


Just a minor addendum: you can't do 10xxx on 900 numbers either.


Bill Hofmann

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Fidonet Specs Wanted
From: [e-mail] (David Dodell)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (David Dodell)
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 08:56:17 MST
Organization: Stat Gateway Service, WB7TPY


[e-mail] (Rich Bauer) writes:

> Where can I obtain complete technical descriptions (and/or code) for
> writing applications which interface with the FIDONET network ?

The document you want is called FSC-001 ... this explains the basic
interface of exchanging email via Fidonet.  I am sure there are
additional documents for echomail (Fidonet's equivalent for newsgroups).
I don't know who is storing them these days, but you might try sending
email to:

[e-mail]

Or better yet, try ftp to ftp.ieee.org or kumr.lns.com ... they have
alot of Fidonet docs online.


David
Internet: [e-mail]      FAX: [phone]
Bitnet: ATW1H@ASUACAD         FidoNet=> 1:114/15
   Amateur Packet ax25: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 10:27:24 EDT
From: mr!dev2![e-mail] (Reid R. Buyaky)
Subject: Re: AT&T Spending $5(m) on Video Games


[e-mail] (John Schroeder) wrote:

> Actually, Sierra Inc. has a gaming BBS with interactive-online
> gaming.  They've been running it for over two years, if I remember the
> ads correctly, and apparently are doing well.  The BBS, from what I
> understand is about 80% gaming and 20% customer service -- selling
> games over the bbs and technical support type things

I apologize for the late response (I've been on vacation).

Sierra Online runs two electronic services for their customers.  One
is a simple multiline BBS for customer service, hints, and sales
activities.

Access to this system is free (except for the telco charges) to anyone
with a modem.

Their commercial service is The Sierra Network.  It is, in fact, the
service into which AT&T has invested.  When The Sierra Network was
being developed, I was a beta tester for Sierra, and had the
opportunity to use the earliest incarnation of the service.  It was
then called "Constant Companion" and was Ken Williams' idea for
providing a way for "home bound" individuals to socialize with others
at any time of the day or night.  He envisioned elderly or physically
challenged individuals congregating online for bridge, chess,
checkers, and other games requiring multiple players.

I've not used the service since the testing days, but know people who
are addicted to some of the online adventure games.

I seem to also recall that Prodigy is involved in the partnership with
Sierra and AT&T.


Reid R. Buyaky (Software Systems Engineer)
Micro Resources, Inc. -- [e-mail]
Heartland Multiline BBS - 614-846-7669
MajorNet - Sysop@HRT

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Flooding in the Midwest
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 13:01:58 CDT
From: Cliff Sharp <[e-mail]>


> [Moderator's Note: The American Red Cross is still making appeals for
> assistance with the midwest flooding. They need cash.  PAT]

   Don't forget the Salvation Army is out there in the area too,
helping to feed people and organize the distribution of badly-needed
goods.  They, too, can use cash, and if asked will earmark it for
flood relief.


Cliff Sharp  [e-mail]   OR  [e-mail]
  WA9PDM                Use whichever one works

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Phones Swamped When Elvis Died
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 11:33:34 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Tad Cook)


Carl Moore <[e-mail]> writes:

> Among the special TV and radio items on yesterdany (Aug. 15) about
> Elvis Presley was a 1977 broadcast from Memphis announcing his death;
> it included a public appeal not to make unnecessary phone calls,
> because of the Memphis area being swamped with calls as a result of
> Elvis' death (Aug. 16, 1977).

> I have not heard of any such thing happening when John Lennon was shot
> and killed very late Dec. 8, 1980 in New York.

I was in the University District in Seattle when the news came out
that Monday night.  I noticed some dialtone delay on two lines I had
from the Lakeview CO, which was a combination 1AESS and crossbar.  I
had one line from each part of the switch, and it seems like the delay
was worse on the older crossbar switch.  At the time I supposed that
the younger population of the U District was more likely to tie up the
network in response to the news than would other areas of town.  I
recall trying to call someone in the adjacent Campus CO to the south
and getting All Trunks Busy.  But the blockage is much worse and more
widespread here when we get an ocasional big snow.

I remember hearing an anecdote years ago from a Contel employee who
had heard a story from someone who was in a step office when Bobby
Kennedy was shot.  Allegedly the whole office "seized up", as
linefinders tried to deliver dialtone to too many lines all at once.

> I do know that fans gathered outside the Dakota, where Lennon
> lived, but it seems to me that he was more reclusive than Elvis.

I don't think so.  I think Elvis spent his last days holed up in
Graceland.  Friends in New York City told me that Lennon was quite
accessable.  In fact, Lennon signed an autograph and chatted with his
killer just hours before he was shot.


[e-mail]  (if it bounces, use [e-mail])
Tad Cook     Packet Amateur Radio:    Home Phone:
Seattle, WA  KT7H @ N7DUO.WA.USA.NA   206-527-4089

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 9:34:56 EDT
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Wait! Let me Get a Pen!


I take it something strange is going on if a number gets changed to
the same one?  Well, that could just be a matter of entering the wrong
number in the intercept message for the old number.

Several years ago, someone changed his number from a New Castle (Del.)
exchange to a Newark number, with that Newark number being the same as
mine except for two transposed digits.  Then the phone company
mistakenly entered my number in the intercept message for that old New
Castle number.  So I got some calls from people who dialed correctly
but who had been given the wrong number by the intercept.


[Moderator's Note: Sometime around 1974-75 when an office here was cut
to ESS (Chicago-Beverly on the far southwest side) some fool got the
exchanges 922 and 939 mixed up in whatever tables they use. I had the
office number WEbster-9-4600 in those days; Sears, Roebuck Credit Card
billing office had WABash-2-4600. I had two lines in rotary hunt;
Sears had a big five position cord board which rocked around the clock
with people crabbing about their credit card bills, etc. 922 and 939
are both in the same CO downtown -- Wabash -- and for two days running
I was flooded with wrong numbers; like a call every five minutes or so
and Sears probably never even missed them at all. Repair service got
it all untangled after a couple days of calls from me.  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #585
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa15894;
          18 Aug 93 13:49 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19919
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 21:45:36 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11086
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 21:44:57 -0500
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 21:44:57 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #586

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 17 Aug 93 21:45:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 586

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Looking For PC Voicemail Card (Frank Keeney)
    Re: Another Look at Alex Bell (Martin McCormick)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Arthur Rubin)
    Re: New Jersey Pulls the Plug on Computer-Dialed Calls (Dave Levenson)
    Re: Inter-LATA Caller*ID Arrives in NJ (Dave Levenson)
    Re: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea (Louis A. Mamakos)
    Re: Wiring/Schematics/Info on Merlin? (Dave Ptasnik)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Fritz Whittington)
    Re: AT&T Truvoice Demo (Mark Rudholm)
    Foreign Exchange Service (Jody Kravitz)
    First National Bank Story Available Using FTP (Alex Griffiths)
    Funny Newspaper Headlines (Bruce Sullivan)
    Ending Sentences With Propositions (John Shaver)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Frank Keeney)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 14:29:16 -0800
Subject: Re: Looking For PC Voicemail Card


On Aug 15 21:42, Jeffrey J. Radice wrote:

> I'm attempting to set up a friend's business for voicemail using his
> computer, so he doesn't have the overhead of paying a service for the
> same.  I am not entirely familiar with the hardware, and software
> required to do such a feat through a PC.

I have a Voicemail system on my home PC from Eden Technology. It seems
to work quite well. It will support up to 999 mailboxes which includes
Fax-Back built in.

It also supports:

   Notifying pagers after receiving a message.
   Call transfers on a PBX.
   Message forwarding to any preselected number.
   Complete remote control of any voice mailbox.
   Will share a phone line with a fax machine.

All the mailboxes are password protected and uses a "tree"
configuration using Windows 3.1 (it does not run in DOS.) You can make
the system very easy or complex depending on what you want. You can
setup almost any type of configuration.

I run the system on a 486DLC with 8 meg. ram. Eden Technology says it
will work with a system as small as a 286 with 2 meg. ram. It also has
a built in fax board and comes with Winfax. The software can import
any Windows document for "laser quality" faxes on the fax-back option.

> Could someone direct me to sources for such items, a FAQ, or
> the equivalent.  All, and any, help is appreciated.

I'm not sure of the price. I have mine on a semi-permanent loan from
the person who sells it. I set it up and administer it and he uses it
for demos.

If you would like to call it here it is:

[phone] Voice mail and Fax Back

You need to press "1" after the system says: "Press 1 to enter the
voice mail system".

Then press the extension number or listen to the directory.

Here are some voice mailboxes that you can call:

402 Frank Keeney (me)
200 JT&T Manufacturing (they sell the system.)
201 Sample fax-back (use your fax machine to try it.)

No flames please. I do not make any money from the sales of this
product. This is for your information only.


Frank Keeney                   E-mail  [e-mail]
115 W. California Blvd., #411  Fidonet 1:102/645
Pasadena, CA 91105-1509 USA    UUCP    hatch!calcom!frank
FAX     [phone]        Voice Mail [phone] x402

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Martin McCormick)
Subject: Re: Another Look at Alex Bell
Organization: Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 21:36:54 GMT


    The arguments about deaf culture sure sound familiar.  They
are much like arguments that go on in the blind communities about such
things as learning or not learning Braille, whether or not to use a
white cane or dog guide, etc.  They sound familiar because they
usually spring from a tiny fragment of valid philosophy and are fanned
in to full flame by lots of sociopolitical ranting which produces much
more heat than light.

    All other things being equal, it would seem that the ultimate
goal of any group of people with a common disability would be to do
what ever was necessary to become a part of the rest of society.  In
the case of blind people, this involves things like learning typing in
order to write messages that can be read by the rest of the public,
white cane or dog-guide mobility so that one can safely get around on
his or her own, and socialization skills which can only be gotten by
interacting with the rest of the world.

    I have a very passing acquaintance with deaf people because I
worked in a business that also employed several deaf men.  They used
sign language, written communication, and TDD's.  Sometimes, when
there was a complex interaction between a mixture of hearing and deaf
people, there would be problems involving bits of the game plan being
confused or jumbled simply due to communication lapses and nothing
more.  It would seem that a deaf person would want to learn both oral
skills and sign language as well as written communication in order to
have as many channels open as possible.

    If you wonder about communication between blind and deaf
people, it can get rather interesting if the blind person does not
know the manual alphabet which I don't.

    One day, I walked over to a part of the plant to do something
that I normally did not do.  One of the deaf workers thought I had
just made a wrong turn and nicely, but forcefully guided me back to
where I had started.  I mouthed the name of the machine I was going to
and started back there again. Again, I felt the same hand on my
shoulder pulling me back to the starting position.  Finally, one of
the supervisors came over to see what the heck was going on and I
explained.  I also asked him to thank the other worker for helping.
The whole thing was rather funny, but I really understood the other
man's communication problem because, right then, it was a shared
problem.


Martin McCormick WB5AGZ   Stillwater, OK
O.S.U. Computer Center Data Communications Group

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Leftover Drops
From: [e-mail] (Arthur Rubin)
Date: 17 Aug 93 18:17:35 GMT
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Arthur Rubin)


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl)
writes:

> Some states, among them Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida,
> Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota,
> Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia, have the policy that the demarc in
> a multi-tenant building is at the point of entry for the building.

True.

> This means that if you are a tenant in a building in one of those states,
> you are at the mercy of the landlord for the wire that goes from the
> point of entry to your space.  A jerk landlord will say that the only
> way an extra line can be run from the POE to your space is for telco
> to do it (at telco hourly rates, of course, since from telco's point
> of view that is customer wire (inside wire).  And the jerk landlord
> will refuse to maintain that wire, leaving you to have to pay for
> inside wire maintenance as your only way of being sure that wire will
> be maintained without unexpected expense to you.

That last is now false, and may have been false for a while.  For
quite a while, landlords have been responsible for maintaining, at the
landlords' expense, wires inside a tenant's apartment.  (It should be
noted that this does give a landlord a reasonable excuse not to allow
a tenant to install an additional (or any) phone lines.)  A recent PUC
requires building owners to maintain wiring between the demarc and the
"apartment demarc", to use an intentionally incorrect phrase.


Arthur L. Rubin: [e-mail] (work) Beckman Instruments/Brea
[e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] (personal)
My opinions are my own, and do not represent those of my employer.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Levenson)
Subject: Re: New Jersey Pulls the Plug on Computer-Dialed Calls
Organization: Westmark, Inc.
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 22:26:32 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Gary
Merinstein) writes:

> Thank God! I was sooo tired of getting those endless calls to sell me
> a mausoleum plot ...

You'll still get those calls.  The law only applies to calls
originated from telephones in New Jersey.  The Garden State is not in
any position to legislate calls placed to New Jersey telephones from
out of state.

But I agree -- it's a step in the right direction.


Dave Levenson        Internet: [e-mail]
Westmark, Inc.        UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave
Stirling, NJ, USA    Voice: 908 647 0900  Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Levenson)
Subject: Re: Inter-LATA Caller*ID Arrives in NJ
Organization: Westmark, Inc.
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 22:05:55 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Terry Kennedy) writes:

> Of course, subscribers with large numbers of terminating calls can
> already bypass the local operating company and get the calls delivered
> via T1. The IXC normally passes all or part of the savings on to the
> customer (as reduced rates for incoming 800 calls, etc.). It would be
> interesting to see if anyone has been able to get Caller ID delivery
> from an IXC via this method.

Caller*ID (or as it is usually called in such cases, ANI) is now and
long been available to subscribers who pay for it with bypass services.
This includes AT&T's Megacom and MCI and Sprint's competitive offerings.


Dave Levenson        Internet: [e-mail]
Westmark, Inc.        UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave
Stirling, NJ, USA    Voice: 908 647 0900  Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Louis A. Mamakos)
Subject: Re: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea
Date: 18 Aug 1993 00:24:08 GMT
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
writes:

> As part of my advocacy of 900 alternatives, the UUNet 900 service does
> present an interesting challenge for those wanting to use a credit
> card instead of a 900 number. Since the login is accomplished via a
> UUCP connection script, it seems feasible for UUnet to accept a credit
> card number as part of the connection sequence. Or even use the credit
> card information as the "login" line. UUNet could dial out and verify
> the credit card information before it allows the user to make a
> transaction. By using a non800 number, the only risk incurred would be
> the theft of service but UUNet would not be stuck with 800 or 900
> number charges if the credit card proved bogus.

Sure all this is possible, but is it worth the effort?  First, if the
service isn't easy to use, then potential customers are not as likely
to want to go to all the trouble to set their system up.  Second, I'd
certainly think twice before passing my credit card number to anyone.
Third, actually accepting credit cards and doing the validation is
probably a big effort too.  Is there really sufficient return on this
much investment in effort to make it worthwhile?  Especially since the
900 service provider is doing all of the hard part for you.


Louis Mamakos

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Ptasnik)
Subject: Re: Wiring/Schematics/Info on Merlin?
Date: 17 Aug 1993 22:09:21 GMT
Organization: University of Washington


Geez, its been a while, but I think that the innermost pair is tip and
ring, the next pair out is signalling to the set, the next pair out is
power to the set, and the outermost pair is a second tip and ring for
simultaneous voice and data, or voice announce over busy.  Seems to me
that if you use local power, you can run a Merlin on two pair wire,
instead the the excessive four pair that spec requires.


All of the above is nothing more than the personal opinion of -

Dave Ptasnik     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Fritz Whittington)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 18:34:38 CDT


In comp.dcom.telecom [e-mail] (A. Padgett Peterson)
writes:

> The first multiple definition acronym that I am aware of was SNAFU
> duning WWII or "Situation Normal, All F...ed Up" from this was
> derived, FUBB (F...ed Up Beyond Belief), FUBAR (above), and, in the
> Air Force the B-52 became BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F....er) in this case the
> "public" translation was "Fellow". The most creative one I know of is
> IHTFP which, often posted in public ares was "officially" translated
> as "I Have Truely Found Paradise" and in private as "I Hate This
> F...ing Place".

> Since military technicians often became civilian technicians and
> engineers, this tradition has carried forward in RTFM and RTFM-P
> ("Read The F...ing Manual" and "Read The F...ing Manual - Please !")
> though pronunciation is not easy. Of course in E-Mail, pronunciation
> is unnecessary 8*).

One military acronym (germane to wireless com if not telecom) I heard
from my father, who was a CW operator with the Signal Corps in WWII.
Lots of operators sat wearing headphones in front of typewriters,
copying five-letter code groups from incoming messages.  As a
complication to the enemy code-breakers, when there was no legitimate
traffic, the transmitting end often sent gibberish.  To ensure this
was really random gibberish, it was sent by machine.  Experienced
operators learned to recognize this mechanical "fist" and knew that it
was 'busy traffic'.  So rather than bother to copy it verbatim they
would just repeatedly type BTSOM BTSOM BTSOM ... until they started
getting "real" traffic again.

(This mechanical fist was soon recognized as a potential aid to the
enemy code-breakers, as they could also recognize the spoof traffic
and therefore concentrate on breaking the real traffic.  Since
individual human 'fists' also could help in traffic analysis, the Army
solved the problem by having all traffic sent by mechanical means.
The receiving end, of course, wasn't so easy to mechanize ...)

Oh, what does BTSOM stand for?  Dunno, Beats The Sh*t Outta Me!


Fritz Whittington Texas Instruments, P.O. Box 655474, MS 446 Dallas, TX 75265
    Shipping address: 13510 North Central Expressway, MS 446 Dallas, TX 75243
[e-mail]                 Office: [phone]     FAX: [phone]
Since I am not an official TI spokesperson, these opinions contain no spokes.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 18:30:57 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Mark Rudholm)
Subject: Re: AT&T Truvoice Demo


But wait a second, isn't demonstrating Truvoice over an obstensively
non-truvoice line (they haven't installed it yet) like demonstrating
HDTV via a regular NTSC broadcast?

Makes you wonder if anyone in marketing anywhere understands simple
logic.


Mark D. Rudholm    Philips Interactive Media
[e-mail]  11050 Santa Monica Boulevard
[phone]    Los Angeles, CA  90025

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 18:02:06 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Jody Kravitz)
Subject: Foreign Exchange Service


I've been trying to find ways of reducing the phone costs for my
wife's business and have been getting the runaround from Pacific Bell.

My wife is a veterinarian and runs a mobile clinic from a specially
converted motor home.  Most of her clients are from an a nearby
mountain community.  That community has a #5ESS which is slaved off
the #5ESS switch in our home town.

Despite the proximity of the mountain town, incoming and outgoing
calls are expensive.  The cost of a daytime call to (or from) the town
is $0.10 * (minutes+1).  We had about $80.00 in calls to there last
month and the volume is increasing.  Oddly, calls to (or from) another
(smaller) town in the same general direction, but further away, are
free.

Since she has no "office", we terminated her business phone line in
our residence.  That has worked well, but in order to appear more
"permanent" to her customers in the neighboring town, we recently
installed a "vanity" number (xxx-0500) in that town with remote call
forwarding to our regular business number.  This saves the caller the
cost of calling our "old" business number, but in addition to the cost
of the service, each forwarded call costs us $0.10 * (minutes+1).

I recently discovered that one of my neighbors has "foreign exchange
service" in their residence.  This seemed like it might be a good
idea, so I placed several calls to Pacific Bell's residence and
business service offices.  My first conversation was with a residence
service rep who seemed informed and helpful.  My second call was to a
business rep who seemed to want to keep me uninformed.  She left me so
angry I felt I was talking to Ernestine the operator in a Lily Tomlim
skit.

I have several unanswered questions:

Neither rep could explain to me how "engineering" computed the mileage
numbers for the "foreign exchange service" rates I was quoted.  One of
the numbers was called "suburban mileage" and the other was something
like "distance between rate centers".  The COs are 15+ air miles
apart, and my home is 19 air miles from the foreign CO.  I was quoted
three "quarter-mile units of suburban mileage and 37 "quarter-mile
units between rate centers".

Can anyone define the true meanings of these terms for me ?

The business service rep said the location of the rate centers was
"proprietary".  Can this be true ?

The residence rep said that unmeasured (untimed) FX service was no
longer available.  The per-call charges are the same as local measured
service.  The #5ESS switches and the time-sensitivity leads me to
wonder about the implementation.

Do they actually allocate a circuit (or subchannel on a T1)
permanently, or do they allocate on the fly? Gee, could I get a fast
busy from the local CO instead of remote dial-tone on a bad day?

I assume that the real cost of providing service to residences and
businesses are the same.  I further believe that business usage IS
rate sensitive.

Is this assumption way off?

If not, why are residences given more incentives (through lower rates,
additional "plans", etc) to make more calls, yet businesses are not?

The residence rep suggested that the coming Intra-Lata competition
would precipitate a variety of new, more competitive rates and
"packages".  He also said that some "very short haul" Intra-Lata calls
would be "protected" from competition.  He was pretty sure that calls
from our home town to the neighboring mountain town would be
"protected".

Why would/should any toll calls be protected from competition?

------------------------------

Subject: First National Bank Story Available Using FTP
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 17:17:20 -0700
From: Alex Griffiths <[e-mail]>


Thanks for sending it along.  If you want you can inform people that
the file is available via anonymous ftp from ftp.ossi.com in
/pub/first-national-bank-story.  Any questions about the ftp service
can be sent to me, [e-mail].


Cheers,

alex


[Moderator's Note: I mailed out several hundred copies of 'FNB, The
Post Office and Me' over the past couple days. If it is easier for
anyone to get it via FTP, the message above tells how. To those who
requested it, I hope you enjoyed it!  :)   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 19:14 GMT
From: Bruce Sullivan <[e-mail]>
Subject: Funny Newspaper Headlines


> [Moderator's Note: Newspaper headlines can be very funny at times, and
> occassionally it is quite by accident until after people see it in
> print.

Pat,

Back in the late '70s, two local politicians were running against one
another for (as I recall) a State House seat. One, Norm Dicks, has
gone on to Washington DC as an esteemed CongressPerson. The other
Gentleman, who has passed into obscurity (and whose first name I
subsequently) can't recall) had the last name of Beaver. As you can
imagine, the juxtapostition of those two names in print let to some
entertaining headlines. One that I recall -- I still have a copy
somewhere -- appeared in the {Seattle Post-Intelligencer}:

              "Chips Fly as Beaver and Dicks Meet."

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 10:39:45 MST
From: John Shaver <[e-mail]>
Subject: Ending Sentences With Propositions


Pat,

A friend of mine credits the line with a newspaperman named Carl
Sandburg.  It was intentional.


[Moderator's Note: Sorry, I don't think that is correct. The very
famed American poet Carl Sandburg *was* a music and theatre critic
for the {Chicago Daily News} under the tenure of its first publisher
Victor Lawson (for whom the Lawson YMCA here is named for any Chicago
readers who care). But we are talking 1900-1915, when Sandburg was a
resident here, and wrote his poems with Chicago as his subject. He
moved to Michigan with his family sometime around 1915 or so, and only
made an occassional appearance in the {Daily News} after that. He
would have not been employed by the newspaper as late as 1935, that
much I can tell you. Any journalism specialists among our readers who
can recall the exact author of 'ending sentence with proposition'?  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #586
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa15966;
          18 Aug 93 13:51 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA16578
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 20:41:53 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA17751
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 17 Aug 1993 20:41:13 -0500
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 20:41:13 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Call For Clipper Comments

Too large for a regular issue of the Digest, and passed along FYI
to the group.


PAT

   Organization: CPSR Washington Office
   From: Dave Banisar <[e-mail]>
   Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 14:23:16 EST
   Subject: Call for Clipper Comments


Call for Clipper Comments

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has
issued a request for public comments on its proposal to establish
the "Skipjack" key-escrow system as a Federal Information
Processing Standard (FIPS).  The deadline for the submission of
comments is September 28, 1993.  The full text of the NIST notice
follows.

CPSR is urging all interested individuals and organizations to
express their views on the proposal and to submit comments
directly to NIST.  Comments need not be lengthy or very detailed;
all thoughtful statements addressing a particular concern will
likely contribute to NIST's evaluation of the key-escrow proposal.

The following points could be raised about the NIST proposal
(additional materials on Clipper and the key escrow proposal may
be found at the CPSR ftp site, cpsr.org):

* The potential risks of the proposal have not been assessed and
many questions about the implementation remain unanswered.  The
NIST notice states that the current proposal "does not include
identification of key escrow agents who will hold the keys for the
key escrow microcircuits or the procedures for access to the
keys."  The key escrow configuration may also create a dangerous
vulnerability in a communications network.  The risks of misuse of
this feature should be weighed against any perceived benefit.

* The classification of the Skipjack algorithm as a "national
security" matter is inappropriate for technology that will be used
primarily in civilian and commercial applications.  Classification
of technical information also limits the computing community's
ability to evaluate fully the proposal and the general public's
right to know about the activities of government.

* The proposal was not developed in response to a public concern
or a business request.  It was put forward by the National
Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation so that
these two agencies could continue surveillance of electronic
communications. It has not been established that is necessary for
crime prevention.  The number of arrests resulting from wiretaps
has remained essentially unchanged since the federal wiretap law
was enacted in 1968.

* The NIST proposal states that the escrow agents will provide the
key components to a government agency that "properly demonstrates
legal authorization to conduct electronic surveillance of
communications which are encrypted."  The crucial term "legal
authorization" has not been defined.  The vagueness of the term
"legal authorization" leaves open the possibility that court-
issued warrants may not be required in some circumstances.  This
issue must be squarely addressed and clarified.

* Adoption of the proposed key escrow standard may have an adverse
impact upon the ability of U.S. manufacturers to market
cryptographic products abroad.  It is unlikely that non-U.S. users
would purchase communication security products to which the U.S.
government holds keys.


Comments on the NIST proposal should be sent to:

Director, Computer Systems Laboratory
ATTN: Proposed FIPS for Escrowed Encryption Standard
Technology Building, Room B-154
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Submissions must be received by September 28, 1993.  CPSR has
asked NIST that provisions be made to allow for electronic
submission of comments.

Please also send copies of your comments on the key escrow
proposal to CPSR for inclusion in the CPSR Internet Library, our
ftp site.  Copies should be sent to <[e-mail]>.



=================================================================

                         FEDERAL REGISTER
                         VOL. 58, No. 145

                     DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (DOC)
        National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

                     Docket No. 930659-3159
                         RIN 0693-AB19

A Proposed Federal Information Processing Standard for an Escrowed
Encryption Standard (EES)

                        58 FR 40791

                     Friday, July 30, 1993

Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY: A Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) for an
Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES) is being proposed. This
proposed standard specifies use of a symmetric-key
encryption/decryption algorithm and a key escrowing method which
are to be implemented in electronic devices and used for
protecting certain unclassified government communications when
such protection is required. The algorithm and the key escrowing
method are classified and are referenced, but not specified, in
the standard.

   This proposed standard adopts encryption technology developed
by the Federal government to provide strong protection for
unclassified information and to enable the keys used in the
encryption and decryption processes to be escrowed. This latter
feature will assist law enforcement and other government agencies,
under the proper legal authority, in the collection and decryption
of electronically transmitted information. This proposed standard
does not include identification of  key escrow  agents who will
hold the keys for the  key escrow  microcircuits or the procedures
for access to the keys. These issues will be addressed by the
Department of Justice.

   The purpose of this notice is to solicit views from the public,
manufacturers, and Federal, state, and local government users so
that their needs can be considered prior to submission of this
proposed standard to the Secretary of Commerce for review and
approval.

   The proposed standard contains two sections: (1) An
announcement section, which provides information concerning the
applicability, implementation, and maintenance of the standard;
and (2) a specifications section which deals with the technical
aspects of the standard. Both sections are provided in this
notice.


DATES: Comments on this proposed standard must be received on or
before September 28, 1993.


ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning the proposed standard
should be sent to: Director, Computer Systems Laboratory, ATTN:
Proposed FIPS for Escrowed Encryption Standard, Technology
Building, room B-154, National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

   Written comments received in response to this notice will be
made part of the public record and will be made available for
inspection and copying in the Central Reference and Records
Inspection Facility, room 6020, Herbert C. Hoover Building, 14th
Street between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues, NW.,
Washington, DC 20230.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Dennis Branstad, National
Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899,
telephone [phone].


   SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposed FIPS implements the
initiative announced by the White House Office of the Press
Secretary on April 16, 1993. The President of the U.S. approved a
Public Encryption Management directive, which among other actions,
called for standards to facilitate the procurement and use of
encryption devices fitted with  key-escrow  microcircuits in
Federal communication systems that process sensitive, but
unclassified information.

   Dated: July 26, 1993.

 Arati Prabhakar,
 Director.(NIST)


----------------------------------------------------
 Federal Information Processing Standards Publication XX
 1993 XX
 Announcing the Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES)

   Federal Information Processing Standards Publications (FIPS
PUBS) are issued by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) after approval by the Secretary of Commerce
pursuant to section 111(d) of the Federal Property and
Administrative Services Act of 1949 as amended by the Computer
Security Act of 1987, Public Law 100-235.

 Name of Standard: Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES).

 Category of Standard: Telecommunications Security.

 Explanation: This Standard specifies use of a symmetric-key
encryption (and decryption) algorithm and a Law Enforcement Access
Field (LEAF) creation method (one part of a  key escrow  system)
which provide for decryption of encrypted telecommunications when
interception of the telecommunications is lawfully authorized.
Both the algorithm and the LEAF creation method are to be
implemented in electronic devices (e.g., very large scale
integration chips). The devices may be incorporated in security
equipment used to encrypt (and decrypt) sensitive unclassified
telecommunications data. Decryption of lawfully intercepted
telecommunications may be achieved through the acquisition and use
of the LEAF, the decryption algorithm and escrowed key components.

   To escrow something (e.g., a document, an encryption key) means
that it is "delivered to a third person to be given to the grantee
only upon the fulfillment of a condition" (Webster's Seventh New
Collegiate Dictionary). A key escrow  system is one that entrusts
components of a key used to encrypt telecommunications to third
persons, called key component escrow agents. In accordance with
the common definition of "escrow", the key component escrow agents
provide the key components to a "grantee" (i.e., a government
agency) only upon fulfillment of the condition that the grantee
properly demonstrates legal authorization to conduct electronic
surveillance of communications which are encrypted using the
specific device whose key component is requested. The key
components obtained through this process are then used by the
grantee to reconstruct the device unique key and obtain the
session key (contained in the LEAF) which is used to decrypt the
telecommunications that are encrypted with that device. The term,
"escrow", for purposes of this standard, is restricted to the
dictionary definition.

   The encryption/decryption algorithm has been approved for
government applications requiring encryption of sensitive
unclassified telecommunications of data as defined herein. The
specific operations of the algorithm and the LEAF creation method
are classified and hence are referenced, but not specified, in
this standard.

   Data, for purposes of this standard, includes voice, facsimile
and computer information communicated in a telephone system.
Telephone system, for purposes of this standard, is limited to
systems circuit-switched up to no more than 14.4 kbs or which use
basic-rate ISDN, or to a similar grade wireless service.

   Data that is considered sensitive by a responsible authority
should be encrypted if it is vulnerable to unauthorized disclosure
during telecommunications. A risk analysis should be performed
under the direction of a responsible authority to determine
potential threats and risks. The costs of providing encryption
using this standard as well as alternative methods and their
respective costs should be projected. A responsible authority
should then make a decision, based on the risk and cost analyses,
whether or not to use encryption and then whether or not to use
this standard.

 Approving Authority: Secretary of Commerce.

 Maintenance Agency: Department of Commerce, National Institute of
Standards and Technology.

 Applicability: This standard is applicable to all Federal
departments and agencies and their contractors under the
conditions specified below. This standard may be used in designing
and implementing security products and systems which Federal
departments and agencies use or operate or which are operated for
them under contract. These products may be used when replacing
Type II and Type III (DES) encryption devices and products owned
by the government and government contractors.

   This standard may be used when the following conditions apply:

   1. An authorized official or manager responsible for data
security or the security of a computer system decides that
encryption is required and cost justified as per OMB Circular A-
130; and

   2. The data is not classified according to the National
Security Act of 1947, as amended, or the Atomic Energy Act of
1954, as amended.

   However, Federal departments or agencies which use encryption
devices for protecting data that is classified according to either
of these acts may use those devices also for protecting
unclassified data in lieu of this standard.

   In addition, this standard may be adopted and used by non-
Federal Government organizations. Such use is encouraged when it
provides the desired security.

Applications: Devices conforming to this standard may be used for
protecting unclassified communications.

 Implementations: The encryption/decryption algorithm and the LEAF
creation method shall be implemented in electronic devices (e.g.,
electronic chip packages) that can be physically protected against
unauthorized entry, modification and reverse engineering.
Implementations which are tested and validated by NIST will be
considered as complying with this standard. An electronic device
shall be incorporated into a cyptographic module in accordance
with FIPS 140-1. NIST will test for conformance with FIPS 140-1.
Cryptographic modules can then be integrated into security
equipment for sale and use in an application. Information about
devices that have been validated, procedures for testing equipment
for conformance with NIST standards, and information about
obtaining approval of security equipment are available from the
Computer Systems Laboratory, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

 Export Control: Implementations of this standard are subject to
Federal Government export controls as specified in title 22, Code
of Federal Regulations, parts 120 through 131 (International
Traffic of Arms Regulations -ITAR). Exporters of encryption
devices, equipment and technical data are advised to contact the
U.S. Department of State, Office of Defense Trade Controls for
more information.   Patents: Implementations of this standard may
be covered by U.S. and foreign patents.

 Implementation Schedule: This standard becomes effective thirty
days following publication of this FIPS PUB.

 Specifications: Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS
XXX)(affixed).

 Cross Index:

   a. FIPS PUB 46-2, Data Encryption Standard.

   b. FIPS PUB 81, Modes of Operation of the DES

   c. FIPS PUB 140-1, Security Requirements for Cryptographic
Modules.


 Glossary:

   The following terms are used as defined below for purposes of
this standard:

   Data-Voice, facsimile and computer information communicated in
a telephone system.

   Decryption-Conversion of ciphertext to plaintext through the
use of a cryptographic algorithm.

   Device (cryptographic)-An electronic implementation of the
encryption/decryption algorithm and the LEAF creation method as
specified in this standard.

   Digital data-Data that have been converted to a binary
representation.

   Encryption-Conversion of plaintext to ciphertext through the
use of a cryptographic algorithm.

   Key components-The values from which a key can be derived
(e.g., KU sub 1 + KU sub 2).

   Key escrow -A process involving transferring one or more
components of a cryptographic key to one or more trusted key
component escrow agents for storage and later use by government
agencies to decrypt ciphertext if access to the plaintext is
lawfully authorized.

   LEAF Creation Method 1-A part of a  key escrow  system that is
implemented in a cryptographic device and creates a Law
Enforcement Access Field.

   Type I cryptography-A cryptographic algorithm or device
approved by the National Security Agency for protecting classified
information.

   Type II cryptography-A cryptographic algorithm or device
approved by the National Security Agency for protecting sensitive
unclassified information in systems as specified in section 2315
of Title 10 United State Code, or section 3502(2) of Title 44,
United States Code.

   Type III cryptography-A cryptographic algorithm or device
approved as a Federal Information Processing Standard.

   Type III(E) cryptography-A Type III algorithm or device that is
approved for export from the United States.

 Qualifications. The protection provided by a security product or
system is dependent on several factors. The protection provided by
this standard against key search attacks is greater than that
provided by the DES (e.g., the cryptographic key is longer).
However, provisions of this standard are intended to ensure that
information encrypted through use of devices implementing this
standard can be decrypted by a legally authorized entity.

 Where to Obtain Copies of the Standard: Copies of this
publication are for sale by the National Technical Information
Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. When
ordering, refer to Federal Information Processing Standards
Publication XX (FIPS PUB XX), and identify the title. When
microfiche is desired, this should be specified. Prices are
published by NTIS in current catalogs and other issuances. Payment
may be made by check, money order, deposit account or charged to a
credit card accepted by NTIS.
 Specifications for the Escrowed Encryption Standard


 1. Introduction

   This publication specifies Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES)
functions and parameters.


 2. General

   This standard specifies use of the SKIPJACK cryptographic
algorithm and the LEAF Creation Method 1 (LCM-1) to be implemented
in an approved electronic device (e.g., a very large scale
integration electronic chip). The device is contained in a logical
cryptographic module which is then integrated in a security
product for encrypting and decrypting telecommunications.

   Approved implementations may be procured by authorized
organizations for integration into security equipment. Devices
must be tested and validated by NIST for conformance to this
standard. Cryptographic modules must be tested and validated by
NIST for conformance to FIPS 140-1.


 3. Algorithm Specifications

   The specifications of the encryption/decryption algorithm
(SKIPJACK) and the LEAF Creation Method 1 (LCM-1) are classified.
The National Security Agency maintains these classified
specifications and approves the manufacture of devices which
implement the specifications. NIST tests for conformance of the
devices implementing this standard in cryptographic modules to
FIPS 140-1 and FIPS 81.


 4. Functions and Parameters


 4.1 Functions

   The following functions, at a minimum, shall be implemented:

   1. Data Encryption: A session key (80 bits) shall be used to
encrypt plaintext information in one or more of the following
modes of operation as specified in FIPS 81: ECB, CBC, OFB (64) CFB
(1, 8, 16, 32, 64).

   2. Data Decryption: The session key (80 bits) used to encrypt
the data shall be used to decrypt resulting ciphertext to obtain
the data.

   3.  Key Escrow:  The Family Key (KF) shall be used to create
the Law Enforcement Access Field (LEAF) in accordance with the
LEAF Creation Method 1 (LCM-1). The Session Key shall be encrypted
with the Device Unique Key and transmitted as part of the LEAF.
The security equipment shall ensure that the LEAF is transmitted
in such a manner that the LEAF and ciphertext may be decrypted
with legal authorization. No additional encryption or modification
of the LEAF is permitted.


 4.2 Parameters

   The following parameters shall be used in performing the
prescribed functions:

   1. Device Identifier (DID): The identifier unique to a
particular device and used by the  Key Escrow  System.

   2. Device Unique Key (KU): The cryptographic key unique to a
particular device and used by the  Key Escrow  System.

   3. Cryptographic Protocol Field (CPF): The field identifying
the registered cryptographic protocol used by a particular
application and used by the  Key Escrow  System (reserved for
future specification and use).

   4. Escrow Authenticator (EA): A binary pattern that is inserted
in the LEAF to ensure that the LEAF is transmitted and received
properly and has not been modified, deleted or replaced in an
unauthorized manner.

   5. Initialization Vector (IV): A mode and application dependent
vector of bytes used to initialize, synchronize and verify the
encryption, decryption and key escrow  functions.

   6. Family Key (KF): The cryptographic key stored in all devices
designated as a family that is used to create the LEAF.

   7. Session Key (KS): The cryptographic key used by a device to
encrypt and decrypt data during a session.

   8. Law Enforcement Access Field (LEAF): The field containing
the encrypted session key and the device identifier and the escrow
authenticator.


 5. Implementation

   The Cryptographic Algorithm and the LEAF Creation Method shall
be implemented in an electronic device (e.g., VLSI chip) which is
highly resistant to reverse engineering (destructive or non-
destructive) to obtain or modify the cryptographic algorithms, the
DID, the KF, the KU, the EA, the CPF, the operational KS, or any
other security or  Key Escrow  System relevant information. The
device shall be able to be programmed/personalized (i.e., made
unique) after mass production in such a manner that the DID, KU
(or its components), KF (or its components) and EA fixed pattern
can be entered once (and only once) and maintained without
external electrical power.

   The LEAF and the IV shall be transmitted with the ciphertext.
The specifics of the protocols used to create and transmit the
LEAF, IV, and encrypted data shall be registered and a CPF
assigned. The CPF shall then be transmitted in accordance with the
registered specifications.

   The specific electric, physical and logical interface will vary
with the implementation. Each approved, registered implementation
shall have an unclassified electrical, physical and logical
interface specification sufficient for an equipment manufacturer
to understand the general requirements for using the device. Some
of the requirements may be classified and therefore would not be
specified in the unclassified interface specification.

                 --------------------------

[Moderator's Note: I've a feeling this may have truncated prematurely,
but this is where it stopped on the copy I got here. If there is
anything of essence missing, Dave Banisar can let us know.   PAT]











Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa19027;
          18 Aug 93 17:35 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA10494
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 18 Aug 1993 14:51:50 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA12905
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 18 Aug 1993 14:51:06 -0500
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 14:51:06 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #587

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 18 Aug 93 14:51:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 587

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Telephony in 1926, Part 1 of ??? (Jim Haynes)
    Bionomics Conference to Explore the Telecosm (Alan T. Furman)
    Hey Warren! What are These? ([e-mail])
    Re: Last Laugh! Here We Go Again: What Are These? (Barry Mishkind)
    Warren the Mass Poster (Doug Sewell)
    Warren Victorian (Cliff Sharp)
    Our "Friend" Warren Victorian (Stephen Diercouff)
    Warren Did it Again (Bill Zimmer)
    He's Gone (John R. Grout)
    FTP Address Does Not Work (Eric A. Yruegas)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jim Haynes)
Subject: Telephony in 1926, Part 1 of ???
Date: 18 Aug 1993 06:19:46 GMT
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz


I was recently given a copy of the Southwestern Bell employee magazine
"Southwestern Telephone News", issue of October 1926, which was Volume
13, No. 10 and hence must have started publication about 1913.  This
article will be a summary of the contents; perhaps I'll type in or
review particular articles later.

The front cover shows a cable splicer hanging from a strand as he
splices an underground cable to an aerial cable in Dallas.

Repeated several times througout the issue is, "New Long Distance
rates and practices went into effect on October 1st.  Pamphlets giving
full information on these changes are available for all employees.
Study the rates carefully so that you can answer the questions of
subscribers."  I remember this attitude, that all employees should be
prepared to represent the company to the public, was later embodied in
a slogan, "To the public _you_ are the telephone company," that was
constantly presented to employees.

On page 2 is a photograph of sheep with their heads in the grass, and
an amusing caption: "Sheep (Eating). In July, our explanation that the
folks in the frontspiece were stacking wheat brought a protest from
Kansas that they were not stacking but were shocking wheat.  This time
we take no chances.  Grazing, as we remember, is the right term, but
we are not sheepherders. (Texas panhandle, please note.)"

The first article is a bio of Charles P. Cooper, former president of
Ohio Bell who was just elected vice-president of AT&T.

Next there are five pages with pictures reporting on a Telephone
Pioneers meeting in New York City.  Among other activities they
visited AT&T headquarters, Bell Labs, and New York Telephone
headquarters and were greeted by executives of those companies.  The
highlight was an address by Thomas A. Watson, who told of his
experiences as a colleague of Alexander Graham Bell.  This was
followed by a demonstration of talking movies, including one depicting
the invention of the telephone and narrated by Watson.

Then there is an article "Efficient and Courteous" by an anonymous
"counterman".  He tells of receiving a letter of commendation from a
customer.  Even though he had had to turn down the customer's request
for service he had fully explained why there was a shortage of
facilities in the customer's area, and the problems of the company in
extending its lines.

Then the medical director of AT&T writes to those who have just
returned from vacations, urging them to use their spare time during
the week as a "vacation all year."  He suggests they get out of doors,
do the essential chores, of course, but do something recreational.
"... forget as far as possible that you ever worked for the Telephone
Company."

The telephone exhibit at the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Exposition
is described, with a reminder that the telephone was first exhibited
at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia 50 years earlier.  The
1926 exhibit includes a showing of motion pictures, two of which are
talking.  One of these features Thomas A. Watson [and is presumably
the same film that was shown to the Pioneers]; and the other
"contrasts the noisy operating room and crude apparatus of the
eighties, when boys were operators, with the central office of the
present."

I guess in those days AT&T stock was marketed through telephone
offices, as there is an article about how an AT&T rights offering was
handled.  There are accounts of company employees persuading the
public to buy stock, and also of people who threw away the rights
documents, not realizing they had monetary value.

There's a sort item about telephone operators assisting when there was
an explosion at a high school, and another showing the first
installation of a P.A. system in a school, with switching so that
music or voice can be had in any combination of rooms.

Then there is the second part of an article reprinted from {Telephony}
by an operator, Manta J. Elder, about her experiences.  There were
annual floods when the Marais-des-Cygnes overran its banks near
Ottawa, Kansas.  Many operators lived across the river from the
telephone office and had to cross the river in canoes and stay at the
office so they would be available.  Also severe winters when the
streets were impassable to vehicles and the company sent horses to the
residence of each operator to bring them to work.  Sleet storms in
February took lines down, so things were very quiet at the switchboard
until service was restored; and then everybody wanted to use the
telephone.  She tells of working the last day at an old switchboard
before cutover to a new one in a new office.

     "The next day I went by the old office, and my feet naturally
     led me up the old stairway.  If I had known that I should see
     the salvaging force at their work, I would never had have the
     courage to enter the old room.  The board was already sadly
     wrecked.  It seemed to me that I was looking upon something
     almost human, which was being made to suffer after years of
     patient and loving service to a public which now gives it no
     thought.

     "As I walked on toward my home, I fell to thinking of the many
     and varied messages that had been carried through that old
     public servant.  The first news of special interest to all people
     handled through its channels was the news of Admiral Dewey's
     victory at Manila Bay, which occurred about three weeks after
     the installation of the board.

     "Service began on this old switchboard June 13, 1898, and
     except for one hour during President McKinley's funeral, until
     December, 1915, it was a living part of the community it so
     faithfully served."

She goes on to tell of the World War, and of the influenza epidemic.
Says that in earlier times the telephone operators often complained
that they were not appreciated by the public, but at the time of
writing most people are truly appreciative of their services.  A
little of the history of the company, which was originally the Kansas
City Telephone company, called the "Home" Company; at the time of
abandonment of the old switchboard the "Home" and "Bell" companies
were consolidated under the name of "The Kansas Telephone Company", in
the spring of 1915.  On January 1, 1926, the company was transferred
to Southwestern Bell.

Then there are three pages of managerial personnel changes, with some
portraits.  Then an article about formation of the Charles S.  Gleed
chapter of Telephone Pioneers in Kansas City, and an article about the
switchboard in St. Louis being extremely busy in the aftermath of the
St. Louis Cardinals winning the National League pennant.

A page of short items: Clemenceau quoted on the need for technical
experts to be aware of matters outside the scope of their expertise; a
comment on the article by "a counterman"; an article about the recent
AT&T stock issue; and a repeat of the item about new long distance
rates and practices.

Four pages with pictures about Bell Telephone Laboratores, and some
unrelated pictures of employees enjoying their summer vacations.

Two pages about Texas beginning a new billing method: instead of
billing all customers on the same day of the month they will spread
the billing dates throughout the month to smooth out the workload.

Two pages about handling mail in the headquarters mail room, the need
for good addresses, and the problem of customers sending cash in the
mail when paying their bills; an average of $15 a day is found in the
mail room when the supervisor has to open inadequately addressed mail.

Then a rather technical article, with schematic diagram, of a circuit
to simplify cutting phantom transpositions. (When a phantom circuit is
added to two existing circuits it is necessary to alter the way the
wires are transposed on the poles.  This must be done without
interrupting service on the exiting circuits any longer than
necessary.)

Two pages of service records, including portraits of seven men who
have worked a total of 185 years.

One page about the "first annual" Watermelon Festival in Hope, AR.

An article about keeping score on collection work; teams get points
for minimizing the need to communicate with subscribers to get them to
pay their bills.

Photographs of the new Norman, OK office, and an open house for
visitors.  Suggestions for Halloween costumes (illustrations) and two
pages of illustrations of ladies' fashion suggestions.  A page of
cartoons by "Stack", with a Halloween theme.

Three pages telling where every construction crew is working and what
jobs they are working on.  Some photos, including a cable splicer and
his helper with what appears to be a push cart containing their tools
and supplies.  A page with a map of the company's territory, showing
the locations of all lost-time accidents for the year.  Four pages of
social news: parties, retirements, contests won, other activities.
"Anyone at St. Louis Toll who wants a thrill, should let Miss Hogan
take them riding in her Ford.  She misses other cars by a fender."

A page "What I Did Today" containing stories by operators of how they
assisted the public.  A page of poetry written by telephone people.

Inside back cover, a list of the principal management officers of the
company and their titles.  Back cover, an AT&T advertisement.  This
one shows operators being delivered to their office in a truck in a
howling blizzard; and the text tells how people take the telephone for
granted, how different life would be without it, and how 300,000
telephone people work to maintain dependable service.


[e-mail]   [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Wow!! Thanks *very much*. I hope all the readers
got as much of a charge from your article as I did. Keep sending in
those old items when you find them.  Would you be willing to make
copies of that magazine and send them at cost to me or other readers
who ask for a copy?  I am putting your article especially in the
archives for further reference.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Bionomics Conference to Explore the Telecosm
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 23:04:29 PDT


Passed along FYI.

  From: "Michael L. Rothschild" <[e-mail]>
  Subject: Bionomics Conference Announcement


            CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT

    The Next Economy: An Evolving Information Ecosystem


The Sheraton at Fisherman's Wharf
San Francisco, California

Friday & Saturday
October 8 & 9, 1993

New technology is not just modifying the economy, it is transforming
the fundamental nature of economic life.

You are invited to attend the first conference of the Bionomics
Institute, an event which will bring together leading-edge thinkers
from a remarkable variety of disciplines-for the purpose of exploring
the technological, economic, and political implications of this
epochal shift.

We all recognize that the revolution in information technology is
changing our lives; but, how can we best comprehend what is happening
and what will happen next?  How must we reshape our basic thinking
about the world to make the most of the coming changes in our personal
lives, our business strategies, and our public policy?

Join us for two days of fresh, stimulating insights and discussion.
And bring an interested/ing friend.

Space is limited.  Register early

    George Gilder, keynote speaker

A leading thinker and writer on information technology, and its impact
on the economy, George Gilder will be our featured speaker.  Widely
admired for his penetrating analyses, he is the author of many books
including: Wealth and Poverty, The Spirit of Enterprise, Microcosm and
the forthcoming Telecosm.  His work stresses the role of markets and
entrepreneurial creativity in the emergence of the new technologies
that are reshaping the world.


Friday, October 8, 1993


    Of Nodes & Networks--Twin Revolutions in Technology

Federico Faggin, CEO of Synaptics, maker of neural network chips, led
the team that developed the original Intel microprocessor

Gilbert Amelio, CEO of National Semiconductor, inventor of the CCD
(Charged Coupled Device)

Carver Mead, Professor at CalTech, pioneer of VLSI silicon compilation
technology and the silicon foundry business model of the new wave
semiconductor industry

Dan Lynch, Chairman and Founder of Interop, presentor of the leading
computer networking trade show and conference


    Into the Telecosm

George Gilder, keynote address


    Bionomic Thinking for a New Economy

Bernd Heinrich, author of Bumblebee Economics, Professor of Zoology,
University of Vermont

Jack Birner, Professor of Economics, University of Maastricht

Michael Riordan, M.D., CEO of Gilead Sciences, a biotech firm which
employs "directed evolution" to discover new drugs

Mark S. Miller, Chief Technical Officer, Agoric Enterprises

Don Lavoie, Assistant Professor of Economics, George Mason University,
Chairman, Program on Social & Organizational Learning

Michael Rothschild, President, The Bionomics Institute, author of
Bionomics, columnist for Upside and Forbes ASAP


Saturday, October 9, 1993


    Simulating Evolution:  Demonstration & Workshop

Tom Ray, Professor of Ecology, University of Delaware will demonstrate
Tierra, a remarkable computer model which simulates spontaneous
self-organization and evolution.  Featured in Newsweek and other major
publications, Tom Ray's work represents a critical breakthrough in our
understanding of evolution.


    The Emerging Global Superorganism

Gregory Stock, Senior Fellow, Woodrow Wilson School, author of the
forthcoming Metaman: The Merging of Humans and Machines into a Global
Superorganism


    Accelerating Evolution Through New Public Policy

John Baden, Chairman, Foundation for Research on Economics and the
Environment, and noted expert on market-based environmentalism

Cynthia Beltz, Policy Analyst, American Enterprise Institute, and
expert on high-tech industrial policy

Marguerite Callaway, Principal, KPMG Peat Marwick's National Health
Care Strategy Practice

John L. Petersen, President of the Arlington Institute, and noted
expert on information technology and national security

Robert Poole, Jr., President, The Reason Foundation, and noted expert
on privatization of the public infrastructure

Michael Rothschild, President, The Bionomics Institute


    Registration Fee

The registration fee includes the program, light breakfast and lunch
on Friday and Saturday, and related reading materials. Orders should
be sent to:

The Bionomics Institute
2173 East Fransisco Blvd, Suite C
San Rafael, CA 94901
[phone]

Credit card registrations may be faxed to [phone].


Postmarked:        by Sept. 10    after Sept. 10

Regular            $150        $175
Student            $75        $100
One day (specify day)    $100        $125

Total amount: $_____________________________

Name: ______________________________________

Title: _____________________________________

Organization: ______________________________

Address: ___________________________________

City: _______________ State: ___ Zip: ______

Phone: ________________ Fax: _______________

EMail: _____________________________________

Card #: ___________________ Exp Date: ______

Signature: _________________________________

Payment may be made by VISA, Mastercard, check or international money
order valid in the U.S. Make checks payable to "The Bionomics
Institute;" checks and bank drafts must be in U.S. dollars drawn on a
U.S. bank.  Refunds of registration fees can only be made on receipt
of a written request which must be postmarked no later than September
15, and are subject to a $25 administrative fee.


    Site & Accomodations

Conference sessions will be held at the Sheraton at Fisherman's Wharf.
Accomodation arrangements should be made directly with the hotel.

Reservations should be made by September 10. When making reservations,
mention that you are attending the Bionomics Institute Conference to
obtain the lower conference room rate. Deposits in the amount of the
first night's stay plus tax are required to guarantee reservations,
these are refundable until 6pm on the date of arrival.

Sheraton at Fisherman's Wharf
2500 Mason Street
San Fransisco, CA 94133
[phone] fax: [phone]

Room rate: $120 Single or double occupancy plus 12% tax.
Trasportation: Information on ground transportation and maps will be
mailed to registrants.


        About The Bionomics Institute

    Exploring the New Economics of the Information Age

Two decades after the microprocessor's invention, the world economy is
in the throes of an epochal transformation--from the Machine Age to
the Information Age.  Unfortunately, traditional schools of economic
thought offer insufficient insight into the fundamental nature of the
emerging Information Age economy.  We are entering uncharted
territory.

To meet this challenge, bionomics suggests a new economic paradigm.
Where mainstream economics is based on concepts borrowed from
classical Newtonian physics, bionomics is derived from the teachings
of modern evolutionary biology.  Where orthodox thinking describes the
economy as a static, predictable engine, bionomics sees the economy as
a self-organizing, "chaotic" information ecosystem.  Where the
traditional view sees organizations as production machines, bionomics
sees organizations as intelligent social organisms.  Where
conventional business strategy focuses on physical capital, bionomics
holds that organizational learning is the ultimate source of all
profit and growth.

If the radical restructuring of business and governmental institutions
now underway were informed by bionomics, the transformation would be
far more effective and far less costly.  Consequently, The Bionomics
Institute seeks to educate corporate leaders, policy makers, and the
general public about bionomics.  The Bionomics Institute pursues these
objectives through public conferences, executive seminars, consulting
relationships, and publications.

                   -----------------------

Forwarded to the Internet TELECOM Digest by Alan T. Furman
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 13:34:02 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Hey Warren! What are These?


Pat - thought you might enjoy this - interesting concept! (grin).

Regards,

Harvey

   Forward message follows.
   To: [e-mail]
   From: Russ Kepler <[e-mail]>
   Posted: Aug 17 08:26
   Subject: Re: What are these?

> I found these wierd international phone sex lines in a magazine the
> otherday and I was just wondering how these people can offer a service
> like this for free. It makes no sence to me. Anyways it is pretty hardcore
> and anyone into that type of stuff should give it a shout.

I decided that someone as clever as Mr. "Victorian" needed something
else to occupy his time, so I sent him a chunk of /unix (uuencoded,
natch) and a full copy of /etc/termcap.  I think that'll help him
occupy his time rather than attempting scams on the readers of the
firearms mailing list.

I'm not suggesting mail bombing him, just noting what I felt was an
appropriate response to the rest of the list.  Remember, his mailing
address was: [e-mail].


Russ


[Moderator's Note: Actually, people *have* flooded the sysadmin there
with complaint mail. Please stop writing him.  Thanks.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (barry mishkind)
Subject: Re: Last Laugh! Here We Go Again: What Are these?
Organization: Datalog Consulting, Tucson, AZ
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 17:20:39 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Warren Victorian) writes:

> I found these wierd international phone sex lines in a magazine the
> other day and I was just wondering how these people can offer a service
> like this for free. It makes no sense to me. Anyways it is pretty
> hardcore and anyone into that type of stuff should give it a shout.

> [Moderator's Note: Gosh, not this one again. What's up Warren? Did
> Seth leave and get another job, or is this his day off? Since I assume

Apparently the "boys" have reached the "rec.arts.*" groups, as a whole
bunch of them got hit this morning.

May they end up with really bent fingers!


Barry Mishkind    [e-mail]    Tucson, Arizona

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Doug Sewell)
Subject: Warren the Mass Poster
Date: 17 Aug 1993 22:14:23 GMT
Organization: Youngstown State University


 From Warren's system administrator (re: "what are these numbers" posts).

(Incidentally, Warren's system, according to the header I saw before I
them all away, as well as the NIC "whois" database, is in the Seattle
W. Washington area (AC 206), just like Seth's accounts were.)

[ Article crossposted from news.admin.policy ]
[ Author was Brian Cartmell ([e-mail]) ]
[ Posted on 17 Aug 1993 10:45:22 -0700 ]

Ok, I have received about 1200+ messages on this user and expect about
another 1000+.  I'm still in the process of checking all the facts out
and shall post the findings later today. The user 'warren' account has
been expired and I don't think this kind of thing is going to happen
again. I don't really want to screen all outgoing postings but I shall
if I feel its going to stop activities like this.


Brian    sysadmin at cyberspace.com

                          -------------

Doug Sewell, Tech Support, Computer Center, Youngstown State University
[e-mail]       [e-mail]    <internet>!cc.ysu.edu!doug

------------------------------

Subject: Warren Victorian
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 0:38:55 CDT
From: Cliff Sharp <[e-mail]>


   I did a little research on the 011-239-xxx-xxxx numbers.

   Country code 239 is for an island called Sao Tome, near the equator
and just off the coast of Guinea and/or Gabon in Africa.  (I suppose
this qualifies the provider as having "the hottest sex line in the
world". :-) Calls to this number from area code 708 are $3.44 for the
first minute and $2.96 for every minute following.

   The AT&T operator who provided me with the name of the "country"
also suggested that phone numbers on that island are probably
five-digit numbers, so the seven digits provided (differing only in
the last two digits) are probably for the same telephone line and
intended to make the average person think a seven-digit number implies
a intranational call.


Cliff Sharp    [e-mail]   OR  [e-mail]
  WA9PDM                 Use whichever one works


[Moderator's Note: We understand and sympathize, Cliff. You only
called those numbers for the sake of research. It must have been a
difficult and uncomfortable assignment for you. Ah, the sacrifices we
must make at times, but someone had to do it!  :)    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Stephen Diercouff)
Subject: Our "Friend" Warren Victorian
Organization: tfm Associates, Ltd.
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 04:27:03 GMT


I thought you might be interested in how far Seth/Warren has
progressed in his perusal of the newsgroup hierarchy. This is from
rec.antiques.

> In article <[e-mail]> mouse@kuhub.
cc.ukans.edu writes:

>> In article <24q11e$[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
>> (Warren Victorian) writes:

>>> I found these wierd international phone sex lines in a magazine the

>> Dear Warren...

>> Antiques ALWAYS cost a lot of money, and antique sex lines are
>> especially popular at the moment.  The numbers you have listed are
>> actually serial numbers which demonstrate the lines were pro-
>> duced between 1893 and 1911... not quite antique, I agree, but
>> certainly of interest to a specialist collector in that genre.

> Oh. So that's the deal. I thought you'd call these lines and get
> really old people telling you to keep your knickers buttoned and
> threatening to wash your mouth out with soap if you said nasty words.


Regards,

Stephen Diercouff, tfm Associates, Ltd., Bellingham WA  voice: [phone]
Internet:  [e-mail]                                    fax: [phone]
UUCP: uunet!nwnexus!tfm!sgd   Snail: P.O. Box 5084/Bellingham WA 98227-5084

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 11:28:33 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Bill Zimmer)
Subject: Warren Did it Again


Pat, Warren evidently sent his message again to every newsgroup in
existance yesterday.  The following is from news.admin.policy:

 From: [e-mail] (Brian Cartmell)
 Newsgroups: news.admin.policy
 Subject: Re: WARREN THE MASS POSTER
 Date: 17 Aug 1993 21:50:41 -0700
 Organization: (CYBERSPACE) Public Internet 206.286.1600

Brian Cartmell ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Ok, I have received about 1200+ messages on this user and expect about
> another 1000+.  I'm still in the process of checking all the facts out
> and shall post the findings later today, the user 'warren' account has
> been expired and I dont think this kind of thing is going to happen
> again, I dont really want to screen all outgoing postings but I shall
> if I feel its going to stop activities like this.

> -Brian   sysadmin at cyberspace.com

Its me again, well now I have received over 3000 messages from some
really great people, and if that wasn't enough I now have fake email
messages coming in from fake addresses complaining about this guy.

I'll post more later.

Brian

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 17:09:22 CDT
From: [e-mail] (John R. Grout)
Subject: He's Gone
Reply-To: [e-mail]


[stuff deleted]

> [Moderator's Note: Gosh, not this one again. What's up Warren? Did
> Seth leave and get another job, or is this his day off? Since I assume
> you *know* how it is done (Lord knows everyone else on the net knows
> by now), I won't bother to explain it again. I deleted those numbers
> again also.

At my request, cyberspace pulled Warren's plug.


John R. Grout    INTERNET: [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: At *your* request?  Isn't that something! :)  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Eric A Yruegas)
Subject: FTP Address Given Does Not Work
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 12:06:48 EDT


Do you still have a copy of 'FNB and The Post Office & Me you could
send my way?  I tried to mail [e-mail] but got bounced mail ... FTP
yields no connection ... :( :(

Thanks in advance Pat!


Eric Yruegas (A most avid TELECOM Digest reader!)  [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Your copy was mailed to you, along with 489 other
requests in the past couple days. I do not know why [e-mail] said
his address and FTP connection would work if it does not. Maybe he
will see this and repair it.  My fingers are getting almost as sore as
Warren Victorian's must be.   PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #587
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa19883;
          18 Aug 93 19:04 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11668
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 18 Aug 1993 16:22:44 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA14538
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 18 Aug 1993 16:22:00 -0500
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 16:22:00 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #588

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 18 Aug 93 16:21:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 588

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    100% Moderation of News Groups - NOT (Paul Robinson)
    Re: 100% Moderation of News Groups - NOT (Erik E. Fair)
    Interconnect Schematics (Shelf, Cabinet Documentation, etc.) (M. Feil)
    World Record in Password Checking (Mark Boolootian)
    Orange Card Woes (Dave Rand)
    AT&T #206A2 Telephone Line Test Handsets (Christopher Zguris)
    What is RASCOM and S.I.T? (Keith Laaks)
    Telex <-> Internet Email? (Larry Walker)
    Touch-Tone Phones in Hong Kong (Hon Wah Chin)
    Category of Tones Used in CO (Yee-Lee Shyong)
    Wanted: Caller-Id With Serial Interface to PC (R. Vasan)
    Kids Having Phun With Phones (Doreen Hansen)
    Re: New Jersey Pulls the Plug on Computer-Dialed Calls (Gary Merinstein)
    Re: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea (Robert J Woodhead)
    Re: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea (Roy M. Silvernail)
    Re: FCC Equal Access Order (Charles Frankston)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 13:52:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Subject: 100% Moderation of News Groups. NOT.
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


Patrick Townson <[e-mail]>, Moderator of TELECOM
Digest (comp.dcom.telecom newsgroup) wrote in an issue of the Digest:

> I think we will see a number of changes in news as private ownership
> of the net gets underway.

More than half of the Internet was already privately operated long
before the changes being proposed were announced.

> Among other things, a large number of unmoderated newsgroups
> will be dropped, and requirements for posting will be
> tightened up.  Good idea?  No, not really, but I feel it is almost
> surely bound to happen.

As long as sites take a group, exactly 'who' is going to drop them?
Unless the sites that are taking news decide to stop carrying the
feeds, and the intermediate sites stop carrying traffic, the groups
will continue to operate.  Or are you claiming AT&T is going to tell
sites they can't carry news groups until they moderate them?  And who
is going to order this 'tightening up' of posting?  And what exactly
do they intend to do to those who don't comply?  Internet is
essentially an anarchy with a very small amount of control over the
content; short of a major "earthquake" class change, I find the type
of changes forseen as extreme.

What is the method?  Metering of traffic and very high traffic
charges?  Refusal to allow access to the NNTP port using TCP/IP?  And
don't forget that UUNET started the Alternet (ALT.*) groups to get out
of USENET rules on setting up groups; beyond that, any two or more
sites that want a particular subject can start a hierarchy and create
one or more news groups.  It is only to the extent that traffic
charges are very expensive that this scenario could happen.  This
assumes that there is no alternative available.  As most areas have at
least two or three competing regional connection services, this does
not seem likely either.  Scarcity and limiting only occur where there
are resource shortages.  That is (to the best of my knowledge) not
present in Internet.

> I think you will see moderated groups almost exclusively as
> the century comes to an end.   Again, a good idea? No, there
> is room for almost everyone on this internet; but I don't
> think the 'powers that be' in the next year or two or three
> are going to see it that way.  :(   PAT]

All that will happen is the same thing as BITNET (which is also being
gatewayed as the 'bit.listserv' news hierarchy); if 'they' whoever
that is, tries to reduce the number of 'news groups' then people will
move their discussions to mailing lists, and thus INCREASE the amount
of traffic over Internet, because now the messages will go twice; once
to the hub site(s) and then back out to the list subscribers.  If the
regular channels are denied, alternate ones will spring up; the mail
will go through.  And mailing lists can be set up to mail out using
the sender's address or the mailing list address; it may not be
possible to tell which is mail and which is a mailing list, assuming a
local site cares.

Who are these 'powers that be'?  The administrators of my news site --
Digital Express -- take all 3,000+ news groups except for the K12
groups due to legal questions about content exposed to minors; other
than that, they take everything, as does UUNET and many other places.
They could care less about the content; they deliver the messages to
whoever wants to read them.  And this is a commercial site intent on
making money.  Other commercial sites do the same thing; they take
everything passed to them and let the customers decide what they want
to read.

And who is going to do all of this 'moderation'.  The comp.os.vms
group generates perhaps 50 messages a day and is mirrored by five
different mail servers as INFO-VAX.  Who exactly, unless they can make
money from it, is going to moderate a high-volume news group?  Can we
expect to find hundreds of volunteer moderators willing to check every
message?  That's a little too much work for most people.

I will make this promise: the day that I hear any announcement of a
major change to Usenet such as large moderation, is the day I will
spend money out of my own pocket to open a reflector echo and carry
all 3,000+ news groups as mailing lists and carry everything anyone
wants to take.  And all messages will be sent to the newsgroups, plus
being mailed out regardless of so-called moderation.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Maybe what I should have said was as Internet
becomes totally operated by large telecom companies we are going to
see more and more restrictions on what the backbone sites will be
willing to handle and pricing for connectivity will reach such high
levels that a lot of sites -- maybe most or all -- will find it
totally unaffordable to continue carrying all or even a large subset
of the groups. I doubt anyone will come along and say 'this newsgroup
is no longer in existence', but where there is no one willing to foot
the cost of transporting the group, the group might as well not exist.
I think you will find all sorts of rules and pronouncements coming
down about newsgroups having to 'pay their own way', etc. I doubt that
MCI is going to give a free ride to the talk and misc groups, to name
one example. Of course anyone is free to make a phone call and pass a
full newsfeed UUCP-style to anyone they want; but that is going to
become old real fast when the phone bills start arriving, to say
nothing of the delay in processing news. You can't move it very fast
on a phone line at 9600 baud or even 14.4 for that matter.

Sure there will be brave souls who volunteer to take 'all seventeen
thousand news groups' (or whatever number it is up to at that point)
and parcel out full feeds to whoever wants it, but the phone bills are
going to be astronomical and MCI/ATT/Sprint's attitude will be fine,
you'd rather pay us that way, go ahead ... but no more free rides or
close to it.  I think -- and this is just my opinion -- that as
the transition to one hundred percent private ownership comes about
the 'owners' are going to have dollar signs in their eyes where the
moderated groups are concerned, because these they can control if they
get control of the moderators -- not a hard task -- and to hell with
the rest of the anarchists.

Nothing will happen overnight, or even in a month's time. But watch
and see if as the general public catches on to Usenet the unmoderated
groups don't become noisier than ever, the traffic level reaches
record highs -- you think it is high now? -- and the cost for
connections to the Internet sky-rocket. More admins will pull the plug
on more groups (unless the group finds its own way in via UUCP or
similar) and the moderated groups will eventually be what is left. You
really think MCI is going to be as generous with alt.whoever and
misc.whatever as Uncle Sugar has been all these years?  It is hard to
pin down or quantify, but I have a gut-reaction that the moderators
and their moderated groups are going to be among the few survivors of
a shakedown and 'reform' the net will experience in the next few
years.  And *no one* is going to say 'you cannot have group X' or
whatever ... it will just happen as people grow weary and tired of
paying the bills. The private owners will cut deals with the moder-
ators and their groups, etc.  Watch and see, that's all I'm saying. PAT]

------------------------------

From: Erik E. Fair (Your Friendly Postmaster) <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: 100% Moderation of News Groups. NOT.
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 12:40:17 -0700


UUNET did not start the alt.* newsgroups. John Gilmore, with some help
from his friends, did so. AlterNet is the IP network services arm of
UUNET.

I wuz dere.


Erik E. Fair    apple!fair    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Max (M.K.) Feil <[e-mail]>
Subject: Interconnect Schematics (Shelf, Cabinet Documentation, etc.)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 15:00:00 EDT


This is a query to those people creating schematics at the
interconnect level, i.e. shelf, frame, system, etc. I am trying to
find out what methods and tools are being used out there.

My company designs large hardware systems for telecommunications. Some
of these (especially switching equipment) may fill a whole room. The
interconnect hierarchy is usually: printed circuit board -> shelf ->
frame -> system.  There are variations to this, especially in some of
our products that use OEM equipment, but this hierarchy is a good
example.

To design hardware at levels above the printed circuit board level, we
have found that graphical schematic capture just does not work. This
is due to the large amount of connectivity (connector pins and
cables). A typical shelf backpanel can easily have 10,000 pins. We
have adopted a tabular approach which results in formatted tables to
document the connectivity. This data can be used directly by the
installer. It can also be passed automatically to downstream CAD tools
to perform backpanel layout (using CBDS, our circuit board design
system), or to downstream wiring/cabling and mechanical CAD programs.

We do allow graphical diagrams in the interconnect schematic, but
since they are not linked with the tabular connectivity they serve as
comments only (block diagrams, clarification diagrams, etc). Assembly
drawings and more detailed manufacturing (& mechanical) information
are not meant to be part of the interconnect schematic, since after
all it is just a schematic.

We have been using a proprietary CAD tool for most of our interconnect
schematics, however lately there has been a push to improve this tool
and some designers have been using other methods, namely:

1) Speadsheets (which are well suited to tabular information).
2) Word processors & desktop publishing (which are totally free form and
   allow both tabular and graphical information, but are lacking when it comes
   to enforcing standards and automated data integration).
3) Graphical schematic capture (only possible sometimes).

We were wondering what tools are being used in other companies that
design large, hierarchical hardware systems. Are there commercially
marketed tools out there designed specifically for interconnect
schematics? We could not find any. Please reply to [e-mail]. You
can also post, if you wish.


Thanks for any info,

Max Feil  [e-mail]  Bell-Northern Research
CAD Software Development Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Boolootian)
Subject: World Record in Password Checking
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 12:18:01 -0700 (PDT)


I thought readers might find this interesting:

A NEW WORLD RECORD IN PASSWORD CHECKING HAS BEEN SET:

Roch Bourbonnais, a Thinking Machines Corporation engineer, has ported
and optimized the CM/2 port of the UFC-crypt to a CM/5 system.

The UFC-crypt (Ultra Fast Crypt) implementation on the CM/2 Connection
Machine (parallel computer) is a UNIX password checking routine
(crypt()) ported by Michael Glad at UNI-C.

The port, that is written in CM-fortran, utilizes the CM/5 vector
units and is partly programmed in cdpeac (vector unit assembly
language).

The package achieves 1560 encryptions/second/vector unit. This scales
to:

    6,4 million encryptions per second on a large  1024 node machine.
    800,000          -       -     -    - - small   128  -      -

With this impressive performance, all combinations of six letters can
be tried in less than an hour and all combinations of six lower-case
letters can be tried in less than one minute.


Congratulations,

Jorgen Bo Madsen,  Security Consultant
UNI-C Lyngby,  Danish Computing Centre for Research and Education
DTH,  Building 305,  DK - 2800 Lyngby,
Phone  : [phone]  Telefax: [phone]
E-Mail : [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Isn't this great! Now let's all install fifteen or
sixteen character passwords including numbers, punctuation symbols and
control characters in them and see how long it takes to crack into our
accounts.  :(  The technology is impressive, but somehow I don't feel
good about it.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 11:42 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Dave Rand)
Subject: Orange Card Woes


While the Orange card has been a useful addition to my arsenel of
calling cards, users need to be aware of certain restritions of the
card. To make a long, detailed story short:

*KNOW* that the area code you are using is a US area code, not a
Canadian area code.

Calls to Canada are "not supported", according to the (very hard to
reach) customer service people. This is not true. Calls to Canada are
supported, at slightly less than double the AT&T daytime calling card
rate. There is no indication that the call made is not at the $0.25
rate of the Orange Card calls to US destinations.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 15:16 GMT
From: Christopher Zguris <[e-mail]>
Subject: AT&T #206A2 Telephone Line Test Handsets


I just got the latest ALL ELECTRONICS (800-826-5432) catalog and on
page 62 they have AT&T telephone line test sets. The ad says they were
designed to work with "craft access" computer system, but they also
work as standard test sets. Price is $60, part# PTS-206. The ad has
lots of info, so call them. I have nothing to do with ALL ELECTRONICS,
but I am a satisfied customer.


Christopher Zguris   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Keith Laaks)
Subject: What is RASCOM and S.I.T.?
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 09:19:49 GMT
Organization: ITB Department, University of Potchefstroom


Does anybody know what the abbreviations RASCOM and S.I.T. mean?

It may have something to do with new telco services, or vehicle
tracking, but I am not sure.


Thanks,

KEITH
 Potch Univ.      Email :                 Tel:
 Potchefstroom    [e-mail]  Voice [phone]
 West Transvaal   South Africa

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 09:27:31 CDT
From: [e-mail] (Larry Walker)
Subject: Telex <-> Internet Email?


I'm trying to learn if anyone offers a (two-way) gateway between Telex
and Internet Email. I have an application where it would be very
useful for someone in a less Developed Country to send a telex, have
it land in my email inbox, and have my reply return to the sender as a
telex ...

Anybody know of a way to set this up?


Thanks in advance,

Larry Walker   System Architect
email: [e-mail]
GE Medical Systems     phone: [phone]
P.O. Box 414 / NB-902  fax: [phone]
Milwaukee, WI  53201   dialcomm: 8*322-8262


[Moderator's Note: Both MCI Mail and ATT Mail have telex gateways and
both have Internet gateways. Trouble is, you can't send from Internet
to Telex via either one: they want someone to pay, and collection is
hard to deal with on our net. You could take a couple of accounts on
one of those services, setting one account to forward incoming mail to
!telex!number and setting the other to forward mail to !internet!name.
You would write to one address from internet, the mail would forward
to telex at your expense, and the recipient would telex to the other
account and it would in turn forward to your net account.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 09:35:12 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Hon Wah Chin)
Subject: Touch-Tone phones in Hong Kong
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Having been caught at Heathrow with a payphone whose keypad stopped
working after making the connection, I'm planning ahead.

Are phones with working tone pads readily available in Hong Kong or
should I carry a tone generator?


Hon Wah Chin

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 15:00:08
From: [e-mail] (Yee-Lee Shyong)
Subject: Category of Tones Used in CO


Can anyone tell me what's the differences between Dial-tone,
Busy-tone, Ringback-tone, and Reorder-tone ?

Thanks!

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (R Vasan)
Subject: Wanted: Caller-Id With Serial Interface to PC
Date: 18 Aug 1993 18:16:14 GMT
Organization: University of North Carolina Extended Bulletin Board Service


Net.newbee posting here for a friend:

He is looking for any device which could send Caller-Id info to RS232
or Centronics port.  Could be a black-box or modem or tel.attachment.

    He did find a modem (14.4 V.dot everything) for $300 which did
transfer to the RS232 port but he doesn't need that kind of speed or
want to spend as much!

Replies to:
        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]


Thanks in advance,

R.M.S. Vasan


[Moderator's Note: Having discussed this as much as we have in recent
weeks perhaps respondents will email Mr. Vasan directly with their
comments and suggestions, leaving me out of the loop.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Doreen Hansen)
Subject: Kids Having Phun With Phones
Date: 17 Aug 1993 23:57:22 -0500
Organization: University of Minnesota, Duluth


Someone just wrote about dialing "958" in NY (forgot which exchange)
to get a readback of your number.  I remember the days in area code
(218) DUluth, MN when we as children would monkey with the phone and
somehow discovered that dialing 41939211111 (I think this is right; I
do recall lots of ones at the end) -- would produce a an extremely
LOUD female voice almost YELLING your own number back at you.  Was
rather hilarious to us.  We also discovered that dialing 410-3911 made
the phone ring.  After dialing that, the line sounded quiet.  You had
to hang up in about two to four seconds ... wait too long, and it
would not ring back.  Dialing 410-3912 made it ring with long and
short bursts, and 410-3955 made it ring with a bunch of tiny bursts,
etc.  (There was a bunch of possibilites!!!)  What fun!  We had a
two-party line, I wonder if this is why all these existed.  Any
insight, you phone-authorities?

Boy did we have fun with that 410-3955 number!  We would make it ring,
watch mother run to the phone and holler "hello hello? hello? " into
the dead line, and listen to her b*tch about how crappy the phone
company is, and how they should fix the line.  I never YET told her it
was me.  heh heh ...

Oh!  There was yet another goofy thing to do.  419 _ _ _ _ (forgot)
would create a dead-sounding line, then if you hung up, people calling
in would hear a ring, but our phone would not ring.  This would last
for DAYS if we never picked ours up to call out.  When picking it up,
the line would be dead, and it took lots of clicking up & down the
swwitchhook to get a dialtone.  (Which BTW, was an awful, raspy
BUZZZZZZZZ in Duluth 15-20 yrs ago.)  I can still remember it!

Again, my mom and dad thought our phone was shot, when indeed it was
me and my antics.  I'm just curious!


Oh well ...

doreen     Duluth,MN

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gary Merinstein)
Subject: Re: New Jersey Pulls the Plug on Computer-Dialed Calls
Date: 18 Aug 1993 00:08:00 -0400
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dave Levenson)
writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Gary
> Merinstein) writes:

>> Thank God! I was sooo tired of getting those endless calls to sell me
>> a mausoleum plot ...

> You'll still get those calls.  The law only applies to calls
> originated from telephones in New Jersey.  The Garden State is not in
> any position to legislate calls placed to New Jersey telephones from
> out of state.

I spent the last 20 years in NJ and often I would come home from work
to find my answering machine filled with a computer sales message
(that couldn't tell it wasn't talking to a human) pitching me a
mausoleum plot. The vendor was a sales agency in a town 25 miles
away.

> But I agree -- it's a step in the right direction.

Its a small victory -- now its up to the feds to continue the trend
for interstate calls.


[e-mail]  mci: 489-6979  ci$ 74035,1232

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert J Woodhead)
Subject: Re: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea
Organization: Foretune Co., Ltd.
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 04:51:09 GMT


[e-mail] writes:

> As part of my advocacy of 900 alternatives, the UUNet 900 service does
> present an interesting challenge for those wanting to use a credit
> card instead of a 900 number. Since the login is accomplished via a
> UUCP connection script, it seems feasible for UUnet to accept a credit
> card number as part of the connection sequence.

I think this would be ill-advised.  You'd have people using stolen
credit card numbers dialing in from AT&T Payphone 2000's around the
country.  Registering a credit card number as billing for an account
is fine, but electronically soliciting one on a call by call basis is
asking for trouble.

For all it's drawbacks, 900 avoids this problem.

A better solution is a callback system whereby a registered machine
calls in on an 800 number and basically says "call me," then UUNET
would call back over WATS.  Cheapest overall.


Robert J. Woodhead, Biar Games / AnimEigo, Incs.    [e-mail]
AnimEigo US Office Email (for general questions): [e-mail]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea
From: [e-mail] (Roy M. Silvernail)
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 00:07:31 CST
Organization: The Villa CyberSpace, executive headquarters


In comp.dcom.telecom, [e-mail] writes:

> Of course, some callers might not have credit cards, but then they
> shouldn't qualify for credit via 900 either.

Excuse me?!?!?

I don't hold any credit cards, primarily because I remember my
parents' problems with plastic money.  However, USWest has never had
to send me a second notice about a bill.  If i chose to call a 900
number, rest assured that I would pay the toll charge on time.

Has the world descended so far that those few of us who still choose
to pay cash for our obligations have become third-class citizens?

Yes, I'm insulted!


Roy M. Silvernail |+|  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: FCC Equal Access Order
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 00:53 -0400


> ... Finally, by prohibiting aggregators from imposing surcharges on
> access code calls that are not charged for calls using the presub-
> scribed OSPs,

In simpler terms, this means that if you charge $.75 to access the
pre-subscribed long distance carrier, you can't charge $1.00 to access
another carrier.

R. Kevin Oberman pointed out that you can't always tell from your
hotel bill what the access charge was, as opposed to the long distance
charge.  That may be true from an individual customer's point of view,
but nonetheless there obviously is one programmed into the equipment,
and it presumably wouldn't be difficult to verify compliance to the
FCC regulation in the course of an audit.  I've actually found that
many hotels state something like "long distance calls will be charged
at AT&T's operator-assisted rate" (i.e. direct dial long distance
calls).  I'm not sure what this usually is, but I'll bet its $.75 or
more.

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #588
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa23228;
          19 Aug 93 1:29 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA24851
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 18 Aug 1993 22:48:56 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA15632
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 18 Aug 1993 22:48:15 -0500
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 22:48:15 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #589

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 18 Aug 93 22:48:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 589

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Harold Hallikainen)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (David Breneman)
    Re: AT&T Language Line Choices (Don McKillican)
    Re: AT&T Language Line Choices (Will Martin)
    Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail' (Alan T. Furman)
    Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail' (Carl Moore)
    Re: 10xxx NOT Allowed on 1-800 (John Slater)
    Re: 10xxx NOT Allowed on 1-800 (Paul Robinson)
    10XXX Restrictions - Legality (Atri Indiresan)
    Re: TrueVoice (tm) - The True Story (Michael K. Minakami)
    Re: AT&T Truvoice Demo (David G. Lewis)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Carl Oppedahl)
    Re: Leftover Drops (Alan Boritz)
    Re: Radio Station Acronyms (Stewart Clamen)
    Re: Radio Station Acronyms (Jim Cobban)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen)
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 19:24:23 GMT


> [Moderator's Note: Well, you know the only reason we hear a ringing
> signal from the other end is so that people will be assured their call
> is being processed rather than ignored. The ring we hear in our ear
> has nothing to do with the ring being given on the other end via the
> phone bell; but if telco did not provide a ringing signal back to the
> caller, many people would think that the phone was out of order. That
> is the truth, seriously. No reason at all to provide a 'ringing sig-
> nal to the caller which has no relationship to the signal given the
> called party other than to placate or humor the caller.  PAT]

    Although, in step exchanges, wasn't the ringing signal
actually some of the called party ringing sent back to the calling
party?  Seemed like it was 20 Hz with some higher frequency mixed in.
I recall hearing a difference in ringing signal based on the ringing
load on the line.  If the number we were calling had a neon lamp
instead of a ringer (such as a radio station in studio line), we'd
hear a bit of raspiness due to the sudden conduction as the ringing
voltage hit the ionization voltage for the lamp.  Do I remember all
this correctly?  Is the current ringing signal just mimicking the old
step ringing signal?

    I do think the ringing signal does offer a valuable means of
"call progress" signalling.  A small number of calls I place get
"lost".  Having the ringing tone is an indication that my call did not
get lost.  I HOPE that the ringing signal does at least indicate that
ring voltage is being sent to the distant subscriber!



Harold Hallikainen              [e-mail]
Hallikainen & Friends, Inc.     [e-mail]
141 Suburban Road, Bldg E4      phone [phone] fax [phone]
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-7590  telex 4932775 HFI UI

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Breneman)
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
Date: 18 Aug 93 19:33:23 GMT
Organization: Digital Systems International, Redmond WA


Missouri 4-H Youth Development Programs ([e-mail])
wrote:

> Can anyone confirm that in some of the old CO, the ringing signal was
> actually the 20 Hz ringing current?  I was always interested in the
> different ringing signal sounds that have been used in different COs.

I can't confirm it, but that was my impression, too.  I remember the
"ringing signal" sounded like a low-frequency electrical current.
Dial tones were more, I don't know, "mechanical" sounding, too.


David Breneman      Email: [e-mail]
System Administrator, Software Engineering Services
Digital Systems International, Inc.  Voice: 206 881-7544  Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 09:38:02 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Don McKillican)
Subject: Re: AT&T Language Line Choices


I notice that the Great List of Languages also includes Dakota,
Lakota, Nakota and Sioux.  I thought that the first three were exactly
the three main branches of the Sioux language.  Sounds to me like
offering German, PLUS Hochdeutsch, Plattdeutsch, Oestereichisch and
Schweizerdeutsch (High German, Low German, Austrian and Swiss German,
respectively).  Indeed it wouldn't surprise me to find that the Sioux
dialects are a lot closer than Low German is to Swiss ...


Regards,

Don McKillican                        Internet: [e-mail]
Consultant -- Software Solutions      Envoy:    [id=DMCKILLI]Bell
Bell Sygma, Montreal                  Tel:      [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 9:03:39 CDT
From: Will Martin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: AT&T Language Line Choices


Peter M. Weiss <[e-mail]> wrote:

> Will Martin <wmartin@ STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL> says:

>> would really like AT&T to PROVE that they can provide access to *any*
>> of their advertised listed languages in a short timeframe, suitable
>> for emergency use.  (...)

> I would be careful of using a service for emergency use that was NOT
> designed for same.  I wonder if AT&T is marketing it for that kind?
> (I doubt it.)

Sorry, but that is EXACTLY what AT&T is doing. That's where I first
saw info about it, and that's how I got the brochure -- they advertise
Language Line in law-enforcement/police publications specifically as a
service that can be tied into 911 and permit dispatchers to converse
with non-English-speaking callers, in emergency situations.

And I still maintain it isn't up to the task.

I'd like to see some AT&T people jump in on this, perhaps with the
results of studies or tests that disprove my contention. If it really
DOES work, I'd be happy to be refuted. But so far all I've ever seen
has been advertising making unsupported claims as to its effectiveness.

(A suggestion -- check to see if your local Police Academy or
department has a library; if it does, it should be public-access,
since your tax dollars pay for it.  [The St. Louis Police Academy
downtown on Tucker has one, which is where I see these kinds of
periodicals.] You can see for yourself the ads for Language Line,
CD-ROM-based on-line criss-cross directories [usually marketed by
Nynex], cell-phone-call intercept devices, etc., among the firearms,
uniforms, and nightstick ads ...)


Will

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail'
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 02:40:56 PDT


Peter Rukavina writes:

> (4) Addresses in the United Kingdom don't seem to have street numbers
> associated with them as we tend to have here in Canada.  An example:
> 'Hayle Mill, Maidstone, Kent, England.'

I once saw a British address (it was a lab or factory belonging to to
EMI Ltd.) that lingers in my mind to this day: "Wookie Hole"


Alan T. Furman   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 11:27:00 EDT
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail'


I did write long ago about use of telephone prefixes to help out in
lessons regarding geography.  In ascending order of precision, I
listed the following items for the U.S. (don't know the comparable
listings for other countries):

telephone area code;
first three digits of zip code;
telephone prefix (the next three digits after the area code);
five-digit zip code;
nine-digit zip code (five-digit zip code plus four-digit extension).
(But near Wilmington, Delaware, I think the area served by 302-475 is
a subset of zipcode 19810.)

To answer some of your questions:

For the UK:

It wouldn't hurt to use UK in addition to England.  Sometimes, a
little redundancy in an address is useful (not just for the UK), so if
one part gets messed up for any reason, the address might still be
made out from the rest of it.  I do think that the UK has an overall
postal-code system, so you should be able to get away with using UK in
place of England.

For Germany:

The former East and West Germany each had four-digit postal codes
(like 8000 Munich, which you sent, in the former West Germany).  After
unification, they continued to be used for a while, with the German
for "east" or "west" prefixed in front.  Now, I understand there is a
new five-digit scheme for unified Germany.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 11:04:37 BST
From: [e-mail] (John Slater)
Subject: Re: 10xxx NOT Allowed on 1-800


> [Moderator's Note: Most exchanges in Chicago will not allow it
> either.  If you do it, your call is bounced. You must dial without
> 10xxx.  PAT]

It makes sense when you think about it. The caller isn't paying for
the call, so he/she doesn't get a choice.  The called party is paying:
they get to choose the 800 service provide, and hence the LD carrier.


John Slater

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 13:05:58 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: 10xxx NOT Allowed on 1-800
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


Al Varney <[e-mail]>, writes:

> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
> writes:

>> In short, despite the fact that 10xxx codes are irrelevant for 1-800
>> numbers, you cannot dial a 10xxx code ahead of a 1-800 number

> Bellcore believes that permitting the dialing of "10XXX" on calls
> where "10XXX" is irrelevant is misleading to the caller, ...
> [however, calls to "911"] should.. ignore the 10XXX -- the
> "emergency" overides the "confusion about carrier selection".
> If you believe Bellcore is incorrect in it's requirements, you can
> write to them or ... C&P/Bell Atlantic.  But it had better be a
> really GOOD reason -- not just your irritation at mis-dialing.

I wasn't "complaining" per se; I was pointing out a fact that (1) had
to the best of my knowledge never been reported on TELECOM Digest; (2)
that since I had never tried it, did not know about it; (3) since I
had heard about the fact that 1-800 numbers are routed according to
the IXC that the subscriber uses, 10xxx codes are irrelevant; and (4)
[which I was aware of] calls to 10xxx 911 *will* go through.

I wasn't complaining about being unable to dial a 1-800 number with a
10xxx code; I was simply stating that I was suprised to discover that
I could not do so.  Note that some of our California correspondents
have pointed out that Pacific Bell will, if I'm not mistaken,
routinely ignore 10xxx codes on calls which are Intra-LATA, and put
the call through at the much higher rates that PacHell is able to
"burn" you for.  :)


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Atri Indiresan)
Subject: 10XXX Restrictions - Legality
Date: 18 Aug 93 18:24:26
Organization: University of Michigan


This is an update on my debate with the U. of Michigan Telecom
regarding the legality of 10XXX blocking.

First of all, I'd like to thank all those who provided me with
information regarding FCC regulations. The TELECOM Digest is a
wonderful resource!

The news is less than encouraging, and it looks like aggregators have
the right to place such restrictions. The FCC ruling on aggregators
(CC Docket No. 91-35 "Policies and Rules Covering Operator Service
Access and Pay Telephone Compensation") does define "equal access" as
10XXX access. However, it goes on to say:

 --- The term "operator services" refers to "any interstate
telecommunications services initiated from an aggregator location that
includes, as a component, any automatic or live assistance to a
customer to arrange for billing or completion, or both, of an
interstate telephone call through a method other than (A) automatic
completion with billing to the telephone from which the call
originated; or (B) completion through an access code used by the
consumer, with billing to an account previously established with the
carrier by the consumer"  ---

UMTEL provides 10XXX 0 access, which allows us to reach an operator of
our choice. It does not allow 10XXX 1 access, which would allow direct
billing to my home phone number and setting up an account as in the
case of a calling plan. The clauses (A) and (B) seem to let
aggregators off the hook for such services. Of course, 10XXX 0 calls
are billed at operator assisted rates, as opposed to 10XXX 1 which
gives us residential direct dial rates.

UMTEL told me, "There are enormous difficulties involved with 10XXX 1
calls with regard to billing that precluded any involvement at this
time." My understanding is that this would involve a software upgrade
that would have to send source number information to the long distance
carrier so that billing would proceed automatically.

My questions:

1. Is this really so hard/expensive? Considering that the switch
supports 10XXX 0 calls, would it be that hard to support 10XXX 1
calls? Is this a technical problem, or just a business decision?

2. Since UMTEL provides telephone service to private residences (in
addition to offices and dorms -- university family housing has separate
units with private phones), would they be regulated by any other FCC
regulations besides those regulating aggregators?

With the current information I have, it seems to me that I have no
legal standing to complain, and the most I can do is make a loud
noise and hope public pressure make UMTEL see the light.

Until then, at a personal level, I will do my best to avoid using
UMTEL. I will use Telepassport (I don't think it was realy meant for
residential use, but it is much cheaper than what UMTEL offers, but
still more expensive than calling plans from major carriers).


Atri


[Moderator's Note: Telepassport is mainly for businesses and other
people who make international calls to the extent of at least $25 per
month which is the point where savings start to kick in. Rates from
other countries to the USA are typically 30-40 percent less than the
local PTT charges. The trade off is waiting for a callback with USA
dial tone.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael K. Minakami)
Subject: Re: TrueVoice (tm) - The True Story
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 06:58:51 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dave
Grabowski) writes:

> Apparently, signals below 300Hz roll off sharply, at approximately
> 12dB per octave.

> We are shown a new frequency response curve, which raises signals
> from 100-300Hz by 10-15dB. An "illustrative embodiment of the
> invention" was put together with a Yamaha DEQ7 digital equalizer.

Doesn't the GSM 6.3 RPE/LTP specification call for a pre-compensation
filter in this range? At least one implementation I saw "pre-compensated"
for the bass attentuation by boosting those frequencies.


Michael Minakami    Computer Science/Psychology   Stanford University

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (david.g.lewis)
Subject: Re: AT&T Truvoice Demo
Organization: AT&T
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 14:26:56 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mark
Rudholm) writes:

> But wait a second, isn't demonstrating Truvoice over an ostensibly
> non-truvoice line (they haven't installed it yet) like demonstrating
> HDTV via a regular NTSC broadcast?

No.  There is no such thing as a "TrueVoice line" or a "Non-TrueVoice
line".  The enhancement is applied to the voice signal in the network.
This enhanced signal then propagates to the listener, wherever he or
she may be, whatever types of trunks or lines the signal is carried
over.

> Makes you wonder if anyone in marketing anywhere understands simple
> logic.

Makes you wonder if anyone on the net anywhere understands the
technology they post derogatory messages about.


David G Lewis                              AT&T Bell Laboratories
[e-mail] or !att!goofy!deej     Switching & ISDN Implementation

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl)
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops
Date: 18 Aug 1993 02:12:57 -0400
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Arthur
Rubin) writes:

> In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl)
> writes:

>> This means that if you are a tenant in a building in one of those states,
>> you are at the mercy of the landlord for the wire that goes from the
>> point of entry to your space.  A jerk landlord will say that the only
>> way an extra line can be run from the POE to your space is for telco
>> to do it (at telco hourly rates, of course, since from telco's point
>> of view that is customer wire (inside wire).  And the jerk landlord
>> will refuse to maintain that wire, leaving you to have to pay for
>> inside wire maintenance as your only way of being sure that wire will
>> be maintained without unexpected expense to you.

> That last is now false, and may have been false for a while.  For
> quite a while, landlords have been responsible for maintaining, at the
> landlords' expense, wires inside a tenant's apartment.  (It should be
> noted that this does give a landlord a reasonable excuse not to allow
> a tenant to install an additional (or any) phone lines.)  A recent PUC
> requires building owners to maintain wiring between the demarc and the
> "apartment demarc", to use an intentionally incorrect phrase.

Er, I think your statement is specific to some particular state, is it
not?  I don't think this is true across all states.  BTW, which state
are you telling us about?

I guess what you are telling us is that the PUC in some particular
state has put the maintenance burden on the landlord.

This is not as odd as it sounds.  Most landlords, no matter how jerky,
would probably feel they had to maintain the water pipes and sewer
pipes between your apartment and the basement ... so why should phone
lines be any different?

Nonetheless, I believe that some "renter-beware" states have failed
thus far to put a duty on the landlord to maintain wires from basement
to apartment.


Carl Oppedahl AA2KW  (patent lawyer)
1992 Commerce Street #309
Yorktown Heights, NY  10598-4412
voice 212-777-1330

------------------------------

Date: 18 Aug 93 07:59:29 EDT
From: Alan Boritz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Leftover Drops


[e-mail] (Leonard Erickson) writes:

> In V13 # 562, Alan Boritz is rather positive that the demarc is inside
> the tenant's space. I seriously doubt that this is correct, unless it
> is some odd law in his state.

Absolutely positive, and I helped make the policy on that issue for
the world's second largest building.

> For example, according to this, I have *three* demarcs in my apartment.
> That's how many jacks I have.

That's not how a demarc works.  A demarc is a point of demarcation for
the purpose of determining where the service-provider's responsibil-
ities end and yours begin.  If the jacks are stringed together from
one feed, the FIRST one is your demarc (for telco purposes). If they
are all in parallel, running from the underground or MDF, you may
actually have three, however telco may concede that the closest one to
telco's backbone facilities is the real demarc and may abandon the
other drops in the event they no longer work.

> My inquiries have resulted in the information that the demarc is that
> box in the laundry room, and that the landlord is responsible for the
> wiring unless *I* subscribe to the wire backup plan (and this is not
> just from people who want to sell me the plan.

If the landlord allowed you to install a demarc in a common area of
the building, then all you have is access to the demarc.  Anything
added by a tenant, for a tenant's convenience, is the TENANT's
responsibility.  However, if a landlord allows himself to be bullied
into perform free services he probably deserves all the aggravation he
can get. ;)

> So I am curious as to what Mr. Boritz's *source* for his statements is?

Informal discussions with FCC Common Carrier Bureau staff, a good
reading of FCC dockets on detariff'ing of inside wire, reading, and
reviewing, thousands of leases (quite a few dealing with complex
telecom issues spanning at least 60 years), fairly good knowledge of
the law of contracts, and quite a lot of common sense.

However, since you also seem to be sure that your landlord has somehow
been saddled with providing your wire maintenance service, can you
quote specific provisions in your lease that would be enforceable in a
court of law?  Can you be as certain that your landlord would not
(after providing you that service) impose a wire maintenance fee IN
ADDITION to your regular rent?


Alan Boritz     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Stewart Clamen)
Subject: Re: Radio Station Acronyms
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 08:21:23 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dave
O'Heare) writes:

> In Canada, there have been a few. CFRB stood for "Canada's First Radio
> -- Batteryless", to indicate the modern (!) technology being used.

The old CFCF AM-600 in Montreal (now CIQC, with the formerly-affiliated
television station retaining the call letters) apparently stood for
"Canada's First, Canada's First".  CFCF-600 was Canada's first commer-
cial radio station.


Stewart M. Clamen        Internet: [e-mail]
School of Computer Science    UUCP:       uunet!"[e-mail]"
Carnegie Mellon University    Phone:       [phone]
5000 Forbes Avenue        Fax:      [phone]
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891, USA

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 10:06:00 +0000
From: Jim Cobban <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Radio Station Acronyms


In Article 36257 Dave O'Heare writes:

> In Canada, there have been a few. CFRB stood for "Canada's First Radio
> -- Batteryless", to indicate the modern (!) technology being used.

CFRB stands for Free Rogers' Batteryless.  The C is just the prefix
code for Canada.  Rogers refers to Ted Rogers Sr. an early radio
pioneer who invented the first AC powered radio receiver.  He named
the radio station which he established to promote the radio receivers.
Rogers also was the first engineer to build a radio which was small
enough to put in a car.  His son is the founder of Rogers Cablevision
which is one of the largest, if not the largest, operator of CATV
systems in North America.  Rogers Cablevision is half owner of Unitel,
the largest independent long distance carrier in Canada.


[Moderator's Note: And in their corporate holdings several years ago
was also the Rogers Telephone Answering Service here in Chicago.  I
think they have an entity here now also called Rogers Radio Paging.  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #589
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa23378;
          19 Aug 93 1:34 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09212
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 18 Aug 1993 23:10:20 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA23201
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 18 Aug 1993 23:09:40 -0500
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 23:09:40 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #590

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 18 Aug 93 23:09:30 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 590

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Foreign Exchange Service (Jack Decker)
    Re: Foreign Exchange Service (William J. Earl)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jack Decker)
Subject: Re: Foreign Exchange Service
Date: 18 Aug 1993 18:32:20 GMT
Organization: Youngstown State/Youngstown Free-Net


Warning: This message is LONG.  I apologize in advance, but hope it
contains enough useful suggestions to make up for the length.

On Tue Aug 17 21:02:06 1993, [e-mail] (Jody Kravitz) wrote:

> I've been trying to find ways of reducing the phone costs for my
> wife's business and have been getting the runaround from Pacific Bell.

> My wife is a veterinarian and runs a mobile clinic from a specially
> converted motor home.  Most of her clients are from an a nearby
> mountain community.  That community has a #5ESS which is slaved off
> the #5ESS switch in our home town.

> Despite the proximity of the mountain town, incoming and outgoing
> calls are expensive.  The cost of a daytime call to (or from) the town
> is $0.10 * (minutes+1).  We had about $80.00 in calls to there last
> month and the volume is increasing.  Oddly, calls to (or from) another
> (smaller) town in the same general direction, but further away, are
> free.

First, a general comment ... you have run into a problem that cries
out for resolution in many areas of the country.  Without going into a
long diatribe, local calling areas in many part of the country are
laid out in somewhat arbitrary and discriminatory patterns ...
patterns that may have made perfect sense 40 or 50 years ago, but no
longer do.  I could write paragraphs about this but for now I will
just say that one common example is that folks living in major
metropolitan areas can often call anywhere within a 25-50 mile radius
(it varies by area), while folks living in rural areas of the same
state may be lucky if they can call into the nearest town without
incurring a toll charge.  My opinion has always been that it would be
much fairer to give everyone local calls within a certain radius (say
20-30 miles, like the folks in the big cities get [Chicago excepted,
of course]), no matter where they live within a state.  One of the
strengths that competitive local dialtone providers will have is that
they won't have to follow the exchange boundaries of existing telcos.
But, I digress ...

> Since she has no "office", we terminated her business phone line in
> our residence.  That has worked well, but in order to appear more
> "permanent" to her customers in the neighboring town, we recently
> installed a "vanity" number (xxx-0500) in that town with remote call
> forwarding to our regular business number.  This saves the caller the
> cost of calling our "old" business number, but in addition to the cost
> of the service, each forwarded call costs us $0.10 * (minutes+1).

Yup.  Now let me first ask this.  Have you checked the local calling
areas to see if there is another exchange that is a "free" call from
both the exchange in which the RCF number is installed, and your
residence?  If so, you could set up the Remote Call Forwarding in THAT
exchange, your customers in the neighboring town could still call you
for free, and you'd lose the per-minute charge.  I'm assuming you've
checked out this possibility already, but on the other hand, I'm
amazed at how many people don't ... they just don't think about going
through a third exchange (the shortest distance between two points may
be a straight line, but in telephony that's NOT necessarily the least
expensive route!).

> I recently discovered that one of my neighbors has "foreign exchange
> service" in their residence.  This seemed like it might be a good
> idea, so I placed several calls to Pacific Bell's residence and
> business service offices.  My first conversation was with a residence
> service rep who seemed informed and helpful.  My second call was to a
> business rep who seemed to want to keep me uninformed.  She left me so
> angry I felt I was talking to Ernestine the operator in a Lily Tomlim
> skit.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but people should never, ever
deal with "business office" personnel if you have a need that's the
least bit unusual.  The minute you realize that the person you're
talking to either doesn't have a clue, or is being evasive, you need
to ask to talk to a supervisor (and the supervisor's supervisor if
necessary).  The goal of the lowest level folks is often to answer
your question (note I did NOT say "CORRECTLY answer your question) and
get you off the line as quickly as possible.

If you're REALLY getting the runaround, you might try saying to the
supervisor that if you can't get a straight answer from the telco,
you'll try forwarding your question via the Public Utilities
Commission and see if THEY can get a straight answer, and request the
supervisor's name so that you can put it in your letter in order to
show that you did try to get the information through regular channels
first.  If you say something like that, the supervisor will generally
kick you up to someone who can help you post haste ... but if not, a
written request sent via the PUC will often get you ACCURATE
information like nothing else will!

Now, the sad fact is that in many areas untimed Foreign Exchange (FX)
service is available only on a "grandfathered" basis ... that is, it's
available only to existing customers, and then only as long as they
remain at their current location.  If they move, they lose it, or have
to get the newer FX offering that charges a per-minute rate on both
incoming and outgoing calls.

There ARE ways around this, but you have to be pretty telecom-savvy
and do a lot of digging.  The first thing I'd check for is any
intra-LATA toll calling plans that the telephone company doesn't want
you to know about.  The PUC may be able to help you find these, if
they exist.  For example, in Michigan, there is the Adjacent Exchange
Toll Calling Plan (AETCP) that (for residential users only) provides
UNLIMITED calling to all adjacent toll exchanges (those in your LATA
only) for $15.00 per month.  Since Michigan allows the unlimited
option for residential lines only, it wouldn't help you much, but then
you aren't in Michigan anyway.  :-) My point, though, is that it's
like pulling teeth to get many Michigan telcos to even tell you that
the AETCP exists, and even if they do, they'll try to sell you on
"Circle Calling" or some other MEASURED option instead.  So you want
to look for intra-LATA optional calling plans that are tariffed, but
not widely advertised or promoted by the telcos.

Failing that, let's go back to that FX line.  Think about what it
really is.  It has (at least) two components: Provision of local dial
tone (essentially a regular POTS line that could be terminated in the
same exchange, if you had an office there, but isn't) and the line
that extends your POTS line to another exchange (including any
repeaters, amplifiers, etc.).  If you let telco handle both components
of this in a "bundled" offering (which is essentially what FX is),
then they can hook up their meter (so to speak) and charge on a
per-call basis.  But now suppose that you order each component
separately and YOU tie them together (preferably without telling
telco, although as long as you're ordering tariffed services and not
using them illegally, they really can't say much even if they find
out).

To give you an example: Suppose your wife works out a deal with one of
her customers in the neighboring town ... preferably one that owns
contiguous property that crosses the exchange boundary, if such
exists.  She gives the guy free annual immunizations for his horses or
something like that, and he allows her to put some phone equipment in
his basement (or even a dry part of his barn), and maybe erect a SMALL
structure (a storage shed would probably do) on the other side of the
property.  If the property straddles an exchange boundary, you order a
POTS line on each side of the boundary, (one terminating at the house
and the other in the storage shed which would of course be on the
other side of the boundary), and then you run a hunk of underground
cable between the two, and use a WATS-extender type device (or even a
simple two-line call forwarding device, if all you care about is
incoming calls) to forward calls from one line to the other.

If you can't get access to property straddling the exchange boundary
(or if tariffs absolutely forbid having service from two different
telcos on the same property, even if the property does straddle the
boundary and even if the service would be in separate buildings), then
your goal would be to get an UNmeasured line between your remote
location (where your POTS line terminates in the adjacent town) and
your office.  There are several offerings that might be available:

1) A "dry" metallic pair, sometimes referred to as an "intercom" or
"audio" circuit.  You do NOT need a "conditioned" pair such as used
for broadcast applications, but depending on the tariffs, that may be
the only type of metallic circuit available.  This would work only if
the combined distance of your "dry" pair PLUS the loop serving your
POTS line isn't too long to allow reliable operation (if is is, as I
think it might be in your particular case, you might still be able to
do it if you insert a "long loop extender" device into the loop).  In
this case, you'd simply cross-connect your POTS line to your metallic
pair, stick a phone at the office, and keep your mouth shut about what
you did!

2) An "Off-Premises Extension" (OPX) line.  Strangely enough, in some
areas you can get what is essentially an unmeasured FX line IF you
also have a "real" phone in the serving exchange.  In this case, the
"real" phone is considered the primary line, and the line coming into
your office would be considered an "Off-Premises Extension" of the
first line.  So, assuming you had a POTS line put into your customer's
home in the neighboring exchange as suggested above, you would tell
telco that you have opened an "office" in your customer's basement,
and need an "Off-Premises Extension" of the phone line there that
terminates in your real office (your home in this case).  This is
actually similar to what you'd be doing in number 1) above, except
that telco would be more responsible for maintaining the quality of
the line (also, the mileage charges MAY be different because in one
case they'd be calculated from your customer's home to your office,
while in the other case they'd probably be calculated from the
telephone exchange building to your office).

3). A PBX Off-Premises Extension.  Some telcos have gotten wise to the
fact that a regular OPX line can be used as an FX line, so they have
filed tariffs that say that even if there IS a phone in the serving
exchange, if the OPX is in a distant exchange the ALL calls on the
line (no matter which extension they originate from/are answered by)
must be billed on a per-minute basis, similar to FX lines.  This is a
hard sell to the PUC's (since the phone located in the serving
exchange might indeed be the primary business location), so tariffs
differ from state to state.  But there is another type of Off-Premises
Extension, and that is an extension hanging off of a PBX.  In this
case telco gives you what is essentially the equivalent of a bare pair
of wires and you are expected to connect one end to a PBX (which
supplies dialtone) and the other end to a telephone instrument.  Of
course, if the PBX allows you to dial "9" and access an outside trunk
at the remote location, and if the PBX just happens to be set to
"night answer" and all incoming calls ring directly through to your
extension ... well, you can see the problem telco would have determining
if there were really a PBX hanging out there.

Some folks do this and actually put a small PBX (one of the small
Panasonic units or some such) out there ... there is no law that says
you have to have more than one POTS business line coming into your
PBX!  But I've also heard of folks putting something like a dialer
unit there (programming it to "eat" a leading "9" digit, so if a telco
tech ever checks the line, sure enough, he'll have to dial a "9" to
get an outside line) or just connecting the end that's supposed to be
connected to the PBX right to a POTS line. The latter is probably a
violation of telco tariffs, though.  But a small PBX is cheap,
particularly if you buy it on the used market (do you get Telecom Gear
magazine?  There are probably dozens of suppliers of used PBX's in
there).

> I have several unanswered questions:

> Neither rep could explain to me how "engineering" computed the mileage
> numbers for the "foreign exchange service" rates I was quoted.  One of
> the numbers was called "suburban mileage" and the other was something
> like "distance between rate centers".  The COs are 15+ air miles
> apart, and my home is 19 air miles from the foreign CO.  I was quoted
> three "quarter-mile units of suburban mileage and 37 "quarter-mile
> units between rate centers".

Unfortunately, the mileage charges are something you cannot get around
*UNLESS* you can somehow provide the link that straddles the exchange
boundary yourself (which is why I suggested trying to find a property,
possibly a large farm, that straddles the exchange boundary).  Your
state PUC should be able to give you both information on how the
distance is computed, and the exact exchange boundaries for the
exchanges in question (which would aid you in finding that large farm
I spoke of).  Actually, if you had given the exchange names, someone
here that gets this data might have been able to give you the
"official" mileage between CO's.

> Can anyone define the true meanings of these terms for me ?

The "surburban mileage" is the distance between your central office
and your home (and if you use the scheme I mentioned above and can't
supply the link crossing the exchange boundary yourself, there may
also be "surburban mileage" at the other end ... this would probably be
true in cases 1) or 3), but hopefully would not be the case if you
went with number 2), because the OPX line could be cross-connected at
the distant central office.  The "distance between rate centers" is
just a fancy way of saying "the TARIFFED distance between the serving
central offices." That may or may not coincide with the actual
physical location of the telephone exchange building (originally it
would have when the exchange first came into existance, but if the
exchange has been physically relocated since, the "rate center" would
likely stay at the original location).

When you say that you were quoted "three quarter-mile units of
suburban mileage", that probably means that your office is about 3/4
of a mile airline distance from your central office.  If they quoted
you "37 quarter-mile units between rate centers", that means they are
figuring 9.25 airline miles between the original centers of the
exchanges.  Since the mileages you gave are quite different than that,
I suspect that either you're a bit off on the true airline distances
involved, or one or both of the exchanges has been moved, or the
person giving you this information flat out gave you wrong information.
That being the case, I would ask (again via the PUC if necessary in
order to get a response) for a WRITTEN quotation on company letterhead
for any service you plan to order, so that you avoid any nasty
surprise after the circuits are installed (the old "I don't know who
gave you THAT figure for the mileage, but it certainly isn't correct"
trick!)

> The business service rep said the location of the rate centers was
> "proprietary".  Can this be true ?

They may be "proprietary" in the sense that the information is "owned"
by the company for copyright purposes (and even that interpretation
may be a bit of a stretch), but it's certainly not top-secret informa-
tion.  The PUC should be able to give you this information.  If you
had given the exchange names, readers with access to the V&H tapes
could probably have given you this info as well.

> The residence rep said that unmeasured (untimed) FX service was no
> longer available.  The per-call charges are the same as local measured
> service.  The #5ESS switches and the time-sensitivity leads me to
> wonder about the implementation.

Keep in mind that if you have mandatory measured service, there is no
way around that.  But in many areas, the telco charges on a per minute
basis for both INCOMING and OUTGOING usage on an FX line, even though
unlimited flat-rate service is still available to non-FX customers.
The bottom line is that they don't like to lose toll revenue, so they
have repriced FX in such a way to make it financially unattractive.
So what you have to do is order something that is functionally
equivalent to FX (or that will at least meet your needs), but that
costs less, if at all possible.

> Do they actually allocate a circuit (or subchannel on a T1)
> permanently, or do they allocate on the fly? Gee, could I get a fast
> busy from the local CO instead of remote dial-tone on a bad day?

It depends on the type of service you have, the serving telco, etc.
so I'll leave that question to those more knowledgeable about the
inner working of the telco.  The thing to keep in mind is that there
will always be circuits available for untimed use (broadcasters,
background music providers, alarm system companies and others that
need a 24 hour per day connection use them) but the questions are "Can
you afford one?" and "What equipment will you need to provide to give
you the functional equivalent of an FX line?"

> I assume that the real cost of providing service to residences and
> businesses are the same.  I further believe that business usage IS
> rate sensitive.

Actually, the vast majority of telco costs (particularly on calls
within a local calling area) bear no relation at all to usage.  The
only time usage increases costs is when a telco has to add equipment
to handle an increased volume of calls, and that is really a rare
occurance on modern digital switches.  This is even more true as fiber
cable replaces copper, since you don't have to replace the cable to
expand circuit capacity.  Paradoxically, as usage-induced costs become
a lesser percentage of telco costs, telcos have pushed harder and
harder for usage-sensitive billing.

The one kernal of truth in your statement is that businesses do tend
to make calls during the heaviest usage periods, while residential
customers (taken as a whole) tend to make more of their calls in the
evening hours.  Thus, if telco DOES have to add equipment to handle
increased usage, it's most likely going to be driven to do so by the
needs of business customers.

> Is this assumption way off?

> If not, why are residences given more incentives (through lower rates,
> additional "plans", etc) to make more calls, yet businesses are not?

Telco does whatever it can to maximize profits.  The typical business
knows that it HAS to make toll calls from time to time; it doesn't
have the luxury of saying "We're not going to make any toll calls."
But residential customers can and do avoid making toll calls because
of the cost.  What telco tries to do, then is come up with packages
that will cause customers to actually spend MORE on toll than they
normally would.  For example, if an "average" customer normally makes
only $3.00 of intraLATA toll calls a month, the telco might come up
with a $5.00/month plan that would give the customer much more calling
time.  If they can get that extra $2.00/month, it really doesn't
matter that much how many extra minute of usage it costs them, since
the circuits are already there and generally aren't nearly fully
loaded during the times that the calling plans are in effect.

> The residence rep suggested that the coming Intra-Lata competition
> would precipitate a variety of new, more competitive rates and
> "packages".  He also said that some "very short haul" Intra-Lata calls
> would be "protected" from competition.  He was pretty sure that calls
> from our home town to the neighboring mountain town would be
> "protected".

> Why would/should any toll calls be protected from competition?

It shouldn't, and if it were any other state I suggest that the rep
(or whoever told him that) was doing some wishful thinking.  But you
are in California, and from what I've heard, the PUC out there doesn't
always operate in the same way as any other PUC might (I'm trying to
choose my words carefully so as to be chartible).  In Michigan, all
toll calls are open to competition, and Michigan Bell has offered some
really attractive intra-LATA calling plans.  Unfortunately, these
aren't available to GTE customers, and for some reason Michigan Bell
and GTE do not compete for intraLATA toll traffic in each others'
territories, even though I believe they legally could.

In my opinion, you're not going to see a lot of these phoney (pardon
the pun) charges disappear until there is full competition for local
phone service.  I believe it is coming, and as far as I'm concerned,
it can't come fast enough.

Oh, one other thing.  In your particular situation, I spoke of
providing your own circuit across the exchange boundary, and using a
couple of POTS lines and a WATS extender/call diverter/similar device.
While I was thinking in terms of a physical cable (provided by you)
crossing the boundary, keep in mind that if you are knowledgeable
enough, you might be able to achieve something similar using a short
range infrared link, or even short-haul microwave.  Since you indicate
that the community you're trying to link up with is on an adjacent
mountain, it opens the possibility of using some line-of-sight form of
communication.  Without knowing the particulars of the nearby terrain,
I can't say much more than that.  The initial cost of microwave tends
to be expensive; infrared is less so but has a much shorter range and
is more susceptible to interruption by heavy rain, etc.

I would encourage you to be creative, explore various options, and let
us all know if you find something that works.  I'd also encourage you
to summarize any other helpful responses you may receive (I *hope*
this one is helpful!).  :-) I think this is a problem that is shared
by many, many telephone users that live in places where the local
calling areas appear to have been designed by Scrooge himself!


Jack

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (William J. Earl)
Subject: Re: Foreign Exchange Service
Reply-To: [e-mail] (William J. Earl)
Organization: Silicon Graphics Inc.
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1993 00:13:34 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, kravitz@foxtail (Jody
Kravitz) writes:

> Neither rep could explain to me how "engineering" computed the mileage
> numbers for the "foreign exchange service" rates I was quoted.  One of
> the numbers was called "suburban mileage" and the other was something
> like "distance between rate centers".  The COs are 15+ air miles
> apart, and my home is 19 air miles from the foreign CO.  I was quoted
> three "quarter-mile units of suburban mileage and 37 "quarter-mile
> units between rate centers".

> Can anyone define the true meanings of these terms for me ?

> The business service rep said the location of the rate centers was
> "proprietary".  Can this be true ?

> The residence rep said that unmeasured (untimed) FX service was no
> longer available.  The per-call charges are the same as local measured
> service.  The #5ESS switches and the time-sensitivity leads me to
> wonder about the implementation.

      I have unmeasured Residence Foreign Exchange Service, and have
had it for at least seven or eight years.  I am charged for 14 foreign
exchange quarter miles and four quarter miles of suburban mileage.
The former is the air mileage (3.5 miles) from my house (in the
Boulder Creek exchange) to the exchange boundary for the foreign
exchange (Los Altos).  (I lucked out in that regard; most people would
be further away.)  I pay the same suburban mileage on my local phone;
it simply represents how far beyond the basic service radius my house
is from the local CO.  (I am about seven air miles and eight wire
miles from the CO.)

> Do they actually allocate a circuit (or subchannel on a T1)
> permanently, or do they allocate on the fly? Gee, could I get a fast
> busy from the local CO instead of remote dial-tone on a bad day?

     My foreign exchange circuit is essentially a leased voice-grade
line from my house to the Los Altos CO (via Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz,
and Los Gatos).  Sometimes a component goes out at one of the
intermediate exchanges, and a repairman has to be dispatched to fix
it, so I hear about the locations of various failures.

> I assume that the real cost of providing service to residences and
> businesses are the same.  I further believe that business usage IS
> rate sensitive.

     When I last inquired some years ago, business foreign exchange
was always measured, just a regular business service was always
measured.  Now, of course, the local calling area usage rates are
quite low (sometimes as low as $0.01 per minute), so the usage charge
is not as high as it once was.

> If not, why are residences given more incentives (through lower rates,
> additional "plans", etc) to make more calls, yet businesses are not?

     The costs are of course identical, except for the possibility
that a business line may be in use a greater fraction of the time,
thereby tying up a larger fraction of the central office switch's
capacity.

> The residence rep suggested that the coming Intra-Lata competition
> would precipitate a variety of new, more competitive rates and
> "packages".  He also said that some "very short haul" Intra-Lata calls
> would be "protected" from competition.  He was pretty sure that calls
> from our home town to the neighboring mountain town would be
> "protected".

> Why would/should any toll calls be protected from competition?

    Charging business more to subsidize residence service is
politically correct.  With the growth of competition, political
correctness is slowly giving way to economic reality.


William J. Earl              [e-mail]
Digital Sight and Sound Division  415-390-2128
Mail Stop 1L-945          FAX [phone]
Silicon Graphics, Inc.

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #590
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa09968;
          19 Aug 93 13:19 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA21554
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 19 Aug 1993 02:26:49 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA29130
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 19 Aug 1993 02:26:05 -0500
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1993 02:26:05 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #591

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 19 Aug 93 02:26:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 591

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: About 'Terminal Compression' (Laurence Chiu)
    Terminal Compromise (was: About 'Terminal Compression') (Paul Robinson)
    Re: Telephony Museums (was Re: Central Office Tours?) (Ed Greenberg)
    Re: Toronto Free-Net FAQ (Ben Harrell)
    Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest (Steven J. Tucker)
    Re: Cellular Phone Helps Catch James Jordan's Alleged Murderers? (Joe Pace)
    Re: 100% Moderation of News Groups - NOT (Gerard Van der Leun)
    Re: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea (Bob Frankston)
    Re: Central Office Tours? (Scott D. Fybush)
    Re: Interesting 800 Number Response (Kyle Rhorer)
    Re: Alphanumeric Paging Terminal Protocols (Bob Frankston)
    Re: Wait! Let me Get a Pen! (Russ Kepler)
    Re: Ringback (was Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal) (Mark Brader)
    Re: Radio Station Acronyms (Mark Brader)
    Re: Hey Warren! What are These? (Marc Sira)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Mark Walsh)
    Re: Ending Sentences With Propositions (Jim Haynes)
    Re: Funny Newspaper Headlines (Arthur L. Shapiro)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: About 'Terminal Compression'
From: uttsbbs![e-mail] (Laurence Chiu)
Date: 18 Aug 93 07:38:00 GMT
Organization: The Transfer Station BBS, Danville, CA - 510-837-4610/837-5591
Reply-To: uttsbbs![e-mail] (Laurence Chiu)


Paul Robinson had the following to say about 'Terminal Compression':

> A company (Inter Pact) has run a number of advertisements on the
> Internet regarding the book 'Terminal Compression' which has been
> subsequently released in text form which can be downloaded via FTP,
> with the idea that if you read it you will send them a shareware
> donation. I probably would never have read the book if it hadn't been
> made available that way.

> The copyright slugs on the text indicate publication years of
> 1991-1993, seemingly indicating a recently issued book.  (One of the
> items in the book is the mention of the new E-Mail address for the
> White House, which was only created this year.)
> My sister is of the opinion that people don't notice technical errors
> in movies and TV shows.  I do and I'm certain other people do, too.

Haven't you heard of a willing suspension of disbelief?

[ much criticism deleted here for brevity's sake ]

I read the book recently and although I found much of the telephony
aspects of it somewhat farfetched, I did notice something else. It was
the first book I have managed to finish reading in many years because
of the medium itself as well as it being reasonably gripping. I just
used the DOS list program to read it and I found I could scan a
screenful of text faster than I can scan a page of text. Plus if I
forgot who a particular character was it was handly to go back and
search in the text for his first appearance.


Laurence Chiu

The Transfer Station BBS [phone] & 837-5591 (V.32bis both lines)
Danville, California, USA. 1.5 GIG Files & FREE public Internet Access

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 13:01:49 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Terminal Compromise (was: About Terminal Compression)
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


As pointed out by someone who read my message reviewing the book, it's
name is 'Terminal Compromise' not 'Terminal Compression'.  From the
announcement of the book:

      THE WORLD'S FIRST NOVEL-ON-THE-NET (tm) SHAREWARE!!!
                       By Inter.Pact Press

                      "TERMINAL COMPROMISE"
                        by Winn Schwartau


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 11:11:35 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Ed Greenberg)
Subject: Re: Telephony Museums (was Re: Central Office Tours?)
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)


A very nice Telecom Museum can be found in Abalene, Kansas, located
along Interstate 70, between Sedalia and Topeka.  This is the "Museum
of Independent Telephone Companies" or something similar.  Their focus
is the United Telephone Companies which were a major player in early
century rural telephony, and are still a major independent and related
to Sprint these days.

There are switchboards, instruments, equipment and a working SxS
switch train set up as a teaching display.  The folks were nice too,
taking me into their office to show me stuff in the library, and also
to allow me to use a desk and phone for a while in order to rebook my
reservations and thereby take a more in-depth look at the museum.
They also have a gift shoppe with some telecom stuff in it, but I
didn't get much of a look at it.

Allow one or two hours when travelling across Kansas for this museum.

Also in Abalene is the Eisenhower Center and Museum.  I only had time
for one museum that day, and it should be obvious to y'all who won.


Ed Greenberg   [e-mail]   Ham Radio: KM6CG

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ben Harrell)
Subject: Re: Toronto Free-Net FAQ
Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 18:17:38 GMT


There is a Free-Net group in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, USA,
area working on a system for our area, popularly know as the Reasearch
Triangle, or just Triangle. I believe "Triangle" or "RTP" (for the
Research Triangle Park) is the name they plan to use.  I think its due
to go on-line late this year or early next year.


Ben Harrell   [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: I certainly hope things work out so that a Chicago
Free-Net can begin in a year or so. We really need one here.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven J Tucker)
Subject: Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest
Date: 18 Aug 1993 20:08:37 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Steven J Tucker)


In a previous article, [e-mail] says:

> Two teenagers have been arrested and charged with the murder of
> Michael Jordan's father.  The news reports say that the content of
> conversations made from Mr. Jordan's cellular phone led to the arrest.

> Have similar cases not been thrown out when it was revealed that
> cellular phones were monitored?

As I recall the news report said they were identified bacuse of the
numbers they called from the cellphone, no doubt billing records.


Steven Tucker = [e-mail] = [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Joe Pace)
Subject: Re: Cellular Phone Helps Catch James Jordan's Alleged Murderers?
Organization: US Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 20:48:56 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> Paul R. Coen <PCOEN@DRUNIVAC.
DREW.EDU> writes:

> I heard a news story on WCBS (880 AM, New York) this morning saying
> that the two 18-year-olds arrested for murdering Michael Jordan's
> father were tripped up in part by a cellular phone.

It seems that it would be feasible to use a cell system to monitor the
location of phones.  I don't know much about how it all works, but I
gather that the phones when turned on transmit their NAM codes every
few seconds to maintain contact with the system.  If there are three
or more towers within range of the signal they could use the differ-
ences in signal strength and recent averages to track the phone's
position within a few blocks anyway.  Maybe even use the timing of the
signal hitting the cell towers to refine the measurment.  Directional
antenna's with a device that could discriminate a particular phone
could be used to home in on the person locally.

Does anyone know if this sort of ability is already present in the
system?  If so, it opens up a whole can of worms regarding personal
privacy.


Joe Pace           UNIX/Networking Analyst
US Army Corps of Engineers  [e-mail]
Sacramento District  [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Privacy where cell phones are concerned has been an
ongoing problem for many years. The use of triangulation -- which is
nothing new where radio is concerned -- does not make any real differ-
ence. Besides, with the transmitter in a moving vehicle, getting an
exact location is not that easy unless the vehicle remains stationary
for awhile.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 14:57:28 -0700
From: Gerard Van der Leun <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: 100% Moderation of News Groups. NOT.


Paul,

That's an excellent and sensible post. Unlike folks who are always
expecting disaster, your points underscore the nature of information
and the net. There will always be those who will try to control
information, but in this case they will be sorely disappointed.

A tip of the hat to you. Add me to the list of people ready to mirror
masses of groups at my own expense.


[Moderator's Note: Hey, if you are 'ready to mirror masses of groups
at your own expense', how about starting with this comp.dcom.telecom
newsgroup and the Digest?  You can send me -- or send Illinois Bell if
you wish -- some money each month to pay the phone bill incurred in
processing messages for the group. You think that's funny?  Wait until
you start polling someplace to get a full newsfeed every day and see
what the phone bill comes to. To repeat what I said earlier, no one is
going to come along and demand that a newsgroup be stopped. What they
are going to do is start letting you pay your own bills for carrying
newsgroups, then you will decide to drop it on your own. No one is
going to come along and demand that all groups have someone volunteer
to be a moderator. What will happen is the groups which *are* moderated
will be elevated to some holy or sancrosanct status where the (what I
shall term) eventually re-constituted net is concerned, with all the
talkers and the miscellany groups left to twist in the wind.

Look how many sites now don't carry .talk or .misc groups. Do you
really think MCI is going to long-endure all the noise -- presently
transmitted, or at least entered in the news stream for free, mind you
 -- when they could be getting the moderators lined up and under
control instead?  I don't know, or necessarily concur that moderated
groups should get any special 'rights', but I honestly think that's
the way it is going to come down. Have you noticed that MCI is now
offering their own version of PC Pursuit, but over regular lines
instead of dial-ins -> leased lines -> dial-outs the way Sprintnet
(Telenet) does it? Since MCI now has a stake in the Internet, you
don't suppose they might put up a few newsgroups of their own do you?
If so, where would the newsgroups come from? <smile> ... this would
hardly be the long-awaited 'death of the net' -- I suspect the Messiah
will come before the net dies, and I don't expect him any time soon --
but the times are changing. Watch and see.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 21:59 -0400


A 900 call is credit. If you are afraid of credit cards, copy the
number down and melt the card. You can then use the credit without the
card. More seriously, there seems to be more fear of 900 number abuse
than credit card abuse in this society.

Callbacks are also problematic and the point of 900 numbers is to
avoid having registrations.

I'd be surprised if UUNet would be plagued by lots of stolen credit
cards given the intended audience. The online checking would help
reduce this. But, as I noted, this wouldn't be a major risk for UUNet
since they are not paying for the call and can risk a modem being
occupied for a period of time.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Scott D Fybush)
Subject: Re: Central Office Tours?
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 13:57:36 GMT


There is a demo stepper train on display at the GTE Telephone Museum
in Fort Wayne, Indiana as well.  The museum is located in the downtown
GTE building in Fort Wayne (look for the microwave horns on the
roof!) ... and is open only a few days a week.

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Interesting 800 Number Response
From: [e-mail] (Kyle Rhorer)
Date: 19 Aug 93 00:08:39 +1000
Organization: KRUG Life Sciences


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Jeff
Wasilko) wrote:

> It seems that AT&T and many of the BOCs use the same person/people to
> do the recordings.

> [Moderator's Note: They all used that nice lady from down in Atlanta
> for many years. Maybe some still do.   PAT]

I thought they used some sort of covox technology to "clone" that nice
lady's voice so that she would sound forever young :-)  Seriously,
though, don't they do that?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Alphanumeric Paging Terminal Protocols
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 19:33 -0400


Much simpler is Sky Page's SKY-WORD protocol for interactive
terminals. You can just dial 1-800-SKY-WORD, give a supported PIN
number and then read the prompts. While it doesn't have error checking
like IXO it is much simpler to access. SKY-MEMO does seem to be their
TAP/IXO number but I didn't bother getting an ID given SKY-WORD's
availability.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Russ Kepler)
Subject: Re: Wait! Let me Get a Pen!
Organization: BASIS Int'l, Albuquerque NM USA
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 20:24:53 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

> I got the following message earlier today:

> "The number you have reached, 234-5678, has been changed.  The
> new number is 234-5678.  Please make a note of it."

Someone once posted a story about someone who moved and got a new
number.  They then called the old number, got the forwarding message
and added it to their answering machine replacing the old number with
the new number in the recorded message.  This gave a message on their
answering machine exactly like the message that you got.

As I recall they got a call from the local phone folks saying
something like "cut it out".  Seems the phone company was getting a
lot of trouble calls from folks getting the message from the answering
machine.  I think that there was some resistance to the changing of
the answering machine, but the user eventually relented when the phone
company made mention of potential line problems in the new location.

All the above is potential urban legend.


Russ Kepler, Basis International Ltd. [e-mail]  phone: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Brader)
Subject: Ringback (was: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal)
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 05:15:59 GMT


> [Moderator's Note: Well, you know the only reason we hear a ringing
> signal from the other end is so that people will be assured their call
> is being processed rather than ignored. ... No reason at all to provide
> a 'ringing signal' to the caller which has no relationship to the
> signal given the called party other than to placate or humor the caller.
> PAT]

It's true that there's no reason why the ringing signal has to do with
the actual individual rings, but there are at least two important
reasons for the caller to be informed that ringing is occurring.
First, it is a confirmation that the switch is not expecting more
digits in the phone number.  (That could be signaled in other ways, of
course.)

But second, and more important, it enables the caller to make an
informed decision as to when to abandon the call because it is no
longer likely that anyone will be answering.  Counting rings is a
handy way to do this, but not an essential feature; the important part
is to be told, within few seconds, when the called phone *first* rings.


Mark Brader, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, utzoo!sq!msb, [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Brader)
Subject: Re: Radio Station Acronyms
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 05:27:04 GMT


I think that too many broadcasting stations have been named
acronymically, and too many acronymic wordplays have been made, for
this to be a very interesting thread.  However, I must correct this
error:

> In Canada, there have been a few. CFRB stood for "Canada's First Radio
>  -- Batteryless", to indicate the modern (!) technology being used.

The RB actually stands for *Rogers* Batteryless.  Ted Rogers Sr., the
founder of the station, invented the tube that allowed both radio
transmitters and receivers to run on AC power.  The CF is just one of
the standard prefixes for Canadian call letters, like K and W in the
US ... though I presume the C for Canada is no coincidence.


Mark Brader, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, utzoo!sq!msb, [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Marc Sira)
Subject: Re: Hey Warren! What are These?
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Marc Sira)
Organization: The National Capital Freenet, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 21:34:16 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail].
mil> wrote:

> I decided that someone as clever as Mr. "Victorian" needed something
> else to occupy his time, so I sent him a chunk of /unix (uuencoded,
> natch) and a full copy of /etc/termcap.  I think that'll help him
> occupy his time rather than attempting scams on the readers of the
> firearms mailing list.

Well, if everyone sends him a uuencoded kernel (GIFs of the Pope are
apparently also popular) you'll certainly fill up the news spool on
cyberspace.com, resulting in denial of service to everyone there and
hassles for the sysadmin(s). Whether harassing sysadmins for the
actions of their users is appropriate, is up to you.

Of course, I am somehow secretly pleased to hear of the 3000+ outraged
messages. ;) Who knows, perhaps my own personal vision of the net
isn't so alien after all ...


Marc Sira   [e-mail]   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Walsh)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms
Date: 18 Aug 93 18:20:30 GMT
Organization: Optilink Corporation, Petaluma, CA


In article <[e-mail]>, by [e-mail]
(Cole Keirsey):

> RCA -- "Radio Corporation of America" or "Rodeo Cowboys' Association"
> and
> ATM -- "Automatic Teller Machine" or "Asynchronous Transfer Mode"

AC -- "Access Concentrator" or "Alternating Current"

AMI -- "Alternate Mark Inversion" or "Alarm and Maintenence Interface"

BCC -- "Block Check Character" or "Bellcore Client Company" or
       "Business Card Computer"

BLM -- "Basic Line Monitoring" or "Bureau of Land Management"

CB -- "Channel Bank" or "Common Block" or "Compatibility Bulletin" or
      "Citizen's Band"

CCS -- "Common Channel Signaling" or "Center Call Seconds"

CCSF -- "Common Channel Signaling Failure" or
        "City College of San Francisco"

CI -- "Communications Interface" or "Control Input"

CID -- "Craft Interface Device" or "Catalog Item Description"

CSC -- "Common Signaling Channel" or "Community Service Cabinet"

CSU -- "Customer Service Unit" or "Channel Service Unit" or
       "California State University"

DCT -- "Datalink and Tone Controller" or "Digital Carrier Trunk"

DIP -- "Dual Inline Package" or "Dedicated Inside Plant"

DL -- "Data Link" or "Digital Loopback"

DM -- "Duplicated Multiplexor" or "Disconnected Mode" or
      "Drop Medium"

DOD -- "Direct Outward Dialing" or "Department of Defense"

DOE -- "Direct Order Entry" or "Department of Energy"

ESS -- "Electronic Switching System" or "Errored Seconds Service"

FCC -- "Frame Control Center" or "Federal Communications Commission"

FSR -- "Frequency Selective Ring" or "Frame Synch Receive"

IP -- "Intermediate Point" or "Information Publication"

LAPD -- "Link Access Protocol for D-channel" or
        "Los Angeles Police Department"

LDS -- "Local Digital Switch" or "Latter Day Saints"

LEC -- "Loop Electronics Coordinator" or "Local Exchange Carrier"

LSU -- "Line Switch Unit" or "Louisiana State University"

LTS -- "Loop Testing System" or "Line Termination Status"

MP  -- "Multi Party" or "Military Police"

MS  -- "Monitored Seconds" or "Multiple Sclerosis"

MSU -- "Metallic Service Unit" or "Message Signal Unit" or
       "Mississippi State University"

MTP -- "Metallic Test Pair" or "Message Transfer Point" or
       "Metallic Test Path"

MTS -- "Message Telecommunications Service" or "Mobile Telephone Service"

NAMBLA -- "North American Man/Boy Love Association" or
          "North American Micro Biological Laboratory Association"

NPA -- "Numbering Plan Area" or "Network Power Assembly" or
       "National Publishers Association"

NSA -- "Not Service Affecting" or "National Security Agency"

OTC -- "Operating Telephone Company" or "Olympic Training Center"

PC  -- "Primary Center" or "Peg Count" or "Prefered Counts" or
       "Personal Computer" or "Politically Correct"

PCB -- "Printed Circuit Board" or "Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls"

PSD -- "Protection Switching Duration" or "Power Spectral Density"

PTT -- "Post Telegraph and Telephone" or "Push To Talk"

RC  -- "Regional Center" or "Radio Control"

RFI -- "Radio Frequency Interference" or "Radio France Internationale"

RMAS -- "Remote Memory Administration System" or
        "Remote Maintenence Access System"

RSA -- "Repair Service Attendant" or "Republic of South Africa"

RSC -- "Residence Service Center" or "Radio Satellite Corporation"

RTS -- "Request To Send" or "Remote Test System"

SCP -- "Service Control Point" or "Serial Control Port"

SF  -- "Single Frequency" or "Superframe Format" or "SONET Formatter" or
       "San Francisco"

SO  -- "Service Order" or "Significant Other"

SP -- "Sectional Point" or "Southern Pacific"

SS -- "Signalled Seconds" or "Spread Spectrum" or "Special Services" or
      "Secret Service"

SSP -- "Select Synchronizer Port" or "Service Switching Point"

SSU -- "Special Services Unit" or "Sonoma State University"

TA  -- "Technical Advisory" or "Terminal Adapter" or "Teaching Assistant"

TAU -- "Time Assignment Unit" or "Test Access Unit"

TC  -- "Trunk Conditioning" or "Toll Center"

TF  -- "Transmit Formatter" or "Transport Facility"

TP  -- "Toll Point" or "Test Port" or "Translation Packet" or
       "Toilet Paper"

TPI -- "Tip Party Identification" or "Threads Per Inch"

TR  -- "Technical Reference" or "Termination Report"

UA  -- "Unnumberred Acknowledgements" or "United Artists"

UPS -- "Uniterruptable Power Supply" or "United Parcel Service"


Thanks to Bellcore, I could keep going, and going, and going ... but I
had better git back to work ...


Mark Walsh ([e-mail]) -- UUCP: uunet!optilink!walsh
Amateur Radio: KM6XU@WX3K -- AOL: [e-mail] -- USCF: L10861

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jim Haynes)
Subject: Re: Ending Sentences With Propositions
Date: 18 Aug 1993 05:07:10 GMT
Organization: University of California; Santa Cruz


This gives me an opportunity to cite the famous Churchill saying,
"... pedantry, up with which I will not put."

And thanks for explaining the name of the Lawson YMCA.  I lived there
for two summers when I worked for Teletype, 1958 and 1959.


[e-mail]   [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: A gift from Victor Lawson and his wife Harriet to
the Young Men's Christian Association of Metropolitan Chicago about
1918 established the Lawson Y's endowment, but they squandered the
endowment years and years ago. Now they operate hand to mouth like I
do, but I never had any endowment or, since back when I was in my late
teens or early twenties, any patrons. (:  When you lived there the
place was nice, and when I worked there part time operating the board
a couple nights per week 11pm -> 7am in the middle sixties it was not
too bad -- just getting a little seedy. A long-running joke in those
days was "let's put the C back in YMCA ..."

By the late sixties all pretense of moral and ethical standards
required of the Young Men who resided there were dropped in lieu of
filling up those 700 plus rooms night after night.  They broke even
with a full house and lost money otherwise on that 21-story building.
Like all urban area big city Y's built early this century, Lawson was
intended as a safe-house for the thousands of small town boys who
moved to Chicago for work or school, to keep them out of the Devil's
clutches, especially where Wanton Women and other sins of a Sexual
Nature so prevalent in a big city were concerned.  Parents even
counseled their teenage sons moving away from home that, "...when you
get to Chicago (New York/San Fransisco) get a room at the Lawson
(Sloan House/Atascadero) Y, so you will have a decent and safe place
to stay ..." <trying hard to keep a straight face and not smirk as I
relate this> ...

Lawson opened in 1930 and in 1931 was written up in a hotel industry
magazine as 'the most beautiful and modern facility of its kind
anywhere ... with a screening committee to insure that all residents
meet its stringent requirements for moral character ...'  By 1970 the
place was known for drugs and prostitution. About the same time the
federal government leased the 9th and 10th floor entirely to run a
prison work release program ... and later a drug rehabilitation
service. Now I think they are running a homeless shelter under
contract with the city of Chicago and a drug rehab program at 'the
Lawson'.

It has changed since you were there in 1958. In those days they had a
lot of suicides; men whose sexual orientation became apparent to them
after an encounter at the Lawson who could not deal with it often
ended their lives by jumping from the big neon YMCA sign 22 stories in
the air.  One such chap splashed on the sidewalk of Dearborn Street
while I was having breakfast in the cafeteria one day. I have not been
in the building in years; I don't go in that neighborhood any longer,
except if I must, and then in the daytime.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: 18 AUG 93 09:07
Subject: Re: Funny Newspaper Headlines


I recall an acquaintance who is a pressman at a newspaper telling me
that the person who writes headlines is called a "slot man"; it's
apparently a well-paying and respected position.  It's amazing how
often a humorous or witty headline is found.  One of my favorites
appeared in the staid Wall Street Journal, to the effect that the IRS
had decreed that a coffee importer's trips to Central America were not
grounds for an exemption.


Arthur L. Shapiro        [e-mail]
          If you bounce: [e-mail]
Software Engineering       *** The above is a new Internet address ***
Unisys Corporation       Speaking as a civilian, rather than for
Mission Viejo, CA        Unisys, unless this box is checked: [ ]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #591
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa26901;
          20 Aug 93 15:39 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA07861
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 20 Aug 1993 12:45:48 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA04046
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 20 Aug 1993 12:45:06 -0500
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1993 12:45:06 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #592

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 20 Aug 93 12:45:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 592

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Radio Program On Telecom (Mark Emanuele)
    CWA Blasts Mass Shutdown of Operator Centers (Phillip Dampier)
    Remotely Accessible Answering Machines Grant Too Much Access (T Shimomura)
    Army, Sprint Test ATM Switch (Paul Robinson)
    How Much Will an ADSL Terminal Cost? (Michael Gold)
    International Money Machines (Barry Bouwsma)
    Are Voltage Spikes Responsible For This? (Stephen Davis)
    Access to Telco White Pages (James Gleick)
    Vanity Phone Book Listings (Peter Capek)
    Looking For a List of Pager Codes For Numeric Pagers (R.W. Whitener)
    Cellular Phone Catches More Crooks (Don Cleghorn)
    Help Needed Troubleshooting Older TT Phone (Dave Brower)
    Equal Access on Local Calls (Kenneth Crudup)
    More Phone Companies Move to Northern Virginia (Paul Robinson)
    Last Laugh! Telecom in the Movies: TPC Killed Kennedy? (Ron Bean)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Emanuele)
Date: 20 Aug 93 14:17:15 GMT
Subject: Radio Program On Telecom


On Saturday 8-21 the Spectrum radio program will do a live feature
interview on the subject of telecom.

Spectrum airs on shortwave broadcast station wwcr, on a frequency of
7435khz.  The program is broadcast at 1135 pm EDT. Spectrum is a
communications magazine show dedicated to the world of radio,
computers and electronics. We cover everything from dc through light.

Our guests will be Patrick Townson and Fred Goldstein of this
newsgroup and Digest. The topic will be phone systems from tip and
ring through ISDN.

In addition Spectrum airs over the Let's Talk Radio Network LTRN, on
Spacenet III Transponder 21 at 5.8mhz wideband audio. Those folks with
Satellite TVRO systems will be able to get the show without the
shortwave static and signal changes.

If anyone wishes more information, feel free to write us at the
following addresses:

Internet [e-mail]
GEnie: Spectrumshow

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Phillip Dampier)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1993 11:03:35 -0500
Subject: CWA Blasts Mass Shutdown of Operator Centers


CWA BLASTS MASS SHUTDOWN OF AT&T OPERATOR CENTERS;
PLANS GRASSROOTS PUBLIC AWARENESS AND ACTION CAMPAIGN
(Communications Workers of America)
August 18, 1993

WASHINGTON -- In the wake of AT&T's announcement of mass closings of
operator centers, leaders of the Communications Workers of America
(CWA) said CWA was launching a grassroots mobilization that will
include meeting with members of Congress and alerting city officials
and the public in the 40 affected communities that "these shutdowns
are motivated solely by greed, not business need."

"There is simply no justification for such devastating shutdowns and
layoffs of thousands of workers, who have dedicated their careers to
AT&T, from a business unit that made almost one billion dollars profit
last year," said CWA Vice President James Irvine, whose office serves
some 100,000 represented AT&T workers.

"At what point is enough profit enough profit?  At what point do
people begin to count as much as dollar bills?" Irvine commented.

CWA President Morton Bahr cited AT&T's plan to buy McCaw Cellular
Communications for $12.6 billion, noting: "This company can lay out
billions for acquisitions, yet it worries about saving a few million
dollars to pad its profits by booting out dedicated workers and
abandoning dozens of communities.  There's something radically wrong
with that kind of corporate thinking -- wrong for America."

Besides the 40 centers now targeted for closing, AT&T already is in
the process of eliminating 31 other operator offices in a cutback
announced last year when the company unveiled its voice recognition
technology to automate some "operator assisted" calls.

The latest wave of shutdowns would affect as many as 4,000 jobs at
locations in 26 states.

While AT&T said it would offer other jobs to employees affected, "The
reality is that most of these workers won't be able to pick up and
relocate because of working spouses, kids in school, and other ties to
the communities where they live," Irvine said.

"We know the company is concerned about a decline in calling volume
and wants to control costs, but this mass shutdown is absolute
overkill and goes far beyond any legitimate business need," he said.

"There are ways to scale back gradually, if that's needed, without
causing this kind of upheaval," Irvine said.  "There are ways to
reduce payroll by attrition over a period of time, and by targeting
cutbacks so people can be retrained for jobs in their own areas --
ways to work with the union to cut costs without disrupting so many
lives."

Irvine also pointed out that AT&T can make use of many operators for
telemarketing work during periods of low calling volume, "and they can
bring that work right into any operator center in the country and keep
the office productive."

Where the company has conducted trials using operators to contact
customers who had left AT&T, "the operators brought back millions of
dollars in business.  AT&T found that its operators are the best
marketing people in the business."

Instead of using operators for telemarketing, AT&T maintains a pool of
more than 3,000 contract telemarketers who are poorly paid and receive
no benefits, according to union officials.

Bahr and Irvine said that CWA local leaders will be meeting with their
U.S. representatives and senators during the congressional recess to
urge an investigation, and CWA will mount a public awareness and
action program in communities across the country to protest the
planned closings.

According to union officials, the closing of the 40 operator centers
will cost the affected communities at least $110 million in lost tax
revenues and business sales and increased social service costs.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1993 13:34:23 -0700
From: Tsutomu Shimomura <[e-mail]>
Subject: Remotely Accessible Answering Machines May Grant *Too Much* Access


Many telephone answering machines provide "remote access" features
which permit the user to call and retrieve messages from elsewhere,
often with the aid of a Touch-Tone(tm) telephone.  There are often
other functions provided, such as the ability to delete messages,
change the outgoing message, and set various operating parameters for
the machine.  Some minimal degree of security is usually provided,
typically a short "security code" to be sent via Touch-Tone to
authenticate the user.  The short "security code" is justified as a
compromise between user convenience and security; after all, the worst
thing that might reasonably happen is that someone else might retrieve
and delete your messages, right?

The ability to change the outgoing message, in combination with the
in-band signalling used in analog telephone systems, poses some
interesting opportunities beyond the obvious juvenile pranks.  If I
have "cracked" the "security code", it is likely a simple matter to
record an outgoing message which includes in-band signalling
information (e.g., Touch-Tones) designed to be sent upon receipt of
dialtone.  Next, I must arrange for dialtone into which the answering
machine can play its message; this can be accomplished by calling the
machine and disconnecting just before it answers.  We now have a
manifestation of the classic telephone line "glare" race condition:
the "answerer" does not realize that it is really an "originator", and
has just initiated a call.

Numerous applications suggest themselves.  The simplest are ones
involving messages which call revenue-generating numbers (e.g., 1-900
for those of you in the NANP) or long distance call-forwarding for
toll fraud purposes.

A more interesting possibility is the use of the answering machine as
an "anonymous" messaging device.  Suppose that the outgoing message is
modified to dial a number, pause for an answer, and play a (voice)
message?  Having delivered its spiel, the machine will dutifully
record a message from the called party.  The answering machine can
then be called in the "usual" manner and the message retrieved and
erased.  BTW, this *has* actually been tested, and found to work as
described.

ISDN (out-of-band signalling), anyone?  Perhaps we really need
auditing and intrusion detection systems for home appliances ...

Note: If you work for an RBOC, you aren't allowed to use this note as
a sales pitch for your CO-based voice-mail offerings.  Oh yeah, and if
you're a kidnapper, you can't use this to deliver your ransom note! ;-)


Tsutomu Shimomura       [e-mail]        [phone]
University of California at San Diego/San Diego Supercomputer Center, USA

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1993 20:41:54
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Army, Sprint Test ATM Switch
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


Summary, Government Computer News, August 16, Page 55

Army Medical Personnel ran a test of 45 MBPS T3 lines using
Asynchronus Transfer Mode (ATM) transmission between Walter Reed Army
Medical Center, the Fort Gordon base in the Georgia City of the same
name, and the U. of Virginia Medical Hospital at Charlottesville, VA
using an ATM switch from Sprint.  Sprint felt the test was successful,
and could be the start of "Telemedical" services.  Sprint also had to
make arrangements with Bell South and Bell Atlantic over a 3-week
period to set up a wide area network with Sprint's switch at Relay,
MD, and the LAN ATMs at the other three sites.

The switches connecting to Sprint were from Fore Systems.  Doctors
used special Sun Sparcstations with the "Taxi" interface that can
handle 140MBPs so that the doctors could view live video of the
simulated wounded during the exercise; one example might provide four
simultaneous windows allowing access to an image of a wound, a medical
record, an X-Ray and so on.

Sprint's own ATM switches are from TRW.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael Gold)
Subject: How Much Will an ADSL Terminal Cost?
Date: 19 Aug 1993 23:03:43 GMT
Organization: SRI International


What will it cost to build just the demodulator section?  (Not
counting computer-like user interface hardware, video decompression
components, voice terminal equipment, multimedia peripherals, etc.)
I've heard some pretty high numbers, starting at $500.

If there were huge demand for these, causing the manufacturing
quantities to rise dramatically, could the cost be brought closer to
that of an RF tuner/receiver (around $100)?


MG

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Barry Bouwsma)
Subject: International Money Machines
Date: 20 Aug 1993 08:03:36 GMT
Organization: St. Elizabeth Hospital, Youngstown, OH
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Barry Bouwsma)


    I have gone through the Telecom Archives and read old articles
from the past couple of years about the cash type of ATMs.  What I
would like to know is whether any of the TELECOM Digest readers could
answer a couple questions I have about them (for lack of anywhere
better to ask that I know of):

1) For a withdrawal made at a money machine overseas, where does the
local currency get converted to dollars?  (I believe this is being
done at the wrong rate, that for the Czech crown for withdrawals made
in the Slovak Republic.)

2) Does anyone have any idea why a card will only work with one make
of machine?  I can use my card in Olivetti machines, but not the ones
made by Siemens Nixdorf, so I have to travel to one particular town to
make withdrawals.

    If the answers to these questions could be mailed to me at one of
the addresses below as well as posted in the Digest, I would
appreciate it, since I am on a bike tour of Europe and do not have
much chance to read all the articles over the slow links, much less
log on very often.


Thanks,

Barry Bouwsma is having a great time sitting in a dark room in sunny Europe
      This message was sent through facilities provided by the
       UVT Technicka Univerzita v Kosiciach  (Kosice, Slovakia)
<[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> NOT Yale!

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Stephen Davis)
Subject: Are Voltage Spikes Responsible For This?
Date: 20 Aug 1993 04:22:04 -0700


I've witnessed a strange occurrence and wonder if anyone could help me
out with possible reasons.

    Many nights I'm up past 3am, some of them I'm on my computer.
On some of these nights, my phone's red light will come on for less
than a second, than go out.

    My phone is made to handle three lines.  We have only two
coming into the apartment, which are on the same 'wire'.  We shall
call line one the primary line, and line two the secondary line.  Each
line select button has a light by it.  The light is green if I am
currently on the line, it's red if someone else in the house is on
that line, and blank if the line is 100% inactive.  So by looking at
my phone, I can tell if X line is being used.

    So why would line one (primary) flash red in the middle of the
night?  In the past I've been arrested for some telecommunication
activities the authorities deemed "wrong", and my first assumption is
that they were monitoring my line.  It has happened before, and I got
to hear tapes of what had been recorded.  But this wouldn't work, as
the line I had done my questionable activities on was line two, and
they had no reason to be interested in line one.

    So I guess my conclusion is now that there are voltage jumps
at night?  Just doesn't make sense.  I've never seen it happen during
the day.  It's happened when nobody except me is in the house.  It's
happened while I've been on line two, it's happened when no lines were
in use.

    Any ideas would be appreciated!


     <>   Wolfgang of Second Dimension   <>
 Director; Lispotheraputic Support Group, Int'l
    All implied insults, puns, and flames are
     (c) 1993 Screaming Radish Publishing Co.


[Moderator's Note: What's happening is They are checking up on you to
make sure you have your computer and modem tuned to this Digest and
not to some phreak BBS or alt.ernate.way.of.thinking.about.things.
They want to make sure your thoughts and motives are pure and that you
are only concerned with the best interests of the net. They use your
phone to take infra-red images of your terminal display. That is why
the red light goes on. It is your patriotic duty (and for all I know,
a condition of your probation from last time around) to cooperate with
the Government and The Phone Company whenever requested.

Now seriously: telcos do line testing at night for technical quality
and assurance reasons. Many telephones are not sensitive enough to
notice the small changes on the line for the second or two the test is
in progress, but readers have reported here that their phone will give
a short quick 'ping'. Generally electronic phones (as opposed to the
older mechanical units) are more sensitive to the slight change in
voltage which occurs during the test. Not all telcos test lines in the
middle of the night, nor do the tests include all lines in each test.
Some readers have reported seeing similar occurences at almost the
same time each night; others have never seen them. Since most people
are asleep at the time, probably very few people even know the testing
takes place.

That's the official answer to your comment about the red light blinking
on and off in the wee hours of the morning.  Unofficially -- and please
keep this to yourself -- those audits, oops, I mean 'tests' heh heh!,
are only performed on subscribers who have demonstrated their inability
or unwillingness to read and abide by the advice given in the 197 Mod-
erator's Notes which appear in each issue of this Digest.  :)  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (James Gleick)
Subject: Access to Telco White Pages
Organization: The Pipeline
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1993 12:39:18 GMT


Do local telephone companies have any obligation to provide, or sell,
access to their database of customer white-pages listings?

That is, can their competitors (or other information service
providers) demand this?

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Aug 93 11:09:32 EDT
From: Peter Capek <[e-mail]>
Subject: Vanity Phone Book Listings


I saw this in a news summary I get ...

VANITY PHONE BOOKS. Southern Bell customers in Florida will soon
have the option of customizing their telephone listings. Slogans or
descriptions like "Go Dolphins," "Car salesman" or even, "Shrieks
at phone solicitors," can be added to the regular listing for just
a few extra dollars. Customers will also be able to choose a
typeface and/or border for their listing. (Miami Herald 8/18/93 A1)

A whole new creative outlet ...


Peter G. Capek

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (R.W. Whitener)
Subject: Looking For a List of Pager Codes For Numeric Pagers
Date: 20 Aug 1993 15:08:31 GMT
Organization: Mobil Exploration & Producing Technical Center(MEPTEC), Dallas.


Any one have anything of this sort, for exchanging messages via
pagers?


Thanks in advance,

Rob

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Don Cleghorn)
Subject: Cellular Phone Catches More Crooks
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1993 20:32:22 -0400 (EDT)
Organization: Internex Online - Toronto, Canada [phone]


I just heard of another instance of a cellular phone resulting in a
criminal arrest.  The mother of a good friend of mine lost her purse
and cellphone when her car was broken into in front of her house.  The
police asked her _not_ to cancel her cellphone service right away, and
only a few days later they found the thieves renting a place nearby,
based on their phone calls.  I don't know if they just used call
records, or if they got the cellphone company to locate the device (or
at least narrw it down?), but the technique seems to work well.

At this rate it might not be too long before cellphone thieves either
get a lot smarter, or you'll be able to leave it on the hood of your
car without fear ;-)


Don

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Brower, DBMS hack, [510] 748-3418)
Subject: Help Needed Troubleshooting Older TT Phone
Date: 20 Aug 93 11:56:33 GMT
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Dave Brower, DBMS hack, [510] 748-3418)
Organization: Ingres, one of those ASK Group subsidiaries


I've rediscovered an older desk-top TT phone that was working the last
time I tried it (years ago), but doesn't now.  It's a genuine W-E with
a electro-mechanical bell, and a transformer inside with a bunch of
screw terminals.  It's the sort of phone people would have been
hacking in 1969 or so.  When I lift the receiver, I hear a slight
click, but no dial-tone.  A new phone in the same jack does work.

I'd appreciate any suggestions about how to debug it, including how
the wires inside are supposed to be connected.


Thanks,

 -dB

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Aug 93 05:15:52 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Equal Access on Local Calls
Organization: AT&T


Yesterday, while making a call from my home (617-524) to someone in
another part of Boston (617-267), I kept getting a lot distortion on
the line, that sounded like clicks or pops. I'm not sure of the
technical description, but I would venture that it sounded like a
large binary number was randomly inserted into my digital stream. I
don't know the name of either switch that serves the exchanges, but I
do know that mine is in the Roxbury CO, and is the oldest switch in
Boston (I'm not surprised).

Anyway, the noise didn't show up until after supervision (or maybe
ring signal, I forget), so I know it wasn't CPE. I retried, and, on a
whim 10XXX-ed the *local* call (access code masked 'cuz it wasn't the
folks paying for this posting -- hey, I'm just a contractor here!), and
it went thru, no noise.

This was a surprise to me, as I thought the switches yanked that stuff
out, because the LD companies were prohibited from doing that. I did
retry direct-dialing it again, same noise. Maybe it was just another
transmission path?

How did this work?  What's my bill going to look like next month?


Kenneth R. Crudup, ATT BL, 1600 Osgood St, N. Andover, MA 01845-1043
MV20-3T5B, [phone].   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1993 20:54:08 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: More Phone Companies Move to Northern Virginia
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


Summary from Washington Technology, Aug 12:

MCI/BT Venture opens:

In previous announcements it was mentioned that MCI and British
Telecom were going to create a joint venture covering the enhanced
communications needs of larger companies who often need multiple
services in many countries.

BT will hold 75% of the new company and MCI the rest.  The new office
will be located in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC.
About half of the approximately 1,000 employees will be based out of
BT's Syncordia unit in Atlanta, with the rest split between the new
site and offices in Britain.

         ------

Cable and Wireless Consolidates

Cable and Wireless plc. is consolidating its North American operations
in Vienna, VA.  The new company will be called Cable & Wireless, Inc.
and combines the operations that used to serve small and medium-sized
businesses as well as large multinational companies and other
carriers.  The Consolidation becomes effective September 1.  The
company is sometimes referred to as "The MCI of Great Britain."

------------------------------

Subject: Last Laugh! Telecom in the Movies: Did TPC Kill Kennedy?
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1993 19:26:13 -0500 (CDT)
From: Ron Bean <nicmad!madnix![e-mail]>


   I saw a movie called "True Believer" on cable last night.  There's
a scene where James Woods (playing a lawyer) is interviewing an
eyewitness, who is not quite playing with a full deck. He starts to
get suspicious of Woods' motives -- (paraphrasing from memory):

   "You guys are from The Company, aren't you?"

(Woods: "The Company?? The CIA?")

   "The Telephone Company! They killed Kennedy, you know. He wanted to
break them up, and they'll never let that happen! They control
everything that goes over the phone. What they hear on the other end
is *never exactly the same* as what you said ..."

(The movie was made in 1986. I thought the comment about the breakup
was hilarious.)

   Later Woods finds evidence that his flakey witness was right about
the murderer he is tracking. His sidekick (played by Robert Downey
Jr), says:

   "Does this mean the phone company killed Kennedy?"


[e-mail] (Ron Bean)   uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!zaphod


[Moderator's Note: What a weekend that was! Thirty years ago this
coming November in the week before Thanksgiving. Kennedy got shot at
noon on Friday, then his alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald got shot
at noon on Sunday, in the basement of the police station by someone
who just walked up and decided to impose punishment then and there. I
wonder if The Phone Company contracted the whole thing out to their
former affiliate in Texas, SWBT?  <grin>  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #592
******************************
^A^A^A^A
^A^A^A^A
From telecom Sat Aug 21 16:59:43 1993
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA05490
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for [e-mail]); Sat, 21 Aug 1993 16:59:43 -0500
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 16:59:43 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <telecom>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #593
Status: RO

TELECOM Digest     Sat, 21 Aug 93 16:59:30 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 593

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Global Network Navigator (Brian Erwin)
    Audio Signal Generator (Update) (Rob Bailey)
    Coin Phone for Mexico? (John Giaever)
    Email < - > Telex (Paul Robinson)
    GTE Billing Problem - Fixable? (Nathan D. Lane)
    Legalities of Line Noise (Rowan Crawford)
    GTE Adopts New Numbering Plan (Matt Holdrege)
    NE Telephone PHONESMART (Monty Solomon)

                     ----------------------
TELECOM Digest is an e-journal devoted mostly -- but not exclusively --
to discussions on voice telephony. The Digest is a not-for-profit
public service published frequently by Patrick Townson Associates. PTA
markets a no-surcharge telephone calling card and a no monthly fee 800
service.  In addition, we are resellers of AT&T's Software Defined
Network. For a detailed discussion of our services, write and ask for
the file 'products'.

The Digest is delivered at no charge by email to qualified subscribers on
any electronic mail service connected to the Internet. To join the mail-
ing list, write and tell us how you qualify: [e-mail].
All article submissions MUST be sent to our email address: telecom@eecs.
nwu.edu -- NOT as replies to comp.dcom.telecom.

Back issues and numerous other telephone-related files of interest are
available from the Telecom Archives, using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu.
Login anonymous, then 'cd telecom-archives'. At the present time, the
Digest is also ported to Usenet at the request of many readers there,
where it is known as 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Use of the Digest does not
require the use of our products and services. The two are separate.
All articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. Organi-
zations listed, if any, are for identification purposes only. The
Digest is compilation-copyrighted, 1993. **DO NOT** cross-post articles
between the Digest and other Usenet or alt newsgroups. Do not compile
mailing lists from the net-addresses appearing herein.  Send tithes and
love offerings to PO Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690. :)  Phone: [phone].

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Aug 93 21:50:21 EDT
From: Brian Erwin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Global Network Navigator


                THE GLOBAL NETWORK NAVIGATOR
            An Internet-based Information Center
                 O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
        Free Subscription (send mail to [e-mail])

          Next month, we will launch a new experiment in online
publishing, _The Global Network Navigator_ (GNN), a free Internet-
based information center that will initially be available as a
quarterly.  GNN will consist of a regular news service, an online
magazine, The Whole Internet Interactive Catalog, and a global
marketplace containing information about products and services.

Keep Up with News of the Global Network

          The Global Network News provides a continuously updated
listing of interesting news items by and about the users of the
Internet, including announcements of new information services.

Discover New Interests in GNN Magazine

          Each issue will present articles developed around a common
theme, such as government or education.  Regular columns will cover
such topics as how to provide information services on the Internet or
help for new Internet users.  It will have several innovative
departments, such as Off The Wall Gallery, that exhibits in digital
form the works of new artists, and Go Find Out, a section containing
reviews of the Internet's most interesting resources.

How to find resources on a particular subject

          One of the most popular features of O'Reilly's _The Whole
Internet User's Guide and Catalog, by Ed Krol, is the catalog of
information resources on the Internet.  GNN features an expanded,
interactive version of this resource catalog that can be used online
to navigate to the Internet servers containing those resources.  The
Online Whole Internet Catalog organizes Internet resources in the
following categories:

     - The Internet             - Arts
     - Current Affairs          - Libraries, Reference & Education
     - Science                  - Government and Politics
     - Technology               - Business
     - Humanities               - Work and Play

          In the Online Whole Internet Catalog, subscribers can not
only read about these resources, they can actually connect to them
with a click of the button.

Participate in the GNN Marketplace

          Getting good information from a company about their products
or services is almost as valuable as the product or service itself.
The Global Marketplace provides referrals to companies providing this
kind of information online through the Internet.  The Global
Marketplace also contains commercial resource centers in which
subscribers may find white papers, product brochures or catalogs, demo
software or press releases for the companies advertising in GNN
Marketplace.

GNN and The World Wide Web

          Global Network Navigator is an application of the World Wide
Web (WWW), developed at CERN in Switzerland.  Users can choose any WWW
browser, such as Mosaic (available for UNIX, Windows, and the Mac)
from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.  In
addition, O'Reilly & Associates will make available Viola, an X-based
hypermedia software environment in which we've developed a
sophisticated WWW graphical browser.  Viola makes it possible to
distribute object-oriented documents that use formatted text,
graphics, icons, and scripts.  All World Wide Web browsers can be used
to access network services such as gopher and WAIS, independent of the
Global Network Navigator.

How To Subscribe

          The Global Network Navigator is available over the Internet
as a free subscription service during its launch.  GNN will be funded
by sponsors who provide commercial information of interest to our
readers in GNN Marketplace and through advertising in GNN News, GNN
Magazine and the Online Whole Internet Catalog.

          To get information on subscribing to Global Network
Navigator, send e-mail to [e-mail].


Brian Erwin, [e-mail]
O'Reilly & Associates
103A Morris Street, Sebastopol CA 95472
707-829-0515, Fax [phone]

------------------------------

Date: 21 Aug 93 01:57:42 EDT
From: Rob Bailey <[e-mail]>
Subject: Audio Signal Generator (Update)


A coupla months ago I solicited requests for ideas for an Audio Signal
Generator (handheld) I was building, partly professionally and partly
as a learning experience. I got a few responses, but not many. The box
will probably have a small keyboard, an LCD display, a built-in
speaker, and line-level audio out (sorry -- Part 68 kicked my butt
once before -- if you want to plug this thing into Ma Bell, build your
own DAA).

After much tedious info gathering, I have collected the following
functions to be produced by Pipe Dream Project #2 (ask me about the
radio I'm building sometime if you want to hear about project #1).
First, please respect the amount of work I have put into this for all
our benefits and don't run out and build this thing and put me out of
business.

Now to the question: Is there anything missing from this list you'd
like to see added? As you can see, my primary fields of interest are
RADIO and TELEPHONE communications. However, I am very much interested
in ANY field of electronics (for that matter, any field at all) that
could use this piece of test gear. I will (once again) summarize
responses. And, if I ever get anywhere, I will let everyone know.

RADIO
 - Distress
     - Class A & B E.P.I.R.B. Alarm
     - E. B. S. Attention Tone
     - International Radiotelegraph Alarm
     - International Radiotelephone Alarm
     - Siren (several cadences)
 - DTMF
     - Manual (single digit as long as you hold down the button)
     - Burst: digit
     - Burst: buffer (maybe w/coupla autodials)
     - "nnn" code squelch
     - "nnn*nnn" code page
     - Kenwood-style alphanumeric page
 - Mobile Phone - IMTS and S.M.A.R.T.
 - Morse Code
 - Paging
     - Automatic (by CapCode)
         - Select format
             - 2TS
                 - Select Duty Cycle (e.g., Tone and Voice, Tone Only, etc.)
                 - Select Plan
                     - Motorola Modified General Encoding
                     - Motorola General Encoding
                     - Motorola Code Type Assignment
                     - Motorola Sub-audible
                     - Metro-Page 10 / Metro 100
                     - MODAX / MODEN / Alert Central
                     - G. E. Code-99
             - 5/6 Decimal Digital
             - REACH
             - AIRINC SELCAL (HF Aero)
     - Manual (by Reed/Digit Code)
         - Select Format
             - 5/6 Decimal Digital (Tone 0-9, R, X)
             - AIRINC HF Aero SELCAL (Tone A-S)
             - G. E. Group G1/A (12 filters)
             - G. E. Group G2/B (12 filters)
             - G. E. Group G3/C (12 filters)
             - Modex / Moden-100 1 Upper (tone 0-5)
             - Modex / Moden-100 1 Lower (tone 0-5)
             - Moden-36 / Alert Central 1 Upper (tone 0-5)
             - Moden-36 / Alert Central 1 Lower (tone 0-5)
             - Motorola Group (groups 1-11, 17-19, A, B and Z)
             - REACH (channels 11-55)
 - P.U.R.C.
     - Non-Simulcast Key Command Function Tones
         - Monitor
         - Key on Channel 1 to 8
         - High-level Guard Tone
         - Transmit Function
     - Simulcast Key Command Function Tones
         - Key on Channel 1 - 3
     - Station Group Disable (Knock-down) Tones
         - Station 01/11/21 thru 10/20/30 Disable
         - Group 1 Enable
         - Group 1 Disable / Group 2 Enable
         - Group 1 Disable / Group 3 Enable
 - TPL
     - Select by Reed Code (all known designators) or frequency
 - Misc.
     - SSTV (Black, White and Sync)
     - WEFAX Satellite (US and Soviet carrier freqs)
TELEPHONE
 - Call Setup
     - Coin
         - deposit: manual or automatic (enter amount - CPU sends tones)
         - collect (per spec or manual)
         - return (per spec or manual)
     - DTMF
         - Manual (single digit as long as you hold down the button)
         - Burst: digit or buffer
       MF
         - Manual (single digit as long as you hold down the button)
         - Burst: digit or buffer
     - 2600 Hz
 - Call Progress
     - Dial tone
     - Busy (Manual, Normal or Reorder)
     - Ringback (Manual, CO 2/4, PABX 1/3, or PABX 1/4)
     - Off-hook (manual or per spec)
     - PABX Alarm
     - SIT (Intercept, Reorder, Vacant, No circuits, or manual)
 - Misc
     - Caller*ID (TBA)
     - AFSK
           (all have Mark, Space, and Alternating Mark/Space)
         - Bell 103/113 - F1 (ORI:XMT, ANS:RCV) and F2 (ORI:RCV, ANS:XMT)
         - CCITT V.21 (0 and 1 bit) Calling:T/Called:R & Calling:R/Called:T
         - Bell 202 (plus reverse channel)
         - V.23 Foward 1200b, Fallback 600b and Reverse 75b
         - Bell 212, V.22
         - TDD
         - Bell 201, Bell 208, V.26, V.27 Carrier
         - V.29 Carrier
     - TDD transmit-only
Other
 - Standard Musical Scale
 - n-event Programmable sequencer
     - Program event n
         - select event length
         - select event
             - Tone A on nnn Hz
             - Tone B on nnn Hz
             - Tone A off
             - Tone B off
     - start sequence (number of times or continuous)
 - Programmable sweep
     - Enter A and B
     - Select
         - Sweep Up
         - Sweep Up/Down
         - Sweep Down
     - Sweep (number of times or continuous)

(If you see anything here that is proprietary, trademarked,
copyrighted, patented, etc., how 'bout letting me know!)


Thanks,

Rob Bailey - ARS WM8S - [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: pilchuck!pilchuck!phred![e-mail] (John Giaever)
Subject: Coin Phone for Mexico?
Date: 21 Aug 93 19:32:31 GMT
Reply-To: phred![e-mail]
Organization: Physio-Control


I'd like to buy a peso compatible coin phone for use in Mexico. Does
anyone have a manufacturer or reference on where I can buy one?


Reply to:
 ..pilchuck!phred![e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 13:28:57 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Email < - > Telex
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


> I'm trying to learn if anyone offers a (two-way) gateway between
> Telex and Internet Email.

The only reasonably priced service for this is MCI Mail.  AT&T Mail
(Easylink) raised its rates for a telex number from an expensive $29
per month plus usage, to a whopping $99 per month plus usage.

This applies to a number that can receive telexes.  AT&T Mail provides
the ability to send telexes as part of the service, which was $3 a
month the last time I had the service, and I dropped it when I heard
AT&T was planning to raise the rates to a minimum $25 a month billing.

The rate for a mailbox on MCI Mail is $36 per year and a fee for each
outgoing message to the tune of 50c for the first 500 characters, then
10c per K sent up to 10K, then 5c/K thereafter.  This applies only to
sent E-Mail; you can receive all the E-Mail you can take, free.

They have discount plans, and every MCI Mail box includes a free
incoming telex number.

Telexes are charged at the commercial rate which as a rule of thumb I
use 10c per word for most countries, minimum $2.50.  They have a
complete rate schedule and it's based on transmission time at either
75, 110 or 300 baud, (depending on how fast the recipient's equipment
is) and is in the neighborhood of $1.80 to $2.50 for each minute.

MCI Mail is accessed by dialing via a modem to a 1-800 number.  You
can use their 2400 baud service or their 9600 baud service; they have
modems for both.

You could do this: take the "message" plan, which for $10 a month,
allows you to send up to 40 message-units of E-Mail a month and they
waive the $35 a year service charge.  Now, you can set the account to
"autoforward" to Larry Walker (EMS) / EMS: INTERNET / MBX:
[e-mail] MCI Mail will charge you for each forwarded
message.

Or for the same price, they will forward the message to a fax machine.

The $10 per month rate schedule gives you 40 message units; a unit is
5K of E-Mail or a 1/2 page fax transmission (cover sheet is free).
This does not include telex messages.

Now, you have your correspondent send to your telex number and MCI
will autoforward it to your E-Mail box or fax machine.  Or, as a
cheaper method, log in to MCI Mail once a day and see if something was
sent; then you could just pay the $35 a year service fee; but if you
want it sent to you immediately, you can pay the $10 a month.

Because telexes are very expensive, I would *not* recommend doing an
autoforward to a telex number; instead, log on and compose your
message then send it; if your account is set to autoforward, you will
get the telex confirmation as any other message.

I did this for someone else on TELECOM Digest, so I'll make the same
offer for you to try it for your correspondent.  Give them *my* number
and ask them to try sending a message to you through my number, and
I'll pass it on to you.  Be sure they give me your address, in the
form of WALKERL AT MED.GE.COM (most telex machines are upper case
only, and the @ sign isn't present).

On MCI Mail, my exact Internet address is [e-mail]; for
telex, the three zeroes are changed to 650, then the correspondent
uses the code for the USA (usually 22).  The answerback is the telex
number followed by "MCI UW".  So my telex number is 6505066432
answerback 6505066432MCI UW

Our Beloved Virtual Moderator wrote:

> [Moderator's Note: Both MCI Mail and ATT Mail have telex gateways
> and both have Internet gateways.

Only MCI Mail has incoming telex service built into the account; AT&T
requires you purchase a separate number which the price has just gone
up.  I'm trying to talk my office into taking MCIMail for the few
telexes we have to receive or sometimes send.

Pat Continues:

> You could take a couple of accounts on one of those services,
> setting one account to forward incoming mail to !telex!number and
> setting the other to forward mail to !internet!name.

Only AT&T Mail uses the ! crock format; MCI Mail supports fully
addressing an Internet address using the standard RFC 822 format using
[e-mail] in the address.  And because telex messages are so
expensive, I would not recommend autoforwarding messages to a telex
number, especially if someone else made a mistake and send a long
message to your number when they meant someone else's.

Compuserve has a telex gateway, but they would be more expensive than
MCI Mail since you pay for every message received by paying for
connect time, and I don't know if they have autoforwarding capability.


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 21:05:54 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Nathan D. Lane)
Subject: GTE Billing Problem - Fixable?


I recently received my bill from GTE for my modem telephone lines.
They are standard residential and all calls were normal, except one.
Before I start, I will say I don't mind paying for my phone service --
no problem.  But when there is a billing "error" (in quotes, because
it's not really), I'm not happy.  I looked over the bill and saw all
my modem calls to an office in my LATA, so GTE rates applied, not AT&T
(my normal carrier).  Now, GTE only has three columns for the number
of minutes.  One of my calls was 1039 minutes. However, the bill only
showed 39 minutes.  NOT, NOT, "039" minutes (then I wouldn't have
disputed the problem), but "39" minutes for $162.00.  A call for 450
minutes was only $69.75.  I called to dispute the bill and they said
that their computer billing (and printing) couldn't handle the number
of columns (i.e., 4) for the number of minutes.  I feel if their
system can't handle the number of columns required, then they should
change it.  (And, again, remember the "39" minutes not "039" or
"1039").

Do any companies out there do four or five or six column number of
minutes?  I was using this line as an interim measure before I get my
leased line (those things take *forever* to install, by design?)  I
am just worried that when I write this off as a business expense, will
the IRS wonder?  (There is no per minute charge listed on the bills.)
After I get the leased line, they go back to strict residential use.
Do I have a worthwhile dispute?  Should I deposit my money (for $162)
with the PUC instead of GTE?

Thank you for any advice and I find this group to be very helpful! :)


Nathan Lane
Triicon Systems, Inc. Santa Barbara, CA (though I moved 50 mi. to Lompoc, CA)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rowan Crawford)
Subject: Legalities of Line Noise
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 12:12:58 GMT


I must be on the world's worst line. Having just purchased a nice new
Supra 14400 baud modem, I still find that the best transfer rate that
I can achive is <300 cps. This drops down to 30 cps on a "bad" day.

Having called Telecom about ten times in the last month, I was finally
told today that if there is a problem with the line, then it'll be me
who has to pay for the fixing!?!

My confusion is that I was recently told that any line in Australia is
required by law to be able to transmit without problem a 2400 baud
connection. Who is right??

Even more frustrating is the fact that every time I call, I ask for
the person working on it to call me. I've gathered quite a lot of
information about my problem so I hope that by giving this info to the
"repairer", I can help him pin point the fault.

Unfortunately, of the ten calls, only two have replied -- one after
he'd worked on it, and the other (this morning) before working. The
guy this morning though, seemed quite sure that it was a fault of my
system and that the cost would fall back to me.

How does the law work in this respect?

Help.


Rowan Crawford : [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 13:17:07 -0800
From: Urban Surfer <[e-mail]>
Subject: GTE Adopts New Numbering Plan


In my GTE phone bill there is an insert warning customers about new
area codes going into effect in 1995.

They say "On January 1, 1995, about 640 new area codes will be made
available using middle digits other than 0 or 1. That change will
quadruple the current number supply and meet rising demand for up to
30 more years."

They go on to say "Most importantly, all 1-plus seven digit and 0-plus
seven digit dialing will end. If they continued, switching equipment
could not distinguish between an area code and a prefix."

"Starting October 11th, 1993, you'll have to dial "0" plus the area
code and seven digit number for operator-assisted and Calling Card
calls to your own area code, just like you do today for calls to other
area codes. So you'll have time to get used to this change, you can
use the new or the current method of dialing operator-assisted and
Calling Card calls until October 10, 1994. After that, you'll get a
recording asking you to redial correctly."

I didn't think that any of this had been finalized yet. Especially
since Bellcore is pushing off the NPA business. Does anyone know of
GTE is jumping the gun or not?


Matt Holdrege   [e-mail]   MH235

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 16:41:11 EDT
From: Monty Solomon <roscom![e-mail]>
Subject: NE Telephone PHONESMART


NE Telephone will be offering their new PHONESMART service in various
parts of Massachusetts.

Here are the details:

Caller ID        $4.95/mo
Per-Call Blocking    Free
Line Blocking        Free    (Call 800 555 5000 to enable)

Repeat Dialing        $2.25/mo
Call Return        $2.25/mo
Repeat/Return Pkg    $3.95/mo

Call Trace        $3.25 per traced call
    $5 case preparation fee if 2 calls traced to same number with 30 days
    No action unless Annoyance Call Bureau is notified after each trace
    Traced numbers are kept on file for 30 days

Call Trace is available now.  The other features will be avaialble 9/1/93.


Monty Solomon / PO Box 2486 / Framingham, MA  01701-0405
[e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #593
******************************
^A^A^A^A
^A^A^A^A
From telecom Sat Aug 21 18:53:16 1993
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA07407
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for [e-mail]); Sat, 21 Aug 1993 18:53:16 -0500
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 18:53:16 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <telecom>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #595
Status: RO

TELECOM Digest     Sat, 21 Aug 93 18:53:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 595

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Foreign Exchange Service (Fred R. Goldstein)
    Re: NSA Seeks Delay in Clipper (Rob Boudrie)
    Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail' (Roy M. Silvernail)
    Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail' (Tony Harminc)
    Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail' (Jonathan Haruni)
    Busy Signals, Tone Plants, etc. (Jack Winslade)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Russell Sharpe)
    Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (Al Varney)
    Re: Fidonet Specs Wanted (Jan Ceuleers)
    Re: Should I Get a Separate Line for Modem (Dave Carpentier)
    Re: AT&T Buys McCaw (Cellular One) (R. Kevin Oberman)
    Re: 10XXX Restrictions - Legality (Steve Cogorno)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Fred R. Goldstein)
Subject: Re: Foreign Exchange Service
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Littleton MA USA
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 04:22:14 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jody
Kravitz) writes:

> I have several unanswered questions:

> Neither rep could explain to me how "engineering" computed the mileage
> numbers for the "foreign exchange service" rates I was quoted.  One of
> the numbers was called "suburban mileage" and the other was something
> like "distance between rate centers".  The COs are 15+ air miles
> apart, and my home is 19 air miles from the foreign CO.  I was quoted
> three "quarter-mile units of suburban mileage and 37 "quarter-mile
> units between rate centers".

> Can anyone define the true meanings of these terms for me ?

It is obvious that you are in the boonies!

Foreign exchange service is generally (and I assume PacBell is not
unlike New England Tel and the others I'm familiar with) provided on a
rate-center-mileage basis.  That means that the service has a charge
consisting of K + M, where K is a constant (first mile charge, so to
speak, to account for setting it up) and M is a mileage-based rate.
As with all private (leased) line services, mileage is based on a
simple hypotenuse of a triange formed using the "V and H coordinates".
This is a continent-wide grid of roughly a third of a mile per digit,
not exactly corresponding to latitude and longitude.

Every exchange area -- a tariff area on a map, NOT a central office
serving area, though the two are more often than not the same -- has a
single V&H coordinate defined as its "rate center".  This is just an
arbitrary coordinate in the tariff.  No secret, but not a real thing
either.  So the FX mileage is based on whatever the tariff says is the
V and H of each exchange.

Now the suburban mileage ... in rural areas, the distance from you to
a central office can get long, and that costs big bucks.  So phone
companies can draw lines on the maps in the tariffs and say that
regular local exchange rates only apply within these lines.  If you
live outside the line, you pay the distance to the line.  Typically
this leaves villages within the line and a lot of farms without.  The
fact that the line is FX doesn't change this charge, but it might be
waived on your ordinary residence line, as a PUC policy, if you aren't
paying it.

> Do they actually allocate a circuit (or subchannel on a T1)
> permanently, or do they allocate on the fly? Gee, could I get a fast
> busy from the local CO instead of remote dial-tone on a bad day?

It's a fixed channel.  They charge because business lines are charged,
and again since residence is subsidized, the California PUC allows
PacBell to classify all FX as business.  Policy, not technology.

> I assume that the real cost of providing service to residences and
> businesses are the same.  I further believe that business usage IS
> rate sensitive.

> Is this assumption way off?

The cost is the same, basically, but (this is especially true in CA)
residence gets a big subsidy, covered by whopping high tolls. Busin-
ess lines are measured, to pay into the residence subsidy. Again,
policy.


Fred R. Goldstein   k1io  [e-mail]
Opinions are mine alone; sharing requires permission


[Moderator's Note: It is very typical of Fred not to mention these
things, but he wil be on the radio Saturday night/Sunday morning
discussing telephones and telephone services, along with myself. For
many of you, the show will be on the air as you read this message, so
please tune it in if you can:  WWCR, 7435 khz shortwave, and the
Spectrum program. One hour, beginning at 11:35 pm Eastern US time
Saturday night; 8:35 pm Pacific time (earlier I said 9:35 in error).
Or, Spacenet III, Transponder 21 5.8 mhz wideband audio on the Let's
Talk Radio Network. Join the show; talk to Fred on the air.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rob Boudrie)
Subject: Re: NSA Seeks Delay in Clipper
Organization: Center For High Perf. Computing of WPI; Marlboro Ma
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 05:26:28 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> Dave Banisar <banisar@
washofc.cpsr.org> writes:

>  NSA Seeks Delay in Clipper Case

Are they prepared to delay all efforts at getting Clipper accepted as
a standard for one year as well?

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail'
From: [e-mail] (Roy M. Silvernail)
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 01:53:34 CST
Organization: The Villa CyberSpace, executive headquarters


The thread about SnailMail reminds me of an incident when I still
lived in Nome, Alaska.

My girlfriend's mother sent her a note, but forgot to put the Zip code
on the envelope.  After several weeks, it had not arrived. (Her mother
even called to see what the problem might be.)

Some two months after it had been mailed, the letter finally arrived.
We got quite a kick out of the envelope, which was backstamped in
Arabic.  The letter had been misrouted to Saudi Arabia.  It took three
World Atlases to finally locate the city that backstamped and returned
it.


Roy M. Silvernail |+|  [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note:  A few years ago when Reagan was president, the
Russian newspaper {Pravda} had a great laugh at the expense of the US
Postal Service. Children in a school in Moscow had been given the
assignment of writing letters to world leaders of their choice to ask
them to cooperate in building a peaceful world. The picture showed
this rather mystified-looking kid about 11 years old named Ivan, and
in the picture with him an envelope for his letter quite plainly
addressed to President Reagan, White House, Washington DC USA.  On the
envelope just as plainly, an endorsement saying 'addressee unknown,
unable to forward'. {Pravda} noted in the caption to the picture,
"United States Postal Service says they cannot locate President Reagan."
Quite a few copies of that picture were photocopied and stuck on
walls in post offices all over the USA, including my own 60690, where
they generally disappeared within hours of being mounted, no doubt the
janitor acting at the postmaster's instructions.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 14:22:27 EDT
From: Tony Harminc <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail'


[e-mail] wrote:

>> (4) Addresses in the United Kingdom don't seem to have street numbers
>> associated with them as we tend to have here in Canada.  An example:
>> 'Hayle Mill, Maidstone, Kent, England.'

> I once saw a British address (it was a lab or factory belonging to to
> EMI Ltd.) that lingers in my mind to this day: "Wookie Hole"

My uncle (now retired) was the doctor in Wookey Hole for many years.
The village is famous not for the EMI plant (which I think is now
closed), but for the Wookey Hole Caves.  And yes, my uncle's house has
a name and no number.

The telephone exchange in Wells (the nearest city (actually the
smallest city in England)) which serves Wookey Hole for many years had
a curious feature.  The first ring (both signal and tone) was always a
single very long one.  The normal UK double beat ringing then cut in
with no evident synchronization.  On occasion it would start right
after the initial one, giving a verrry long starting ring.

I think Wookey Hole is digital now.


Tony H.

------------------------------

From: Jonathan Haruni <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail'
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Micrognosis International, London
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 13:16:32 GMT


Peter Rukavina ([e-mail])  wrote:

> (3) When I send mail to a U.S. address that is incorrect ...
> [it comes back with a sticker saying] ...
> 'ADDRESS INCORRECT: Forwarding Order Expired' and then lists a
> different address below.

Well, they probably just charge people by the month for the forwarding
service.  It probably is inefficient to return the mail to you with
the forward address on it, but if they just forwarded it, their mail
forwarding business would go down the tubes; people would pay for one
month and then get it for free.  I find it odd that they provide you
with the address rather than just return it to you.  The recipient may
have moved a second time without telling the first post office.

In the UK, once the forwarding order expires they just deliver the
mail to the old address, and let the new occupants deal with it.
Common practice is to scrawl "HE MOVED" across the front and dump it
back in a mail box !

> (4) Addresses in the United Kingdom don't seem to have street numbers
> associated with them as we tend to have here in Canada.  An example:
> 'Hayle Mill, Maidstone, Kent, England.'  What is the usual geographic
> size of the elements of a U.K. address?  Is 'Hayle Mill' a single
> building, a village, a post office?  Is Kent a province?  Are there no
> street numbers because postal employees know where everyone is in a
> give area?

Yes.

Usually there is a street number, but people who live in a building or
house which has a name will prefer to use the name for reasons of
vanity.  Quite often a short street will have a few apartment
buildings on it, and each one will have a name as well as a number.
The mailman won't have any trouble finding buildings by their name.
(Usually the names will be things like "Summer Court", "King George
Mansions", or other fancy names keeping with the objective of
pomposity, and utterly failing to describe the run down little hovels
which the buildings are.)

So you get an address like "Top Flat, Monte-Carlo Lodge, Green Hill,
Oak Meadows, Surrey" which will get the mail there, but the place can
be described equally well by "Apartment 3, 15 Green Hill, London SW99
1ZZ".  Where would you rather live ?

It may help you to know that many streets in England which are of any
substantial length, have many different names along their length.
This makes it a lot easier to find places by name and not number -- the
street name usually refers to a short road or a relatively short
section of road.

As for your "Hayle Mill", it is probably a place famous enough that
given the postal code, the local mailman will know it.  Without the
postal code, it must be very famous because Maidstone is a small city.
Once again, I think pomposity plays a role here.  It shows how famous
you are if you can just say "My House, England" and it gets there.

> (5) Further, the ISO country code for England, Scotland, Wales and
> Northern Ireland is 'UK.'  Can I substitute 'UK' for 'England' in the
> address above, or should I use it in addition thereto?

It doesn't matter.  It will get there.  "UK" is easier to write.


Jon

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 00:13:36 CST
From: [e-mail] (Jack Winslade)
Subject: Busy Signals, Tone Plants, etc.
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: DRBBS Technical BBS, Omaha


I've been fascinated by the various CO sounds ever since I developed
an interest in telecom.  I guess that's natural, since those are the
sounds that all telecom users become intimately familiar with.

The old busy tone was obnoxious, I admit, and I can see why some
people dislike it, although I admit I kinda miss it.  It was loud and
rude, and said (or rather shouted) I'M BUSY NOW, DON'T BOTHER ME.

This was a quite loud BAW -- BAW -- BAW tone that could easily be
heard across the room.  My ex-SO referred to it as the 'FAWD - FAWD -
FAWD' tone as she thought it sounded similar to a loud spoken 'fawd'.

I'll never forget when I first heard the modern ESS type busy tone.  I
actually called it back a couple of times just to listen to its
strangeness.  I was phoning a friend who I knew was served by an old
panel office, which had the quirk of giving one or two cycles of
ringback followed by clicks, pops, and BAW -- BAW -- BAW when the
called line was busy.  I immediately knew what had happened and
wondered if I would ever get used to the soft tweet-tweet-tweet of the
modern busy tone.

Some of the later number 5 crossbar offices had a distinctive tone
plant that gave a ringback quite similar to the modern one (as opposed
to the older 'city ring' tone) although still quite mechanical in
sound.  These offices had the traditional BAW -- BAW busy tone,
although a bit less obnoxious in a very subtle way.  The ringing tone
from these was almost identical to the modern electronic tone plants.

I had a friend in the Sunset Park area on a REALLY ratty panel office
(if I ever had that level of service I would have SCREAMED) which had
one of the strangest tone plants I have ever heard, and I've never
encountered another like it.  The dial tone was raspy, almost like the
sound of an annunciator buzzer.  Ringback was flatulent in sound, and
the busy tone was a raspy interrupted buzzzzz in the normal cadence.
Of course, when the calls did go through to that office (reorder was
very common) the typical rattles and 'chimes' of the old panel offices
frequently appeared during the conversation.  I can imagine what a
v.32 modem would have done on that office.  It was finally cut to a #1
ESS in the mid 70's.

By far the funkiest tones from Ma Bell came from a #101 ESS (the #101
'steamship anchor' as a Ma Bell person called it) that we were
'served' from at work until the mid 1980's.  The dial tone was normal,
the busy tone was the usual tweet-tweet, but the busy tone was a
modern electronic one but with a very irregular cadence.  The first
ring was always much longer than subsequent rings.  I remember hearing
first rings that seemed as long as five seconds.  Second and
subsequent rings were in the normal cadence.  I thought they must have
timed the ring tone with a 555 timer chip in the astable configuration
where the first cycle is always long as the capacitor charges up past
the 1/3 voltage trip point.  Maybe I'm right, perhaps it was for some
other reason.  (I know Ma Bell always has good reasons for everything,
right ??)

Now that tone plants are far more standardized, it's often difficult
to tell which kind of equipment is on the far end.  Every once in a
while, however, I'll hear something other than the typical ESS ring
tone (or tweet-tweet busy tone).


Good day,

JSW    (1:285/666.0)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (russell sharpe)
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
Date: 21 Aug 1993 11:21:01 GMT
Organization: Wellington City Council, Public Access
Reply-To: [e-mail]


>       Although, in step exchanges, wasn't the ringing signal
> actually some of the called party ringing sent back to the calling
> party?  Seemed like it was 20 Hz with some higher frequency mixed in.
> I recall hearing a difference in ringing signal based on the ringing
> load on the line.  If the number we were calling had a neon lamp
> instead of a ringer (such as a radio station in studio line), we'd
> hear a bit of raspiness due to the sudden conduction as the ringing
> voltage hit the ionization voltage for the lamp.  Do I remember all
> this correctly?  Is the current ringing signal just mimicking the old
> step ringing signal?

Ideally ring back meant that ringing was sent to the terminating
customer, but in reality occasionally faults did occur in which a
component breakdown in what we called a barretta (a current dependant
resistor (basically a light bulb)) caused no ringing to be sent forth.


Russell Sharpe:    email: [e-mail]
                   Voice: [phone]
               snailmail: 171 Holborn Drive
                          Stokes Valley 6008
                          New Zealand

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 16:22:35 CDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal
Organization: AT&T


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(David Breneman) writes:

> Missouri 4-H Youth Development Programs ([e-mail])
> wrote:

>> Can anyone confirm that in some of the old CO, the ringing signal was
>> actually the 20 Hz ringing current?  I was always interested in the
>> different ringing signal sounds that have been used in different COs.

   While it is tempting to suppose such a coupling between ringing
current and audible ring tone, one should be aware of the problems of
such arrangements.  First of all, the called line(s) can vary wildly
in impedance, so any coupling has to put a reasonably constant volume
into audible for wide ranges of ringing current/voltage.  Some kind of
devide triggered by high voltages would probably be needed.  A second
problem is that, while coupled, the voice frequency paths need to be
separated to prevent someone from talking over an "unanswered" line
during the silent intervals.  Also, all the calling parties had to be
isolated from each other to prevent an unintended "chat line" service.

   Note that I haven't been around long enough to have worked on SXS,
but I was a "user" for 10 years (age 8 to 18) when the manual board
was replaced by a SXS CDO.  Big event, CO tours (building the size of
my garage -- still there, dwarfed by the microwave tower in back),
free key chains with miniature Princess(tm?) telephone.  Anyway, an
ice storm about twelve years ago knocked out all the long distance
circuits AND somehow took out the tone/ringing current generator.  I
discovered that, if one dialed a local number (only four digits
needed) and waited long enough, you could be connected when the called
party went off-hook to attempt a call.  They didn't receive ringing,
nor did I receive audible.  When I saw the "telephone guy" in the
coffee shop a couple of days later, he said several fuses in the tone
generator had blown.  If I remember correctly, he said audible and
ringing current came from different parts of the "shaft" of the
generator.

> I can't confirm it, but that was my impression, too.  I remember the
> "ringing signal" sounded like a low-frequency electrical current.
> Dial tones were more, I don't know, "mechanical" sounding, too.

   Many old tone plants used 420 Hz modulated at 40 Hz for audible,
and 600 Hz modulated by 120 Hz for dial tone.  Very "mechanical", like
early "electronic" music.


Al Varney

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jan Ceuleers)
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 17:52:20
Subject: Re: Fidonet Specs Wanted
Organization: K12 Belgium (S-Team)


I quote David Dodell:

> [e-mail]

Rick Moore is no longer the chairman of the FTSC (FidoNet Technical
Standards Committee):
David Nugent ([e-mail]) has taken over.


Jan

Origin: Experimenter Board, Antwerp, Belgium (2:292/857)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 19:33:43 -0400
Subject: Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem


Rajappa Iyer <[e-mail]> writes:

> What are the pros and cons of using the same telephone number for both
> the modem and voice? I really don't want to miss calls while I am on
> the modem. Would call waiting help? Any input on this will be apprec-
> iated.

One solution is to get Voice-Mail and Call Forwarding. I had this
setup for a while on my modem line. Before you go online, just forward
the calls to the voice-mailbox. The problem with this setup is the
memory work involved with constantly setting/cancelling the call
forwarding. Voice-mailboxes can sometimes be setup to call you back
(at any ph#) to inform you of a message waiting ... a nice feature IMHO.

Stay away from the Call-waiting. As Pat said, it'll knock you offline.
Some Call-waiting systems can be disabled with a special code (such as
*70 ?), but this wouldn't solve your problem, as calls would again go
unanswered.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: AT&T Buys McCaw (Cellular One)
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 15:20:53 GMT
Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory


In Article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Gary
Morris @ignite) writes:

> In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Bryan D. Boyle)
> writes:

>> So, AT&T, rather than fighting, bought McCaw Communications today for
>> $12 billion.  Now, this is interesting news.

> Also in the news yesterday was an interesting item about McCaw and
> PacTel getting approval to combine their cellular systems in a joint
> venture.  PacTel Mobile Services will merge with the McCaw operation
> in the Bay Area, PacTel will buy McCaw's systems in the Wichita and
> Topeka, and also merge in their 34% ownership of a Dallas cellular
> system.

I know this gets confusing, but Cellular One and PacTel Cellular ARE
the same carrier. PacTel Cellular simply sells Cellular One services
where Cellular One is a joint operation of McCaw and Pacific Telesis.
The other carrier in the SF Bay area is GTE MobilNet. Since GTE and
Pac$Bell both operate as LECs in parts of the Bay area, I'm not too
sure who is A and who is B, but GTE was there first.

PacTell Cellular was (is?) the Pacific Telesis sales operation and
simply resold and serviced Cellular One. Since Cellular One also
provides both sales and serrvice, I can't understand why PacTel
bothered. I have been told that PacTel did not do a very good job and
I'm sure lots of their customers will be happy to be able to just call
Cellular One when there are problems.

Now, is everyone confused? I am.


R. Kevin Oberman        Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Internet: [e-mail]    [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Cogorno)
Subject: Re: 10XXX Restrictions - Legality
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 10:14:03 PDT


If you are concerned about the surcharge associated with a calling
card when using 10ATT0, you can sign up for Reach-Out-America (if they
are still have it).  This plan ( I think it is the $9.50 a month one)
lets you buy chunks of time in hour segments, but the best part is
that there are NEVER any callingcard surcharges on any call placed
using you AT&T card.  Note: the card provided by your local telco will
NOT be billed at Reach Out America Rates.


Steve   [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #595
******************************














Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa00413;
          1 Jan 94 3:14 EST
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA08426
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 21 Aug 1993 20:04:17 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA08398
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 21 Aug 1993 20:03:35 -0500
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 20:03:35 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #596

TELECOM Digest     Sat, 21 Aug 93 20:03:30 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 596

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Radar and Acronyms (about LATA) (Leo Nederlof)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Radio Stations) (Dave Ratcliffe)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Paul Robinson)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Dave Hough)
    Re: Radar and Acronyms (Radio Stations) (Bryan D. Boyle)
    Re: Radio Station Acronyms (Garrett Wollman)
    Newfoundland Radio Station Acronym History (Philip Hiscock)
    Re: Radio Station Acronyms (David Cornutt)
    Re: Radio Station Acronyms (Guy J. Sherr)
    Re: Hey Warren! What are These? (Laurence Chiu)
    Re: Hey Warren! What are These? (Graham Toal)
    Re: Funny Newspaper Headlines (Glen Ecklund)

                     ----------------------
TELECOM Digest is an e-journal devoted mostly -- but not exclusively --
to discussions on voice telephony. The Digest is a not-for-profit
public service published frequently by Patrick Townson Associates. PTA
markets a no-surcharge telephone calling card and a no monthly fee 800
service.  In addition, we are resellers of AT&T's Software Defined
Network. For a detailed discussion of our services, write and ask for
the file 'products'.

The Digest is delivered at no charge by email to qualified subscribers on
any electronic mail service connected to the Internet. To join the mail-
ing list, write and tell us how you qualify: [e-mail].
 All article submissions MUST be sent to our email address: telecom@eecs.
nwu.edu -- NOT as replies to comp.dcom.telecom.

Back issues and numerous other telephone-related files of interest are
available from the Telecom Archives, using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu.
Login anonymous, then 'cd telecom-archives'. At the present time, the
Digest is also ported to Usenet at the request of many readers there,
where it is known as 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Use of the Digest does not
require the use of our products and services. The two are separate.
All articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. Organi-
zations listed, if any, are for identification purposes only. The
Digest is compilation-copyrighted, 1993. **DO NOT** cross-post articles
between the Digest and other Usenet or alt newsgroups. Do not compile
mailing lists from the net-addresses appearing herein.  Send tithes and
love offerings to PO Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690. :)  Phone: [phone].

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 08:03:22 +0200
From: [e-mail] (Leo Nederlof)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms (about LATA)


M. Otto [e-mail] asked about the meaning of LATA:

>> LATA - Lousy A**h*les Treating you Arrogantly :-)

> What does it really stand for?  I'm a newcomer to this list/newsgroup;
> is there a FAQ for frequently seen acronyms like the one that
> sci.space and sci.astro has?

and even PAT couldn't give the answer:

> [Moderator's Note: Local Area Transport something ...

While of course everyone knows that it is local access and transit
area, where the LEC (local exchange carrier) handles intra-LATA
traffic between local subscribers and inter-LATA traffic to long
distance carriers via POPs (points of presence).

Working in the telecom business, all these acronyms and abbreviations
can really drive you mad. Therefore, I started to make a search list
about a year ago; within short time I gathered >1K without
intentionnally searching.  I now have them listed in a sorted file,
which I can either grep or search manually for answers.


Leo Nederlof             Alcatel Bell Research Centre
[e-mail]        Network Technology Group
phone: [phone]     Francis Wellesplein 1
fax:   [phone]     2018 Antwerp - Belgium


[Moderator's Note: Another good source is the collection of glossary
files in the Telecom Archives. Use anonymous ftp to access the
archives at lcs.mit.edu, then when connected, 'cd telecom-archives'.
Pull all the files with the first word 'glossary'. There are several
available.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: frackit![e-mail] (Dave Ratcliffe)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms (Radio Stations)
Date: 21 Aug 93 23:00:38 GMT
Organization: Data Factory Services, Harrisburg, Pa.


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(CAREY JOSEPH M) writes:

> Ron Bean <nicmad!madnix![e-mail]> writes:

>> [e-mail] writes:
>>> In your acronyms, nobody has mentioned that there were several radio
>>> stations that used their callsigns for such. This is kinda fun, so ...

>> WORT = World's Oldest Radio Transmitter

> A couple of others in Chicago our moderator should know:

> WLS - "World's Largest Store." Used to be owned by Sears-Roebuck
> WGN - "World's Greatest Newspaper." Owned by the Chicago Tribune

> And in Detroit there is:

> WJBK - "Jesus Be Kind." Originally run by a religious organization.

First call sign for an old station here in Harrisburg, PA on 1240 was

WMBS - "Macks Battery Service" Studios were on the second floor over the
        garage. Later on the station was sold and the call changed to

WKBO - "Keystone Broadcast Organization" and the frequency moved to
       1230. This is still the "official" call and the
       "For Publicity" call is WHP-1230 (WHP is at 580 and one
       of it's new owners also owns the majority of WKBO). Elsewhere,
       I believe

WHP  - "Harrisburg Press" (from many years ago) but I'm not positive.

We had a TV station with a call of

WTPA - "Triangle Press Associates" but they've been sold and changed
       calls to WHTM. It was a TV/FM operation and the FM call still
       exists but on a different frequency than originally assigned.

Another local station (York, Pa) used to have a call of

WSBA - "Susquehanna Broadcasting Associates". They were sold a few years
       ago with the usual call change, this one to

WPMT - "Pennsylvania Movie Time". Their original claim to fame was that
       they ran LOTS of movies. Now they run LOTS of Fox instead.

We also have a real low-ball-quality TV station with a call of

WLYH - "Lebanon, York, Harrisburg" for the cities of license.

The list is literally endless. Just pick a market and start looking at
the calls.


 vogon1!frackit![e-mail]                    Dave Ratcliffe
 - or - ..uunet!wa3wbu!frackit!dave                     Sys. <*> Admin.
 - or - [e-mail]    Harrisburg,  Pa.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 11:12:21 -0400 (EDT)
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


Mark Walsh <[e-mail]> writes:

> AMI -- "Alternate Mark Inversion" or
> "Alarm and Maintenence Interface"]

or "American Megatrends Inc." one of the top PC-BIOS manufacturers; a
common term in ads is "AMI Bios"

> CSC -- "Common Signaling Channel" or "Community Service Cabinet"

or Computer Sciences Corporation

> OTC -- "Operating Telephone Company" or "Olympic Training Center"

or Over The Counter - Stocks Traded via NASDAQ

> RSA -- "Repair Service Attendant" or "Republic of South Africa"

or Rivest Shamir Algorithm - probably the toughest encryption method
publicly available

> TC  -- "Trunk Conditioning" or "Toll Center"

or Turbo C (a compiler)

> TP  -- "Toll Point" or "Test Port" or "Translation Packet" or
>        "Toilet Paper"

Or Turbo Pascal (a compiler)

By the way, is anyone keeping a list of these for the archives?


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: No, there are no plans to add all these latest ones
to the archives ... MIT would run out of space before the list was
finished!   :)    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Hough)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 20:58:38 +0000


Best one I have heard for a while is:

AMU: Air Movement Unit (apparently IBM-speak for a fan !)


Dave
G4WRW @ GB7WRW.#41.GBR.EU AX25
[e-mail]  Internet
[e-mail]      Amprnet

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bryan D. Boyle)
Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms (Radio Stations)
Organization: Exxon Research and Engineering Co., NJ
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 01:49:38 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
writes:

>>> In your acronyms, nobody has mentioned that there were several radio
>>> stations that used their callsigns for such. This is kinda fun, so ...

> WFAS, owned by Frank A. Sys and their FM sister, WWYD `Wiiiiide Stereo.'
  ^^^^
Having been taught by the former owner of this station while in
college (Fordham University), and having worked for him when he was
manager of WFUV-FM, his name was Frank A. Seitz.  Passed away in 1987,
unfortunately.  As I remember, one of the last old-style gentlemen of
the industry.  And as a note appropos of nothing, this station (1230
on AM, 1K day, 500 nights, which lead to its other nickname "We Fade
At Secor (it is located on Secor Rd in Hartsdale, NY; you can see
their tower from the Sprain Brook Parkway, BTW ...) was the first
station I worked at after Fordham as an engineer, DJ, and gopher ...

You are correct, however, about WWYD, which is where Valerie Smaldone
of WLTW-FM (afternoon drivetime ...) got her start.  They used to play
elevator music, but now, I could not tell you since I left the
industry.  They are on 104.3 or .5 or something like that.  Used to be
a great, friendly "family" station, probably bought out by a
conglomerate and made into a money printing press with bad equipment
now ... oh well ...

WFAS did have a Western Electric AM Transmitter (complete with a
cut-glass front observation port, believe it or not ...) back when I
was there ('77-'79).)


Bryan D. Boyle          Physical: ER&E, Annandale, NJ 08801
#include <disclaimer>   Logical: Cogito sum, ergo sum, cogito.
908 730 3338            Virtual: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Garrett Wollman)
Subject: Re: Radio Station Acronyms
Organization: University of Vermont, EMBA Computer Facility
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 19:45:43 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, Dave O'Heare <doheare@
jetform.com> wrote:

> In Canada, there have been a few. CFRB stood for "Canada's First Radio
> -- Batteryless", to indicate the modern (!) technology being used.

The Canadians do have some doozies ...

I would first point out that Canada only "owns" the first half of the
`C' series of calls, so if you were wondering why you don't see a
`CZZZ' station, that's why.  (Here in Burlington, VT, however, we do
have `WXXX'.)

Various broadcasting organizations "own" certain prefixes; the people
who own the CF* stations are one.  All of the CBC owned and operated
stations start with `CB', so the English-language station in Montreal,
commonly known as ``CBC Radio 940'', is actually call `CBM'; the
French station is `CBF', and the related television stations are
`CBMT' and `CBFT', respectively.

Now the fun part begins when you get into the translator stations.
Unlike US commercial broadcasters, but like many US public
braodcasters(*), the CBC uses a regional approach to program delivery.
The one television station in Montreal, CBMT, delivers a signal via
satellite and terrestrial microwave from their studios to about fifty
translators across Quebec (except in Quebec City), covering an area
about twice the size of Texas.  These translators all have their own
calls, and you get some interesting ones like `CBMUT1' or `CBVG-TV' or
`CBMT3' as they run out of letters in the CBM* range.  (The station in
Quebec City is only an affiliate, call `CKMI'.)

(Source: watching CBMT early in the morning before the CBC Morning
News.  They do a nice little fifteen-minute history of broadcasting in
Quebec, followed by a five-minute listing of all the translators. "A
tradition in broadcasting, we are CBC Television Montreal 6, proudly
serving the Province of Quebec."  CBMT was Montreal's first English-
language television station; the French-language CBFT was started a
year earlier, and both are presently celebrating their fortieth
anniversary.  It's interesting to watch how the station ID has
developed: for the first fifteen years, they were knowm by their call;
the next fifteen as "CBC 6"; and in recent years they have been
deemphasizing the "six" aspect, so it's just "CBC Montreal".)

Incidentally, the satellite signal is also received in large areas of
Vermont, where it is used by cable companies to retransmit to their
subscribers, and in Florida, where is is used by illegal redistribu-
tion schemes developed by Quebecois vacationers during the winter.

(*)For example, Vermont ETV originates at 33-WETK in Colchester, but is
rebroadcast by 20-WVER Rutland, 28-WVTB St. Johnsbury, 41-WVTA
Windsor, and three low-power translators.  Notice how many public
television stations in the US have calls beginning [WK]ET?  This is a
remnant of National Educational Television (NET), which merged to form
PBS in the late sixties (68?).


Garrett A. Wollman   [e-mail]
uvm-gen!wollman      UVM disagrees.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Philip Hiscock)
Subject: Newfoundland Radio Station Acronym History
Organization: Memorial University of Newfoundland
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 11:56:57 GMT


Before Newfoundland and Canada confederated in 1949, the assigned
prefix for Newfoundland stations was VO- which was very conveniently
thought of by all as Voice Of - -.  When the first highly capitalised
commercial radio station was started in St John's, by the Avalon
Telephone Company in 1936, they called it VONF, Voice of Newfoundland.

    VONF eventually gobbled up its main commercial competitor VOGY
(I've never heard a "meaning" for those letters) and went on to be the
conservative, staid, establishment radio service in St John's.  In
1936 one of its technical people, Joe Butler, left and started a more
popular commercial service, which he called VOCM.  Right away in 1936
VOCM started calling itself Voice of the Common Man, and still today
uses that motto from time to time.  When it signed on, in October of
1936, Butler invited the Mayor of St John's to cut the ribbon.  As it
happened Andrew Carnell, as Mayor of St John's, was one of a council
which were the ONLY elected people in all Newfoundland at the time, so
it was very appropriate to ask him in to do the honours.  (It's a long
story but Nfld's democratic govt had two years before been quashed and
replaced by a "commission" of six appointed men ...)  As he spoke on
the air, officially opening the new station Carnell joked that VOCM
stood for Voice of Carnell, Mayor.

    VONF changed its letters to CBN with Confederation, but VOCM
retained its letters.  Two other VO- stations still operate in St.
John's: VOAR (Adventist Radio - owned and operated by a SDA Church),
and VOWR (Wesley Radio - owned and operated by Wesley United Church).

    There is one other good acronym story that I can think of from
Newfoundland.  The campaigns for and against Confederation with Canada
in the late 1940s were very bitter, and the referendum that decided
the matter was very close.  A sizeable proportion of the population
was embittered by the process.  Two of the leading anti-confederates
eventually got a radio licence, about three years after Confederation,
and it was a very successful one.  The station's letters were CJON,
using the Canadian prefix C-.  It was popularly thought that the
letters stood for Canada Jumped On Newfoundland.


Philip Hiscock    MUN Folklore & Language Archive   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Cornutt)
Subject: Re: Radio Station Acronyms
Organization: NASA/MSFC
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 20:01:11 GMT


This reminds me of a trivia question that I heard once:

What is the only radio station in the U.S. whose call letters are the
name of the city where the station is located?

WACO in Waco, Texas.

I don't vouch for the accuracy of this ...


David Cornutt, New Technology Inc., Huntsville, AL  [phone]
([e-mail]; some insane route applies)
"The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer,
not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary."


[Moderator's Note: Will anyone challenge Mr. Cornutt on this? Let's
get our radio station call-sign books out everyone, and begin the
search.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 19:15 GMT
From: Guy J. Sherr <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Radio Station Acronyms


Here's three I remember ...

WJLA    Channel 7/ABC Washington DC  "Joseph L. Albritton"
        at one time owned by the man.

WIND    Radio 560 AM, Chicago        "INDiana"
        started with transmitter site in that state, even though
        heard in Chicago

WGN     TV 9 in Chicago              "World's Greatest Newspaper"
        Owned by the Chicago Tribune.


[Moderator's Note: WIND was never located in Gary, Indiana. They have
always been in Chicago; for sixty years at the Wrigley Building, at
the same time WBBM (770 kc until 1942, then 780 kc since) was in the
building. Now they are up the street on Michigan Avenue a few blocks.
For about thirty years they were the radio voice of the Chicago Cubs,
both for home games and away. On the games out of town, the announcer
read the game from the Western Union ticker tape. When the ticker
would slow down or stop for whatever reason, they played music, and
after one or two songs the announcer would resume reading the ticker
message from wherever the game was being played that day. Their trans-
mitter and antenna (actually four big towers wired up in series some-
how; it takes a *long* piece of wire to make an antenna properly tuned
for such a relatively low frequency) are on the southern edge of Lake
Michigan near the US Steel Gary Works.  For several years it has been
a Spanish language station.  PAT]

------------------------------

Subject: Hey Warren! What are These?
From: uttsbbs![e-mail] (Laurence Chiu)
Date: 21 Aug 93 10:04:00 GMT
Organization: The Transfer Station BBS, Danville, CA - 510-837-4610/837-5591
Reply-To: uttsbbs![e-mail] (Laurence Chiu)


Marc Sira commented on Warren and Company:

> In article <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail].
> mil> wrote:

>> I decided that someone as clever as Mr. "Victorian" needed something
>> else to occupy his time, so I sent him a chunk of /unix (uuencoded,
>> natch) and a full copy of /etc/termcap.  I think that'll help him
>> occupy his time rather than attempting scams on the readers of the
>> firearms mailing list.

> Well, if everyone sends him a uuencoded kernel (GIFs of the Pope are
> apparently also popular) you'll certainly fill up the news spool on
> cyberspace.com, resulting in denial of service to everyone there and
> hassles for the sysadmin(s). Whether harassing sysadmins for the
> actions of their users is appropriate, is up to you.

> Of course, I am somehow secretly pleased to hear of the 3000+ outraged
> messages. ;) Who knows, perhaps my own personal vision of the net
> isn't so alien after all ...

Coung me among those who e-mailed the Posmaster at cyberspace.com to
complain. I was a small voice among many but did get a reply saying
the offending account had been terminated. Did the sysop really reply
to everyone or perhaps setup a automatic mailer?


Laurence Chiu
The Transfer Station BBS [phone] & 837-5591 (V.32bis both lines)
Danville, California, USA. 1.5 GIG Files & FREE public Internet Access

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Graham Toal)
Subject: Re: Hey Warren! What are These?
Organization: An Teallach
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 12:42:46 +0000


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
writes:

> I'm not suggesting mail bombing him, just noting what I felt was an

Actually, you are.  I *fully* understand the knee-jerk response --
I've done it myself in the past -- but it's not really done to solicit
mailbombing, *especially* in a revered group like this.  I'm surprised
PAT let that through.  It's on the same moral level of 'what is this
number: nnn-nnn-nnnn?'

> appropriate response to the rest of the list.  Remember, his mailing
> address was: [e-mail].

And did it occur to you that perhaps Seth had hacked Warren's account?
I hope Seth and Warren's respective postmasters get together and
exchange address information -- if the 'Warren' account was hacked, and
the 'Seth' account was under his real name, there's a bit of a smoking
gun there if the cyberspace.com people care to alert the authorities ...

> [Moderator's Note: Actually, people *have* flooded the sysadmin there
> with complaint mail. Please stop writing him.  Thanks.  PAT]

Have cyberspace.com's sys admins posted any statements yet?  My suspicion
is that it was a hacked account.


Graham

Personal mail to [e-mail] (I read it in the evenings)
Business mail to [e-mail] (Be careful with the spelling!)
Faxes to An Teallach Limited: [phone]  Voice: [phone] x212


[Moderator's Note: All I've seen were a couple short notes. The first
one said the sysadmin had received 1200 letters; the second said the
written complaint count was up to 3000 and climbing, with many of the
complainers themselves forging mail.  :(   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Glen Ecklund)
Subject: Re: Funny Newspaper Headlines
Organization: U of Wisconsin Madison - Computer Sciences
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 22:11:45 GMT


I missed the beginning of this thread, but my favorite was in the
Marriages column of a paper in Normal, Illinois.  I wish I had saved
it.

     Normal Girl Weds Oblong Boy


Glen Ecklund     [e-mail]   [phone] Office, 262-1204 Dept. Sec'y
Department of Computer Sciences        1210 W. Dayton St., Room 3355
University of Wisconsin, Madison       Madison, Wis. 53706  U.S.A.


[Moderator's Note: There is a tiny little village in Illinois called
Oblong, and Normal -- a somewhat larger community -- was thus named
because the town was developed around the Illinois Normal School,
which is now a a state university.  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #596
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa00491;
          1 Jan 94 3:17 EST
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA06211
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 21 Aug 1993 18:10:50 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA06858
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 21 Aug 1993 18:10:07 -0500
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 18:10:07 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #594

TELECOM Digest     Sat, 21 Aug 93 18:10:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 594

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Telefonos De Mexico, or Tales From the Darkside (Tarl Neustaedter)
    AT&T News On-Line Item (Andrew Myers)
    Caller*ID Demodulator Project (Rob Bailey)
    Junk Mail and the Net ([e-mail])
    011-Sex-Lines (Russell Nelson)
    NPA Data Tapes (Michael A. Shiels)
    Area Codes Search Program (Robert Evans)
    X.25 PAD Recommendations (Chris Calley)
    Testing UNdirectory (Matt Healy)
    EMail: Internet to IBM Info Network? (Sander J. Rabinowitz)
    Looking For Cordless Headset Phone (David Marks)
    Listen to Radio Show Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (TELECOM Moderator)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 02:42:50 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Telefonos De Mexico, or Tales From the Darkside


I just received an amazing call from my mother in Mexico City. It
makes all U.S. phone companies look like utterly competent, completely
driven by customer relations, responsive organizations. At least in
comparison with Telefonos De Mexico.

The basic message from my mother was that her phone number had
changed. It was 534-xxxx, it is now 659-yyyy. For the past several
years, the phone company in Mexico City has been moving people off
their old analog switches onto new digital switches of some form (I
don't know what kind of either switch), and this is the fallout of
that effort.

Well, upgrading switches is complicated but it isn't rocket science.
We see it done in the U.S. all the time, utterly invisible to
telecom-illiterate customers. For some reason, in Mexico City they
decided to not do it invisibly. (If I speculate on the reasons, I'll
start referring to personal habits and parentage). They have managed
to compound this mistake with an amazing number of other mistakes:

1) They are changing everyone's phone numbers.
2) The new numbers are utterly unrelated to the old numbers.
3) They are changing the numbers one-by-one (no specific cutover date)
4) They warned my mother in January that her phone number would be changed
   in May. (It happened on August 20).
5) They told her what her new phone number would be; they got it wrong.
6) When they didn't make their deadline, they didn't issue a new deadline.
   She found out about the change when she picked up her phone and noticed
   a different dialtone.
7) When they change the number, there is *NO* overlap. One minute the old
   number works and the new one doesn't, the next minute the old one doesn't
   work and the new one does (if you are lucky and they got the right one).
8) When you dial the old phone number, you get a recording that is almost
   unintelligible (that gives no useful information).
8a) There is a lot of background noise (musical tones overlap speaking, and
    a lot of background hiss as well) in the recording.
8b) Playback of the recording starts at random spots in the message.
8c) The woman recorded is speaking so fast as to be incomprehensible.
    I'm fluent in Spanish and had to listen three times before I understood
    the message -- and I was expecting it and already knew approximatley what
    it would say.
8d) The message is not specific to a particular phone line, so it can't tell
    you what the new phone number is.
8e) The actual message was "Este numero cambia. Para informacion marque
    cero quatro. Si esta afuera de la Ciudad de Mexico marque cinco seis
    seis diez diez".
    That is: "This number changes. For information dial zero four. If you
    are outside Mexico City, dial five-six-six-ten-ten". (Shit, I can't dial
    that -- I have an old phone, the dial doesn't have a "ten").
8f) The information number (04) is impossible to use (her bitter experience
    shows about a 1% chance of getting through). I haven't tried 566-1010.
8g) When you do get through to 04, their databases are always out of date.
    Recent changes aren't available (guess which numbers are needed most!).

To say that this is disruptive is a vast understatement. My mother was
going to meet her husband at a theatre the day this happened, and
plans changed but were unable to be communicated -- they eventually
ended up using a messenger (human) shuttling back and forth on public
transit to get in contact.

This is bad enough for residences; Try businesses. My mother's office
is about six blocks away from her home, and she expects that to be hit
in a couple of weeks. Her consulting business has thousands of
customers who may call her at any given time; when they can't reach
her because of the phone system being screwed up, they probably will
just try someone else. It may kill her business.

My mother's home phone number was in exchange 534. One of her business
phones is in the same exchange, the other is in exchange 524. The new
phone numbers are in three different exchanges. [534->659, 534->663
and 524->661]. In all cases, the new phone numbers bear no resemblance
to the old ones. To date, nobody has come up with a rational pattern
to the changes.

Does anyone know of a person at SouthWestern Bell who is responsible
for overseeing their relations with Telefonos De Mexico? (SWBT owns
20% of TdeM, so I assume they have an entire organization dedicated to
this purpose). I'd like to utter a few choice words about customer
relations ...


Tarl Neustaedter       [e-mail] (home)
(New work address under construction)
Disclaimer: My employer is not responsible for my opinions.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 17:31:04 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: AT&T News On-Line item


AT&T Corporate Media Relations
908-221-2737    [e-mail]

On-line Access To AT&T News Releases, Annual Report, Fact Book

     BASKING RIDGE, N.J., August 19, 1993 -- The AT&T Annual Report,
AT&T Fact Book, and daily news releases are available via modem on
"AT&T News On-Line."  The system has just been upgraded to
automatically match incoming modem calls from 300 to 9600 bits per
second.

     AT&T News On-Line is a database containing nearly 5,000 company
press releases going back five years.  Also included are AT&T's 1991
and 1992 Annual Reports and the most current AT&T Fact Book.

     The fact book contains many of the company's "vital statistics,"
including such items as notable AT&T Bell Labs inventions, AT&T
business units and groups, corporate environmental and philanthropic
activities, a corporate history, employee head counts, corporate
revenues and many other facts.  The fact book was last updated in
April 1993.

     News releases are available via AT&T News On-Line immediately
after their release to the media, sometimes before they become
available over other electronic sources such as CompuServe, PR
Newswire or the Business Wire.

     Anyone may access the system via computer and modem by dialing
908-221-8088.  Set communications for 7 data bits, 1 stop bit, even
parity.  There is no password.  Just type "go news" when you see the
prompt.

     If you have questions, call Andrew Myers, AT&T Corporate Media
Relations, 908-221-2737, or send e-mail via the Internet to
[e-mail] or [e-mail].

------------------------------

Date: 21 Aug 93 01:54:47 EDT
From: Rob Bailey <[e-mail]>
Subject: Caller*ID Demodulator Project


I am currently arranging to have the schematic to the Caller*ID (tm?)
to RS-232 demodulator / converter I built and discussed here earlier
on the net somwhere, to be available via anonymous ftp. (I scanned in
my scribbled version and it didn't prove satisfactory, so I'm putting
it in my schematic capture program).

First: My apologies to everyone that sent SASEs and never got anything
in return. I still have them and will be sending some out shortly.
Soon after I offered to post the schematic to my project, my company
decided to look into marketing it. That has just recently been turned
down, so I'll be putting the entire thing into the public domain. If
you sent me an SASE and don't get anything from me in a month or so,
please let me know via EMail and I'll make it up to you (I have my
ways!).

Second: Unfortuneatly, you are on your own for software (due to the
situation in the previous paragraph). The box provides 1200b data to
an RS-232 serial port; anything else you want to do with it is up to
you.

Last: My apologies for the overall delay involved. I work with some
highly volatile customers and public service agencies that deal in
sensitive, real-time and frequently dangerous commodities, and I have
to put business before fun a lot no matter how frustrating it is.

Watch here in about three weeks for the ftp address (probably the
Telecom Archives, at least) where you'll find the schematic and a text
file describing the project. My overall cost was around $2 out of
pocket and maybe $10 or $15 worth of junkbox scraps.


Rob Bailey - ARS WM8S - [e-mail]

------------------------------

Subject: Junk Mail and the Net
From: [e-mail]
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 12:53:06 EDT
Organization: The Cellar electronic community and public access system


Jerry Leichter <[e-mail]> writes:

> I haven't heard much about the infamous "Seth" for a couple of days
> now, but it seems he broke the ice.  The following message was sent to
> a very-low- volume (20-30 messages/YEAR), purely technical mailing
> list maintained at Xerox:

>                          MAKE a LOVE connection NOW!

(The answers to all of the troubles in my life deleted for brevity ;-)
This apparently went to several lists, as I saw it in others.

> Great.  Just what we need:  Anonymous, untraceable junk mail.

Anonymous posts -- sent through an anonymous server -- are not
untraceable.

> [Moderator's Note: The way you deal with anonymous junk mail in news
> is by putting anon.penet.fi and similar services in your kill file, or
> news admins look for it coming through in the stream and bash it
> there.

The way you deal with anonymous junk mail in news is by complaining to
the anon administrator, as I did, upon receiving the mailing.  This is
clearly stated in the informational trailer that attaches to all
mailings through the anon service.  The posting sent to TELECOM
Digest, apparently (mysteriously?) truncated this trailer.

There are numerous newsgroups in which a significant percentage of the
postings are through anon servers, and anonymity - in and of itself --
is not necessarily an indicator of the quality -- or lack thereof --
of the content therein.

> I think we will see a number of changes in news as private
> ownership of the net gets underway. Among other things, a large number
> of unmoderated newsgroups will be dropped, and requirements for
> posting will be tightened up. Good idea? No, not really, but I feel it
> is almost surely bound to happen. I think you will see moderated groups
> almost exclusively as the century comes to an end. Again, a good idea?
> No, there is room for almost everyone on this internet; but I don't
> think the 'powers that be' in the next year or two or three are going
> to see it that way.  :(   PAT]

These are some interesting predictions.  As a matter of fact, I would
expect just the opposite.  I presume that you are using current
commercial services (C$, Prodigy, etc.) upon which to extrapolate your
future views.

I, OTOH, predict even more chaos than currently exists, based on
services such as the Well, or the Cellar, to which I currently receive
access.

Would you care to further elaborate?


[Moderator's Note: I have been elaborating further; a couple issues
earlier this week had some followup comments. You are behind in your
reading I guess.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 12:00:45 EDT
From: Russell Nelson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Crynwr Software
Subject: 011-Sex-Lines


Here's an advertisement in the back of {Infotext Magazine}.  Infotext
is aimed at "Information Providers", that is 900 providers.  It seems
obvious why people are doing this from the first line (in a VERY BOLD
RED FONT).

 -- ad begins

UNBLOCK AMERICA WITH IPRS!  (International Premium Rate Services)

Earn up to $0.40 per min from IPRS: "Gab" Lines, One-to-One,
Interactive Recorded Entertainment and Information

Mumble mumble now offers IPRS as a real alternative to 900.  IPRS
operate on normal international call tariffs from which IP's receive
their revenue share.

Why choose IPRS with Mumble?

  o National US Access!
  o No Uncollectables!
  o No set-up charges!
  o No number charges!
  o No IPRS call blocking!
  o No program restrictions!
  o Monthly Payments!
  o Off-shore payments!
  o Quality Receivable!

Why Mumble?  We offer IPRS from any country in the world terminating
in Canada, Chile, Australia and USA.

Contact Mr. Mumble now on 011-44-xx-xxx-xxxx


russ <[e-mail]>
Crynwr Software     Crynwr Software sells packet driver support.
11 Grant St.        315-268-1925 Voice  |  LPF member - ask me about
Potsdam, NY 13676   315-268-9201 FAX    |  the harm software patents do.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael A. Shiels)
Subject: NPA Data Tapes etc
Organization: MaS Network Software and Consulting
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 01:47:08 GMT


Does anyone have a source for data tapes which will map each areacode
and exchange to a location name (ie NICE city/town names) and/or a
tape which would have locality to locality information such as dialing
instructions.

I know the information is used to print the phone books etc so it must
be around?

I have various (>4 or 5) database files for various versions of North
American NPA information but would like a real source rather than just
running across these things.


Thanks,

Michael A. Shiels                     [e-mail]
MaS Network Software and Consulting   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Area Codes Search Program
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 22:34:40 BST
Reply-To: [e-mail]


If you find yourself frequently (or even occasionally) wanting to find
out the geographical area a telephone number is located in, then this
is for you!

The version of the Telecom area codes database compiled by Graham Toal
is now available through an online search program.

To use it, telnet to `afs1.cc.ic.ac.uk' and log in as `areacode'. You
will be presented with a welcome screen containing information on how
to use the program.

At the prompt, type a full _international_ telephone number, e.g. +44
71 589 5111 and type `Return'. You will then (hopefully) be presented
with the location of that number (within reasonable limits). For more
information on the various `tokens' presented, type `tokens' at the
prompt. Similarly, type `help' for instructions on how to use the
program.

The search client is not particularly fast at the moment, but I hope
to change it in the near future to improve that. Any comments,
suggestions, etc. will be gratefully received at the email address in
my signature and in the `info' screen of the client.


Have fun,

Robert Evans                 [e-mail]               Analyst/Programmer
  Centre for Computing Services, Imperial College of Science, Technology and
                Medicine, Exhibition Road, London. SW7 2BX. UK.
                       Telephone: [phone] x4907

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Chris Calley)
Subject: X.25 PAD Recommendations
Date: 21 Aug 93 23:20:11 GMT
Organization: Optilink Corporation, Petaluma, CA


I am looking for X.25 PAD recommendations.  If you have used a
specific PAD and believe it to be of excellent quality, I would like
to know the brand and model.  The PAD must support RS232 at 9.6K baud,
and V.35 at speeds up to 72K baud is desirable.  CCITT 1984 is
required.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.


Christopher A. Calley - all opinions are my own... etc.
email:     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (matt healy)
Subject: Testing UNdirectory
Organization: Yale Med School--Genetics
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 01:17:11 GMT


The UNdirectory (900-933-3330) appears to be somewhat out of date --
between 13 and 25 months out of date.

I tested this with two numbers (test conducted 8/17/93):

919-383-XXXX and 203-777-XXXX

919-383-XXXX was my number in Durham, NC for many years.  In July
1991, I moved to a new address in Durham, but kept the number (I got
married in August 1991, and we needed a bigger place).  We moved to
Hamden, CT (New Haven suburb) in late June 1992.  The 919 number was
disconnected in late June, and the 203 number started up in mid-July.
The 203 number has appeared in at least one printing of the New Haven
white pages.

UNdirectory had an address for the 919 number -- the one we lived in
for our last 12 months in Durham.  It had no data on the 203 number.
Conclusion: it was updated AFTER my move in July 1991, but BEFORE our
move to CT in summer 1992.

It had no trouble with my parents' number in Milwaukee, 414-964-XXXX.
That's been their number for a _long_ time.


Matt Healy     [e-mail]
**This email address is down; I'm too busy to fix it...
Snail Mail: I-148 SHM/Yale University/333 Cedar St. New Haven, CT 06510

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 01:41 GMT
From: Sander J. Rabinowitz <[e-mail]>
Subject: EMail: Internet to IBM Info Network?


At work, I have access to an X400-based eMail network called
Diamondnet.  (It's basically a private network used by General Motors
and EDS.) It's compatible with other X400-based systems, but is
extremely difficult to address directly from the Internet (it involves
a huge address over 80 characters that's basically in this format:
"<X400 address>"@sprint.com).

Recently, I came across an eMail system called the "IBM Information
Network".  To communicate between my office email system and this IBM
network, you first send a message to IBM's "autoanswer ID" (see below
for the X400 address).  Then within 30 minutes or so, a message comes
back giving you an IBM email address (in my case, it was "51719 --
IBMMAIL".  At this point, someone on the IBM side could send a message
to that address, and it would wind up on my Diamondnet mailbox.

So here's my question: Since sending a message directly to Diamondnet
via the Internet is relatively difficult, is it possible to address
the message using the IBM Information Network email address, thereby
using it as an alternate relay?  It looks like the eMail address could
be something like 51719@?????.?????.ibm.com.

Here's the closest thing I could find from the netmail guide that PAT
recently relayed through the Digest:

#FROM: internet
#TO: ibm
#RECIPIENT: [e-mail]_domain (syntax?)
#CONTACT: [e-mail]
#INSTR: send to '[e-mail]_domain.ibm.com'
#INSTR: To look up a user's mailbox name, mail to [e-mail] with
#- the line 'WHOIS name' in the message body.

So far, I've guessed at a couple possible addresses, but they've both
bounced.  If anyone has any ideas, I'd sure appreciate it.  I'll
summarize responses if they are emailed to me at [e-mail].

The X400 address for the autoreply mailbox for the IBM Information
Network, based on the autoreply letter that I got back, is:

Name: AUTOANSWER AUTOANSWER
Domain: US/IBMX400/IBMMAIL
Node.UserID: USMHSE2A.SHRPD3


Sander J. Rabinowitz, [e-mail], Franklin, Tennessee.

------------------------------

From: tijc02![e-mail] (David Marks)
Subject: Looking For Cordless Headset Phone
Organization: Siemens Industrial Automation, Johnson City TN
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 15:02:21 GMT


I am looking for a cordless headset phone. I have seen plenty of
_CORDED_ headsets that cost $25-$40 as add-ons to regular phones.
Since middle of the road cordless phones run $100-$150, a cordless
phone with a cordless headset shouldn't cost much more. I have had no
luck except for one from Radio Shack.  It was a cordless phone that
costs $225 and nearly $300 with the addition of a cordless headset.
This seems a bit much. It should use similar technology of a cordless
microphone and they now can be found for reasonable prices.

I need one, as my girlfriend talks my ear off and my hand and ear get
tired holding the phone.

Does anyone know of a reasobly price cordless headset phone and where
I can get it?


David J. Marks                           UUCP:      ...!uunet!tijc02!djm408
Siemens Industrial Automation, Inc.  Internet:   [e-mail]
P.O. Drawer 1255                        Phone:                 615-461-2074
Johnson City, TN 37605-1255

------------------------------

From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Subject: Listen to Radio Show Saturday Night/Sunday Morning
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1993 17:40:00 CDT


In case you missed the earlier announcement, Digest participant Fred
Goldstein will be on shortwave radio station WWCR (7435 khz) Saturday
night/Sunday morning on the Spectrum show. The topic will be telephones
and telephone services. I will be on as well to talk about the Digest
and stuff; Fred will be dealing with more of the technical comments.

If you have a shortwave receiver, do join us. Maybe someone will be
kind enough to transcribe it for the archives and for distribution to
folks who cannot otherwise hear the show. It lasts about one hour and
starts at 10:35 pm Central Daylight Time, 11:35 Eastern, 9:35 Pacific.
Listeners in the UK will get it in the wee hours of Sunday morning un-
fortunatly, but hopefully far eastern listeners will be up and around
by mid-day Sunday as it airs.

In addition to WWCR, 7435 khz, if you have Satellite TVRO equipment,
you can tune in the 'Lets Talk Radio Network', Spacenet III, Trans-
ponder 21 at 5.8 mhz wideband audio for the program with much better
reception than shortwave will provide.

For most readers of this message, the show will be on within an hour
or two of you seeing this message -- or less -- absolutely four and a
half hours from now as I send this out.  Please join us if you can.


Patrick Townson

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #594
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa29358;
          23 Aug 93 15:56 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA06055
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 23 Aug 1993 12:59:20 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA05455
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 23 Aug 1993 12:58:31 -0500
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 12:58:31 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #597

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 23 Aug 93 12:58:30 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 597

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Call Waiting/Call Conferencing (Arthur Marsh)
    GSM Design (Kieren Brennan)
    Bell Canada "Conspiracy"? (Mark Aiken)
    ADSL Standards (Delavar K. Khomarlou)
    Obnoxious Call Progress Tones (Jack Decker)
    Credit Cards and Cellular Phones (Mike King)
    Masters and Johnson Start 900 Sex Talk Line (Alan Frisbie)
    Personal 800 Service: Cost? (Paul Robichaux)
    Ringback in DC (NPA 202)? (Michael D. Sullivan)
    Alpha Pager Software (Stephen Taylor)
    311 and 411, and 951 (Andrew Benson)
    Cellular Phone Price Samples (Paul Robinson)
    Looking For a Book on ATM (Ramon Alanis)
    International Date Line Change (Carl Moore)
    Public Internet Forces Calls Over Sprint (Carl Moore)
    Re: Hotel Phone Charges (A. Padgett Peterson)
    Re: Category of Tones Used in CO (Al Varney)
    Re: Category of Tones Used in CO ([e-mail])
    Re: FTP Address Given Does Not Work (Alex Griffiths)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 01:06:57 +1000
From: [e-mail] (Arthur Marsh)
Subject: Call Waiting/Call Conferencing
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Camelot Swamp bulletin board, Hawthorndene Sth Australia


I've just had another run-in with Telecom Australia over their
Easycall <tm> Call Waiting and Call Conferencing systems. It seems
that Call Conferencing won't work unless Call Waiting is active also.
I prefer Call Diversion on Busy to another phone in the house to call
waiting though.

When both Call Waiting and Call Conferencing services are active and
one hears Call Waiting beeps during the course of a conversation, the
caller responsible for the call waiting beeps *cannot* be conferenced
with both both parties currently in conversation. )-:

Two Questions:

1. Is there a good listing of call waiting/conferencing/diversion/ ...
(apart from the Bellcore CLASS specs) available anywhere?

2. Does anyone have state tables or state transition diagrams
available for such services, especially when more than one service is
active simultaneously?


Arthur
Camelot Swamp bbs, data: [phone] reply to [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 15:20:41 BST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: GSM Design


Hello Digest readers,

I am currently researching GSM network design.  I am looking for
information on some of the design packages used such as GRAND and
PROPAC.  In particular details of channel assignment algorithms would
be useful.  Also I am interested in studying in France for a while.
Does anyone know which universities have specialist research interests
in the above subject area?  If some contact names would be
appreciated.  Please e-mail me directly.  I will summarise for the
Digest.


Kieran Brennan   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: CXEO <[e-mail]>
Subject: Bell Canada "Conspiracy"?
Organization: McGill University
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 1993 22:27:42 GMT


    I've seen rumors cropping up on local BBSs here in Montreal,
Canada that Bell Canada is planning to pass legislation (of some sort)
requiring that any computer for fax users transmitting data at rates
faster than 4800bps lease "data"-grade lines instead of using normal
voice-quality lines. This would mean, for example, that a user of an
ordinary, run-of-the-mill 9600bps unit would be forced to rent an
approx. $60/month line in addition to the regular approx. $15/month
voice line, just to be able to use his/her modem at its highest speed.

    Supplied with local postings are numbers for reaching the involved
institutions (i.e. Bell Canada's public relations and the CRTC), but I
was wondering if anyone else, hopefully from an objective source,
could comment/verify/negate this rumor. Does anyone out there in
Canada have any knowledge of this? Can anyone shed any light on this
issue? Obviously, this is of great concern to modem and fax users up
here, and would obviously not be a wonderful precedent for future
antics of this type. I think it is worth looking into, and if these
rumors are true, action should be taken to inform Bell of our
dissatisfaction before it's too late.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Mark Aiken   SysOp, Nexus BBS, Montreal
[e-mail]   or Fido 1:167/106 (Mark Aiken or SYSOP)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Delavar K. Khomarlou)
Subject: ADSL Standards
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Ontario Hydro
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 11:11:26 -0400


I am looking for information on ADSL (Async Digital Subscriber Loop).
I am interested in transmitting data over copper wires at higher than
T1 rates, possibly up to 51 Mb/s.  Any information is appreciated. I
was told ADSL promises to be able to achieve this.  Please email
replies since I don't get to monitor this group often enough.


Thanks,

D. Khomarlou

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jack Decker)
Subject: Obnoxious Call Progress Tones
Date: 23 Aug 1993 05:13:11 GMT
Organization: Youngstown State/Youngstown Free-Net


The most distinctive ones I recall came from some Muskegon, Michigan
GTE exchanges up until the mid-80's, when these exchanges all went
electronic.  In particular, the downtown Muskegon exchange had some
ringing signals that sounded very much like a blast of fog horn in
your ear (the old C&O Railway Depot had a number that returned that
sort of loud ringing signal) ... even when called via long distance,
the volume was high enough to be painful.  Since GTE used harmonic
ringing, my suspicion is that they took the highest ringing frequency
(60 or 66 Hz, perhaps?) and fed the output of the ring generator
directly into the calling phone line. In any case, it sounded nothing
at all like a typical ringing signal, and as I say, it was much closer
to the sound of a fog horn, or maybe one of those portable handheld
air horns used by boaters.  And it wasn't just the ring signals, some
of the busy signals (especially the ones from the 616-766 exchange)
could be VERY loud and obnoxious.  If you lived in Muskegon in those
days, you learned to NOT put the phone to your ear until your party
answered (I suspect that today, with the generation that grew up with
these signals advancing in age, the ear doctors and hearing
specialists in the Muskegon area have profitable practices, but wonder
why folks are going deaf in only ONE ear!).  :-)


Jack

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 22 Aug 93 00:25:34 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Mike King)
Subject: Credit Cards and Cellular Phones


I was browsing through Washington, DC's Union Station on Saturday.
The Bureau of the Mint has a small satellite stand, selling various
coin sets that one can otherwise buy via the mail or at the Bureau of
Engraving Building.

Seeing an interesting coin set, I decided to buy it.  I whipped out my
VISA, and the old man running the booth turned around to validate the
charge.  That's when I saw it: the credit card validator was connected
to a CELLULAR phone!

I told him I'd prefer he not validate over cellular, and he said he
had no choice.  We got into a discussion (argument, actually) about
credit card fraud.  While we were arguing, the manager returned from
break.  I broached the subject with him, and he told me they were
using cellular because the "Preservation of Historic Places" acts
prevented them from having a landline run to the booth -- they weren't
allowed to have holes drilled and wires run inside the hall where the
booth was located.

When I explained the reason why using cellular to validate credit
cards was a bad idea, he told me their card-processing bank, Mellon
Bank, had SUGGESTED using the cellular validator, since they couldn't
get a land line.  Hmmmm.


Mike King * Software Sourcerer * Fairchild Space * +1 301.428.5384
[e-mail] or [e-mail]  *  (usual disclaimers)


[Moderator's Note: I suppose by a stretch of the imagination there
could be a security problem, but it is tenuous at best. Someone in the
area would have to be using a scanner on that cellular frequency at
just that moment AND they would have to be equipped to deal with the
burst of hash sounds the modem would produce when requesting the val-
idation and getting back the answer. Yes that could happen, I don't
personally think it is likely. On the other hand, if there were a
landline or wired phone to the booth *and it was known to be a phone
used for card validations*, wouldn't it be just as easy/likely that
someone would tap the line somewhere and listen in that way? If you
say the data would be encrypted on the landline phone, it is likely it
would sent encrypted over the cellular as well. Over all, it is not a
great idea to use cellular, but I object from a cost per call basis
rather than a security basis.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: Alan Frisbie <[e-mail]>
Subject: Masters and Johnson Start 900 Sex Talk Line
Date: 23 Aug 93 08:14:00 PDT
Organization: Flying Disk Systems, Inc.


Now for something completely different: a "900" number sex talk line
that you will probably approve of.

According to a radio news report last evening, the Masters and Johnson
Institute (of sex research fame) are starting a pay-per-call (900
number) "sex talk" line to answer *your* questions about this delicate
subject.  It is intended to help anyone, teenager or adult, who is
confused (who isn't?)  about sex.  No, they did not mention what the
number is.


Alan E. Frisbie            [e-mail]
Flying Disk Systems, Inc.
4759 Round Top Drive       [phone] (voice)
Los Angeles, CA 90065      [phone] (FAX)


[Moderator's Note: Nor did they mention if it will in essence turn out
to be a hot-chat phone line using mostly clinical terms instead of all
the old four-letter standards.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: b8![e-mail] (Paul Robichaux)
Subject: Personal 800 Service: Cost?
Organization: Intergraph
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 15:47:13 GMT


I'm interested in getting a personal 800 number set up at my home. I
don't have any idea who offers such a service or what they cost. I'd
appreciate information on a) service providers, b) setup costs, c)
monthly/per-minute charges, d) anything else that seems relevant.


Thanks,

Paul Robichaux, KD4JZG  [e-mail]   Intergraph Federal Systems


[Moderator's Note: Cable and Wireless provides this as does MCI,
Sprint and AT&T through their 'Ready Line' service. Prices vary. I
offer a similar service here, with rates of 17-22 cents per minute
based on volume of usage and no monthly fee or set up charge.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: troi![e-mail] (Michael D. Sullivan)
Subject: Ringback in DC (NPA 202)
Date: 23 Aug 93 08:45:33 GMT
Organization: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA


Does anyone know the number (or numbers) for ringback in Washington,
D.C.  (i.e., NPA 202)?  I have tried several numbers posted for other
areas, but none works.  Inquiring minds want to know.


Michael D. Sullivan <[e-mail] (MIME capable)>
<[e-mail]>  <[e-mail]>

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Stephen Taylor)
Subject: Alpha Pager Software
Organization: Grand Valley State University, Allendale MI
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 06:19:18 GMT


Hi,

I am interested in software that utilizes Motorola's Bravo Express
Alpha pager.  I understand it uses the TAP or TNPP protocol.  I have
looked through Archie and Gopher, but have not been able to find
anything what-so-ever related to this.  Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!


Steve


[Moderator's Note: Check out the Telecom Archives files with the
phrases 'IXO Tap Protocol' in their title for starters, and I am sure
others will write to you with answers as well. The archives is avail-
able using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Andrew Benson)
Subject: 311 and 411, and 951
Organization: Michigan Technological University
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 12:50:00 GMT


In my area (Northern Upper Michigan), if I dial 311, I get the number
I am calling from read back to me.  However, if I dial 411, I get a
series of long, slow tones which sound like a busy signal (but
slower), and after I hang up, it seems that the line is 'turned off'
for a few minutes.  If I pick up the phone during this time, the line
is dead.

Does anyone know what that's for?  Also, is there a standard set of
'little funny numbers' that most switches have?


Drew

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 10:25:37 -0400
Reply-To: Tansin A. Darcos & Company <[e-mail]>
Subject: Cellular Phone Price Samples
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


The following is the current status of some of the pricing for
cellular telephones.  All prices quoted are based on a tie-in to take
airtime from one of the local companies.

Phone    Brand and            Contract    Phone
Type     Model if known       Length      Price

Bag      Motorola Carry Phone  1 Year     $9.00
 - 3 Watts, Cigarette Lighter, 30 number memory

Flip     Pioneer Flip Phone    1 Year   $259.00
 - 3yr Warranty, 30 number memory, Visual Battery Indicator,
   One battery and charger

Install  Audiovox BA65         1 Year    $19.00
 - Multiple Nam, Auto Answer/Hands Free, 50 number memory, Automatic Lock
   Call in absence indicator, Signal Strength Indicator

"New Annual Service Contract with Bell Atlantic Required; Early
Termination fee $175. Activation, monthly access, airtime, toll and
roaming charges not included."


Paul Robinson - [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ramon Alanis)
Subject: Looking For a Book on ATM
Organization: Teleride Sage Ltd.
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 09:35:20 -0400


I am looking for a good book on ATM, SONET and related topics.

Any sugestions?


Ramon Alanis    156 Front St W, 5th Floor
TelerideSage    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
[e-mail]   M5J 2L6  [phone] x372

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 9:54:46 EDT
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: International Date Line Change


This past weekend, according to what I heard on radio, part of the
republic of the Marshall Islands switched from one side of the
International Date Line to the other.  In the affected area, Friday
was followed immediately by Sunday. (You jump forward one day in going
west across that line.)

Marshall Islands is listed with country code 692.


[Moderator's Note: I wonder if people who started a phone call at
11:59 PM Friday night and ended it two (absolute) minutes later were
charged for a call lasting 24 hours and two minutes? I wonder how they
accomodated people there who ordinarily have regular matters they
attend to on Saturday?  I am reminded of the time here in the USA
(although we did not call it that) in September, 1752 when it was
decided our calendar was out of whack by almost two weeks owing to the
fact that we did not convert to the new calendar used in Europe for
several years after the rest of civilization was on it. As a result,
the calendar for September, 1752 looked like this:

                September 1752
             S  M Tu  W Th  F  S
                   1  2 14 15 16  < -- note this week
            17 18 19 20 21 22 23
            24 25 26 27 28 29 30

with Wednesday, September 2 followed immediatly by Thursday, Sept-
ember 14 to get things back in synch. Those twelve days were required
to be dropped to make up for the seventeen centuries in which we had
failed to *eliminate* February 29. Normally we have February 29 once
every four years but an exception is we do not have it in years ending
in xx00, that is years divisible by 100. A further exception though is
we *do* have February 29 in years ending in xx00 if the year is
divisible by 400.  Thus the years 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not leap
years, but the year 2000 will be. So you take the 17 centuries which
had passed to that point, divide by four, subtract the quotient and
the remainder from 17 and you get 12; the number of extra days we had
to get rid of, thus the adjustment at the beginning of September,
1752. The current arrangement is not perfect; we still gain a bit of
time daily which the February 29 usually-but-not-always once every
four years cannot correct, but we will get up to somewhere around the
year 3500 before another special one-day adjustment is required, and
that will leave us a few minutes off also, but such is life. Personally
I think it was better when we had New Year's Day on March 25; the
start of spring is a better time to begin the new year, even if the
concept of March 25, <this year> followed by March 26, <next year> is
a bit confusing to get used to. But we used to do it that way!   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 9:58:53 EDT
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Public Internet Forces Calls Over Sprint


There is a Public Internet at 206-286-1600 (Seattle area).  Call to it
was "routed incorrectly" when attempted via default carrier (AT&T) and
the recording said to put 10333 in front, which I did and it went
through.


[Moderator's Note: I guess the admin there has cut a deal with Sprint
for a piece of the action.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 09:13:45 -0400
From: [e-mail] (A. Padgett Peterson)
Subject: Re: Hotel Phone Charges


[e-mail] wrote:

> It would be helpful to tell when various hotel rip-off's have occurred
> since the situation is changing. I rarely encounter 800 number
> surcharges these days and other surcharges seem to be going away.

Bob is more fortunate than I since all of the hotels I have stayed at
recently charge anywhere from U$0.75 to U$1.00 for 800 access. I ran
into a really peculiar one in NY (believe it was the old Pennsylvania
{I forget the name of the week} but they blur 8*(.  Made several 800
calls using both my company's long distance service and my personal
major carrier -- the carrier calls were charged U$0.75 and the company
calls were not.  Guess the hotel had a filter that picked out known
carrier 800 numbers since the bill read "access to long distance
provider". Sounds like another good reason to use an "unknown" carrier
like Pat's.


Warmly,

Padgett

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 05:51:09 CDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Category of Tones Used in CO
Organization: AT&T


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail].
org.tw (Yee-Lee Shyong) writes:

> Can anyone tell me what's the differences between Dial-tone,
> Busy-tone, Ringback-tone, and Reorder-tone ?

I can give you their "standard USA" meanings and tone patterns:

Dial-tone (Dial Tone) indicates the caller may proceed to "dial" the
                      first digit of a (telephone) number.
                      (350+440 Hz, continuously)

Busy-tone (Busy Tone) indicates the called telephone line is currently
                      in use or otherwise unavailable.
                      (480+620 Hz, 60 IPM {Interruptions per Minute},
                      about equal tone and silence intervals)

Ringback-tone (Audible Ring Tone, Ringing Tone) indicates the called line
                      is being alerted (ringing, etc.).
                      (440+480 Hz, 2 seconds on, 4 seconds off, repeating)

Reorder-tone (Reorder) indicates the number could not be reached because
                      of telephone equipment (no circuits available, etc.)
                      (448+620 Hz, 120 IPM)

   You need to look at CCITT E.182 recommendations for the
International terms and meanings.  I believe Annex 1 of that document
shows the most common variations of these tones and patterns in
various countries.  There is MUCH variation!!


Al Varney

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 00:40:20 PDT
Subject: Re: Category of Tones Used in CO


     I am not sure what information Yee-Lee requires. It would seem
that the functions of the dial tone and the busy tone, for example,
are self-explanatory. But if he needs information on the tones
themselves, then I can certainly pass along some information. The
following is culled from (among other sources) Understanding Telephone
Electronics by John L. Fike. It is a wonderful book and widely
available through anyone that distributes Sams Publications. I
consider it a must. This information is not proprietary. The busy,
dial, ringback and reorder tones are all referred to as network call
progress tones. They are all multi-frequency, that is, blends of two
distinct tones.

Tone            Frequency (Hz)       On Time(Sec.)     Off Time(Sec.)

Dial               350+440             Continuous
Busy               480+620               0.5               0.5
Ringback, Normal   440+480               2                 4
Reorder            480+620               0.3               0.2


Good luck Yee-Lee. Thanks to Pat for all his hard work.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Alex Griffiths)
Subject: Re: FTP Address Given Does Not Work
Date: 23 Aug 1993 22:42:16 -0700
Organization: Fujitsu Open Systems Solutions, Inc.


> [Moderator's Note: Your copy was mailed to you, along with 489 other
> requests in the past couple days. I do not know why [e-mail] said
> his address and FTP connection would work if it does not. Maybe he
> will see this and repair it.  My fingers are getting almost as sore as
> Warren Victorian's must be.   PAT]

It did work for a while, and many people grabbed the article.
Unfortunately a disk crashed on the system and we didn't receive a
replacement until late Wednesday.  I bugged sysad folk and they
promised me they'll have it back tomorrow.  I'm sorry for any
inconvenience.

(Then a later note from Alex said ...)

Hi Pat,

I guess I'll reply to my own message.  The folk in sysad were faster
than expected and the server is back up.  Again, I'm sorry about the
delay.


alex

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #597
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa29680;
          23 Aug 93 16:15 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA05219
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 23 Aug 1993 13:38:57 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA01021
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 23 Aug 1993 13:38:13 -0500
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 13:38:13 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #598

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 23 Aug 93 13:38:10 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 598

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Snail Mail Forwarding (John Levine)
    Free-Nets Sites (Steven H. Lichter)
    ZMODEM Info Needed (Clif Baker)
    What's With 201-299? (Dave Levenson)
    Dialing 1 First - Update (Mike King)
    Table of Area Codes by Geographic Location (Monty Solomon)
    Re: Radio Station Acronyms (Jack Decker)
    New Service: The Net ADvertiser (NetAdvertiser)
    What's the Difference: Fiber to Home/Curb & Hybrid Fiber/Coax (Lightwood)
    Re: 100% Moderation of News Groups - NOT (Christopher Zguris)
    Re: 100% Moderation of News Groups - NOT (John Levine)
    Re: Video Conference Standards (Steve Atlas)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 19:06:50 EDT
Reply-To: [e-mail]
From: [e-mail] (John Levine)
Subject: Snail Mail Forwarding


>> (3) When I send mail to a U.S. address that is incorrect ...
>> [it comes back with a sticker saying] ...

>> 'ADDRESS INCORRECT: Forwarding Order Expired' and then lists a
>> different address below.

> Well, they probably just charge people by the month for the forwarding
> service.

Hmmn, I guess I'm the only one here in the U.S. who still gets paper
mail, much less forwarded paper mail.  The USPS has a fully
computerized forwarding system that spits out yellowing forwarding
labels on demand, which means that when it gets screwed up, it gets
really, really screwed up.

Every summer I spend six weeks or so at my beach cottage. (I'm an
author, so I can avoid writing here at the beach as well as I can
avoid it at home.)  I have the USPS forward the mail from my PO box
while I'm here.  It works, but it's extremely slow, about a week until
they put the forwarding sticker on an item (the computer-printed
stickers have the date on them) and another week or so until it
actually gets delivered. All of this delay is in the forwarding
process; normal unforwarded mail gets delivered reasonably promptly
both here and at home.

The first summer I spent here I had my home mail forwarded as well.
What a disaster.  I learned the hard way how forwarding is supposed to
work.  There are two kinds of forwards, temporary and permanent.  I
have a temporary forward, of course, which is identifiable by a T in
first line on the label.

For regular mail, one's carrier separates out mail which is to be
forwarded and gives it to the forwarding department which puts on the
stickers and remails it.  For boxes, the forwarding seems be done by
the delivery PO, which is why it works at all. The first disaster was
that my carrier had evidently set aside a bunch of mail to be
forwarded the last week of the forwarding order, and sent it to the
forwarding department.  But by the time they got it, the order had
expired.  So they sat on it, baffled, for about three weeks, and
eventually put on stickers saying "forwarding order expired" and gave
it back to my carrier, who finally delivered it.  The effect of this
was that a whole bunch of mail vanished into a forwarding black hole
for a month, including my mortage bill, credit card bills, etc.  I got
a written apology from the P.O. for that screwup.

The next year I decided to be pro-active, so since I had a house-sitter
in residence at home, I printed up some of my own forwarding labels on
my laser printer (including ZIP+4 postal bar codes) and told him to
forward anything that looked interesting.  Unfortunately, we had a
temporary mailman that year, who saw my labels, figured that he must
have missed a forwarding order, and gave a whole bunch of my mail to
the forwarding department, even though I hadn't filed a forwarding
order.

So what happened?  The forwarding department's computer, elephant-like,
never forgets.  If you file a permanent forwarding order (or, evidently,
a temporary one as well) it takes effect for a year.  After that, the
computer still knows about it, but it prints out yet another label
saying that the order has expired, the letter's undeliverable, here's
the new address.  This actually makes some sense for permanent orders,
since it forces lazy correspondents to change their files.  But what
happened to me is that many of the companies that send me bills, when
they got back their bills with the sticker, decided that I had moved
to my beach cottage, permanently.  So I got a letter from a computer
at my insurance company saying "Congratulations on your move to New
Jersey, your rates have gone up." I called them, and told them I
hadn't moved.  Computer sends another letter "Congratulations on your
move to Massachusetts, your rates have gone down."  Another rogue
forwarded letter, "Congratulations on your move to New Jersey ..."
Another phone call, "Congratulations on your ..."  Aarghh!! I think I
got another apology for that screwup.  The good news is that a lot of
my junk mail got lost permanently.

This year, my house-sitter's labels say in large type at the top
TEMPORARY SUMMER ADDRESS.  We'll see.

I just got an insert from New Jersey Bell saying that as of the
beginning of 1994 they'll finally stop allowing 1-NXX-XXXX for
intra-NPA toll calls.  That's worked here in 609 because the only NXX
prefix is 300 which doesn't happen to be an area code. Henceforth, all
calls within the area code are dialed with seven digits, whether
they're local, intra-LATA toll, or inter-LATA toll, and inter-NPA
calls are dialed 1-NXX-NXX-NXXX.  As has previously been noted, this
is the One True Dialing Plan.  (Well, actually, they protect
neighboring exchanges across NPA boundaries, so local calls can all be
dialed with seven digits even if they're in another NPA.)  I presume
they'll continue to allow 1-609-NXX-XXXX for intra-LATA calls,
including local ones, for the benefit of those of us with modems and
fax machines.


John R. Levine, IECC-by-the-sea, Harvey Cedars NJ
"Where TAT-9 comes ashore" [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven H. Lichter)
Subject: Free-Nets Sites
Date: 23 Aug 1993 08:32:50 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)


                 NATIONAL PUBLIC TELECOMPUTING NETWORK
                 Affiliates and Organizing Committees

                             (May 1993)

COMMUNITY COMPUTER SYSTEMS

   Big Sky Telegraph - Dillon, Montana
      Modem: 406-683-7680
      Internet: 192.231.192.1
         Visitor login: bbs

   Buffalo Free-Net - Buffalo, New York
      Modem: 716-645-6128
      Internet: freenet.buffalo.edu
         Visitor login: freeport

   Cleveland Free-Net - Cleveland, Ohio
      Modem: 216-368-3888
      Internet: freenet-in-a.cwru.edu
         Visitor login: Select #2 at first menu

   Columbia Online Information Network (COIN) - Columbia, Missouri
      Modem: 314-884-7000
      Internet: bigcat.missouri.edu
         Visitor login: guest

   Denver Free-Net - Denver, Colorado
      Modem: 303-270-4865
      Internet: freenet.hsc.colorado.edu
         Visitor login: guest

   Heartland Free-Net - Peoria, Illinois
      Modem: 309-674-1100
      Internet: heartland.bradley.edu
         Visitor login: bbguest

   Lorain County Free-Net - Elyria, Ohio
      Modem: 216-366-9721
      Internet: freenet.lorain.oberlin.edu
         Visitor login: guest

    Medina County Free-Net  - Medina, Ohio
       Modem: 216-723-6732
      Internet: <Not receiving connections at this time>

   National Capital Free-Net - Ottawa, Canada
      Modem: 613-780-3733
      Internet: freenet.carleton.ca
         Visitor login: guest

   Tallahassee Free-Net - Tallahassee, Florida
      Modem: 904-488-5056
      Internet: freenet.fsu.edu
         Visitor login: visitor

   Tristate Online - Cincinnati, Ohio
      Modem: 513-579-1990
      Internet: cbos.uc.edu
         Visitor login sequence: cbos, visitor, 9999, <return>

   Victoria Free-Net - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
      Modem: 604-595-2300
      Internet: freenet.victoria.bc.ca
      Visitor login: guest

   Wellington Citynet - Wellington, New Zealand
      Modem: [phone]
      Internet: kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
         Visitor login: <Service not available>

   Youngstown Free-Net - Youngstown, Ohio
      Modem: 216-742-3072
      Internet: yfn.ysu.edu
         Visitor login: visitor


STATEWIDE EDUCATIONAL NETWORK AFFILIATES

   California Online Resources for Education (CORE) - Seal Beach,
   Virginia Public Education Network (VaPEN) - Richmond, Virginia
   SENDIT - Fargo, North Dakota


NPTN/AMERITECH LEARNING VILLAGES
(Proposed sites for September 1993 openings)

   Learning Village Milwaukee - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
   Home Learning Link - Chicago, Illinois
   Home Learning Link - Indianapolis, Indiana
   Home Learning Link - Detroit, Michigan
   Learning Village Cleveland - Cleveland, Ohio


NPTN FORMAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEES


   Abilene, TX                         Honolulu, HI
   Akron, OH                           Huntsville, AL
   Anchorage, AK                       Los Angeles (Central), CA
   Ann Arbor, MI                       Los Angeles (Valley), CA
   Battle Creek, MI                    New Orleans, LA
   Bayreuth, Germany                   Oklahoma City, OK
   Bremerton, WA                       Orange County, CA
   Carbondale, IL                      Palm Beach, FL
   Champaign-Urbana, IL                Providence, RI
   Chapel Hill, NC                     San Luis Obispo, CA
   Charlotte, NC                       Santa Barbara, CA
   Dallas, TX                          Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
   Dayton, OH                          South Bend, Indiana
   Detroit, MI                         Seattle, WA
   Eau Claire, WI                      Tampa, FL
   Edmonton, Alberta                   Tempe, AZ
   Elliot Lake, Ontario                Toronto, Ontario
   Erlangen, Germany                   Trail, British Columbia
   Gainesville, FL                     Traverse City, MI
   Granger, IN                         Tuscaloosa, AL
   Grass Valley, CA                    Vancouver, British Colum.
   Helsinki, Finland                   Washington, DC

For More Information on NPTN Contact:

   National Public Telecomputing Network
   P.O. Box 1987
   Cleveland, Ohio  44106

   Voice: 216-247-5800
   FAX: [phone]
   e.mail: [e-mail]

Or visit our anonymous ftp site at: nptn.org  (cd into: /pub/info.nptn)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Clif Baker)
Subject: ZMODEM Information Needed
Organization: Research Libraries Group, Inc.
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 12:28:37 GMT


Folks,

I need to pointers on ZMODEM.  In particular, what it is, where to get
it, on what platforms and who to's on implementing it [in other
words ... I need all there is to know about it.]


Thanks!!!

Clif

PS: If you can point me toward one or more newsgroups or FAQs please
do so as well ... danka!

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Levenson)
Subject: What's With 201-299?
Organization: Westmark, Inc.
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 14:07:03 GMT


Caller*ID has been available to NJ Bell subscribers since 1988 or so.
By now, almost every central office in the Garden State is equipped
for it.  We get calling number delivery from almost every CO in the
state (except for cellular, inter-LATA, and calls from a few centrex
systems).

Why do intra-LATA calls from 201-299 still show up as OUT-OF-AREA ?
Does anybody out there know why this switch (serving Boonton and
surrounding parts of Morris County) is still not participating in this
service?

Just curious!


Dave Levenson        Internet: [e-mail]
Westmark, Inc.        UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave
Stirling, NJ, USA    Voice: 908 647 0900  Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 00:42:44 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Mike King)
Subject: Dialing 1 First - Update


I previously reported that while C&P Telephone ignored a leading '1'
on local calls in Maryland and Virginia, those calls reached an
intercept in DC.  This has been 'fixed'.  I tested while roaming the
city on Saturday, and I was able to dial my home number, a local call
in the suburbs, as 1 + 301 + 7D.

Note that local calls to adjacent NPAs require the NPA to be dialed
(with no leading '1'); all toll calls require 1 + NPA + 7D (even if
the NPA is the same), and a local call preceded with a '1' still
requires NPA + 7D ('1'+ 7D reaches an intercept).


Mike King * Software Sourcerer * Fairchild Space * +1 301.428.5384
[e-mail] or [e-mail]  *  (usual disclaimers)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 01:34:48 EDT
From: Monty Solomon <roscom![e-mail]>
Subject: Table of Area Codes by Geographic Location


A friend is looking for a complete machine-readable table of area
codes in the US by location (town name, county name, and/or zip code).
He only needs this information for states which have more than one
area code.

He believes that this information was once readily available from
AT&T.

Is there any service he can subscribe to in order for him to maintain
an up-to-date table?

Please reply to Stephen H. Owades at [e-mail]


Thanks,

Monty Solomon / PO Box 2486 / Framingham, MA  01701-0405
[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jack Decker)
Subject: Re: Radio Callsigns
Date: 23 Aug 1993 05:13:11 GMT
Organization: Youngstown State/Youngstown Free-Net


LATA:  I heard that the intitals stand for Local Access Transport Area.
Typical government-speak, if you ask me.

Radio Call Signs: In Michigan, it is (or was) apparently common
practice to work a highly abbreviated form of the city name (or other
geographic identifier) into a callsign.  Some examples: WGRD (Grand
Rapids), WKZO (Kalamazoo), WMUS (Muskegon), WGHN (Grand Haven), WLNS
(Lansing), WAAM (Ann Arbor, Michigan), WSOO-AM and WSUE-FM (Sault Ste.
Marie, and at one time a competitor had WSMM).  Also, an upper
peninsula TV station has the call WWUP-TV.  There are radio and TV
outlets in Grand Rapids with the call WOOD, which reflects the area's
lumbering history (at one time Grand Rapids was known as "The
Furniture City", though most of the furniture currently produced there
is made of steel or other material, not wood).


Jack

------------------------------

Date: 23 Aug 1993 18:10:05 +0200
From: [e-mail] (NetAdvertiser)
Subject: New Service: The Net ADvertiser


Are you trying to sell your car, your home, your drums, your whole
Jimi Hendrix's bootlegs collection?  Are you going to rent your flat
at Aspen for the summer time?  Or maybe you are looking for a car, or
for a new job, or for friends to spend all the nights watching Peter
Greenaways's movies or playing Diplomacy.  Even if you are offering
jobs and managing a commercial company you can enter the world of:

                T H E    N E T    A D V E R T I S E R

The Net Advertiser is a mailing list created to give all the Internet
community the opportunity to widespread private sales, rent, offer
messages.  Everybody can find a place in The Net Advertiser digest,
even commercial companies.

This is a list maintained by the InfoNet Project, a group of computer
science experts, students and consultants whose aim is the propagation
of all kind of information across the Internet and CREN world.
Advertising in the digest is completely free, except for commercial
companies which must submit a 75 $ fee in order to support the InfoNet
Project work.

For any information, subscription and submission write to:
[e-mail].

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 17:38:34 +1000
From: Liron Lightwood <[e-mail]>
Subject: What's Difference: Fiber to Home; Curb and Hybrid Fiber/Coax


I've been reading about the future networks the cable TV companies and
telcos want to set up for video on demand, interactive TV, etc.  I'm
getting a little confused about the various terms used for the various
kinds of networks.

Could someone please tell me the difference between:

Fiber to the home,
Fiber to the curb.
Hybrid fiber/coax network.


Thanks in advance,

Liron Lightwood                       Internet: [e-mail]
Research Laboratories                 Phone: [phone]
Telstra / Telecom Australia           Fax:   [phone]
P.O. Box 249 Clayton 3168 Australia   Disclaimer: My views, not my company's.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 19:23 GMT
From: Christopher Zguris <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: 100% Moderation of News Groups - NOT


In TELECOM Digest V13 #591 our Moderator notes:

> [Moderator's Note: Hey, if you are 'ready to mirror masses of groups
> at your own expense', how about starting with this comp.dcom.telecom
> newsgroup and the Digest?  You can send me -- or send Illinois Bell if
> you wish -- some money each month to pay the phone bill incurred in
> processing messages for the group. You think that's funny?  Wait until
> you start polling someplace to get a full newsfeed every day and see
> what the phone bill comes to. To repeat what I said earlier, no one is
> going to come along and demand that a newsgroup be stopped. What they
> are going to do is start letting you pay your own bills for carrying
> newsgroups, then you will decide to drop it on your own.

  I think that a lot of the recent internet expansion is thanks to
dial-in access through providers like AT&T Mail, MCI Mail etc. Users
of these systems -- myself included -- are already paying their way.
You're already paying your way to some degree through the phone
company. It seems to me that as large commercial carriers come on
board access should hopefully become cheaper due to a larger paying
user base and services should expand due to competition and the
profit-potential for providers.

In a for-profit situation, at least there will be competition, with
the phone company breakup look at all the services that have become
available (Caller ID, distinctive ringing, and many others) that
probably wouldn't have become reality without the need for local
telco's to develope new "products" for customers. It's been mentioned
here what the hassles were for getting and using an 800 number when
AT&T had the whole game. Nowadays -- as I'm sure you know since you
provide them -- it's easy, call up, request one, and it's connected
and ringing on whatever telephone line you want. I'm sure the rates
have gone down (I would have to assume that AT&T had a higher rate
when they were the only provider), just about _EVERYONE_ has an 800
number now, so it has become a much more competitive & lucrative
market. When I'm getting calls all the time from the various carriers
trying to get me to move my 800 number, that indicates competition to
me.

  In the case of AT&T Mail and MCI Mail they are accessed through an
800 number so local phone charges are non-existent. You're probably
right that things will change, but if the changes involve making
people pay a fair price for their access and use of the net than I
don't see anything unjustified. We pay for newspapers and magazines,
so what's so wrong with paying something for newsgroups if it means
they will be supported? Isn't it possible that the big guys like MCI
or whoever will offer some sort of preferred pricing plan to access
the newsgroups? If that were the case, than they might have an
incentive to pay a commission to newsgroup moderators and thus provide
a reason for them to stay around and expand.


Christopher Zguris   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 00:30:52 EDT
Reply-To: [e-mail]
From: [e-mail] (John Levine)
Subject: Re: 100% Moderation of News Groups. NOT.


> Since MCI now has a stake in the Internet, you don't suppose they
> might put up a few newsgroups of their own do you?

I don't see why not.  Sprint, which is also a large Internet vendor,
has some groups of their own mostly to log Sprintlink network changes
and trouble tickets.  With AT&T's participation in the InterNIC, they
may want groups for that, too.

But I do expect Usenet to end up 90% moderated.  The quality of
moderated groups is in general so much higher than that of unmoderated
ones that if for no other reason than to save time reading all the
stuff moderated groups are much more appealing.  I expect that the
only unmoderated groups will be a few like comp.arch in which for some
reason there is very little flaming, and the various talk groups where
the only people who take them will be the ones who flame there.

Sprint can provide a 256KB or T1 Internet link anywhere in the
country. As far as I know they are the only vendor at this point that
can do so.  At this point, most of their links are currently
international, but that's more for historical than technical reasons.


Regards,

John Levine   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Atlas)
Subject: Re: Video Conference Standards
Organization: PictureTel Corporation
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 12:53:39 GMT


Sandy Kyrish <[e-mail]> wrote:

> There appears to be some confusion, partially propagated by vendors I
> fear, about the "inferiority" of the CCITT videoconference standard.
> The following is excerpted from a messge I sent directly to John Humm.

> A couple of things you should understand about the standards.  (Known
> as H.261, for the video coding and encoding; H.320 is the "umbrella"
> standard governing video plus audio plus control.)  H.261 is a very
> robust standard at its fullest implementation, which is something
> called CIF (Common Intermediate Format -- a mix between US and
> European stds), specifying a frame rate of 30 fps and a resolution of
> 288 x 352 pixels, and lots of sophisticated signal processing stuff to
> improve overall picture quality.  Despite what vendors will tell you,
> no proprietary algorithm is substantially better than H.261 implemented
> in its fullest glory, and is certainly not worth giving up interconnect-
> ivity.

Unfortunately, H.261 (a.k.a. Px64) will not give you much glory at the
bit rates that the previous poster discussed.  H.261 cannot provide 30
frames per second at CIF resolution with good picture quailty at 112
Kbits/sec (for those with Switched-56 service) or at ISDN BRI data
rates.  If you can afford 762 Kbits per second, then H.261 can
provided very satisfactory results.  By the way, CIF is a _resolution_
and does not require a 30 fps frame rate.

> That said, the second thing to know is that for a codec to be
> certified as "CCITT compatible", it only has to conform to the lowest
> rungs of the H.261 standard ... a format called QCIF, for quarter CIF.
> It is literally half the horizontal and half the vertical pixels (i.e.
> 144 x 176), or a quarter of the original resolution.  It also allows a
> slower frame rate, which reduces the smoothness and increases the
> jerky feeling.  It is true that at the QCIF implementation of H.261, a
> vendor's proprietary algorithm may well look better, because it is
> ramping up the resolution and frame rate, then comparing it to the
> QCIF and saying, "See?  The standard looks terrible."

This is true if you think videophones should cost many thousands of
dollars.  Why do you think QCIF was made part of the standard?  This
allows "cheap" videophones to connect to high-end videoconferencing
systems.

> Some companies, like GPT Video Systems in Atlanta, are concentrating
> on producing codecs that hew to the top end of the CCITT standard.  In
> a "shoot-out" a while back at a systems integrator's place, the top
> end of the CCITT standard was deemed a better picture than any
> vendor's proprietary algorithm.  Don't fall for vendor hype about the
> CCITT standard!  Each is obviously banking in the short term on
> hanging on to a customer base.  They are all good companies but are
> not doing the world a favor by pooh-poohing the H.261 standard.

What data rate were used at this "top end shootout"?  Most proprietary
algorithms (at least PictureTel's) are designed to give good results
at low data rates, such ISDN BRI, or even 56K bits/sec, where even the
best H.261 implemention turn into a screenful of blocks, and/or drop
their frame rate significantly.

PictureTel's previous (before 1988) proprietary algorithm was
transform coding-based, like H.261, but was replaced by a superior
Hierarchal Vector Quantization-based algorithm.  H.261 is _not_ the
state-of-the-art in video compression.  I would wager that there are
VCSs running PictureTel's proprietary algorithm in the US than any
other algorithm, including H.261.

By the way, PictureTel provides a very good implementation of
H.320/H.261.  Lots of proprietary tricks are used, while maintaining
_full_ compliance with the standard.

Are you associated in any way with GPT, which played a big part in
driving the standard?


Speaking as an employee of, but _not_ an official spokesperson for,
PictureTel, Inc.

Steve Atlas    [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #598
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa11693;
          24 Aug 93 6:06 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA21696
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 24 Aug 1993 02:38:47 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA20489
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 24 Aug 1993 02:38:03 -0500
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 02:38:03 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #599

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 24 Aug 93 02:38:00 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 599

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    900MHz Cordless Phones (Jim Sisul)
    BC Tel Says "Sorry, No Cash Please" (Ed Sadowski via Nigel Allen)
    Another 900 Scam (Les Reeves)
    Computer Security Training Video Available (Randy Gellens)
    Cold War Restrictions on Switches (Randy Gellens)
    Tracking Cellphone Location (Laird P. Broadfield)
    For Sale: Vodavi Telephone System (Jill Pomeroy)
    Re: Cellular Phone Helps Catch James Jordan's Alleged Killers (Lynne Gregg)
    Telenet, Sprint, and the Free Market (Eric N. Florack)
    Re: Touch-Tone Phones in Hong Kong (Mike King)
    Re: Incoming Calls to Airphone? (Steve Forrette)
    Re: Terminal Concessions (A. Padgett Peterson)
    Re: Telex <-> Internet Email? (u951007)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jim Sisul)
Subject: 900MHz Cordless Phones
Date: 23 Aug 1993 13:40:09 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway


Greetings,

I haven't seen this topic in this group or in any archives, so I
thought I'd ask a few questions.

I'm considering getting a cordless phone; clearly, the 49/46MHz phones
are out, since I can pick those up with my cheap Radio Shack scanner,
or even another cordless phone.  That leaves the new 900MHz phones
from Radio Shack and Tropez, which advertize "Spread Spectrum"
technology and "Digital Encoding" of voice data.  I have a few
questions:

1) What is "Spread Spectrum" technology, and how does it work?  This
sounds like channel hopping to me.  Does it make scanning impossible,
or just difficult?

2) Is the voice data just digitized, or is it actually encrypted?
Encoded data is uncrackable by the casual listener with a scanner, but
not to someone who tries to use another phone as the listening device,
as you can do with the 46/49MHz phones, or a computer.  If it's
encrypted, what's the algorithm?

3) Has anyone discovered/published a method for scanning these phones,
even one that would be prohibitively expensive?  I ask not because I
want to do this, but because such scanning would not be out of the
question for professionals, like police or private investigators.
Such a device exists for scanning cellular calls (which channel hop),
and it uses an actual (modified) Motorola phone to do the
scanning/channel hopping for you.  In fact, I can get my own cellphone
to do this, since I know the "access code," and have the factory
service manual.  The procedure is right there in the manual!  Couldn't
a crafty Tropez or Radio Shack owner modify his phone to do the same
thing?

4) Weren't the early 900MHz phones just analog phones that used the
newly-approved frequencies?  It would seem the switch to 900MHz offers
these phones no protection from scanners.  If any of these still
exist, I want to avoid them.

5) What's the power output from these things?  Has anyone raised the
same safety concerns about these phones as they have about the
lower-frequency, .6- and .3-watt cel phones?

6) What other brands exist besides Cobra, Radio Shack, and Tropez?  Do
they all use the same encoding and broadcasting technology?

I know this is a lot, and I really appreciate your help.  It's just
that the sales people I have talked to, while nice, don't have the
answers; I also can't find this stuff in back issues of {Popular
Communications.}


Thanks,

James P. Sisul   Associate Software Engineer  Biomedical Systems Division
PPG Industries, Inc.   16505 West 113th Street   P.O. Box 15955
Lenexa, KS 66285-5955   VOICE: [phone], ext 7181
FAX:   [phone]   EMAIL: {...}uunet!bmskc!sisul OR  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 19:36:14 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Nigel Allen)
Subject: BC Tel Says "Sorry, No Cash Please"
Reply-To: [e-mail]


I found the following item in misc.consumers.

   From: [e-mail] (Ed Sadowski)
   Subject: Sorry, no cash please
   Organization: Motorola, Wireless Data Group - Richmond, BC
   Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 18:08:03 GMT

In what it claims is is a cost-cutting measure, BC Tel, the carrier
providing local and long-distance telephone service throughout British
Columbia (Canada), is no longer accepting cash for payment of
customers' telephone bills at most of its retail stores (known as
"PhoneMarts", where one can also buy or rent telephone equipment).  It
claims that accepting cash requires more staff and hence higher costs.

The CRTC, the Canadian equivalent of the FCC, has recently
significantly opened up competition for long-distance traffic and BC
Tel claims that it is using long-distance receipts to cross subsidize
local rates.  This recent measure is but an example of similar cost
cutting moves to be expected in future.

I suspect BC Tel, in addition to the actual cost-savings that this
measure might realize, chose it because of its incovenience to the
elderly, who tend to pay their bills in cash.  BC Tel has mentioned
that with de-regulated long-distance it would have to raise
"significantly" its monthly local service charges, which would have a
significant impact on pensioners.  This most recent move by BC Tel
will unquestionably agitate senior citizens, who might then lobby
their Members of Parliament to review/change the CRTC's policy.

The provincical government is checking the legality of BC Tel's move,
stating Canada's Currency Act stipulates that cash (in particular bank
notes) can be used to settle *any* debt.  However, BC Tel states it
has a legal opinion that states that what it is proposing is legal.


Ed Sadowski                    phone: [phone]
[e-mail]            fax:   [phone]
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are those of the sender NOT Motorola

                     ---------------


Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada  [e-mail]


[Moderator's Note: Despite the good or bad public relations aspects of
refusing to accept cash payments at phone center stores, BC Tel is
quite legally within its rights to refuse to accept cash as payment,
just as is any business in the USA. Like Canada, in the USA our
currency is considered lawful payment of any debt, public or private
and has to be accepted if offered in payment of a **debt**. But the
catch is, indebtedness does not occur until a service has been rendered
or some other consideration has been given. If you propose to become
indebted to me through taking possession of some merchandise, or avail-
ing yourself of some service I offer, I can stipulate in the contract
for the transaction that when it comes time to pay, I won't accept
cash, or I will accept only certain kinds of cash, ie. exact fare when
riding the bus.  If you then proceed with the transaction, having
accepted my terms, I can refuse your cash.

There are contracts on all transactions, but remember, contracts do
not have to be written down on fancy forms from the stationary store
in 'legalese' or signed by an attorney. Contracts can be nothing more
than pre-printed scraps of paper called theatre tickets or bus
tickets.  Contracts can be signs hanging on the wall saying 'we accept
nothing larger than a five dollar bill'. Contracts can be totally
verbal.  I wish to ride your bus, you have a sign posted saying 'exact
fare only'. That becomes part of the contract between us, and when you
push the turnstile release button, register my patronage and I enter
the vehicle I have agreed to the terms of your contract, and thus far,
no indebtedness has occurred. It occurs when the bus gets to the place
where I get up and get off. You may have, however, required of me an
advance deposit against future indebtedness by requiring me to pay
when I get on the bus or enter the theatre rather than when I leave.

In the case of BC Tel, you will probably find somewhere in the fine
print that it says in effect 'we refuse to provide you with phone
service unless you agree to payment in the manner and place we
specify.'  Telcos are required to provide service to all *qualified*
applicants, but the word 'qualified' in this sense means an applicant
for service who has demonstrated the ability and willingness to pay.
The fine print also probably gave a certain date after which the
change would take place, considering that *debts already incurred*,
ie. for the calls you made last month could legally be settled in cash
if the subscriber chose to do so. The fine print probably concluded by
saying 'after you have received this message about a change in our
terms which we are permitted to serve on you through regular mail, the
next time you pick up the phone and create a new indebtedness to us,
you agree to our terms' (or are bound by the tariff, etc).  The credit
cards do it that way. You agree to changes in interest rates, payment
terms, etc by using your card after you have been told what the
changes in the contract are all about. I'm sure BC Tel followed the
law and filed appropriate tariff modifications stating the changes,
and allowed outstanding bills to be paid in cash if desired prior to
the new terms taking effect.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 18:15:06 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Another 900 Scam


{Network World} dated August 16 reports that two innovative 900-
number scam artists called their own number 50,000 times with dummy
account numbers and collected $552,000 in advance payments from AT&T
before that company discovered that the calls came from unbillable
numbers.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: 23 AUG 93 22:11
Subject: Computer Security Training Video Available


COMMONWEALTH FILMS RELEASED a new computer information security video
called "Access Denied: Computer Crime -- Deter, Detect, Defend,"
according to the Business Wire (8/9/93).  Up to three videos may be
previewed at one time for a charge of $45, which is applicable toward
the video's $525 purchase price.  The video covers topics such as
illegal access to information and privacy violations; destruction of
information; outside manipulation of crucial corporate data; fraud;
theft of computer or telephone services; inventory and hardware;
software theft; embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.  For more
information call 617-262-5634 or write Commonwealth Films Inc., 223
Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass., 02116.


Randall [e-mail]
A Series System Software.  [if mail bounces, please
Unisys Corporation............forward bounce msg to
Mission Viejo, [e-mail]]
Opinions are personal; ... facts are suspect; ... I speak only for myself

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: 23 AUG 93 18:34
Subject: Cold War Restrictions on Switches


Saw this in an news round-up:

AT&T Chairman Robert Allen wants the United States to lift Cold War
export restrictions on advanced telecommunications technology, UPI
reported (8/13/93).  AT&T already has installed digital-switching
systems in central China and is forming an AT&T China business unit.
However, the United States declined to lift a ban that prevents AT&T
from selling high-speed telephone-transmission switches to China.


Randall [e-mail]
A Series System Software..[if mail bounces, please
Unisys Corporation...........forward bounce msg to
Mission Viejo, [e-mail]]
Opinions are personal; ... facts are suspect; ... I speak only for myself|

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Laird P. Broadfield)
Subject: Tracking Cellphone Location
Date: 23 Aug 93 22:22:41 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Joe Pace) writes:

> It seems that it would be feasible to use a cell system to monitor the
> location of phones.  I don't know much about how it all works, but I
> gather that the phones when turned on transmit their NAM codes every
> few seconds to maintain contact with the system.

> Does anyone know if this sort of ability is already present in the
> system?  If so, it opens up a whole can of worms regarding personal
> privacy.

> [Moderator's Note: Privacy where cell phones are concerned has been an
> ongoing problem for many years. The use of triangulation -- which is
> nothing new where radio is concerned -- does not make any real differ-
> ence. Besides, with the transmitter in a moving vehicle, getting an
> exact location is not that easy unless the vehicle remains stationary
> for awhile.   PAT]

Privacy of contents is a bugaboo -- people who can't get it through
their heads that telephones (landline or not) are not private are
destined to become victims of evolution in action.  However, that's
not the subject at hand ...

My understanding (and we certainly have people more cell-technical
than I around here, please correct me if I'm wrong, friends) is that
under ordinary circumstances, the phones do not actively transmit
their ID but there is support for pinging a phone ("4466637568324,
respond if you're out there.")  Remember also that signal strength and
transmit power are constantly being negotiated between the phone and
the cellsites.

Between these and the extremely detailed knowlege the site engineering
groups have about propagation (I was walking around with a guy once
and he stopped at a line in the sidewalk and said (roughly) "Generally
in the mornings, this is where the boundary between site thusandsuch
and site soandso is.  It moves that way later." it would appear to be
a relatively trivial task to find out 1) which cell a phone is in
(just ping it) and as soon as it makes a few cell-to-cell transitions,
2) where it is within yards, and what direction it's headed.  (Note
that *unlike* traditional RDF work, in this case the somewhat
counter-intuitive answer is that deriving location with precision is
substantially *easier* if the target is moving.)


Laird P. Broadfield     [e-mail]    ...{ucsd, nosc}!crash!lairdb

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jill Pomeroy)
Subject: For Sale: Vodavi Telephone System
Organization: Mortice Kern Systems Inc., Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 18:15:53 GMT


MKS Inc. has the following telephone equipment for sale.  The system
was purchased in 1990, with a major upgrade purchased in 1991.

CTG/TIE Communications installed and maintained the system while on
site.  We are selling this system as we have recently purchased a
larger PBX system.


1648/3264 Vodavi Phone System:

    - 50 Station Ports
    - 16 co ports
    - 55 full display set - KSU
    - 2 Direct Station Selection units
    - 2 busy lamp field units
    - Battery back-up
    - one single line card
    - Reference cards and manuals

Those interested can send email to [e-mail], or give me a call at
[phone] and press "0" out of voicemail.


Jill D. Pomeroy   [e-mail]
MORTICE KERN SYSTEMS INC. [phone]
35 King Street North, Waterloo, Ontario  N2J 2W9

------------------------------

From: Lynne Gregg <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cellular Phone Helps Catch James Jordan's Alleged Killers
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 12:07:00 PDT


Joe asked: "Does anyone know if this sort of ability is already
present in the system? "

Yes, today cellular networks can pinpoint the location of a phone
within a radius of about five miles.  That doesn't help much in
getting an exact bead on the phone in question, but at least you can
limit your search to that given area.

Just another note on Joe's comment about "privacy".  I take a
different view: security applications.  If my car were stolen, I'd
sure like to be able to zoom in on its whereabouts.  There are some
spin offs on today's cellular systems that can actually track the
users specific whereabouts and facilitate communications.

Beam me up, Scotty!


Lynne

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 12:19:42 PDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Telenet, Sprint, and the Free Market


> Have you noticed that MCI is now offering their own version of PC
> Pursuit, but over regular lines instead of dial-ins -> leased lines ->
> dial-outs the way Sprintnet (Telenet) does it? Since MCI now has a
> stake in the Internet, you don't suppose they might put up a few
> newsgroups of their own do you?  If so, where would the newsgroups
> come from? <smile> ... this would hardly be the long-awaited 'death of
> the net' -- I suspect the Messiah will come before the net dies, and I
> don't expect him any time soon -- but the times are changing. Watch
> and see.

> Look how many sites now don't carry .talk or .misc groups. Do you
> really think MCI is going to long-endure all the noise -- presently
> transmitted, or at least entered in the news stream for free, mind you
> -- when they could be getting the moderators lined up and under
> control instead?

And why would they want to do that? Whatever else can be said, their
business is as an information MOVER.  The more info they move, the
more $$ they make.  Since adding moderators to such NG's would lower
the amount of traffic moved thereon, their income would go down ...
right?

> What will happen is the groups which *are* moderated will be
> elevated to some holy or sancrosanct status where the (what I shall
> term) eventually re-constituted net is concerned, with all the talkers
> and the miscellany groups left to twist in the wind.

Has it ever been otherwise, really?

> The times are a-changin'

No question, but I doubt it's for the worst.


[Moderator's Note: Yes, it has been different in the past, and it is
the way you describe it now, but it will get more so before long.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 16:32:38 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Mike King)
Subject: Re: Touch-Tone phones in Hong Kong


In TELECOM Digest, V13 #588, [e-mail] (Hon Wah Chin) wrote:

> Having been caught at Heathrow with a payphone whose keypad stopped
> working after making the connection, I'm planning ahead.

> Are phones with working tone pads readily available in Hong Kong or
> should I carry a tone generator?

Did you try pressing the '*' key after your connection?  I don't know
about the Mercury phones, but the British Telecom phones are supposed
to generate DTMF after pressing the '*' key.

The BT phones dial the number in pulse mode, even though they have
buttons.  I've heard two stories why this is the case: the first is
that at one time, most of the country was still switched by SxS, and
BT hasn't bothered to update the phones' default; and the second is
that some crackers discovered the exact DTMF sequence of tones to be
able to make calls for free, so BT disabled tone during dialing as the
easy 'cure'.


Mike King * Software Sourcerer * Fairchild Space * +1 301.428.5384
[e-mail] or [e-mail]  *  (usual disclaimers)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Forrette)
Subject: Re: Incoming Calls to Airphone?
Date: 23 Aug 1993 21:07:18 GMT
Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Steve Forrette)


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (gordon
hlavenka) writes:

> Hmmm ... GTE Airfone calls are placed directly onto the PSTN at the
> ground station the airplane is currently linked to.

This is not the case in my experience.  I fly mostly on the West
Coast, and every time I have checked, the ANI returned on outbound
calls placed on GTE Airphones is always 708-954-5982, which is
"Hinsdale IL," right next door to their published headquarters in Oak
Brook.  You're not going to get much further from there than
California, and if calls placed while flying over the Golden State get
routed through there, I would imagine that they all do.  (Of course,
it was my duty a telecom enthusiast to determine where the calls
actually get routed :-))


Steve Forrette, [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 18:18:09 -0400
From: [e-mail] (A. Padgett Peterson)
Subject: Re: Terminal Concessions


Well for me the most far-fetched thing (I have seen ALL of the
technology demonstrated) was Wynn's asking U$7.00 for the read (but
then its "free to Universities and that covers a *lot* of ground).


Warmly,

Padgett

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (u951007)
Subject: Re: Telex <-> Internet Email?
Organization: Oklahoma State University Computer Center, Stillwater OK
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 23:04:37 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Larry
Walker) writes:

> I'm trying to learn if anyone offers a (two-way) gateway between Telex
> and Internet Email. I have an application where it would be very
> useful for someone in a less Developed Country to send a telex, have
> it land in my email inbox, and have my reply return to the sender as a
> telex ...

> Anybody know of a way to set this up?

> [Moderator's Note: Both MCI Mail and ATT Mail have telex gateways ...

If your are served from a system with UUCP, you can subscribe to an
AT&T Mail UUCP gateway service for $3.00 per month.  This gateway
provides for sending and receiving telex messages.  Telex messages
will go to a default account named "telex" unless "ATTN:" followed by
a username is placed on the first line of the incoming telex.  This
would appear to meet Mr. Walker's requirements.


Van  Schallenberg   [e-mail]   [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #599
******************************










Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa14371;
          24 Aug 93 6:43 EDT
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA25429
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 24 Aug 1993 03:30:36 -0500
Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA25439
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 24 Aug 1993 03:29:53 -0500
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 03:29:53 -0500
From: TELECOM Moderator <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #600

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 24 Aug 93 03:29:45 CDT    Volume 13 : Issue 600

Inside This Issue:                        Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    COCOTS Are a Boon in India (H. Shrikumar)
    New Sprint Service Offering: CRIS (Jim Wenzel)
    Tone Test Set and 'D' Batteries Provide Emergency Dial Tone (Macy Hallock)
    Re: Orange Card Woes (David Ash)
    Re: AT&T Truvoice Demo (Mark Rudholm)
    Re: TrueVoice (tm) - The True Story (Harold Hallikainen)
    Re: Status of Cellular Data (John T. Ellis)
    Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line (H. Shrikumar)
    Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line (Michael P. Cuno)
    Re: Line Noise and Repair Service (Floyd Davidson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 17:49:00 -0400
From: [e-mail] (H.Shrikumar)
Subject: COCOTS Are a Boon in India
Organization: UMass, Amherst MA + Temporal Sys & Computer Networks Bombay India


  Did I tell you COCOTs are a boon in India ? :-) ;-)

  Well ... taking the name literally, that's so.

 Just back from a six month stint at work in India (set up a
technology start-up, helped one of the first commercial Email networks
to get started off on planning etc.) and as I managed to read c.d.t
once a fortnight from across the pond, the oft-repeating dis-cuss-ions
on COCOTs brought up this ironical fact.

  The number of public phones in India is bad, and most coin phones
don't work too well. Of course, there are approved manned booths you
can make Long Distance (STD) and International (ISD) calls from; they
discourage you to make local calls, for there's less money in it for
these private operators who man the booths (All telecom carriage is
government monopoly yet).

 So, how does one make local calls while on the move in the city ...?
the cigarette vendors who'd let you use their phone for a fee. These
phone are even being called "Private Public Phones" by people on the
street.  They charge you Rs 3 for a three minute call, something that
costs them about Rs1.80 for five minutes ... a rip-off, but yet not as
bad, and come to think of it, these phones always work, as opposed to
the Department provided pay phones.  And often the cigarette vendor
would dial the number for you to make sure you got the right number. I
don't mind at all. I think I can even write a thank you note to these
COCOTs (Cust owned *Cust* Operated PAY Phone :-)! Credit for bad
numbers (a wow ... in India !) No AOR rip-offs! And some incoming call
and message service too!!

 Incidentally, some students in a hostel at a premier installed in
Bombay recently figured out, by exhaustive sequential dialing, the
number on which a pay phone in the hostel was connected. Once having
found the number, they could get free long distance, via the operator
assisted trunk call service. With no signalling network to tell the
operators of the originating number, and no comprehensive lock-out
lists, the operator would call back at whatever number you gave them
when they had your long distance party's line ringing. You just booked
a call, and waited by the payphone for it to ring. The phone got
removed in the next billing cycle in two months, but that was quite
long enough.


shrikumar  [e-mail],  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 18:53:00 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Jim Wenzel)
Subject: New Sprint Service Offering: CRIS
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Jim Wenzel)
Organization: The GrapeVine BBS *** N. Little Rock, AR *** [phone]


Our esteemed Moderator writes:

> Sure there will be brave souls who volunteer to take 'all seventeen
> thousand news groups' (or whatever number it is up to at that point)
> and parcel out full feeds to whoever wants it, but the phone bills
> are going to be astronomical and MCI/ATT/Sprint's attitude will be
> fine, you'd rather pay us that way, go ahead ... but no more free
> rides or close to it.  I think -- and this is just my opinion -- that
> as the transition to one hundred percent private ownership comes
> about the 'owners' are going to have dollar signs in their eyes where

And this lowly supplicant replies:

I digress. Just recently I inquired with Sprint concerning their new
CRIS program. For $100.00 a year they will set you up via SprintNet as
a node. (ie .. C AOL etc ...) for $50.00 a year and $20.00 a month you
get two way access. Coming in October (promised by the end of the
year) you will also be able to pull InterNet. Plans are also underway
for FTP and TelNet access. The $20.00 also covers x amount of hours
free. For more information call up your local SprintNet connection and
type C CRIS. I will try to dig up info and post it here if enough
folks are interested. Though we currently get our feed from a local
University for free, we are limited to what newsgroups we can carry
due to their policies. We may pick up this offer just as a way to gain
more access as well as allow our users the ability of FTP and TelNet.
This is a great step forward to those of us in DOS land. (no snide
remarks please). If anything, this will increase availability to more
folks, which is another topic in itself <G>.


The GrapeVine / Ferret Face BBS  [phone]
PGP Distribution Site, UseNet, RIME, ThrobNet, MediaNet, U'niNet, ForthNet
RecoveryNet, MetroLink.  Putting Communications back in Telecommunication

------------------------------

From: redpoll!fmsystm!fmsys![e-mail]
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 14:51 EDT
Subject: Tone Test Set and 'D' Batteries Provide Emergency Dial Tone
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: F M Systems/Telemax  Medina, Ohio USA


In article <[e-mail]> jack.winslade%drbbs@
axolotl.omahug.org writes:

> I've been fascinated by the various CO sounds ever since I developed
> an interest in telecom.

OK, here's a story about tone plants I'll bet you haven't heard:

(I'm going to include some extra trivia, non-telecom personnel please
bear with me ...)

As many readers may know, back in the dark ages (about 1970), I once
worked for GTE as a central office technician (there, I've admitted it
in public, but I'm still a long way from recovery) ...

In those days, most everything GTE ran was AE SxS, but there were some
exceptions, for example:

Three of the central offices I was responsible for were: Sharon
Center, OH (216-239), Spencer, OH (then 216-273), and Chatham, OH
(216-667) The latter two were purchased by GTE from the Chatham
Farmer's Telephone Co. in 1969, BTW.

These central offices were old all-relay North Electric Co.  CX type
switchers, circa 1958 or so.  The power and tone plants were a mixed
bag.  The original power systems were old Lorain selenium
rectifiers/floatrol with early Subcycle ring plants.  The tone
generators were a rather odd ferroresonant design with a couple of
germanium transistors, controller by an all relay interrupter.

One day, dispatch sent me out on an emergency basis, because they got
a bunch of no dial tone reports, and the outside I&R techs said they
couldn't get dial tone at the frame, either.

I showed up and found the tone generator had croaked.  Everything else
worked, just no dial, busy, reorder or ringback tones.  If you picked
up a phone, dialed the number and waited, you got through.

Of course, there were no spares readily available.  The best that
anyone could come up with was to try and find something to rob from
another CO, elsewhere in the state.

Now, the tones this CO had used were not exactly precise dial tone or
even modern style tones.  They didn't even sound like your average
SxS.  It was a "thin" single frequency (albeit rich in harmonics) tone
for dial tone, all other tones (including ringback) were the same
tone, only with a different interruption rate.

The only thing I could think up to produce tone, without running home
and building something was my old Bell issue WE 81A tone test set.
This was two D cells with a electromechanical buzzer unit it which was
the predecessor to today's trace tone sets.  When set in "tone" mode
it produced a buzzing tone for use in tracing a cable pair with a hand
test telephone set (butt-in).

Note: This was a non-GTE issue item, almost no one at GTE in those
days had one (or had seen one) unless they had worked at or with Bell
System.  This one had stayed with me from my days at Bell, and I had
found it very useful.

So, I tied the output of the 81A to the tone input for the central
office just to see if it would work ...

Sure enough, it sounded enough like dial tone, and when it passed
through the interrupter, like the other call progress tones that the
subscribers would use the CO normally.  I could tell right off because
I could here the relays in the cabinets as the subscribers dialed
calls.

Almost immediatly, the DC power consumption on the CO jumped up to
normal daytime readings: the customers interpreted the tones to mean
everything was working.  I checked again, and found that the 81A was a
bit fainter than usual from the load of several subscribers at once
(this was a 600 line CO), but it worked OK.

The only problem with this solution was that the D batteries were only
good for about four to six hours of operation.  I reported that I had
a temporary fix up to dispatch (the test board operator knew the tones
were odd, but he didn't beleive what I had done ...) and then walked
accross the street to the gas station in this very small village and
bought _every_ D cell he had in the place.

It took me almost an hour to convince my supervisor that someone had
to visit the CO every six hours, take two D cells from the pile on the
floor by the power bay and change the batteries in the fuuny gray
plastic box that made an audible buzzing sound ...

I later had to answer a bunch of questions about all the D cells I
reported on an expense form (mostly why I didn't draw them from the
stockroom ...).

Two days later, someone from state HQ found another tone generator and
sent it in on the company courier run.  It was from a small AE SxS CO
and had a different sound than the old unit, and it took me four hours
to rework it to feed the CX switch.

The new tones were pretty much the same ones a nearby larger central
office but the subscribers in this rural area didn't like the more
modern tones and complained loudly to repair ...  I think they liked
the 81A better ...

So for two days I had run the CO on D cells ...  and on a personal
non-issue piece of equipment that GTE officially had no use for ...


Macy Hallock N8OBG Voice= +1.216.723.3030 Fax= +1.216.723.3223 [e-mail]
Telemax Inc. and F M Systems Inc.   152 Highland Drive   Medina, Ohio 44256 USA
------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Ash)
Subject: Re: Orange Card Woes
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 00:11:52 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dave
Rand) writes:

> Calls to Canada are "not supported", according to the (very hard to
> reach) customer service people. This is not true. Calls to Canada are
> supported, at slightly less than double the AT&T daytime calling card
> rate. There is no indication that the call made is not at the $0.25
> rate of the Orange Card calls to US destinations.

I would like to point out that this is not completely accurate.  I
have placed Orange calls to Canada and they have been billed at four
quite different rates:

1. free of charge
2. at the U.S. domestic rate of 25c per minute.
3. at about 53c per minute.
4. at about 62c per minute.

All these calls were from the SF Bay Area to southern Ontario, so it
is a mystery what actually determines the rate.  I don't think even
62c is anywhere near double the AT&T rate for calls to Canada, though.


David W. Ash    [e-mail]   HOME: [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 18:53:39 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Mark Rudholm)
Subject: Re: AT&T Truvoice Demo


[e-mail] (david.g.lewis) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mark
> Rudholm) writes:

>> But wait a second, isn't demonstrating Truvoice over an ostensibly
>> non-truvoice line (they haven't installed it yet) like demonstrating
>> HDTV via a regular NTSC broadcast?

> No.  There is no such thing as a "TrueVoice line" or a "Non-TrueVoice
> line".  The enhancement is applied to the voice signal in the network.
> This enhanced signal then propagates to the listener, wherever he or
> she may be, whatever types of trunks or lines the signal is carried
> over.

As I've already explained to another AT&T employee in e-mail, I know.
My point was really that this demo is evidence that the signal
processing can be done at an endpoint of a call and doesn't neccess-
arily have to be done anywhere in between.  I was also making a joke.

>> Makes you wonder if anyone in marketing anywhere understands simple
>> logic.

> Makes you wonder if anyone on the net anywhere understands the
> technology they post derogatory messages about.

Some of us do.  My message was not at all derogatory about "TruVoice"(tm).

The crack about marketing people, was, I agree, derogatory.  Something
I'd ask your marketing people if I could would be "What exactly _is_
the 'i plan'?"  Or better, "What exactly _isn't_ the 'i plan'?"  Tom
seems to say everything is part of it these days.

My backround is EE, so I think I have some understanding of real-time
signal processing.  By the way, I read the patent and wasn't
impressed.  I think at best it is a gimmick and at worst could lessen
intelligibilty.  It may be reason enough for me to switch my lines to
another carrier.  If there was some big public outcry about the
quality of voices over long distance telephone, I missed it.  If you
make it sound like a local, static-free call, I'm happy.  I really
don't need my carriers second-guessing how I want things to sound.
If you really want to improve the sound of calls, why not send out
envelope-compatible condenser microphones to all AT&T Long Distance
customers who are still using old, packed carbon granule microphones.
Now _that_ would be a big improvement and I don't think anybody would
argue.

O.K., _now_ I'm making negative comments about "TruVoice"(tm).
Customers can be that way sometimes.


Mark D. Rudholm       Philips Media Electronic Publishing
[e-mail]     11050 Santa Monica Boulevard
[phone]       Los Angeles, CA  90025

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Harold Hallikainen)
Subject: Re: TrueVoice (tm) - The True Story
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 18:29:51 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dave
Grabowski) writes:

> Patent Number: EP-48953-A2    [US-5195132-A]

>  "The invention relates to a method of processing speech signals
> transmited by a telephgone station set, and more particularly relates
> to a method of enhancing the quality of such signals before they are
> supplied to the receiving telephone set."

>  It is first noted that "telephone station sets" (i.e., your phone)
> are "designed so that [they] noticeably attenuate signals below 300Hz.
> In fact, the EIA standart (sic) RS-470 relating to the design of
> telephone instruments recommends such attenuation below 300Hz. What
> this means is that the quality of voice signals that are received at a
> telephone station set is noticeable dimished as a result of severely
> attenuating the level of such signals below 300Hz at the transmitting
> station set."

>  "... as a result of the aforementioned signals attenuation that is
> introduced by a telephone station set, the quality of the voice signals
> that the station transmits will be greatly diminished and, therefore,
> will not represent the speaker's true voice signals."
>                                  ^^^^^^^^^^ Cute, eh?

    So, it appears they are using equalization to fix the
shortcomings in the telephone instrument.  Perhaps we should fix the
instrument?  I wonder why RS-470 suggests attenaution of signals below
300 Hz.  It does seem fairly common to consider "voice grade" to be
300 Hz to 3 KHz.  I think I've heard that there is a fair amount of
energy in voices below 300 Hz, but it does not add to the intelligi-
bility of the speech.  It may make it sound better, but not more
understandable.  If a limited dynamic range is available, voice is
more understandable without the low end.  That MAY have been the
original idea behind attenuating the lows.

I also think they are interested in gettint 60 Hz and 120 Hz as far
down as possible to minimize crosstalk from power lines.  I would also
guess that a big reason for attenuating the low frequencies would be
to similify single sideband generation in old FDM multiplexing
equipment.  Minimizing the lows makes it easier to filter out the
other sideband.  To make sure calls are not filtered multiple times,
I'd guess that there would be a high pass filter on the CO line card,
dropping everything below 300 Hz.  This conditioned signal could then
be sent through the system (including FDM multiplex equipment) with no
further filtering.

Now that we've gone to PCM TDM multiplexing, there appears to be
limited need for low frequency attenuation.  There is still the need
to get rid of power line hum, but with well balanced lines, that
should be minimized.  There is still the need to have high speech
intelligibility, but with a wide dynamic range, we can probably get
pretty good intelligibility without chopping the lows.  We no longer
need to worry about opposite sideband rejection in the FDM equipment,
since there isn't any FDM equipment.  So, it appears to me, the way to
get "truer" voice would be to remove any high pass filters on CO line
cards, or at least lower the corner frequency.  If indeed the
telephone instruments are doing a fair amount of filtering, we could
just get flatter response phones.  I'd rather fix a response problem
where it exists instead of trying to compensate somewhere else ...


Harold Hallikainen              [e-mail]
Hallikainen & Friends, Inc.     [e-mail]
141 Suburban Road, Bldg E4      phone [phone] fax [phone]
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-7590  telex 4932775 HFI UI

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John T Ellis)
Subject: Re: Status of Cellular Data
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Motorola Cellular Infrastructure Group
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 02:31:07 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
> (Russell E. Sorber) writes:

>> NAMPS does do modem traffic in the same way as traditional AMPs (modem
>> over analog voice).

> Have you actually tried it, or are you just repeating what you've
> heard?  My guess is that the narrower deviation will result in greater
> phase distortion, which will result in poorer performance of standard
> modems.  I would be surprised if you could get v.32 speeds out of a
> NAMPS system.  I would be curious to hear from anyone who has tried a
> v.32 or v.32bis modem over NAMPS.

I didn't realize that you could do v.32 or v.32bis over standard AMPS
systems.  From what I hear customers and other vendors say, you can do
300/1200 and 2400 although 2400 has a tendency to drop carrier often.
Can you tell me what cellular manufacturers have rated their cell
sites for anything higher than 1200/2400?  Also, what providers are
claiming they can do "high speed" data transfer over the cellular
network?


Thanks much,

John T. Ellis 708-632-7857    Motorola Cellular    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 17:47:58 -0400
From: [e-mail] (H. Shrikumar)
Subject: Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line
Organization: UMass, Amherst MA + Temporal Sys & Computer Networks Bombay India


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] ...

>> 140 languages sounds like a lot to cover the globe ...
>> I mean, we're talking about business languages here, aren't we?

> I believe India alone has over 100 mutually incomprehensible
> languages.  But Language Line doesn't limit itself to the mutually
> incomprehensible.  A recent message here indicated that it lists both
> Czech and Slovak, for example.  If you include such "close but
> different" languages, I think India has about 800, China has several
> hundred, Africa has hundreds, and even the US has several dozen.

   Talking about "business langauges" (as in the original post to
which above reply) ... India has two major ones (my opinion; don't want
to pull the politics in here :-) English and Hindi. Most businesses
can manage with these two languages anywhere in the wide country.

  Of course, each region also has its own predominant langauge, which
does get used in "local business". Which, considering some ten major
regions (my opinion ... my own aggregation to our 23 states), that
really adds up to perhaps 12 langauges.

 To cater to India, ATT really needs to support English and Hindi, and
also Gujarathi, Punjabi due to the large number of people of that
mother-tongue with US/Canada contacts. Thats four as I count.

 So does the LanguageLine support all kinds of non-"business languages"
as well? Anyone have a full list?


shrikumar  [e-mail],  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: mail![e-mail]
Date: 23 Aug 93 20:23:31 GMT
Subject: Re: An Experience With the AT&T Language Line


On behalf of AT&T Language Line Services, I'd like to apologize to
Tony Harminc for our inability to provide a Slovak interpreter when he
called.

AT&T Language Line Services provides over-the-phone interpretation in
140 languages, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  In most cases, an
interpreter is available within moments.  On occasion an interpreter
is not available -- usually because all interpreters for that
particular language are already on calls.

We recognize that our connect rate and the overall high marks we
receive from customers mean little when we're unable to meet a
customer's expectations.  We're continuing to review and improve our
processes to further reduce the occasions that an interpreter is not
available.

We hope that Mr. Harminc and other potential customers will give us a
chance to demonstrate that we intend to deliver on our promise.


Michael P. Cuno    AT&T Language Line Services   Monterey, California

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Floyd Davidson)
Subject: Re: Line Noise and Repair Service
Organization: University of Alaska Computer Network
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 05:52:56 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Carl
Oppedahl) writes:

> So I called up friendly old NY Tel.  The woman took the repair order,
> and promised it would be fixed by afternoon.  I asked that she have a
> repair foreman call me back.  No call came, of course.

> By the end of the day, there was still no callback from the repair
> foreman, even after second and third requests by me.
 ...
> Finally at 7PM in the evening, two repair techs showed up.  One of
 ...
> office.  It took until the following morning to get the three phone
> lines switched over to good pairs.

> The phone company's failure to send the repair tech out when promised,
> its failure to give a repair foreman callback even after three
> requests, and its inability to move three pairs during one repair
> session, all stand for poor service.

Carl called in a trouble, called to harass them twice more that day,
and had three lines repaired by the next morning.

That is pretty good service considering his attitude.


[e-mail]   A guest on the Institute of Marine Science computer
Salcha, Alaska         system at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #600
******************************