Telecom/1996-04-telecom-walnutcreek.iso/book.reviews/phone.book-oppedahl

Text File | 1995-01-02 | 7.9 KB | 191 lines

Date: Thu,  6 Jan 94 12:31:52 CST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Book Review: "The Phone Book" by Carl Oppedahl
Organization: AT&T


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Carl
Oppedahl) writes:

> The state-to-state differences are discussed in my book about phone
> service.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What's this about your book about phone
> service? Please review it for us and tell us how to obtain copies.   PAT]

   What's this, Pat?  Surely you are aware that Carl is a multi-talented
lawyer, author on telecom and all-around consumer advocate?  And a ham?

   Assuming Carl is too modest to review his book, I'll provide:

                            BOOK REVIEW

        The Phone Book : How to get the Telephone Equipment
               and Service You Want - and Pay Less
                       by Carl Oppedahl,
                   a Consumer Reports Book
                ISBN 0-89043-364-X (pb), 1991,
          a revision of the book originally published
        by Weber Systems, Inc in 1987 as "The Phone Book"

   This book is a non-technical, "consumer-oriented" collection of
information on telephones, telephone service, long-distance carriers,
cellular carriers, and reference lists of PUC/Consumer Advocates for
each state.  The most technical content is a GOOD summary of what an
REN is (and why a consumer might be interested), what the USOC codes
like RJ11 mean (with pin/wire color information) and how to parse the
FCC Part 68 registration number on equipment.

   The remaining 300+ pages consist of about 200 pages on how to wire
one- and two-line telephones and troubleshoot the installation,
intermingled with 100 pages of useful (and probably well-known to
Digest readers) information on long-distance carriers, cellular/fax/
answering-machines and typical problems in connecting them, dealing
with the Phone Company and how to read a phone bill.

   There is probably more information in this book than most consumers
need, but it tends to be information they would not otherwise easily
find.  Those who need only wiring information might feel more at home
with some Radio Shack-style publication, but they would be missing out
on the substantial background information mingled in with the
technical.

   Occasionally, there are little anecdotes to illustrate a point.
For example, p. 96 mentions "Ruth's" inability to get Equal Access of
any form when she moved to Townsend, Tennessee [pop. about 300, so
this isn't an oblique PAT reference -- or is it?].  Carl indicates
here that even without Equal Access, Ruth may be able to save money by
using one of AT&T's discount plans.  (It may not occur to many such
captive customers that the discount plan can apply even if they have
no choice in IXCs.)

   Some complaints:

 -ANI is defined as the service we here call "Caller ID", which will
  be confusing when talking to those who know the difference.

 -Quad wire is blessed as a method of installing 2-line telephones, and
  as a general inside wiring method.  (Modems and their problems are not
  high-lighted in the book, but Carl does mention how to get around the
  A-lead control some modems have, for example.)

 -The cellular information should include information on ESN-cloning
  and other problems with cellular service.

 -Information (see below) useful to apartment dwellers is indexed under
  the term "multiunit buildings", not under "apartment".  (In general,
  there is little "lawyer-speak" in the book.)

  SUMMARY: For its audience, this is an excellent reference book.

   BIO:  Carl Oppedahl is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a
   practicing patent attorney.  As a consumer activist, he has
   championed the interests of consumers in obtaining cost-effective
   telephone service.

     +++++++++

   To get back to the original topic, Carl's book has several pages of
information on various Network Interfaces and FCC/state rules on
where/how such interfaces and demarcation points interact.

   On p. 29, describing NI Jacks in multiunit buildings:

    "In New York, for instance, the jack is located within the
     premises of each individual tenant.  In Illinois the jack
     is located at the point where the telephone wiring first
     enters the building, generally in a basement room.  (In a
     state like Illinois, you and not the local telephone company
     are responsible for the maintenance of the wiring running
     from the basement to your premises even though the landlord
     may not allow you access to such wiring. ..."

   Carl does indicate that such wiring should be maintained by the
landlord at no cost to you, just as such electrical wiring is
maintained.  (Check your lease.)  He lists 14 "renter-beware" states
that make the renter responsible for running from the basement any
wiring needed for service, such as a second line.  He also lists 2
"interface- unfriendly" states that do not require TELCO to install
(at little or no charge) a network interface at customer request on
new service orders.


Al Varney - I have no connection with Consumers Union, except as
            a happy customer.  I have no connection with any lawyer,
            except as an unhappy customer.

         ---- Mr. Oppedahl replied to Al Varney ----


From: [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl)
Subject: Re: Book Review: "The Phone Book" by Carl Oppedahl
Date: 7 Jan 1994 17:52:11 -0500
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


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

> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Carl
> Oppedahl) writes:

>> The state-to-state differences are discussed in my book about phone
>> service.

>> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What's this about your book about phone
>> service? Please review it for us and tell us how to obtain copies.   PAT]

[most of review omitted here -- thank you by the way to Mr. Verney!]

>   Some complaints:

> -ANI is defined as the service we here call "Caller ID", which will
>  be confusing when talking to those who know the difference.

Yes, Mr. Varney is right.  I incorrectly used the terms as if
interchangeable, which of course they are not.  If and when there is
another edition I will correct this.

> -Quad wire is blessed as a method of installing 2-line telephones, and
>  as a general inside wiring method.

Again Mr. Varney is right.  While I am pleased with most of what I
wrote, I am very embarassed that I did not then appreciate the
difference between quad and twisted-pair for multiline purposes.  As
readers here are aware (1) many home have quad already in place so
adding twisted-pair is more work and (2) quad often yields annoying
crosstalk.  I wish I had made the latter point in my book, and hope to
cover that point in another edition.

> -The cellular information should include information on ESN-cloning
>  and other problems with cellular service.

Again he is right.

> -Information (see below) useful to apartment dwellers is indexed under
>  the term "multiunit buildings", not under "apartment".  (In general,
>  there is little "lawyer-speak" in the book.)

Yes, and what's annoying is, I supplied an index and the publisher did
not use it -- they used one prepared by an index consultant that they
had used on other books.  Oh, well.

> Al Varney - I have no connection with Consumers Union, except as
>            a happy customer.  I have no connection with any lawyer,
>            except as an unhappy customer.

Well, thank you for taking the time to write it up.

Now, dear readers, here is how we can get a new edition that corrects
the bugs Mr. Varney mentioned, and that reflects everything else
people in this newsgroup might want to add -- you can guess.  People
would have to buy the present print run.  So, trot down to your local
bookstore and clear those shelves.  Buy extra copies for use as gifts.
Or call up Consumer Reports Books and order it by phone.

But seriously, thank you for the writeup.


Carl Oppedahl AA2KW    Oppedahl & Larson (patent lawyers)
Yorktown Heights, NY    voice 212-777-1330