From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Apr 5 01:18:11 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id BAA10894; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 01:18:11 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 01:18:11 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004050518.BAA10894@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #51 TELECOM Digest Wed, 5 Apr 2000 01:18:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 51 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson 4/4 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines (Judith Oppenheimer White House Claims: "We Don't Keep Call Detail Records!" (Jeremy Greene) BellSouth and Separations (Tad Cook) Bell Atl. Discriminating Against Resellers on 516/631 Switch? (R. Fishler) Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges (Fred Goldstein) Erlang Equations? "Watch Meister) Bell-Atlantic to Be Renamed "Verizon" (The Old Bear) Verizon!! (Jeremy Greene) Book Review: "High-Speed Wireless ATM and LANs", Benny Bing (Rob Slade) Re: Spring Ahead Season (wolf@ti.com) Re: Spring Ahead Season (Arthur Ross) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Judith Oppenheimer Subject: 4/4 ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 21:44:05 -0400 ************************************************************************* ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************* ISSUE WATCH covers important matters pending resolution. Current focus: P - Roll-out of new toll free codes 866 and 855 is delayed SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1186 P - SNAC demands End to End Performance Commitments and Level of Service SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1255 P - Toll Free quietly falls under auspices of new INC Audit Committee SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=866 P - Domain Name Famous Marks and new gTLDs recommendations on deadline SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1260 P - Vapor-constituency: ICANN At Large Membership ... SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1224 P - ICANN called on the carpet by the three Regional Internet Registries SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1134 F - Do No Harm: Reform the Domain Dispute System SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1294 F - CyberHQ - THE NEW IMPERIALISM SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=558ALISM ************************************************************************* HEADLINES FOR APRIL 4, 2000 F - DIAL 388 FOR EUROPE? This is not the first time that enterprises have had an international dialing scheme at their disposal. There is already Universal International Freephone, but uptake has been limited. The reason, according to the International Telecommunications User Group, is that international freephone is a heavy financial burden to bear. "We were all very interested, but it's a very expensive service," said Peters. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1362 P - NY COURT TO TACKLE NFL SUIT AGAINST CAL WEB SITE "Since he apparently profits substantially from the activity that does damage to the plaintiffs in New York, it does not offend due process to require him to defend his actions in a New York courtroom," the judge added. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1364 F - FREEDSL GOES LIVE Company founder Ryan Steelberg said he is testing a way to control subscribers' connections so that individual Web sites would download considerably faster. Thus, if Yahoo paid for advertising, anyone going to a Yahoo site would see pages load much more quickly than nonpaying competition. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1366 P - MICROSOFT RULING ISSUED U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson says Microsoft repeatedly violated U.S. antitrust laws; no decision reached on what punishment to levy. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1368 ************************************************************************* >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. When success is the only option. >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 4, 2000 P - TYPO-SQUATTING IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC While Maly says his intention in registering "jobspilot.cz" was not to hold the address ransom, he admits it is a business ploy to steer traffic away from a competitor — as he says jobpilot.cz did by using the word "job." It's a technique, a sort of "typosquatting," that Maly has used repeatedly. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1358 F - GSM ASSOCIATION SCRAMBLING FOR IP ADDRESSES Larger-than-expected rollout plans for 2.5-generation mobile networks have taken the industry by surprise. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1360 F - YOU CAN'T HEAR A PIN DROP, BUT ``HEY, IT'S FREE!'' Pitrie, an office manager from Chalmette, La., has discovered something even more appealing than discounted evening rates and bare-bones long-distance companies: an Internet service that she can use to make unlimited long-distance calls. For free. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1367 ************************************************************************* Do a friend a favor - suggest ICB ... Click Here to Recommend-It(r) http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=118920 ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 4, 2000 P - NUMBER RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION REPORT & ORDER, FNPRM, DOCKET NO. 99-200, FCC 00-104. Full text of Ruling and NPRM. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1370 P - USPTO BECOMES PERFORMANCE BASED ... has greater autonomy within the Commerce Department; complains its lacking for funds. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1359 F - 'VERIZON' THE NEW BA/GTE ID The companies said they expect a full rebranding of the combined company will take 12 to 24 months, and plan to place the new logo that emphasizes the initials V and Z on "key locations" such as payphones. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1361 F - ONE NUMBER WORLDWIDE SERVICE Coverage will be offered via flat-rate payment plans based on the country from which customers are calling. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1363 **************************************************advertisements********* Haven't time to search? Get targeted telecom news every week from the source. Put 'subscribe Pipe' in the subject line and reply to: telecom_e_clips@hotmail.com. ************************************************************************* That's a Great Name for a Web Site! Get instant Internet brand recognition for your company by securing a premier domain name. Now is the time, as the most sought after web addresses are auctioned to the highest bidder. Coming to auction: >>>>>>> iApplyNow.com, eTOLLFREE.com & iTOLLFREE.com <<<<<<<< To request a bid package call Monte Cahn at 954-782-5426. ************************************************************************* Read TOLLFREE-L online at http://www.egroups.com/group/tollfree-l/info.html ************************************************************************* One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com ************************************************************************* Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. ************************************************************************* Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ From: Jeremy Greene Subject: White House Claims: "We Don't Keep Call Detail Records!" Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 01:03:42 -0400 Does anyone besides me have a hard time believing White House counsel Beth Nolan when she makes this statement regarding call detail records to Congressional investigators? "Except for cellular telephones, billing records do not provide any useful information. The vast majority of domestic long distance calls are placed via an FTC number, for which there is no call detail. The small number of domestic calls not placed on FTS lines reflect only one of several trunk lines of origin. The bills do not reflect either the originating number or the full destination number. Internal calls similarly do not reflect the originating number, but do reflect the destination number. Accordingly, there would be no way of ascertaining the billing records for the telephones used by or assigned to the individuals who placed the calls. " So she's telling us that besides long-distance records (which they also claim to have "lost"), the White House phone system does not keep call detail records associating outgoing calls with extensions? Isn't CDR a necessity for any major institution, let alone the EOP?? Maybe the monthly AT&T statements will mysteriously "turn up" when they are discovered next year by cleaning staff in Hillary's bedroom! Alongside a cassette containing the infamous 18 minute gap of Nixon-Haldeman conversations, perhaps!!??!! Maybe Beth Nolan will go the route of Alexander Haig and claim that "Some Sinister Force" took possession of the phone bills. Or maybe Buddy the Dog ate them! Click here for more of this incredible BS: http://www.cpgg.com/insight/item52.shtml ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: BellSouth and Separations Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2000 23:13:17 -0700 BellSouth Response Statement Regarding NC Utilities Commission Order in US LEC Dispute Copyright 1999 Nando Media RALEIGH, N.C., April 3 (Apr 4, 2000 2:7:6 EST) -- BellSouth today issued the following: Background In September 1998 BellSouth filed a complaint with the North Carolina Utilities Commission asking it to declare that US LEC, a competing local exchange company, was improperly invoicing BellSouth for reciprocal compensation resulting from telephone connections established solely for the purpose of attempting to generate reciprocal compensation. Reciprocal compensation is the payment a local exchange company makes to another local exchange company that completes (or "terminates") a call that originated on the other's network. Reciprocal compensation is generally computed on a minutes-of-use basis. The negotiated rate in the interconnection agreement between the carriers and the number and length of the calls determine the amount owed. The amount US LEC claimed for the traffic at issue in the proceeding was approximately $150 million. The traffic was not related to the companies' dispute regarding the payment of reciprocal compensation for Internet Service Provider (ISP) traffic. In August 1999, the NCUC conducted an evidentiary hearing in this matter. US LEC vigorously advocated its position that reciprocal compensation was due for all of the traffic at issue. On March 31, 2000, the Commission issued an order declaring that no reciprocal compensation is due for any of the traffic. In its order, the NCUC concluded, among other things, that: Metacomm, LLC, the entity responsible for generating the traffic at issue and which is indirectly owned by US LEC's Chairman of the Board and controlling shareholder, was formed for the purpose of attempting to generate reciprocal compensation for US LEC, which US LEC agreed to share with Metacomm; Metacomm established thousands of connections between BellSouth's network and US LEC's network and left them open nearly continuously in order to attempt to create as much reciprocal compensation revenue as possible; and US LEC and Metacomm took active steps to not reveal their reciprocal compensation plan to BellSouth. The NCUC ruled that the parties' interconnection agreements did not provide for reciprocal compensation payments for the type of traffic at issue. It further ruled that allowing for the payment of reciprocal compensation, "in light of what US LEC and Metacomm actually did in constructing their network," would be against the public interest. The following statement may be attributed to Clifton Metcalf, Director- Regulatory & External Affairs: "We are pleased by the decision reached by the Commission. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was designed to foster true competition in the telecommunications marketplace. The NCUC's order upholds both the letter and the spirit of that important legislation. It sends a clear signal that the NCUC will not allow telecommunications carriers doing business in this State to attempt to game the system for their sole benefit and at the expense of the public interest."; ------------------------------ From: Reid Fishler Subject: Bell Atl. Discriminating Against Resellers on AC 516/631 Switch? Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 01:29:43 -0400 The following is the text of my complaint to the NYS Public Service Commission. It seems like BA is having fun with clients who left them, by making people who are using someone other than BA pay the price, making it look like their phone numbers have been disconnected, with no mention of the area code change. For BA customers, however, the recording clearly states the new area code ... BA is just SO nice ... Reid (If anyone needs the numbers to test this for any reason, slip me an email removing the nospam) Bell Atlantic is placing a "phone number not in service" recording for all old 516, now 631 phone numbers served by a CLEC via resold Bell Atlantic dial tone. Meanwhile, if you are a direct customer of Bell Atlantic, you get a "this number has changed" recording. This has caused me a great amount of lost business, as people believe my phone has been disconnected. For an example, try the following, both numbers are mine, one is billed thru RCN of New York, and one directly with Bell Atlantic: RCN Number: 516692XXXX Bell Atlantic: 516692XXXX Note how the RCN number gives a disconnected recording, where the BA number gives the correct forwarding information. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 08:51:20 -0400 From: Fred Goldstein Subject: Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges In V20I50, Michel Hartley wrote: fg>> CPP operates rather like a collect call. The rate is NOT set by the >> caller's carrier, but by the called carrier. > Yes, at the basic level. But we're in a market here -- telcos neotiate > for mega minute deals so although carrier x may pay a termination > charge of x per minute for his say million minutes a month, carrier y > may pay y (where x>>y) for their 100 million miunutes of terminating > business. That is how it works in the UK, I assume. CPP is based on the "terminating minute" model, like local calls. That's how LOCAL service is priced here, including cellular. > <..>Thus the caller's carrier has no say at all. > Not true. The caller's carrier is free to negotiate with either the > called network or third party transit networks. In reality since > capacity comes from a variety of places you may find that the caller's > network routes calls of a number of different carriers depending on > the time of day/called network. Again, absolutely not the case in the USA. CPP cellular is NOT sold as a terminating minute. It's sold as an information service, chargeable directly to the originating mark, er, caller. It's handled as a 900 service. Intermediate carriers have no say whatsoever over that rate. They do dicker among themselves over the pennies of billing cost, etc., but that's basically noise. fg>> The fact that the rest of the planet uses it doesn't make it right, at >> least for the USA; > Hmm. This would be the same sort of reasoning that landed the USA with > cellular systems which don't even provide contiguous *national* > roaming would it? ;+) Absolutely unrelated. The FCC created over 700 license areas for the original freebie cellular licenses. Bad move, but unrelated to how it was paid for. Roaming was hurt by the inability of Bells to carry inter-LATA traffic; that was later relaxed (only) for wireless. >> I think for once the USA got the right model (cellular subscriber pays for >> their own convenience). > I think you're wrong. What's more I don't think the market has moved > on so far that the 'convenience' argument is a red herring. Here in > the UK we're looking at mobile penetration approaching 80% by the end > of this year. That's not convenience, that's a huge market. And it's > all CPP. Go figure -- but in the end time will tell. There in the UK, you pay 5c/minute for a daytime local wireline call. Here we pay 0.00/minute. So cellular isn't the great bargain, even though it's cheaper here -- my $30/month account (from Verizontal Wireless) gives me 300 minutes plus unlimited nights/weekends, plus the first incoming minute of a call doesn't even count. Compare that to the UK plans. ------------------------------ Reply-To: Watch Meister From: Watch Meister Subject: Erlang Equations? Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 11:19:15 +0800 Hi, Can anyone recommend a good place to find detailed 'Erlang' equations. I am interested in a number of models including: Erlang B Erlang C Engset Binomial Thanks in advance. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 11:31:28 -0400 From: The Old Bear Subject: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" As summarized in NewsScan Daily for April 4, 2000: > BELL-ATLANTIC LOOKS BEYOND THE BLUE VERIZON FOR A NEW NAME > When it gets approval for its merger with GTE, Bell-Atlantic will be > Bell-Atlantic no more: it will be Verizon, which rhymes with "horizon," > and is intended to suggest both "veritas" (Latin for "truth") and > "horizon" (English for, well, "horizon"). > What was wrong with Bell-Atlantic? "The name literally did not give us > the positives that we need going forward in terms of things that are > innovative, global, able to provide technological expertise. The word > 'Bell' signals voice. Voice, and stop there. We couldn't get to data > with it." > source: Washington Post (4 Apr 2000) > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/business/A5693-2000Apr3.html To subscribe or unsubscribe to the test version of NewsScan Daily, send an e-mail message to NewsScan@NewsScan.com with 'subscribe' in the subject line. See http://www.newsscan.com/ ------------------------------ From: Jeremy Greene Subject: Verizon!! Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 01:10:55 -0400 NET^H^H^H ... no, NYNEX^H^H^H^H^H ... no, Bell Atla^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H ... no, `we've got it now! Verizon! That's the name of the combined Bell Atlantic / GTE company. Sounds like an anti-impotence drug, if you ask me. According to the press release, "The word Verizon (pronounced vurr-EYE-zon) was selected from more than 8,500 names. The new name comes from the Latin word "veritas," which means truth, and also connotes certainty and reliability ..." ... I know there's a punch line here somewhere, but I'll leave that up to you! http://www.ba.com/proactive/newsroom/release.vtml?id=21623 ------------------------------ From: Rob Slade Organization: Vancouver Institute for Research into User Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 08:30:46 -0800 Subject: Book Review: "High-Speed Wireless ATM and LANs", Benny Bing Reply-To: rslade@sprint.ca BKHSWAAL.RVW 20000217 "High-Speed Wireless ATM and LANs", Benny Bing, 2000, 1-58053-092-3, U$75.00 %A Benny Bing bennybing@onebox.com %C 685 Canton St., Norwood, MA 02062 %D 2000 %G 1-58053-092-3 %I Artech House/Horizon %O U$75.00 617-769-9750 fax: +1-617-769-6334 artech@artech-house.com %P 249 p. %T "High-Speed Wireless ATM and LANs" The preface promises a concise discussion of wireless data technologies. The book delivers. Chapter one limits the scope of the book a bit further, by restricting the material to local (small extent and non-cellular) arrangements, but gives a good introduction to wireless LANs, and a very good overview of propagation problems. Classification of wireless LANs is covered in chapter two, and although most of the time is spent with spread spectrum technologies, even infrared gets a mention. Implementation lists components, deployment considerations, and performance tuning in chapter three. It also discusses, oddly late in the book, applications and benefits of wireless LANs. Chapter four deals with WLAN standards, including 802.11, HIPERLAN, HomeRF SWAP (Shared Wireless Access Protocol), Bluetooth, and others. Performance evaluation, in chapter five, provides detailed test specifications for some products. Chapter six opens the discussion of wireless ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) technologies, looking at a variety of implementations, and briefly introducing satellite systems. Wireless ATM standardization is covered in chapter seven. In a brief space, Bing has provided a clear and readable introduction to the topic. The illustrations are unusually useful and informative, in comparison to so many authors who seem to throw in figures only to fill up room on the page. When Bing uses a graphic, it is clear and generally self-explanatory, but is also clearly lablelled and captioned. The text is succinct and simple enough for the needs of the busy manager, but still provides the technical specialist with valuable information in regard to selection and deployment. copyright Robert M. Slade, 2000 BKHSWAAL.RVW 20000217 ====================== (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer) rslade@vcn.bc.ca rslade@sprint.ca slade@victoria.tc.ca p1@canada.com This message is in beta test, but should ship any day now. http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev or http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~rslade ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2000 15:20:49 -0500 (CDT) From: wolf@ti.com Subject: Re: Spring Ahead Season #> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: For how many ever years, Chicago had #> CAThedral 8-8000 which was really the same as DEArborn 2-8000. Then #> one day that vanished in lieu of a 976 number with a additional charge #> for using it. Believe it or not, for many years in the 1920-30's era, #> CAThedral 8000 was manually answered by operators who would answer the #> call by announcing the time then hanging up. At some point or another, #> that got to be a pain and they began using a pre-recorded #> announcement. PAT] Is time really a recording? Or is it synthesized (from recordings of 1, 2, 3, 'the time is now', etc. or whatever else) at the proper second? -W [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It is as you suggest. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2000 19:31:43 -0700 From: Arthur Ross Subject: Re: Spring Ahead Season Pat - Gee - hasn't anyone noticed that those CDMA phones, of which I am so fond, are synchronized to GPS time, +/- a few nanoseconds (like about 50, IIRC)? If you just want to set your clock at a sortof button-pushing level of accuracy, the nearest CDMA phone is about as accurate as anything that is easily accessible. The displayed time is supposed to be adjusted, at the discretion of the local operator, to the local time zone, and to daylight vs standard time, as appropriate. The phone itself, internally, is synchronized within a chip (about 800 ns) of what it is receiving, which will differ from what the cell is transmitting by one propagation delay -- about 6 microseconds per mile -- from the cell site. -- Best, -- Arthur ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #51 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Apr 5 21:20:06 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id VAA21056; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:20:06 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:20:06 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004060120.VAA21056@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #52 TELECOM Digest Wed, 5 Apr 2000 20:20:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 52 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Virus Dials 9-1-1 ? (Tad Cook) Tone Phones Not Dialing (Robert McDonald) Grammar to Play Prerecorded Voice Prompts (Balaji Sundara) Area Code & Zip Code Data Base Wanted (Administrator) Caller ID When I Tried Calling About the Census (Carl Moore) Re: Recruitment (Penny Samec) Re: Erlang Equations? (Diego Betancor) Re: Erlang Equations? (Rick Ellis) Re: Erlang Equations? (John Tombs) Re: Erlang Equations? (B.L. Bodnar) Re: Use of WWW in Domain Names (TelcoRock) Re: Spring Ahead Season (Mike Pollock) Re: Those White House Phone Records (Charles B. Wilber) Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" (Tony Pelliccio) Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest (Fred Goldstein) AT+T Transcontinental Cable Marker (Patrick Tufts) Question about Access Network Information Model (Simon CaiMao) 3.4 GHz to 3.6 GHz - International Activity (D. E. 'Omar' Jennings) CVAs (Hugh Pritchard) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tad Cook Subject: Virus Dials 9-1-1 ? Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 22:08:26 -0700 FBI investigating computer virus that calls 911 HOUSTON (April 4, 2000 4:21 p.m. EDT www.nandotimes.com - The FBI says a virus that erases hard drives and makes bogus 911 calls may be threatening computers in the Houston area. Investigators with the National Infrastructure Protection Center, a multi-agency task force charged with investigating cyber-related crime in the United States and abroad, said it is looking for evidence of the virus in other cities. "Whenever this type of activity occurs over the Internet, all possibilities of nationwide effects are looked into," Debbie Weierman, an FBI spokeswoman, said Tuesday. The virus surfaced in Houston Monday. According to NIPC, the virus spreads by attacking computers with Windows operating systems set up to allow users to share files over the Internet. Emergency call centers were first warned of the virus Monday morning, said Sonya Lopez, spokeswoman for the Greater Harris County 911 Network. Only one bogus call has been received, she said. Weierman said the NIPC's investigation is continuing and is looking at the "scope of the damage and what effects this particular virus has possibly caused." ------------------------------ From: Robert McDonald Subject: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 16:13:19 -0500 Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, US This is a question about POTS. All of a sudden, three identical vintage 1983 touchtone telephones have stopped working properly at one house. They work fine at other houses, and other phones work fine at this house. The problem is that several weeks ago the phones stopped dialing, after years of working correctly. There is a dial tone, but when you press a number nothing happens and you still have the dial tone when you release the number. This happens on three phones and not on more recent phones. It seems quite unlikely to me that three phones would suffer identical simultaneous failures, so my hypothesis is that something has changed on the telco end. However, as you might guess, the phone company (Bell Atlantic) is no help, saying that as long as any phones work, they don't consider it a problem. My question is: what could be making this happen? Where do I begin to look for an answer? Many thanks in advance. Bob r-mcdonald@nwu.edu [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What may have happened is the phone company quit providing touch tone service to the lines. They usually do not do that, but if it comes to their attention that tone dial phones are being used in a case where the fee for same is not being paid, they reserve the right to remove the gizmo which listens to and detects the tone dialing. Does the line still work correctly with rotary dialing? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Balaji Sundara Subject: Grammar to Play Prerecorded Voice Prompts Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 17:14:33 -0400 Organization: Ye 'Ol Disorganized NNTPCache groupie I am looking for resources which describe the following: For example: I need to play 1200.56 (a currency amount) in let's say American English 1. I have pre-recorded prompts for one thousand two hundred fifty six dollars cents and 2. If I wanted my application to play the amount in American English it would dynamically (based on rules) say "one thousand two hundred dollars and fifty six cents" I want to find out if there is a standard grammar to describe this in English and other languages. Balaji Sundara CCBU - Network Applications 978-275-7688 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 11:01:17 -0700 From: Administrator Organization: Idea International, Inc. Subject: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted Do you happen to have a working database for the area codes in relation to their zip codes? One in Access or CGI scripting (or any other format for that matter) would be great. Information regarding this would be appreciated, Dave ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 15:42:36 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Caller ID When I Tried Calling About the Census I made a couple of calls to offices for census 2000 and was told of a toll-free number I could call. So I called the toll-free number from my office, reached an automated system, and during that call it read back the number I was supposedly calling from! It turns out the number it read back was not my office number, but the same number that shows up on bills for calling card calls from my office. It asked if that was my home telephone number; it wasn't, so I had to punch in my home telephone number. Before the toll-free call, I was told that many people didn't receive census forms. In my case, it may have been that my home is rather new (built 1996). (All of the above happened before I learned about that young woman in Rochester, NY getting flooded with census-related calls.) ------------------------------ From: pennys@wardvinge.com (Penny Samec) Subject: Employment Opportunity: PBX Installation Technician Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 13:39:12 -0600 Senior PBX Installation Technician - Calgary An immediate need currently exists for a qualified senior PBX installation technician. You are a hands-on, roll your sleeves up type of leader who enjoys mentoring others. You have a solid background in the telecommunications industry, direct PBX installation experience and a great foundation to build upon with respect to leading, customer service and quality work. Product experience required includes - Nortel Meridian 1 (option 11-81's), Call Centre - Meridian MAIL, Meridian MAX, CCR, Meridian LINK, Symposium, Call Pilot, Octel experience an asset. Full benefits, ongoing training and support, a SUPERB organization and totally dedicated people to work with! Some travel required. Salary is commensurate with experience. If you or anyone you know would be interested in this and other related opportunities becoming available, please forward a resume to: e-mail: pennys@wardvinge.com Fax: 266-3386 Attn: Penny Samec Re: PBX Technician ------------------------------ From: dbetancorNOSPAM@duocom.net (Diego Betancor) Subject: Re: Erlang Equations? Organization: Duo Business Communications LLC Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 15:26:23 GMT go to www.erlang.com Watch Meister wrote: > Can anyone recommend a good place to find detailed 'Erlang' equations. I am > interested in a number of models including: > Erlang B > Erlang C > Engset > Binomial Diego Betancor @ Duo Business Communications for email: dbetancor is my userid and my company's domain is duocom.net ** Do not send me unsolicited commercial e-mail spam of any kind ** ------------------------------ From: ellis@ftel.net (Rick Ellis) Subject: Re: Erlang Equations? Date: 5 Apr 2000 15:53:11 GMT Organization: Franklin interNet http://www.franklin.net In article , Watch Meister wrote: > Can anyone recommend a good place to find detailed 'Erlang' equations. I am > interested in a number of models including: > Erlang B > Erlang C > Engset > Binomial Try http://members.iinet.net/~clark/EquationsMask-991101.pdf http://www.fnet.net/~ellis/photo/ ------------------------------ From: John Tombs Subject: Re: Erlang Equations? Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 12:49:33 -0400 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Try http://www.erlang.com John > Can anyone recommend a good place to find detailed 'Erlang' equations. ------------------------------ From: bohdan@ihgp4.ih.lucent.com (B.L. Bodnar) Subject: Re: Erlang Equations? Date: 5 Apr 2000 12:59:11 GMT Organization: Lucent Technologies In article , Watch Meister wrote: > Can anyone recommend a good place to find detailed 'Erlang' equations. I am > interested in a number of models including: Any textbook on queueing theory will cover all four cases. Many do not explicitly cover the Engset distribution (look for "machine service model" -- the Engset distribution is the distribution of the number of active repairmen, I think). The binomial distribution is covered in any probability textbook. Try: Cooper, Robert, B., "INTRODUCTION TO QUEUEING THEORY,", second edition, North-Holland, 1981. Everything you want is covered in the first 100 pages. You can also purchase a solution manual for this book. Cooper's notation is, in my opinion, somewhat atrocious, but it is certainly readable. Regards, Bohdan Bodnar Lucent Technologies, Inc. ------------------------------ From: TelcoRock Subject: Re: Use of WWW in Domain Names Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 10:01:44 -0500 What those ads mean when they say "Internet Keyword: blah" is that they have a "Realname" registered (with appropriately "realnames.com"). Some browsers (IE 5 and NeoPlanet, I believe) and search engines (About, Altavista and MSN as well as others) will first check for a registered 'realname' corresponding to the person's input. Those ads with the Internet Keyword are probably referring to this Realnames stuff. John Dirgo TelcoRock http://www.telcorock.com ; "Ki Suk" wrote in message news:telecom20.45.17@telecom-digest.org... >> From: JF Mezei >> Subject: Use of WWW in Domain Names >> Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 17:53:22 -0500 >> A while ago, there was some discussion on the redundant use of >> "www"in domain names for web sites. More and more sites seem to be >> ditching the WWW, but wait, the story isn't over... > I remember that some browsers will "help" you and add the initial > 'www.' and the trailing '.com' when you enter just a word in the > address box. Now, I've seen buses with dot-com ads on them and in the > lower right corner there is this: "Internet keyword: blah", where blah > is the company in www.company.com . I guess > this is similar to the "AOL keyword" also seen in lots of places. But > going back to the redundancy of the initial Ws, I've been to places > that will only take company.com but not www.company.com > , and, I don't know, to me that's kinda > irritating. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 06:38:33 -0700 (PDT) From: Mike Pollock Subject: Re: Spring Ahead Season While we're on the subject, get a BeepwearPro Watch at http://www.beepwear.com. It's a Timex watch and a Motorola Alphanumerica pager that sets its own time using Motorola's FlexTime protocol. Mike > Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2000 19:31:43 -0700 > From: Arthur Ross > Subject: Re: Spring Ahead Season > Gee - hasn't anyone noticed that those CDMA phones, > of which I am so fond, > are synchronized to GPS time, +/- a few nanoseconds > (like about 50, IIRC)? > If you just want to set your clock at a sortof > button-pushing level of > accuracy, the nearest CDMA phone is about as > accurate as anything that is > easily accessible. The displayed time is supposed to > be adjusted, at the > discretion of the local operator, to the local time > zone, and to daylight > vs standard time, as appropriate. ------------------------------ Date: 05 Apr 2000 09:47:21 EDT From: Charles.B.Wilber@Dartmouth.EDU (Charles B. Wilber) Reply-To: Charles.B.Wilber@Dartmouth.EDU (Charles B. Wilber) Subject: Re: Those White House Phone Records --- You wrote: > Does anyone besides me have a hard time believing White House counsel > Beth Nolan when she makes this statement regarding call detail records > to Congressional investigators? That is not just difficult to believe ... it is impossible to believe. Some of us still recall the vigorously suppressed scandal that occurred shortly after the Clinton bunch took up residence in the White House. As one of his first official actions, Clinton purchased a brand new PBX for the White House. It was scandalous becuase the contract was gratuitously awarded with no pretense of putting it out to bid. I don't recall which vendor received the contract but I cannot believe that a PBX purchased new in 1992 would not easily accommodate CDR (SMDR) collection and archiving. It is simply not believable that these records are not generated and stored. Nor do I believe that the 'lost' records are any more lost than Hillary's Rose Law Firm billing records were lost. This thing walks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck. I think it's a duck. Charles Wilber Dartmouth College ------------------------------ From: nospam.tonypo1@nospam.home.com (Tony Pelliccio) Subject: Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" Organization: Providence Network Partners Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 22:25:47 GMT In article , oldbear@arctos.com says: > As summarized in NewsScan Daily for April 4, 2000: >> BELL-ATLANTIC LOOKS BEYOND THE BLUE VERIZON FOR A NEW NAME >> When it gets approval for its merger with GTE, Bell-Atlantic will be >> Bell-Atlantic no more: it will be Verizon, which rhymes with "horizon," >> and is intended to suggest both "veritas" (Latin for "truth") and >> "horizon" (English for, well, "horizon"). Verizon? I suppose Veriphone was already taken, or that they just couldn't buy it. >> What was wrong with Bell-Atlantic? "The name literally did not give us >> the positives that we need going forward in terms of things that are >> innovative, global, able to provide technological expertise. The word >> 'Bell' signals voice. Voice, and stop there. We couldn't get to data >> with it." To some Bell means voice, to others of us it has a whole different meaning. It brings up memories of a phone company that just doesn't care. I think a more appropriate choice of names for Bell Atlantic would be to simply change the name to Hell Atlantic. It says everything about BA that needs to be said and most people alread know them by that name anyhow. Tony Pelliccio, KD1S formerly KD1NR Trustee WE1RD ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 09:58:46 -0400 From: Fred Goldstein Subject: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest Last June 22, I announced here in the Digest a contest to "name that domain". Bell Titanic had announced its intent to acquire GTE, and needed a name that worked better than "Bell Atlantic" in such diverse GTE territories as California, Hawaii, Saipan and Redmond, WA. But there was no new name. So the contest was to guess the name, register it in the ".com" space, and wait for Bell to buy it. This wouldn't be cybersquatting, since it was not based on taking any extant corporate name or trademark, rather it would just be getting there first. The contest is over. So far as I can tell, no Digest readers have won. Ditching years of brand equity built up in the shared "Bell" trademark which it acquired when it was spun off of AT&T, Bell Titanic's branding company (anybody know which one they used?) came up with the toe-tapping "Verizon". (At least it doesn't end in -ent! To think that Agilent actually *paid* for that name.) From what I can tell, "Verizon" is a shortened form of the portmanteau "Verizontal", from "we control the vertical, we control the horizontal". Maybe it's an allusion, then, to "the Outer Limits of Telecommunications". Or perhaps, given their newly-fattened mobile empire (a JV with Vodaphone Airtouch), they are worrying about vertical towers blown over by a storm into a horizontal position. I can't wait for the artwork. One can imagine all sorts of other images around "horizontal". But then it's hard to understand the kind of creative minds (and I use that term loosely) work in those brand-name consultancies. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 22:59:58 -0700 From: Patrick Tufts Subject: AT+T Transcontinental Cable Marker Organization: SBC Internet Services Do markers for underground "AT+T transcontinental cable" always mean cold-war era communications lines like the L-4 system? http://www1.shore.net/~mfoster/L4.html Or are there any other communications systems marked this way? The markers are near the phone switch building in the Presidio of San Francisco. The Presidio was an Army base until around 1990, and was also a Nike missile site. Pat ------------------------------ From: Simon CaiMao Subject: Question About Access Network Information Model Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 16:55:51 +0800 There are two MO in AN information model:anBearerChannelCurrentData, anBearerChannelHistoryData, commChannelCurrentData, and commChannelHistoryData. I searched Q.822 Q824.5 but still can't find their attributes' meaning, anyone met them before? Thanx in advance. ------------------------------ From: D. E. 'Omar' Jennings Subject: 3.4 GHz to 3.6 GHz - International Activity Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 07:19:00 -0400 Organization: WFI, Inc. Is Japan setting aside 3.4 GHz to 3.6 GHz for point to multipoint or anything ? How about other countries? WFI - Telecom Strategy Group D.E. 'Omar' Jennings, Director Desk: 703.481.1113 FAX: 703.481.2390 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 14:27 EDT From: Hugh Pritchard Subject: CVAs Organization: MCI WorldCom ITO I too had a CVA. It was 26 years ago, in 1974, when I was 20. At that time, 90% of people who had aneurisms died. You were lucky. I did not have an aneurism. I had some kind of blockage (thrombus or embolism, they weren't sure which) of my middle cerebral artery. The statistics for my kind of CVA were 35% died within 1 to 10 days, 50% had some major impediment (needed a wheelchair or cane, couldn't talk, etc.), 15% were (mostly) all right. I'm in this last category. Hugh Hugh Pritchard, M.Sc. Mailto: Hugh.Pritchard@WCom.com metro Washington, DC [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: My paternal grandfather had an aneurism in the early 1960's when I was in my twenties. He died on the spot. I was *very* lucky to survive, even though in the first month home from the hospital, I wished a few times I had died instead. I am still feeling sort of miserable about the whole thing. I still have not gotten used to the fact that I am not going to be able -- ever again -- to do a lot of the things I used to do; and go the places I used to go and meet the kinds of people I used to meet. Now I just hobble around with my cane and grow tired very easily. But God did not take me this time; I guess there is still work for me to do. I still have a hard time concentrating on things like my web sites, my Digests, etc. Somehow I'll survive in life; I always have, but this past winter has been one of my hardest. At the Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital, my therapists all admired the several gifts which arrived for me every couple days. Those were my darkest days, after coming out of the coma (three weeks), being literally unable to care for myself at all. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #52 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Apr 5 23:09:10 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id XAA25351; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 23:09:10 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 23:09:10 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004060309.XAA25351@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #53 TELECOM Digest Wed, 5 Apr 2000 23:09:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 53 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Bounced Mail Get Me in Trouble (TELECOM Digest Editor) 4/5 ICBTollFree.Com Heads up Headlines (Judith Oppenheimer) Undernet Serves as Hearth and Home for High-Tech Anarchists (Monty Solomon) Lauren Meets The Art Bell Radio Show (Lauren Weinstein) Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" (L. Winson) Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" (Paul Coen) Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" (Joel B. Levin) Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" (John McHarry) Re: White House Claims: "We Don't Keep Call Detail Records!" (John McHarry) ACLU and Peacefire Appeal Cyber Patrol Ruling (Bennett) Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges (John R. Levine) Re: Privacy Pervasive in Policy (Rob McMillin) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (L. Winson) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Rich Greenberg) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:43:30 EDT From: TELECOM Digest Editor Subject: Bounced Mail Gets Me in Trouble Please read the letter attached. This person persists in asking me to add him to the mailing list, yet look at how attempts to mail him are bouncing. Any suggestions? Here is the most recent bounce, then several letters from him. From MAILER-DAEMON Wed Apr 5 21:25:06 2000 Received: from xuxa.iecc.com (N123-104@xuxa.iecc.com [208.31.42.42]) by massis (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id VAA21241 for ; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:25:05 -0400 (EDT) Received: (qmail 16277 invoked by uid 166); 5 Apr 2000 21:25:15 -0400 Delivered-To: virtual-db-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Received: (qmail 16271 invoked from network); 5 Apr 2000 21:25:13 -0400 Received: from pasiphae.xerox.com (HELO pasiphae.eastgw.xerox.com) (root@208.140.33.23) by mail2.iecc.com with SMTP; 5 Apr 2000 21:25:13 -0400 Received: from localhost (localhost) by pasiphae.eastgw.xerox.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with internal id VAA12862; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:25:10 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:25:10 -0400 (EDT) From: Mail Delivery Subsystem Message-Id: <200004060125.VAA12862@pasiphae.eastgw.xerox.com> To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/report; report-type=delivery-status; boundary="VAA12862.954984310/pasiphae.eastgw.xerox.com" Subject: [telecom-digest.org] Returned mail: User unknown Auto-Submitted: auto-generated (failure) Status: RO This is a MIME-encapsulated message --VAA12862.954984310/pasiphae.eastgw.xerox.com The original message was received at Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:25:05 -0400 (EDT) from massis.lcs.mit.edu [18.24.10.21] ----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors ----- ----- Transcript of session follows ----- ... while talking to norman.cp10.es.xerox.com.: >>> RCPT To: <<< 550 ... User unknown 550 ... User unknown --VAA12862.954984310/pasiphae.eastgw.xerox.com Content-Type: message/delivery-status Reporting-MTA: dns; pasiphae.eastgw.xerox.com Received-From-MTA: DNS; massis.lcs.mit.edu Arrival-Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:25:05 -0400 (EDT) Final-Recipient: RFC822; ploger@cp10.es.xerox.com Action: failed Status: 5.1.1 Remote-MTA: DNS; norman.cp10.es.xerox.com Diagnostic-Code: SMTP; 550 ... User unknown Last-Attempt-Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:25:09 -0400 (EDT) --VAA12862.954984310/pasiphae.eastgw.xerox.com Content-Type: message/rfc822 Return-Path: Received: from massis.lcs.mit.edu (massis.lcs.mit.edu [18.24.10.21]) by pasiphae.eastgw.xerox.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id VAA12855 for ; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:25:05 -0400 (EDT) From: subscribe@telecom-digest.org Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id VAA21229 for ploger@cp10.es.xerox.com; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:24:49 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:24:49 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <200004060124.VAA21229@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Subject: Telecom Digest Subscription Fee MIME-Version: 1.0 This is a typical bounce, no one answers any mail there at all. Now some of his letters. From pgloger@cp10.es.xerox.com Wed Apr 5 18:50:25 2000 Received: from xuxa.iecc.com (N123-104@xuxa.iecc.com [208.31.42.42]) by massis (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id SAA16054 for ; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 18:50:24 -0400 (EDT) Received: (qmail 5835 invoked by uid 166); 5 Apr 2000 18:50:30 -0400 Delivered-To: virtual-db-ptownson@telecom-digest.org Received: (qmail 5823 invoked from network); 5 Apr 2000 18:50:29 -0400 Received: from lysithea.xerox.com (HELO lysithea.eastgw.xerox.com) (root@208.140.33.22) by mail2.iecc.com with SMTP; 5 Apr 2000 18:50:29 -0400 Received: from norman.cp10.es.xerox.com (norman.cp10.es.xerox.com [13.240.124.12]) by lysithea.eastgw.xerox.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id SAA16161; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 18:50:06 -0400 (EDT) Received: from garfield.cp10.es.xerox.com (garfield.cp10.es.xerox.com [13.240.124.50]) by norman.cp10.es.xerox.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id PAA11091; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 15:51:14 -0700 (PDT) Received: from csg-dellcp-57 (max4 [13.240.124.154]) by garfield.cp10.es.xerox.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id QAA25028; Wed, 5 Apr 2000 16:04:30 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.20000405155000.00a805c0@garfield> X-Sender: pgloger@garfield X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0.1 (32) Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 15:50:00 -0700 To: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org, editor@telecom-digest.org, ptownson@telecom-digest.org From: Paul Gloger Subject: [telecom-digest.org] Subscribe me to Telecom Digest already please ... Cc: Paul Gloger Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Status: RO Sixth request, please ... Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 07:19:22 -0800 To: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org, editor@telecom-digest.org, ptownson@telecom-digest.org From: Paul Gloger Subject: Subscribe me to Telecom Digest already please ... Cc: Paul Gloger Fifth request, please ... Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2000 02:34:34 -0800 To: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org, editor@telecom-digest.org, ptownson@telecom-digest.org From: Paul Gloger Subject: Subscribe me to Telecom Digest already please ... Cc: Paul Gloger PAT, This is now my fourth request in four weeks that you please subscribe me, Paul Gloger , directly to the Telecom Digest email distribution list. I have been sending you your requested $20 once a year for many years. You are currently actively soliciting such money. The least you could please do in exchange for my money is to subscribe me to your list already. Paul Gloger Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 02:16:00 -0800 To: editor@telecom-digest.org From: Paul Gloger Subject: Subscribe me to Telecom Digest please ... Cc: Paul Gloger PAT, Please subscribe me, Paul Gloger , directly to the Telecom Digest email distribution list. I have been sending this request for two weeks (attached) to , but that hasn't got me any useful response at all, so I thought I had better try this to . Thanks, Paul Gloger Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 12:01:37 -0800 To: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org From: Paul Gloger Subject: subscribe Cc: Paul Gloger subscribe end Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 04:46:37 -0800 To: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org From: Paul Gloger Subject: Subscribe me to Telecom Digest please ... Cc: Paul Gloger PAT, Please subscribe me, Paul Gloger , directly to the Telecom Digest email distribution list. I have been a subscriber of Telecom Digest since nearly its inception, but only indirectly, via a Xerox-internal redistribution. Xerox is now aiming to close out its re-distribution, so I would like please to be subscribed directly. (I have been personally mailing you $20/year subscription checks for many years.) Thank you, welcome back, hope your recovery goes fast and well!, Paul Gloger ------------------------------ From: Judith Oppenheimer Subject: 4/5 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 22:04:44 -0400 ************************************************************************* ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************* ISSUE WATCH covers important matters pending resolution. Current focus: P - Roll-out of new toll free codes 866 and 855 is delayed SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1186 P - SNAC demands End to End Performance Commitments and Level of Service SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1255 P - Toll Free quietly falls under auspices of new INC Audit Committee SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=866 P - ICANN DNSO seeks public comment on Famous Marks & gTLD's >> NEW << SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1393 P - Vapor-constituency: ICANN At Large Membership ... SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1224 P - ICANN called on the carpet by the three Regional Internet Registries SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1134 F - Do No Harm: Reform the Domain Dispute System SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1294 F - CyberHQ - THE NEW IMPERIALISM SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=558ALISM ************************************************************************* >>>> NOTABLE QUOTE: "The trademark lobby must be placated because of its potential ability and inclination to bankrupt new registrars and wreck havoc on their registrant databases." P -http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1393 >>>> PATENT PENDING: ... for "800WEB" approach: uses 800 numbers as web addresses in direct response commercials. Allows TV viewers to either call the 800 number or enter it into their web browser and order online through the 800WEBMALL.com site. P - http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1389 >>>> MUST-READ (LONG AND WORTH IT) EDITORIAL: A major implication of the Internet model is that value is not created in the network, but at the edges, by users. This means that new applications, new value, can be created without the permission, control, or involvement of the network owner. Carriers derive no benefit from this new value beyond the new traffic it spawns. F - http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1395 ************************************************************************* HEADLINES FOR APRIL 5, 2000 P - NUMBER PORTABILITY: THE SERVICE BUREAU APPROACH The agreement enables U.S. Cellular to route calls from its wireless customers, using Illuminet's SS7 network, to wireline phone numbers that have been ported. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1380 F - BUY.COM v. BUY.COM.AU Buy.com owner eVentures has also been involved in a low-level spat with an events marketing company, eVentures (Australia), which has owned the domain eventures.com.au since 1996. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1382 P - WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE 'SQUATTER' IS THE GOVERNMENT? UK Online says the government is trampling over its trademark, and has every right to be concerned with this egregious example of 21st Century British imperialism. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1384 F - U.S. THREATENS TO TAKE MEXICO TO WTO Mexican long-distance operators affiliated with U.S.-based AT&T and MCI WorldCom have struggled for years to compete with Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex), the former Mexican state phone monopoly, and have put pressure on the Clinton administration to take action. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1386 F - NETHEADS VERSUS BELLHEADS A major implication of the Internet model is that value is not created in the network, but at the edges, by users. This means that new applications, new value, can be created at the edge of the network, without the permission, control, or involvement of the network owner. And when network ownership is de-coupled from value creation, carriers derive no benefit from this new value beyond the new traffic it spawns. For this reason, the Bellheads will fight the Internet vision with all their strength. Subtitled "Research into Emerging Policy Issues in the Development and Deployment of Internet Protocols," this is a must-read report by Timothy Denton, with Franois Menard and David Isenberg. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1395 ************************************************************************* >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. When success is the only option. >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 5, 2000 P - SWEDEN BANS USE OF .COM IN CORPORATE NAMES While Lastminute.com in Britain and Amazon.com in the US have become household brands, in Sweden the registration of such names is no longer allowed. The Swedish patents and registration office, PRV, has banned new companies from including in their names not only .com but .se, the country's domain name, and any company names that include www and the sign @. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1390 P - MORE EMAIL ACCOUNTS THAN PHONES IN 2 YEARS What has taken the telephone industry 125 years to do and what has taken television 50 years to do, e-mail will have done in 20 years. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1391 P - TELSURF PURSUES THE B2B MARKET ... announces marketing agreement with voice ASP service provider. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1392 P - FAMOUS MARKS LIST & NEW GTLD'S "The trademark lobby must be placated because of its potential ability and inclination to bankrupt new registrars and wreck havoc on their registrant databases." CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1393 F - INTERNET.COM ACQUIRES DOMAINBOOK.COM & UMCLAIMEDOMAINS.COM ``As the reseller market for domain names continues to expand, it is essential to provide our community of Web developers and E-commerce professionals with a service to fulfill their domain name requirements, in addition to domain name industry information,'' said internet.com chairman and CEO Alan M. Meckler. ``Further, we have now formed a platform by which we can build a premier marketplace for the buying and selling of one of the Internet industry's most highly valued commodities.'' CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1394 ************************************************************************* Do a friend a favor - suggest ICB ... Click Here to Recommend-It(r) http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=118920 ************************************************************************* F - NEW .CA REGISTRATION PROCESS DUE IN JUNE The current system, operated by volunteers at the University of British Columbia, will only register names to Canadian corporations, charities, trademark holders or proprietorships with offices in more than one province. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1381 P - FREEDOM PHONES V. FREEDOM COMMUNICATIONS Who gets FreedomPhones.com? CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1383 P - 75% OF NET TRANSACTIONS NOT RELATED TO ORDER PLACEMENT ... according to a new study released by Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath (PRTM) Performance Study Group. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1385 P - TELSURF & EBALANCE STRIKE DEAL ... to provide eBalance customers with tollfree voice access to Web-based personal financial account data, from any telephone. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1387 F - NEW INTERNET STANDARDS BODY LEAD BY NORTEL Networking rivals Cisco Systems Inc. and Lucent Technologies Inc. are not in the group which includes such big-league players as computer firms Hewlett-Packard Co. , Sun Microsystems , British Telecommunications Plc and broadcasters like the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and NBC's Internet unit. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1388 P - REVSHARE CORP ACQUIRES 800WEBMALL.COM ... purchase includes patent pending ``800WEB'' approach for using 800 numbers as web addresses in direct response commercials. The innovative approach allows TV viewers to either call the 800 number or enter it into their web browser and order online through the 800WEBMALL.com site. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1389 **************************************************advertisements********* Haven't time to search? Get targeted telecom news every week from the source. Put 'subscribe Pipe' in the subject line and reply to: telecom_e_clips@hotmail.com. ************************************************************************* That's a Great Name for a Web Site! Get instant Internet brand recognition for your company by securing a premier domain name. Now is the time, as the most sought after web addresses are auctioned to the highest bidder. Coming to auction: >>>>>>> iApplyNow.com, eTOLLFREE.com & iTOLLFREE.com <<<<<<<< To request a bid package call Monte Cahn at 954-782-5426. ************************************************************************* Read TOLLFREE-L online at http://www.egroups.com/group/tollfree-l/info.html ************************************************************************* One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com ************************************************************************* Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. ************************************************************************* Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 21:25:30 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Undernet Serves as Hearth and Home For High-Tech Anarchists By Keith Dawson The Web is a network built on the Internet, its servers and pages and images knit together with hyperlinks. Usenet is a wholly separate network, headless, peer-to-peer, linked by nothing more than tacit agreements. Other networks coexist with these on the Internet: some more anarchic and ungovernable even than the Web, some frankly subversive of laws and customs, freedom wired into their very architecture. They compose the Undernet. http://www.digitalmass.com/columns/internet/0405.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 19:09 PDT From: lauren@vortex.com (Lauren Weinstein) Subject: Lauren Meets The Art Bell Radio Show Hi Pat, I hope you're progressing well and are feeling better. I thought I'd mention that I'm booked for at least two hours on the Art Bell show (with one of his guest hosts) to talk about Internet, Privacy, and such. About 500 stations. This Friday night, from 11PM to at least 1AM PDT. http://www.artbell.com has station lists and such. Take care. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein lauren@pfir.org or lauren@vortex.com Co-Founder, PFIR: People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy ------------------------------ From: lwinson@bbs.cpcn.com (L. Winson) Subject: Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" Date: 6 Apr 2000 01:47:23 GMT Organization: The PACSIBM SIG BBS From what I read it is only the mobile phone unit, not the entire company. ------------------------------ From: Paul Coen Subject: Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 21:50:38 -0400 Organization: Drew University Tony Pelliccio wrote: > To some Bell means voice, to others of us it has a whole different > meaning. It brings up memories of a phone company that just doesn't care. > I think a more appropriate choice of names for Bell Atlantic would be to > simply change the name to Hell Atlantic. It says everything about BA that > needs to be said and most people alread know them by that name anyhow. As a side note, I checked Network Solutions' database, and someone's already registered "verizonsucks.com" -- it doesn't seem to be the same person who registered verizon.com, though, or the same person who registered "verizonbites.com" ------------------------------ From: Joel B Levin Subject: Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" Organization: On the desert Reply-To: levinjb@gte.net Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 01:45:45 GMT In , nospam.tonypo1@nospam.home.com (Tony Pelliccio) wrote: > In article , oldbear@arctos.com > says: >> What was wrong with Bell-Atlantic? > To some Bell means voice, to others of us it has a whole different > meaning. Also, a new name supports the position of both B-A and GTE that the current process is a merger rather than an acquisition of GTE by B-A. Outside commentators don't seem to see it that way, though. /JBL ------------------------------ From: John McHarry Subject: Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 19:43:09 -0400 On Tue, 04 Apr 2000 11:31:28 -0400, The Old Bear wrote: ... >> What was wrong with Bell-Atlantic? "The name literally did not give us >> the positives that we need going forward in terms of things that are 'Verizon' sounds like a credit reporting agency, or maybe a breathalizer. ------------------------------ From: John McHarry Subject: Re: White House Claims: "We Don't Keep Call Detail Records!" Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 19:38:42 -0400 On Tue, 4 Apr 2000 01:03:42 -0400, Jeremy Greene shrieked: > Does anyone besides me have a hard time believing White House counsel > Beth Nolan when she makes this statement regarding call detail records > to Congressional investigators? > "Except for cellular telephones, billing records do not provide any > useful information. The vast majority of domestic long distance calls > are placed via an FTC number, for which there is no call detail. The > small number of domestic calls not placed on FTS lines reflect only > one of several trunk lines of origin. The bills do not reflect either > the originating number or the full destination number. Internal calls > similarly do not reflect the originating number, but do reflect the > destination number. Accordingly, there would be no way of ascertaining > the billing records for the telephones used by or assigned to the > individuals who placed the calls. " Several years ago FTS2000 call detail records did record the termination number. The origination could only indicate the outgoing trunk group, in all known cases. Off net calls would do the same. Per minute charges have dropped so low since I would not even bat an eye to hear that FTS has dropped CDRs entirely. They would probably cost more than the call itself. There used to be a large number of Federal PBXs that didn't have direct inward dialing on their off net trunks. If that is still the case, which is quite plausible, off net CDRs would only show the destination switchboard number. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 18:27:47 -0500 From: bennett@peacefire.org Subject: ACLU and Peacefire Appeal Cyber Patrol Ruling Reply-To: peacefire-press@iain.com The ACLU has filed an appeal against a Boston judge's ruling that bars the posting of the "CPHack" program, which decodes the encrypted Cyber Patrol database and reveals the list of sites that the program blocks. The judge's decision is online at: http://www.epic.org/free_speech/censorware/cp_injunction.html (unfortunately, still in scanned format -- takes a while to load). Yesterday's news of a court's ruling that computer source code is protected under the First Amendment, is also good news for the CPHack case. Peter Junger had the right to post encryption source code on his Web site, even though the National Security Agency claimed that crypto code was restricted from export. A ruling that the First Amendment applies to source code clears the way for a ruling that posting of the CPHack program is also legal. (Not to mention similar programs written by Peacefire, including blocked-site-list-codebreakers for CYBERsitter and I-Gear, both of which prompted legal threats from the companies.) The CPHack program -- in spite of all efforts by Mattel's lawyers to erase it from existence -- is still available for download from any of the mirror sites linked from: http://www.openpgp.net/censorship/ Below is the text of the ACLU's press release on the appeal. I can be reached at (425) 649 9024 or bennett@peacefire.org; contact information for ACLU spokespersons is in the press release below. ********** ACLU Appeals Ruling on Posting of Cyber Patrol Internet "Blacklist" Key FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, April 5, 2000 CONTACT: Emily Whitfield, national ACLU (212) 549-2566 or 2666/cell phone (917) 686-4542 ewhitfield@aclu.org John Roberts or Sarah Wunsch, ACLU of Massachusetts (617) 482-3170 David Sobel, EPIC (202) 544-9240 NEW YORK--Vowing to fight legal efforts to stifle criticism of Internet "censorware," the American Civil Liberties Union is appealing a Boston judge's order prohibiting distribution of a program that allows owners of Cyber Patrol blocking software to learn which Web sites are "blacklisted." Several weeks ago, two researchers posted a decoding program on the Internet that revealed sites blocked by Cyber Patrol (NYSE:MAT), a software company owned by toy giant Mattel Inc. On March 28, responding to a lawsuit brought by Cyber Patrol, U.S. District Court Judge Edward F. Harrington issued an order that the ACLU says prohibits the decoding program from appearing on Web sites all around the world. The ACLU is appealing on behalf of three U.S. Web site operators who "mirrored" (posted duplicate copies of) the original decoding program. "The legal issue here is whether a Boston court has jurisdiction over the entire Internet, and our answer to that is a resounding no,'" said ACLU senior staff attorney Chris Hansen. "The larger issue is whether Cyber Patrol and other software companies are going to tell the American public exactly what their software blocks, especially when Congress wants to force both children and adults to use it." The ACLU has also asked Judge Harrington to stay his order as to mirror sites while the appeal goes forward. Hansen said the ACLU acted after its clients began receiving notices from Cyber Patrol's attorneys ordering them to abide by the terms of the court's March 28 ruling. All three ACLU clients (Lindsay Haisley, Bennett Haselton and Waldo L. Jaquith) temporarily have removed their mirror copies of the decoding program. If Harrington rejects the ACLU's request for a stay, Hansen said, the next step will be to ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, also based in Boston, for a stay. The ACLU filed both its Notice of Appeal before Judge Harrington and the Request for a Stay on the decision before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit late yesterday. The case was filed by Hansen of the national ACLU along with staff attorney Sarah Wunsch of the ACLU's Massachusetts affiliate, Jessica Litman, a visiting law professor at New York University, and David Sobel, legal counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center based in Washington, D.C. Judge Harrington's injunction is online at http://www.epic.org/free_speech/censorware/cp_injunction.html The ACLU's previous news release in the matter, including links to previous legal papers filed in the case, is online at http://www.aclu.org/news/2000/n032800b.html. ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 2000 18:09:22 -0400 From: johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) Subject: Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA >> CPP operates rather like a collect call. The rate is NOT set by the >> caller's carrier, but by the called carrier. ... > Yes, at the basic level. But we're in a market here -- telcos neotiate > for mega minute deals so although carrier x may pay a termination > charge of x per minute for his say million minutes a month, carrier y > may pay y (where x>>y) for their 100 million miunutes of terminating > business. You're confusing two rather separate things. Telcos do indeed negotiate termination fees, that's all set, as you can tell from the fact that you can call any cell phone from anywhere. But the negotiations are all done on a sent-paid basis, the caller's telco sets the price and the termination fee is at most a few cents per minute on the most overpriced of recip comp cellular connections and more typically a small fraction of a cent per minute. These charges are low enough that most long distance in the US is completely flat rated -- I pay the same per minute rate for any interstate call in the US, because it's not worth the effort for my carrier to try to keep track of which calls cost them more to carry. > <..>Thus the caller's carrier has no say at all. > Not true. The caller's carrier is free to negotiate with either the > called network or third party transit networks. Indeed, and if I were a third party transit network, I would say "forget it". None of the LD or transit carriers have any scheme set up to pass a surcharge through to customers on normal calls, and I can't imagine that they'd have any enthusiasm to set one up just for a few cheapskate cell users. As I've mentioned before, we already have a setup for calls with surcharges -- area codes 500 and 900, which automatically direct the call to the serving carrier who then attempts to bill the surcharge to the number that's making the call. As you may know, 500 numbers are blocked in almost as many places as 900 numbers, for the same reason, surcharged calls made by people not authorized to do so. (Think employees behind a PBX, for example.) As a result, 500 is dead, which should give us a hint about how well CPP would work. > I think you're wrong. What's more I don't think the market has moved > on so far that the 'convenience' argument is a red herring. Here in > the UK we're looking at mobile penetration approaching 80% by the end > of this year. That's not convenience, that's a huge market. And it's > all CPP. Go figure -- but in the end time will tell. North American telecom is very different from the rest of the world. We have different technical standards (we got there first), and we have much cheaper calls. CPP gets relatively little resistance in places like England where all calls have a high per minute cost. Here in the US where most local calls are free or a low fixed charge per call, we're not real interested in finding time bombs on our phone bills just because we call someone's mobile number. Finally, if you look at what's happening in the PCS market, you'll see plans with huge numbers of bundled minutes, so many that users often think of their phone as being flat rate. I can't see any motion toward CPP there. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 727, Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 387 6869 johnl@iecc.com, Village Trustee and Sewer Commissioner, http://iecc.com/johnl, Member, Provisional board, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2000 23:47:36 -0700 From: Rob McMillin Subject: Re: Privacy Pervasive in Policy Organization: SBC Internet Services Anonymous User wrote: >> http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,35152,00.html > I thought Know Your Customer had been killed before becoming law, > maybe a year or two ago. The link to the article detailing KYC dates > back to 12/98. > So is KYC really enacted? KYC was enacted BEFORE the big hullabaloo. Your bank is required to snoop on you -- if it's FDIC insured. The thing that was galling was the attempt to force privately insured banks into this spy net. It was THAT which got canned. Attempts to reverse Know Your Customer In The Biblical Sense have met with indifference. http://www.pricegrabber.com | The best deals, all the time. Put "rabbit" in your Subject:, or my spam-schnauzer will eat your message. Speed costs money -- how fast do you wanna go? ------------------------------ From: lwinson@bbs.cpcn.com (L. Winson) Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: 6 Apr 2000 01:46:22 GMT Organization: The PACSIBM SIG BBS > This is a question about POTS. All of a sudden, three identical vintage > 1983 touchtone telephones have stopped working properly at one > house. They work fine at other houses, and other phones work fine at > this house. Perhaps in some street re-wiring, the polarity was reversed. The older touch tone phones require strict polarity or the tones won't go out. Since more recent phones do work on his line, that may be the case. > The problem is that several weeks ago the phones stopped dialing, > after years of working correctly. There is a dial tone, but when you > press a number nothing happens and you still have the dial tone when > you release the number. This happens on three phones and not on more > recent phones. It seems quite unlikely to me that three phones would > suffer identical simultaneous failures, so my hypothesis is that > something has changed on the telco end. However, as you might guess, > the phone company (Bell Atlantic) is no help, saying that as long as > any phones work, they don't consider it a problem. > My question is: what could be making this happen? Where do I begin to > look for an answer? Many thanks in advance. > Bob > r-mcdonald@nwu.edu > company quit providing touch tone service to the lines. They usually > do not do that, but if it comes to their attention that tone dial > phones are being used in a case where the fee for same is not being > paid, they reserve the right to remove the gizmo which listens to > and detects the tone dialing. Does the line still work correctly > with rotary dialing? PAT] ------------------------------ From: richgr@netcom.com (Rich Greenberg) Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: 6 Apr 2000 01:45:31 GMT Organization: Organized? Me? In article , Robert McDonald wrote: > This is a question about POTS. All of a sudden, three identical vintage > 1983 touchtone telephones have stopped working properly at one > house. They work fine at other houses, and other phones work fine at > this house. > The problem is that several weeks ago the phones stopped dialing, > after years of working correctly. There is a dial tone, but when you > press a number nothing happens and you still have the dial tone when > you release the number. This happens on three phones and not on more > recent phones. It seems quite unlikely to me that three phones would > suffer identical simultaneous failures, so my hypothesis is that > something has changed on the telco end. However, as you might guess, > the phone company (Bell Atlantic) is no help, saying that as long as > any phones work, they don't consider it a problem. > My question is: what could be making this happen? Where do I begin to > look for an answer? Many thanks in advance. Assuming that other TT phones (newer ones) work correctly, the telco has for some reason (probably accidentally) reversed your pair somewhere between your house and the switch. Older TT phones were polarity sensitive, newer ones are not. Try reversing the red (or blue) and the green (or blue/white) wires at the jack one of the non-working phones is connected to. If it now works, you have two solutions. easy) reverse the two wires coming into your house at the NIJ. hard) Convince hell atlantic that they reversed the wires and get them to put them back. Rich Greenberg Work: Rich.Greenberg atsign worldspan.com +1 770-563-6656 N6LRT Marietta, GA, USA Play: richgr atsign netcom.com +1 770-321-6507 Eastern time zone. I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67 Canines:Val(Chinook,CGC,TT),Red(Husky,(RIP)),Shasta(Husky,TT) Owner:Chinook-L Atlanta Siberian Husky Rescue. Adopt a homeless Husky. Asst Owner:Sibernet-L ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #53 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Apr 6 19:02:12 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id TAA04857; Thu, 6 Apr 2000 19:02:12 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 19:02:12 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004062302.TAA04857@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #54 TELECOM Digest Thu, 6 Apr 2000 19:02:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 54 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (L. Winson) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Brad Houser) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Randolph J. Herber) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Robert Wiegand) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Julian Thomas) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Tom Carr) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (David) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (James Carlson) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Robert McDonald) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (The Old Bear) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Michael S. Berlant) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (John David Galt) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Joseph Singer) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Bill Ranck) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (J. Beckett) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Frank) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Dennis K Wong) Phones Stop Working (Michael Muderick) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: lwinson@bbs.cpcn.com (L. Winson) Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: 6 Apr 2000 01:46:22 GMT Organization: The PACSIBM SIG BBS > This is a question about POTS. All of a sudden, three identical vintage > 1983 touchtone telephones have stopped working properly at one > house. They work fine at other houses, and other phones work fine at > this house. Perhaps in some street re-wiring, the polarity was reversed. The older touch tone phones require strict polarity or the tones won't go out. Since more recent phones do work on his line, that may be the case. > The problem is that several weeks ago the phones stopped dialing, > after years of working correctly. There is a dial tone, but when you > press a number nothing happens and you still have the dial tone when > you release the number. This happens on three phones and not on more > recent phones. It seems quite unlikely to me that three phones would > suffer identical simultaneous failures, so my hypothesis is that > something has changed on the telco end. However, as you might guess, > the phone company (Bell Atlantic) is no help, saying that as long as > any phones work, they don't consider it a problem. > My question is: what could be making this happen? Where do I begin to > look for an answer? Many thanks in advance. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What may have happened is the phone > company quit providing touch tone service to the lines. They usually > do not do that, but if it comes to their attention that tone dial > phones are being used in a case where the fee for same is not being > paid, they reserve the right to remove the gizmo which listens to > and detects the tone dialing. Does the line still work correctly > with rotary dialing? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Brad Houser Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 11:47:01 -0700 Organization: Intel Corporation You could try reversing the tip and ring. I have seen this on some older phones. Brad Houser ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 18:50:16 +0000 (GMT) From: herber@dcdrjh.fnal.gov (Randolph J. Herber) Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Another possibility is that the phone is polarity sensitive. Many of the early DTMF phones (including those from Western Electric) are polarity sensitive (tip and ring must be attached correctly). This proved to be such a maintenance problem that full wave bridge circuit were added to remove this characteristic. I still have a early WE 250 DTMF phone with that characteristic in service. Randolph J. Herber, herber@dcdrjh.fnal.gov, +1 630 840 2966, CD/CDFTF PK-149F, Mail Stop 318, Fermilab, Kirk & Pine Rds., PO Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510-0500, USA. (Speaking for myself and not for US, US DOE, FNAL nor URA.) (Product, trade, or service marks herein belong to their respective owners.) ------------------------------ From: Robert Wiegand Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 11:30:27 -0500 Organization: Motorola CIG Just a wild guess - perhaps ther was a drop in the voltage in your line. The old phones might be more sensitive to this than the new ones. Regards, Bob Wiegand wiegand@enteract.com ------------------------------ From: jata@aepiax.net (Julian Thomas) Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 16:32:28 GMT Probably the polarity on the line got reversed. Early TT phones were polarity sensitive; later ones more tolerant. If other (newer) TT phones work, try reversing the 2 wires in the old phones. Julian Thomas: jt . epix @ net http://home.epix.net/~jt remove letter a for email (or switch . and @) In the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State! Boardmember of POSSI.org - Phoenix OS/2 Society, Inc http://www.possi.org WarpTech 2000: May 26-28 in Phoenix - plan NOW to attend! www.warptech.org -- -- With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. However, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they are going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them as they fly overhead. -Request for Comments: 1925 IOOF ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing From: carr@falcon.si.com (carr_tom) Date: 6 Apr 2000 14:02:59 -0500 Organization: Smiths Industries He may be paying for touch tone, but someone swapped the red and green on his line. I once had certain jacks within a duplex that wouldn't work because of sloppy installation. If its the whole house, I would suspect something happened at the demark or at one of the bridging points between the house and the central office. I would first check that the touch tone phones don't work at all of the jacks in the house. If some of the jacks work, I would look for someone's amateur additions to outlets in the house. If none of the jacks work with touch tone, I would try swapping red and green at the demark. If swapping red and green doesn't work, it sounds like a service call. Thomas Peter Carr | I have a dream, ... carr_tom@si.com (Internet) | M L King Jr 08/28/63 616-241-8846 / 616-241-8745 FAX (Telephone) | Smiths Industries, MS 3D1; 3290 Patterson Ave SE; Grand Rapids, MI 49512-1991 ------------------------------ From: david@NOSPAMvoice-ware.com (David) Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 12:51:38 GMT Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Simple answer: Someone has reversed the polarity of the telephone line. The newer phones work because they have some extra components (a bridge rectifier) to permit the tone generator to work with either polarity. Older TT phones did not have this feature and only work with one polarity. Solution: Reverse the polarity of the incoming telephone pair as it comes into your house. David Goldman VoiceWare, Inc. david@voice-ware.com ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing From: James Carlson Date: 06 Apr 2000 08:53:08 -0400 I've seen that symptom when someone accidentally interchanges tip and ring -- Touch*Tone phones will answer and appear to work, but nothing at all happens when you press the buttons. (If you press the buttons and hear the Touch*Tone sounds, then this isn't the problem ...) James Carlson "PPP Design and Debugging" --- http://people.ne.mediaone.net/carlson/ppp ------------------------------ From: Robert McDonald Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 07:42:55 -0500 Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, US I just wanted to let everyone know that the problem -- identified by about 10 respondents, to whom I am grateful -- was that older touch-tone phones are sensitive to polarity. The suggested fix, which worked, was to reverse the red and green lines where they enter the house. The phone company must have reversed the polarity on the line a few weeks ago, probably while repairing a line. Thanks to everyone for the prompt and extremely helpful answers! Bob r-mcdonald@nwu.edu ------------------------------ From: oldbear@arctos.com (The Old Bear) Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 11:14:47 -0500 Organization: The Arctos Group - http://www.arctos.com/arctos Because Bob notes that "other phones work fine at this house", my guess is that the telco has reversed (or corrected) the tip and ring on the line. If the tip and ring were reversed somewhere outside, and the house wiring previously had been reversed to cancel that out, when the telco discovered and fixed their plant, it would screw-up older tone dialling phones which are polarity sensitive. I'd suggest switching the tip and ring at the network interface where the house wiring is connnected to the telco (do it on the house wire side, of course) and see if that fixes the problem. I think the electronics in newer phones use a diode bridge or some such to allow them to ignore polarity -- which is probably a good idea, considering how many homeowner-installed RJ-11s likely are wired backwards. ------------------------------ From: Michael S. Berlant Organization: None Apparent Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 07:32:01 GMT It seems that somehow, intentionally or not, the polarity of your line got reversed. Back in the early days of DTMF, the phones were sensitive to the polarity of the line. In fact, polarity reversal was an accepted practice in those days to prevent dialing from extension phones in accessible places. You mention that other phones work fine on your line. They are probably newer and have a polarity guard on them that allows the dial pad to work in either polarity. The best way to correct your problem is to reverse the phone line at your house. The easiest place to do that is where the phone line comes into the house, since all of your jacks behave the same. Good luck. ------------------------------ From: John_David_Galt@acm.org Organization: Association for Computing Machinery Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 07:46:49 GMT > The problem is that several weeks ago the phones stopped dialing, > after years of working correctly. There is a dial tone, but when you > press a number nothing happens and you still have the dial tone when > you release the number. This happens on three phones and not on more > recent phones. I think that blows away the theory that you no longer have touch tone service. I've seen old tone phones behave the same way when connected with the polarity reversed. Back when Ma Bell owned the phones and installed them for you, they didn't bother putting in the couple of extra diodes to make them work either way; so you may need to swap the red and green wires at each jack (or in the phones themselves) to get them to work. This can be a frustrating problem because many modern wiring gadgets (for example, 2-into-1 connector plugs) reverse the polarity of phones plugged into them, causing this problem to appear or disappear. But having it spontaneously happen to three phones at once sounds like the polarity was swapped outside your house. Perhaps a cable broke in your neighborhood and was reconnected the other way (this happened to me not long ago), or maybe an installer switched you to a different pair to hook up a new line for someone else (which would make sense if your old pair extended down the street far enough to reach the newcomer, and your new pair doesn't). John David Galt ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 03:34:42 -0700 From: Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing In his note he says that only the "vintage" 1983 (ha!) phones all of a sudden did not want to break dial tone while others do work. If they are older phones especially with the mechanical DTMF touch pads these pads only worked when the polarity is one way and the one way that the telco has arranged. My guess is somehow the tip and ring on that line got somehow reversed so that attempts to call out with those phones would not work. If you on the phones that don't break dial tone press keys if you listen closely you may hear faint "hints" of the different tones that would normal be emitted. What happened in this case? My guess is that telco unbeknownst to him had reversed tip and ring on his particular cable. The other DTMF phones on the line in most likelihood had "polarity guard" which allows you to use DTMF on either the tip or ring side of the line. I ran into this same problem myself just two days ago when I purchased a used 1982 WECO Princess phone from Goodwill. If you pressed the keys it wouldn't break dial tone. However if you switched the red and green leads (tip and ring) it would work like a champ. Another way to tell if your line is wired properly i.e. tip where tip should be and ring where ring should be is to buy a line tester at your Radio Shack or building supply store (Home Depot, Lowe's etc.) and check the line. This device has LEDs that will light a certain way if the line is wired properly. If you get an error when you test the line you have good reason to call telco and tell them that your line has been reversed. Just to be doubly sure so you won't be billed by telco for the service you might want to plug the tester into the network interface for your dwelling and take the reading from there. In the alternative if you need to fix the jacks for any locations where you have these "vintage" phones just undo the jack and reverse the red and green terminals on those connections. I hope that helps. It's my best guess at what's happening. Also, I seem to recall that the modern digital switching used in Lucent 5E and Nortel DMS-100 switches all the lines are provisioned for DTMF and must be "unprovisioned" in order to deny DTMF service otherwise it's standard for each station. Joseph Singer "thefoneguy" PO Box 23135, Seattle WA 98102 USA +1 206 405 2052 [voice mail] +1 206 493 0706 [FAX] ------------------------------ From: Bill Ranck Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: 6 Apr 2000 12:33:06 GMT Organization: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA Maybe somebody moved your line to a new pair or new frame location at the CO and flipped the two wires by accident. Try reversing the red and green wires in one of your phone jacks to see if that clears up the problem. If so, put them back, and reverse the two wires where they come into the house. ***************************************************************************** * Bill Ranck +1-540-231-3951 ranck@vt.edu * * Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Computing Center * ***************************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 05:41:13 -0400 From: jbeckett Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Pat's theory may not hold because you said newer phones still work. Here's another stab at it, from someone who is red-green colorblind: You didn't mention if you could hear the phones sending touch tones. If you can't, try reversing the tip/ring polarity (ie swap the green and red wires). Early 2500 sets didn't always have full-wave bridge rectifiers feeding the DTMF pad, and sometimes the rectifiers would fail but the phones would keep working with one polarity or the other. If this theory holds in your case, the "problem" is that somebody respliced or reterminated a cable somewhere - and got the polarity different this time. John Beckett, Associate Director of Information Systems Southern Adventist University - Collegedale, Tennessee USA jbeckett@southern.edu http://is.southern.edu/internet (423) 238-2701 FAX (423) 238-2431 ------------------------------ From: frank Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 05:50:49 -0700 Try reversing the line at the network interface. Older sets didnt have polarity guard in them. If other newer tt sets work on the same line them this may be your problem. ------------------------------ From: Dennis K Wong Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: 6 Apr 2000 07:25:20 GMT Organization: Simon Fraser University Robert McDonald wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What may have happened is the phone > company quit providing touch tone service to the lines. They usually > do not do that, but if it comes to their attention that tone dial > phones are being used in a case where the fee for same is not being > paid, they reserve the right to remove the gizmo which listens to > and detects the tone dialing. Does the line still work correctly > with rotary dialing? PAT] This is the year 2000! Isn't tone dialing a standard feature on all telephone lines? I thought all the new digital switching equipment use tone dialing? [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: No it it a standard feature. Rotary dialing is still quite common in many places. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Michael Muderick Subject: Phones Stop Working Date: Thu, 6 Apr 100 12:02:35 EDT I had phones stop working. What happened was that a cable was replaced and the wiremen didn't pay attention to polarity. I could have changed it myself, but insisted that they solve the problem. I even told them how. It took about a week and a half to get it right. One guy changed it on my pole and then another guy changed it at the CO. Effect: no change. they finally got it right. Newer phones are not polarity sensitive. Older Western or ATT phones are. Mike Muderick ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #54 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Apr 7 01:02:04 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id BAA17626; Fri, 7 Apr 2000 01:02:04 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 01:02:04 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004070502.BAA17626@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #55 TELECOM Digest Fri, 7 Apr 2000 01:02:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 55 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telemarketer Stopper That Works (Bill Garfield) Those White House Phone Records (Randy Hayes) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Steve Uhrig) Re: Bounced Mail Gets Me in Trouble (Joey Lindstrom) Yahoo! News Story - How To Choose a Cell Phone Service (Yahoo! News) Priority Routing in Telecom Switches (Krishna Prasad) Re: Caller ID When I Tried Calling About the Census (Jonathan Seder) Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest (Barry Margolin) Re: Those White House Phone Records (Ed Ellers) Re: Those White House Phone Records (Jack Hamilton) Re: Those White House Phone Records (Someone) IS41 Documentation Request (alonklein@my-deja.com) Re: Erlang Equations? (Herb Stein) Dial Tone Timer? (Frank) Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest (Scott D. Fybush) Re: Pre-paid Calling Cards (Ed Fortmiller) Last Laugh! Bounced Mail Gets Me in Trouble (Paul Wills) Still Laughing! Bounced Mail Gets Me in Trouble (Hahn, Ki Suk) ROTFLMAO: Bounced Mail Gets Me in Trouble (Robert Allender) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: wdg@hal-pc.org (Bill Garfield) Subject: Telemarketer Stopper that works Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 20:46:50 -0500 Organization: You only wish you were this organized Not quite a year ago I sent an email to Mike Sandman "Chicago's Telecom Expert" asking if among his many wares he had anything that could send "S.I.T. tone". His reply was no, but after I explained what I was looking for Mike agreed that there could be a market for something like that. My idea was to find something that was line powered and could be triggered by the phone simply going off-hook to answer an incoming call. I had long known the utility of SIT tone in being able to "convince" the automated predictive dialers that they had dialed an out of service number and get them to go away. I even had SIT tone recorded as the lead-in to the greeting on my answering machine. For those who don't know, SIT tone is that "Baaa-Booo-Beee" series of tones you hear when you dial an out of service number. The response to SIT tone by the automatic dialing equipment is to take your number out of the queue AND NOT CALL BACK!!!! The predictive dialers are designed to call the maximum amount of "good numbers" and so SIT tone helps them sort good numbers from bad. Well, I'm all for helping them. ;^) The answering machine trick worked pretty well, but I wanted to be able to send SIT tone immediately, just by picking up the receiver. What I was finding was that some of the predictive dialers had gotten smart and would frequently abort calls before the 6 rings it took for my machine to answer with its clever "Baaa-Booo-Beeee" message. Well, in response to my inquiry Mike Sandman has done it. His latest little black box, called the "Telemarketer Stopper" does exactly what I was needing and is line powered. Best of all it's reasonably inexpensive at $25.95. (in lots of 3 or more they're $24.95 each) The unit has two RJ11 jacks and so can be placed inline with any phone or answering machine or you can install the unit at the common entry point in line with all your phones and any one of them going off hook to ANSWER an incoming call will trigger the tone. It will not send SIT tone when originating calls and you can even PROGRAM IT to respond to a touchtone digit instead of a switchook transition in response to an incoming ring. It's LITTLE too. Approx 2 x 1 x 1 (inches) See it at http://www.sandman.com/tmstop.html Someone, perhaps Pat Townson had once mentioned that Mike Sandman was always looking for good ideas and since he stuck out his neck to build it I thought the least I could do as a way of saying thanks was to spread the word in the newsgroups. Thanks Mike! [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And the least the rest of you can do is buy one or two if you want to get rid of pesky telemarketers. Click on Mikes's banner at http://telecom-digest.org/sponsorlinks.html or just go directly to his web site at http://sandman.com ...tell Mike you read about his device here in the Digest. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 16:14:34 -0500 From: Randy Hayes Subject: Those White House Phone Records With officials indicating they cannot track long distance calls, I wonder how they would respond to the story printed in TELECOM Digest, Reuters, and other locations regarding the Sergeant assigned to the White House Communications Agency who was arrested for giving out a long distance authorization code supposedly for the White House? Did that auth code not give them the ability to document the 9,400 calls "worth $50,000 to the federal government?" Otherwise, how did they track the calls? In addition, most call accounting systems attached to PBXs can provide the originating extension number, even if auth codes are used to actually track the LD usage ... Combine the two stories, and one's got more holes than Swiss cheese! Randal J. Hayes randal.hayes@uni.edu ------------------------------ From: Steve Uhrig Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 18:50:53 -0400 Organization: bright.net Ohio Since these are older phones the DTMF pad may be polarity sensitive. The phone company may have reversed the polarity of your line while doing some work in the area. Try reversing the wires at the jack or outside at the phone company NID and see if these phones start working again. ------------------------------ From: Joey Lindstrom Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 14:17:12 -0600 Reply-To: Joey Lindstrom Subject: Re: Bounced Mail Gets Me in Troublr Could this be the problem? On Wed, 5 Apr 2000 23:09:10 -0400 (EDT), editor@telecom-digest.org wrote: > Please read the letter attached. This person persists in asking me > to add him to the mailing list, yet look at how attempts to mail > him are bouncing. Any suggestions? > Here is the most recent bounce, then several letters from him. > ----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors ----- > > > ----- Transcript of session follows ----- > ... while talking to norman.cp10.es.xerox.com.: >>>> RCPT To: ><<< 550 ... User unknown >550 ... User unknown ^^^^^^ >Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 07:19:22 -0800 >To: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org, editor@telecom-digest.org, > ptownson@telecom-digest.org >From: Paul Gloger >Subject: Subscribe me to Telecom Digest already please ... >Cc: Paul Gloger ^^^^^^^ You're sending to "ploger", but he's sending from "pgloger". / From the messy desktop of Joey Lindstrom / Visit The NuServer! http://www.GaryNumanFan.NU / Visit The Webb! http://webb.GaryNumanFan.NU / / "Don't shake hands with strangers." / --Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Babylon 5 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: More about this fiasco later in this issue. Keep reading. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 11:11:53 -0700 (PDT) From: Yahoo! News Subject: Yahoo! News Story - How To Choose a Cell Phone Service Mike Pollock (itsamike@yahoo.com) has sent you a news article By BRUCE MEYERSON AP Business Writer Q: With so many options in cellular and long distance, including cross-promotions and tie-ins with other services like Web access, what's the best way to comparison shop? How To Choose a Cell Phone Service http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000405/tc/good_question__2.html Yahoo! News http://dailynews.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 21:46:56 +0530 From: Krishna Prasad Organization: TeleSoft Subject: Priority Routing in Telecom Switches Hello, Can you help in finding out a way to put quiries in user group. I would like to know details about "Priority Routing " in telecom switches. Thanks, Arun ------------------------------ From: Jonathan Seder Subject: Re: Caller ID When I Tried Calling About the Census Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 11:05:28 -0700 Organization: Don't Spam Me! > ... So I called the toll-free number from > my office, reached an automated system, and during that call it read > back the number I was supposedly calling from! Contrary to some popular notions, even if you block Caller ID, your information is always given out when you call a toll-free number. They're paying for the call. > It turns out the number it read back was not my office number, > but the same number that shows up on bills for calling card calls > from my office. Apparently your office phone system has outgoing trunks distinct from the incoming trunks. It was, naturally, the outgoing trunk's number that was reported. ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest Organization: GTE Internetworking, Cambridge, MA Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 19:25:10 GMT In article , Fred Goldstein wrote: > The contest is over. So far as I can tell, no Digest readers have won. > Ditching years of brand equity built up in the shared "Bell" trademark > which it acquired when it was spun off of AT&T, Bell Titanic's branding > company (anybody know which one they used?) came up with the toe-tapping > "Verizon". (At least it doesn't end in -ent! To think that Agilent > actually *paid* for that name.) From what I can tell, "Verizon" is a > shortened form of the portmanteau "Verizontal", from "we control the > vertical, we control the horizontal". Perhaps. However, they seem to be trying to avoid that connotation. The name is supposed to be pronounced to rhyme with "horizon". BTW, if you try to go to www.verizon.com, you'll get one of NSI's generic "Under construction" pages. So they reserved the domain name about a month ago, but I guess they're waiting for the FCC to approve the merger before they bother pointing it to a server with real content. Disclaimer: Although I work for what is currently still a subsidiary of GTE, I have no involvement with the telco side of the company and no knowledge of the actual genesis of the new Verizon name other than what they have announced to the public. Barry Margolin, barmar@genuity.com Genuity, Burlington, MA *** DON'T SEND TECHNICAL QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO ME, post them to newsgroups. Please DON'T copy followups to me -- I'll assume it wasn't posted to the group. ------------------------------ From: Ed Ellers Subject: Re: Those White House Phone Records Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 03:19:30 -0400 Charles B. Wilber wrote: > Some of us still recall the vigorously suppressed scandal that > occurred shortly after the Clinton bunch took up residence in the > White House. As one of his first official actions, Clinton purchased a > brand new PBX for the White House. It was scandalous becuase the > contract was gratuitously awarded with no pretense of putting it out > to bid. I don't recall which vendor received the contract but I cannot > believe that a PBX purchased new in 1992 would not easily accommodate > CDR (SMDR) collection and archiving." That was an AT&T system. I remember one embittered Democrat complaining on CompuServe, during the 1992 campaign, that the White House still had an old key system dating back to the Nixon Administration and that that somehow proved that President Bush was somehow incompetent. What this guy didn't realize was that the White House civilian phone system (which I don't doubt included both a *large* PBX and various 1A2 key systems behind it) was custom-designed for the White House Communications Agency and, being good old Western Electric hardware, was darn near bulletproof (and I'll bet they had some electromagnetic pulse protection in there too). ------------------------------ From: Jack Hamilton Subject: Re: Those White House Phone Records Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 23:48:35 -0700 Organization: Copyright (c) 2000 by Jack Hamilton. Reply-To: jfh@acm.org Charles.B.Wilber@Dartmouth.EDU (Charles B. Wilber) wrote: > --- You wrote: >> Does anyone besides me have a hard time believing White House counsel >> Beth Nolan when she makes this statement regarding call detail records >> to Congressional investigators? > That is not just difficult to believe ... it is impossible to > believe. Some of us still recall the vigorously suppressed scandal > that occurred shortly after the Clinton bunch took up residence in the > White House. As one of his first official actions, Clinton purchased a > brand new PBX for the White House. It was scandalous becuase the > contract was gratuitously awarded with no pretense of putting it out > to bid. I don't recall which vendor received the contract but I cannot > believe that a PBX purchased new in 1992 would not easily accommodate > CDR (SMDR) collection and archiving. It is simply not believable that > these records are not generated and stored. Why not? If you were President Clinton, would you have installed a system that kept records of all your calls? Probably not -- those records could only lead to trouble. Jack Hamilton Broderick, CA jfh@acm.org ------------------------------ From: Someone Subject: Re: Those White House Phone Records Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 22:36:02 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Charles B. Wilber wrote in message news:telecom20.52.13@telecom-digest.org ... > Some of us still recall the vigorously suppressed scandal > that occurred shortly after the Clinton bunch took up residence in the > White House. Yeah, the black helicopters spirited the records away after Vince Foster was murdered. ------------------------------ From: alonklein@my-deja.com Subject: IS41 Documentation Request Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 09:20:49 GMT Organization: Deja.com - Before you buy. Hi all, I'm looking for documentation of the ANSI IS41 protocol. If any of you know where I can take it from, please send me the URL or the file itself. Thanks a lot, Alon ------------------------------ From: herb@herbstein.com (Herb Stein) Subject: Re: Erlang Equations? Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 13:23:19 GMT There is a book entitled _Engineering and Operations in the Bell System_ that discusses Erlang B and Erlang C. Hopefully an Australian technical library would have a copy. One more reference. _Telecommunications Transmission Engineering_, Volume 3, Networks and Services also talks about Erlangs. It's one of a 3 volume set published by AT&T in the 1970's. In article , Watch Meister wrote: > Can anyone recommend a good place to find detailed 'Erlang' equations. > I am interested in a number of models including: > Erlang B > Erlang C > Engset > Binomial Herb Stein The Herb Stein Group www.herbstein.com herb@herbstein.com 314 215-3584 ------------------------------ From: Frank Subject: Dial Tone Timer? Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 05:55:34 -0700 Anyone know of a device that will disconnect dial tone to a modem at a time determined by me? A line in and line out with a timer to set the time of day the line will be dead. Thanks, Frank. ------------------------------ From: world!fybush@uunet.uu.net (Scott D. Fybush) Subject: Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 13:09:58 GMT Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA Fred Goldstein writes: > actually *paid* for that name.) From what I can tell, "Verizon" is a > shortened form of the portmanteau "Verizontal", from "we control the > vertical, we control the horizontal". Maybe it's an allusion, then, to > "the Outer Limits of Telecommunications". The newspaper articles yesterday said it's a combination of "veritas" (truth) and "horizon," and meant to be pronounced to rhyme with "horizon." The articles also suggested that one of the conditions of the merger was that the word "Bell" not appear in the new name. Quoth some high-ranking Verizon official whose name I've forgotten already: "We couldn't get there [i.e., beyond the image of voice telephony] with 'Bell'." Must be a good deal for sign companies up this way; it was just three months ago that all the "Frontier Cellular" signage came down as BA bought out the other half of that partnership. Now all that brand-new "Bell Atlantic Mobile" signage (including one new store in Brighton that NEVER EVEN OPENED under that name) will be expensive junk. As a consumer, my bias is towards the company that's been doing this for 100+ years over the brand-new upstart -- but how can I tell them apart when the old-line business is now "Verizon"? ------------------------------ From: Xegf@ultranet.com (Ed Fortmiller) Subject: Re: Pre-paid Calling Cards Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 11:29:16 -0400 I'm using BigZoo http://www.bigzoo.com 3.9 cents per minute and no additional fees, mins, etc. 55 cent surcharge from payphones though. Only complaint thus far is that I can get busy signals in the evenings. No problem with billing in the four months I've been using it. Referred some friends and they are quite happy with the service. Ed Fortmiller | egf@ultranet.com | Hudson MA * To avoid getting a lot of SPAM junk mail, I have altered my REPLY-TO * address. PLEASE remove the leading "X" from my REPLY address. ------------------------------ From: Paul Wills Subject: Last Laugh! Re: Bounced Mail Gets Me in Trouble Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 08:41:01 -0400 Pat, It's amazing how many mistakes we refuse to see when we *believe* we're right. It appears that the address you are sending to is missing a "g." Wrong address: ----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors ----- Right address: pgloger@cp10.es.xerox.com ^ I do that all the time. It always takes an independent observer to find the "bug." By the way, The Telephone Collectors International URL has changed to www.singingwires.org. If you could change it on your links page and pass it on to Dave Massey, it would be most appreciated. Regards, Paul Wills [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am reminded of a situation from when I was in high school, and had my first job which was working for the University of Chicago as a phone operator. The overnight operator had a job known as 'night auditor' which required that operator to tally up all the long distance calls from the day before, post them in a ledger book for each extension, use an adding machine (this was 1958, after all) to add the tickets for the day, add up all the ledger entries and hopefully balance them to each other. I came in to work days at about 7 in the morning, and Lois, at the time the overnight operator was sitting at a desk looking sort of perplexed. She said she had been trying since about 4 AM to balance the ledger for the night before without success. She said, "when it got to be about 6 AM the board started getting busy again, so I had to stop on it". I asked her to let me try it, and she was glad to have a fresh pair of eyes look. Almost immediatly I found the error: a long distance call for $2.89 had been entered on the ledger of extension numbers as $2.98, which was the nine cents she was off. She made the correction, and went home happy, although about an hour later than usual. "I felt like such a fool", she said to me later. A fresh, unbiased pair of eyes can work wonders. That's what you get for having a moderator/editor here who had an aneurism a few months ago. My brains are scrambled much of the time these days, and after a 'long day' -- for me, a 'long day' is more than 3-4 hours at the computer -- I grow crabby and very difficult to work with. At least a dozen of you told me about PLOGER vrs. PGLOGER. I hope Mr. PGLOGER is as understanding. I will adjust your entry in the links, and advise David Massey to do the same in Telephone Tribute. (http://telecom-digest.org/tribute) PAT] ------------------------------ From: Hahn, Ki Suk Subject: Still Laughing! Re: Bounced Mail Gets Me in Trouble Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 11:24:01 -0500 Stop me if you've heard this one before ... About the bounced emails to the Xerox guy, I think the problem is that you missed a 'g' in his email address. The bounced ones refer to a ploger@... while his emails have pgloger@... Ki Suk [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have heard that one at least a dozen times before, but it is just as funny (NOT) as the first time. Don't ever become a chain smoker of Pall Mall cigarettes and wind up with an aneurism of your own. I started smoking when I was 13 (now I am 57 so you do the math) originally because a teacher I had in high school -- a guy named Arthur Erickson -- smoked Viceroys and I wanted to be as witty, sophisticated and good-looking as he was. I switched to Pall Mall (the straight ones with no filters) three years later when I was 16 because the fellow who at the time was night operator at University of Chicago always smoked them and I admired how nimble he was with his fingers in plugging those cords in and pulling them out, all the while with one of his cigarettes dangling out of his lips. When I write my autobiography sometime soon, I intend to tell a few facts like the above about myself. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Robert Allender Subject: ROFLMOA: Re: Bounced Mail Gets me in Trouble Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 14:21:55 +0800 Pat: Why are you sending his mail to ploger@ ... when his address is pgloger@ ... (see the additional 'g' there?). Warm regards, Robert [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Again. Mr. PGLOGER, I hope you will forgive me. You are now on the mailing list, and all should be okay. Once I get this issue of the Digest finished, I intend to step outside and have another cigarette. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #55 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Apr 8 00:19:33 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id AAA00951; Sat, 8 Apr 2000 00:19:33 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000 00:19:33 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004080419.AAA00951@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #56 b TELECOM Digest Sat, 8 Apr 2000 00:19:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 56 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson 4/6 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines (Judith Oppenheimer) Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" (Steven Scharf) Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" (Steve Sobol) Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" (Mike Castle) Re: Caller ID When I Tried Calling About the Census (Steve Sobol) Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest (Steve Sobol) Re: Grammar to Play Prerecorded Voice Prompts (langlo6@ibm.net) Re: Erlang Equations? (Phone Tech) Looking for Porn? Ask Chad (Mike Pollock) Re: Telemarketer Stopper That Works (Philip Tait) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Judith Oppenheimer Subject: 4/6 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 22:56:06 -0400 ************************************************************************* ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************* ISSUE WATCH covers important matters pending resolution. Current focus: P - Roll-out of new toll free codes 866 and 855 is delayed SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1186 P - SNAC to address SMS/800 performance problems; new SMS/800 software release reviewed >> NEW << SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1407 P - INC AUDIT WORKSHOP ACTIVITY TO DATE >> NEW << SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1405 P - ICANN seeks public comment on Famous Marks and gTLDs >> NEW << SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1393 P - Vapor-constituency: ICANN At Large Membership ... SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1224 P - ICANN called on the carpet by the three Regional Internet Registries SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1134 F - Do No Harm: Reform the Domain Dispute System SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1294 F - CyberHQ - THE NEW IMPERIALISM SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=558 ************************************************************************* >>>> NOTABLE QUOTES: 'Don't oversell ICANN, it's not important to peoples daily lives.' F - http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1404 'The trademark lobby must be placated because of its potential ability and inclination to bankrupt new registrars and wreck havoc on their registrant databases.' P -http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1393 HEADLINES FOR APRIL 6, 2000 P - INC AUDIT WORKSHOP ACTIVITY TO DATE The INC Audit Workshop shall review existing industry guidelines to identify and document the specific processes, compliance tests, and procedures to be used by an auditor as the measure of compliance for either a service provider and/or NANP and Pooling Administrators. Summary of Workshop activity January 1999 through March 2000. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1405 F - NZ TELECOM ORDERED TO RESTORE RIVAL FREE NET SERVICE I4free planned to connect its customers by number porting, readdressing calls to itself on rival phone company Clear's network. Telecom claims this breaches the terms of the 0867 connection service. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1406 F - ICANN ON THE ROCKS "Don't oversell ICANN, it's not important to peoples daily lives." Yea, like Capitol Hill isn't important to [American] peoples daily lives. Its no surprise that Dyson chairs ICANN public forums with a mix of impatience, condescension and disgust. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1404 P - WIPO DISSES NAF "... In a number of the decisions of Administrative Panels appointed by the National Arbitration Foundation, cancellation has been ordered. In none of those decisions, however, was a rationale given for this remedy over the remedy of transfer to the Complainant." CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1401 >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. When success is the only option. >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 6, 2000 P - SMS/800 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE WORK-IN-PROGRESS Task forces to address SMS/800 system performance deficiencies; new SMS/800 software release discussed. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1407 F - USPS ADOPTS NEW SWEEPSTAKES MAILING ELIGIBILITY RULES Tuesday it published the series of rules it adopted to implement the Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act (DMPEA). CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1396 F - NET2PHONE PART OF NEW NETSCAPE BROWSER A button on Netscape's personal toolbar is prime real estate. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1398 P - IP SERVICE REVENUES TO SOAR Report predicts that IP services will allow the creation of a mass customization model that enables ISPs and carriers to quickly deploy services to the mass market that can then be individualized by each user. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1400 Do a friend a favor - suggest ICB ... Click Here to Recommend-It(r) http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=118920 more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 6, 2000 F - AOL NET APPLIANCES ... introducing three small devices: a counter-top appliance that may be used in kitchens; a wireless Web pad that can fit inside a briefcase; and a desktop appliance that serves as a lower-cost alternative to the personal computer. The devices feature wireless or traditional keyboards. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1402 F - ICANN: THE NET'S BLACK HOLE In one of the few sessions not devoted to privacy at the Computers Freedom and Privacy 2000 conference in Toronto, panelists lambasted ICANN for its wide-ranging actions so far, actions that include tackling intellectual property rights and trademark issues. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1397 F - DOT COM WARS An interesting backgrounder on the road to ICANN's tenuous status - and NSI'S billions. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1399 F - MCIWORLDCOM SPRINT MERGER FACES SKEPTICS "I'm trying to understand where the synergies might be on the local side," said Larry Strickling, chairman of the FCC Common Carrier Bureau. When Strickling asked for details on Sprint's current activity as a local competitor, the answers only heightened his doubts. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1403 **************************************************advertisements********* Haven't time to search? Get targeted telecom news every week from the source. Put 'subscribe Pipe' in the subject line and reply to: telecom_e_clips@hotmail.com. ************************************************************************* That's a Great Name for a Web Site! Get instant Internet brand recognition for your company by securing a premier domain name. Now is the time, as the most sought after web addresses are auctioned to the highest bidder. Coming to auction: >>>>>>> iApplyNow.com, eTOLLFREE.com & iTOLLFREE.com <<<<<<<< To request a bid package call Monte Cahn at 954-782-5426. ************************************************************************* Read TOLLFREE-L online at http://www.egroups.com/group/tollfree-l/info.html ************************************************************************* One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com ************************************************************************* Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. ************************************************************************* Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ From: scsmediafmp@aol.com (Steven Scharf) Date: 06 Apr 2000 03:08:59 GMT Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Subject: Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" They actually tried that in New York by using NYNEX. They burned that name and thus being bought by Bell Atlantic was seen as the good company taking over the bad. They have now soiled the Bell Atlantic name and are moving on to a new one. I used to rent office space to small companies in New York City where we provided phone services through another provider. I took great pains to refer to them as NYNEX long after Bell Atlantic had changed the names becuase it made a great selling point that they could give up BA/NYNEX's poor service and support. Steven Scharf SCS Media Services 57 East 11th Street, 9th Floor New York, New York 10003 212-822-8555 SCSMedia@aol.com nospam.tonypo1@nospam.home.com (Tony Pelliccio) responded: > To some Bell means voice, to others of us it has a whole different > meaning. It brings up memories of a phone company that just doesn't > care. I think a more appropriate choice of names for Bell Atlantic > would be to simply change the name to Hell Atlantic. It says > everything about BA that needs to be said and most people alread > know them by that name anyhow. > Verizon? I suppose Veriphone was already taken, or that they just > couldn't buy it. > Tony Pelliccio, KD1S formerly KD1NR > Trustee WE1RD ------------------------------ From: sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.Net (Steve Sobol) Subject: Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" Date: 6 Apr 2000 03:36:42 GMT Organization: New Age Consulting Service Inc., Cleveland, OH, USA From 'Tony Pelliccio': > To some Bell means voice, to others of us it has a whole different > meaning. It brings up memories of a phone company that just doesn't care. > I think a more appropriate choice of names for Bell Atlantic would be to > simply change the name to Hell Atlantic. It says everything about BA that > needs to be said and most people alread know them by that name anyhow. Keep in mind, though, that the wireless divisions of the ILECs are typically much better at serving their customers than the wireline divisions. I saw fewer complaints about Bell Atlantic Mobile than Sprint PCS or AT&T, and in general didn't hear much negative about them at all, over on alt.cellular. Judging from that, and the fact that people there tend to be pretty close followers of the industry, I concluded that BAM was probably one of the better companies out there. I've heard many good things about them. My personal experience with the cellular division of another ILEC - GTE Wireless - has been stellar. I've been a customer since 1993, and have been pleased with the service and the equipment, from my original phone - an Oki 1325 that ran on GTE's TeleGo service and served as a cordless phone at home and a cellular away from home - to my current Motorola StarTAC digital phone that is activated on one of GTE's national calling plans. Do keep in mind that the changes aren't over yet. GTE Wireless will be going away in many markets where they compete with Bell Atlantic Mobile, Primeco, or Airtouch (the companies that merged to form Verizon) - to clear the way for the GTE/Bell Atlantic merger. Those markets will be sold to Alltel. Cleveland is one of those markets - GTE and AirTouch are both 800MHz CDMA carriers here. It'll be interesting to see what happens. I've heard some rather unflattering things about Alltel, but some other people tell me that they will bend over backwards to keep customers. I hope that is true. Pundits over in alt.cellular say that a probable side effect of the mergers is the transfer of many smaller markets from small cellular operators to one of the big companies. North Shore Technologies, Cleveland, OH http://NorthShoreTechnologies.net sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.net - 888.480.4NET - 216.619.2NET "Never attribute to malice events more properly attributed to corporate greed." --Me, March 28th, 2000 ------------------------------ From: dalgoda@ix.netcom.net (Mike Castle) Subject: Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" Organization: House of Linux Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 22:38:57 -0500 In article , Tony Pelliccio wrote: > Verizon? I suppose Veriphone was already taken, or that they just > couldn't buy it. Well, VeriFone is a pretty big company. Many (most?) credit card boxes around are made by VeriFone (pay attention next time you're shopping, especially if the box is like a 4"x4" square and gray). mrc Mike Castle Life is like a clock: You can work constantly dalgoda@ix.netcom.com and be right all the time, or not work at all www.netcom.com/~dalgoda/ and be right at least twice a day. -- mrc We are all of us living in the shadow of Manhattan. -- Watchmen ------------------------------ From: sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.Net (Steve Sobol) Subject: Re: Caller ID When I Tried Calling About the Census Date: 6 Apr 2000 03:37:40 GMT Organization: New Age Consulting Service Inc., Cleveland, OH, USA From 'Carl Moore': > I made a couple of calls to offices for census 2000 and was told of a > toll-free number I could call. So I called the toll-free number from > my office, reached an automated system, and during that call it read > back the number I was supposedly calling from! It turns out the > number it read back was not my office number, but the same number that > shows up on bills for calling card calls from my office. Did you have a direct line out, or does your office have a PBX or Centrex-type system? North Shore Technologies, Cleveland, OH http://NorthShoreTechnologies.net sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.net - 888.480.4NET - 216.619.2NET "Never attribute to malice events more properly attributed to corporate greed." --Me, March 28th, 2000 ------------------------------ From: sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.Net (Steve Sobol) Subject: Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest Date: 6 Apr 2000 03:39:34 GMT Organization: New Age Consulting Service Inc., Cleveland, OH, USA From 'Fred Goldstein': > "the Outer Limits of Telecommunications". Or perhaps, given their > newly-fattened mobile empire (a JV with Vodaphone Airtouch), they are > worrying about vertical towers blown over by a storm into a horizontal > position. I can't wait for the artwork. One can imagine all sorts of > other images around "horizontal". But then it's hard to understand the > kind of creative minds (and I use that term loosely) work in those > brand-name consultancies. They appear to have a logo, although not much content, at: http://www.VerizonWireless.com North Shore Technologies, Cleveland, OH http://NorthShoreTechnologies.net sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.net - 888.480.4NET - 216.619.2NET "Never attribute to malice events more properly attributed to corporate greed." --Me, March 28th, 2000 ------------------------------ From: langlo6@ibm.net Subject: Re: Grammar to Play Prerecorded Voice Prompts Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 03:38:55 GMT Organization: Global Network Services - Remote Access Mail & News Services On Wed, 5 Apr 2000 17:14:33 -0400, Balaji Sundara wrote: > I am looking for resources which describe the following: > For example: > I need to play 1200.56 (a currency amount) in let's say American English > 1. I have pre-recorded prompts for > one > thousand > two > hundred > fifty > six > dollars > cents > and > 2. If I wanted my application to play the amount in American English > it would dynamically (based on rules) say > "one thousand two hundred dollars and fifty six cents" > > I want to find out if there is a standard grammar to describe this in > English and other languages. Don't know if this is any help, but my bank (Bank of Montreal) uses such a system when I pay by bills by telephone. The normal sequence of events in the bill payment process is: 1. use the touchpad to select the account I want to pay (up to 6 accounts are selectable. If more than 6 are registered, pressing "9" takes me to the next 6, etc.) 2. enter the amount I want to pay using the touchpad. 3. the system repeats back to me the amount I want to pay. 4. I press a key to agree to payment. The system always replies using a dollar/cent format you describe. Regards, David Langlois Ottawa, Canada ------------------------------ Reply-To: Phone Tech From: Phone Tech Subject: Re: Erlang Equations? Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000 10:36:13 +0800 Hi, The best source I have seen by far is at http://www.iinet.net/~clark The Equations document available from there has all you need and more. Some texts just show (eg) the equation for the distribution or the probability function. If that is all you need - OK. But if you want to go further and calculate queue sizes, delay probabilities, required agents etc., this has it all. Hope this helps. Watch Meister wrote in message news:telecom20.51.6@telecom-digest.org... > Hi, > > Can anyone recommend a good place to find detailed 'Erlang' equations. I > am interested in a number of models including: > Erlang B > Erlang C > Engset > Binomial > Thanks in advance. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 14:17:46 PDT From: Mike Pollock Subject: Looking for Porn? Ask Chad Porn sites are taking unwitting Internet surfers on an expensive ride to the African nation of Chad. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/pornsites_000407.html ------------------------------ From: Philip Tait Subject: Re: Telemarketer Stopper that works Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 14:33:20 -0700 Organization: Honeywell - Phoenix, AZ Bill Garfield wrote: > Well, in response to my inquiry Mike Sandman has done it. His latest > little black box, called the "Telemarketer Stopper" does exactly what > I was needing and is line powered. Best of all it's reasonably > inexpensive at $25.95. (in lots of 3 or more they're $24.95 each) The price went up since you last checked: $34.95 Philip J. Tait.....Honeywell, Phoenix, Az.....pjt@phxase.allied.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #56 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Apr 8 20:50:03 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id UAA07128; Sat, 8 Apr 2000 20:50:03 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000 20:50:03 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004090050.UAA07128@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #57 TELECOM Digest Sat, 8 Apr 2000 20:50:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 57 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson 4/7 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines (Judith Oppenheimer) Re: Telemarketer Stopper that works (Michael Will) Re: Telemarketer Stopper that works (W.D. Geary) Re: Telemarketer Stopper that works (John Nagle) Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted (Carl Knoblock) Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges (Marcus AAkesson) Re: Priority Routing in Telecom Switches (Bill Horne) Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" (Steve Sobol) Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest (Terry Knab) Protecting Ourselves ... Dialing Plan Configuration ("Jim Cheshire") Those White House Phone Records (Esan David) Collect Call Procedure (Leo) Re: "Art" Imitates Life in the MCI/Worldcom Outage? (Terry Knab) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Judith Oppenheimer Subject: 4/7 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 23:47:18 -0400 ************************************************************************* ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************* ISSUE WATCH covers important matters pending resolution. Current focus: [Updated] P - SNAC to address SMS/800 performance problems; new SMS/800 software release reviewed SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1407 P - INC AUDIT WORKSHOP ACTIVITY TO DATE SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1405 P - ICANN seeks public comment on Famous Marks and gTLDs SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1393 [Pending] P - Roll-out of new toll free codes 866 and 855 is delayed SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1186 P - Vapor-constituency: ICANN At Large Membership ... SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1224 P - ICANN called on the carpet by the three Regional Internet Registries SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1134 F - Do No Harm: Reform the Domain Dispute System SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1294 F - CyberHQ - THE NEW IMPERIALISM SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=558 ************************************************************************* THINKING OUT LOUD ... According to "How Many Domain Names Do People Register?" (see .COM MISCELLANY: Domain Name Trivia, http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1410) fewer than 1% of domain name registrants purchase "cybersquatter"-level quantities of domain names. We know that many of those high-volume registrants in that fewer-than-1% category, are trademark-owning large corporations. Which means the career "cybersquatter" element so hysterically, repeatedly denounced by trademark owners in the press and to Congress and ICANN, is a mere fraction of that fewer-than-1% of people purchasing domain names. Ergo, is the trademark lobby not getting far too much policy attention and preference, relative to this truly insignificant sliver of potential conflict, which it can well afford at that, to defend? Me thinks they dost protest too much ... and policy, protect too much ... ************************************************************************* HEADLINES FOR APRIL 7, 2000 F - CYBERSPACE: CORPORATE ID NEEDED? A proposal moving through the U.S. House of Representatives could make it illegal to use information that used to flow freely, by restricting how information about the world can be collected and stored in databases, such as a phone book. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1408 F - DOMAIN NAME TRIVIA The average domain length in 1999 was 11 characters ... The average income of domain name purchasers is $35,000-75,000 ... CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1410 F - TELSURF PARTNERS FOR CANADIAN PENETRATION DapaSoft will take an equity position in TelSurf Networks and become TelSurf's hosting partner for 888-TelSurf in Canada. DapaSoft will also represent TelSurf in the Canadian business-to-business audio-browser market segment in Canada, promoting TelSurf Networks' Application Service Provider (ASP) offering, TelService(TM), to companies throughout the country. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1412 F - JACKPOT GTLD: .TV? This isn't the first time Tuvalu has tried to profit from its technological resources. In the 1990s, it struck a deal to let a Hong Kong company use some of its phone numbers for a 900-number business. But officials in the Christian nation moved to cancel the $1.2-million-a-year contract after they discovered that the numbers were being used for phone sex lines. Hmmm, there's no sex on the internet ... CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1414 ************************************************************************* >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. When success is the only option. >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 7, 2000 P - DOT COM INDEX PROFILES US INTERNET GROWTH San Francisco Metro area holds onto its lead as the hot bed of the Internet, ranking first in Metro areas on a per capita basis. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1409 F - IN SPAIN, CYBERHQ RULES The Development Ministry will become the new authority on domain name registration, coordinating the process with Spain's Trade Registry and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1411 P - COMMERCE EXTENDS COMMENTS PERIOD ... regarding domain disputes involving personal names … CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1413 P - FCC OPENING MEETING CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1415 **************************************************advertisements********* Haven't time to search? Get targeted telecom news every week from the source. Put 'subscribe Pipe' in the subject line and reply to: telecom_e_clips@hotmail.com. ************************************************************************* Do a friend a favor - suggest ICB ... Click Here to Recommend-It(r) http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=118920 ************************************************************************* That's a Great Name for a Web Site! Get instant Internet brand recognition for your company by securing a premier domain name. Now is the time, as the most sought after web addresses are auctioned to the highest bidder. Coming to auction: >>>>>>> iApplyNow.com, eTOLLFREE.com & iTOLLFREE.com <<<<<<<< To request a bid package call Monte Cahn at 954-782-5426. ************************************************************************* Read TOLLFREE-L online at http://www.egroups.com/group/tollfree-l/info.html ************************************************************************* One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com ************************************************************************* Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. ************************************************************************* Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ From: Michael Will Subject: Re: Telemarketer Stopper That Works Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 14:29:49 GMT Organization: RoadRunner - TampaBay Bill Garfield wrote: > The unit has two RJ11 jacks and so can be placed inline with any phone > or answering machine or you can install the unit at the common entry > point in line with all your phones and any one of them going off hook > to ANSWER an incoming call will trigger the tone. Am I wrong, or are these telemarketers missing the concept? Wouldn't a smart one (oxymoron?) only check for SIT prior to supervision? Michael ------------------------------ From: wdg@hal-pc.org Subject: Re: Telemarketer Stopper That Works Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 09:39:23 -0500 Organization: You only wish you were this organized On Fri, 07 Apr 2000 14:33:20 -0700, in comp.dcom.telecom Philip Tait wrote: > The price went up since you last checked: $34.95 Interesting. You're right, the web page has it listed now at $34.95 (+S&H). However, in their latest catalog (received it this past Wednesday) it is listed there at $25.95, 3 @ 24.95 and 10 @ 23.50. Also the invoice accompanying the shipment (dated 04/03/00) has 'em at this price. If the price has gone up, then the increase must have occurred this week. I would call them (they don't appear to sell over the Net anyway) and get confirmation. (1-630-980-7710) But you know, even at $34.95, or for that matter $44.95, I would buy one because the bottom line is the thing works. I have yet to set a ceiling price that I would call "too much to pay" for -any- product that is so effective in getting rid of the dang telemarketers. S.I.T. tone seems to be "the magic bullet" however you can get it, whether you record it on your answering machine greeting or you buy Mike's gizmo and attach it to your phone(s). In our case, we took back control of our lives with the 'answering machine plus S.I.T. trick' (before Mike Sandman had the Telemarketer Stopper available). The approach was to record SIT tone ahead of the greeting and set the 'machine' to answer on first ring between 5 & 8 pm. However, as anyone else who has done it can attest, getting SIT tone recorded on the machine was in itself a chore, so Mike's gizmo would certainly have been the preferred method. ------------------------------ From: John Nagle Organization: Animats Subject: Re: Telemarketer Stopper That Works Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 10:45:25 -0700 Bill Garfield wrote: .... > I had long known the utility of SIT tone in being able to "convince" > the automated predictive dialers that they had dialed an out of > service number and get them to go away. I even had SIT tone recorded > as the lead-in to the greeting on my answering machine. Just don't answer "Hello". Predictive dialers distinguish answering machines from live callers by whether they say something that sounds roughly like "Hello". If you answer with your name, most predictive dialers will hang up. This is for real. See the spec sheet for a popular predictive dialer at http://www.simplesimon.com/Files/CobraSpec6.pdf John Nagle ------------------------------ From: Carl Knoblock Organization: Apple II Forever Subject: Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 07:24:00 GMT Administrator wrote: > Do you happen to have a working database for the area codes in > relation to their zip codes? One in Access or CGI scripting (or any > other format for that matter) would be great. Since Area codes and Zip codes serve totally unrelated purposes, the only thing they have in common is geography. And except at state lines and major rivers, they rarely share the same border lines. So there would be a small but growing subset of Zip codes that would appear in two or more Numbering Plan Areas (The proper name for Area Codes.) Carl G. Knoblock Telephone Tech ------------------------------ From: Marcus AAkesson Subject: Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 20:50:46 +0200 Organization: Chalmers University of Technology On Sat, 01 Apr 2000 17:16:18 -0500, Fred Goldstein wrote: > CPP operates rather like a collect call. The rate is NOT set by the > caller's carrier, but by the called carrier. It is indeed > "bastardized" but that is exactly how collect calls have worked since > time immemorial, or at least since there has been competition. Thus > the caller's carrier has no say at all. Yes, it is silly. That is _not_ how it works in a competitive CPP environment. Every carrier negotiates his termination tariffs and bills his users based on that, in a multitude of different price structures. To call my mobile from my land-line, I can choose from 46 different price structures/operators where the cheapest is 51% under the most expensive. http://hem.passagen.se/rogue5/mobil.htm > In the USA, any old carrier, AOS or "information provider" is allowed > to pay LECs for billing services. That's how the 900-call business > works; again the originator's carrier has no say over the price. CPP > is very much like 900 service. The fact that the rest of the planet > uses it doesn't make it right, at least for the USA; I think for once > the USA got the right model (cellular subscriber pays for their own > convenience). This "convenience" always shows up in the CPP debate. What convenience? During a working day, I'm not playing golf, I'm working. If I'm not at the office, I'm out on an important meeting or such. If someone needs to reach me immediately, how is it my convenience? If it's not so important, he can leave a message at the office, or send an email. And, You also have a choice. If I want to make it easy to reach me, i just forward my office number to my mobile, and eat the charges. After hours, they can pay if they want me anyways. Marcus AAkesson marcus.akesson@NO_SPAM_PLEASE_home.se Gothenburg Callsigns: SM6XFN & SB4779 Sweden >>>>>> Keep the world clean - no HTML in news or mail ! <<<<<< ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 20:13:30 -0400 From: Bill Horne Subject: Re: Priority Routing in Telecom Switches Organization: Global Network Services - Remote Access Mail & News Services Krishna Prasad wrote: > Can you help in finding out a way to put quiries in user group. > I would like to know details about "Priority Routing " in telecom > switches. > Arun, They isn't any unless you look at Military switches. Civilian switches are equipped for *DIAL TONE* priority, which allows certain classes of line to get dial tone before others when there's a crunch, i.e., during "mass calling" events, but the civilian network is not, and never has been, equipped for priority routing. Once a customer dials a call, he falls into the same routing pool as every other user. This may not seem to apply to private networks, and some of the more exotic centrex classes, but even there the principle is the same: all users that have access to a given path have an equal shot at it. HTH. Bill Horne (Remove ".nouce" from address for direct replies. Sorry.) ------------------------------ From: sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.Net (Steve Sobol) Subject: Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" Date: 8 Apr 2000 15:41:42 GMT Organization: New Age Consulting Service Inc., Cleveland, OH, USA From 'Mike Castle': > In article , > Tony Pelliccio wrote: >> Verizon? I suppose Veriphone was already taken, or that they just >> couldn't buy it. > Well, VeriFone is a pretty big company. Many (most?) credit card boxes > around are made by VeriFone (pay attention next time you're shopping, > especially if the box is like a 4"x4" square and gray). Not to mention which, VeriFone is getting pretty heavily involved in e-commerce too ... North Shore Technologies, Cleveland, OH http://NorthShoreTechnologies.net sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.net - 888.480.4NET - 216.619.2NET "Never attribute to malice events more properly attributed to corporate greed." --Me, March 28th, 2000 ------------------------------ From: tknab@nyx.net (Terry Knab) Subject: Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest Organization: The Home Office Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 17:34:42 GMT Scott D. Fybush wrote: > As a consumer, my bias is towards the company that's been doing this > for 100+ years over the brand-new upstart -- but how can I tell > them apart when the old-line business is now "Verizon"? Ask those of us who had one of the Bells that became US Worst (er..West), or Ameritech, neither of which had the Bell Name in them. Terry E. Knab News/Acting System Administrator Nyx Public Access Unix ------------------------------ From: Jim Cheshire Subject: Protecting Ourselves ... Dialing Plan Configuration Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 22:59:57 GMT Organization: Global Online Japan I have searched the FAQs but could not find a listing on this topic. We want to configure our dialing plan in our phone system to prevent outbound calls being placed to NANP numbers that generate expensive toll calling. For example, I have heard that some NANP numbers in the Carribean operate like 900 numbers. When someone calls that number, they are billed additional charges above and beyond the normal LD rates. Is there a list of NPA/NXX exchanges that should be configured as restricted dialing destinations? Where can I find this information? Thanks, Jim Cheshire ------------------------------ From: Esan David Subject: Those White House Phone Records Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 10:02:11 -0400 Randy Hayes writes: > With officials indicating they cannot track long distance calls, I > wonder how they would respond to the story printed in TELECOM Digest, > Reuters, and other locations regarding the Sergeant assigned to the > White House Communications Agency who was arrested for giving out a > long distance authorization code supposedly for the White House? Did > that auth code not give them the ability to document the 9,400 calls > "worth $50,000 to the federal government?" Otherwise, how did they > track the calls? In addition, most call accounting systems attached > to PBXs can provide the originating extension number, even if auth > codes are used to actually track the LD usage. Combine the two > stories, and one's got more holes than Swiss cheese Did you know that the Swiss are having problems making the holes in their cheese? Seems that the holes come from bacteria and their dairies are now so clean that the cheese has fewer and smaller holes. They are adding bacteria to make "real" Swiss cheese. I can see a reconciliation between the two stories that is not very far fetched. The White House may not feel the need to keep the Call Detail Records. After all, there are a lot of calls, many have security issues attached to them (either political or national), and who is going to review the calls. And given that the cost of call anywhere in the US on the White House FTS2000 is a very low flat rate, you aren't going to be chasing minor telephone abuse. If staffer X calls Mom for 10 minutes on the White house phone, he may have just cost the country 10 cents. Not enough to get upset about. On the other hand, if staffer X, who is supposed to be filing papers, has spent 20 hours a week on the phone, someone needs to counsel him/her about abusing privileges. If I were the director of the White House telephone office, I don't think that I would look at the records, but at summary reports by auth code. David Esan Product Manager 3750 Monroe Avenue desan@veramark.com Pittsford, NY 14534 USA Voice: 1-716-381-6000 x6541 Fax: 1-716-383-6800 ------------------------------ From: Leo Subject: Collect Call Procedure Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 14:15:25 +0700 Organization: Siemens AG,(Hofmannstr) Munich-Germany-Europe. Hi, I was browsing the Internet to find any document covering CollectCall procedure (technical and legal). I only found some very general info from ITU rec. Does anyone has something comperehensive for me as a reading reference?? Thanks in advance and best regrads, Leo Nukegalih ------------------------------ From: tknab@nyx.net (Terry Knab) Subject: Re: "Art" Imitates Life in the MCI/Worldcom Outage? Organization: The Home Office Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 17:38:48 GMT Steve Sobol wrote: >> From 'Carl Moore': >> Several months ago, you noted Wile E. (Coyote, obviously from the >> Coyote & Roadrunner cartoons, from Warner Brothers) and "Acme". >> chain based near Philadelphia! I'm well aware of it, having grown up >> in northern Delaware and seeing Acme Markets as far away as >> northeastern Maryland. > The Albrecht Company, headquartered down in Akron, also runs a local > chain of grocery stores named Acme. And here in St. Joseph, MO, we have a vending co. called Acme. (As well as a major owner of TV stations affiliated with the WB, ACME too :) Terry E. Knab News/Acting System Administrator Nyx Public Access Unix ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #57 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Apr 9 17:05:10 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id RAA11457; Sun, 9 Apr 2000 17:05:10 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 17:05:10 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004092105.RAA11457@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #58 TELECOM Digest Sun, 9 Apr 2000 17:05:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 58 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson When a Free Service Has a Big Hook in it (freeservices@workbench.net) ICANN be Annoyed at This (Justa Lurker) Re: Those White House Phone Records (Randy Hayes) You've Got Inappropriate Mail (Monty Solomon) Legality of 'Deep Linking' Remains Deeply Complicated (Monty Solomon) Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest (Jay Hennigan) Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest (Jeff W. McKeough) Interactive Telecom Network Inc. (John Delaney) Your Web Site (Basictwmnd@aol.com) Re: Collect Call Procedure (Jerry Harder) Re: 3.4 Ghz to 3.6 Ghz - International Activity (Marcus Aakesson) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------------------------------------------- From: freeservices@workbench.net Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 02:29:12 -0400 Subject: When a Free Service Has a Big Hook in It Greetings. This is a consumer alert of sorts ... I have a web page that features free Internet services (at http://freeservices.uni.cc/) and one of the services that I have listed is called freeXDSL. On their front page (located at http://www.freexdsl.com/), they make a very attractive offer: "freeXDSL" Service provides high-speed Internet access for your home or office -- up to 200 times faster than traditional 28.8 modem speeds. ... and by the way, did we mention that it's totally FREE?" Sounds like a great deal, right? But it turns out there's a pretty sharp hook in this offer that might catch the unwary. Tonight I received an e-mail from a visitor to my page, that pointed out something I was not aware of about this company, namely that once you sign up for their service, if they cancel your service (for a violation of their Acceptable Use Policy, or failure to comply with their terms of service agreement) or if YOU cancel your service (for ANY reason), and it has been less than FIVE YEARS since you first started to receive service from them, you would be on the hook to them for FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!! That is not exactly what I would expect from a company that advertises a service as "totally free" - and note that this is buried in section 22 of their terms of service agreement (which you can view at http://www.freexdsl.com/agreement.html). The agreement does tell you right at the top to read it carefully, however most people probably are not going to wade through 28 sections of legalese (something that this company was perhaps counting on???), especially when they think they are getting a "totally free" service. The section in question reads as follows (this is how it was sent to me by the visitor to my page, if your e-mail reader supports styled text you will see that he emphasized certain words - this emphasis is NOT in the original text on the web site): [This is found in section 22.0 - TERMINATION] "SMART may suspend or terminate MEMBER'S account for freeXDSLTM SERVICE at any time for any reason including but not limited to failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or any SMART policy. If terminated by SMART for a violation by MEMBER of SMART'S AUP or MEMBER'S failure to comply with this Agreement, or if terminated by MEMBER for any reason after the seventh day following MEMBER'S execution of this Agreement, such execution by MEMBER completing registration for freeXDSL(TM) SERVICE, but before the fifth anniversary of the implementation of MEMBER'S freeXDSLTM SERVICE, MEMBER agrees to pay to SMART as liquidated damages Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) to offset SMART'S expense of allocating service, bandwidth, hardware, or human resources to process the order, arrange for service, or to provide freeXDSLTM service to MEMBER, excluding any termination by MEMBER if SMART were to cease providing freeXDSLTM SERVICE with no monthly fees, in which case MEMBER would have the right to cancel service with no liability to SMART for termination." I can understand that they don't want people to sign up and then two months later simply decide to drop the service, however this seems pretty steep and the time is definitely excessive in our mobile society. How many people can really say with any certainty where they will be living five years from now? They don't offer any exception if you move (as far as I can tell, there is nothing in that agreement about transferring service to a new address), if you are hospitalized for an extended period or even if you die! There are other interesting provisions in this agreement, too. For example, you give them authority to provide your local or long distance telephone, or cable TV service if they are authorized to do so. That might not mean much now, but who's to say that in two or three years your local or long distance phone service won't suddenly be switched? (Mind you, if they try this in Michigan, they will quickly rack up substantial fines under our new anti-slamming law, unless they use an approved method of verification). Those of you with more of a legal background may see other problems there as well. Now the funny part is, I remember looking at this agreement a few months ago (I think my son asked me about it) and I do NOT recall any mention of this $500 at that time. Which brings up a major problem with web-based agreements -- the company can change the agreement at any time and unless you had enough foresight to make a copy, you have no way to prove what it originally said. And many people don't even know how to make a copy of a Web page! Of course, there is also a problem for them -- they have no physical signature and anyone can fill in a web form using someone else's name and information. I would certainly hope that they would get some additional verification before making any changes to someone's phone service. To me this seems like something that has the potential to cause a lot of problems for many consumers who think they are simply signing up to get free high-speed Internet access. They ought to at least highlight that $500 business in bright red, or make it the first thing at the top of the agreement (or both), and also put something right on the signup page (maybe a line such as "$500 penalty for early cancellation, be sure to read the terms of service agreement!"). How many people are forced to move unexpectedly? It happened to me when my ex-wife divorced me, it's happened to others when flood or fire consumed their home, or they've had a serious accident or medical problems, or the company they work for transfers them, or any number of other reasons. Few people can say with anything approaching certainty where they will be in five years. Anyway, it seems to me that any company that advertises a service as "free" on their home page also ought to put a disclaimer on their home page if it has the potential to not really be free. And I also think that when people are required to indicate agreement with some document, it ought to be written in plain English, and once they sign up, a copy should be e-mailed to them and they should be required to send a return e-mail that again indicates acceptance before they are bound by it. This way, if they save their e-mail, they at least have a copy of exactly what they agreed to, as well as one more opportunity to bail out if they don't like the terms presented. If you think that this is a raw deal for the consumer, as I do, perhaps you might want to help get a warning out on this. I have not spoken to any company representatives (it's Saturday night, and I'm not a reporter) so if you want to get their side of this first, it probably would not be a bad idea, and actually I'd be interested in hearing how they can possibly rationalize this. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 04:03:00 -0700 From: /dev/null@.com (Justa Lurker) Subject: ICANN be Annoyed at This Organization: Anonymous People Reply-To: jlurker@bigfoot.com (Reply to the digest please) Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 10:55:31 GMT For your consideration: A quote from http://www.bulkregister.com/disputepolicy.html: b. Evidence of Registration and Use in Bad Faith. (i) circumstances indicating that you have registered or you have acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling, renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name registration to the complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service mark or to a competitor of that complainant, for valuable consideration in excess of your documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain name; A snip from their whois on one of the domains they administer: (domain removed to protect a potential user) [whois.alabanza.com] DomainCollection.com (____-COM-DOM) FOR SALE by www.DomainCollection.com FAX 305-463-9709, FL 33172 US Domain Name: ____.COM Administrative Contact: Domain Sales (DS7-BR) DomainSales@DomainCollection.com Phone- 305-914-4642 Fax- 305-470-9353 Technical Contact: Domains Hostmaster (DH1-BR) Hostmaster@DomainCollection.net Phone- 305-914-4642 Fax- 305-470-9353 Billing Contact: Billing Department (BD2-BR) Billing@DomainCollection.com Phone- 305-914-4642 Fax- 305-470-9353 Record updated on 2000-03-26. Record created on 2000-03-26. Database last updated on 2000-04-09 02:38:52 EST. Domain servers in listed order: NS3.THIS-DOMAIN-IS-FOR-SALE.COM 207.252.38.215 NS1.TO-BUY-THIS-DOMAIN-FAX-305-463-9709.COM 207.252.38.214 NS2.EMAILUS-DOMAINSALESATDOMAINCOLLECTION.COM 207.252.38.216 Also: "DomainCollection strives to obey all applicable laws regarding the registration and use of domain names. We also adhere to the policies established by ICANN for domain name registration." Considering that BulkRegister offers to register domains at $10 each if you register 2000 or more domains a month, I'd say that their system is wide open for speculation. (sigh) I miss the days of InterNIC.Net , when domains were free and yet still controlled. Justa Lurker ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 11:03:24 -0500 From: Randy Hayes Subject: Re: Those White House Phone Records David Esan wrote: > I can see a reconciliation between the two stories ... the White > House may not feel the need to keep the call detail records ... I > don't think I'd look at the records, I'd look at the summary reports > by auth code. The point is, to have summary reports you must first have collected the call data. Your point is well taken that in reviewing call records, one often begins by reviewing summary information from various reports, then "drills-down" if a closer look is needed. Rarely in a large environment would anyone review call records line-by-line unless something suspicious leads them to do so. Most telecom managers retain a certain number of months (or even years if necessary) of the raw call data on electronic storage media (excluding those types of calls, ie., internal, local, etc. in a month-end or similar process if the point is mainly to track long distance calls/cost). So, while records may not be read in totality each month, the raw data can usually be accessed very quickly. In addition, if sensitivity of the data was the rationale for retaining or deleting information including call records, virtually no records of any kind would be kept by the White House, given the nature of the business, so that explanation really doesn't fit ... In the case of the Sargeant accused of toll fraud via the White House, for the calls, minutes, and cost to have been documented, the raw call data almost certainly was used, as they tracked-down some of the people who used the long distance authorization codes via the called numbers, etc. (offering them immunity to testify). So, for someone else to indicate in another issue that call records are not collected and/or retained, it just doesn't fit. Randal J. Hayes randal.hayes@uni.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 13:04:27 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: You've Got Inappropriate Mail Monitoring of Office E-Mail Is Increasing By LISA GUERNSEY Andrew Quinn, a systems manager at a toy company near Montreal, is starting to learn more about his fellow employees than he had ever wanted to know. He has found that one co-worker has a penchant for herbal remedies, another likes jokes about women drivers and another checks the lottery numbers each morning. http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/biztech/articles/05mail.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 12:31:59 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Legality of 'Deep Linking' Remains Deeply Complicated By CARL S. KAPLAN Legality of 'Deep Linking' Remains Deeply Complicated When a federal judge issued a decision last week in a case involving "deep linking," many reports suggested that the controversial Internet practice was now unambiguously legal. But the story is more complex than that. In fact, deep linking -- the practice of linking to a page deep inside another Web site, bypassing its home page -- still appears to be in legal limbo. http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/cyber/cyberlaw/07law.html ------------------------------ From: jay@west.net (Jay Hennigan) Subject: Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest Organization: Disgruntled Postal Workers Against Gun Control Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 04:43:22 GMT On Wed, 05 Apr 2000 09:58:46 -0400, Fred Goldstein wrote: > Ditching years of brand equity built up in the shared "Bell" trademark > which it acquired when it was spun off of AT&T, Bell Titanic's branding > company (anybody know which one they used?) came up with the toe-tapping > "Verizon". (At least it doesn't end in -ent! *Somebody* must have known about it in advance. Look what was registered in anticipation, way back on November 11, 1999: Registrant: WILSON, CHRIS (VERIZONSUCKS-DOM) 555 12ST NW D.C, WA 20004 US Domain Name: VERIZONSUCKS.COM Record last updated on 11-Nov-1999. Record created on 11-Nov-1999. Database last updated on 8-Apr-2000 13:33:35 EDT. GeekTools WHOIS Proxy v2.2.2 Jay Hennigan - Network Administration - jay@west.net NetLojix Communications, Inc. NASDAQ: NETX - http://www.netlojix.com/ WestNet: Connecting you to the planet. 805 884-6323 ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest Organization: The Committee for the Advancement of the Amusement of Ned From: jwm@spdcc.com (Jeffrey William McKeough) Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 03:43:33 GMT In article , Terry Knab wrote: > Scott D. Fybush wrote: >> As a consumer, my bias is towards the company that's been doing this >> for 100+ years over the brand-new upstart -- but how can I tell >> them apart when the old-line business is now "Verizon"? > Ask those of us who had one of the Bells that became US Worst (er..West), or > Ameritech, neither of which had the Bell Name in them. And neither NYNEX nor its predecessor BOCs had the Bell name. Jeffrey William McKeough I'm gonna tell you a story I'm gonna tell you about my town jwm@spdcc.com I'm gonna tell you a big bad story, baby (or spdcc.net if that bounces) Aww, it's all about my town ------------------------------ From: John Delaney Subject: Interactive Telecom Network Inc. Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 15:56:47 -0700 I wish to get in contact with someone at Interactive Telecom Network Inc; they are situated at 15303 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks Ca 91403. If this is not their address it is the address of their bank (Imperial Bank). I need an email address for them. They have sent me a cheque as a refund = on a purchase but I have a problem with processing in Australia. Can you help. John Delaney ------------------------------ From: Basictwmnd@aol.com Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000 19:16:11 EDT Subject: Your Web Site I am a telecom / PBX tech and I was just searching for some minor info on an old Stromberg Carlson PBX (which is currently called or goes by the name of Digital Voice Corp. and it's now called DBX [Digital BX]) and whilst searching I saw your site on the search engine, dropped by and have had a smile on my face ever since. What a riot. You have accumulated some absolutely great stuff and links. Just looking and reminiscing over some of the old stuff I used install and service just cracked me up in relation to what I do today. Too Funny. Great Job and I'm going to be sure to tell some of my current cohorts about your site. I'm sure the young ones whom only know single pair Norstar and Meridian will find it overwhelming and say something like "Geez... I coulda never done that!" To which I have to retort "No Kiddin!" Great Stuff - Great Site! Thank You, mnd ------------------------------ From: Jerry Harder Subject: Re: Collect Call Procedure Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 04:09:36 GMT Organization: @Home Network Leo wrote in message news:telecom20.57.12@telecom-digest.org: > I was browsing the Internet to find any document covering CollectCall > procedure (technical and legal). I only found some very general info > from ITU rec. > Does anyone has something comperehensive for me as a reading > reference?? See http://cpr.bst.bellsouth.com/ for typical tariff materials. Ameritech and US West also have their tariffs online. You might want to check with one of the major long distance carriers to gain an understanding of their tariffs on Collect Calls. Once the Collect Party is contacted and gives permission, the call proceeds much as any other Operator Assisted call. Good luck, Jerry Harder remove spamnein from address to reply ------------------------------ From: Marcus AAkesson Subject: Re: 3.4 GHz to 3.6 GHz - International Activity Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 19:52:10 +0200 Organization: Chalmers University of Technology On Wed, 5 Apr 2000 07:19:00 -0400, D. E. 'Omar' Jennings wrote: > Is Japan setting aside 3.4 GHz to 3.6 GHz for point to multipoint or > anything ? How about other countries? In Norway the licenses are sold, and equipment is being set up right now. Iceland is also operative, and Denmark will follow soon with licensing this year probably. Finland have also , as far as I remember, distributed the licenses. Sweden is indecisive. Tele2 has a license in the UK. All this is for point-to-multipoint in the general 3,5 GHz region, but the exact frequencies may vary. Marcus AAkesson marcus.akesson@NO_SPAM_PLEASE_home.se Gothenburg Callsigns: SM6XFN & SB4779 Sweden >>>>>> Keep the world clean - no HTML in news or mail ! <<<<<< ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #58 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Apr 10 00:41:05 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id AAA26100; Mon, 10 Apr 2000 00:41:05 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 00:41:05 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004100441.AAA26100@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #59 TELECOM Digest Mon, 10 Apr 2000 00:41:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 59 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: When a Free Service Has a Big Hook in It (Michael Maxfield) Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail (J.F. Mezei) Are They Following Me? (Clarence Dold) Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest (Roy Smith) Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest (Martin Hannigan) Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest (Tom Betz) Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" (Tony Pelliccio) Re: Telemarketer Stopper That Works (Clarence Dold) Re: Dial Tone Timer? (Julian Thomas) Re: Priority Routing in Telecom Switches (73115.1041@compuserve.com) Re: Priority Routing in Telecom Switches (J.F. Mezei) Battling Censorware (Monty Solomon) Web Privacy Group to Offer a Seal of Approval (Monty Solomon) Seeking Employment Test (John Werner) Digital Signatures a Threat to Privacy? (Monty Solomon) Real Screaming Over Streaming (Monty Solomon) Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges (Craig Macbride) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. 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Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as PPPPPPpyourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 19:45:43 -0700 Subject: Re: When a Free Service Has a Big Hook in It Organization: Minimal From: tweek@io.com (Michael Maxfield) In article , wrote: > Greetings. This is a consumer alert of sorts ... I have a web page > that features free Internet services (at http://freeservices.uni.cc/) > and one of the services that I have listed is called freeXDSL. On > their front page (located at http://www.freexdsl.com/), they make a > very attractive offer: "freeXDSL™ Service provides high-speed [SNIP!] [Free to come, pay to leave.] That's a Gotcha! That I read about some time back on a web site which compares DSL services (?? dsl.com? dslreport.com?). I certainly question how many folks are going to be wanting to continue service with them, as I tried out their free dialup service for a day (the dialup service is freewwweb.com) and it litterally took 15 minutes to completely download their "home.freewwweb.com" ... not that it was anything large ... they just had sucky bandwidth out to the net where *their* homepage sat (off site). Having a superfast XDSL link to their backbone doesn't seem to me to be that smart a move if they use the same backbone. The nice thing about their Freewwweb service which got me to give it a shot was that they don't require you to run any special software. All you need to do is set your browser homepage in your settings to their home.freewwweb.com page. That is not the case with their free XDSL service though, where they require you to run blipvert[1] software. [1] Ugh, my use of a word from Max Headroom ... software which is capable of doing and seeing, who knows what, with and about your internet habits and spamming you with ads windows. > Internet access for your home or office -- up to 200 times faster than > traditional 28.8 modem speeds. I had less than 75 bps over my 56k through their freewwweb dialup. There's another company which was supposed to move from the promotional phase into the active phase on the first of this month (and judging from the amount they must have spent on radio ads, it wasn't an April Fools joke). FreeDSL (no "x") was (is?) requiring the users to buy the equipment for their end (appx $100 +) but that appeared to be the only hitch. I'm waiting to hear the stories of those who joined that service. (Freedsl caused some anger about the net by offering free dsl modems to those who sent 10 referals ... so as usual, the newbie idiots start spaming the net trying to get others to use their referral ID.) ------------------------------ From: JF Mezei Subject: Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 22:11:51 -0400 Monty Solomon wrote: > Monitoring of Office E-Mail Is Increasing > http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/biztech/articles/05mail.html In that article (and a few others I have read on the subject) there is mention of employees "spending hours" on a web site. Just how do they monitor how much time an employee spends on a web site ? I find it very hard to grasp how one can capture accounting information on how much time is spent on a web site (from a client point of view, not the web site server). What happens if I point the beowser to www.sextoys.com giggle for 30 seconds and then switch to WORD or EXCELL or whatever other program without stopping Netscape? Does this mean that I am still "logged in" to that www.sextoys.com from the employer's point of view? Either I really do not understand the concept of HTTP requests, or I fail to understand how companies monitor how much time is being spent on a particular web site by an employee. Can anyone explain what techniques/data is used to derive such numbers? ------------------------------ From: Clarence Dold Subject: Are They Following Me? Date: 9 Apr 2000 21:40:23 GMT Organization: a2i network Reply-To: dold@rahul.net Maybe this has been discussed before... If I use the "Go Express" search engine, I get good rsults, but all of the subsequent clicking comes wrapped in a go.com window, leading me to believe they either are, or could, be monitoring my site visits. That's okay ... in part because it is so obvious. But I'm worried about "homestead.com" They offer free web sites. A friend has a site there. When I look at the html source generated for his web page, I see (I've stuck in some . so this will show up as text.) What this might say to me is that I have just loaded a dll from their site, called "track". Might this track, or do whatever a dll might do, until I leave my browser, or reboot? Clarence A Dold - dold@rahul.net - Pope Valley & Napa CA. ------------------------------ From: Roy Smith Subject: Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest Organization: New York University School of Medicine Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 20:53:28 -0400 jay@west.net (Jay Hennigan) wrote: > *Somebody* must have known about it in advance. Look what was > registered in anticipation, way back on November 11, 1999: > Registrant: > WILSON, CHRIS (VERIZONSUCKS-DOM) > 555 12ST NW > D.C, WA 20004 > US I would assume that the picking of a name for a company as large as BA/GTE is a process that goes on for many months, and begins with a large number of candidate names which are reviewed, tried out in focus groups, thought about, etc. I'm sure as soon as a potential name gets thought of, it is registered, along with a variety of uncomplementary variants such as XXXsucks, in self defense. ------------------------------ From: hannigan@clue-store.fugawi.net (Martin Hannigan) Subject: Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest Date: 9 Apr 2000 21:17:05 GMT Reply-To: hannigan@fugawi.net WHASUUUUUP! On Sun, 09 Apr 2000 04:43:22 GMT, Jay Hennigan a wrote: > On Wed, 05 Apr 2000 09:58:46 -0400, Fred Goldstein > wrote: >> Ditching years of brand equity built up in the shared "Bell" trademark >> which it acquired when it was spun off of AT&T, Bell Titanic's branding >> company (anybody know which one they used?) came up with the toe-tapping >> "Verizon". (At least it doesn't end in -ent! > *Somebody* must have known about it in advance. Look what was > registered in anticipation, way back on November 11, 1999: > Registrant: > WILSON, CHRIS (VERIZONSUCKS-DOM) > 555 12ST NW > D.C, WA 20004 > US > Domain Name: VERIZONSUCKS.COM > > Record last updated on 11-Nov-1999. > Record created on 11-Nov-1999. > Database last updated on 8-Apr-2000 13:33:35 EDT. > GeekTools WHOIS Proxy v2.2.2 That's funny. But did you ever see how Akamai did it? Go dig on Akamai at NetSol and check it out. :) -M ------------------------------ From: tbetz@panix.com (Tom Betz) Subject: Re: Verizontal Marks End of "Name That Domain" Contest Date: 9 Apr 2000 21:23:30 GMT Organization: Society for the Elimination of Junk Unsolicited Bulk Email Reply-To: tbetz@pobox.com Quoth jay@west.net (Jay Hennigan) in : > On Wed, 05 Apr 2000 09:58:46 -0400, Fred Goldstein > wrote: >> Ditching years of brand equity built up in the shared "Bell" trademark >> which it acquired when it was spun off of AT&T, Bell Titanic's branding >> company (anybody know which one they used?) came up with the toe-tapping >> "Verizon". (At least it doesn't end in -ent! > *Somebody* must have known about it in advance. Look what was > registered in anticipation, way back on November 11, 1999: > Registrant: > WILSON, CHRIS (VERIZONSUCKS-DOM) > 555 12ST NW > > D.C, WA 20004 > US > Domain Name: VERIZONSUCKS.COM You'll probably find that Chris Wilson is a lawyer for Bell Atlantic/GTE/Verizon. |I always wanted to be someone,| Tom Betz, Generalist | |but now I think I should have | Want to send me email? FIRST, READ THIS PAGE: | |been a wee bit more specific. | | | | YO! MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS HEAVILY SPAM-ARMORED! | ------------------------------ From: nospam.tonypo1@nospam.home.com (Tony Pelliccio) Subject: Re: Bell-Atlantic to be Renamed "Verizon" Organization: Providence Network Partners Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 20:07:35 GMT In article , dalgoda@ix.netcom.net says ... > In article , > Tony Pelliccio wrote: >> Verizon? I suppose Veriphone was already taken, or that they just >> couldn't buy it. > Well, VeriFone is a pretty big company. Many (most?) credit card boxes > around are made by VeriFone (pay attention next time you're shopping, > especially if the box is like a 4"x4" square and gray). Depends where you go. Those VeriFone boxes are disappearing quickly as point of sale software integrates credit card functionality. I happen to know, I sell Synchronics CounterPoint and the base version has cc processing through PNC Bank (Aka FDMS) built in. == Tony Pelliccio, KD1S formerly KD1NR == Trustee WE1RD ------------------------------ From: Clarence Dold Subject: Re: Telemarketer Stopper That Works Date: 9 Apr 2000 21:28:46 GMT Organization: a2i network Reply-To: dold@rahul.net Michael Will wrote: > Am I wrong, or are these telemarketers missing the concept? Wouldn't > a smart one (oxymoron?) only check for SIT prior to supervision? The predictive dialers, even those connected via T1, do not typically handle out-of-band signalling. They "listen" for recognizable tones. Clarence A Dold - dold@rahul.net - Pope Valley & Napa CA. ------------------------------ From: jata@aepiax.net (Julian Thomas) Subject: Re: Dial Tone Timer? Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 20:01:21 GMT In , on 04/06/00 at 05:55 AM, Frank said: > Anyone know of a device that will disconnect dial tone to a modem at a > time determined by me? A line in and line out with a timer to set the > time of day the line will be dead. What about a simple timer (the kind that people use to turn lights on and off at set times) in the power line to the modem? If that's no good, use the timer to control a relay in the phone line. Julian Thomas: jt . epix @ net http://home.epix.net/~jt remove letter a for email (or switch . and @) In the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State! Boardmember of POSSI.org - Phoenix OS/2 Society, Inc http://www.possi.org WarpTech 2000: May 26-28 in Phoenix - plan NOW to attend! www.warptech.org Error #33: (A)bort this mess (R)etry last mistake (S)kip to new mess-up. ------------------------------ From: 73115.1041@compuserve.com Subject: Re: Priority Routing in Telecom Switches Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 19:18:46 -0600 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Bill Horne wrote: > They isn't any unless you look at Military switches. Civilian switches > are equipped for *DIAL TONE* priority, which allows certain classes of > line to get dial tone before others when there's a crunch, i.e., during > "mass calling" events, but the civilian network is not, and never has > been, equipped for priority routing. Once a customer dials a call, he > falls into the same routing pool as every other user. Well, maybe not. I've had some discussions with a former program manger for the GETS program (otherwise known as area code 710). While he was somewhat guarded about the details, GETS works by allowing calls to be routed using an adjunct processor next to the switch. The adjunct processor uses certain commands normally restricted to the CO console operator to prioritize and route traffic from an otherwise routine source. Interestingly enough, he related a story about someone randomly dialing 710 numbers that reached a rather secure government alternate command facility. ------------------------------ From: J.F. Mezei Subject: Re: Priority Routing in Telecom Switches Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 21:22:05 -0400 Bill Horne wrote: > been, equipped for priority routing. Once a customer dials a call, he > falls into the same routing pool as every other user. > This may not seem to apply to private networks, and some of the more > exotic centrex classes, but even there the principle is the same: all > users that have access to a given path have an equal shot at it. In Australia, one can use a different prefix to begin an overseas call and get priority routing and "extra bandwidth" for fax calls. It is charged the same rate as normal calls. From what I read, you will have priority for a undersea cable connection whereas a call not using that prefix *might* go satellite. I don't know exactly how it is implemented and "exactly" what it does. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 13:00:55 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Battling Censorware Copyright law is limited by the Constitution. But when there are conflicts with the First Amendment, some courts lean the other way. By Lawrence Lessig If you ask the average (very average) copyright lawyer whether there is tension between copyright law and the First Amendment, you'll get a slogan for an answer: "No tension, none at all, so long as copyright law permits 'fair use.'" A toy company last week demonstrated how unreal this slogan has become. http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/1,1151,13533,00.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 13:11:05 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Web Privacy Group to Offer a Seal of Approval By LAURIE J. FLYNN An assortment of 26 Internet companies involved in advertising will soon announce yet another organization to tackle the prickly issue of consumer privacy on the Web. http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/biztech/articles/03priv.html ------------------------------ Organization: http://www.remarq.com: The World's Usenet/Discussions Start Here Subject: Seeking Employment Test From: John Werner Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 17:16:21 -0700 Does anyone have any suggestions for study guides for the SBC Communications(Southwestern Bell) pre-employment test for Network Center Technician? * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 12:52:53 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Digital Signatures a Threat to Privacy? By Robert Lemos, ZDNN TORONTO -- Your ability to surf the Internet anonymously could be lost in the near future, if current plans to roll out digital signatures stay on track, warned a panel of experts at the Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2523596,00.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 12:56:29 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Real Screaming over Streaming by Christopher Jones The rights of software developers and copyright owners are colliding this week in a Seattle courtroom as RealNetworks tries to prevent a rival from getting a piece of its lucrative streaming business. http://www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,33405,00.html ------------------------------ Subject: Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges From: craigm@earthling.net (Craig Macbride) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 03:58:55 GMT Fred Goldstein writes: > CPP operates rather like a collect call. The rate is NOT set by the > caller's carrier, but by the called carrier. That's what some people have proposed (or possibly implemented) in the, but it makes no sense. CPP is _not_ a reverse-charges (collect) call. It is a standard call, in which the standard practice of caller pays applies. > It is indeed > "bastardized" but that is exactly how collect calls have worked since > time immemorial Which is irrelevant, since we are not talking about collect calls. > In the USA, any old carrier, AOS or "information provider" is allowed > to pay LECs for billing services. That's how the 900-call business > works; again the originator's carrier has no say over the price. 1900 "information" services are the exception, not the rule. Again, they should have nothing to do with caller-pays mobile phones charges, any more than they have to do with caller-pays long distance land line charges. > CPP is very much like 900 service. Not that I can see. > The fact that the rest of the planet > uses it doesn't make it right, at least for the USA; I think for once > the USA got the right model (cellular subscriber pays for their own > convenience). And you seem to be "supporting" a hare-brained version of CPP in order to support this stance. This is pointless since _ANY_ scheme looks good against your version of CPP. Craig Macbride -----------------------http://www.nyx.net/~cmacbrid------------------------ "It's a sense of humour like mine, Carla, that makes me proud to be ashamed of myself." - Captain Kremmen ------------------------------- End of TELECOM Digest V20 #59 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Apr 10 18:00:05 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id SAA01578; Mon, 10 Apr 2000 18:00:05 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 18:00:05 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004102200.SAA01578@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #60 TELECOM Digest Mon, 10 Apr 2000 18:00:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 60 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Digital Signatures For French Hybrid Mail Documents (Jean-Bernard Condat) Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (Riklef Flor) Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail (Ryan Shook) Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail (J.F. Mezei) Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail (Barry Margolin) Caller ID 000-000-0000?? (Marietta Georgia) Help Me Out Please ... (John McCreedy) Wierd Call (Carl Moore & M.Busse) Toll Free Recommendations? (Please) (VDonatelli@aol.com) Re: Are They Following Me? (J.F. Mezei) Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges (Fred Goldstein) Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted (Leonard Erickson) NPA-NXX Info for Canada, Carribbean (Leonard Erickson) Directory Number Charge (John Schmerold) FBI Brews Digital Storm, CDT Calls for Stronger Privacy Standards (Solomon) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jean-Bernard Condat Subject: Digital Signatures For French Hybrid Mail Documents Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 13:59:20 +0200 The evolution of the WorldWideWeb has opened up new markets for all aspects of business, including postal business. POSTEASY is the lastest development in the Postal Hybrid Mail area. It incorporates to a basic postal service, the last developments in web and postal technologies. By this way, we can propose solutions well adapted to the needs of each customer. Posibilities are larges, and the advantages for the customers are numerous. On this market in exponential growth, Posteasy is very well positioned, proposing a complete offer, endowed to a total securisation system. Beyond a Web-based Hybrid Mail, Posteasy offers to act as Trust Third Part. Henceforth for fax, e-mail, letter transmission, you can call on POSTEASY's services. Whatever the communication support is, Posteasy proposes to sequester and to archivate for life by a usher, in a secure system control, the content of its communication. Constantly, the integrity of the documents is preserved, and its juridical value irrefutable. In order to ensure that Posteasy solutions meets all market requirements, the project was divided in two phases : Definition phase including market assessment, services and products definition and prototyping. Development phase including platform development, making of the first customer' contacts, internal audit. Different market assessments realised during the 12 last months, have confirmed that a lucrative potential market exists for Posteasy services. The second phase of the Web-based Hybrid Mail was then initiated the first of march. A technology partner has begun to develop a Web-based solution that will enable customer to send their mail to Posteasy plateform in a high availability and a highly secure system. In this instance, Posteasy services allow many progressive organisations to outsource much of their mail production in an attempt to focus on their core business and reduce costs (for example, it has been estimated that the real cost of an acknowledging letter in a French company was 222,00 FF...), making them less dependent on in-house logistics and acquisition of the latest production equipment. Moreover, by offering a reduced mailing time, this solution of outsourcing, doubled with a high certification level of the transmitted documents, ensures that Posteasy becomes a true alternative. In fact, it seems that the day where the national Postal Operator was the only way to send mail have gone. Posteasy SA 42 bd Sebastopol, 75003 Paris, France Phone: +33144599459, fax: +33144593555, condat@posteasy.org, +33607238628 ------------------------------ From: Riklef Flor Subject: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 07:35:56 -0500 I have another simple, free way of stopping telemarketers that I haven't seen mentioned before. It's a variation of the "Not Saying Hello" method. When I answer the phone and say "Hello" ... if I don't hear an immediate response, I hang up. Invariably, it turns out to be a predictive dialer hunting for an open line. I've only been "wrong" once ... and that was my wife, who uses the same trick. Interestingly enough, this caused my telemarketing calls to drop ... more so than saying "put me on your do not call list". Anyone know if this technique gets me off lists because it's an "invalid phone number"? Rik ------------------------------ From: Ryan Shook Subject: Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 01:57:37 -0400 Organization: University of Waterloo On Sun, 9 Apr 2000, JF Mezei wrote: > Monty Solomon wrote: >> Monitoring of Office E-Mail Is Increasing >> http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/biztech/articles/05mail.html > In that article (and a few others I have read on the subject) there is > mention of employees "spending hours" on a web site. > Just how do they monitor how much time an employee spends on a web > site ? I find it very hard to grasp how one can capture accounting > information on how much time is spent on a web site (from a client > point of view, not the web site server). I'm speculating a little here, put if a proxy/firewall is used by the company, which is almost always the case. It probably is not difficult for the proxy to log the client making a request with date/time stamp and the destination of the request. Now examine the logs from the proxy. Sort by user (internal computer name or IP address) and then sort by time. From here it should be easy to recognize a flurry of activity in a short time period. If this short time period is really an extended time period and the sites logged are not work related then it sounds like you have found who is doing excessive non-company related surfing. The magic is all in the logging of the proxy. It wouldn't be hard to write a Perl script to search through the log, sort by client, then by time and do some sort of histogram. you could also print out a list of "highest hit" websites and see what jumps out. The trick is that a proxy forces all traffic through a single point. It is then easy to log such traffic. The proxy by nature keeps track of who requested what; it isn't hard to log that to file. Ryan ------------------------------ From: J.F. Mezei Subject: Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 11:51:23 -0400 Daniel Seagraves wrote: > Do you go through a proxy? If you do, ANYTHING you do can (and probably > is!) being logged. Wouldn't the proxy only log HTTP requests ? (and responses). If I download a very large/long page (one HTTP transaction), and spend eight hours reading it, how will the employer know I was "logged in" to that site for eight hours? If I send one http request to www.sextoys.com at 14:00, spend a minute reading it, then return to my real work in a word processor/spreadsheet, and at 14:30, I take a break and switch to netscape and click on one of the buttons on the www.sextoys.com page that is still there, (thus generating another HTTP request), will the employer then assume I was "logged in" to that site for the full half hour? (even though I was doing real work). ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail Organization: GTE Internetworking, Cambridge, MA Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 18:57:10 GMT In article , JF Mezei wrote: > In that article (and a few others I have read on the subject) there is > mention of employees "spending hours" on a web site. > Just how do they monitor how much time an employee spends on a web > site? I find it very hard to grasp how one can capture accounting > information on how much time is spent on a web site (from a client > point of view, not the web site server). > What happens if I point the browser to www.sextoys.com giggle for 30 > without stopping Netscape? Does this mean that I am still "logged in" > to that www.sextoys.com from the employer's point of view? A user who is spending time on a particular web site is probably clicking links every few seconds. A URL followed by idle time isn't a problem. A person spending time on a web site will show up in the log as someone sending lots of URLs for different pages at the same site in a period of time. Barry Margolin, barmar@genuity.net Genuity, Burlington, MA *** DON'T SEND TECHNICAL QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO ME, post them to newsgroups. Please DON'T copy followups to me -- I'll assume it wasn't posted to the group. ------------------------------ From: mariettageorgia@aol.comxspam (Marietta Georgia) Date: 10 Apr 2000 18:14:17 GMT Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Subject: Caller ID 000-000-0000?? Hello, I *think* I saw this question answered here once before but I'm not sure. Does anyone know what calls that show up as Out-Of-Area 000-000-0000 are? This number comes through on a system that has BellSouth's Privacy Director which is supposed to reject out-of-area calls. Thanks. ------------------------------ From: John McCreedy Subject: Help Me Out Please Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 15:41:09 -0400 I 'm looking for info on new phone systems and came across: http://tellearn.com Great resource. Does anyone know anything about this site? Thank you, John ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 10:41:00 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Wierd Call I was going to write about people forgetting to put 1 in front of area code 847, but I see your message refers to a call FROM 847-xxxx. If people are wardialling, then what is your telephone number similar to? I just called 773-847-8495 myself, and there was an unintelligible bit of speech before the "thank you", suggesting that I joined a recording in progress and had gotten an ending fragment of a word. ----- Forwarded message # 1: From: mbusse@midway.uchicago.edu Subject: Wierd Call Organization: Com Ed Bites like a Great White Shark Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 19:22:01 GMT I tend to get a lot of random calls where people just hang up when one answers. (Most of which, I assume, are people wardialling, or something similar.) The other day, I actually decided to call one of them back. The number was (773) 847-8495. When you call it, it rings for a while, then a recorded voice says "Thank you." Does anyone have any idea what the heck this might be? "My guess might be excellent or it might be crummy, but Mrs. Spade didn't raise any children dippy enough to make guesses in front of a district attorney, and an assistant district attorney, and a stenographer."-Sam Spade ----- End of forwarded messages ------------------------------ From: VDonatelli@aol.com Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 14:12:32 EDT Subject: Toll Free Recommendations? (Please) Could anyone please tell me of a good IXC company (and contact name?) for setting up a toll free "shared usage" program? I am planning to use only NPA routing, nothing fancy. There would need to be re-billing capabilities, direct access to change routing tables, no fee per each terminating location, and decent pricing. Above all else, reliability and trustworthiness are paramount. The big guys have the capabilities, but I have had no luck trying to find anyone within those organizations that have any knowledge about setting up a shared usage program, or that could give a damn about getting my business without some sort of huge volume commitment. Secondly, does anyone know about, or have experience with, any of the companies that have set themselves out as being in business to co-market vanity numbers? It seems that assigning resporg status to an unknown entity could be a very risky thing to do. Or am I being paranoid? I look forward and appreciate your responses. Many thanks in advance! V. Donatelli Vdonatelli@aol.com ------------------------------ From: J.F. Mezei Subject: Re: Are They Following Me? Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 12:10:29 -0400 Clarence Dold wrote: > S.R.C="http://track.homestead.com/~site/Scripts_Track/track.dll ?H_H=2912551 &H_P=1 &H_A=3333418 &E=51 &E=467 &E=33 &E=8" > What this might say to me is that I have just loaded a dll from their site, > called "track". Might this track, or do whatever a dll might do, until I > leave my browser, or reboot? No. What that does is send a request to track.homestead.com. The web server there would be configured to execute track.dll inside the web server instread of sending it to you. Track.dll would be expected to communicate with the web server, read the HTTP headers that came from you (inclding the parameters) and then respond by sending some HTML through the web server to the web client (you). Based on what you said, I would assume that the track.dll would do two things: -log to file the fact that you clicked on that button, image. -lookup the real URL based on the numeric parameters suplied, -and generate a "redirect" response back to your web browser. upon receiving that redirect, your browser would send a request to the URL that was supplied in the redirect. Note that web sites do not download "executables" to your machine to run as part of the browser continuously. For on thing, there are plenty of platforms accessing those pages. That dll wouldn't work on a MAC, SUN, VAX, ALPHA etc. The few "programs" that are downloaded onto your web browser are plug-ins such as Flash or Quicktime and JAVA applets. These tend to stop/disapear when you switch to another URL. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 08:48:50 -0400 From: Fred Goldstein Subject: Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges Various Europeans have been taking me to task for my descriptions of how calling-party-pays cellular works here in the US of A. Craig McBride, for instance, says, fg>> CPP operates rather like a collect call. The rate is NOT set by the >> caller's carrier, but by the called carrier. fg> That's what some people have proposed (or possibly implemented) in > the, but it makes no sense. CPP is _not_ a reverse-charges (collect) > call. It is a standard call, in which the standard practice of caller > pays applies ... > And you seem to be "supporting" a hare-brained version of CPP in order > to support this stance. This is pointless since _ANY_ scheme looks > good against your version of CPP. I would like to see ONE SCINTILLA of evidence that there is ANY serious consideration by the FCC of a CPP scheme that is NOT based on the "collect" model. ABSOLUTELY NOBODY in the USA with any influence (carriers, regulators) is pushing a European-style "settlements" system. It's collect or nothing. Yes, it's hare-brained, and no, it won't catch on if it is imposed, and yes, it is incredibly rife for fraud since there is NO separate numbering space proposed for these services (they *might* get separate prefix codes, randomly assigned available NPA-NXX combinations). This ain't Europe. ------------------------------ From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) Subject: Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 05:14:24 PST Organization: Shadownet Carl Knoblock writes: > Administrator wrote: >> Do you happen to have a working database for the area codes in >> relation to their zip codes? One in Access or CGI scripting (or any >> other format for that matter) would be great. > Since Area codes and Zip codes serve totally unrelated purposes, the > only thing they have in common is geography. And except at stateN > and major rivers, they rarely share the same border lines. So thee > only thing they have in common is geography. And except at state > lines would be a small but growing subset of Zip codes that would appear in > two or more Numbering Plan Areas (The proper name for Area Codes.) Also, the Post Office *moves* Zipcodes at times. There was a Zip code that used to refer to an area that is now a suburb of Portland OR that now refers to pretty empty chunk of territory halfway between Portland and the Pacific Ocean. We found this out when trying to straighten out some stuff involving one of the local branches of a non-profit educational group. The national organization determines "boundaries" between branches based on zip codes. And the list of zips they had for the local branches were pretty messed up. For one thing, they'd fallen into the trap of "All 972 codes are Portland". Nope. Codes aren't assigned that way. Personally, from examining a zip code map, and comparing it with other maps, I'd not want to try assuming *any* sort of correlation between zip codes and areacodes. The boundaries for both are just *too* weird. Leonard Erickson (aka Shadow) shadow@krypton.rain.com <--preferred leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com <--last resort ------------------------------ From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) Subject: NPA-NXX Info for Canada, Carribbean Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 05:33:13 PST Organization: Shadownet www.nanpa.com has files with the NPA-NXX assignments for the US. But not for the rest of the NANPA. This makes very little sense, but that's the way it is. Is there a web site where I can download the equivalent of the xxUTLZD and xxAVAIL files for the non-US parts of the NANPA? Leonard Erickson (aka Shadow) shadow@krypton.rain.com <--preferred leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com <--last resort ------------------------------ From: John Schmerold Subject: Directory Number Charge Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 08:25:46 -0500 As you may remember, I am a proponent of a directory number charge - $5 ought to do it, that would help eliminate the problems we face with phone number shortages. Had lunch with a SWB veteran last week. Learned the issue is barrier to entry. If that's why we can't implement common sense solutions to an issue I consider to be a nuisance at a minimum and a major safety issue (my kids had a hard time reaching us due to the area code change) on the outside, then let's go back to good ole Ma Bell. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 09:57:09 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: FBI Brews Digital Storm, CDT Calls for Stronger Privacy Standards Excerpt from http://www.cdt.org/ FBI Brews Digital Storm, CDT Calls for Stronger Privacy Standards - In testimony to a House Judiciary subcommittee, CDT staff counsel Jim Dempsey calls for stronger privacy rules for government access to communications and stored data. Law enforcement agencies currently have access to a growing volume of digital information, often under minimal standards, so much information that the FBI is developing a new generation of analytic tools, known as Digital Storm, to sift and link data from disparate sources. April 6, 2000 - CDT testimony: "The Fourth Amendment and the Internet", April 6, 2000 http://www.cdt.org/testimony/000406dempsey.shtml - CDT presentation on Digital Storm http://www.cdt.org/privacy/govaccess/ - Washington Post article 'Digital Storm' Brews at FBI http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20426-2000Apr5.html ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #60 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Apr 11 11:38:50 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id LAA04121; Tue, 11 Apr 2000 11:38:50 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 11:38:50 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004111538.LAA04121@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #61 TELECOM Digest Tue, 11 Apr 2000 11:38:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 61 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson 4/10 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines (Judith Oppenheimer) Need Advice for Interop 2000 (Dr. J.D. Reilly) Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail (Paul Wallich) Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail (Danny Burstein) Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail (Ryan Shook) Microwave Towers (Daryl Gibson) Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges (M. Verdier) Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound (Bob) Re: Verizontal Marks End of 'Name That Domain' Contest (Jay Grimaldi) Revenge On The Telemarketers (Monty Solomon) Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (Greg Paksi) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Judith Oppenheimer Subject: 4/10 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 22:57:25 -0400 ************************************************************************* ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************* SPOTLIGHT: ICANN controls something called the "A" root server, which gives ultimate control of the Net. In a world where everything - all transactions, all services, all information - is being migrated to the Net, that is power indeed. (F) SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1416 Your brand name is your 800 number, your address, your marketing call to action...' (F) SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1421 ************************************************************************* ISSUE WATCH covers important matters pending resolution: currently, -- SMS/800 system performance problems -- delayed rollout of 866 and 855; -- ICANN plans for Famous Marks and new Top Level Domains; -- flaws in the Domain Dispute System. see http://www.icbtollfree.com/icbheadlns.cfm. ************************************************************************* HEADLINES FOR APRIL 10, 2000 F - CYBERHQ: THE ULTIMATE CONTROL ICANN can determine who does and does not exist in cyberspace. Apart from its control of "top level" names, ICANN also controls something called the "A" root server, which gives ultimate control of the Net. In a world where everything - all transactions, all services, all information - is being migrated to the Net, that is power indeed. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1416 F - TELLME [WHAT THE NET SAYS TODAY] ... The latest Internet-surfing device has been around for about 125 years: the telephone. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1418 P - TOLLFREE TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW [MEDIA]RING To introduce the service, MediaRing.com has partnered with leading communication companies, including ITXC.net, GTE, China Netcom Corporation ("CNC"), and CE-Infocom Network Technology ("CNT") to offer free calls to and within the United States, Canada and China. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1420 F - .CO.KR DOMAIN NAME SELLS FOR $100,000 The purchase price of $100,000, is amazing considering that most local travel agencies are in the red, industry sources noted. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1424 F - YOUR NEW NAME BUDDY ... NameBuddy will provide users with keyword oriented domain name generation, which will be based on selected keywords and/or ancillary data, such as industry type or company name. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1426 ************************************************************************* >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. When success is the only option. >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< ************************************************************************* F - I-OPENER CHANGES POLICY, ANGERS CUSTOMERS After realizing that the $99 devices can be easily hacked and turned into low-cost PCs, the company is retroactively changing the terms of sales. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1417 F - US WEST BACKLOGGED MONTHS IN RESIDENTIAL SERVICE The company may have underestimated the regions growth, but says that deregulation is also to blame -- US West could have installed extra capacity but in a competitive marketplace "there was no guarantee" the company could recover the investment. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1419 F - IN A DOT COM WORLD, RECOGNITION IS EVERYTHING Your brand name is your 800 number, your address, your marketing call to action, and if consumers can't remember how to spell it, or the name is too generic, it's going to make a huge difference, said Jake Winebaum, a former Disney Co. executive and co-founder of eCompanies, the Santa Monica-based e-commerce incubator firm that in November agreed to pay $7.5 million in stock and cash to a Texas entrepreneur for the business.com domain name. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1421 F - ADDICTION, OR ANNUITY? How much is a dot-com name worth? "The only way to find its true market value is to float it, like any other commodity," said John Whalen, a chief operating officer at Afternic. "The New York Stock Exchange is an exchange for securities; well, we're an exchange for domain names." CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1423 F - AT&T DODGES FCC REQUEST FOR SUBSCRIBER COUNT AT&T, which will be the largest cable company after its $62.4 billion purchase of MediaOne Group, refused a request for additional information on the number of customers it will serve, a Federal Communications Commission official said. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1425 P - METATAG TM INFRINGEMENT ... A Canadian maker of heating equipment is facing a trademark infringement action in New York stemming from the use of a competitor's trademarks in the company's metatags. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1427 **************************************************advertisements********* Haven't time to search? Get targeted telecom news every week from the source. Put 'subscribe Pipe' in the subject line and reply to: telecom_e_clips@hotmail.com. ************************************************************************* Do a friend a favor - suggest ICB ... Click Here to Recommend-It(r) http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=118920 ************************************************************************* That's a Great Name for a Web Site! Get instant Internet brand recognition for your company by securing a premier domain name. Now is the time, as the most sought after web addresses are auctioned to the highest bidder. Coming to auction: >>>>>>>>>>>>> eTOLLFREE.com & iTOLLFREE.com <<<<<<<<<<<<<< For more information call Monte Cahn at 954-782-5426, or click http://www.hitdomains.com/financial-showcase.html. ************************************************************************* Read TOLLFREE-L online at http://www.egroups.com/group/tollfree-l/info.html ************************************************************************* One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com ************************************************************************* Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. ************************************************************************* Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ Reply-To: Dr. J.D. Reilly From: Dr. J.D. Reilly Subject: Need Advice for Interop 2000 Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 19:49:34 -0400 Organization: Reilly Associates Patrick, I'm not in the business of spamming newsgroups. We had a huge space for the Vegas Interop and will not be able to attend. The thing has been sold out for months, and we are trying to find companies that were wait-listed or shut out, so that we can try to sell our space. ANY advice you have is greatly, greatly appreciated. Here's the thing I posted on a few discussion groups: Hey all, Networld + Interop 2000 has been sold out for some months. However, due to scheduling problems we (Fernlink 2000 Ltd) are unable to take advantage of the space we have reserved at N + I Las Vegas. Location: North Hall 2/3 Aisle 1800, Booth #1845 (Upper Half) Dimensions: 400 sq ft of prime location Parcel Options: 400 sq ft x 1 200 sq ft x 2 200 sq ft x 1 and 100 sq ft x 2 100 sq ft x 4 Price: $58.95 per square foot Here is your opportunity to participate in the most important networking event this year. Enjoy targeted exposure to your networking, internet and telecommunications customers. All this and Elvis, too! Please contact Joe Reilly of Reilly Associates, the US representative of Fernlink 2000 Ltd. Contact: reillyassoc@home.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I will print your announcement here in he Digest, and hope you have some luck as a result. I assume interested parties will contact you directly. PAT] ------------------------------ From: pw@panix.com (Paul Wallich) Subject: Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 21:34:59 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In article , J.F. Mezei wrote: > Daniel Seagraves wrote: >> Do you go through a proxy? If you do, ANYTHING you do can (and probably >> is!) being logged. > Wouldn't the proxy only log HTTP requests ? (and responses). If I > download a very large/long page (one HTTP transaction), and spend eight > hours reading it, how will the employer know I was "logged in" to that > site for eight hours? > If I send one http request to www.sextoys.com at 14:00, spend a > minute reading it minute reading it, then return to my real work in a word > processor/spreadsheet, and at 14:30, I take a break and switch to > netscape and click on one of the buttons on the www.sextoys.com page > that is still there, (thus generating another HTTP request), will the > employer then assume I was "logged in" to that site for the full half > hour? (even though I was doing real work). Just to be a little more geeky about it, if the page has any of a number of elements that can contain a refresh tag, unless the proxy does something to block it, it could be generating activity at set intervals indefinitely with no user intervention. For example, I keep an AP newswire page open most days; it updates automatically every ten minutes even though I may glance at it only once every few hours. If you thought really long and carefully about the problem, you could probably develop analysis tools and models that would give you an accurate picture of when people were spending time on a page rather than just having it open. But most people who think that monitoring employees' web habits -- rather than just keeping track of how well they perform -- is a good idea aren't the kind to think either long or carefully. paul ------------------------------ From: dannyb@panix.com (Danny Burstein) Subject: Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail Date: 10 Apr 2000 21:52:19 -0400 Organization: "mostly unorganized" In Barry Margolin writes: >> Just how do they monitor how much time an employee spends on a web >> site? I find it very hard to grasp how one can capture accounting >> information on how much time is spent on a web site (from a client >> point of view, not the web site server). One technique used is for the monitoring software to grab a "snapshot" of your screen every umptity umptity. This would show all the open windows, their sizes, etc., giving a pretty good clue as to what you're doing. The overseer could set this up to take a frame every 30 seconds ... thus keeping track of lots and lots of stuff. A ridiculous amount of money, in fact, recently went towards purchasing a softwarehouse whose primary product was one of these programs. Sigh. Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: Ryan Shook Subject: Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 20:02:26 -0400 Organization: University of Waterloo On Mon, 10 Apr 2000, J.F. Mezei wrote: > Daniel Seagraves wrote: > Wouldn't the proxy only log HTTP requests ? (and responses). If I > download a very large/long page (one HTTP transaction), and spend eight > hours reading it, how will the employer know I was "logged in" to that > site for eight hours? By the nature of how http works, the concept of "logged in" is actually quite uncommon. By default http doesn't have any concept of state. You make and break connections very frequently. State is only achieved through the use of cookies. It's not just http that proxies can track. Depending on your network configuration, the proxy machine handles *all* communication to the internet. That means that this one computer takes traffic in on one network card and sends it out on another. In the mean time the proxy can do whatever it wants with the data. Especially logging it. You can usually determine the type of traffic by the ports that the connections are being made to and made from. > If I send a http request to www.sextoys.com at 14:00, spend a minute reading > it then return to my real work in a word processor/spreadsheet, and at 14:30, > I take a break and switch to netscape and click on one of the buttons on the > www.sextoys.com page that is still there, (thus generating another HTTP > request), will the employer then assume I was logged in to that site for the > full half hour? (even though I was doing real work). I would hope that anybody implementing logging and examining logs would realize that the "useful" life of a web retrieval is around two minutes. As someone else pointed out, you look for a flurry of activity in a short period of time. Not a connection every half hour. Ryan ------------------------------ From: Daryl Gibson Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 23:05:35 -0600 Subject: Microwave Towers A few months ago (right before your stroke, Pat) I submitted a note about a Microwave tower with its beacon out. Since that time, I've gotten some interest in Microwave towers. It's a transient interest. It's always been there, but never been too strong ... but the reason it's surfaced right now is the divestiture of AT&T Microwave network. Many of you know that AT&T has been replacing the old Microwave shots with fiberoptic. Now, they've sold the remaining towers to American Tower, which will be remodeling a lot of them into PCS and Cell sites. This brings a colorful chapter of the Bell System to a close. These sites were built to withstand anything, and they withstood everything but the increasing demand for bandwidth. My brother-in-law tells of working on a crew that installed the power for several sites outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. He was an electrician, but this job found him using a jackhammer, drilling into the solid rock in order to put in massive pure copper grounds. The foot-thick concrete walls were filled with copper, to protect against the EMP that a nuclear blast would provide. Manned towers sometimes included a shower to wash off fallout. An Autovon building near Delta, Utah, even included a sprinkler system to wash fallout off the whole building. Many towers included antennas to communicate with Air Force One. A few months ago, an AT&T radio tech who will remain nameless gave me a tour of one of the remaining towers. "It's not like it used to be," he said. "In its heyday, this was something." One massive Caterpiller generator remained where three had been. Dials from the generators stopped at 3000 amps. Frames had been torn out, and the circuits remaining were all solid state. A map on the wall showed where the paths had gone. One by one, the towers had been decommissioned and removed from the path map, although the towers themselves remain. An engraved sign on the wall proudly welcomed all comers to the tower; a large sign extolled the virtues of communication, and Long Lines' part in it. I suspect that tower will soon be totally gutted, if it hasn't been already. The fact that it sits on a fiber route might keep it functioning as a fiber regeneration station. I gather from reading American Tower's SEC filings that not all of the site buildings are being sold along with the towers. I guess it's true that if you get rid of something, some person will become nostalgic about "the good old days." I wouldn't give up my fiber for anything, but I thought TD readers might like to briefly remember the Long Lines Microwave days, before they are gone for good. The few sites I have photographed are reached via the URL: http://www.stillyoung.com/towers.html In many cases, these towers were impressive pieces of engineering, more than just a communications tower. In any case, these towers were built to stitch together the telephone patchwork of a nation, and they served us well. They have done so for 40 years. Thanks, Daryl "As you ramble through life, brother, no matter what your goal, keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the hole" --Dr. Murray Banks, quoting a menu ------------------------------ From: M. Verdier Subject: Re: CPP, ATM Surcharges Organization: http://www.remarq.com: The World's Usenet/Discussions Start Here Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 01:49:40 -0700 While ATM cell stream is presented to the SDH layer as an octet stream by an adaptation function that insert idle cells in the case of offered rate is not sufficient to fully load SDH channel. A special label value VPI=0 CVI=0 TPI=0 and CLP=0. Question is how to avoid a malicious user to compromise the net by inserting particular sequences in the information field. On the other hand how a new class of access drive the core network architecture... Tkss. ------------------------------ From: Bob Subject: Digital Ans. Machine w/quality sound Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 18:07:34 -0400 Organization: Shore.Net/Eco Software, Inc; (info@shore.net) Is there any Digital Answering "machine" out there with quality sound for the greeting and message? I need a single and also perhaps another dual line machine for a SOHO environment. I've tried several machines and either the sound quality of the greeting is poor and/or the quality of the message recording is poor. I don't mind paying a little more so long as I can get quality sound. I have a couple of AT&T dual line machines that originally sounded good but have lost most of their quality over the year or two I've owned them I could use a single, dual, or single/dual with a built in phone ... or maybe even one four line system. However the businesses are very small and I need a reasonable price (not cheap, but reasonable). Any specific recommendation for machines with quality sound? Thanks, Bob ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 16:07:56 -0500 From: Jay Grimaldi Subject: Re: Verixontal Marks End of 'Name That Domain' Contest That address is, indeed, the address for Arnold & Porter, a law firm. Don't know if they are BA's, but what a coincidence. Jay From: tbetz@panix.com (Tom Betz) > Quoth jay@west.net (Jay Hennigan) in : >> Registrant: >> WILSON, CHRIS (VERIZONSUCKS-DOM) >> 555 12ST NW >> D.C, WA 20004 >> US >> Domain Name: VERIZONSUCKS.COM > You'll probably find that Chris Wilson is a lawyer for Bell > Atlantic/GTE/Verizon. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 21:19:41 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Revenge On The Telemarketers Heard about this on "Marketplace" today < http://www.marketplace.org/archives/rundown/2000/04.10.html > Revenge On The Telemarketers Host David Brancaccio talks to Tom Mabe, jingle writer and seeker of revenge on telemarketers in the form of a new CD. For more information on Tom Mabe check out his website at http://www.4revenge.com/ . http://www.4revenge.com/album.html http://www.4revenge.com/forSale.html ------------------------------ From: Greg.Paksi@juge.com (Greg Paksi) Subject: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Date: 11 Apr 2000 02:48:18 GMT Organization: COMM Port OS/2 VMBBS 204.89.247.1 -=> rik.flor@abbott.com wrote to All <=- -=> about Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers on 10 Apr 00 07:35:56 <=- Try Advanced Call Center. It's free. With a little imagination it will do what you want. -greg ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #61 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Apr 11 15:58:46 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id PAA15469; Tue, 11 Apr 2000 15:58:46 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 15:58:46 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004111958.PAA15469@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #62 TELECOM Digest Tue, 11 Apr 2000 15:58:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 62 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson A Hundred Years of Radio (Donald Kimberlin) Re: Wierd Call (Andy Berry) Re: Protecting Ourselves ... Dialing Plan Configuration (R. Hardin) Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted (L. Winson) Re: Digital Signatures For French Hybrid Mail Documents (Paul Wallich) Re: Toll Free Recommendations? (Please) (Judith Oppenheimer) Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound (Bob) Digest Number 1 (tollfree-l@egroups.com) Looking For an Old Teletype (Bob Rankin) Yacking Yourself to Death? (Mike Pollock) Spamming Moves to Cell Phones (The Old Bear) Some Countries Seek Keys to Digital Code-Scramblers (Monty Solomon) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 13:16:29 EDT Subject: A Hundred Years of Radio From: Donald E. Kimberlin (Republished here with permission from the Editor of NARTE News. For further republication permissions, contact narte@narte.org) Jurassic Communications - Part II The Global Influences Leading Up To Marconi's "Lucky 7's" Patent By: Donald E. Kimberlin (As published in NARTE News, Volume 17 Number 3, October, 1999) This is the second of an ongoing series under the generic title of "Jurassic Telecommunications." In its various articles, one can see that the modes of electronic communications so taken for granted today are really largely late Victorian technologies first realized in an era before electronics; one in which there was no amplification, no frequency conversion and only battery power. Considering that, it's really amazing that the pioneers accomplished what they did. Most technologies begin as a method in search of a problem, and communication by radio is no exception. For most of the half-century following successful use and expansion of the electric telegraph, a number of experimenters added contributions to radio. Some even seem to have had useful radio in their grasp, only to let it lie fallow. It finally all came together in April 1900 with 26-year-old Guglielmo Marconi's British patent 7777. Up to that time, American dentist Mahlon Loomis had demonstrated in 1865 that an electrical disturbance could be caused in a kite-flown "aerial wire" by opening and closing the circuit of another kite-flown "aerial wire" at a distance of 18 miles between mountain tops in Virginia. He even obtained a U.S. patent (issued in 1872) indicating it might be used for "telegraphy," but never obtained funding to back further development, in all likelihood because the then-powerful Western Union Telegraph Company had a number of other, nearer-term technological fish to fry, not the least of were both transcontinental and transatlantic telegraph businesses in addition to a burgeoning domestic telegraph network. Loomis died a broken and bitter man. Karl Braun in Germany discovered "one-way conduction" in metal sulfide crystals in 1874, but the applicability of this phenomenon to detecting radio signals was not to be thought of for several decades in the future. Based on taking up a prize challenge in 1879, German physicist Heinrich Hertz demonstrated in 1887 and 1888 transmission of electromagnetic waves indoors across university lecture halls, showing students that invisible waves that propagated much like light did indeed exist. Since Hertz' laboratory demonstration devices consisted simply of spark gaps in metallic rings resonant at around 150 MHz, with no amplification, he could show and announced the contention that whatever was being transmitted, it had no commercial potential. Although a young man, Hertz unfortunately died at age 36, just before he might have seen others adding to his work and leading toward everyday uses. Edouard Branly in France started work to study nerve conduction in 1885. His need for a sensitive electrical detector resulted in the Branly Coherer, a tube of loosely packed metal filings that would clump together when a weak current flowed through it. The coherer, adopted and modified by others became radio's first practical signal detector. William Crookes suggested in 1892 that electromagnetic waves might be used for wireless telegraphy, even though this was five years before J.J. Thompson would announce the existence of electrons. At the time, no one was interested. Oliver Lodge, an English professor at University College, Liverpool, independently achieved results similar to Hertz, publishing just a month after Hertz (which means we might have called radio waves "Lodgian waves") By 1894, Lodge was demonstrating transmission of electromagnetic waves through walls in London and later at Oxford University. Lodge added an important function to the Branly coherer: A mechanical "tikker" that randomized the filings in the coherer after each detection event. Ambrose Fleming, later to become a close associate of Marconi, was in the audience and later wrote he had seen Lodge transmit alphabetic characters using the Morse telegraphic code; letters that formed intelligible messages. (The actual message content, regrettably, seems to have been lost.) Also, Lodge, in connection with related interests he had concerning the nature of lightning, had already defined basic properties of electromagnetic waves, showing that the period of a wave in a resonant circuit was equal to 2 pi LC. Lodge at the time stayed close to his profession of Professor of Experimental Physics, and thus had no interest in further developing his nascent "wireless telegraph." Although he has developed the concept of tuning a circuit, using the musical term "syntony," Lodge does not begin to exploit his discoveries until 1901, after Marconi has begun to use the concepts in practical wireless telegraphy. In the face of all this, Marconi's first knowledge of electromagnetic waves did not occur until 1894, when, as an unmatriculated protege of Professor Righi at Bologna, he reads about Hertz' demonstrations. Professor Righi was himself replicating and expanding on Hertz' work, but with even smaller loops than Hertz; loops that suggest Righi's waves had a frequency in the region of 3 gigaHertz, which would, of course, result in an even shorter transmission range than Hertz had shown. Marconi, well-to-do son of a Bologna merchant family, built his own experiments on the family estate and by 1895, succeeded in signaling over a distance of about 2 kilometers. Most exciting to him was that the signals traveled over a hilltop, between a transmitter and receiver that were out of sight of each other. At the time, and for some years later, many still contended that electromagnetic waves behaved exactly like light, implying a range no farther than line of sight. Marconi had to repeatedly demonstrate transmission beyond the optical horizon to a skeptical world. In Russia, Alexander Popov worked at improving the Branly coherer by selecting the material and size of filings, adding his own "tikker." Popov demonstrated detection of electromagnetic waves generated by lightning as much as 30 kilometers distant when connected to a lightning rod that was, of course, an antenna for the coherer. An academic like Lodge, even though he wrote that his apparatus might be used for signaling, Popov never developed the notion of sending messages to a complete fruition. By 1896, receiving no interest from the Italian government in his work, Marconi took his apparatus to England, where he could count on influence and land owned by relatives based on his family's connection to the Irish Jameson Whisky family. On his arrival in England, frightened customs inspectors smashed his machinery, fearing it to be part of an Italian anarchist plot. Fortunately, it is simple enough that it can be rebuilt without difficulty. Also in 1896, Nikola Tesla of Serbia, whose primary interest was electrical power transmission rather than communications, had developed a rotary arc transmitter and the notion of a vertical "aerial wire" as parts of a proposition to transmit electric power without wires. Although incomplete of Tesla's contribution at the moment, Marconi applied for British patents covering "wireless telegraphy," showing a clear purpose to transmit information by electromagnetic waves as the end purpose of his invention. By 1897, starting a barrage of experimentation and development that was to characterize the personality of both Marconi and his companies, Marconi demonstrated a range of first 7-1/2, then 14 kilometers. Based on that success, he founded his first English company, The Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company, Limited. Returning to Italy in the latter half of 1897, he demonstrated wireless telegraphy with ships 18 kilometers offshore and over the horizon. At the end of 1897, he was back in England showing that a station on the Isle of Wight could communicate with ships as much as 30 kilometers distant, By 1898, he opened a commercial wireless telegraph service to Rathlin O'Birne Lighthouse Island near the entrance to Donegal Bay in northwestern Ireland. On March 27, 1899, Marconi joined England to Europe with wireless telegraphy between his shore station at South Foreland Light and a station he built at Wimereux, 50 kilometers across the Channel. He was nearly in a position to compete with submarine telegraph cables across the Dover Strait that had been operating since 1851. The notion of competing with telegraph companies was obvious. By the summer of 1899, Marconi had finally waited out and overridden political obstacles in the Royal Navy and was invited to place his wireless on three naval ships during maneuvers. The range to his shore station ran as far as 160 kilometers, while ships could signal each other as far as 110 kilometers and occasionally as far as 136 kilometers. By this point, interference was becoming intolerable with no real tuning or band-limiting of emissions. Marconi had to get to work on employing some "syntony," which Lodge had patented in 1897. Marconi took "syntony" a step farther than Lodge, providing tuning at both the spark transmitter and the coherer receiver as part of his famous Patent 7777. This did not keep Lodge from later suing Marconi in 1910 and settling for cash in 1911 over patent infringements. However, in 1900, encouraged by his recent successes, Marconi told the board of his newly formed Marconi International Marine Communication Company" that he wanted to construct high-powered wireless transmitters to span the Atlantic Ocean. The result, as we all know, was the epochal transmission of the Morse letter "S" between Poldhu Point near Mullion on England's Lizard Peninsula and Heart's Content in Newfoundland on December 12, 1901. The details of that accomplishment, and those of several later starting parallel developers to Marconi, are stories for another time. What did happen by April 1900 was that Marconi uniquely had combined Professor Righi's transmitter, Branly's coherer, Tesla's elevated antenna and Lodge's tuned circuits to realize what ultimately became first wireless telegraphy, then speech, music, control tones and data transmission by radio. And, it's doubtful anyone with less financial resource, political influence and staying power than Marconi could have accomplished the progress he had made by the turn of the century. It's an appropriate time now to consider how far we have progressed in the 100 years since Marconi got it all together in 1900. Want to know more? Here are some websites with more detail on radio's earliest years: http://www.webcom.com/radioweb/educate/timeline.html http://wwwkoi.ptti.ru/eng/forum/article1.html http://home.luna.nl/~arjan-muil/radio/intune.html http://www.hal-pc.org/~bvarc/jan1996.htm http://www.engr.mun.ca/~gpeters/greats.html ------------------------------ From: Andy Berry Subject: Re: Wierd Call Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 17:21:51 -0500 Organization: Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas From: mbusse@midway.uchicago.edu > The other day, I actually decided to call one of them back. The > number was (773) 847-8495. When you call it, it rings for a while, > then a recorded voice says "Thank you." > Does anyone have any idea what the heck this might be? It sound like the old Intellicall 3003 COCOTs I used to work with. IIRC, the DTMF after the "Thank You" means it is a fairly old unit with a FSK modem. I don't remember exactly, but it was said that some other remote access devices use similar methods and tactics to avoid unwanted access. In any event, it is some type of device that spends most of its time dialing out, but needs to have someone dial-in at least occasionally. HTH, Andy B. ------------------------------ From: rhardin@my-deja.com Subject: Re: Protecting Ourselves ... Dialing Plan Configuration Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 22:32:55 GMT Organization: Deja.com - Before you buy. In article , Jim Cheshire wrote: > I have searched the FAQs but could not find a listing on this topic. > We want to configure our dialing plan in our phone system to prevent > outbound calls being placed to NANP numbers that generate expensive > toll calling. For example, I have heard that some NANP numbers in the > Carribean operate like 900 numbers. When someone calls that number, > they are billed additional charges above and beyond the normal LD > rates. > Is there a list of NPA/NXX exchanges that should be configured as > restricted dialing destinations? Where can I find this information? > Thanks, > Jim Cheshire Call Accounting System vendors, particularly those who specialize in hotels, such as Xeta Technologies (www.xeta.com -- 800-845-9145), try to keep up to date lists of offending exchanges as well as 8YY numbers that actually forward to 900 number, generating huge charges. ------------------------------ From: lwinson@bbs.cpcn.com (L.Winson) Subject: Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted Date: 10 Apr 2000 22:46:26 GMT Organization: The PACSIBM SIG BBS >> two or more Numbering Plan Areas (The proper name for Area Codes.) When did this name change? In all published consumer literature I've seen the term "Area Code" remains in use. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: For *consumers* the term is 'area codes'. For telco use, the term is 'Numbering Plan Areas' and has been for many, many years. PAT] ------------------------------ From: pw@panix.com (Paul Wallich) Subject: Re: Digital Signatures For French Hybrid Mail Documents Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 21:26:42 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In article , Jean-Bernard Condat wrote: > The evolution of the WorldWideWeb has opened up new markets for all > aspects of business, including postal business. POSTEASY is the > lastest development in the Postal Hybrid Mail area. It incorporates to > a basic postal service, the last developments in web and postal > technologies. By this way, we can propose solutions well adapted to > the needs of each customer. Posibilities are larges, and the > advantages for the customers are numerous. On this market in > exponential growth, Posteasy is very well positioned, proposing a > complete offer, endowed to a total securisation system. > Beyond a Web-based Hybrid Mail, Posteasy offers to act as Trust Third > Part. Henceforth for fax, e-mail, letter transmission, you can call > on POSTEASY's services. Whatever the communication support is, > Posteasy proposes to sequester and to archivate for life by a usher, > in a secure system control, the content of its communication. > Constantly, the integrity of the documents is preserved, and its > juridical value irrefutable. I wonder how many companies, especially given the current atmosphere of commercial intelligence gathering, will be willing to have their mail permanently stored by a third party, not to mention delivering it to the third party via web. Assuming that governmental aversion to anything that smacks of crypography can be overcome, wouldn't it be much better to use a system that simply archives message hashes? Given the proper software verification, you should have the same evidentiary value with much less risk. paul ------------------------------ From: Judith Oppenheimer" Subject: RE: TELECOM Digest V20 #60 Toll Free Recommendations? (Please) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 22:57:36 -0400 V. - Re shared-use - call me. Re co-marketing vanity numbers, what exactly do you mean? Assigning *subscriber* status to another subscriber entity (call center, ad agency, etc.) can be incredibly risky. Assigning RespOrg status to a *known* entity can be even riskier! Most of the projects we see where there is a "problem" RespOrg, involve large RespOrgs, not smaller ones. In fact, given the conflict of interest inherent in a company being both a carrier and a RespOrg, I usually steer my clients to smaller independent RespOrgs, preferring that their carrier and their RespOrg be two separate companies. That, along with keeping subscriber status in your name, is how you protect your interests. Judith Oppenheimer ICB Consulting 212 684-7210 From: VDonatelli@aol.com > Could anyone please tell me of a good IXC company (and contact name?) > for setting up a toll free "shared usage" program? I am planning to > use only NPA routing, nothing fancy. There would need to be > re-billing capabilities, direct access to change routing tables, no > fee per each terminating location, and decent pricing. Above all > else, reliability and trustworthiness are paramount. > The big guys have the capabilities, but I have had no luck trying to > find anyone within those organizations that have any knowledge about > setting up a shared usage program, or that could give a damn about > getting my business without some sort of huge volume commitment. > Secondly, does anyone know about, or have experience with, any of the > companies that have set themselves out as being in business to > co-market vanity numbers? It seems that assigning resporg status to > an unknown entity could be a very risky thing to do. Or am I being > paranoid? > I look forward and appreciate your responses. Many thanks in advance! V. Donatelli Vdonatelli@aol.com ------------------------------ From: Bob Subject: Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 00:47:19 -0400 Organization: Shore.Net/Eco Software, Inc; (info@shore.net) Is there any Digital Answering "machine" out there with quality sound for the greeting and message recording? I need a single and also perhaps another dual line machine for a SOHO environment. I've tried several machines and either the sound quality of the greeting is poor and/or the quality of the message recording is poor. I don't mind paying a little more so long as I can get quality sound. I have a couple of AT&T dual line machines that originally sounded good but have lost most of their quality over the year or two I've owned them. I could use a single, dual, or single/dual with a built in phone...or maybe even one 4 line system. However the businesses are very small and I need a reasonable price (not cheap, but reasonable). Any specific recommendation for machines with quality sound? Thanks, Bob ------------------------------ Date: 11 Apr 2000 11:57:23 -0000 From: tollfree-l@egroups.com Reply-To: tollfree-l@egroups.com Subject: Digest Number 1 http://click.egroups.com/1/2936/1/_/12331/_/955454244/ TOLLFREE-L is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Judith Oppenheimer, publisher of ICB Toll Free News (http://icbtollfree.com) & WhoSells800.com (http://whosells800.com), and President of ICB Toll Free Consultancy (http://800consulting.com). There are 2 messages in this issue. Topics in this digest: 1. a few 800 & SMS questions From: "Judith Oppenheimer" 2. Re: a few 800 & SMS questions From: nbjimweiss@aol.com Message: 1 Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 11:03:45 -0400 From: "Judith Oppenheimer" Subject: a few 800 & SMS questions 1. I recall reading somewhere early on, that 800 portability could not be withheld for billing disputes. I know that SNAC has gone back and forth on this, rewording various 'reject' codes ("unsatisfactory relationship" and the like") - but can anyone offer a Tariff or Guideline citation for prohibition against rejecting ports for billing disputes? 2. Does anyone have familiarity with the "Future Date" pending code in an SMS record, I believe one screen before the CADD screen? What is it and how does it work? 3. The RespOrg acts as agent for the end-user subscriber into the SMS/800 database. And FCC Regs state that where a reseller is the RespOrg's customer, the reseller's customers are the end-user subscribers of record, not the reseller. So, where a reseller is denied portability, what is the RespOrg's liability in denying the end-user subscribers their right to portability? Where a carrier disconnects reseller-sold service for payment dispute, what is its RespOrg entity's agency obligation to the end user subscribers of the reseller? TIA - Judith Message: 2 Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 12:28:47 EDT From: nbjimweiss@aol.com Subject: Re: a few 800 & SMS questions In a message dated 4/10/2000 11:49:31 AM Eastern Daylight Time, joppenheimer@icbtollfree.com writes: << 1. I recall reading somewhere early on, that 800 portability could not be withheld for billing disputes. I know that SNAC has gone back and forth on this, rewording various 'reject' codes ("unsatisfactory relationship" and the like") - but can anyone offer a Tariff or Guideline citation for prohibition against rejecting ports for billing disputes? >> My understanding is that it depends on the TARIFF wording of the carrier providing service. In some cases they specifically state that they will deny portability under certain criteria -- like past due billing. Jim Weiss Network Brokers, Inc. Providing Long Distance Services for Less nbjimweiss@aol.com networkbrokers@iname.com 305-252-1822; fax: 603-250-0817 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 10:37:46 -0400 From: Bob Rankin Subject: Looking For an Old Teletype I'm on a quest, looking for an old Teletype Model 33, used in the early 1970's as a computer terminal. Would you have any idea where to look? Regards, Bob Rankin ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 07:47:43 PDT From: Mike Pollock Subject: Yacking Yourself to Death? Research publication says many hands-free devices may actually raise the amount of radiation being directed into the head. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2523696,00.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 11:50:09 -0400 From: The Old Bear Subject: Spamming Moves to Cell Phones As summarized in NewsScan, 4/11/00 ... Spammers have started using the text-messaging services on some cell phones to send unsolicited messages, probably by simply trying consecutive numbers until they find valid ones. An executive of a company called Plugout.com, which sends unsolicited text messages about its products, says: "What better way to reach your target market? [The company sells cell phone accessories.] We look at it as if we're doing these people a favor if they're looking for these kinds of products." One irate AT&T Wireless customer replied: "Clearly the sender knows it's going to interrupt somebody's day... They're not doing me any favors by soliciting me over my cell phone." summarized from: Washington Post (11 Apr 2000) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/business/A51301-2000Apr10.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 13:12:32 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Some Countries Seek Keys to Digital Code-Scramblers By JERI CLAUSING WASHINGTON -- Governments around the world are relaxing their controls on the technology used to scramble computer communications and keep them secure. But according to a survey to be released Monday, that trend is coupled with attempts by law enforcement authorities to gain new surveillance powers. http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/biztech/articles/03cryp.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: From time to time here at the Digest, we provide passwords and names for the *New York Times* as a courtesy to people who would rather not be required to register. For quite a long time the name/password combination was cypherpunks/cypherpunks. Then one day, NYT took the name/password out of circulation. We've installed another one for use by the group: cypherpunks2000/cypherpunks I know it is a little long, but hopefully easy to remember. Enjoy your reading of the *New York Times*. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #62 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Apr 12 00:45:03 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id AAA03966; Wed, 12 Apr 2000 00:45:03 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 00:45:03 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004120445.AAA03966@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #63 ' TELECOM Digest Wed, 12 Apr 2000 00:45:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 63 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson 4/11 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines (Judith Oppenheimer) Re: Protecting Ourselves ... Dialing Plan Configuration (Linc Madison) Re: Verizontal Marks End of 'Name That Domain' Contest (John Willkie) Re: Microwave Towers (A. E. Siegman) Re: Microwave Towers (J.F. Mezei) Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail (J.F. Mezei) Tiny Tuvalu Cashes in on '.tv' Domains (ZDNet) Re: Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound (Daryl Gibson) Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted (Carl Moore) Re: Looking For an Old Teletype (L. Winson) Re: Looking For an Old Teletype (Roy Smith) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Judith Oppenheimer Subject: 4/11 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 23:32:27 -0400 ************************************************************************* ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************* SIDEBAR: Last week we noted that fewer than 1% of domain name registrants purchase 'cybersquatter'-level quantities of domain names. Also, that many of those high-volume registrants in that fewer-than-1% category, are trademark-owning large corporations. Which means the career 'cybersquatter' element so hysterically, repeatedly denounced by trademark owners in the press and to Congress and ICANN, is a mere fraction of that fewer-than-1% of people purchasing domain names. Milton Mueller, associate professor and director of the graduate program of telecommunications and network management at Syracuse University, adds: If you make some estimates you learn that UDRP'd domains constitute about .027 percent of the number of domains registered in any given week. That percentage can be expected to decline (unless, perhaps, the number of TLDs rises) because we are now dealing with names registered between 1994 and 1999, as well as names registered in the first 4 months of 2000. We repeat: The trademark lobby is getting far too much policy attention and preference, relative to a minimal and insignificant sliver of potential conflict that it can well afford to defend. ************************************************************************* ISSUE WATCH covers important matters pending resolution: currently, -- SMS/800 system performance problems -- delayed rollout of 866 and 855; -- ICANN plans for Famous Marks and new Top Level Domains; -- flaws in the Domain Dispute System. see http://www.icbtollfree.com/icbheadlns.cfm. ************************************************************************* HEADLINES FOR APRIL 11, 2000 F - TELLME DEMAND EXCEEDS CAPACITY After dialing the toll-free number into Tellme, callers will be able to surf the service by saying keywords such as "restaurants" to find and connect with any restaurant in the United States based on the establishment's name, cuisine type or location. Consumers can speak the keyword "traffic" to find the fastest route to work with traffic reports in major cities updated throughout the day. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1438 F - ARCH, PAGING NETWORK GET MERGER CLEARANCE Arch Communications Group agreed in November 1999 to acquire Paging Network in a stock deal designed to cut debt loads and avert bankruptcy-court proceedings for PageNet. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1439 P - EBAY.COM V. EBAY.CA Mr. Libbus said he received a letter from eBay demanding that he relinquish the domain name to the San Jose, Calif.-based company. He declined to co-operate, however, after discussing the issue with his lawyer. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1430 F - WAR DIALING: CELL PHONE 'SPAM' Configuration of cell phone text-message systems are a possible vulnerability: often customers automatically get an e-mail address consisting of their phone number followed by "@cellphoneco.net" All a spammer needs to do is run consecutive numbers, though service providers should be able to detect this "war dialing" approach and block the spammers' access. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1432 **************************************************advertisements********* convenient, flexible domestic toll-free ... robust, value-added ITFS: MCI WORLDCOM http://www.wcom.com/ 1-888-MCI-WCOM ************************************************************************* P.A.T.LIVE Personal Assistant Team manages your toll-free telephone number, fax, voice mail, pager, e-mail, Web -- and more! A division of ATG Technologies. http://www.atg-tech.com/ ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 11, 2000 F - WIRELESS SUBSCRIBERS UP 26% CTIA said the increase in wireless subscribers is the largest since the survey began in 1985. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1433 F - EU WANTS EXPEDITED .EU APPROVAL The Commission also raised questions about the fact that ICANN staff is dominated by U.S. personnel who lack the linguistic capabilities necessary for a truly international organization. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1434 F - SPEEDIER PHONES, SPEEDIER NET "We'll be able to take telephone signals, computer data, TV signals -- any type of signal you can think of -- put it on fiber optic, route it around the world with almost no optical signal loss, and accomplish this with infinite bandwidth. It has the potential of revolutionizing the way we all function." CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1428 F - SUPREME COURT GOES ONLINE The U.S. Supreme Court will have its own Internet Web site as of next Monday. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1429 ************************************************************************* >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. When success is the only option. >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 11, 2000 F - 1 800 LAS FLORES GETS ITS OWN .COM "Since 1995 we've had a telephonic presence with 1-800-Lasflores and our Spanish speaking customer service representatives," said CEO Jim McCann in a statement. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1431 F - NARUC OPPOSED TO THIRD PARTY OVERSIGHT OF CARRIER SELECTION NARUC noted that the main problem with slamming is not of administration but of enforcement and adjudication. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1435 F - GTE WIRELESS OFFERS FREE LD ON HOMECHOICE PLANS ...to speed the trend toward customers' use of a single phone for all communications needs. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1436 P - PAY PHONES PAY OFF IN POOR NEIGHBORHOODS 2-year-old company Telephone Technologies owns 150 pay phones in Indiana and manages 2,000 others. The ones that make the most money are usually in poor areas. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1437 **************************************************advertisements********* Haven't time to search? Get targeted telecom news every week from the source. Put 'subscribe Pipe' in the subject line and reply to: telecom_e_clips@hotmail.com. ************************************************************************* Do a friend a favor - suggest ICB ... Click Here to Recommend-It(r) http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=118920 ************************************************************************* The Salzburg Seminar has announced the ICANN Travel Support Project, which offers travel and accommodation support for upcoming ICANN meetings. Twelve to fifteen applicants will be supported by this Project. Details at: ICANN.salzburgseminar.org This Project is made possible by grants from the Markle and Ford foundations. ************************************************************************* That's a Great Name for a Web Site! Get instant Internet brand recognition for your company by securing a premier domain name. Now is the time, as the most sought after web addresses are auctioned to the highest bidder. 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All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 13:07:36 -0700 From: Linc Madison Subject: Re: Protecting Ourselves ... Dialing Plan Configuration Jim Cheshire wrote in Vol 20 #57: > I have searched the FAQs but could not find a listing on this topic. > We want to configure our dialing plan in our phone system to prevent > outbound calls being placed to NANP numbers that generate expensive > toll calling. For example, I have heard that some NANP numbers in > the Carribean operate like 900 numbers. When someone calls that > number, they are billed additional charges above and beyond the > normal LD rates. > Is there a list of NPA/NXX exchanges that should be configured as > restricted dialing destinations? Where can I find this information? The issue of Carribean numbers having surcharges above and beyond the toll charge has never been substantiated, and is generally regarded as urban legend. The confusion likely arises because the regular toll charges to many of the islands are almost as high as 900 number charges -- over $1/minute in some cases, if you don't have any sort of international calling plan. In addition, you need to be careful about ordinary domestic numbers that are dialed with a prefix: 101xxxx - 1 - NPA - NXX-XXXX. (Most of the 101xxxx codes are advertised as 10-10-xxx, but there are also 101-5xxx and 101-6xxx codes for the same purpose.) You should also block all 500 and 533 numbers, 700, 900, and 976 plus any of its cousins in your state. However, you do not need to worry about pay-per-call prefixes outside your area (for instance, 212-540 if you live outside New York and the adjacent states). In general, those numbers only work within the home LATA. I keep a listing of known "telesleaze" numbers (not guaranteed for any purpose; it may contain both "false positives" and "false negatives"), as well as all North American area codes that are outside the U.S. and Canada, on my web site, The good news is that the list of non-US, non-Canadian area codes is unlikely to grow much. Several of the codes are less than 1% filled. Linc Madison * San Francisco, California * Telecom-at-LincMad.com North American Telephone Area Codes & Splits ------------------------------ From: John Willkie Subject: Re: Verizontal Marks End of 'Name That Domain' Contest Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 13:49:45 -0700 Chris Wilson is quite active in setting up domains. Notice AsteonCommunications and AsteonSucks... WILSON, CHRIS (VELOCENTRE2-DOM) VELOCENTRE.NET WILSON, CHRIS (VERIZONSUCKS-DOM) VERIZONSUCKS.COM WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONCOM-DOM) ASTEONCOM.COM WILSON, CHRIS (MAJESTARCALLINGCARD-DOM) MAJESTARCALLINGCARD.COM WILSON, CHRIS (VERIZEN2-DOM) VERIZEN.NET WILSON, CHRIS (MAJESTARPHONES2-DOM) MAJESTARPHONES.NET WILSON, CHRIS (MAJESTARWIRELESS3-DOM) MAJESTARWIRELESS.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEAN3-DOM) ASTEAN.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (MAJESTARMULTIMEDIA2-DOM) MAJESTARMULTIMEDIA.NET WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONCORP2-DOM) ASTEONCORP.NET WILSON, CHRIS (CANTHUS-DOM) CANTHUS.COM WILSON, CHRIS (MAJESTARPAGING-DOM) MAJESTARPAGING.COM WILSON, CHRIS (EQUIVERSECOM2-DOM) EQUIVERSECOM.NET WILSON, CHRIS (MAJESTAR-TELECOM-DOM) MAJESTAR-TELECOM.COM WILSON, CHRIS (ALUVIO-DOM) ALUVIO.COM WILSON, CHRIS (INQUTEL3-DOM) INQUTEL.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONTEL2-DOM) ASTEONTEL.NET WILSON, CHRIS (INQUTEL-DOM) INQUTEL.COM WILSON, CHRIS (IN-QU-TEL2-DOM) IN-QU-TEL.NET WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEON-CORP3-DOM) ASTEON-CORP.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (EQUI-VERSE2-DOM) EQUI-VERSE.NET WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONSUCKS3-DOM) ASTEONSUCKS.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEON-COMMUNICATIONS2-DOM) ASTEON-COMMUNICATIONS.NET WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEON-INC3-DOM) ASTEON-INC.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (MAJESTARMULTIMEDIA-DOM) MAJESTARMULTIMEDIA.COM WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONWIRELESS3-DOM) ASTEONWIRELESS.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (VERIZON2-DOM) VERIZON.NET WILSON, CHRIS (INQTEL3-DOM) INQTEL.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (GALVANCE2-DOM) GALVANCE.NET WILSON, CHRIS (MAJESTARWORLDWIDE-DOM) MAJESTARWORLDWIDE.COM WILSON, CHRIS (IN-QU-TEL-DOM) IN-QU-TEL.COM WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONINCORPORATED3-DOM) ASTEONINCORPORATED.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (VALLURE2-DOM) VALLURE.NET WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONINCORPORATED2-DOM) ASTEONINCORPORATED.NET WILSON, CHRIS (CONCARTA2-DOM) CONCARTA.NET WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONCORP3-DOM) ASTEONCORP.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (VERIZAN-DOM) VERIZAN.COM WILSON, CHRIS (EQUI-VERSE-DOM) EQUI-VERSE.COM WILSON, CHRIS (BGTELECOM3-DOM) BGTELECOM.ORG WILSON, CHRIS (MAJESTARCALLINGCARD2-DOM) MAJESTARCALLINGCARD.NET WILSON, CHRIS (NDOCS-DOM) NDOCS.COM WILSON, CHRIS (GALVENT2-DOM) GALVENT.NET WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONTELECOM-DOM) ASTEONTELECOM.COM WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONINCORPORATED-DOM) ASTEONINCORPORATED.COM WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEON-INC-DOM) ASTEON-INC.COM WILSON, CHRIS (CALADE-DOM) CALADE.COM WILSON, CHRIS (CROSS-SPHERE-DOM) CROSS-SPHERE.COM WILSON, CHRIS (INQTELSUCKS-DOM) INQTELSUCKS.COM WILSON, CHRIS (MAJESTARINCORPORATED-DOM) MAJESTARINCORPORATED.COM WILSON, CHRIS (ASTEONCOMMUNICATIONS3-DOM) ASTEONCOMMUNICATIONS.ORG could be more, the listing stopped after 50 -- ------------------------------ From: siegman@stanford.edu (A. E. Siegman) Subject: Re: Microwave Towers Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 20:00:05 -0700 Organization: Stanford University In article , Daryl Gibson wrote: [re microwave towers] > In many cases, these towers were impressive pieces of engineering, > more than just a communications tower. In any case, these towers were > built to stitch together the telephone patchwork of a nation, and they > served us well. They have done so for 40 years. As an addendum to this message (and thanks much for it!), some of the tower components did other impressive things as well. The "sugarscoop" antennas on these towers are shaped that way because this gives them extremely small back lobes, and also extremely small losses, compared to other designs. As a result, Bell Labs adapted this antenna design for the Project Echo experiments around 1961 (remember Project Echo? -- predecessor of satellite communications, involving detection of microwaves passively reflected from an inflatable metal-coated mylar balloon -- you could easily see it by its reflected light when it passed overhead at night.) The preamplifier in front of the microwave receiver in the experiments was the newly developed, cryogenically cooled microwave solid-state maser (microwave predecessor of the laser), with an effective amplifier noise temperature or equivalent input noise temperature of around 10 K. The rule of thumb for this kind of system is that every tenth of dB of room-temperature (300 K) loss in front of the amplifier adds 7 K of additional thermal noise at the amplifier input, so the extremely low loss of the sugarscoop design with its direct feed to the maser amplifier was critical. In addition, with the antenna looking more or less straight up, pickup from back lobes would have brought in noise from the 300 K ground below the antenna. The maser engineers who built the system were really good; they tracked down all the losses to minute fractions of a db;, measured the noise temp of the receiving system to excruciating accuracy; and found they had 3 K of equivalent input noise unaccounted for. They eventually realized this 3 K of noise was coming into the antenna from everywhere in the sky, and represented the residual microwave radiation from the "Big Bang" creation of the universe. As a result, Bell Labs director Arno Penzias and one or two others (Wilson?) ended up with a Nobel Prize. (Those who recall Grote Reber and his antennas back in the 1930s will note some resemblences.) Reference: Siegman (that's me), MICROWAVE SOLID-STATE MASERS (McGraw-Hill, 1964), Fig. 9-4, p. 458. ------------------------------ From: J.F. Mezei Subject: Re: Microwave Towers Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 13:33:43 -0400 Daryl Gibson wrote: > Many of you know that AT&T has been replacing the old Microwave > shots with fiberoptic. Canada's Yukon was linked to the "south" with a string of microwave towers, some of them perched above high mountains (with their own generators etc). I recently heard that they may be stringing fiber to Fort St-John (still in the "south"). I was wondering how long before fibre is strung all the way to Whitehorse? Or has it been strung there already? Considering the difficulties of dealing with permafrost (north of Whitehorse), does this preclude the laying of fibre in the north, or will it eventually get there? Is it fair to assume that microwave technology is "mature" and won't progress much more, or will there still be enough advances to allow Northwestel to upgrade its microwave network to keep up with increasing demand for bandwidth ? ------------------------------ From: J.F. Mezei Subject: Re: You've Got Inappropriate Mail Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 13:24:25 -0400 Paul Wallich wrote: > If you thought really long and carefully about the problem, you could > probably develop analysis tools and models that would give you an > accurate picture of when people were spending time on a page rather > than just having it open. But in your example of the AP page that has an automatic refresh on it, how could either side prove their points ? The employee can argue succesfully that by having it stay opened in the background, it still generates HTTP requests at regular intervals while the employee is doing productive work. But the company can also argue that the employee could have stared at the screen reading the headlines constantly. I have a feeling that a lot of legal/human resource folks are misinterpreting those proxy server logs because they do not truly understand how HTTP works. And employees who also do not fully understand how http works would not be able to properly defend themselves. However, in the cases I have heard so far, there were other indications that the employee was not productive, but it is still scrary to think that an employer will be misusing logs to fire an employee. (Although this is not as bad as Morgan Stanley hiring a private-eye to falsify an employee's records, and then charge the employee for a economic crime and have him sent to jail, instead of firing him for the real reason (because he had appeared naked in a magazine). (And this was done at the very high level in the bank). ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 21:44:51 EDT From: itsamike@yahoo.com Subject: Tiny Tuvalu Cashes in on '.tv' Domains This message was forwarded to you from ZDNet (http://www.zdnet.com) by itsamike@yahoo.com. Tuvalu, a tiny South Pacific nation measuring 26 square kilometers, has sold the use of its domain name -- .tv -- to Idealab! in a deal that promises to garner Tuvalu more than three times its national budget. [TABLE NOT SHOWN] Under the terms of the agreement, the archipelago will receive $50 million over the next dozen years; the contract will be renegotiated in 2012. The Tuvalu islands have already garnered $15 million dollars from the deal, enough to transform the existence of a country where the annual budget tops out at $14 million per year. The per-capita revenue of the 10,600 residents is on its way to becoming one of the highest on the planet, up from an average of $400. [TABLE NOT SHOWN] In 1998, Tuvalu closed a deal with Canada's TV Corp., but that agreement fell through. The current deal is with Idealab! , a startup incubator based in Pasadena, Calif. One of its portfolio companies, dubbed DotTV, will auction off URLs ending in ".tv." Proposed addresses include letters of the alphabet (a.tv, b.tv, etc.) as well as names such as "pepsi.tv" and "marilynmonroe.tv." Galle Vacher reports for ZDNet France. Translation by Matthew Rothenberg, ZDNet News.[TABLE NOT SHOWN] ------------------------------ From: Daryl Gibson Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 15:25:07 -0600 Subject: Re: Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound > Is there any Digital Answering "machine" out there with > quality sound for the greeting and message? Most answering machines I have used (or own) have a microphone that is a piece of junk. When you record the greeting, you record through that junky microphone, and usually pick up a bunch of background noise. I've gotten much better messages by re-recording the message remotely (many machines offer this ability) from a phone at the office. Daryl "As you ramble through life, brother, no matter what your goal, keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the hole" --Dr. Murray Banks, quoting a menu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 14:30:21 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted Before 1995, there was a zip/area directory published by Pilot Books in Babylon, Long Island, NY. It might not be published anymore because there are so many area codes. ------------------------------ From: lwinson@bbs.cpcn.com (L. Winson) Subject: Re: Looking For an Old Teletype Date: 11 Apr 2000 20:16:36 GMT Organization: The PACSIBM SIG BBS > I'm on a quest, looking for an old Teletype Model 33, used in the > early 1970's as a computer terminal. Would you have any idea where to > look? Contact an organization that provides services for deaf people. They made extensive use of TTY machines. I think nowadays they've pretty much converted over to compact electronic devices (or computers). Note that some of the machines may be set up for Baudot (5 bit) instead of ASCII (8 bit). IIRC, the Teletype model 32 looked like a 33 but was a 3 row machine for Baudot use. ------------------------------ From: Roy Smith Subject: Re: Looking For an Old Teletype Organization: NYU School of Medicine, Educational Computing Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 16:21:19 -0400 Bob Rankin wrote: > I'm on a quest, looking for an old Teletype Model 33, used in the > early 1970's as a computer terminal. Would you have any idea where to > look? Scattered about the halls and back closets of any university, I would expect. I still see some of them around here. I wouldn't be surprised if more than one or two were actually still in service printing out data from some old piece of lab equipment! Roy Smith New York University School of Medicine [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And in many old-style phone rooms with multiple switchboard positions where they had a large volume of long distance calls requiring 'time and charges' to be quoted to the PBX operators, it was quite common to have all the 'time and charge' quotes come through on a teletype machine wired directly to the establishment from telco. That is what we had at University of Chicago when I worked there in the early 1960's: T&C for several thousand extensions came through every five or ten minutes on a teletype which was hardwired to the Illinois Bell central office at 61st and Kenwood Streets (when they used to have operators in that building on the second floor. The T&C quotes had the Illinois Bell ticket number, our ticket number, along with the number called and other details. We would rip these off as they came out of the machine and use them for our own bookeeping records. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #63 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Apr 12 19:58:12 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id TAA10482; Wed, 12 Apr 2000 19:58:12 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 19:58:12 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004122358.TAA10482@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #64 TELECOM Digest Wed, 12 Apr 2000 19:58:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 64 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US (Ronda Hauben) DTMF Over TCP/IP (Alex Saveliev) Cuba to Allow Calls From U.S. (Michael A. Desmon) 7th International Conference Cities & Ports (AIVP - Info) Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (Paul Rubin) More Cops on the Net Beat? Privacy Groups Say Not So Fast (Monty Solomon) Re: Tiny Tuvalu Cashes in on '.tv' Domains (Fred Atkinson) Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted (John Stahl) Suche Bedienungsanleitung Olympia Quadrophone (M. Pfeifer) Convergence Survey - Win $100 (Rick Blum) Re: Microwave Towers (J.F. Mezei) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. 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Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: rh120@columbia.edu (Ronda Hauben) Subject: Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US Date: 12 Apr 2000 12:11:13 GMT Organization: Columbia University Reply-To: rh120@columbia.edu Daniel Seyb (seybernetx@ameritech.net) wrote: (...) > And The Telephone Company has always been a money making operation. If > they ever actually lost money on any product, they just raised the rates > to make it up. What do they care if you're happy or not? But they were obligated to meet certain standards. And they were obligated to maintain a high level of technology which led to upgrades like the 5ESS switches and the development of UNIX. The Bell system was regulated and Bell Labs was a research laboratory maintained to meet the obligations of that regulation. Now the obligations for service are gone. And there is no one to complain too. Just lots of phone calls from sales people from these supposedly "competitive" companies. But the point is you don't know what fees they have for whom. They tell you what price they have for you. That is very far any "competitive" situation. And the money they are making from the windfall to folks in the US they are taking elsewhere rather than investing in new technology to give better service. dan > "Dr. Joel M. Hoffman" wrote: (...) > The pattern is clear. Whereas the US used to have the best phone > service in the world, service has been declining raapidly and steadily > for over a decade. I think it's because we've decided that telco's > should be money-making businesses, instead of services provided to > citizens. And so we've seen a minor reduction in costs (but look how > expensive out-of-state directory info is!) but an unacceptible drop in > service. I agree. And it is helpful to see this being acknowledged and discussed. Who made the decision to break up AT&T and on what basis? It wasn't the public. The public interest was left out of the process. And isn't that what is happening in general now in the US? In the past there was the realization that those with a commercial self interest could not be relied on to determine what the public interest was in a situation. That is why government needed to hear from those without a commercial self interest. Now it is only those with a commercial self interest that at least in the US, the government is interested in hearing from. Those with a commercial self interest are considered to be the "stakeholders" who have to be determining what happens. That is a reversal of the role of government. This is a serious deterioration in how decisions are made and whose interest will be served. There is a long term interest that needs to be considered and that is what government can make possible. But that is not happening in the US under the current pressures. The 1996 Telecom law was rammed through the US Congress without most of those in Congress who were voting on it even knowing what it said. The telecom interests had their day, and the public interest was sacrificed. How does one change this? In front of my apartment building in NYC, someone is digging a large hole and putting in something. I asked who it was and was told Sprint. The other infrastructure lines will be under the new lines being put in. It isn't that companies can just compete and all can't dig holes and put in lines. They are digging up the public street and thus there has to be some regulation on what they are doing. That regulation has broken down and it is therefore that thee whole infrastructure of NYC is jeopardized by this breakdown. Ronda ronda@panix.com Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/netbook also in print edition ISBN 0-8186-7706-6 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ronda, we have gone through this so many times here, I guess one more time won't hurt. The decision to bust up the phone company (AT&T) in the early 1980's was made by a federal judge -- Judge Greene -- who one day lost ten cents in a payphone booth, went away angry feeling damned and detirminined to 'break up Bell' no matter what the cost, then proceeded to meet with his cronies in the Justice Department and let them know they would find a hospitable welcome in his courtroom. Some in Justice wanted to break up Bell also. Remember that in the 1960-70's there was a general attitude of discontentment where the Bell System was concerned. A large number of people seemed to hate Ma Bell, and were happy to see her destroyed. Judge Greene served as the catalyst. The judge's supporters here in this newsgroup going back to the early/middle 1980's are prompt to remind me and whoever wants to listen that Bell agreed to divestiture, but the fact is, if you had a knife stuck in your back you would agree to most anything yourself. Bell agreed to divestiture because there was little they could do about it, and the cost of fighting it was increasing all the time. Even though it was a civil matter, AT&T asked for a jury trial which was their right. The judge refused to give them one, claiming that no one could 'possibly' understand all the technical details; no one but himself of course, and Justice Department lawyers. As it was, Judge Greene had his calendar cleared out and did nothing but hear that case for about three years. The same trick was going to be done to IBM in the same time era as you may recall. But IBM would have none of it. Their response was to bury the court in so much paper that for a year afterward, the court was sitting there trying to sift through it all. Every day, it seemed, semi-trailer trucks would pull up to the court's receiving room to drop off the latest ten thousand page exhibit. Always, ten copies of each had to be delivered; a couple copies for the court, one copy for the court reporter, one for each attorney, etc. If AT&T had used the IBM tactic to stall, Bell would still be in one piece the way IBM is. Judge Greene did Americans a great disservice by screwing around with the phone company. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Alex Saveliev Subject: DTMF Over TCP/IP Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 15:48:42 +0400 Hello! Could anybody point out how DTMF signals are transported over TCP/IP network in IP telephony application? What we want is a computer calling someone in PSTN (say, by means of NetMeeting API ) via an IP telephony gateway (say, Dialogic based). The callee then generates tones, pressing buttons on his phone. How these short tones get to our computer over a packet network? Is there a standart for it? If there is, then should I use Netmeeting API, TAPI or something else to get these tones? I know that Dialogic boards themselves can be programmed easily to handle DTMF, but the problem is that we don't have our own IPtel gateway and are planning to subscribe for gatewaying services. And IP telephony providers seem not to allow any additional apps hosted on their gateways. (If someone knows provider allowing user programs to be executed, please let me know). Please help. Thanks in advance, Alex Saveliev ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 10:51:18 EDT From: Michael A. Desmon Subject: Cuba to Allow Calls From U.S. Published Wednesday, April 12, 2000, in the Miami Herald Cuba to allow calls from U.S. Relatives will still seek award BY JUAN O. TAMAYO jtamayo@herald.com The change may make it slightly easier to call Cuba, but will not significantly improve the quality or lower the cost of the calls. Cuba will resume permitting direct U.S.-Cuba telephone calls, starting early today, after relatives of three Brothers to the Rescue pilots killed in 1996 stopped blocking U.S. phone payments to Havana. The dispute had cut off direct calls for 14 months. ``Slowly and in accordance with its technical-organizational abilities, the ETECSA [telephone] company will proceed to reestablish the circuits blocked for lack of payment, Cuba's Granma newspaper reported Tuesday. The change may make it slightly easier to call Cuba, but will not significantly improve the quality or lower the cost of the calls, or end the bitter legal struggle to make Cuba pay for killing the Miami aviators. ``To the consumer, it should not mean any significant change," said Enrique Lopez, whose Coral Gables telecommunications consulting firm has worked on several U.S.-Cuba telephone issues. ETECSA officials informed U.S. telephone carriers that it would allow direct-dial calls again as of midnight Tuesday, though the process could take up to 48 hours to complete, an AT&T official said. A joint Italian-Cuban venture, ETECSA cut off nearly all direct calls to and from the United States on Feb. 24, 1999, after a U.S. judge in Miami garnished about $6 million owed to Havana by five U.S. telephone carriers. Few callers noticed a change because AT&T, MCI, LDDS, IDB and WilTel, which run most of the 1,020 circuits connecting Cuba and the United States, swiftly rerouted calls through third countries such as Canada and Mexico. Rates on U.S. telephone calls to Cuba, ranging from a low of 62 U.S. cents per minute to as high as $3, did not rise after the shift to indirect calls and will not drop with the change back to direct calls. ``AT&T was sometimes losing money because of rerouting, but chose to keep its rates steady to keep its consumer cases," an industry official said. Sprint, which operates 120 U.S.-Cuba circuits, most of them devoted to data transfer, was never served with garnishment papers. It paid its bills to Havana and continued to route calls directly to Cuba during the past 14 months. U.S. Judge James Lawrence King initially blocked the phone payments to ETECSA as part of his $187 million award against the Cuban government for the fatal downing of the Brothers to the Rescue pilots in 1996 by Cuban air force jets. But a federal appeals court in Atlanta overruled his order in August, saying that ETECSA was not part of the Cuban government. Miami lawyers dropped the last of the motions in the case against ETECSA on March 14. ``That allowed the U.S. firms to pay their pending debts," Granma reported Tuesday. Attorney Ron Kleinman stressed, however, that relatives of the dead pilots have not given up on their fight to collect on King's ruling. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 20:09:56 +0200 From: AIVP - Info Subject: 7th International Conference Cities & Ports 7th International Conference Cities & Ports 7e Conference Internationale Villes & Ports 6-9 November 2000 Marseille (France) Urban and port development authorities for coastal and river cities from throughout the entire world will be meeting in Marseilles (France), from the 6th to the 9th of November next, for the 7th Cities and Ports (IACP) International Conference. More than 500 delegates representing the port cities of more than 50 countries are expected in Marseilles to debate and exchange views regarding the implementation of sustainable development in port areas. This challenge is of interest to you? This meeting concerns you? We propose, without any committment on your behalf, to keep you informed free of charge of the programme development of this conference > by sending a message to : listegb.conference@aivp.net with SUBSCRIBE as subject (mailto:listegb.conference@aivp.net?subject=SUBSCRIBE) >or via our website http://www.aivp.com/7conf/formgb.asp Les responsables du developpement urbain et portuaire des villes maritimes et fluviales du monde entier se donnent rendez-vous Marseille (France) du 6 au 9 novembre prochains pour la 7e Confrence Internationale des Villes et Ports organise par l'Association Internationale Villes et Ports. (AIVP). Plus de 500 dgus reprsentants des villes portuaires de plus de 50 pays sont attendus Marseille pour dbattre et canger leurs expriences autour de la mise en uvre d'un dveloppement durable des places portuaires. Cet enjeu vous intresse ? Cette rencontre vous concerne? Nous vous proposons, sans aucun engagement de votre part, de vous tenir inform gratuitement de l'volution du programme de cette confrence > en envoyant un message : listefr.conference@aivp.net avec le mot SUBSCRIBE en objet (mailto:listefr.conference@aivp.net?subject=SUBSCRIBE) >ou par notre site web : http://www.aivp.com/7conf/form.asp ------------------------------ From: phr@netcom.com (Paul Rubin) Subject: Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Date: 12 Apr 2000 07:57:32 GMT Organization: NETCOM / MindSpring Enterprises, Inc. In article , Riklef Flor wrote: > I have another simple, free way of stopping telemarketers that I > haven't seen mentioned before. > It's a variation of the "Not Saying Hello" method. > When I answer the phone and say "Hello" ... if I don't hear an > immediate response, I hang up. Invariably, it turns out to be a > predictive dialer hunting for an open line. > I've only been "wrong" once and that was my wife, who uses the same trick. This isn't good. I often call people on my speaker phone. When and if they answer, I switch from the speaker to the handset, which causes a slight pause. My speaker phone doesn't have a microphone (except the one in the handset), so until I switch, the person can't hear me. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 01:00:48 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: More Cops on the Net Beat? Privacy Groups Say Not So Fast U.S. law enforcement officials want to beef up surveillance, but critics say laws are too lax to prevent abuses. By Keith Perine WASHINGTON - With federal authorities preparing to conduct broad new surveillance of the Internet, privacy advocates and members of Congress are sounding the alarm about the potential trampling of constitutional rights. http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/1,1151,13908,00.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 08:15 EDT From: Fred Atkinson Organization: Personal Copy Subject: Re: Tiny Tuvalu Cashes in on '.tv' Domains Pat, Regarding the above referenced story, all someone offered me for my domain (which I'm not interested in selling, by the way) was three thousand. Gee....... . Fred [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have not been offered five cents for all my domain names put together. The only exception was topica, which offered me a dollar for each name on my mailing list, which I turned down. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 10:20:20 -0400 From: John Stahl Subject: Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted I have found that the DeLorme map program, Street Atlas (the latest version available I believe is Version 7.0), is a great 'database' for precisely the "codes" you require. Dropping down the "Find" box allows entry of either code. The result is a precise map of the geographic area covered by that "code". John Stahl Aljon Enterprises Telecom/Data Consultancy email: aljon@(big)att.net - NOTE: Take out the (big) to send email ------------------------------ From: M Pfeifer Subject: Suche Bedienungsanleitung fr Olympia Quadrophone Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 20:17:09 +0200 Organization: T-Online [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I hope someone will read this to me, and I hope I did not get spammed. PAT] Hallo, Wer Kann Helfen Ich suche für das Quadrophone (telefon Anrufbeantworter und Fax mit thermopapier) Eine Bedienungsanleitung wer Hat solch eine oder Kann mir sagen Wo mann diese bekommen kann habe schon im netz nach Olympia gesucht aber leider nicht weitergefunden Gruss Euer Murmel M. Pfeifer 27570 Bremerhaven Http://www.mpfeifer.de Mail: murmel@mpfeifer.de [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It looks to me like the person is writing about a fax machine and copy paper. I hope this is not the outfit that sells fax and copy machines on the net who are forever sending out spam. Can someone please advise? PAT] ------------------------------ From: rickblum@my-deja.com Subject: Convergence Survey - Win $100 Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 19:03:55 GMT Organization: Deja.com - Before you buy. You are invited to participate in Lucent NetworkCares latest web-based industry survey on Convergence and New World Service Providers. All qualified survey participants may enter a drawing for one of three $100 `aAmerican Express Gift Certificates. To participate, click here: http://www.lucent-networkcare.com/surveys Completing the Convergence survey should take only 10-12 minutes of your time. The complete results will be freely available to all participants. All responding individuals will remain confidential and will not be added to any marketing mailing list. The information provided in the survey will be combined with that of other respondents and reported in summary form only. The survey will run throughout April. Please visit the above survey web site to view the results of other network industry surveys conducted by NetworkCare, including its most recent report on Network and Systems Management Total Cost of Ownership. Lucent employees and their families are not eligible for participation in this survey. Thank you for your time and support. ------------------------------ From: JF Mezei Reply-To: jfmezei@vl.videotron.ca Subject: Re: Microwave Towers Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 16:10:36 -0400 John R. Levine wrote: > Permafrost is certainly an issue, but you can after all put it on > poles, just like wire, if you need to. There aren't any poles that link the south with Whitehorse, not since the old telegraph line was abandoned. Would planting poles over about one thousand kilometres, and maintaining it (cutting trees/branches that may fall and break the wire) still cost less than maintaining the microwave towers that are there right now? Considering that the road must be rebuilt every couple of years (especially on the BC side becausd they build the northern roads to lesser standards), would running the fiber underground near the road be practical? > I can only see microwave being of use in places where running fiber is > impractical Correct. In Australia, they have strung fiber all around and across (literally) the country, and in most outback places, the wire is burried a mere few inches below ground level and there are not many trees to cut when you're crossing a desert. But in the case of northern BC and Yukon, I am wondering if the "impractical to run fibre" applies or not. Also, would it be practical to run undersea fibre from Vancouver to Skagway and then just run the fibre on the 170km to Whitehorse along the pipeline/railway? How is Alaska linked to the USA mainland? Are places just as Juneau linked by undersea fibre? Or do they also rely on microwaves? And what about towns just as Anchorage? (far, far away). ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #64 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Apr 13 15:12:23 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id PAA14541; Thu, 13 Apr 2000 15:12:23 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 15:12:23 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004131912.PAA14541@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #65 TELECOM Digest Thu, 13 Apr 2000 15:10:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 65 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Pioneers in the News (Tad Cook) 4/12 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines (Judith Oppenheimer) Re: Suche Bedienungsanleitung fr Olympia Quadrophone (Lance Purple) Washington State Fines Qwest (Tad Cook) Cuba Resumes Phone Service to USA (Tad Cook) Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (John Willkie) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tad Cook Subject: Pioneers in the News Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 22:32:18 -0700 Copyright 1999 Nando Media Telephone Pioneers of America, Independent Telecommunications Pioneer Association Sign Strategic Alliance to Launch National Volunteer Week Activities DENVER, April 12 (Apr 13, 2000 1:20:10 EST) -- An onslaught of hostile corporate takeovers, mergers, and hard-hitting competitive battles for market share are reshaping the telecommunications industry daily. In spite of this, many of the industry's companies have joined in a common cause -- to celebrate the volunteer spirit of their current and former employees in a united effort to build strong healthy communities across America. Hundreds of telecom companies have come together to applaud and support this volunteerism by forming an alliance that will launch National Volunteer Week activities. Leaders of the Telephone Pioneers of America and the Independent Telecommunications Pioneer Association, the organizations that include these 700 companies, signed the alliance at the completion of the groups' first joint project in formal ceremonies at Garfield Elementary School in Washington, D.C., at 10 a.m., Monday, April 10, 2000. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990927/LAM039-b http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000412/LAW031 ) Special guests at the event were the 400 students of Garfield Elementary school, the school's principal, Mrs. Evelyn Gainous; Pam Warwick, vice president for nonprofit outreach, Points of Light Foundation; and Mario Moreno, assistant secretary, U.S. Department of Education. Signing the two-year strategic alliance on behalf of their 826,000 members were Irene Chavira, president, Telephone Pioneers of America, and Vanessa Horning, president, Independent Telecommunications Pioneer Association. "Since the beginning of our industry in the late 1800s, telecommunications workers have been dedicated to service," said Chavira. "This intrinsic desire to serve others grew over the years to include many causes and societal needs. By giving of our time and talents, we work to make the communities, in which we live and work, stronger and healthier. It is fitting that we should celebrate the spirit of service of our volunteers and unite in our efforts to continue to serve our communities as we begin a new century," she added. "This is an historic occasion," said Horning. "This is the first time ever that an industry has come together in an alliance of this kind. While the more than 700 companies represented by our two organizations are very diverse, we have common ground. We are committed to work together in service to the communities in which we operate. With 826,000 members across North America, we can make a tremendous impact on improving education, the environment, services to the handicapped, the homeless, the indigent, and the elderly. The project that we completed today is a model for what we can accomplish across this country." In three days, Pioneers volunteers from both organizations worked together to paint a playground map on the grounds of Garfield Elementary School at 2435 Alabama Avenue. They also completed various other projects at the school requested by school officials, including painting an administrative office, the music room, restrooms, exterior doors, window grates, and hand rails, as well as campus clean-up and landscaping. "In addition to providing volunteer service to their communities, Telephone Pioneers are excellent in helping connect groups of people to achieve maximum results," said Pam Warwick, who heads up the Points of Light Foundation's Connect America initiative. "This project is a perfect example of their efforts to involve other groups from the community in the work they do. For the work here at Garfield Elementary School, they invited neighborhood associations, the Young Marines, school officials and other community leaders to participate with them in benefiting this neighborhood school. That is a mark of real leadership and is significant in helping to connect America." Assistant Secretary of Education Mario Moreno said that community support is vital in providing many of the resources that schools in America need to flourish and prosper. "With such projects as Playground Maps, Telephone Pioneers provide many of the tools that make learning more fun and interesting for school children," he said. "It is important that school children everywhere know that groups such as these invest their time and talents in ensuring students have the educational tools they need to succeed. With their work here, these volunteers are also indirectly teaching these students the value of volunteerism." The Telephone Pioneers of America, the world's largest volunteer organization is made up of approximately 800,000 members in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its members are current and former employees of AT&T, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, Cincinnati Bell, Frontier Communications Corporation, Island Telecom, Lucent Technologies, Manitoba Telecom Services, Maritime Telegraph and Telephone, NBTel, NewTel Enterprises, NorthwesTel, SaskTel, SBC Communications, Telcordia Technologies, TELUS, and U S WEST. The Independent Telecommunications Pioneer Association has 26,000 members who are active and retired employees representing over 700 independent telecommunications companies in the United States. ------------------------------ From: Judith Oppenheimer Subject: 4/12 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 21:03:44 -0400 ************************************************************************* ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* Click Here to Subscribe to ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES http://www.icbtollfree.com/reg.cfm?NextURL=Index.cfm (Registration is required. Names are not sold, rented or leased.) ************************************************************************* ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************* ICB's ISSUE WATCH covers important matters pending resolution: currently, -- Vapor-constituency: ICANN At Large Membership ... -- SMS/800 system performance problems -- delayed rollout of 866 and 855; -- ICANN plans for Famous Marks and new Top Level Domains; -- flaws in the Domain Dispute System. see http://www.icbtollfree.com/icbheadlns.cfm. ************************************************************************* HEADLINES FOR APRIL 12, 2000 P - E-GOVERNMENT ... WHO'D A THUNK IT By 2005, the nation's state and local governments will spend $12.5 billion on e-government. [Don't forget who controls the 'e': ICANN.] CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1449 F - CONGRESSIONAL WIRELESS CAUCUS FORMED The formation of the Wireless Caucus places the industry square in the middle of the public policy debate. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1451 F - DOMAIN NAMES FINALLY REVEALED FOR MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR AUCTION After much anticipation in the financial and e-commerce community, the host of the world's first auction of financial/business-related Internet domain names has announced its list of premier names and developed web sites to be offered in the auction, which starts today. Includes iTOLLFREE.com and eTOLLFREE.com. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1441 P - THE 'EBAYING' OF CORPORATE LAW Clients can package legal work and solicit bids from law firms in an online auction. The idea is for the firms to bid against each other and send the cost down. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1447 **************************************************advertisements********* convenient, flexible domestic toll-free ... robust, value-added ITFS: MCI WORLDCOM http://www.wcom.com/ 1-888-MCI-WCOM ************************************************************************* P.A.T.LIVE Personal Assistant Team manages your toll-free telephone number, fax, voice mail, pager, e-mail, Web -- and more! A division of ATG Technologies. http://www.atg-tech.com/ ************************************************************************* WhoSells800.com http://www.whosells800.com ... where business shops for toll free service and numbers. Are you listed? http://www.whosells800.com/800serpro.cfm ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 12, 2000 P - ISP'S RECEIVING SUBSTANDARD SERVICES, COMPETITION STIFLED "With 89% of ISPs believing (and documenting) that they are being harmed, NNI believes that the FCC and the states should immediately investigate the ISP's claims of inadequate customer services and anti-competitive practices by the Bells and GTE," states Kushnick. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1440 F - AN INTERNET AWAKENING Thanks to the Internet, we are now on the cusp of our greatest renaissance -- an Internet Awakening. Or, our worst dark ages. Let's hope we choose wisely. Editorial by 'Domain Name Wars' veteran Jay Fenello. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1442 P - ICANN@LARGE MEMBERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT is much ado about nothing CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1444 F - CELL PHONE INVENTOR PROMOTES WIRELESS NET Ninety-seven years after Bell became the first person to speak over a telephone line, Cooper hefted a clumsy, 21/2-pound box of wires, circuits and batteries to his ear and made the first private call from a handheld cellular phone. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1446 ************************************************************************* >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. When success is the only option. >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 12, 2000 P - TELEDOMAINS.COM ... announces patent pending system that assists business owners in creating a custom toll-free number. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1448 F - BULKREGISTER REPORTS SYSTEM BUG During system upgrades on April 3rd, 4th and 5th, a "bug" was introduced into limited sections of BulkRegister's database. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1450 F - HITDOMAINS HAS A HIT ON ITS HANDS Assuming it doesn't freeze over, Cahn says bidding on HELL.com will start at about $8 million. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1452 F - FAST LANE DOMAIN REGISTRATIONS Domain Fast Find searches for available domain names based on key words entered by users - helping potential registrants find alternatives if their desired domain is already taken. Multi-Name registration, which allows customers to register multiple domain names at once. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1443 F - BACK TO BOMB SHELTERS - FOR THE NET, THAT IS Equinix is a sprawling compound chock-full of fancy security devices that appears capable of protecting the computers housed inside from physical attack. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1445 **************************************************advertisements********* Haven't time to search? Get targeted telecom news every week from the source. Put 'subscribe Pipe' in the subject line and reply to: telecom_e_clips@hotmail.com. ************************************************************************* Do a friend a favor - suggest ICB ... Click Here to Recommend-It(r) http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=118920 ************************************************************************* The Salzburg Seminar has announced the ICANN Travel Support Project, which offers travel and accommodation support for upcoming ICANN meetings. Twelve to fifteen applicants will be supported by this Project. Details at: ICANN.salzburgseminar.org This Project is made possible by grants from the Markle and Ford foundations. ************************************************************************* That's a Great Name for a Web Site! Get instant Internet brand recognition for your company by securing a premier domain name. Now is the time, as the most sought after web addresses are auctioned to the highest bidder. Coming to auction: >>>>>>>>>>>>> eTOLLFREE.com & iTOLLFREE.com <<<<<<<<<<<<<< For more information call Monte Cahn at 954-782-5426, or click http://www.hitdomains.com/financial-showcase.html. ************************************************************************* Read TOLLFREE-L online at http://www.egroups.com/group/tollfree-l/info.html ************************************************************************* One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com ************************************************************************* Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. ************************************************************************* Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ From: lpurple@netcom.com (Lance Purple) Subject: Re: Suche Bedienungsanleitung fr Olympia Quadrophone Date: 13 Apr 2000 01:05:45 GMT Organization: Mindspring/Netcom Online Services, Inc. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I hope someone will read this to me, > and I hope I did not get spammed. PAT] [ My translation attempt: ] "Seeking operating manual for Olympia Quadrophone" Hello, whoever can help: I seek operating instructions for a Quadrophone (answering machine and thermopaper fax machine). Does anybody have a set, or can tell me how to get one? I have already searched for Olympia on the web, but unfortunately did not find anything. Thanks from "Murmel" M. Pfeifer 27570 Bremerhaven Http://www.mpfeifer.de > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It looks to me like the person is > writing about a fax machine and copy paper. I hope this is not > the outfit that sells fax and copy machines on the net who are > forever sending out spam. Can someone please advise? PAT] ,--------------------------------------------, | Lance Purple (lpurple at netcom dot com) | '--------------------------------------------' ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: Washington State Fines Qwest Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 22:18:53 -0700 from MSNBC ( http://www.msnbc.com/local/KING/664118.asp?0a=2224132- ) Huge fine for payphone overcharges OLYMPIA, April 12 - A Denver-based company that overcharged thousands of customers at pay phones around Washington will pay a record $1 million fine and $700,000 in refunds under a deal approved Wednesday by state regulators. AN ESTIMATED 113,000 consumers should receive refunds or credits by April 30 from USLD Communications, Inc., according to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. The refund will apply to calls made from 8,543 pay phones in Washington that used USLD operator-services between July 1 and Dec. 5 last year. The commission said it began investigating USLD, a subsidiary of Qwest Communications International, last year after logging 90 consumer complaints. Investigators concluded that USLD would tell customers that a call would cost $2 or $3 and then bill them for $10 or $15. It is a violation of state rules to charge rates different from those listed with the WUTC. "We believe what USLD did was particularly egregious," said Vicki Elliott, the WUTC's assistant director for consumer affairs. WUTC investigators were prepared to ask the commission to impose a $2 million fine if USLD did not settle, Elliott added. Qwest spokesman Matt Barkett said USLD officials failed to keep the company's rate schedule up to date. "All of that money has already been refunded to customers," he said, "and no Qwest customers were impacted by this USLD error." USLD was based in San Antonio, Texas, before it was acquired by LCI International in 1997, which then was acquired by Qwest in 1998, Barkett said. The company still provides operator-assisted calls at pay phones in Washington under the USLD name. The three-member WUTC said the $1 million penalty is the largest ever levied by the panel. The previous record was set in 1993 when the WUTC levied a $164,000 penalty against International Pacific Inc., which also provided operator-assisted service for pay phones. Besides the fine and refunds, the commission also ordered USLD to conform with Washington's consumer disclosure practices by giving pay-phone users easy access to a rate quote for a call before incurring a charge. USLD also agreed to underwrite the $15,000 cost of a new WUTC consumer education program targeting pay-phone users. The commission said it hopes to help consumers learn how to get rate information and dial around to a preferred company. The WUTC has a pay-phone inspection program that, until now, has mainly involved checking for proper advisories on the placards. As a result of the case, the WUTC expects to start making test calls from pay phones, Elliott said. Eligible consumers who have not received their refunds by April 30 can call the WUTC's consumer affairs division at 1-800-562-6150. ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: Cuba Resumes Phone Service to USA Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 22:35:59 -0700 Cuba to resume direct phone links to United States HAVANA (April 11, 2000 6:53 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Cuba announced Tuesday it will soon resume direct telephone links with the United States now that American companies have unfrozen $6.2 million in payments. Cuba's Communist Party daily Granma did not say exactly when the direct links would be re-established by the Cuban phone company Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A., or ETECSA. The move was taken after a U.S. federal appeal court said relatives of three men shot down by Cuban jets cannot claim the money. The Cuban phone company stopped most direct service to the United States a year ago, after the men's relatives sued Cuba for damages and attempted to force the Cuban phone company to pay. The appeals court ruled that ETECSA is not a legal stand-in for the Cuban government and can't be fined in lieu of the government. The payments have been frozen since December 1998, awaiting a final ruling. Direct service was cut in February 1999. Since then, calls between Cuba and the United States have been rerouted largely through third countries, causing only minor disruptions to service. Two years ago, the families of three of four fliers killed on Feb. 24, 1996, won a $187 million judgment against Cuba and the Cuban Air Force. The families were unable to collect because the State Department objected and because President Clinton waived a new anti-terrorism law allowing the families to be paid using blocked Cuban funds. U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King ruled that Clinton could not waive the anti-terrorism law and awarded the families the $6.2 million. The largest payment was to have come from AT&T, more than $4.1 million. MCI International Inc. faced the second largest payment, about $1.05 million. The federal appeals court in Atlanta reversed King's decision last month. Four members of the Miami-based group exile group Brothers to the Rescue were searching for Cuban immigrants on rafts when Cuban MiGs shot down two planes in the Florida Straits that separate Cuba and the Florida Keys. Three men -- Armando Alejandre, 45; and pilots Carlos Costa, 29, and Mario de la Pena Jr., 24 -- were U.S. citizens, making their families eligible to sue under U.S. law. ------------------------------ From: John Willkie Subject: Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 22:05:48 -0700 Paul Rubin: phr@netcom.com wrote: > In article , Riklef Flor > wrote: >> When I answer the phone and say "Hello" ... if I don't hear an >> immediate response, I hang up. Invariably, it turns out to be a >> predictive dialer hunting for an open line. >> I've only been "wrong" once and that was my wife, who uses the same >> trick. > This isn't good. I often call people on my speaker phone. When and > if they answer, I switch from the speaker to the handset, which causes > a slight pause. My speaker phone doesn't have a microphone (except > the one in the handset), so until I switch, the person can't hear me. Actually, what isn't good Mr. Rubin, is your method of making telephone calls. If you want to be considered a telemarketer (or an attorney) continue to use your current method. I consider it arrogant. When I'm trying to sell to the person using such tactics, I raise my price by 20%. When they're trying to sell me, I will always "only pay" 20% less than they'll go. If you're going to bother someone with lifting up the handset on your beck and call, you should at least be able to talk immediately, with the hand set lifted. John Willkie jmwillkie@hotmail.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #65 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Apr 13 23:22:22 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id XAA04753; Thu, 13 Apr 2000 23:22:22 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 23:22:22 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004140322.XAA04753@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #66 TELECOM Digest Thu, 13 Apr 2000 23:22:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 66 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Microwave Towers (Bart Z. Lederman) Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (JAMac) Re: DTMF Over TCP/IP (Vladimir Bilik) Re: Protecting Ourselves ... Dialing Plan Configuration (Linc Madison) Re: Protecting Ourselves ... Dialing Plan Configuration (Geoff Dyer) Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US (Fred Goldstein) German Message Received (sdavis@sprint-canada.com) Re: DTMF Over TCP/IP (David Clayton) Alleged Time of Day, GTE Style (Gary Shapiro) Re: Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound (shawn) For Sale: Spirit 6 Button Sets (David Neal) Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted (L. Winson) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. We hold a trademark on the phrase 'TELECOM Digest'. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: lederman@star.enet.dec.DISABLE-JUNK-EMAIL.com (Bart Z. Lederman) Subject: Re: Microwave Towers Date: 13 Apr 2000 16:21:22 GMT Organization: Personal Opinions Only Reply-To: lederman@eisner.decus.DISABLE-JUNK-EMAIL.org In article , J.F. Mezei writes: > Is it fair to assume that microwave technology is "mature" and won't > progress much more, or will there still be enough advances to allow > Northwestel to upgrade its microwave network to keep up with > increasing demand for bandwidth ? Improvements in solid-state electronics that operate in this frequency range means that you could build microwave transmitters with more power and receivers that are more sensitive, so that the towers could be spaced further apart. I expect that antennas / horns have improved somewhat as well (easier to make more accurate reflector surfaces out of more weather resistant materials for less cost). Improvements in modulation techniques and digitization of all signals (including voice) means that you might get more effective communications bandwidth out of a given frequency band. However, the demand for broadcast spectrum at all frequencies means that there is increasing pressure to get everything off the air that can be moved to something else. The telephone companies might well find that the value of selling off their microwave frequency bands would be worth much more than trying to squeeze more bandwitdh out of their old microwave links: especially since the latter would require replacing most of the hardware (except for the actual towers themselves). The way things are going, fiber optic cables now have much more bandwidth than any single microwave link: and recent developments mean that fiber optic bandwidth is going to continue to increase, sometimes spectacularly. When you also take into account that a buried cable is much more resistant to the weather than any above-ground link could ever be, I doubt very much if it's worth upgrading a microwave link. B. Z. Lederman Personal Opinions Only Posting to a News group does NOT give anyone permission to send me advertising by E-mail or put me on a mailing list of any kind. Please remove the "DISABLE-JUNK-EMAIL" if you have a legitimate reason to E-mail a response to this post. ------------------------------ From: JAMac Subject: Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 12:06:42 -0600 I find someone calling me from a speakerphone very irritating. If you don't want to set your recipient on a negative edge with you, I would pick up the handset when calling. Or dial the number with the speakerphone then pick up the handset before they answer your call. Paul Rubin wrote in message news:telecom20.64.5@telecom-digest.org: > In article , Riklef Flor > wrote: >> I have another simple, free way of stopping telemarketers that I >> haven't seen mentioned before. >> It's a variation of the "Not Saying Hello" method. >> When I answer the phone and say "Hello" ... if I don't hear an >> immediate response, I hang up. Invariably, it turns out to be a >> predictive dialer hunting for an open line. >> I've only been "wrong" once and that was my wife, who uses the same >> trick. > This isn't good. I often call people on my speaker phone. When and > if they answer, I switch from the speaker to the handset, which causes > a slight pause. My speaker phone doesn't have a microphone (except > the one in the handset), so until I switch, the person can't hear me. ------------------------------ From: Vladimir Bilik Subject: Re: DTMF Over TCP/IP Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 20:34:47 +0200 Organization: Slovak University of Technology, Dept. of Telecommunications Alex Saveliev wrote: > Hello! > Could anybody point out how DTMF signals are transported over TCP/IP > network in IP telephony application? What we want is a computer > calling someone in PSTN (say, by means of NetMeeting API ) via an IP > telephony gateway (say, Dialogic based). The callee then generates > tones, pressing buttons on his phone. How these short tones get to our > computer over a packet network? Is there a standart for it? If there > is, then should I use Netmeeting API, TAPI or something else to get > these tones? This function, sometimes called "DTMF relaying" (Cisco) is used in some H.323 devices/softwares. H.323 device use H.245 control protocol, which is capable detect and transfer DTMF signals of 0-9,* and #. I don't know if NetMeeting has programmed-in this function. Vladimir Bilik ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 03:31:07 -0700 From: Linc Madison Subject: Re: Protecting Ourselves ... Dialing Plan Configuration rhardin@my-deja.com wrote in Vol 20 # 62: > Call Accounting System vendors, particularly those who specialize in > hotels, such as Xeta Technologies (www.xeta.com -- 800-845-9145), try > to keep up to date lists of offending exchanges as well as 8YY numbers > that actually forward to 900 number, generating huge charges. There are no 800/888/877 numbers that forward to 900 numbers generating huge charges. Such things did happen, but they have all been shut down because the practice is unambiguously illegal. If dialing an 8YY number results in 900 charges on your bill, you can refuse to pay the bill with complete impunity and file criminal charges against the company that placed the charges on your bill. It's called fraud. The old dodge of "press 1 to accept charges for this call" has been squashed. Linc Madison * San Francisco, California * Telecom-at-LincMad.com North American Telephone Area Codes & Splits ------------------------------ From: gldyer-nospam@geocities.com (Geoff Dyer) Subject: Re: Protecting Ourselves ... Dialing Plan Configuration Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 07:52:22 GMT On Tue, 11 Apr 2000 13:07:36 -0700, Linc Madison wrote: > The issue of Carribean numbers having surcharges above and beyond the > toll charge has never been substantiated, and is generally regarded as > urban legend. The confusion likely arises because the regular toll > charges to many of the islands are almost as high as 900 number > charges -- over $1/minute in some cases, if you don't have any sort of > international calling plan. Same applies even from outside NANPA. Australia's no.2 telco, Optus, charges pre-selected rates of 24c/m from Australia to either USA or Canada, but calls to Caribbean or Pacific NANPA territories range from 40c/m (Puerto Rico) up to $1.50/m (British Virgin Is). The possible trouble is that Australians and other non-NANPA residents are even more likely to assume that a zone 1 number (without a location given) will be in USA/ Canada. > The good news is that the list of non-US, non-Canadian area codes is > unlikely to grow much. Several of the codes are less than 1% filled. Yep, of the 21 single-area-code territories outside the US proper and Canada, the first to require another code would probably be PR (pop. ~4m.). It was using about one-third of 809 when it changed to 787. Other populations over a million are: Dominican Republic (~8m.) Jamaica (~2.65m.) Trinidad & Tobago (~1.1m.) The remaining 17 territories *total* less than 2 million people, ranging from Bahamas (~300,000) down. Geoff (to e-mail me, remove any instances of "-nospam" from my address) ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 01:51:58 GMT Organization: Road Runner > Now the obligations for service are gone. And there is no > one to complain too. Just lots of phone calls from sales people > from these supposedly "competitive" companies. But the point > is you don't know what fees they have for whom. They tell you > what price they have for you. That is very far any "competitive" > situation. The bottom line is that the modern "competition" is nothing more than the right to buy retale instead of wholesale. Joel ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 11:50:12 -0400 From: Fred Goldstein Subject: Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US Pat wrote in response to Ronda: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ronda, we have gone through this so > many times here, I guess one more time won't hurt. The decision to > bust up the phone company (AT&T) in the early 1980's was made by a > federal judge -- Judge Greene -- who one day lost ten cents in a > payphone booth, went away angry feeling damned and detirminined to > 'break up Bell' no matter what the cost, then proceeded to meet > with his cronies in the Justice Department and let them know they > would find a hospitable welcome in his courtroom. Some in Justice > wanted to break up Bell also. It's a cute story but not quite true. The Justice Dept. sued to separate Western Electric from AT&T. It was settled in 1956 in the Final Judgment (FJ), but reopened later. History and Lucent's stock price indicates that it would have been good for AT&T and good for Western (now called Lucent) to go their own ways, but AT&T management was more interested in "having it all" than in maximizing value. By the 1970s, the computer industry had grown up fast without AT&T allowed to play, since AT&T/Western's FJ deal prohibited them from selling computers to anybody but Bell System licensees (BOCs). Rather than spin off Western, AT&T instead looked at their profit structure. Noting that local service was always subsidized by LD, they decided to spin off local service and keep Western. The Justice Dept. bought into the deal and accepted it as a substitute for spinning off Western. Thus came the Modified Final Judgement (MFJ). Greene had oversight of the case. He accepted the BOC spinoff with modifications. In the original wording, all "interexchange" traffic would have had to go via LD carriers. Technically, that would have included local calls from, oh, Overshoe to East Overshoe, or Chicago to Skokie or Hackensack to Teaneck (which share a CO but are technically different exchanges). This was modified to create, instead, LATAs, giving the BOCs workable areas. The overall industry restructuring worked very well. AT&T was turned into a competitive-market player, with essentially no monopoly services left once 800 was demonopolized. Even Western eventually started turning out competitive products. Pre-divestiture Western was a joke. I was a telecom manager in the 1970s and "Bell" PBX systems were usually inferior to their "interconnect" counterparts, but by 1990 Western (then called AT&T Technologies) was generally viewed as the high-quality player. The RBOCs were created as the keepers of the essential monopoly facilities. They were, in the 1980s, left with rate-of-return regulation, and regulation was supposed to prevent abuses. But RBOC managers wanted more. They wanted to enter LD, wanted to enter new businesses, and wanted higher profit margins. So the deal, which became the Telecom Act, was to demonopolize local telephone service in exchange for letting the RBOCs have more freedom. None of these companies was ever an eelymosynary (sp?) institution. They always wanted profit. The old Bell System had a propaganda arm that made lots of people think that they were really just provided wonderful service at a low price because they liked to. Hell, there might still be some North Koreans who think they have it better off than their southern counterparts. These are businesses out for profit, and always have been. Sometimes good service is profitable. And sometimes telling people that their service is good is cheaper and more profitable than improving it. After all, absent a competitor, who knows? Monopolies almost always have a hard time delivering good service at a good price. European PTTs were usually even worse than Ye Olde Bell System. Competition hones the mind, makes one strive to do better. What problems exist in the US are more a result of imperfect competition, old monopolies recalcitrant to deal with a changing environment, and regulators who prefer to please vested interests (who give them a job after the next administration replaces them) rather than the public interest. Plus the laws, like the Telecom Act, are intentionally vague, since that's how compromises get passed. The benefits of local competition haven't reached everyone yet. Local telephone service isn't simple to deliver. Setting up a CLEC (I help companies do this for a living) takes time and money, much more than, say, building a local ISP. And the ILECs have done everything possible to slow the process down. But it will happen, and it will be better for the public at large than a monopoly could have been. ------------------------------ From: sdavis@sprint-canada.com Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 09:33:03 -0400 Subject: German Message Received M. Pfeifer wrote: > Anrufbeantworter und Fax mit thermopapier)Eine Bedienungsanleitungwer. > Hat solch eine oder Kann mir sagen Wo mann diese bekommen kannhabe > schon im netz nach Olympia gesucht aber leider nicht weitergefunden" Hi Pat, M. Pfeifer is searching for the instruction manual for something he/she calls a Quadrophone (Which sounds like a fax that uses thermal paper and which contains an answering machine (the "Anrufbeantworter")). They've already searched the Internet for Olympia (I assume this is the manufacturer) but haven't had any luck, and would like some help. Of course, my German is rusty, but I'm pretty sure this is what they want. Scott ------------------------------ From: David Clayton Subject: Re: DTMF Over TCP/IP Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 19:06:30 +1000 Organization: Customer of Connect.com.au Pty. Ltd. Reply-To: dcstar@acslink.aone.net.au Alex Saveliev contributed the following: > Hello! > Could anybody point out how DTMF signals are transported over TCP/IP > network in IP telephony application? What we want is a computer > calling someone in PSTN (say, by means of NetMeeting API ) via an IP > telephony gateway (say, Dialogic based). The callee then generates > tones, pressing buttons on his phone. How these short tones get to our > computer over a packet network? Is there a standart for it? If there > is, then should I use Netmeeting API, TAPI or something else to get > these tones? ..... "Voice over IP" is just audio converted to data packets at one end and reconverted at the other end. DTMF tones are also audio, so they are transported just the same as voice. Regards, David. David Clayton, e-mail: dcstar@acslink.aone.net.au Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Dilbert's words of wisdom #18: Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. ------------------------------ From: Gary Shapiro Subject: Alleged Time of Day, GTE Style Organization: Company Name Goes Here Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 08:39:22 GMT The following message has been sent to the California Public Utilities Commission (for all the good it will do): Are LECs under any obligation to provide a reasonable facsimile of the correct time on their time-of-day numbers? Providing an approximate time would not be so bad, but the message clearly implies that it is accurate: "At the tone..." Completely misleading. This might be considered unfair competition if there are for-a-fee time sources out there who are accurate. Today GTE time is 1 minute and 49 seconds slow. It's been inaccurate by varying degrees for years, if not forever. A few days ago I learned that the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District tells its drivers to use GTE time to synchronize their watches. Gary Shapiro , a "throwaway" address that goes away shortly after the spam starts. If you wish to email me and it no longer works, try garyes at-sign mail dot-like-thing com ------------------------------ Organization: http://www.remarq.com: The World's Usenet/Discussions Start Here Subject: Re: Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound From: shawn Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 15:22:32 -0700 The Panasonic KX-TMC98-B is great; the best two line machine I've seen in a long time!!!! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 19:45:14 -0500 From: David Neal Subject: For Sale: Spirit Six Button Sets Organization: SBC Internet Services Upgraded to a different system last year and discovered I still have 12-15/ 6 Button Spirit System sets. Some ivory some black. If Interested Contact: daveneal@swbell.net ------------------------------ From: lwinson@bbs.cpcn.com (L. Winson) Subject: Re: Area Codes/Zip Codes Database Wanted Date: 13 Apr 2000 00:56:05 GMT Organization: The PACSIBM SIG BBS > I have found that the DeLorme map program, Street Atlas (the latest > version available I believe is Version 7.0), is a great 'database' for > precisely the "codes" you require. Dropping down the "Find" box allows > entry of either code. The result is a precise map of the geographic > area covered by that "code". I have an earlier version of the DeLorme program, and while it does index by both zip code and area code/exchange, it is by no means "precise". Rather, it will give you the general area served by the exchange. End of TELECOM Digest V20 #66 ********************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Apr 14 17:51:21 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id RAA08801; Fri, 14 Apr 2000 17:51:21 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 17:51:21 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004142151.RAA08801@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #67 TELECOM Digest Fri, 14 Apr 2000 17:51:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 67 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson 4/13 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines (Judith Oppenheimer) Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US (Someone) Re: Alleged Time of Day, GTE Style (MLS1955@aol.com) Re: Alleged Time of Day, GTE Style (Michael N. Marcus) How Does 800 Service Work - Can Anyone Run Their Own? (Jest Ipher) Re: Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound (Mel Beckman) Re: DTMF Over TCP/IP (Rick Ellis) Finding Old Internet Software For the Cousin? (J.T. Thompson) Re: Privacy is Back in Web Surfers Hands! (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US (Ronda Hauben) Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US (Joel B. Levin) Software Ignites Porn, Pirate Worries (Monty Solomon) Overload Has AT&T Cellular Customers Losing Calls, Patience (Monty Solomon) Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (Bob) Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (Hudson Leighton) Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (Mike Blake-Knox) Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (Andrew Green) Re: Microwave Towers (Babu Mengelepouti) Re: Microwave Towers (Charles Spitzer) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. LEGAL STUFF: TELECOM Digest (sm) is owned by Patrick Townson. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Judith Oppenheimer Subject: 4/13 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 23:11:38 -0400 ************************************************************************* ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* Click Here to Subscribe to ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES http://www.icbtollfree.com/reg.cfm?NextURL=Index.cfm (Registration is required. Names are not sold, rented or leased.) ************************************************************************* ICB'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT ... First come first serve - only if you're a trademark owner! SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1487 What's a little tariff revisionism among friends ... SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1470 "People have actually started using their phones. That has stressed our system." SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1465 ************************************************************************* ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************* ICB's ISSUE WATCH covers important matters pending resolution: currently, -- Vapor-constituency: ICANN At Large Membership ... -- SMS/800 system performance problems -- delayed rollout of 866 and 855; -- ICANN plans for Famous Marks and new Top Level Domains; -- flaws in the Domain Dispute System. see http://www.icbtollfree.com/icbheadlns.cfm. ************************************************************************* HEADLINES FOR APRIL 13, 2000 P - SMS RESERVATION FIX: A NOVEL REMEDY With 866/855 rollout pending this outcome: pay what to get what? and what's the SMT got to say about it ... CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1470 F -AOL TO HOST TWO TOP-LEVEL DOMAIN SERVERS The AOL sites were selected by Network Solutions because of the high percentage of Internet traffic handled by AOL's network. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1481 F - MCLEOD USA ANNOUNCES NEW NAT DATA NETWORK TEAM Toll free advanced services provider plans to become "the pre-eminent provider of wholesale data services in the U.S.'' CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1463 **************************************************advertisements********* convenient, flexible domestic toll-free ... robust, value-added ITFS: MCI WORLDCOM http://www.wcom.com/ 1-888-MCI-WCOM ************************************************************************* P.A.T.LIVE Personal Assistant Team manages your toll-free telephone number, fax, voice mail, pager, e-mail, Web -- and more! A division of ATG Technologies. http://www.atg-tech.com/ ************************************************************************* WhoSells800.com http://www.whosells800.com .. where business shops for toll free service and numbers. Are you listed? http://www.whosells800.com/800serpro.cfm ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 13, 2000 P - FROM FAMOUS MARKS, TO ALL MARKS We are told that if this demand is met, the trademark lobby will concede to allow one, perhaps two new chartered top level domains to be introduced. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1487 F - AT&T WIRELESS WOES "People have actually started using their phones," Martin said. "That has stressed our system." CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1465 F - DOMAIN NAME SERVICE (DNS) 101 Good technical overview - short and easy to read - to help put political and commercial controversies in perspective. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1467 F - WHOAMI.COM ASKS WHERE AM I? In a domain hijacking case, Solid Oak Software lost control over its domain Saturday -- and still hadn't gotten it back Wednesday after several days of interaction with registrar Network Solutions, who responded, "There's a large amount of awareness that needs to take place in securing your domain name by choosing the right level of security. That's part of the problem." CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1469 ************************************************************************* >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. When success is the only option. >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 13, 2000 F - 1 800 HOME 123, 1800HOME123.com ... national home mortgage brands presented by Bob Vila ... creating satisfied customers right along with double-digit growth rates. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1462 P - PREPAID INTERNET VIA PREPAID CARDS They will be selling unlimited dial-up Internet access at up to 56K via prepaid cards available in the following denominations -- 1 month for $20, 3 months for $50, 6 months for $80 and 1 year for $140. Each subscriber will receive a CD and access to local dial-up phone numbers. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1464 P - DOMAIN HEALTH SURVEY The Domain Health Survey provides information on the condition of domain name systems on the Internet with the intention of making Internet administrators more aware of the necessity of improving the services that they provide for Internet users. Some aspects in the survey are also meant to increase awareness of certain security issues for companies with presence on the Internet. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1466 F - DELAYS IN DOT-CA PROCESS CRITICIZED There is growing discontent with Canada's dot-ca system, including the delays in reforms, and the current loopholes in the system. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1468 **************************************************advertisements********* Haven't time to search? Get targeted telecom news every week from the source. Put 'subscribe Pipe' in the subject line and reply to: telecom_e_clips@hotmail.com. ************************************************************************* Do a friend a favor - suggest ICB ... Click Here to Recommend-It(r) http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=118920 ************************************************************************* The Salzburg Seminar has announced the ICANN Travel Support Project, which offers travel and accommodation support for upcoming ICANN meetings. Twelve to fifteen applicants will be supported by this Project. Details at: ICANN.salzburgseminar.org This Project is made possible by grants from the Markle and Ford foundations. ************************************************************************* That's a Great Name for a Web Site! Get instant Internet brand recognition for your company by securing a premier domain name. Now is the time, as the most sought after web addresses are auctioned to the highest bidder. Coming to auction: >>>>>>>>>>>>> eTOLLFREE.com & iTOLLFREE.com <<<<<<<<<<<<<< For more information call Monte Cahn at 954-782-5426, or click http://www.hitdomains.com/financial-showcase.html. ************************************************************************* Read TOLLFREE-L online at http://www.egroups.com/group/tollfree-l/info.html ************************************************************************* One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com ************************************************************************* Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. ************************************************************************* Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ From: Someone Subject: Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 16:59:36 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Ronda Hauben wrote in message news:telecom20.64.1@telecom-digest.org... > Daniel Seyb (seybernetx@ameritech.net) wrote: > Now it is only those with a commercial self interest that > at least in the US, the government is interested in hearing from. > Those with a commercial self interest are considered to be > the "stakeholders" who have to be determining what happens. > That is a reversal of the role of government. > How does one change this? By having some meaningful campaign finance reform. Under the current system, our legislators are nothing more than paid shills for their large "contributors." ------------------------------ From: MLS1955@aol.com Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 14:54:39 EDT Subject: Re: Alleged Time of Day, GTE Style Now, come on ... don't we, in the industry, have anything better to do than measure the accuracy of a FREE time announcement? I hate to say it, but after nearly 25 years in this business, I find your complaint both anal and petty. ------------------------------ From: Michael N. Marcus Subject: Re: Alleged Time of Day, GTE Style Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 05:55:11 -0700 > Today GTE time is 1 minute and 49 seconds slow. It's been inaccurate > by varying degrees for years, if not forever. > A few days ago I learned that the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit > District tells its drivers to use GTE time to synchronize their > watches. In the early 1970s, I worked for Rolling Stone magazine in Manahttan. If I stood on Madison Avenue, I could see giant clocks on both the Newsweek Building and the IBM Building. They were often more than three minutes apart. I'm not sure which clock the NYC Transit authority bus drivers paid attention to, if any. Michael N. Marcus AbleComm, Inc. Panasonic phone systems & phones www.ablecomm.com ------------------------------ From: jestipher@usa.net (Jest Ipher) Subject: How Does 800 Service Work - Can Anyone Run Their Own? Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 08:04:32 GMT Organization: @Home Network Hi, Lets say I own the number 800-123-4567, and I'm an ISP who gives this number to our subscribers so they can call in when travelling - I get billed somewhere on average of 5c/min to 12c/min if I order this service from someone like ATT/MCI/Sprint right? How is this call routed? Is there a database that all LECs/CLECs lookup on to tell where to send this call? The call does start with some local exchange and get routed to the "operator" (ATT/MCI/Sprint) of that 800 number right? If I had a local access number in every single area code in the country AND if I wanted to save money - could I just get all calls to my 800 number routed directly to me at the closest local number? ie WITHOUT ATT/MCI/Sprint being the go between so I don't have to pay them? I understand that in most cases, folks have one phone that the 800 number is supposed to ring - so some LD carrier HAS to carry the call over to that one phone - but if I had a number in every single area code -- why do I need a LD carrier to be in between? If I can't do this -- how does one go about running their own 800 service -- to the point where one could sell an 800 service to individuals/businesses like ATT/Sprint/MCI does? Phew - that was long. Thank you very much in advance. Jest [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: In most cases, the 'LD carrier' you reference is also the '800 carrier', assuming you get the service from MCI, AT&T, Sprint or the other big carriers. What you may be confused by is the 'termination fee' the carriers have to pay to the local phone company, which would be payable even if *you* were the carrier, as you suggest. It would not matter if you had one national number for your customers to call, or one for each state as you suggest. The local telco expects to get paid. The only way to work around this is through the use of T-1 style lines, where the carrier you choose sends all the 800 calls to *his* office in the city where you are located, then from his office to yours, special dedicated lines are strung, essentially cutting the local phone company out of the loop entirely, *along with all the termination fees you or the long distance carrier would otherwise be charging.* Although T-1 lines can be expensive, termination fees can be a lot more expensive. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 09:48:57 -0700 From: Mel Beckman Subject: Re: Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound At 11:22 PM -0400 4/13/00, shawn wrote: > The Panasonic KX-TMC98-B is great; the best two line machine I've > seen in a long time!!!! I actually had one of these, and then a friend showed me his Casio PhoneMate Executive Series four-line, with integrated digital answering machine, four-line caller ID, and built-in headset jack. The headset isn't included, but a $25 Plantronics works great (the one with the RJ headset connector). This phone is stunning in its voice quality, first-rate speakerphone, clean looks, and good human interface. The LCD, while not backlit, is very very bright and easy to read from any angle. The voicemail system is very powerful, with multiple mailboxes and passwords.My fave feature is the headset button, which puts the headset online with a single push -- no need for those clunky handset-lifty gizmos sold by Hello Direct et al. Other cool features: 12-station intercom, inter-station call transfer capability (even transfers the caller ID info), all-station page (I only have one station, but this might make me buy more), a fax/modem port that lets your computer use any available line for outgoing calls, and a stations-in-use map. Casio has put a lot of very intelligent design into this thing. As a former PBX installer, I can see that this system would easily displace low-end key systems. Fry's has em for, I think, around $200. -mel ------------------------------ From: ellis@ftel.net (Rick Ellis) Subject: Re: DTMF Over TCP/IP Date: 14 Apr 2000 15:34:54 GMT Organization: Franklin interNet http://www.franklin.net In article , David Clayton wrote: > "Voice over IP" is just audio converted to data packets at one end and > reconverted at the other end. > DTMF tones are also audio, so they are transported just the same as > voice. They would be if the compression methods used in most voip didn't cause them to be so distorted. http://www.fnet.net/~ellis/photo/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 07:53:33 +0100 From: JT Thompson Subject: Finding Old Internet Software For the Cousin? My cousin has my old 486 laptop, and she'd like to be able to get email. We're in Ireland, by the way. Does anyone know any site where I can download old internet software for her? All I need, really, is a *small* FTP program that will work under Windows 3.x. I have Trumpet Winsock. Once I have an FTP program I'll be able to download Eudora for her. I also need to know how to *uninstall* in Win3.1 - I tried installing an old bundle of internet software from the mid-1990s, but the combination of browsers and dialler and so on was fairly buggy. I'd prefer to give my cousin a group of separate apps. Various people have suggested putting on Windows 95, but the thing is, she's a writer, she likes the speed of the computer at the moment, and Windows 95 would slow it considerably. And no, she's not techie enough for Linux. Win3.1 strains her technicality considerably . The laptop -- a Toshiba 2110, and a lovely old thing -- has a floppy drive, but no CD-ROM drive. Once I've found where to download various internet bits and pieces, I think I'll put up a website with links to them. There must be other people poor enough to need to use Win3.1 and 286/386/486 technology all over the world, and it'd be handy to have a source of old software. Any help gratefully accepted. - JTT ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Privacy is Back in Web Surfers Hands! From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 12:49:54 GMT Organization: Road Runner > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As an alternate, you are free and > encouraged to use http://telecom-digest/secret-surfer.html to do > your surfing using a proxy server. You can also use the anonymous > email writing facility there. Try it out and see what you think. > Its free to Digest readers. PAT] Just out of curiousity, I did try this out, looking at my own web site, so I could see the logs. It did NOT hide my identity, nor did it warn me. The logs show that my machine (which the secret-surfer was supposed to hide) accessed the background image. Joel [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I do not know what to tell you. It has in the past worked for me. All the anonymous features are maintained by the webmaster at Church of the Swimming Elephant, with whom I think you should be in touch. *Thank you* for taking the trouble to verify it first, as I suggested. See what postmaster@cotse.com has to say about your evidence, and please write back here to us. PAT] ------------------------------ From: rh120@columbia.edu (Ronda Hauben) Subject: Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US Date: 14 Apr 2000 15:16:18 GMT Organization: Columbia University Reply-To: rh120@columbia.edu satch@concentric.net (Satch) wrote: > Allegedly rh120@columbia.edu (Ronda Hauben) said on 12 Apr 2000 in > the following: >> But they were obligated to meet certain standards. And they were >> obligated to maintain a high level of technology which led to >> upgrades like the 5ESS switches and the development of UNIX. >> The Bell system was regulated and Bell Labs was a research laboratory >> maintained to meet the obligations of that regulation. > You really need to read up on the story of Unix and how it came about. The > story revolves around the needs of 21 or so lawyers to write documents, a > PDP-7 computer that was in a storage closet, and a couple of people who had > better things to do than write word processing software for said lawyers. Interesting. I did some of the earliest research and writing about the important events that made it possible for UNIX to be developed :-) (And early drafts were posted on TELECOM Digest and are probably still it its archives. Thanks Pat, for your help over a long period of time in making this work available.) See "Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet" published by the IEEE Computer Society Press, 1997, chapter 9 "On the Early History and Impact of Unix: Tools to Build the Tools for the New Millennium" Also chapter 6 of Netizens is relevant as well. It isn't as you suggest that Unix popped out of the sky to help 21 lawyers write documents. To the contrary. It was a significant development that built on the lessons from the time-sharing research to develop the Compatible Time Sharing System (CTSS) at MIT and then the work developing Multics. For an important period of time, the Bell Labs researchers who developed Unix were part of the collaborative effort of MIT, AT&T and GE to develop Multics. And Dennis Ritchie is quite clear when he describes how UNIX developed to give credit to the experience of the Bell Labs researchers with CTSS. > Then go back and review the paperwork between AT&T and the FCC with > regards to the Unix operating system. Note especially the irritation > that the Commissioners had in trying to deal with this unintended > product of the regulated monoply. Then look at why AT&T GAVE AWAY > Version 7 to so many universities. Again, it is different from what you suggest. The development of UNIX made it possible for AT&T to carry out its obligations to the public by being able to achieve programming tasks involving millions of lines of code. This is precisely why AT&T and Bell Labs were able to fulfill on their obligation to provide a high class telephone system. This is precisely what their obligation was under the FCC. To see UNIX as a product is to miss the achievement of Bell Labs and the need for such a laboratory to provide for the science and technology that can provide universal access at low cost to the people of the US. > Don't get me wrong, I agree with your main point. Just remember, though, > that Unix was not an upgrade. It was an accident. Unix was by no means an accident. And it wasn't an upgrade either. It was a significant scientific development that built on other significant scientific developments. And the regulation of AT&T at the time and the obligation it had to maintain Bell Labs was the environment that made this possible. Ronda ronda@panix.com Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/netbook also in print edition ISBN 0-8186-7706-6 ------------------------------ From: Joel B Levin Subject: Re: Rapidly Deteriorating Phone Service in the US Organization: On the desert Reply-To: levinjb@gte.net Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 05:10:15 GMT In , Fred Goldstein wrote: > None of these companies was ever an eleemosynary (sp?) institution. eleemosynary. Great word. "Etymology: Medieval Latin eleemosynarius, from Late Latin eleemosyna alms -- more at ALMS Date: circa 1616" ": of, relating to, or supported by charity " Thanks to http://www.m-w.com/dictionary, Merriam-Webster's on-line lookup. /JBL ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 01:41:45 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Software Ignites Porn, Pirate Worries Gnutella offers a new kind of search tool for music fans, but near-perfect anonymity raises other thorny issues By Bob Sullivan MSNBC April 12 It could undermine the influence of every search engine and every Web portal. It's the biggest thorn yet in the side of record companies worried about the spread of pirated music on the Net. And it's the easiest way yet to trade pornography, even illegal child porn, over the Internet. For a piece of software that lived for less than 24 hours on its home page, Gnutella has created quite a stir. http://www.msnbc.com/news/393962.asp?cp1=1 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 02:06:25 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Overload Has AT&T Cellular Customers Losing Calls, Patience By Peter S. Goodman Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, April 13, 2000; Page A01 Like millions of others, Jim O'Brien bought wireless service from ATT with the not-unreasonable expectation that his phone would ring when someone dialed his number, allowing him to then have a conversation. Turns out, he was wrong. In the three weeks since O'Brien, an oft-traveling Internet account director, walked away from an ATT store in Washington with his new phone, it has rung just a handful of times, though his fiancee has tried him on hundreds of occasions, he said. Usually, she hears a recorded message that all circuits are busy. Rarely does his voice mail field the unsuccessful calls. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1206-2000Apr12.html ------------------------------ From: Bob Subject: Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 20:30:57 -0400 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com On Wed, 12 Apr 2000 22:05:48 -0700, John Willkie wrote: > If you're going to bother someone with lifting up the handset on your > beck and call, you should at least be able to talk immediately, with > the hand set lifted. I agree. There's nothing more irritating than talking to someone on those half duplex, echo laden, byte dropping speaker phones. bob ------------------------------ From: hudsonl@skypoint.com (Hudson Leighton) Subject: Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 21:48:34 -0500 Organization: MRRP In article , John Willkie wrote: > Paul Rubin: phr@netcom.com wrote: >> In article , Riklef Flor >> wrote: >>> When I answer the phone and say "Hello" ... if I don't hear an >>> immediate response, I hang up. Invariably, it turns out to be a >>> predictive dialer hunting for an open line. >>> I've only been "wrong" once and that was my wife, who uses the same >>> trick. >> This isn't good. I often call people on my speaker phone. When and >> if they answer, I switch from the speaker to the handset, which causes >> a slight pause. My speaker phone doesn't have a microphone (except >> the one in the handset), so until I switch, the person can't hear me. > Actually, what isn't good Mr. Rubin, is your method of making telephone > calls. If you want to be considered a telemarketer (or an attorney) > continue to use your current method. I consider it arrogant. snip > John Willkie > jmwillkie@hotmail.com I wouldn't call it arrogant, I would call it common sense, with most phone calls dumping you into "Press 1 to be put on hold h*ell", it's much easier to use a speakerphone, then it is to hold onto a handset and try to get some work done. I was ornery one day calling USWorst and camped on the line for about six hours before they finally answered, did I do it with the earpiece glued to my head? NO! I used my speakerphone with the volume turned up so I could hear it anywhere in my office. Hudson http://www.skypoint.com/~hudsonl ------------------------------ From: Mike Blake-Knox Subject: Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 08:19:05 EDT Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: mikebk@intrex.net In article , Paul Rubin wrote: > This isn't good. I often call people on my speaker phone. What do you think your colleagues feel about having to listen to your dialing while you're dialing? Mike Blake-Knox SimpliCTI Software Solutions (919) 858-8898 x103 ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 12:36:03 GMT Organization: Road Runner > I find someone calling me from a speakerphone very irritating. If you > don't want to set your recipient on a negative edge with you, I would > [...] >> This isn't good. I often call people on my speaker phone. When and >> if they answer, I switch from the speaker to the handset, which causes I'm astonished at the number of negative responses to this. Do people really have so little else to worry about that the fraction of a second it takes to switch from speakerphone to handset seems important? ------------------------------ From: Andrew Green Subject: Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 09:33:13 -0500 > Paul Rubin writes: >> This isn't good. I often call people on my speaker phone. >> When and if they answer, I switch from the speaker to the >> handset, which causes a slight pause. My speaker phone >> doesn't have a microphone (except the one in the handset), >> so until I switch, the person can't hear me. [...] > I find someone calling me from a speakerphone very > irritating. If you don't want to set your recipient on a > negative edge with you, I would pick up the handset when > calling. Or dial the number with the speakerphone then > pick up the handset before they answer your call. At the risk of piling on the poor Mr. Rubin, I would add that his switch from speaker to handset is more than just "a slight pause": in my experience on the receiving end of several regular callers to me who dial their calls this way, it causes a colossal *pop* and clatter of plastic in my earpiece as the caller grabs for his handset; it's far from the silent switchover Mr. Rubin believes he's doing. I'm getting off-topic now, but I'm more annoyed by those people who _always_ conduct their conversations by speakerphone. I had one frequent caller who did this from his desk in a crowded office with incessant background coworker chatter, and I have to believe his calls were as irritating to them as they were to me. Fortunately he was a friend of mine, not a customer, so I was able to cure him of the problem, at least for my calls, by barking loudly over his speaker, "DAVE, GET OFF YOUR LAZY BUTT AND PICK UP THE HANDSET!" Andrew C. Green Datalogics, Inc. 101 N. Wacker, Ste. 1800 http://www.datalogics.com Chicago, IL 60606-7301 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 22:48:55 PDT From: Babu Mengelepouti Subject: Re: Microwave Towers JF Mezei wrote: > How is Alaska linked to the USA mainland? Are places just as Juneau > linked by undersea fibre? Or do they also rely on microwaves? My knowledge of the Juneau telecommunications network is a couple of years old, but I doubt that much has changed in the interim. There are two carriers in Juneau; one is GCI (http://www.gci.com) and the other is AT&T Alascom. AT&T Alascom carries their traffic via analogue microwave to Seattle, on a series of towers that traverses the coast of British Columbia. GCI, meanwhile, bounces their calls via satellite to Issaquah, Washington (about 20 miles east of Seattle, for calls to the Lower 49) and to Anchorage (for calls to Alaska). Alascom is the incumbent monopoly long distance carrier, and in general offers higher quality service at a higher price. GCI customers have to put up with an annoying satellite delay, but get free Internet service and qualify for good prices on cable TV as well. There has been talk for a long time about running a fiber spur from the US-Japan fiber, which originates in Reedsport, Oregon, to southeast Alaska. The link to Anchorage is a spur, so there is precedent. However, the entire southeast Alaska region has a population of barely 100,000 -- if that. Aside from Juneau being the state capital, there isn't much to speak of in the area, other than gorgeous scenery, excellent fishing, and some forestry (local euphamism for "strip the mountains, don't bother to replant, and process the trees in disgusting, polluting mills behind which the remaining trees are dying). And a burgeoning industry in ferries and Alaska Airlines (the monopoly air carrier since Markair went out of business a few years back), since the only way in or out of most of southeast Alaska is by boat or plane. With so little economic incentive, I'd be very surprised if fiber were brought into the area. The local exchange carrier in Juneau is PTI Communications, based in Vancouver, Washington. The last time I was in Juneau, they ran an excellent, modern DMS100 -- I imagine that they still do. Their outside plant extends as far as fifty miles from the central office, using SLCs and other technologies, and the quality is generally very high. They also have several post-pay, brown, Northern Telecom payphones--which are post-pay and cost only ten cents per call (though this may have changed). GTE Alaska has Wrangell and Petersburg, the two neighboring cities (reachable only by plane or boat). ------------------------------ From: Charles Spitzer Subject: Re: Microwave Towers Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 09:51:40 -0700 Organization: Stratus Computer (DE) Inc, Maynard MA, USA Yeah, but has a stealth backhoe ever cut a microwave link as seems to be more and more common these days? Regards, Charlie Phx, AZ Bart Z. Lederman wrote in message news:telecom20.66.1@telecom-digest.org: > In article , J.F. Mezei > writes: >> Is it fair to assume that microwave technology is "mature" and won't >> progress much more, or will there still be enough advances to allow >> Northwestel to upgrade its microwave network to keep up with >> increasing demand for bandwidth ? > Improvements in solid-state electronics that operate in this frequency > range means that you could build microwave transmitters with more > power and receivers that are more sensitive, so that the towers could > be spaced further apart. I expect that antennas / horns have improved > somewhat as well (easier to make more accurate reflector surfaces out > of more weather resistant materials for less cost). > Improvements in modulation techniques and digitization of all > signals (including voice) means that you might get more effective > communications bandwidth out of a given frequency band. > However, the demand for broadcast spectrum at all frequencies means > that there is increasing pressure to get everything off the air that > can be moved to something else. The telephone companies might well > find that the value of selling off their microwave frequency bands > would be worth much more than trying to squeeze more bandwitdh out of > their old microwave links: especially since the latter would require > replacing most of the hardware (except for the actual towers > themselves). > The way things are going, fiber optic cables now have much more > bandwidth than any single microwave link: and recent developments mean > that fiber optic bandwidth is going to continue to increase, sometimes > spectacularly. When you also take into account that a buried cable is > much more resistant to the weather than any above-ground link could > ever be, I doubt very much if it's worth upgrading a microwave link. > B. Z. Lederman Personal Opinions Only ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #67 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Apr 14 23:47:30 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id XAA20092; Fri, 14 Apr 2000 23:47:30 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 23:47:30 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004150347.XAA20092@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #68 TELECOM Digest Fri, 14 Apr 2000 23:46:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 68 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson 4/14 ICBTollFree.Com Heads Up Headlines (Judith Oppenheimer) Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (Seymour Dupa) Re: Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound (Bob) Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers (John David Galt) Re: Privacy is Back in Web Surfers Hands! (Joel B. Levin) Cybersnooping Reaching Down to the Keystroke (Monty Solomon) Re: DTMF Over TCP/IP (Steve Gaarder) Bell Atlantic Interrupts Local ISP (Julian Thomas) *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (J.T. Thompson) Getting Aquainted With Jack Whats-his-Name? (TELECOM Digest Editor) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. LEGAL STUFF: TELECOM Digest (sm) is owned by Patrick Townson. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Judith Oppenheimer Subject: 4/14 ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 18:47:44 -0400 ************************************************************************* ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* Click Here to Subscribe to ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES http://www.icbtollfree.com/reg.cfm?NextURL=Index.cfm (Registration is required. Names are not sold, rented or leased.) ************************************************************************* THANK GOD ITS FRIDAY ... We told you yesterday - here it is today - First Come First Serve - only if you're a trademark owner! SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1490 The DNS is a telephone book. It maps names to numbers in precisely the Same way. Why is it that we manage to publish telephone books without difficulty? Why would we argue about adding a new telephone exchange in an area code, become concerned that the possibility of a greater number of telephone listings would provide more opportunities for trademark infringement, and suggest that it would subject the telephone book publishers to legal liability? Because they are ridiculous assertions. SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1489 "New top level domains" is the battle cry of registrars, small business leaders, and most other constituencies of the Internet. Indeed, it's the logical next step in the Internet's growth, and it's long overdue. But "new top level domains at any price" is the offer on the table, and the price is ceding control of the Internet to the Trademark Lobby. SEE http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1492 ************************************************************************* ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************* ICB's ISSUE WATCH covers important matters pending resolution: currently, -- Vapor-constituency: ICANN At Large Membership ... -- SMS/800 system performance problems -- delayed rollout of 866 and 855; -- ICANN plans for Famous Marks and new Top Level Domains; -- flaws in the Domain Dispute System. see http://www.icbtollfree.com/icbheadlns.cfm. ************************************************************************* HEADLINES FOR APRIL 14, 2000 P - OFFICIAL TRADEMARK LOBBY DNS PROPOSAL "The Sunrise Proposal Plus Twenty shall be incorporated into the rollout of new top-level domains. During the Sunrise Period, owners of trademarks and service marks (marks) will be able to register their marks as domain names on a discounted, first-come-first-served basis in a new top-level domain before that new domain is opened to the general public." CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1490 P - NEW TLD'S AT ANY PRICE or, He Who Controls the DNS(tm), Controls the Internet(tm). CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1492 P - LAWYERS PRAISE NEW FCC BUREAU The bureau recently imposed a $3 million fine on Bell Atlantic and detailed compliance requirements for failing to process customers' requests to switch their local phone service. It also required MCI WorldCom to substantiate claims in its advertising, imposed $4.5 million in fines on four other telephone companies for illegally switching customers' phone carriers without their consent, and took the commission's first-ever enforcement action against a company for sending unsolicited advertisements to fax machines. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1494 **************************************************advertisements********* convenient, flexible domestic toll-free ... robust, value-added ITFS: MCI WORLDCOM http://www.wcom.com/ 1-888-MCI-WCOM ************************************************************************* P.A.T.LIVE Personal Assistant Team manages your toll-free telephone number, fax, voice mail, pager, e-mail, Web -- and more! A division of ATG Technologies. http://www.atg-tech.com/ ************************************************************************* WhoSells800.com http://www.whosells800.com .where business shops for toll free service and numbers. Are you listed? http://www.whosells800.com/800serpro.cfm ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 14, 2000 F - DOT TM VS. DOT SMALL BUSINESS John Berryhill is a noted trademark attorney who participated in yesterday's roundtable hosted by the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. The topic: How the Trademark Lobby's demand that trademarks be granted right of first refusal in top level domains, would impact small business. Agree or disagree politically, this editorial is a must-read for irrefutable facts of law. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1489 F - BAN ON CELL PHONE ADS PROPOSED Rep. Rush Holt, D-Pennington, said he is writing legislation to ban the practice. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1497 F - WHERE WILL IT END? A popular legislative proposal would outlaw the sale of registered domain names ending in the ".it" national suffix and establish that entitlement to a domain name lapse if the Web site were not active within 90 days of registration. The new law also would extend its protection of the names of Italian citizens to foreign jurisdictions, allowing Italians to take legal action in Italy if their names were registered outside of the country. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1491 P - FCC ISSUES NEW SLAMMING ORDER The Commission did not consider the industry-backed third party administrator (TPA) proposal for addressing slamming complaints because they felt it lacked consensus. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1493 ************************************************************************* >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. When success is the only option. >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES FOR APRIL 14, 2000 F - HOUSE NIXES FCC AIRWAVES AUCTION The legislation marked the first time in the agency's 65-year-history that a chamber of Congress had stripped the Commission of its authority to oversee a portion of the radio spectrum. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1488 F - DIAL A DASHBOARD General Motors Corp. will offer phone service as a built-in option on hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks by the end of the year -- complete with phone number. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1495 F - MOBILE PHONES DO LANGUAGE TRANSLATION The Mobile Translator service allows users to tap in a text message in, say, English - then tap in a language code - and receive a message back with the word or phrase translated into another language in a matter of seconds. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=1496 **************************************************advertisements********* Haven't time to search? Get targeted telecom news every week from the source. Put 'subscribe Pipe' in the subject line and reply to: telecom_e_clips@hotmail.com. ************************************************************************* Do a friend a favor - suggest ICB ... Click Here to Recommend-It(r) http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=118920 ************************************************************************* The Salzburg Seminar has announced the ICANN Travel Support Project, which offers travel and accommodation support for upcoming ICANN meetings. Twelve to fifteen applicants will be supported by this Project. Details at: ICANN.salzburgseminar.org This Project is made possible by grants from the Markle and Ford foundations. ************************************************************************* That's a Great Name for a Web Site! Get instant Internet brand recognition for your company by securing a premier domain name. Now is the time, as the most sought after web addresses are auctioned to the highest bidder. Coming to auction: >>>>>>>>>>>>> eTOLLFREE.com & iTOLLFREE.com <<<<<<<<<<<<<< For more information call Monte Cahn at 954-782-5426, or click http://www.hitdomains.com/financial-showcase.html. ************************************************************************* Read TOLLFREE-L online at http://www.egroups.com/group/tollfree-l/info.html ************************************************************************* One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com ************************************************************************* Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. ************************************************************************* Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ From: Seymour Dupa Subject: Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Organization: Exchange Network Services, Inc. Date: 14 Apr 2000 23:23:18 GMT In the old days, when a person missed a stagecoach, they had to wait two or three days for another one. Nowadays, people complain when they miss one section of a revolving door. John Dr. Joel M. Hoffman wrote: > I'm astonished at the number of negative responses to this. Do people > really have so little else to worry about that the fraction of a > second it takes to switch from speakerphone to handset seems > important? If You Always Do the Things You've Done, You'll Always Have the Things You Got. ------------------------------ From: Bob Subject: Re: Digital Answering Machine With Quality Sound Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 18:28:02 -0400 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com On Fri, 14 Apr 2000 09:48:57 -0700, Mel Beckman wrote: > At 11:22 PM -0400 4/13/00, shawn wrote: >> The Panasonic KX-TMC98-B is great; the best two line machine I've >> seen in a long time!!!! > I actually had one of these, and then a friend showed me his Casio > PhoneMate Executive Series Will either or both of these answer at least two lines with separate (ie., totally isolated) messages ? Thanks, bob ------------------------------ From: John_David_Galt@acm.org (John David Galt) Subject: Re: Another Method of Stopping Telemarketers Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 18:08:40 -0700 Organization: Association for Computing Machinery Bob wrote: > I agree. There's nothing more irritating than talking to someone on > those half duplex, echo laden, byte dropping speaker phones. I can think of one thing: being in the next cubicle when some idiot who needs ten minutes to pick up two voice-mail messages, does it on his speaker phone. Anyone who installs speaker phones in a "cubicle farm" should have his head examined. John David Galt ------------------------------ From: Joel B Levin Subject: Re: Privacy is Back in Web Surfers Hands! Organization: On the desert Reply-To: levinjb@gte.net Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 01:24:15 GMT In , joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) wrote: > Just out of curiousity, I did try this out, looking at my own web > site, so I could see the logs. It did NOT hide my identity, nor did > it warn me. The logs show that my machine (which the secret-surfer > was supposed to hide) accessed the background image. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I do not know what to tell you. It > has in the past worked for me. All the anonymous features are > maintained by the webmaster at Church of the Swimming Elephant, > with whom I think you should be in touch. *Thank you* for taking > the trouble to verify it first, as I suggested. See what > postmaster@cotse.com has to say about your evidence, and please > write back here to us. PAT] I just used it to look at a page I keep at work, where I also have access to the logs. There was nothing at all referring to my client -- only the cotse client showed up in the logs. The page has nothing fancy -- text, a couple links and a couple small gifs and jpgs, and the anonymizer worked just like it is supposed to. No guarantees about what a more complicated set of stuff might have done, though. /JBL [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The webmaster at COTSE warns that it will work with HTML, and it will not necessarily work with Java Scripts or anything that may redirect you on the sly. That is why I recommended testing it with you own pages first before you get into serious surfing. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 21:42:03 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Cybersnooping Reaching Down to the Keystroke Posted at 10:53 a.m. PDT Thursday, April 13, 2000 Gannett News Service One day, you're so mad at your boss, you stomp over to your computer and fire off one of the nastiest memos in the history of the working world. You call the supervisor every name in the book, and maybe even make up a few. Finally, after venting your anger and frustration, you delete the entire thing. After all, you're mad, not an idiot. Sending that message would certainly get you fired, and that's the last thing you want. But later you are called into the boss' office, and guess what? She knows about the memo. http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/085400.htm ------------------------------ From: Steve Gaarder Subject: Re: DTMF Over TCP/IP Date: 14 Apr 2000 15:22:57 -0400 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com When you use the Quicknet Internet Phonejack with the "Voxilla" application from the Open H323 project (http://www.openh323.org), the software captures any DTMF and sends H.323 "user indications" instead. Strangely, the software on the receiving end just diplays these on the console, but it's a minor code change to get it to translate them back to DTMF. Then it works very nicely. A couple of very brief experiments with DTMF as audio over IP were quite disappointing; the digits were not received reliably at all. Steve Gaarder Network and Systems Administrator gaarder@cmold.com C-MOLD, Ithaca, N.Y., USA ------------------------------ From: jata@aepiax.net (Julian Thomas) Subject: Bell Atlantic Interrupts Local ISP Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 20:03:31 GMT Abstracted from the Finger Lakes Times (Geneva, NY) Thu Apr 13: Lynnet is a local ISP that lost service on Tuesday and was expected to be back maybe today (Friday) - there is nothing in the Friday paper but their web site is up. Bell Atlantic "assumed Lynnet's circuit board was unoccupied and gave it to another customer". BA told the owner that they had not been able to reinstate the circuit and did not provide an adequate explanation. Julian Thomas: jt . epix @ net http://home.epix.net/~jt remove letter a for email (or switch . and @) In the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State! Boardmember of POSSI.org - Phoenix OS/2 Society, Inc http://www.possi.org WarpTech 2000: May 26-28 in Phoenix - plan NOW to attend! www.warptech.org Definitions #740: Keyboard: Device used to enter errors into a computer. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 22:37:29 +0100 From: J.T. Thompson Subject: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles I got this today, and wonder if it's a hoax, since most things with any "tell everyone you know" content are. Is it? > TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE CELL PHONES > This may be of interest to those who have a mobile phone. Check Your > mobile phone serial number. To check your Mobile phone's serial > number press key in the following digits on your phone: > * # 0 6 # > A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your > handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. Should your phone gets > stolen, You will first need to report the Phone stolen at the police > station, > then fill out a blacklisting request form and fax it to the network. > Your handset can be blacklisted via this 15 digit number more commonly > known as > the IMEI number(International Mobile Equipment identity). Even if the > thief > changes the Sim card your phone will be totally useless. You probably > won't get > your phone back, but at least you'll know that whoever stole it can't > use/sell it either. > If everybody did this, there would be no point in stealing mobile phones. > Send this to as many people as possible. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I tried that on my cell phone and got nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it is a hoax or urban legend. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 22:56:38 EDT From: TELECOM Digest Editor Subject: Getting Aquainted With Jack Whats-his-Name? Someone recently wrote me a note claiming regards telephones I do not know 'Jack Schitt'. The note was anonymous, so I was not able to respond in person.I'll have to respond here, since he claims he reads the Digest every day, and has done so for many years. For many years, I was at a loss for a response when someone said "You don't know Jack Schitt about the topic (or any other topics, for that matter." Today I want to reveal all I know about Jack Schitt's lineage. Jack is the only son of Awe Schitt, the fertilizer magnate who married O. Shitt a partner of the firm of Kneedeep & Schitt, Inc. In turn, Jack Schitt married Noe Schitt, and the deeply religious couple produced six children: Holie Schitt, Fulla Schitt, Giva Schitt, Bull Schitt, and the twins, Deap Schitt and Dip Schitt. Against her parent's objections Deap Schitt married Dumb Schitt, a grade school dropout. After being married for fifteen years, Jack and Noe Schitt divorced. Noe Schitt later married Mr. Sherlock, and because her kids were living with them, she wanted to keep her previous name, so she became known as Noe Schitt-Sherlock. Dip Schitt married Loda Schitt and theyt had a very nervous son, Chicken Schitt. Fulla Schitt and Giva Schitt were inseparable throughout their childhood and subsequently married the Happens brothers in a dual ceremony. The wedding announcement in the newspaper announced the Schitt-Happens wedding. The Schitt-Happens children were Dawg, Byrd, and Hoarse. Bull Schitt, the prodigal son, left home to tour the world. He recently returned from Italy with his new bride, Piza Schitt. So to the person who wrote me a note saying 'you don't know Jack Schitt', you have to stand corrected. Not only do I know Jack, I am aquainted with the entire family. PAT ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #68 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Apr 15 22:10:23 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id WAA27949; Sat, 15 Apr 2000 22:10:23 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 22:10:23 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004160210.WAA27949@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #69 TELECOM Digest Sat, 15 Apr 2000 22:10:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 69 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Michael S. Berlant) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Stanley Cline) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Darryl Smith) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Ari Wuolle) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (John R. Covert) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Scot E. Wilcoxon) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Peter R Cook) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Ed Ellers) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Tony Pelliccio) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Jordan Hazen) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Chris Lowe) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Richard D.G. Cox) Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles (Marcus AAkesson) Cell Phone Blacklists (Jonathan Edelson) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. LEGAL STUFF: TELECOM Digest (sm) is owned by Patrick Townson. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Michael S. Berlant Organization: None Apparent Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 06:58:53 GMT This is only true for GSM phones, including GSM 1900 phones used in the US. As many on the list know, GSM is the de facto cell phone system everywhere in the world except here in the US (and Japan and Korea). "J.T. Thompson" wrote: > I got this today, and wonder if it's a hoax, since most things with any > "tell everyone you know" content are. Is it? >> TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE CELL PHONES >> This may be of interest to those who have a mobile phone. Check Your >> mobile phone serial number. To check your Mobile phone's serial >> number press key in the following digits on your phone: >> * # 0 6 # >> A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your >> handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. Should your phone gets >> stolen, You will first need to report the Phone stolen at the police >> station, >> then fill out a blacklisting request form and fax it to the network. >> Your handset can be blacklisted via this 15 digit number more commonly >> known as >> the IMEI number(International Mobile Equipment identity). Even if the >> thief >> changes the Sim card your phone will be totally useless. You probably >> won't get >> your phone back, but at least you'll know that whoever stole it can't >> use/sell it either. >> If everybody did this, there would be no point in stealing mobile phones. >> Send this to as many people as possible. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I tried that on my cell phone and got > nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it is a hoax or urban legend. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Stanley Cline Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 03:09:59 -0400 Organization: by area code and prefix (NPA-NXX) Reply-To: sc1@roamer1.org On Fri, 14 Apr 2000 22:37:29 +0100, J.T. Thompson wrote: > I got this today, and wonder if it's a hoax, since most things with any > "tell everyone you know" content are. Is it? < snip> >> * # 0 6 # and PAT wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I tried that on my cell phone and got > nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it is a hoax or urban legend. PAT] *#06# works only on GSM phones. (In the US, that means phones used with VoiceStream, Omnipoint, PacBell, Powertel, BellSouth DCS, etc.; in Canada, that means phones used with Fido and the other companies using Microcell's network), but has no effect on other types of phones (AT&T, Sprint PCS, Verizon/BAM/AirTouch, non-DCS BellSouth Mobility, any CellularOne company, etc.) It is very true that some GSM carriers do blacklist stolen phones based on IMEI (what *#06# reveals), but I'm not aware of any North American GSM carriers that do so. Stanley Cline -- sc1 at roamer1 dot org -- http://www.roamer1.org/ ... "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. There might be a law against it by that time." -/usr/games/fortune ------------------------------ From: Darryl Smith Subject: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 19:06:50 +1000 This is NOT a HOAX - MOSTLY.... My phone said... 'SERIAL NO 448898308628855' It will only work with GSM phones. The thing is that this only tells you the serial number of the phone, which the mobile phone operator already has anyway since they recorded this information to connect to the network :-)... Basically this number is no use, because the operators do not want to use it. If you ring if you lost your phone, at least in OZ, they will just cancel the SIM Card and let anyone still use the MOBILE? WHY? a) Often they are making money on the A$6 insurance per month, so it is not in their interests to recover the phone, with more money b) if coming into the carrier. c) If the phone is not under insurance, they have suckered the user for another 1-2 year contract ... But they do not tell their customers that the phone can still be used. There is also not to my knowledge any INTERNATIONAL STOLEN PHONE REGISTER. There is not even an AUSTRALIAN WIDE register where the three AUSTRALIA WIDE mobile carriers exchange details. I believe that the encryption is based on this number and some others, meaning that the phone becomes basically useless if someone hacks this number ... and besides, you cannot get calls hacking this number ... that is in the SIM card ... To recap, this will only work on a GSM phone ... > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I tried that on my cell phone and got > nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it is a hoax or urban legend. PAT] Darryl Smith, VK2TDS POBox 169 Ingleburn NSW 2565 Australia Mobile Number 0412 929 634 [+61 4 12 929 634 International] Darryl@radio-active.net.au | www.radio-active.net.au for domain names ------------------------------ From: spta2h99w@nic.fi (Ari Wuolle) Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 10:10:45 GMT Organization: Just me myself and I On Fri, 14 Apr 2000 22:37:29 +0100, J.T. Thompson wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I tried that on my cell phone and got > nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it is a hoax or urban legend. PAT] Do you have a GSM1900 phone? *#06# is a standard code that will show the IMEI-code on most GSM (900,1800,1900) phones. It should work with any GSM phone, but I know that at least some older Motorola models do not know *#06#. I don't think that it will work on any non-GSM phones like AMPS, CDMA or TACS. Certainly it won't work with NMT phones. Besides writing down the IMEI code of GSM phone in order to get it blacklisted in case of theft, it is a good idea to compare the code shown by *#06# to the one printed in the phone (usually under the battery). If those two codes do not match, it is possible that the phone has been stolen and the IMEI code (which is supposed to be unchangeable) has been changed. Here in Finland it happened with some stolen Nokia 2110s'. A batch of stolen phones were tweaked to use a known good IMEI. However, one of those resold phones got stolen again - and more than dozen phones stopped working as the IMEI code that all of those phones used got blacklisted. Cheers, Ari Wuolle ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 09:52:25 -0400 From: John R. Covert Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles J.T. Thompson sent the digest a mail about the GSM command *#06#, which returns the IMEI of any GSM cellphone. Pat replied: I tried that on my cell phone and got nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it is a hoax or urban legend. It works just fine on all of my GSM phones. There is no hoax here. GSM systems have a serial number for both the phone and the SIMcard, which are totally independent of each other. If your phone is stolen, a thief could simply buy a prepay card and go right on using it. For this reason, when a GSM phone is stolen, you must invalidate BOTH the SIMcard and the phone. Note that in the GSM system, your phone number is not stored anywhere in the phone or the SIMcard (unless you deliberately stored it there). This means that number changes are done at the switch, with nothing needing to be done to your phone. It also means that if your phone (or more importantly, the SIMcard) is stolen, you simply get a new SIMcard activated on your old number, and the old SIMcard is forever dead. /john ------------------------------ From: Scot E. Wilcoxon Organization: self Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 10:27:16 -0500 > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I tried that on my cell phone and got > nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it is a hoax or urban legend. PAT] The code to display the IMEI is different for various phones. But for theft it's sufficient to just write down all the numbers on the phone: take off the battery and photocopy the back of the phone (and the battery) so you have the identification information for the police. File it with your warranty and related papers. The rest of the message makes sense, except that your current cellphone provider knows the IMEI for your phone and when you tell them your phone was stolen they will cut off the service. They can also give it to you for your police report, if you didn't write it down. Moreover, no "send this message to everyone" should be obeyed because it floods mailboxes. This kind of information can be put on web pages where people will find it, but don't broadcast it to everyone. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 10:53:29 +0100 From: Peter R Cook Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Organization: Personal Pat, Works just like the instructions on my Panasonic GD90 GSM here in the UK. However the same number is on The box the phone came in The dealers invoice The serial no panel on the phone as you might expect. Regards, Peter R Cook [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Since I just use a 'regular' cell phone, I just note the ESN of the phone on the back side of it, then *promptly* notify the carrier to turn it off in the event it is stolen or otherwise walks away. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Ed Ellers Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 14:23:09 -0400 Pat, the TELECOM Digest Editor, noted: > I tried that on my cell phone and got nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it > is a hoax or urban legend." It does work on my GSM phone, and I've made a note of my IMEI for future reference. Remember that North American cellular phones (other than GSM) can be disabled by the carrier if reported stolen, but with GSM -- which does authorization through the SIM card -- the phone would still be usable with a different SIM. Presumably the IMEI would allow the carrier to disable that stolen phone regardless of which SIM card was put in it. ------------------------------ From: Tony Pelliccio Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Organization: Providence Network Partners Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 19:49:00 GMT In article , jt.thompson@indigo.ie says... > I got this today, and wonder if it's a hoax, since most things with any > "tell everyone you know" content are. Is it? It works on my Motorola Select 2000. It is GSM specific though, and the IMEI is on a label inside the battery compartment on my phone. Tony ------------------------------ From: jnh@aug.com (Jordan Hazen) Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 19:51:10 GMT Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com In article , J.T. Thompson wrote: > [...] >> This may be of interest to those who have a mobile phone. Check Your >> mobile phone serial number. To check your Mobile phone's serial >> number press key in the following digits on your phone: >> * # 0 6 # >> A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your >> handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. Should your phone gets >> stolen, You will first need to report the Phone stolen at the police >> station, then fill out a blacklisting request form and fax it to the >> network. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I tried that on my cell phone and got > nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it is a hoax or urban legend. PAT] It will only work with GSM phones, which aren't as common in the US as the rest of the world. Here, only Omnipoint, Powertel, Aeriel, and a few other regional carriers use GSM. For other types of networks (CDMA, AMPS, digital AMPS) the Electronic Serial Number (ESN) is used for similar purposes. It's often printed on the phone somewhere-- under its battery, perhaps. Since there's no removable SIM card, GSM's method for splitting the identity between two numbers (IMEI on the phone, IMSI on the card) isn't necessary. But in the case of a stolen phone, my experience has been that the carriers ask only for the mobile phone number itself, plus salient account details (subscriber's SSN#, etc.). They would have the ESN on file already. Jordan ------------------------------ From: Chris Lowe Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 12:16:47 -0600 Just did this on my Bosch world phone, and it does pull up the IMEI number, and it matches the one printed on the back of the phone, right below the serial number. Of course, this is a GSM phone, not an American cell phone standard (which is an oxymoron, at best). Oh, and I'm sitting in Mozambique right now, but that shouldn't matter ... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 11:33 +0100 (BST) From: Richard@office.mandarin.com (Richard D.G. Cox) Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Reply-To: Richard@office.mandarin.com J.T. Thompson wrote in TELECOM Digest V20 #68 > I got this today, and wonder if it's a hoax, since most things > with any "tell everyone you know" content are. Is it? It's no hoax - but even so it's not completely correct. The bottom line is that is it actually helpful and positive ... read on: >> key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # This works on some GSM phones. It may work on other types: I have used Nokia for some years, and it works on all the Nokia phones I have used. >> A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to >> your handset. Correct (again, assuming your phone supports it. Obviously Pat's doesn't) > Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. Should your phone get stolen, > You will first need to report the Phone stolen at the police station, > then fill out a blacklisting request form and fax it to the network. Actually you shouldn't have to fax a form in - the network should act on a phoned report assuming they have set up a "password" authentication system so that they can be sure you are who you say you are ... and your service provider *should* have full records of your IMEI and other security data. >> Your handset can be blacklisted via this 15 digit number more commonly >> known as the IMEI number(International Mobile Equipment identity). True ... > Even if the thief changes the Sim card your phone will be totally > useless. It may be. It certainly will be useless on your own network, and it *should* be useless on other GSM networks that support the blacklist system ... but not all networks are as vigilant as they should be. >> If everybody did this, there would be no point in stealing mobile >> phones. The incidence of thefts of digital (GSM) phones is lower than it was. But there are still countries where such phones can be freely sold and used - networks are in profit when they can collect call charges for calls from handsets on which they have NOT had to pay out subsidies! ------------------------------ From: Marcus AAkesson Subject: Re: *#06# Email Going Around About Mobiles Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 14:24:32 +0200 Organization: Chalmers University of Technology On Fri, 14 Apr 2000 22:37:29 +0100, J.T. Thompson wrote: > I got this today, and wonder if it's a hoax, since most things with any > "tell everyone you know" content are. Is it? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I tried that on my cell phone and got > nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it is a hoax or urban legend. PAT] Not at all. It is perfectly correct, but You don't have a SIM card either, do you? It only works on around 300 million GSM phones world-wide ;-). All of them have an IMEI. Many, but not all operators exchange lists of black-listed IMEIs. If I pick up a phone and press *#06#, it answers: IMEI: 495512-XX-XXXXXX-4-02. 15+2 numbers. http://www.cellular.co.za/ieminumbers.htm http://home.swipnet.se/OsbyMikro/imeie.htm http://www.smh.com.au/news/9906/07/text/business4.html Marcus AAkesson marcus.akesson@NO_SPAM_PLEASE_home.se Gothenburg Callsigns: SM6XFN & SB4779 Sweden >>>>>> Keep the world clean - no HTML in news or mail ! <<<<<< [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: No, I do not have that kind of phone; I have a regular cell phone, registered on the 'A' side with Alltel, formerly Kansas Cellular. In most of the state of Kansas, Kansas Cellular (Alltel) is the 'B' carrier, although they have not ever been a landline telco. In the southeastern corner of Kansas it is the 'A' carrier, while US Cellular is the B carrier. When I was here in Independence about nine years ago at the time my father died, Independence had no cellular service at all. I had my Chicago-based Ameritech cell phone here at the time, and normally there was 'no service' anywhere in town. However, when I went to the second floor of my parent's house, the phone switched to 'roaming' mode. Under those circum- stances, I tries dialing 0 to reach the operator, to find out where she was at. She said Tulsa, which is quite a distance away. Now this time around, I see cell phones all over town. This time around, I keep my phone set on 'home only' because i I am not careful, I roam onto US Cellular's service which also is an 'A' carrier in Missouri, which is only a few miles east. (Although they are a B carrier opposite Kansas Cellular here locally.) PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 09:01:43 -0400 From: Jonathan Edelson Subject: Cell Phone Blacklists >> Your handset can be blacklisted via this 15 digit number more commonly >> known as >> the IMEI number(International Mobile Equipment identity). Even if the >> thief >> changes the Sim card your phone will be totally useless. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I tried that on my cell phone and got > nowhere. Nothing happened. I think it is a hoax or urban legend. PAT] At the very least, it would seem to apply to GSM phones, which are far more common in Europe. Take note of 'changing the sim card'. The idea of blacklisting the cell phone serial number is somewhat useful; although in the US there were techniques to replace various rom chips in phones so as to change their electronic serial number. A phone would be stolen, taken to a suitably skilled individual, and modified. This phone would then be used to make free calls for a period of time, until the phone company fraud detection would kick in and shut the phone off. I don't know how applicable this information is to generic digital, pcs, or gsm phones. Jon [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: While we are on this topic, my current cell phone is a Motorola flip phone, older model, where deep programming is done by shorting a battery pin to ground, then pressing (I think) '1#' and more. Does anyone know what to do to zero out the three-times register that prevents number changes? PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V20 #69 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Apr 15 23:20:05 2000 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1) id XAA00799; Sat, 15 Apr 2000 23:20:05 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 23:20:05 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200004160320.XAA00799@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V20 #70 TELECOM Digest Sat, 15 Apr 2000 23:20:00 EDT Volume 20 : Issue 70 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Auto Extension Disconnect (Shel) Re: Panasonic KX-TA624 (Chris Walsh) Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing (Chris Walsh) Re: Boston Technologies Voice Mail (Chris Walsh) Re: Tiny Tuvalu Cashes in on '.tv' Domains (Peter Corlett) PacBell/SBC vs. Caller-ID Blocking (Linc Madison) Re: Finding Old Internet Software For the Cousin? (The Old Bear) Re: Finding Old Internet Software For the Cousin? (Dave Tweed) Re: Bell Atlantic Interrupts Local ISP (Tony Pelliccio) Huge Kid Porn Ring Busted (Monty Solomon) Re: Alleged Time of Day, GTE Style (Jay Hennigan) Re: Alleged Time of Day, GTE Style (Terry Kennedy) Re: Alleged Time of Day, GTE Style (Jeremy Greene) Site Worth Checking Out (Carlos Podesta) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 259 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 805-545-5115 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe/unsubscribe: subscriptions@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. Access to Premium (P) links requires upgrade to a paid subscription. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. LEGAL STUFF: TELECOM Digest (sm) is owned by Patrick Townson. Copyright 2000 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: (Shel) Subject: Auto Extension Disconnect Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 00:14:00 GMT Hello! Can anyone tell me if it is possible to bypass the auto extension disconnect on an answering machine so if an extension phone is picked up the machine will still record. No nefarious intent here, just to many room mates not relaying phone messages verbaly when they inadvertantly pick up a phone while the message is being recorded. Thank you [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ordinarily an answering machine will continue to record whatever it hears while it is offhook, which it would be if it picked up a ringing line and had not otherwise timed- out. Set it to answer on the first ring so it will pick up calls immediatly, and set it to stay off hook as long as possible. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Chris Walsh Subject: Re: Panasonic KX-TA624 Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 01:23:23 GMT Organization: FlashNet Communications, http://www.flash.net Rob, I sold and serviced Panasonic systems for the last 14 years, (sold the company last year), so, yes I think I can help you out quite a bit. You can call me at 877-532-7616, or if you'd like, you can visit my website at tellearn.com. I don't sell phone systems, call me and I'll help where I can. Chris Walsh tellearn.com 1-877-532-7616 wrote in message news:telecom20.45.7@telecom-digest.org... > I am thinking of buying one of these for home use. > Anybody have an opinion? > Rob ------------------------------ From: Chris Walsh Subject: Re: Tone Phones Not Dialing Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 01:30:03 GMT Organization: FlashNet Communications, http://www.flash.net Hello, I believe as well that the problem lies in the polarity of the telephone line, and for whatever reason it has been reversed. Some older phones are polarity sensitive and will not break dial-tone if the wires are reversed. How do you know? Take one of your jacks apart and switch the two wires that connect to the "red" and "green" wires of the jack itself. I'd really be surprised if that isn't whats wrong. I teach folks how to purchase and maintain business telephone systems via video course and live seminars. If I can in any way be of more assistance, please call me. Chris Walsh tellearn.com 1-877-532-7616 Robert McDonald wrote in message news:telecom20.52.2@telecom-digest.org... > This is a question about POTS. All of a sudden, three identical vintage > 1983 touchtone telephones have stopped working properly at one > house. They work fine at other houses, and other phones work fine at > this house. > The problem is that several weeks ago the phones stopped dialing, > after years of working correctly. There is a dial tone, but when you > press a number nothing happens and you still have the dial tone when > you release the number. This happens on three phones and not on more > recent phones. It seems quite unlikely to me that three phones would > suffer identical simultaneous failures, so my hypothesis is that > something has changed on the telco end. However, as you might guess, > the phone company (Bell Atlantic) is no help, saying that as long as > any phones work, they don't consider it a problem. > My question is: what could be making this h