From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Jan 1 21:10:41 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id EA6FF14EF5; Sun, 1 Jan 2006 21:10:40 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #1 Message-Id: <20060102021040.EA6FF14EF5@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 21:10:40 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.6 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 1 Jan 2006 21:12:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 1 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Bush Insists Telephone, Email Spying Was Legal (Deb Riechmann) In California, When it Rains, it Pours (Justin M. Norton) Court Approval Sought For Sony Settlement Offer (Larry Neumeister) NSA Gave Other U.S. Agencies Information From Surveillance (Monty Solomon) Totally Wired (Monty Solomon) Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia (Tony P.) Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia (Robert Bonomi) Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia (Wesrock@aol.com) Re: Cell Phone Extenders? (DevilsPGD) Re: Cell Phone Extenders? (Michael D. Sullivan) Re: Secret Court Modified Bush Wiretap Requests (Garrett Wollman) Re: Question About VOIP (Rik) Re: Another Critical Flaw Detected in Windows Metafile (William Warren) Re: No Demarc Point (J Kelly) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Deb Riechmann Subject: In California, When it Rains, it Pours Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 17:52:20 -0600 Flooded California Hit by Second Storm Severe Storm in Two Days By JUSTIN M. NORTON, Associated Press Writer The second major storm in two days washed across Northern California on Sunday, prolonging the threat of flooding as residents tried to clean up thick layers of mud and debris left behind as the first wave of floodwater receded. Hundreds of homes and businesses were inundated on Saturday as heavy rain sent the Napa and Russian rivers spilling over their banks. In many areas, the rivers and creeks were back within banks, though some towns remained flooded or flooded again as the rain, heavy at times, came and went throughout the day Sunday. The Sonoma County town of Guerneville was among those still fighting floodwater amid pouring rain. Many telephone lines were out in the area. At least 2 more inches of rain was forecast across Northern California on Sunday, on top of the 4 to 9 inches that had already swamped the region, the National Weather Service said. Wildfire-damaged areas of Southern California were also under a flash flood watch and a threat of mudslides as heavy rain headed in their direction. In Pasadena, the Rose Parade's floral floats were being prepared for what could be the first rainy Rose Parade in half a century. Massive mudslides kept road crews busy moving rock and debris that shut down Interstate 80 through the Sierra Nevada and other roads across the region. In Guerneville, where the Russian River crested 10 feet above flood stage early Sunday, the downtown was largely spared but low-lying areas and an unknown number of homes flooded, said Linda Eubanks of Sonoma County's Office of Emergency Services. Officials were urging residents who had left to stay out for another day, and those who hadn't to evacuate. About 50 people were in emergency shelters, Eubanks said. In spite of the flooding, Maureen Weinstein hosted a festive New Year's Eve party outside her Guerneville home -- muddy river water lapping just 10 feet away. "We live through (floods) a lot," Weinstein said. "We're not that concerned this time because this year we have power and the Internet. I can monitor the water. It's wonderful." But not everyone had phones. Dialtone was delayed or non-existent in many areas. In San Anselmo, about 20 miles north of San Francisco, streets were coated with mud and business owners sorted through mounds of damaged goods Sunday, a day after floodwater 4 feet deep spread through downtown. "We got hit very hard. It's all pretty soggy and muddy up here," said town administrator Debbie Stutsman. "People are shoveling out." Stutsman said initial assessments put the damage in town at about $10 million. Mud and debris also covered the streets of downtown Napa, where officials estimated about 1,000 homes and an unknown number of businesses had flooded, as well as thousands of acres of rural land in the county. The river had crested 5 feet above flood stage in Napa on Saturday and was continuing to drop Sunday. The storm moved into the Rocky Mountains on Sunday as a blizzard, making rescue efforts challenging after an avalanche near Rocky Mountain National Park that killed two snowmobilers. At least one death in California was blamed on the storm, a man killed by a falling tree in Vacaville, authorities said. The weather service was urging residents to stay alert all day Sunday, in the event further evacuations were needed. Associated Press writers Paul Elias in Napa; Dan Goodin in Guerneville; Martin Griffith in Reno, Nev.; Julia Silverman in Portland, Ore.; and Don Thompson in Sacramento contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more Associated Press News and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: Larry Neumeister Subject: Court Okay Sought for Sony Proposed Settlement Offer Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 17:55:06 -0600 By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press WriterThu Dec 29, 6:02 PM ET A proposed consolidation and settlement of lawsuits against Sony BMG Music Entertainment would let consumers receive free music downloads to compensate them for Sony including flawed software on millions of CDs, lawyers said Thursday. Lawyers said the deal requires the world's second-largest music label to stop manufacturing compact discs with MediaMax software or with extended copy protection or XCP software that could leave computers vulnerable to hackers. The proposed settlement was submitted to U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Wednesday. A judge was expected to decide in January whether to tentatively approve it. According to terms of the settlement, Sony BMG will let consumers who bought the CDs receive replacement discs without the anti-piracy technology and will let them choose one of two incentive packages. The first package allows consumers who bought XCP CDs to obtain a cash payment of $7.50 and a promotion code allowing them to download one additional album from a list of more than 200 titles. The second package permits them to download three additional albums from the list. The court papers said Sony BMG would try to offer Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes as one of the download services available to the consumers. Those who purchased MediaMax CDs would receive additional compensation to allow them to download non-content protected versions of music on their MediaMax CDs and to download one additional album. Elizabeth C. Pritzker, a lawyer for the consumers, said the settlement provides for the compensation to be paid out beginning as early as mid January, even before final approval of the deal is granted by the court. In a statement, Sony BMG said it was pleased to have reached the agreement with the plaintiffs and added that it looked forward to the court approval process. Sony BMG began including MediaMax on some of its discs in August 2003 and introduced XCP last January. Both software programs limited the number of copies of a disc that a user can make. Beginning in November, more than 20 lawsuits were filed after a computer security research specialist a month earlier traced a hidden software program on his computer to an XCP disc he had purchased and installed, the settlement papers said. According to the court papers, the software program made the user's computer more susceptible to unwanted intrusion from third parties and effectively disabled any firewall and anti-spyware protection programs previously installed on a computer. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott also had sued Sony. The company has said it has provided consumers with a one-click "uninstall" application that lets them remove MediaMax from their computers. MediaMax was loaded on 27 Sony BMG titles, including Alicia Keys' "Unplugged" and Cassidy's "I'm a Hustla." Pritzker said as many as 20 million CDs containing MediaMax were sold. The label recalled the discs with XCP in November and released a way to remove the files from users' computers. Some 4.7 million CDs on 52 Sony BMG titles had been made with the technology and 2.1 million had been sold. Sony BMG, a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG, has said it did not use the software programs to collect or retain personal data about the consumers without their consent. On the Net Sony BMG: http://www.sonybmg.com Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news headlines and stories from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/Fednewsradio.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 11:56:26 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: NSA Gave Other U.S. Agencies Information From Surveillance NSA Gave Other U.S. Agencies Information From Surveillance Fruit of Eavesdropping Was Processed and Cross-Checked With Databases By Walter Pincus Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, January 1, 2006; Page A08 Information captured by the National Security Agency's secret eavesdropping on communications between the United States and overseas has been passed on to other government agencies, which cross-check the information with tips and information collected in other databases, current and former administration officials said. The NSA has turned such information over to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and to other government entities, said three current and former senior administration officials, although it could not be determined which agencies received what types of information. Information from intercepts -- which typically includes records of telephone or e-mail communications -- would be made available by request to agencies that are allowed to have it, including the FBI, DIA, CIA and Department of Homeland Security, one former official said. At least one of those organizations, the DIA, has used NSA information as the basis for carrying out surveillance of people in the country suspected of posing a threat, according to two sources. A DIA spokesman said the agency does not conduct such domestic surveillance but would not comment further. Spokesmen for the FBI, the CIA and the director of national intelligence, John D. Negroponte, declined to comment on the use of NSA data. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/31/AR2005123100808.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 12:57:31 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Totally Wired By SUSAN WARNER January 1, 2006 HIGHTSTOWN INCH by inch, the black-coated wire rolls off a giant wooden spool, snakes up a string of utility poles and crosses above the traffic island on Main Street. All across this town in Mercer County, Verizon workers are suspended in cherry pickers feeding cable onto poles, or splicing fiber-optic ribbons in mobile trucks. These wires, made up of 144 tiny strands of glass no bigger than a hair, have the power to transport the cultural lifeblood of New Jersey: the "Today" show, "Oprah," "The Sopranos" and MTV. Verizon's plan to wire the state with fiber-optic equipment to carry television in addition to telephone and Internet service, which it already offers, has set off a war of communications behemoths - Verizon vs. Comcast and Cablevision - for control of the state's television sets. Adding video to the telephone company's product line has riled the two major cable television companies operating in the state, even though they fired the first shot by offering telephone service through their Internet connections. At stake are 2.5 million cable subscribers in New Jersey who paid a total of $2.2 billion for television and Internet service in 2004 alone, according to figures provided by the State Board of Public Utility. In Trenton, two similar and controversial bills that would make it easier for Verizon to get the network running -- by awarding a statewide franchise rather than the cumbersome process of going town to town to reach individual agreements -- have been introduced, and although their fate is unclear, both sides are taking their case directly to consumers. For several months, Verizon has been filling mailboxes, newspapers and Web sites with advertisements trumpeting its service as a blow to monopoly pricing by the few cable companies. Returning the salvo, cable television companies have broadcast commercials claiming that the proposed legislation will erode local access to cable channels and eventually increase the cost of cable service despite the introduction of more competition. "This is being run like a political campaign," said William Dressel, executive director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities. "Emotions are running high. I've had executives on both sides yell and scream at me." Since July, when Verizon began building its network in the state, the company -- with the help of 700 technicians that it hired for this very purpose -- has been stringing the fiber-optic system past 25,000 to 30,000 homes a month. By the end of the 2005 the network was capable of reaching 200,000 homes scattered throughout 123 of the state's 566 towns. Nationally, Verizon's fiber-optic network now extends past 3 million homes, and the company plans to add another 3 million in 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/01njcover.html?ex=1293771600&en=528cbff6b6819299&ei=5090 ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 21:44:27 -0500 In article , kludge@panix.com replied to TEELCOM Digest Editor: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Excuses, excuses! My main point was >> _what business does the government have in being in the Rail Road >> business anyway? The trains ran perfectly well by themselves, and when >> the government took over they just got worse and worse. PAT] > You say this, but you are replying to an article about a disaster that > was basically caused by, and then made worse by private companies. > The problem is that Amtrak doesn't own the infrastructure ... that > infrastructure has NOT been taken over by the government, but is owned > by private railroads, and it is falling apart. > There aren't enough parallel tracks to be able to maintain schedules, > because the private railroads aren't building them and are shutting > some tracks down. The existing tracks are not being properly > maintained; trains going into Richmond, VA, for example, have to slow > down to a crawl because of the poor condition of the tracks. But it's > CSX that is responsible for those tracks. Interestingly the Boston to Washington, D.C. corridor is one of the better maintained sections. They recently electrified from Boston through Providence out to New Haven, CT though to D.C. They also replaced a all the trackage, etc. Matter of fact, there were sidings built from Providence to Pawtucket, RI as well as storage faciliates for MBTA trains. In addition they're in the process of building a train station near PVD airport and there are plans to build stations in Wickford, RI and Westerly, RI. The MBTA has already said they will service the additional stops. This is why I think we should regionalize mass transit. MTBA now runs through RI, MA and NH. Why not extend into CT, NY, etc. Run high speed bullet trains for those willing to pay for it. The current high speed trains are a joke. Apparently Bombardier isn't the greatest manufacturer when it comes to building commuter trains. ------------------------------ From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomni.com (Robert Bonomi) Subject: Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia Date: Sun, 01 Jan 2006 14:28:51 -0000 Organization: Widgets, Inc. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Excuses, excuses! My main point was > _what business does the government have in being in the Rail Road > business anyway? The trains ran perfectly well by themselves, and when > the government took over they just got worse and worse. PAT] A "tin foil hat" mentality assumption that is _not_ supported by the facts of history. The Penn Central Railway, just to name one example, ran so well "by itself", that it drove itself into bankruptcy, and liquidation. The vast sums that they lost on passenger rail service were a direct contributing factor. Amtrak came into existence as a _bail-out_ of the private railroad companies. The government had, 'forever', required railroads to provide passenger service, at 'regulated' rates. Unfortunately, the rates they were allowed to charge for seats were _not_ adequate to cover the cost of operating the passenger trains. Thus, passenger rail service became more and more of a 'drag', and 'red ink' source, to the railroads. Other Government programs -- including the Interstate Highway System -- exacerbated the money-losing situation. Yet, a _national_ passenger rail service was 'in the national interest'. Railroads were faced with the dilemma of continuing to run the _required_ money-losing passenger services, and being driven into bankruptcy, *or* of getting the situation changed, somehow. AMTRAK was formed to 'rescue' the railroads from that bankruptcy scenario. In return for letting the railroads 'off the hook' for those 'required' passenger services, the government got the right to run passenger trains 'at cost' over the various railroad's tracks. The railroads had to "buy into" this program. It was *OPTIONAL* -- several railroads _did_, in fact, choose *not* to participate in the AMTRAK program. (The Rock Island RR, for one.) Those who did not 'buy into' the AMTRAK program were required to _continue_ running their required passenger services, themselves. Rock Island's decision not to 'go Amtrak' was a signficant factor in that RRs subsequent bankruptcy and liquidation. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Whatever you say ... all I know is that the few times I have ridden on a long-haul train ride (1948, 1950, 1952, and 1968?) the trains were very nice, _non-government_ operated, etc. In 1948 my mother and maternal grandmother and myself went from Coffeyville, KS to Dearborn Street Station in Chicago. I was too young to remember a lot about that trip but I recall being impressed, perhaps because I was six years old. In 1950 I was sent on the train by myself to visit my paternal grandparents who lived here in Independence (and two weeks later, back to Chicago). I remember more about that trip, since I was 8 years old. I recall I wanted to go exploring on the train and I walked around with the conductor looking in all the cars. The conductor let me ride with him in a car that was full of newspapers and magazines; every now and then the conductor would look at some listing he had and pick up a bundle of newspapers which were tied together with twine. As the train slowed down but did not stop he would tell me to go sit down where I would not get hurt and he would take a bundle of the newspapers (Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Herald-American) and looking out the open door of that car, he would toss a bundle of papers to some man or woman sitting in a truck at the side of the track, who would pick them up, put them in their truck and drive away as we were speeding up and pulling away also. Or maybe that was 1952, I just do not remember that well. In the late 1950's and early 1960's when my maternal grandparents lived in Whiting, Indiana if I had been staying with them I would 'commute' to work each day at the U of C. switchboard/phone room, and I would ride the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend train into Chicago at the 63rd Street Station, and the fare was 75 cents as I recall from Hammond to 63rd Street, a 40 minute ride. We called it the "Orange Train" and it was a very comfortable ride; always on time. In about 1968 I took a friend of mine with me to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and we rode Illinois Central 'City of New Orleans' each way. Two things I distinctly remember about that trip were the train pulled out each day from Chicago at 3:30 PM. About 3:15 or so, in the Central Station in Chicago, they would always begin playing that song "City of New Orleans" on the loud speaker, and the lady in the ticket office would say "Its time to start the show, folks! Please walk out track 3 and meet the staff of employees who will operate the train." And as that music played, we all walked out to the train. _That_ was an especially wonderful trip. My friend and I had drinks and dinner in the club car, then spent the evening alternatly between the observation car and our private suite, with stops in the club car coming and going, of course. We got in at 10 the next morning. We stayed in New Orleans about three or four days. The railroads all did okay without government help, IMO. The only _bad_ experience I had on a train was about 1972, again an Illinois Central Suburban Train. You may have read about it in the newspapers at the time. The train was supposed to stop at 27th Street on the way downtown, he 'overshot' the station by some distance, I think about 150 feet, and decided to back up into the station. That was one of the newer trains they had recently put in service; we wound up getting smacked by another train also coming north on the same track. With a loud 'thud' I saw my coffee spill out of its cup and onto my trousers. As we sat there, I got up to look around; the two cars behind us were flattened like accordions, 200 plus people were killed in our train. _I_ got up and walked off! In fact, on the train platform right there close was one of the old fashioned fire department 'call boxes'. I pulled the lever on it, then just walked away and got a Yellow Cab out on the street nearby, but _they_ (railroad employees) found me later at work; I got subpoened to go to the railroad safety inspector's hearing on the matter a month or so later. My picture was in the paper (Chicago Daily News) and all that, and quite a story about me and how I got up and walked away from the mess. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 09:33:02 EST Subject: Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Sorry Mr. Leatherock, that was not _me_, I think you were quoting Mr. Stewart talking to someone else in that message. PAT] Somehow the lines that you wrote got dropped out and the indication of what was quoted matter got messed up. The only text which should have been shown as quoted matter was a sentence you wrote and to which this was a response. All the rest of the text was my reply to your comment. A corrected version of the post follows. --- [Begin corrected version of message] In a message dated Fri, 30 Dec 2005 21:50:31 -0800, editor@telecom-digest.org writes in reply to Jim Stewart : > Amtrak knew, or should have known what would be imposed on them when they > took over the system. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, originally called Railpax and later adopting the trade name Amtrak, was created out of whole cloth. Many people thought then, and still do today, that it was created to bring an end to railroad passenger service in the U.S.A. within a few years. It was likely as much a surprise to the original managers as to the public and the rest of government, that they made a go of it against all odds. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com wleathus@yahoo.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, here is the corrected copy of your message; sorry I screwed it up yesterday. PAT] ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Cell Phone Extenders? Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 20:57:27 -0700 Organization: Disorganized In message John Levine wrote: >> If you buy a cellphone and contract for service for that cellphone >> with a licensed carrier, then that carrier's license covers the >> operation of the phone you activated with that carrier. You can't >> then go out and use other phones under that contract without the >> carrier's consent. > An interesting theory, although clearly nonsensical with GSM phones. Not at all, GSM phones don't transmit without a SIM card, and once there is a SIM card in place, you're licensed under the appropriate carrier. ------------------------------ From: Michael D. Sullivan Subject: Re: Cell Phone Extenders? Date: Sun, 01 Jan 2006 07:12:43 GMT John Levine wrote: >> If you buy a cellphone and contract for service for that cellphone >> with a licensed carrier, then that carrier's license covers the >> operation of the phone you activated with that carrier. You can't >> then go out and use other phones under that contract without the >> carrier's consent. > An interesting theory, although clearly nonsensical with GSM phones. With GSM phones (if not locked), you would be contractually allowed to use any compatible (i.e., proper band for the country at issue) GSM phone with the SIM chip from your carrier. > I do agree that repeaters above 100 mw need a license which you don't > have if you're not a cell carrier. I'd have to look at the Part 15 regs to be be certain what the limits are in the cellular, PCS, and SMR bands, but that sounds like the right ballpark. Michael D. Sullivan Bethesda, MD (USA) (Replace "example.invalid" with "com" in my address.) ------------------------------ From: wollman@csail.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) Subject: Re: Secret Court Modified Bush Wiretap Requests Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 05:47:36 +0000 (UTC) Organization: MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab In article , PAT writes: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I still have my script here to use for > encrypting the 'approved-by' lines: >#!/bin/sh [deleted] A similar mechanism, with rather better cryptographic design, is used today to authenticate control messages (those that create and delete newsgroups); it's called "pgpcontrol". In order for this to work to enforce moderator's privilege, though, every[1] news transit server would need to implement it -- otherwise, Usenet's flooding algorithm would simply route around the blockage. Most news servers do not honor "cancel" messages any more, since they are so easily abused, so your earlier scheme of having a few major transit sites send out cancels for the offending messages no longer buys anything. (It also wouldn't work for self-moderated newsgroups, of which there are a few.) -GAWollman [1] Not entirely true, as a moment's consideration will make clear a few counterexamples. But in the topology of Usenet today, the relative frequency of those situations is quite low. Garrett A. Wollman | As the Constitution endures, persons in every wollman@csail.mit.edu | generation can invoke its principles in their own Opinions not those | search for greater freedom. of MIT or CSAIL. | - A. Kennedy, Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003) ------------------------------ From: Rik Subject: Re: Question About VOIP Date: 1 Jan 2006 05:57:46 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I have been using AT&T CallVantage about three weeks and have not noticed any problem with the phone calls. If there is any degradation of my data speed, it is not enough to be noticeable. I have my phone box hooked up as you mention, between my Linksys hub and the cable modem. We run three pretty active computers through it. Rik ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 01 Jan 2006 10:50:15 -0500 From: William Warren Subject: Re: Another Critical Flaw Detected in Windows Metafile > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: So, start the new year right with a > nasty thing in your computer. If we cannot _even read_ email from > people we do not know (or in many cases, ignorant people we _do_ know > who like to 'pass this along to all your friends'), and there are a > lot of web sites we cannot really trust, then tell me again, what is > the purpose of computers? PAT] > Pat, The purpose of computers running Windows is to demonstrate the danger of a monoculture in any critical infrastructure. Switch to Linux. William Warren (Filter noise from my address for direct replies) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, my one computer here has a dual operation mode. When I turn it on, it will default into Linux _unless_ I press a key and make it go into Windows 2000 instead. I use Linux mostly but sometimes Windows. I also have a (straight) Windows 98 laptop for my weather station mechanicals and associated camera. PAT] ------------------------------ From: J Kelly Subject: Re: No Demarc Point Date: Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:17:23 -0600 Organization: http://newsguy.com Reply-To: jkelly@newsguy.com On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 21:20:35 GMT, Tom Schmidt wrote: > A NID, Network Interface Device, is required for all new construction, > old construction is grandfathered. Here in Verizon land all you need > to do is call and let them then you need a NID so you are able to > modify inside wiring. > If you cannot get satisfaction from the Telco might want to contact > your state Public Utilities Commission. Explain the situation and see > what they suggest. > /tom Qwest doesn't add them unless the customer pays. I'm under the impression that the telcos are no longer regulated in Iowa. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2005-06 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #1 **************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jan 2 21:01:20 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 315AB14DF9; Mon, 2 Jan 2006 21:01:20 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #2 Message-Id: <20060103020120.315AB14DF9@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 21:01:20 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.8 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, CELL_PHONE_IMPROVE,MAILTO_TO_SPAM_ADDR autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 2 Jan 2006 21:03:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 2 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson New Year Begins With Hell and High-Water - Part 1 (Ashley Gibson) New Year Begins With Hell and High-Water - Part 2 (Justin M. Norton) Fraud in Cloning Research Papers Exposed by Netizens (Ronda Hauben) Another Year, Another Volume of the Digest (TELECOM Digest Editor) Annual Gadget Show Is Biggest Ever (Monty Solomon) Cellular-News For Period of 23rd Dec 2005 to 2nd Jan 2006 (Cellular-News) Cat Speech? (Lisa Hancock) Re: Cell Phone Extenders? (John Levine) Re: Cell Phone Extenders? (David Clayton) Re: Cell Phone Extenders? (Michael D. Sullivan) Re: Bush Insists Telephone, Email Spying Was Legal (Michael D. Sullivan) Re: Bush Insists Telephone, Email Spying Was Legal (Thomas Horsley) Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia (Lisa Hancock) Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia (Seth Breidbart) Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia (Scott Dorsey) Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia (Chris Farrar) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ashley Gibson Subject: Oklahoma-Texas Fires, California Mud Slides-Floods Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 20:20:35 -0600 By ASHLEY GIBSON, Associated Press Writer A rash of wildfires raged Sunday across Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, including one that burned several homes in northeastern Oklahoma City. Several city residents were evacuated but no injuries were reported, Fire Maj. Brian Stanaland said. Television images showed at least one large structure engulfed in flames. At least a dozen wildfires continued to burn across Oklahoma Sunday evening, urged on by winds up to 50 mph and hot, dry weather. A large blaze near Guthrie threatened several homes, said Michelann Ooten, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. At least 20 fires sprang up in Texas, including an 8,000-acre blaze that threatened up to 200 homes near Carbon, about 125 miles west of Dallas. In Hobbs, N.M., a grass fire forced the evacuation of a casino, community college and neighborhoods. High winds, record-high temperatures and drought-like conditions across much of the region have increased the fire danger to critical levels. Wildfires in Oklahoma and Texas last week ravaged more than 50,000 acres, destroyed nearly 100 homes and businesses and killed four people. At least 15 grass fires burned in the metro area Sunday afternoon, consuming more than 100 acres, Stanaland said. "Today has been extremely intense," he said. "I think it's maybe starting to take its toll on our department." Power lines arced and sparked one grass fire in northeast Oklahoma City. While firefighters battled that blaze, high winds tossed material from a nearby construction site into power lines, causing the debris to burn before it landed on a nearby nursing home, Stanaland said. "You basically had flying, flaming debris," Stanaland said. "Luckily, we were already on the scene putting out the fires when it happened so we were able to put it out." A fire near Wainwright in Muskogee County charred several thousand acres and was at least a mile wide, but no injuries or structure fires were reported, said Bill Beebe, an information officer at a statewide command center established in Shawnee. Oklahoma had called on firefighters from across the South to help battle the blazes, which had been predicted over the weekend. In Carbon, Texas, at least three homes and several barns were destroyed Sunday afternoon and area residents were evacuated, said Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Traci Weaver. Helicopters with the Texas Air National Guard help firefighters battle the blaze. Billowing clouds of light gray smoke hung across the horizon for miles. Carbon is just northeast of Cross Plains, where more than 90 homes and a church were destroyed in a raging grass fire last week. "We just took up money for the folks in Cross Plains at church this morning, never thinking it would be us in just three hours," said Mallory Fagan, who waited in nearby Eastland with her daughter Shana Fuchs and 15 dogs they rounded up from the family's dog rescue. Fires raged along the Texas state line in New Mexico, including one reported at 40,000 to 50,000 acres along 20-mile line, said Dan Ware, a spokesman for the state Forestry Division. Four structures burned in Hobbs, where residents -- including 27 living at a nursing home -- evacuated the western side of the city, Ware said. And, the other extreme -- water, lots of it -- was the story in parts of northern California where the water in some low-lying spots along the Russian River reached _five feet_, forcing the evacuation of homes and attempts to salvage merchandise from stores. Associated Press writer Angela K. Brown in Carbon, Texas, contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news about the fires or the floods (take your pick), please go to http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The situation in Oklahoma is becoming _very critical_. A dozen or so fires are burning out of control through much of the state. Oklahoma Governor (Brad) Henry was on our television and radio throughout the day on Sunday advising Oklahoma residents on what was happening, and what steps the state is taking to deal with the out of control fires. One neighborhood in Oklahoma City burned on Sunday morning; in neighboring Texas two small towns were completely destroyed. Firemen are exhausted but continuing their work. According to Governor Henry, they got some relief on Monday due to cooler temperatures and more humidity. But Tuesday is supposed to be like the weekend, wamer than usual and very dry. Here in Independence on Sunday the temperature reached eighty degrees most of the afternoon. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Storm Turns its Attention to Southern California Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 17:29:56 -0600 From: Justin M. Norton By JUSTIN M. NORTON, Associated Press Writer While homes and business places in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico 'went up in smoke' literally over the weekend due to the out of control fires burning in many places -- two small Texas towns were completely detroyed by fire -- California had a different side to the same destuctive coin. Homeowners shoveled away mud and other debris and authorities worked to repair damaged levees Monday after a pair of storms flooded Northern California's wine country. The rain let up over the hard-hit region and moved into Central and Southern California, drenching the Rose Parade for the first time since 1955 and threatening mudslides on hills stripped bare by last summer's wildfires. Initial estimates put the damage throughout Northern California at more than $100 million. The storms were blamed for two deaths, both of them victims of falling trees. The Russian River at Guerneville began receding after cresting at 41 feet -- 9 feet above flood stage -- but officials said it would probably not return to its banks until Tuesday morning, or maybe sometime Wednesday. "When it goes down below its banks, that's when the real cleanup begins," Sonoma County spokesman Dan Levin said. Hundreds of homes were flooded in the scenic community, he said. Live power lines were down throughout the area, and residents were warned to stay away. Telephone service was poor, or non-existent in most of the area. The Marin County town of San Anselmo, north of San Francisco, sustained an estimated $40 million in damage when a creek inundated downtown under 4 feet of water and left a coating of mud on streets. Around 50 businesses were damaged. About two miles west in Fairfax, three homes were nearly wiped out by mudslides. Water also receded in the heart of wine country along the Napa River, which rose out of its banks at the town of Napa and inundated several downtown blocks. Napa officials said some 600 homes and 150 businesses were flooded, and damage was estimated at $50 million. There were no immediate reports of damage to wineries. Grape vines are largely dormant at this time of year, but a Napa official noted that "all this water certainly won't help the crop this year." High water and wind-whipped waves threatened several levees, including at least two in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where water washing over the top of a levee at Collinsville forced 40 people from about 15 homes, Don Strickland of the Department of Water Resources said. In Novato, crews worked to repair a levee breach that flooded about a dozen homes, joined by emergency maintainence crews from the Army Corps of Engineers. The Rose Parade went off on schedule, but a clear poncho covered the white gown of Rose Queen Camille Clark and soggy wind bent spectators' umbrellas and snapped rain slickers. The crowds were thin. "We came all this way, rain or shine, we can't go back now," said Ted Pettyjohn, 43, of Houston. Hundreds of plastic ponchos for musicians and parade volunteers were ordered, horses were fitted with skid-resistant shoes, and float-builders rolled out sheets of plastic to protect orchids and other delicate flowers. The glue that holds decorations to the floats is waterproof and the floats are designed to withstand 50 mph winds. Up to 6 inches of rain was forecast in the Southern California mountains, but authorities said there were no immediate reports of flooding or mudslides in areas where last summer's wildfires stripped vegetation from the hills. Flooding and mudslides were reported throughout Santa Cruz County along the Central Coast. Saturday's storm dumped 4 to 5 inches on much of Northern California, with Napa County getting up to 9 inches in less than 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service. Three inches more fell Sunday on Sonoma County. Highway workers partially reopened Interstate 80 through the Sierra Nevada, where a landslide blocked the major east-west route on Sunday. Elsewhere in the Sierra, however, heavy snow fell Monday and several avalanches closed U.S. 395, the main north-south route along the eastern side of the mountain range. Mammoth Mountain reported 3 feet of new snow overnight, with several more feet expected during the day, and the ski resort was closed. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news from Associated Press about the floods or the fires, (take your pick) go to http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: Ronda Hauben Subject: Fraud in Cloning Research Papers Exposed by Netizens in South Korea Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 03:34:50 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC Interesting developments in South Korea show the power of the Internet once a society has widespread broadband access. The online community of scientists have uncovered scientific fraud in articles in the US scientific journal "Science" by a leading South Korean researcher, Hwang Woo Suk. The story is in the news around the world, but in general the news account leaves out the fact that the online community of scientists in South Korea were responsible for finding the fabrications in the articles and then others in the online community helped to spread knowledge and an understanding of the nature of the scientific fraud South Korea leads the world in broadband access and the result has been this significant event. Below are two articles that give more of the details. "South Korean 'Netizens of the Year': The online scientific community and Internet media challenge old hierarchies" http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=266352&rel_no=1 and "Korean Cloning Hero Deconstructed Online: Online Scientific Community in South Korea Uncovers Fabrication of Data in Acclaimed Stem Cell Research Papers" http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/21/21647/1.html Best wishes for a good New Year and for a New Year where access to the Internet for communication purposes is spread to more and more of the world's population. Ronda ronda(at)ais.org P.S. I have been working on a draft paper "The New Dynamics of Democratization in South Korea: The Internet and the Emergence of the Netizen." I would welcome feedback on it at this stage in its development. I would be willing to send it in return for comments on it. ------------------------------ Subject: Another Year, Another Volume of the Digest Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 18:07:57 EST From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) We are now on volume 25 of the Digest (in case you had not noticed) and we are in another year, 2006 (which I am sure you _did_ notice.) We started off yesterday, Sunday, with issue 1 of volume 25. This Digest has been around now for a _quarter-century_, since 1981, and as far as I can tell, Telecom Digest is the _oldest continuously published Digest and newsgroup on the internet. Some have suggested that there may be another Digest/newsgroup which is older (sci-fi) but I do not know if that is true or not. When this digest started, we were a Usenet newsgroup (comp.dcom.telecom) and a newsletter/Digest only; it was strictly in text format. Beginning in 1995, we began a web-based version as well http://telecom-digest.org but still continued mostly in text format. In 2004, in addition to Usenet, the Digest, and the web page, we began syndication of the Digest via RSS format. And with RSS format, the Digest/newsgroup -- still principally a text-based format publication, expanded in scope to being more of a general telecom-based news magazine. The good thing about RSS is the 'share and share alike' concept; you use and print my stuff as you wish, I use and print your stuff as desired, subject to certain rules; we must honor the copyrights others place on their work as they must honor our copyrights, and the choice of articles to use is otherwise wide open. Overall, I would say, RSS has been one of the best things to happen to the internet. I could not begin to pick through everything offered each day on the various RSS feeds made available. Of course, we still have our archives, material dating back into the closing days of the old AT&T/Bell System, along with many technical reports and other stuff. Our 'official' quarter-century mark occurs on August 11. If I think of it about that time, I might prepare a special issue on that day, or maybe not ... but I do hope there will be another 25 years of this publication, whoever is maintaining it at that point in time. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 15:16:47 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Annual Gadget Show Is Biggest Ever - Jan 1, 2006 08:36 PM (AP Online) By MAY WONG AP Technology Writer Do you want to catch "Saturday Night Live" on Sunday, or "Nightline" in the morning? Would you like to watch the football game in a doctor's waiting room or 2,000 miles from home? Or, what if you're suddenly in the mood for an old episode of "Dragnet" or one of last year's hit films? Technology makes all this "time-shifting" possible now, usually with a few button clicks. There's just a question of who will prevail in delivering the products and services that will win over consumers and their changing couch-potato propensities with new standards of convenience and mobility. That battle for consumer dollars and eyeballs will hit a feverish pitch at the International Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off Wednesday. The five-day annual event in Las Vegas, the mother of all tech trade shows, is bigger than ever before. It will consume 28 football fields of space as 2,500 exhibitors ranging from Internet powerhouses like Yahoo Inc. to little-known gizmo makers cast their bets on what they hope will be the next big trends in electronics. Judging from the latest jockeying, video is one of them. Yahoo and rival Google Inc. will make their CES debuts with keynote speeches, muscling their way into the high-stakes battle already begun by computing stalwarts, consumer electronics giants and telecommuni- cations companies to push digital media deeper into homes. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54369326 ------------------------------ Subject: Cellular-News for Period of 23rd Dec 2005 to 2nd Jan 2006 Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 09:58:56 -0600 From: cellular-news Cellular-News - http://www.cellular-news.com [[3G News]] Thailand Delays 3G - Pending Further Study http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15392.php Thailand won't release criteria for third-generation telecommunciation service licenses this year because a national commission needs more time to study the economic, social and legal aspects of the issue. ... Seychelles To get 3G Services http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15409.php Airtel Seychelles says that it will shortly launch WCDMA mobile services in the country. Telecom Seychelles, which has been providing mobile and basic telephone services in Seychelles for the last 7 years under the Airtel brand, will invest US$8.5 mi... China Using 3G To Drive Down CDMA License Fees http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15410.php Analysys International says that with China Telecom starting off a 3G pilot network of TD-SCDMA, China's negotiation progress on 3G intellectual property rights with overseas owners will speed up. ZTE is currently cooperating with China Telecom, the ... 3G Handsets Donated to Pensioners http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15411.php Croatia's VIPnet donated sixty 3G phones to an old peoples home for Christmas. Some of the retired persons living in the Home have already attended a computer course, some of them are surfing the Internet and sending digital photographs to their rela... 3G Licenses Awarded in The Philippines http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15415.php The Philippines telecoms regulator, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is understood to have awarded four 3G licenses to local companies. Existing GSM operators, Smart, Digitel and Globe have been awarded a license along with new entran... [[Financial News]] Alamosa Holders To Vote On Sprint Merger Jan. 25 http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15378.php Alamosa Holdings Inc. said its shareholders will vote on the company's proposed $3.4 billion acquisition by Sprint Nextel Corp. at a special meeting scheduled for Jan. 25. ... Russia's Sistema ups stake in MTS to 52.8% for $275.5 million http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15380.php Major Russian holding AFK Sistema has increased its stake in the country's largest mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems, or MTS, to 52.8% from 50.6% in two deals worth a total of U.S. $275.5 million, Sistema said in a press release late Thursday. ... Russia's MTS to consider merger of subsidiaries at EGM http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15383.php The extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (EGM) of Russia's largest mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems, or MTS, is expected approve the merger of the company's nine wholly owned subsidiaries with MTS, the company said Monday. ... Russia's SMARTS sees 2006 investment at $100 mln, flat on year http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15386.php Russian regional mobile operator SMARTS sees investments at around U.S. $100 million in 2006, unchanged on the year, the company' press service said Monday, citing its Deputy General Director Andrei Girev who was speaking at a press conference in Sam... Ukraine's Kyivstar brd OKs 2006 budget despite holder's suits http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15387.php The board of directors of Ukraine's mobile operator Kyivstar has managed to approve the company's budget for 2006 despite lawsuits filed by one of its major shareholders, the Storm company, seeking to suspend the powers of the board of directors, a... Ukraine's Golden Telecom mobile revenue down 9.7% in Jan-Nov http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15390.php The revenue from mobile services of Ukraine's Golden Telecom decreased 9.7% on the year to 75.1 million hryvnas in January-November, Ukraine's Ministry of Transportation and Communications said Tuesday. ... Malaysia's Maxis, India's Apollo Founder To Buy Aircel http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15404.php Maxis Communications and founders of an Indian hospital company have agreed to buy Indian mobile-phone operator Aircel Ltd. for US$1.08 billion, the companies said Friday. ... Endesa Sells Remaining 5% Amena Stake To Deutsche Bank http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15405.php Spanish electricity company Endesa SA Friday said it has sold its remaining 5% stake in the country's third-largest mobile operator, Amena, to Deutsche Bank for EUR377.9 million. ... VimpelCom acquires 60% in Tajikistan's Tacom http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15406.php Russia's second-largest mobile operator VimpelCom has acquired a 60% stake in Tajik mobile operator Tacom for U.S. $12 million, VimpelCom said late Thursday. ... Russia's MTS ups stake in Rekom regional mobile operator to 100% http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15408.php Russia's largest mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems, or MTS, has increased its stake in regional mobile operator Rekom to 100% by purchasing a 46.1% stake, MTS said in an official disclosure statement Friday. ... Maldives Operator Secures Funding http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15417.php Wataniya Telecom Maldives says that it has completed its long term financing, drawing down on a US$27 million facility, comprised of $20 million from the IFC (International Finance Corporation) and $7 million from the OPEC Fund. Wataniya Telecom Mald... [[Handsets News]] Wireless Companies Keen On Teens As Growth Driver http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15388.php Wireless-phone companies are doing their best to make sure youth is served. Although most adults now own cell phones, perhaps only half of all young people aged 18 or under do. To tap into that burgeoning market, all the major carriers have touted "f... Samsung Tops Handset Sales in Swedish Retailer http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15412.php For the first time this year, a Samsung handset has become the best-selling mobile phone in Telia's retail stores in Sweden. The phone is last month's surprise, the Samsung SGH-X640, which stepped up from second to first place in December. In other r... [[Legal News]] Brazil Court Re-Allows Claro Cell Service In Minas State http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15379.php A Brazilian court late Thursday granted wireless phone operator Claro, a Brazilian unit of Mexico's America Movil, to restart its operations in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, the company said late Thursday. ... InterDigital Seeks Arbitration Award From Nokia http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15389.php Interdigital Communications Corp. disclosed Tuesday it will utilize a dispute settlement process under agreements with cell phone manufacturer Nokia to recover an arbitration award and interest from Nokia. ... PRESS: Rezervspetsmet initiates criminal case vs MTS in Kyrgyzstan http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15394.php Kyrgyz police have started an investigation into alleged asset stripping worth US$10 million at Kyrgyz mobile operator Bitel, in which Russia's largest mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) might be implicated, Russian business daily Vedomosti r... Judge Confirms Award For Interdigital In Nokia Dispute http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15397.php A federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday confirmed an arbitration award of about $250 million for InterDigital Communications in a dispute with cellular phone maker Nokia over royalties. ... Nokia To Evaluate Options In Interdigital Dispute http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15400.php Nokia Corp. (NOK) will evaluate its legal options before it proceeds with talks over royalty payments with Interdigital Communications Corp. (IDCC) on some patents owned by Interdigital, a spokeswoman told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday. ... [[Mobile Content News]] Russian elect committee wants vote results for mobile users http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15384.php Russia's Central Election Commission plans to develop a technology that allows mobile phone users to receive latest results of federal elections, the commission's Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov said at a news conference Monday. ... Monstermob Group buys Russia's Mobicon for about $27 mln http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15393.php The U.K.'s mobile content company Monstermob Group has acquired Mobicon, a leading Russian mobile content business, Monstermob Group said in a press release Wednesday. ... [[Network Contracts News]] Nortel to supply $5.7 mln EDGE equipment to Russia's Baikalvestcom http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15401.php Canadian communications equipment producer Nortel will supply EDGE equipment worth U.S. $5.7 million to Russian mobile operator Baikalvestcom, Nortel said Thursday. ... WiMax Network for 30 Russian Cities http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15413.php GlobeTel Communications says that its GlobeTel Wireless subsidiary has entered into an agreement with the Moscow based, Internafta to install WiMax networks in 30 cities throughout the Russian Federation. GlobeTel Wireless will both manage the comple... [[Network Operators News]] Belarus' MDC launches EDGE technology in country http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15403.php Belarus' Mobile Digital Communications operator, or MDC, has launched EDGE technology in Belarus, the company said in a press release Thursday. ... [[Personnel News]] Lucent CEO Russo Gets $3.55 Million '05 Bonus Vs $2.95 Million For '04 http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15377.php Lucent Technologies Chief Executive and Chairwoman Patricia F. Russo received a $3.55 million bonus for 2005, the company said Thursday in its annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ... [[Regulatory News]] Russian lower house OKs 2nd reading of caller-pays bill http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15382.php Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, approved Friday the second reading of a bill seeking to introduce the Calling Party Pays (CPP) principle in the country. ... Russian regulator to hear Vimpelcom frequency claim to late Jan http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15385.php A commission of Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service has postponed until late January hearings of a claim filed by Russia's second-largest mobile operator VimpelCom against the State Radio Frequency Commission, Yuliya Ostroukhova, a spokeswoman fo... Russian min sees mobile tariffs up with caller-pays law in place http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15396.php Russian mobile operators may increase their tariffs after the introduction of the Calling Party Pays (CPP) principle in Russia, IT and Communications Minister Leonid Reiman told a news conference Wednesday. ... Azerbaijan's ministry issues licenses to 2 mobile operators http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15398.php Azerbaijan's IT and Communications Ministry has issued licenses to two mobile operators, Azerfon and Catel, the country's IT and Communications Minister Ali Abbasov told reporters Wednesday. ... US Commerce Agency Releases Costs Of Opening Up Spectrum http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15399.php The U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on Wednesday released costs to move incumbent federal users out of the 1710-1755 MHz band, saying the costs are far less than previous wireless industry ... Ukraine's ITC, CST-Invest get CDMA licenses for number of regions http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15402.php Ukrainian CDMA operators International Telecommunication Company (ITC) and CST-Invest have obtained CDMA licenses for a number of Ukrainian regions from the country's National Commission for Telecommunications Regulation, the commission said Thursd... Serbia Cancels GSM Operator License http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15416.php The Serbian government has decided to revoke Mobtel's GSM licence. The government found out that Mobtel signed a contract with a Kosovo mobile operator Mobikos without the government's consent, which is necessary for the contract to be valid. Mobtel ... [[Statistics News]] Tesco Mobile Tops 1 Million Customers http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15391.php Tesco Mobile said Wednesday that it now has one million customers. ... Minister says Russia's mobile phone penetration rate at 84% http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15395.php The penetration rate of mobile telecommunication services in Russia currently amounts to 84%, the country's IT and Telecommunications Minister Leonid Reiman told a news conference Wednesday. ... Camera-equipped Cellular Phone Shipments to Surge http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15414.php The cellular handset market is expected to be very exciting over the next few years. One part of the handset market that will be a driving force in the future will be the camera phone segment. Historically, Japanese cellular subscribers have been esp... [[Technology News]] INTERNET DAILY: Free Wi-Fi Will Be A Gift For Many In 2006 http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15381.php If your New Year's resolution is to not pay for wireless Internet access when you're out and about, you've got a good chance of keeping it. Kevin McKenzie, chief executive officer of JiWire.com, says '06 could turn out to be a year of real freedom. ... CES Show Offers Glimpse Of Future Home Entertainment http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15407.php The Consumer Electronics Show next week will provide a glimpse of the future in home entertainment, but the new offerings aren't likely to solve the industry's age-old problem: making them easy to set up and use. ... ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Cat Speech? Date: 1 Jan 2006 21:24:35 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I have a cat who is very vocal, that is, he makes a wide variety of sounds. His "meows" are long and short, and go up and down in pitch. If I talk to him, he responds in various sounds (that I can't understand). Anyway, has there ever been serious study to identify cat sounds? [public replies please] [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have two cats which are like that. I do not know how they communicate either, but I am told it is with a combination of body movement, especially their tails and their 'meow' noises. I know that cats are very intelligent. Mine have learned that to go outside it is _me_ who turns the door knob and opens the door. So ... there is a very small stepstool by my back door (for other reasons) and they have learned to stand up on that tiny little stool where they can _almost_ reach the doorknob. Not completely, but they come close. Normally I do not allow the cats to go outside after dark -- the only way they will come back inside is if I chase after them down the alley and I am not physically in a position to to that. I do not want them going outside particularly in the Neewollah season when there are troublesome guys roaming around late at night. They sure tell me off however (the cats) if they do not get their way. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: 2 Jan 2006 02:29:32 -0000 From: John Levine Subject: Re: Cell Phone Extenders? Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA >>> If you buy a cellphone and contract for service for that cellphone >>> with a licensed carrier, then that carrier's license covers the >>> operation of the phone you activated with that carrier. You can't >>> then go out and use other phones under that contract without the >>> carrier's consent. >> An interesting theory, although clearly nonsensical with GSM phones. > With GSM phones (if not locked), you would be contractually allowed to > use any compatible (i.e., proper band for the country at issue) GSM > phone with the SIM chip from your carrier. Well, as it happens, I have a GSM phone from Cingular, and the contract says only that I am responsible for the installation and operation of my phone, and that they may reprogram the roaming table. It doesn't say anything about being required to use the phone they provided or anything else along those lines. In fact, I've moved the chip from phone to phone lots of times and nobody cares. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies", Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://www.johnlevine.com, Mayor "I dropped the toothpaste", said Tom, crestfallenly. PS: Why do people insist on making up "facts" when it's so easy to go and find out what the situation really is? Regards, John R. Levine, IECC, POB 727, Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 330 5711 johnl@iecc.com, Mayor, http://johnlevine.com, Member, Provisional board, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail ------------------------------ From: David Clayton Subject: Re: Cell Phone Extenders? Date: Mon, 02 Jan 2006 18:42:49 +1100 On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 20:57:27 -0700, DevilsPGD wrote: > In message John Levine > wrote: >>> If you buy a cellphone and contract for service for that cellphone with >>> a licensed carrier, then that carrier's license covers the operation of >>> the phone you activated with that carrier. You can't then go out and >>> use other phones under that contract without the carrier's consent. >> An interesting theory, although clearly nonsensical with GSM phones. > Not at all, GSM phones don't transmit without a SIM card, and once there > is a SIM card in place, you're licensed under the appropriate carrier. A GSM phone without a SIM should still be able to make "Emergency" calls in whatever service area it is in. This has been a bit of a problem with idiots making untraceable nuisance calls to emergency operators in Australia. Regards, David Clayton, e-mail: dcstar@XYZ.myrealbox.com Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. (Remove the "XYZ." to reply) Knowledge is a measure of how many answers you have, intelligence is a measure of how many questions you have. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 02 Jan 2006 02:55:18 -0500 From: Michael D. Sullivan Subject: Re: Cell Phone Extenders? John Levine wrote: >> With GSM phones (if not locked), you would be contractually allowed to >> use any compatible (i.e., proper band for the country at issue) GSM >> phone with the SIM chip from your carrier. > Well, as it happens, I have a GSM phone from Cingular, and the > contract says only that I am responsible for the installation and > operation of my phone, and that they may reprogram the roaming table. > It doesn't say anything about being required to use the phone they > provided or anything else along those lines. In fact, I've moved the > chip from phone to phone lots of times and nobody cares. Exactly as I said -- with GSM, use your carrier's SIM chip with any phone you want that's compatible. To get back to the subject, the fact that the carrier lets you use a phone of your choice doesn't mean that the carrier gives you permission to use a base station (cell booster) of your own on their frequencies but not under their control -- regardless of whether you are using their SIM chip in your phone. > PS: Why do people insist on making up "facts" when it's so easy to go and > find out what the situation really is? What facts were made up? You pointed out that GSM is different from other cellular/PCS operations, which I hadn't taken into account when I made a peripheral comment about activated handsets because I was principally trying to address the question of unlicensed base stations being marketed as boosters, and I acknowledged you were correct about GSM, and that the SIM chip and not the physical handset is what the carrier authorizes. Michael D. Sullivan Bethesda, MD (USA) ------------------------------ From: Michael D. Sullivan Subject: Re: Bush Insists Telephone, Email Spying Was Legal Date: Mon, 02 Jan 2006 08:00:04 GMT I thought Bush claimed to be an advocate of strict contruction of the Constitution. That must be only as to the citizens' rights, and not to the powers of the Executive Branch. Michael D. Sullivan Bethesda, MD (USA) (Replace "example.invalid" with "com" in my address.) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You best take care how you speak about Dubya. The last thing I read on it was about three out of ten readers (if overall statistics are correct) approve of the man and his leadership. Next thing you know, I will get one or more pieces of hate mail asking me 'what does this have to do with telecom?' They always say that when a discussion here is not going in the direction they like to have it go. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Bush Insists Telephone, Email Spying Was Legal From: tom.horsley@att.net (Thomas A. Horsley) Organization: AT&T Worldnet Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2006 01:19:00 GMT > President Bush strongly defended his domestic spying program on > Sunday, calling it legal Yea, after all, no controlling legal authority has yet ruled on what the definition of "is" is. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia Date: 1 Jan 2006 21:47:23 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com > As we sat there, I got up to look around; the two cars behind us > were flattened like accordions, 200 plus people were killed in our > train. My employer at that time did an engineering study of the accident. It was a terrible accident, but the death toll was around 40, not 200. Some people said the trains should've been strong enough to withstand the impact without telecscoping into each other. But the civil engineers pointed out that if the trains were that strong, the resulting 'g' shock force would've been strong enough to kill all the passengers on board. IIRC, the problem was that when the first train overshot the platform, it cleared the signal block so that the second train could proceed. Then the first train in backing up re-entered the block. I believe the engineer was supposed to call in for permission before backing up and have the rear-end protected. The Illionis Central ran a very heavy density of service. I was on a subway train that overshot the platform by a considerable distance not long after that. The motorman did call in for permission before backing up, but I was thinking of the IC wreck and was kind of nervous about it. If you look on many subway and trolley cars, you'll see the "bumpers" have ridges on them. They are known as "anti-climbers" and are supposed to protect from trains telescoping into each other if they collide. As to your experiences, as mentioned, the railroads were losing money big time on their trains and most had applied to discontinue them. Some railroads had only one or two trains to run so they didn't mind as much doing a decent job, but they still wanted out. Indeed, the song "City of New Orleans" that you mention is about the decay of the trains. Western Union likewise had a nice operation in 1950. That company went bankrupt and no longer exists, the Western Union today bought the name. Lousy Govt regulation played a role in that demise. Even in 1960 Western Union _seemed_ healthy but it was on the skids. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Did you see that nice picture of me on the front page of the Chicago Daily News? They printed my entire testimony to the safety inspector. The train engineer had admitted he overshot the station platform 'just a little'. In my testimony I said that was nonsense, he overshot sufficiently that looking outside the window of the car I was sitting in, I looked directly at a 'mile marker' sign hanging on a catenary pole; I told them which sign it was and the audience 'gasped' when the distance the train had to go backward was calculated. It was a distance of a couple hundred feet at least. Also, you just now spoke about the 'g-force' of the trains hitting, but where you are wrong about that was the train I was on (which got smacked up pretty good) was one of the newer, more 'light-weight' and more flimsy cars. The train which hit us was one of the older, grey colored very heavy cars from the 1920's genre. I discussed that in my testimony also, saying in effect "if I were to ride downtown on one of the newer cars and take along with me a heavy, large size 'phillips screw-driver' I could take the entire car apart before we got to downtown. Made as they were out of aluminum, the newer cars were no match for the older style cars." One of the railroad executives at that point made an objection to my testimony; told me to shut my trap and keep myself stifled and not talk anymore, but the hearing officer in charge of the testimony over-ruled his objection to my speech and encouraged me to keep talking about my experiences with the new style cars. That same afternoon when the hearing reconvened after lunch they took me down to the trackside to (a) point out the 'mile marker' where _I_ was sitting when we started backing up and (b) they gave me a large, sturdy tool to use to demonstrate how I could unscrew one of the wall panels in the coach. The Daily News article the next day told how the railroad had told me to shut up and not talk so much; they put my picture and my oral testimony in the paper entirely, along with the other reports, etc. The company which had built the new cars for the railroad looked at me with much hatred, to say the least. There were other incidental situations where a 'new' car was bumped by an old car (they did that as part of their testing) and even though the 'old' car just barely bumped the 'new car' there were still dent marks on the 'new' car. The "Chicago Today" newspaper (which we had back then, like the Daily News, but no longer) agreed with the railroad that I was a crazy person, but the Daily News did not think so. My friend (who I said a couple days ago I had taken to New Orleans with me on vacation earlier) called the railroad one day to report (by car number and axle number) a 'flat wheel' on one of the new cars. (A 'flat wheel' is one that is not entirely round, at a certain place in the circumference of the wheel it is a bit out of shape; the result is a person with a good ear or lots of railroad experience [as he had] can hear a certain 'chunk-chunk' noise as the train rapidly moves down the track). The railroad told him off good also, but then a day or two later called him back to say they had investigated it and found it to be as he said it was. Those 'new' cars were no match for the 'older' (1920-ish) cars they abandoned for no good reason. PAT] ------------------------------ From: sethb@panix.com (Seth Breidbart) Subject: Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 06:43:34 UTC Organization: Society for the Promulgation of Cruelty to the Clueless In article , Robert Bonomi wrote: > The Penn Central Railway, just to name one example, ran so well "by > itself", that it drove itself into bankruptcy, and liquidation. The > vast sums that they lost on passenger rail service were a direct > contributing factor. Actually, it didn't do so badly until it was looted by corrupt management. Seth ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Amtrak Passengers Stranded in Woods in Georgia Date: 2 Jan 2006 11:25:01 -0500 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Tony P. wrote: > In article , kludge@panix.com > wrote: >> There aren't enough parallel tracks to be able to maintain schedules, >> because the private railroads aren't building them and are shutting >> some tracks down. The existing tracks are not being properly >> maintained; trains going into Richmond, VA, for example, have to slow >> down to a crawl because of the poor condition of the tracks. But it's >> CSX that is responsible for those tracks. > Interestingly the Boston to Washington, D.C. corridor is one of the > better maintained sections. They recently electrified from Boston > through Providence out to New Haven, CT though to D.C. Yes, it's pretty amazing taking the train from here in Williamsburg, VA to Boston. The trip to DC takes forever and is basically done at a crawl at several points because of the bad track. Often the train gets stuck behind a freight train which has right of way, and travels at a slow speed for hours on end. Then we get to DC. The lights in the train go out for a half hour or so while they take off the diesel and put on an electric locomotive. We then proceed at a much more reasonable pace to northward. With no interruptions. > This is why I think we should regionalize mass transit. MTBA now runs > through RI, MA and NH. Why not extend into CT, NY, etc. Run high speed > bullet trains for those willing to pay for it. The current high speed > trains are a joke. Apparently Bombardier isn't the greatest > manufacturer when it comes to building commuter trains. This works well in places with high enough population density. Here in Tidewater, Virginia, however, the local governments have been fighting strongly against getting local commuter rail for reasons I don't really understand. And out in the midwest, it's quite impractical. I think having regional commuter rail is an excellent idea in most places (including here in Tidewater), but you still need a wide-area train infrastructure to connect them together. That's what Amtrak is in the northeast corridor and what it's supposed to be everywhere. scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 01 Jan 2006 23:25:37 -0500 From: Chris Farrar Subject: Re: Amtrak Passengers Standed in Woods in Georgia Tony P. wrote: > This is why I think we should regionalize mass transit. MTBA now runs > through RI, MA and NH. Why not extend into CT, NY, etc. Run high speed > bullet trains for those willing to pay for it. The current high speed > trains are a joke. Apparently Bombardier isn't the greatest > manufacturer when it comes to building commuter trains. Actually, Bombardier is quite good at building commuter trains, providing that once you decide what you want you don't start ordering changes in the basic design, as Amtrak and government regulators did. They essentially ordered a French TVG train, but then insisted after the contracts were signed that had to meet US crash standards that the TVG wasn't designed to, so instead of building a known component, they were on "clean sheet of paper" for the design, with delivery dates (and penalties for non delivery) that didn't take that into consideration. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2005-06 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #2 **************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jan 3 18:40:16 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id D143414E82; Tue, 3 Jan 2006 18:40:15 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #3 Message-Id: <20060103234015.D143414E82@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 18:40:15 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 3 Jan 2006 18:43:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 3 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson New Motorola Connected Cordless Phone Systems Simplify (Monty Solomon) Motorola iRadio Service (Monty Solomon) Motorola ROKR E2 (Monty Solomon) Motorola Introduces First All-Digital Set-Top Family (Monty Solomon) Roam Where You Want To! New Motorola Technologies Break (Monty Solomon) HUMAX Portable Media Player (PMP) Platform (Monty Solomon) New Linksys Indoor and Outdoor Wireless Access Points (Monty Solomon) Motorola Unveils New Music Radio Service (Monty Solomon) Sides Chosen in Logan WiFi Battle (Monty Solomon) New Talkabout Two-way Radios (Monty Solomon) Skype CES News (Monty Solomon) Motorola Looks to Get Noticed in India (USTelecom dailyLead) Cellular-News for Tuesday 3rd January 2006 (Cellular-News) Re: Cat Speech? (Lisa Hancock) Re: Mother Decides to Fight Downloading Suit on Her Own (Lisa Hancock) MOAP Mobile Phone Platform by DoCoMo (techBoy) AT&T Manged Internet Service (madman_37412@yahoo.com) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 16:48:45 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: New Motorola Connected Cordless Phone Systems Simplify and New Motorola Connected Cordless Phone Systems Simplify and Personalize Family Communications - Jan 3, 2006 08:00 AM (PR Newswire) The innovative 'Connect To' button on the new Motorola cordless handsets simplifies access to the many communications options families have within their home. LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) today introduced a family of connected cordless phone systems that give families one-button access to the many ways they can communicate in and around their homes. Through an innovative "Connect To" button on each handset, the new Motorola C51 and SBV5400 expandable cordless phone systems provides access to landline, Voice-over-IP calling, cellular service, home intercom, live streaming video, shared family phone books, high-speed Internet, and even push-to-talk-over-instant messaging -- right from the palm of your hand! Both cordless phone systems debuted at the 2006 International CES trade show (Las Vegas, NV), where Motorola is showcasing its seamless mobility solutions at Booth #8545, and are expected to be commercially available later this year. Taking Communications Beyond The Cordless Phone A 2006 International CES Innovations in Engineering and Design honoree, the new Motorola C51 is the ultimate expandable cordless phone system. Using Wi-Fi(R) friendly 5.8 GHz technology, the system first and foremost begins with your choice of a base station that enables crystal clear voice phone calls using landline or digital phone service. Yet, the Motorola C51 system can do far more than just make voice calls. Simply tap the "Connect To" button on a color-screen or standard cordless handset and a menu appears, listing the many ways your system can communicate. By adding accessories, sold separately, into the system, you can personalize the capabilities of your cordless system. Motorola's "Connect To" accessories include: -- Bluetooth(R)-enabled wireless phone dock, which instantly adds access to cell plan minutes and a user's cell phone number. Whether cell phone reception in the home is a problem, or users simply want to take advantage of free night and weekend minutes, the docking device for the C51 is a simple solution. -- Camera/Intercom, which delivers streaming video and audio to color handsets, and acts as a two-way communication device. Busy parents can now monitor the baby without disturbing a nap, or keep an eye on the kids while multi-tasking around the home. -- A Voice-over-IP phone adapter, which gives access to your Internet phone service from any handset.(1) -- Push-to-Talk-over-Instant Messaging, which connects the cordless handset to a PC through a USB connector, sold separately. This walkie- talkie like feature sends your digitized voice over the Internet through a supported Instant Messaging program. It's perfect for keeping kids connected to friends without them monopolizing the home computer. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54388061 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 16:55:43 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Motorola iRadio Service Motorola Rocks the House ... and the Car ... and the Mobile Phone ... Rolls Out iRadio(R) Service - Jan 3, 2006 12:00 PM (PR Newswire) Award-Winning Service Incorporates Portability, Acquisition and Discovery of Music, Debuts With 435 Commercial-Free Channels LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. revolutionizes radio with the public introduction of the award-winning Motorola iRadio(R), a subscription music service that seamlessly moves from home, to car stereo, to wireless headphones -- powered from the one device you're never without: your mobile handset. Motorola iRadio is initially launching with 435 commercial-free radio channels, already one of the widest selections of subscription music entertainment available. The service's unique delivery platform enables it to bring content portability together with acquisition and discovery of music. This creates a powerful new medium for artists and labels to directly connect with fans, and for wireless service providers to deepen relationships with subscribers. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54395993 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 14:10:50 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Motorola ROKR E2 Take Center Stage With Motorola's Next ROKR - Jan 3, 2006 01:35 PM (PR Newswire) Newest Music-Optimized Mobile Delivers More Tunes Much Faster LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) today is unveiling the Motorola ROKR E2 -- the newest member of the company's ROKR family of music-optimized mobile handsets. Designed for the music enthusiast who wants to carry one device, ROKR E2 lets you take hundreds of your must-have music selections with you -- and delivers a world-class wireless communications experience. Motorola is showcasing ROKR E2 as part of its rapidly evolving vision of Seamless Mobility for consumers at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show in Central Hall Booth 8545, where visitors can experience innovations that enable enriched wireless communications, home entertainment, and on-the-go productivity. Delivering a powerful mobile music experience, ROKR E2 lets you switch seamlessly between phone calls and music play lists simply by touching a button. Based on a Linux operating system to enhance speed and flexibility, ROKR E2 also features a robust MP3 player compatible with a variety of different audio formats -- making this mobile handset a powerful example of what it means to be "the device formerly known as the cell phone." - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54399693 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 14:08:37 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Motorola Introduces First All-Digital Set-Top Family With Motorola Introduces First All-Digital Set-Top Family With Built-In Home Media Networking Capabilities - Jan 3, 2006 08:00 AM (PR Newswire) Innovative New Set-Tops Simplify Whole-Home DVR, Sharing Music and Photos Around the Home LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) today redefined the digital video recorder (DVR) as a multimedia hub that lets consumers access and share video recordings, video-on-demand (VOD) content, pictures and music in and around the home with the introduction of the new Motorola QIP family of products. The new Motorola QIP6416 is a high-definition (HD) capable, dual-tuner DVR with watch-and-record capability; the Motorola QIP6200 is a single-HD tuner set-top; and the Motorola QIP2500 is a single-tuner standard-definition model. These three new Motorola set-tops are the first to include built-in home media networking capabilities. Using a technology known as MoCA (short for Multimedia over Coaxial Alliance), the Motorola QIP set-tops can create a multimedia network using the existing coaxial cable already found in the walls of a consumer's home. This network is capable of transporting high-definition video, high-quality digital voice, and high-speed data to televisions, DVR, game consoles, wireless access points, and home computers. The products are also unique because they support two different network architectures within the same device, providing service providers with a choice in way they can deliver digital video services into the home: The first supported is the traditional quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) method commonly used today by cable operators, which sends video information to the home over radio frequencies. The second is the newer, emerging video-over-IP method, which delivers video to the home using packets of data. Verizon Communications is the first Motorola customer to offer QIP series set-tops, as part of the Verizon FiOS(TM) TV service now available in parts of Texas, Virginia and Florida. In an agreement previously announced, Motorola is providing video network infrastructure and video consumer premises equipment related to Verizon's launch of video services on the company's new fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. Verizon uses QAM to deliver scheduled programming and IP to deliver on-demand video to FiOS TV customers. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54388131 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 16:49:39 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Roam Where You Want To! New Motorola Technologies Break the Roam Where You Want To! New Motorola Technologies Break the Barrier Between Home and Wireless Phone Services - Jan 3, 2006 08:00 AM (PR Newswire) LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) today broke down the barrier between traditional home and wireless phone service. The innovative new Motorola Residential Seamless Mobility Gateway (RSG) lets consumers use the same mobile device -- and the same number -- as they roam in and out of their homes(1). Creating an Innovative Home Communications Experience The Motorola RSG family of products packs powerful communication features for your home. The product includes an 802.11b/g wireless access point, a four-port router, and a built-in Voice-over-IP adapter. This technology allows the RSG to run your home network, power standard telephones, and act as a hotspot for your mobile phone. Further, the Motorola RSG can seamlessly transfer voice calls between the home wireless network (WLAN) and the cellular network without interrupting the call, when paired with a dual-mode handset (DMH) and connected to a network and service that supports this feature. Dual-mode handsets are mobile devices that can access both cellular and in-home wireless networks. Motorola RSG products give consumers freedom for personal communications: The products eliminate the hassle of finding a good reception zone in the home, and of managing separate bills, individual calling plans, or "bonus" minutes. Consumers can simply dial a number, and the intelligence in the gateway will automatically route the call to the best available network or service option. Motorola is showcasing the RSG series of products this week at the 2006 International CES trade show (Las Vegas, NV), Central Hall, Booth #8545. Additional features of the Motorola RSG Series include: -- Single-Number Access - Calls made from a dual-mode mobile handset in the home enable consumers to reduce cellular bills. -- Home Network Connectivity - Access your high-speed data connection from anywhere in the home with an 802.11 b/g wireless access point and a four-port wired router. For mobile voice calls, use your home wireless network to compensate for cellular service "dead-spots" within the home. -- Voice Prioritization - Ensure high-quality voice calls while accessing the Internet. -- Portability - Easily plugs into any broadband connection. -- Rich Digital Phone Features - Caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, and call forwarding. -- Multiple lines - Allows for a shared "family" number as well as individual mobile and landline numbers. -- Power Management - Optimizes the battery life of users' handset through 802.11e U-APSD, radio resource management, and 802.11k measurement pilot. -- Advanced Security - Protect your voice calls and your data with 802.11i security and pre-authentication, IPSEC/PPTP/L2TP NAT tunneling (for VPN pass-through), storage for X.509 device certificate and operator public key as well as mobile pairing. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54388151 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 16:54:09 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: HUMAX Portable Media Player (PMP) Platform HUMAX USA Poised to Manufacture and Sell New Portable Media Player Platform to Content Providers; Will Design User-Interface Specific to Each Individual Content Provider's Requirements - Jan 3, 2006 10:25 AM (BusinessWire) MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5048147 LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 3, 2006-- First Planned Retail Product Will Target DIRECTV Customers for Its Upcoming DIRECTV 2Go Service HUMAX USA, the "Easy-Digital" company, has developed a new hard drive based hand-held portable media player (PMP) platform ideal for use by content and pay TV providers with plans to deliver content electronically to customers via portable video devices. The first content provider to be supported by this HUMAX PMP platform is DIRECTV - for its upcoming DIRECTV 2Go service. The HUMAX PMP platform has a 4-inch widescreen LCD display screen with navigation controlled via an easy-to-use 5-button design. Additional consumer conveniences include a high capacity hard drive (capacity to be partner specified) and a long-lasting, user-replaceable battery that provides up to 4 hours of video and 10 hours of music. Based on an AMD Alchemy(TM) Au1200(TM) processor, the device natively supports many video formats including MPEG1/2/4, DivX, WMV9 with WMDRM10 support - all at full D1 resolution (720x480). Moreover, the integration of a DDR1/DDR2 memory interface, USB2.0 High Speed Host & Device with On-the-Go, and on-chip AES cryptographic support, provide enabling technology for strenuous media applications and content protection schemes. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54392609 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 16:51:12 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: New Linksys Indoor and Outdoor Wireless Access Points Use Power New Linksys Indoor and Outdoor Wireless Access Points Use Power Over Ethernet for Easy Installation - Jan 3, 2006 08:12 AM (PR Newswire) New Wireless-G Access Points Mount Anywhere, Even Without Ready Access to a Power Plug IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Linksys(R), a Division of Cisco Systems, Inc., the recognized leading provider of voice, wireless and networking hardware for the consumer, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) and small business markets, today announced two new Power over Ethernet (PoE) Wireless-G access points for small business environments. The new Wireless-G Access Point with PoE (WAP54GP) and the Wireless-G Exterior Access Point with PoE (WAP54GPE) enable high-speed, highly secure wireless access to both indoors and out. When installing Access Points in difficult or hard-to-reach locations, running a new electrical outlet can be time consuming and very expensive. The industry-standard 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability enables easy and low-cost installation where power outlets are not readily available such as in ceilings, warehouses, walls or outside patios. The access points are powered via the Ethernet cable which is connected to a PoE-enabled router or switch. The new Wireless-G Access Points let wireless notebook and desktop PCs connect with other Wireless-G or B clients and wired Ethernet networks for sharing files, resources, and high-speed broadband Internet connections. The access points can also be used as a bridge, a kind of "cable-less cable" to connect remote areas together, forming a single network with shared resources. For businesses with both confidential and public access, the Access Points can be configured with multiple SSIDs and VLAN settings, keeping network traffic separated. The access points are ideal for small businesses where there are multiple work areas separated by a short distance, or where new wiring would be difficult to install. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54388547 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 16:58:27 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Motorola Unveils New Music Radio Service By BRUCE MEYERSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) -- Motorola Inc., after nearly a year of vague pronouncements, unveiled Tuesday an ambitious music radio service for cell phones that also plays over car and home stereos. Motorola iRadio, featuring 435 channels, would be sold by wireless service providers to their subscribers for between $7 and $10 per month _ a few dollars cheaper than the satellite radio networks that would be among the phone-based service's immediate rivals. No wireless carriers have signed on yet to carry iRadio, which may also be adapted for non-Motorola phones if carriers request it, company officials said. In some ways, iRadio more closely resembles a vast "podcast" network rather than a traditional radio broadcast. Motorola expects about 90 percent of its content to be loaded on phones from the Internet over a personal computer, rather than broadcast over the air, in this case a cellular network. That would mean less of a strain on the limited capacity wireless operators have for mobile calls, e-mail and Internet services. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54407302 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 01:15:14 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Sides Chosen in Logan WiFi Battle Sides chosen in Logan WiFi battle Wireless and airport lobbies join dispute By Peter Howe, Globe Staff | January 2, 2006 Logan International Airport officials' ongoing quest to ban airline lounges from offering passengers free WiFi Internet services is angering a growing array of powerful Capitol Hill lobbying groups, who say Logan could set a dangerous nationwide precedent for squelching wireless services. Already under fire from the biggest airline lobby, the Air Transport Association, and the manufacturer-backed Consumer Electronics Association, Logan officials are also coming under new criticism from the top US wireless lobby, CTIA-The Wireless Association. All three groups are siding with Continental Airlines Inc., which has asked the Federal Communications Commission to overturn a Logan order last year shutting off Continental's WiFi service in its Presidents Club lounge in Logan's Terminal C. Soon after activating its own $8-a-day WiFi service in the summer of 2004, the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan, ordered Continental and American Airlines to shut down WiFi services in their Logan lounges. Massport also ordered Delta Air Lines Inc. not to turn on a planned WiFi service in its new $500 million Terminal A that opened last March. http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2006/01/02/sides_chosen_in_logan_wifi_battle/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 13:54:14 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: New Talkabout Two-way Radios Motorola Showcases 2006 Collection of Talkabout(R) Two-way Radios at CES - Jan 3, 2006 12:00 PM (PR Newswire) T5500, SX700 and New SX500 Series Designed to Provide Practical Communication Solutions for Active Lifestyles LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) today announced a new series of Talkabout(R) two-way radios at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas (Motorola Booth #8545). The new SX500 radio series is being demonstrated along with the SX700 and T5500 series as part of Motorola's 2006 portfolio of two-way radio products -- introducing fresh designs, enhanced feature sets and extended range capabilities ideal for active outdoor communications and families on the go. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54395990 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 17:00:15 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Skype CES News Skype Expands Partner Ecosystem with Consumer Electronics Industry Leaders; Alliances with Creative, D-Link, IPEVO, Kodak, Netgear, Panasonic, and VTech Illustrate Skype Market Leadership - Jan 3, 2006 09:00 AM (BusinessWire) - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54389743 Kodak and Skype Give a New Voice to Online Storytelling with KODAK Photo Voice - Jan 3, 2006 09:00 AM (BusinessWire) - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54389760 Panasonic and Skype Collaborate on New Family of Internet Calling Products - Jan 3, 2006 09:00 AM (BusinessWire) - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54389882 D-Link and Skype Enable Internet Calls Using Traditional Phones - Jan 3, 2006 09:02 AM (PR Newswire) - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54389945 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 12:50:45 EST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Motorola Looks to Get Noticed in India USTelecom dailyLead January 3, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/BbsYatagCGjhldcjcw TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Motorola looks to get noticed in India BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Supreme Court ruling puts squeeze on P2P companies * Three more companies join MoCA * Video-to-PCs to take spotlight * GlobeTel scores major deal in Russia USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Stay On Top of VoIP Technology with the Telecom Bookstore HOT TOPICS * Predicting the telecom and media mergers of 2006 * AT&T plans to deliver "Your World" campaign, logo * Nortel snaps up Tasman * Breakthrough technology takes home networks to next level * Intel wants to "leap ahead" with new logo TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Starz to offer mobile downloads of movies REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Analysis: Muni Wi-Fi poised to grow in 2006 * Illinois takes control of its own data network Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/BbsYatagCGjhldcjcw ------------------------------ Subject: Cellular-News for Tuesday 3rd January 2006 Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 07:32:21 -0600 From: Cellular-News Cellular-News - www.cellular-news.com [[ Handsets ]] RadioShack Completes Migration to Cingular http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15427.php The USA electronics retailer, RadioShack says that it has completed the rollout of Cingular Wireless products and services in more than 5,000 RadioShack stores across the United States. This includes almost 500 RadioShack dealer/franchise outlets tha... [[ Legal ]] Serbian Police Searching For Mobtel's UK-born CEO http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15418.php BELGRADE (AP)--Police issued a search warrant Monday for a former executive of Serbia-Montenegro's main mobile phone provider, Mobtel, after he allegedly ignored an information request on a deal with a Kosovo telecommunications company. ... Saunalahti Settles Dispute with Sonera Mobile http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15421.php Finland's Saunalahti Group says that it has reached an agreement with Sonera Mobile Networks regarding a dispute relating to the termination of its Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement and will cancel its action in the court of arbitratio... [[ Mobile Content ]] GPRS Roaming Launched in Moldova http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15426.php The Moldova based GSM network operator, Moldcell has launched, what it says is the first GPRS Roaming service in Moldova. Moldcell subscribers that have both Roaming and GPRS services activated have the opportunity to enjoy the GPRS Roaming Services.... The Right Handset Can Drive Mobile Content Sales http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15428.php Whether it's downloading a game or ringtone, or browsing news and information, M:Metrics found that Sanyo SCP-8200 and Motorola RAZR owners are out-consuming subscribers of all other devices. The portion of owners of these devices that are used to ac... [[ Network Operators ]] Telenor Expands Pakistan Network Coverage http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15425.php Telenor Pakistan has opened its GSM mobile network for commercial service in 26 more destinations. This new addition has taken Telenor's total score to 200 destinations nationwide. Officially launching Telenor's service in Dera Ghazi Khan, Awais Ahma... [[ Offbeat ]] Jumping From the Top of a Telecoms Tower http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15419.php An Australian base jumper, Gary Cunningham rang in the New Year by "base jumping" from the top of the Menara Kuala Lumpur telecoms tower a total of 133 times in just 24 hours. The previous world record was 57 times in 24 hours. Base jumping is named ... Nepal Telecom Planning Skyscraper HQ http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15423.php Nepal Telecom, the country's incumbent landline and GSM network operator has announced plans to build on of the tallest buildings in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region. The building, to be constructed at the Jawalakhe... [[ Personnel ]] New COO for Orange Israel http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15422.php Israel's Partner Communications, which trades under the Orange brand name has announced that its Deputy CEO, David Avner, will take on the extra role as COO, effective immediately. In his capacity as Deputy CEO and COO, Mr. Avner will oversee the sel... Baumgartl Selected as President and CEO of Siemens Communications http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15424.php Siemens Communications has named Berndt Baumgartl as the new President and CEO of the company. Baumgartl assumes this role as the successor for Andy Mattes and will serve on the Board for Siemens Communications. Mattes has elected to take a position ... [[ Statistics ]] Bulgarian Operator Passes Subscriber Landmark http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15420.php Bulgaria's Vivatel has announced that its subscriber base passed the 100,000 mark the week prior to Christmas. "We are totally overwhelmed with the positive response of the Bulgarian public to vivatel, its fantastic!", said Vivatel CEO Richard Sheare... ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Cat Speech? Date: 3 Jan 2006 14:01:21 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have two cats which are like that. I > do not know how they communicate either, but I am told it is with > a combination of body movement, especially their tails and their > 'meow' noises. I know that cats are very intelligent. Of course they're intelligent, they have us humans trained to cater to their every whim. What do they do in return compared to say a dog? Here's a news article from 1010 newsradio. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/9/911_CAT_CALL?SITE=1010WINS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Police aren't sure how else to explain it. But when an officer walked into an apartment Thursday night to answer a 911 call, an orange-and-tan striped cat was lying by a telephone on the living room floor. The cat's owner, Gary Rosheisen, was on the ground near his bed having fallen out of his wheelchair. > Normally I do not allow the cats to go outside after dark Wise move. After dark there are a lot of hazards out there from other animals and man made stuff. I didn't like cats originally until one day a cat followed me home after I took out the trash. He jumped into my lap, latched on (ouch!) and purred like a motorboat. He followed me in the house, scoped it out, and climbed onto the head of the bed like he always lived there. I couldn't help but admire such "chutzpah". Turned out he was a neighbor's cat but they just had a baby and were busy with that and didn't mind giving him up. He could be very affectionate, indeed, he was very possessive and if he smelled me touching another cat he was upset. But he also had a strong personality. HIs motto was "feed me or be my feed." In the morning he'd nudge me to wake up and feed him. If I didn't respond after a few pokes he'd bite me. Since he was an outdoor cat when I got home I let him continue to roam. One day he proudly brought a live mouse home to me, and I was proud of him for catching it. He was very upset though when I directed him to let the mouse go (thank goodness he didn't bring it inside). I named him Greystone on account of his mostly dark gray body with white tipped paws and tail and chest. He was a tough cat and I felt a tough name was appropriate, no "Bagel" or "Fluffy" for him as some people do. He reminded me of foundation stonework of gray stones with white mortar. Several manions are named Greystone. The old C&O railroad, (a predecessor of CSX which we're speaking of elsewhere) had a famous kitten symbol named Chessie. They also had a lessor known tomcat called Peake, who was "Chessie's old man". I discovered color images of Peake looked just like my Greystone. I was particularly touched by the ones where Peake became a soldier and went off to WW II. There's a cute book about Chessie's history as an advertising cat for the railroad. When CSX was still the Chessie System, their "C" logo had an outline of a cat. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I had one cat a number of years ago who lived with me for _eighteen years_ (April, 1978 through about that same month in 1996). He was no kitten when I got him, so I assume he was probably 20-21 years old when he died. He was a Russian Blue longhair, and I named him 'Nicholas' after the Russian Czar of the same name. He showed up on a snowy day in April that year, just sitting in the entrance way to the apartment building I lived in. I left him sitting in the lobby area downstairs for a couple hours, thinking someone might come and claim him, but no one did. Two or three hours later he will still sitting right there where I left him so I took him in my house and he stayed for the next 17-18 years. I moved to another house, and took him along; by that time he had a 'brother', a Calico cat I named 'Tarzan' since he had the propensity to try and climb up the floor length curtains in my living room area. Tarzan lived about a dozen years; I woke up one morning and found him laying dead _at my feet_; Nicholas was still around. Since cats cannot speak and tell you about their illnesses or pains, etc I decided then and there that as soon as Nicholas began getting feeble I would not selfishly keep him around; about a year later -- possibly because he missed his friend Tarzan so much -- and possibly because he was also getting so arthritic he got very lethargic; it was very difficult for him to get in and out of my lap. I took him to the vet who expressed much amazement at his age. The vet examined him and said it would be best to allow him to leave now, and be rid of his pain and whatever concerns (a cat might have). Nikkie (as I called him) jumped up into my lap there in the vet's office just purring and 'talking' to me as the vet did what needed to be done and euthanized him. Although I thought about him off and on over the years following, I did not get another cat right away. When I returned here to Independence to live following my brain aneurysm, I was anxious to begin doing some volunteer charitable work (that has always been my thing, as long as I can remember). The lady who runs our animal shelter here (AWOL, or Animals With Our Love) asked me to come and help her. I was there one day and a _Russian Blue Longhair_ cat was there. Right away I thought of little Nikkie from years before and brought him home here to live with me; I named him Nicholas the Second. Trouble is, during his first vet visit at the time of adoption, it turns out Nicholas was diagnosed with FIV (the feline version of HIV in humans.)I think the people who brought him to AWOL knew that when they brought him there and did not bother to tell us. I tried to keep him here in my house all the time, but that was not fair to him or the other cats. After a second vet had confirmed the diagnosis of the first vet (about the FIV condition), he was put down also. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Mother Decides to Fight Downloading Suit on Her Own Date: 3 Jan 2006 10:22:10 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com William Warren wrote: > I'll cut to the chase -- the P2P battle is just the trampled grass > surrounding the ring in which the industrial elephants from the old > and the new entertainment worlds are doing battle. > The old world entertainment companies, panicking at the thought of > losing their choke hold on the production and distribution of enter- > ainment media, are waging a FUD campaign to dissuade you and me from > using our computers to bypass their monopoly on the management of > popular culture. Yes and no. The same thing was said about the Internet and 24/7 cable news vs. traditional newspapers. Now newspaper reading has indeed declined a bit but many predicted they'd be gone by now, made obsolete by newer technologies. Indeed, the introduction of television in the 1950s was said to kill off the motion picture studios. The introduction of new technologies usually does cause established industries to make changes. Market share is lost. But old industries do not disappear if they evolve. Television did help kill off some classic magazines like LIFE and the Saturday Evening Post. But the magazine world is still quite busy. Indeed, LIFE magazine is somewhat still with us, only in a different form called People Magazine, same publisher, and doing very well. (We don't like to think of LIFE as being about celebrities, but a big part of it was Hollywood and curiosity "freak/oddball" coverage). Maybe local TV viewing is down, but local TV news is now a profit center, years ago it was done at a loss as a public service. Certainly some new music will be distributed by electronic means outside the traditional channels. But the old-stype distributing complex--the record companies--shouldn't go away. When I was a kid I went to a record hop party and the DJ gave out 45s to every guest. They were demo records prepared by aspiring artists. He had tons of them. They weren't very good. The point is that there are lots of aspiring artists out there, but most just aren't up to high standards to "make it" nationwide. The record companies and radio stations, like book publishers, perform of necessary function of weeding out and polishing up new artists. By the way, there are plenty of artists who become "one hit wonders"; they'll do one song that will popular for years yet they'll never do anything else despite being promoted. Popular music isn't about purity or talent. Music lovers don't like groups like the Backstreet Boys or N Sync because they were artifically "invented". That is irrelevent. Popular music is what the word says, "popular". It's what sells. Frankly, as a listener, I don't care who the Backstreet Boys really are; I happen to enjoy listening to their music. Conversely, I don't care about Eminem's struggle as a poor white kid trying to get into rap music; I don't like the sound and don't listen to it. Radio stations live and die by ratings. The people decide for themselves. ------------------------------ From: techBoy Subject: MOAP Mobile Phone Platform by DoCoMo Date: 3 Jan 2006 00:29:16 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hi, Does anybody know any website link or books that can give information on the MOAP (Mobile Oriented Application Platform) platform of DoCoMo Japan? ------------------------------ From: madman_37412@yahoo.com Subject: AT&T Manged Internet Service Date: 3 Jan 2006 07:15:12 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Our company has started using AT&T Manged Internet Services, about 3 months ago. First problem is they are routing us out of Orlando, FL and we are TN customers. They are using two load balanced T-1s to make our 3mb service request. I requested bonded T-1s and they advise this isn't possible. We previouly had a fractional DS3 with 3mb that worked great. Has anyone else had trouble with thier Internet services? ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2005-06 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #3 **************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jan 3 21:29:36 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id D13C214F98; Tue, 3 Jan 2006 21:29:35 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #4 Message-Id: <20060104022935.D13C214F98@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 21:29:35 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.7 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 3 Jan 2006 21:32:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 4 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson California Starts to Clean Up (Justin Norton) Oklahoma, Texas Not Yet Out of Trouble (Sheila Flynn) Re: Oklahoma-Texas Fires, California Mud Slides-Floods (Jim Rusling) Chicago 1970s Accident (Lisa Hancock) Penn Central (Lisa Hancock) Schools Make Parents Pay For Computers (William M. Welch) Slammed for 25 Grand (NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us) Re: Cell Phone Extenders? (Bob Goudreau) Re: Payphone Surcharges (was: Unanswered Cellphones) (Seth Breidbart) Re: Another Year, Another Volume of the Digest (Bob Goudreau) Re: Another Year, Another Volume of the Digest (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Justin Norton Subject: California Starts to Clean Up Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 18:23:40 -0600 By JUSTIN M. NORTON, Associated Press Writer Most rivers and streams throughout California had receded back below flood stage Tuesday following a pair of severe storms, allowing residents and officials to clean up and assess the damage. As soon as the Russian River receded in Guerneville, Dave Roberts began hosing the mud off his bar and sweeping water out the doors. His Wild Jane's Bar and Restaurant was drenched in 2 1/2 feet of water when the storms swamped Northern California's wine country during the weekend, but he took the flooding in stride. "We're used to this," Roberts said Monday. The 20-year resident of this town along the Russian River had survived worse flooding before. "After all, it's just mud and water, easily cleaned." While Northern California recovered from the severe weather, heavy rain followed by snow had turned to ice on highways across northern Nevada, creating hazardous driving conditions and dozens of accidents Tuesday morning. No major accidents or injuries were reported, but traffic going both directions was severely backed up for several miles. "It's a skating rink out there," Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Eddie Bowers said. The weekend storms had dumped up to 8 inches of rain in places, swelling streams and washing mud down hills and onto homes and highways. Levees were breached or weakened, forcing evacuations of dozens of residents. At least three deaths were blamed on the storm -- all from falling trees. On Monday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Napa, Sacramento, Sonoma and Trinity counties. Initial estimates put the damage in two towns alone at more than $100 million. As the second storm moved south Monday, soaking the Rose Parade for the first time in 50 years but causing little damage to the Los Angeles area, officials up north shifted into cleanup mode. "We're continuing to work our way toward the light at the end of that tunnel," said Rob Hartman of the National Weather Service's California-Nevada River Forecast Center in Sacramento. In Napa, where the river had inundated most of the downtown area, Schwarzenegger toured the flood-damaged areas Monday afternoon. A layer of mud and debris still coated city streets, but most flooded roads had been reopened. Initial damage estimates there approached $75 million, with about 1,200 homes, 250 businesses and 150 vehicles damaged, Napa spokesman Peter Dreier said Monday. The storm also flooded thousands of acres of wine country land, but vintners escaped serious damage because grapevines are largely dormant this time of year. The Marin County town of San Anselmo, north of San Francisco, suffered some $40 million in damage when a creek flooded the downtown with 4 feet of water, coating city streets with mud. On Tuesday morning, city workers were out in force, hosing the mud and water into the sewers. The Russian River at Guerneville crested early Sunday at 42 feet -- 10 feet above flood stage -- submerging farms and trailer parks. Hundreds of homes were flooded, and the California Army National Guard used all-terrain vehicles to pick up people stranded by high water. The National Guard found several people waiting in their homes patiently for rescue. Farther inland, about 40 residents of the rural Solano County town of Collinsville began returning home Monday after a weakened levee the day before threatened their homes and forced evacuations, said sheriff's spokeswoman Paula Toynbee. "Thank goodness the levee did hold up," she commented, "only a few small leaks were found it, and repair crews were working on all that Monday afternoon and evening." In Novato, authorities said crews after working a day and a half, completed repairs on a 100-foot section of a levee that was breached Saturday near Highway 101. Associated Press writer Don Thompson in Sacramento and Michelle Locke in Napa contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ From: Shelia Flynn Subject: Oklahoma, Texas Not Yet Out of Trouble Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 18:25:42 -0600 Fires Burn Hundreds of Thousands of Acres By SHEILA FLYNN, Associated Press Writer RINGGOLD, Texas - Firefighters faced windier, warmer weather Tuesday as they battled fast-moving blazes that have virtually destroyed some small towns and charred hundreds of thousands of acres of drought-stricken Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Since Dec. 27, flames racing across grassland and farmland have destroyed more than 250 buildings. Four deaths were reported last week in Texas and Oklahoma. On Monday, authorities went house to house in a search for victims in burned-out Texas towns including Ringgold. A weekend blaze destroyed most of the ranch-and-cattle community of about 100 people near the Oklahoma line. Fifty other homes and 40,000 acres were torched as wind swept the fire 13 miles from Ringgold to Nocona. Coylee Grimsley and her two sons watched their home burn just hours after she had cooked a large meal to celebrate the new year. "We was enjoying it, and here come the flames," she said. "If you'd been there, you'd have thought the world was going to end." One of two major fires near San Angelo in West Texas -- a 40,000-acre blaze in Sterling County -- had been contained, authorities said. Fifteen structures were destroyed and two people suffered minor injuries. The other major blaze in the San Angelo area, a 50,000-acre fire with a 50-mile perimeter in nearby Irion and Reagan counties, was about 70 percent contained Tuesday. No damages or evacuations were reported. A 35,000-acre blaze near the small towns of Carbon, Gorman and Desdemona had been beaten back by late Monday to just a few hundred acres of mostly open ranch land, said Mark Pipkin of the Eastland Fire Department. All major wildfires in Oklahoma were declared under control late Monday thanks to calmer wind and higher humidity, but crews were preparing for the worst. Highs up to 80 were possible Tuesday with only 10 to 20 percent humidity and wind up to 25 mph, the National Weather Service said. "We will make sure that all the hot spots and smoldering areas are put out for the simple fact that if the wind picks up, we'll be in trouble," said Dan Ware, spokesman for New Mexico's state Forestry Division. The weather service issued a "red flag warning" for Texas on Tuesday because of the expected heat, low humidity and wind. Computer models showed no rain soon, said Jesse Moore, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Fort Worth. He said the region's last appreciable rain was about a quarter-inch on Dec. 20. Oklahoma is more than a foot behind its normal rainfall of about 36 inches for this time of year. "We're not out of danger yet," said Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry. "We can't let our guard down. All the fires were put out on Monday, but Tuesday is likely to find some sparks ready to flare up again." Since the rash of wildfires began in Texas, more than 200,000 acres of land has been charred, 250 homes destroyed and three people killed, the Texas Forest Service says. Four fires in southeastern New Mexico had blackened more than 53,000 acres of grassland and burned 11 houses and two businesses near Hobbs. The flames forced the evacuation of 200 to 300 people on the city's fringe -- including about 170 from two Hobbs nursing homes. All but about 50 had returned home by midday Monday, authorities said. Since Nov. 1, Oklahoma wildfires have covered more than 331,000 acres and destroyed 220 homes and businesses, said Albert Ashwood, Oklahoma's emergency management director. One person was killed and a few persons injured, but none severely.. With his grandparents' Oklahoma City home in smoldering ruins, 10-year-old Cameron Batson found something to be thankful for: He pointed out the basketball goal in the driveway that remained intact after the three-level brick home was turned into ashen rubble. "We had some good times here," the boy said Monday, his voice cracking with emotion. "It was a pretty house." Associated Press writers Angela K. Brown in Kokomo, Texas, and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news from Associated Press please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: Jim Rusling Subject: Re: Oklahoma-Texas Fires, California Mud Slides-Floods Organization: Retired Reply-To: usenet@rusling.org Date: Mon, 02 Jan 2006 20:31:57 -0600 Ashley Gibson wrote: > By ASHLEY GIBSON, Associated Press Writer > A rash of wildfires raged Sunday across Oklahoma, Texas and New > Mexico, including one that burned several homes in northeastern > Oklahoma City. We had one here in Mustang, OK (near Oklahoma City). It burned about 25 acres, destroyed 6 homes and many storage/out buildings. I don't know how many homes were damaged. There were 3 minor injuries. We were lucky and only had a little siding damaged. I did lose a 8x16 storage building that was full of stuff and a 10 feet cab over camper. My truck also has an unknown amount of wiring damage. I was at work, but the wife got the sprinkler set up in the front yard and loaded up the dogs. They ended up spending over 4 hours in the car. It was moving very fast. We had fire equipment from 8 different cities fighting the fire. We had at least 6 engines in an 8 square block area and they still could not stop it from jumping the street. Jim Rusling More or Less Retired Mustang, OK http://www.rusling.org [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But the important thing is, your wife, family and dogs are okay, so you did not lose anything that mattered, did you? :) PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Chicago 1970s Accident Date: 3 Jan 2006 09:48:49 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Did you see that nice picture of me on > the front page of the Chicago Daily News? Don't have access to that. Is it on the web? > Also, you just now spoke about the 'g-force' of the trains hitting, > but where you are wrong about that was the train I was on (which got > smacked up pretty good) was one of the newer, more 'light-weight' and > more flimsy cars. The report I read (back at the time) said the full shock would have killed passengers on both trains, old and new. That's why automobiles today are purposely engineered with "crumble zones" to absorb the impact of energy in collisions. Likewise some abutments have barrels of water or sand in front of them to do the same thing. Some highway sign poles are designed to be 'breakaway' rather than rigid. Of course, sometimes the law works strangely. There was an accident in an intersection of two local streets. One car hit another and pushed it into a utlity pole and the occupant was killed. The power company was sued blamed for having a pole in a dangerous place, even though the pole was on the sidewalk area, not in the roadway, and it was a local street, not a throughway. What was particularly galling was that the intersection and pole placement dated from the 1920s when that neighborhood was built, and many thousands of intersections just like that exist throughout the country. The power company didn't cause the accident, the errant auto did. But the power company had deep pockets which the auto owner didn't, so they got nailed. > the newer cars and take along with me a heavy, large size 'phillips > screw-driver' I could take the entire car apart before we got to > downtown. Odd. The 1960 el cars I rode in Phila used an odd screw head, presumably to thwart that sort of thing. > There were other incidental situations where a 'new' car was bumped > by an old car (they did that as part of their testing) and even though > the 'old' car just barely bumped the 'new car' there were still dent > marks on the 'new' car. For many years there was a federal standard that rail cars had to take 800,000 lbs of compression without deformation, and every car was so tested. I understand recently the Feds have raised that higher, meaning that new cars must be heavier to meet that standard. I am not aware that a heavier car is any safer, there are other factors that kill passengers that are more significant (severe collisions such as yours are relatively rare). Anyway, that's the minimum standard. It's possible, even likely that the older cars could take more of a hit so that's why there was a difference. I believe in your accident the following train didn't stop at that station so it was going at full speed, thus the severity of the collision. In something that high impact there isn't too much that can be done to protect people. More effort is made to prevent collisions in the first place, though I know of two accidents where the engineer deliberately bypassed the safety gear and people were killed. One was a CTA L train where the motorman bypassed the autostop and kept power going (no one knows why) and rear ended another train causing them to fall off the L). Another was a Conrail freight that disregarded a yellow then a red signal and hit an Amtrak train (the engineer was high on pot, and disengaged the safety device). > My friend (who I said a couple days ago I had taken to New Orleans > with me on vacation earlier) called the railroad one day to report > (by car number and axle number) a 'flat wheel' on one of the new cars. > (A 'flat wheel' is one that is not entirely round, at a certain place > in the circumference of the wheel it is a bit out of shape; the result > is a person with a good ear or lots of railroad experience [as he had] > can hear a certain 'chunk-chunk' noise as the train rapidly moves down > the track). The railroad told him off good also, but then a day or two > later called him back to say they had investigated it and found it to > be as he said it was. Flat spots are very common on trains. They make freight trains noisy. Some passenger trains have wheel-slip protection which is essentially anti-lock brakes and they serve to reduce locked wheels which causes the grinding down and flat spots. Severe flat spots are annoying to ride over if your particular car has them. Actually, I don't think unpowered coaches have them, only self-propelled electric cars. RR shops have truing machines that grind the wheel down to eliminate flat spots. After a while the wheel must be replaced, this is standard maintainence, at a train shop you'll see wheels lying around. > Those 'new' cars were no match for the 'older' (1920-ish) cars they > abandoned for no good reason. PAT] I don't know the particulars, but 50 year old equipment, as those were, have some disadvantages to new equipment. One is no air conditioning. Another is heavy weight which comes out to higher power consumption. A third is speed--newer trains can usually accelerate and stop faster which is significant in commuter service. A fourth is maintenance -- parts must be hand manufactured ($$$) for old cars and breakdowns are common. Shortly after Amtrak was created it had a major upgrade of the coaches it inherited. It converted the tough steam powered utility lines to electric which was more reliable. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I do not think Chicago Daily News exists anywhere these days except as fond memories in the minds of its readers. It went out of business in 1976. All afternoon daily newspapers in Chicago were gone about that time. Hearst had the Chicago Herald; eventually merged it with the Chicago American to make the Herald-American, then sold it off to the Chicago Tribune. The Herald-American folded in 1967 and was replaced by a short lived paper called 'Chicago Today', which lasted for seven years and left the scene in 1974-75. The Daily News was edited and printed over on Canal Street near Madison Street and was founded in the late 1800's by Victor Lawson (of Lawson YMCA fame), who then sold it to Mr. Knight who had it until he sold it to the Chicago Sun-Times [itself a combo made up of the Chicago Sun and the Chicago Times which merged as the Sun-Times in 1941], then the Sun-Times closed the Daily News a few years later in 1976. Chicago Public Library has (or had) microfilms of the Daily News from its beginning to its end, but I seriously doubt any of it made it on computer. For three years, when I was 10-13 or thereabouts I had two paper routes: in the morning I delivered the Sun-Times and the Tribune; in the afternoon I delivered the Herald- American, the Daily News, a Polish newspaper called the 'Daily Zygoda' (I think that was it?), the Christian Science Monitor and one or two customers took the Wall Street Journal. I recall the Monitor always came by train from the east coast, and it always arrived two or three days after the publication date. But at the news agency, they always gave me a stack of those each day; also the 'TV Guide' magazine on Thursdays. I do not have any of those newspaper reports of the train crash any longer. I suppose I should have kept a copy of them but whoever thinks they are going to get old and want to go back to look at things in the future? PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Penn Central Date: 3 Jan 2006 10:02:00 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Seth Breidbart wrote: >> The Penn Central Railway, just to name one example, ran so well "by >> itself", that it drove itself into bankruptcy, and liquidation. The >> vast sums that they lost on passenger rail service were a direct >> contributing factor. > Actually, it didn't do so badly until it was looted by corrupt > management. A close look at the record does not support that. A key book is "The Wreck of the Penn Central". The authors, two newspaper reporters, took a muckraking approach and clearly felt the bankruptcy was totally management's fault. However, they at least included details of other circumstances that were actually the real reasons for bankruptcy. (The authors chose to emphasize different issues). Note that: -- The key PC personnel didn't get rich. The head guy, Saunders, lost a lot of money and prestige. -- The bankruptcy was aggresively investigated and no criminal wrongdoing was found. -- As a result of the bankruptcy laws were changed to eliminate the problems the PC had. Passenger service, both local and long distance, was transferred to govt agencies. (PC lost a tremendous amount of money on psgr service). Abandonments of unprofitable segments and better rate making was deregulated by the Staggers Act. -- Keep in mind there is a big difference between bad decisions and criminal decisions by management. Bad decisions is not "looting". -- Unlike modern corporations where assets are mostly paper and the guts are hidden, the physical plant of the Penn Central was wide open for everyone to see, and it was obvious it was lousy. Everybody was stuck on the legends of the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central and ignored the reality that both railroads were in terrible physical condition and were losing money at the time of the merger. It amazes me how Wall Street ignores--good and bad--the actual condition of a company. (A friend told me a utility was undervalued by Wall Street and to buy it. He was right, the stock doubled soon after I bought it. Too bad I only bought a little so even though I doubled my money my actual gain wasn't that much.) As an aside, the Pennsyslvania Railroad had a sophisticated telephone system, with its own toll test switchboards. I believe railroads were one of the types that were allowed to own their own telephone gear and maintain it themselves and still connect to the Bell System. After Amtrak and Conrail came in the system was replaced with modern stuff. Tiny modern brown 2554 Touch Tone wall sets replaced big old style phones and Teletype 40 series CRTs replaced the old green impact printers. Amtrak used Control Data computers and CRT screens. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Baltimore & Ohio and Santa Fe Railroads each had their own telephone network as well. PAT] ------------------------------ From: William M. Welch Subject: schools Make Parents Pay For Computers Before Kids Log on Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 18:16:50 -0600 By William M. Welch, USA TODAY Heather Sutherland was excited to learn her public school system was using laptop computers to teach elementary students such as her daughter. Until, that is, she found out parents were expected to pay the nearly $1,500 cost. "I said, 'What? You must be joking,' " Sutherland says. "I think it's unfair that the (school district) is requiring us to 'pay to learn.' " The public school system in this quiet city 27 miles southeast of Los Angeles is pushing the frontiers of computer technology in the classroom with a program that puts a laptop computer into the backpacks of children as early as first grade. It is pushing the boundaries of financing, too, by asking parents to pay $500 a year for three years so each of more than 2,000 elementary and middle school children can have their own Apple iBook G4 laptop. But asking parents to pay for it isn't. "I can see where that issue raises concerns," he says. "I'm not aware of anyone else who has tried that." The Fullerton program, at four of 20 district schools, has created a storm of controversy for the school system and its superintendent, Cameron McCune. It also has raised broader questions about how far public schools here and elsewhere can go in using costly technology in the face of tight school budgets and limited funding. Some parents worry that whatever its educational benefits, the program has created an expensive burden for struggling families and has forged new divisions in the public schools. Sutherland, who kept her 11-year-old daughter out of the program, is concerned that it creates "a horrible form of financial segregation." "It's mind-boggling that they would even suggest such a thing," Sutherland says. Some parents say the financial expectations and price tag violate California's constitutional guarantee of a free public education -- a principle also in other state constitutions. The parents are threatening a lawsuit and have enlisted the help of the American Civil Liberties Union. "The California constitution is very, very clear: My children attend a free public school," Sandra Dingess says. Dingess moved three of her four children to another school within the district to avoid the big computer bill and what she says was the embarrassment her children faced from being unable to pay. Her fourth child, an eighth-grader, remained in the program for a final year. McCune, who created the program, acknowledges that his school system is trying something controversial, but he says lower-income families can get help paying for the computers. "In all four schools, nobody has been denied access because of a lack of ability to pay." There are other concerns. Some parents say transferring to another school is not fair. Others object to requests for tax returns and financial records to obtain aid. "We don't think you have the right to ask for that information," Dingess says. "You're not the IRS. You're a public school." Computers now common in class. Schools have come a long way in embracing technology in the past decade. More than 99% of public schools had Internet access by 2002, according to federal statistics. It is commonplace for even elementary classrooms to have one or more computers. In high schools, computer labs with multiple machines allow students to research subjects and type up and print papers. The computers also let kids use Internet-based prep courses for college entrance exams such as the SAT and fill out online college applications, National PTA official Chuck Saylors says. "At the PTA, we would encourage technology in the classroom,' says Saylors, of Greenville, S.C. "Whether you are (going to be) a food server in a restaurant or the CEO of a major corporation, every child that leaves school now, regardless of what they do in adult life, is going to have to have some knowledge of technology." Well-stocked labs lessen pressure on parents to buy computers for their children, Saylors says, but "not every school district and not every family can have the resources to make that happen." He says teachers, in assigning outside work, generally are sensitive to differing computer resources in their students' homes. In Greenville, he says, the school system has invited big employers to donate their used computers to the schools, which in turn lease them to the families of students for as little as $10 a year. "We'd love to see computers in classrooms and in every home, but realistically that's almost impossible," Saylors says. That brings up the issue of disparity in education. Reg Weaver, president of the National Education Association union, which represents 2.7 million teachers, says the issue isn't computers but money. "If there was (adequate) funding there, no kid would have to worry about whether or not their parents choose for them to have a computer," Weaver says. Attempts in recent years to start similar programs with parents purchasing laptops were suspended in the face of controversy at a San Diego County school district and in Palo Alto, Calif. In the face of a potential suit, Fullerton's elected school board has halted plans to expand it to all sixth-graders next year and ordered a reassessment. Educational value worth the price? Students seem to like the brave new world, though what they're learning may not be so educational. In Fullerton, computers are used in all subjects and as much as 60% of the class work. Some of what they learn is how to e-mail friends and download music. "It was fun to have around and to use for my own purposes," says Riley Hall, 13, who was in the program last year but transferred to another school for eighth grade. "But it didn't make school any better or more challenging. ... A lot of it at school was to show off what you know about computers." In designing Fullerton's program, McCune points to Henrico County, Va., where 24,000 laptops have been put in the hands of high school and middle school students, and Maine, where 38,000 laptops have been provided to seventh- and eighth-graders. In both cases, the county or state provided the laptops. Parents weren't asked to lease or buy them. Fullerton officials say their system can't afford that. "Our problem here in California is we're underfunded so much, we just don't have the money to pay for it," school board member Minard Duncan says. "I don't blame the parents for objecting to paying for what we call free public education." Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. For daily headlines and stories from USA Today, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ From: NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us Subject: Slammed for 25 Grand Date: 3 Jan 2006 11:08:15 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com PHONE USER ON HOOK FOR 25G By BILL SANDERSON New York Post 1/3/2006 http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/60856.htm January 3, 2006 -- Bedridden for 17 years, Timmy Secor can't work a computer - he can't even lift his head from his pillow - but Verizon bills him as if he were a millionaire keyboard whiz. He's been overbilled $25,000, a friend said. His monthly tab includes $19.95 for dialup Internet service he's never used and $39.95 for a nonexistent Web page. There's no explanation for the $29.95 Verizon collects for a company called Directory Billing Service or the $21.45 "multiline charge" for "Business Network LD." With other mystery charges and the regular ... TO READ ENTIRE STORY you have to agree to nine pages of privacy policy and fifteen pages of terms of us 24 pages total. I don't have time to study that much legalese. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That's okay, I got it from my RSS feed and have the entire account here for everyone to read: PAT] PHONE USER ON HOOK FOR 25G By BILL SANDERSON Bedridden for 17 years, Timmy Secor can't work a computer - he can't even lift his head from his pillow - but Verizon bills him as if he were a millionaire keyboard whiz. He's been overbilled $25,000, a friend said. His monthly tab includes $19.95 for dialup Internet service he's never used and $39.95 for a nonexistent Web page. There's no explanation for the $29.95 Verizon collects for a company called Directory Billing Service or the $21.45 "multiline charge" for "Business Network LD." With other mystery charges and the regular Verizon charges, fees and taxes, Secor's September phone bill was $575.76. "These phone companies are bankrupting me," said Secor, 63, who runs a modeling agency from his hospital bed in his Upper East Side apartment. The law requires Verizon to bill its customers on other companies' behalf. Consumer advocates call it "cramming." Verizon has refunded $4,950, and an official told The Post that the company was working on Secor's "issues" but declined to comment further. Arnold Martin, a pal helping Secor with the problem, figures he's overpaid around $25,000 over the years. It's a mystery how his phone bill got so bloated. One company, Simple.net, says Secor responded in 2004 to a mail solicitation that contained a check for $3.25. By depositing the check, the company says, Secor signed up for dialup Internet service. by bill.sanderson@nypost.com NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc. Copyright 2005 NYP Holdings, Inc. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have gotten a lot of those 'checks' for amounts ranging fom fifty cents through several dollars, always on the condition 'cash this check and you authorize us to do whatever.' I always throw them away, which Mr. Secor should learn to do. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Subject: Re: Cell Phone Extenders? Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 23:02:12 -0500 [Please foil the spammers by obscuring my email address. Thanks.] John Levine wrote: >>>> If you buy a cellphone and contract for service for that cellphone >>>> with a licensed carrier, then that carrier's license covers the >>>> operation of the phone you activated with that carrier. You can't >>>> then go out and use other phones under that contract without the >>>> carrier's consent. >>> An interesting theory, although clearly nonsensical with GSM phones. >> With GSM phones (if not locked), you would be contractually allowed to >> use any compatible (i.e., proper band for the country at issue) GSM >> phone with the SIM chip from your carrier. > Well, as it happens, I have a GSM phone from Cingular, and the > contract says only that I am responsible for the installation and > operation of my phone, and that they may reprogram the roaming table. > It doesn't say anything about being required to use the phone they > provided or anything else along those lines. But doesn't the very absence of any contractual language requiring you to use a Cingular-provided handset itself constitute Cingular's consent for you to substitute other handsets? The original posters weren't claiming that you could never substitute equipment, only that you could not substitute equipment unless your carrier consented to it. By failing to tie you contractually to a particular handset, it seems that Cingular has thus given you all the consent you need. Bob Goudreau Cary, NC ------------------------------ From: sethb@panix.com (Seth Breidbart) Subject: Re: Payphone Surcharges (was: Unanswered Cellphones) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 20:51:16 +0000 (UTC) Organization: Society for the Promulgation of Cruelty to the Clueless In article , wrote: > DevilsPGD wrote: >> Unless the owner of the payphone is threatening or inflicting harm >> upon you causing you to make a call, no extortion has been committed. > In terms of the letter of the law you are correct. But when someone > is in a captive situation, such as being in a hospital and needing to > call family (either as a patient or visitor) the person has no > choices. In other words, when I had to take my mother to the > emergency room, I had to notify both my employer and my sister of the > situation. It wasn't the owner of the payphone who forced you to make those notifications, right? Whoever forced you to call your employer and your sister is the one who extorted you. > I was using a calling card and the pay phone used the long distance > carrier I used. But I didn't know I _still_ had to dial a special 800 > number. So the problem was your own ignorance. > After complaining, they took off the $25/minute charges. That's > fraud and deceptive business practice. Taking off the charge is fraud? > (BTW, there were no directions on my calling card number -- which > was merely my phone number with a PIN and I've had it for many > years.) Are you sure you never got directions with it? Can you prove that? > Do you think a supermarket could get away with advertising a big > special but charging you outrageous prices because you didn't dial an > 800 number first? They could get away with advertising Joe's Brand Spaghetti at $0.10/lb and charging you $4.95/lb for Mike's Brand Spaghetti. >> Making a payphone call is not a right. Your "need" to make a call >> does not give you the right to do so at a rate of your choosing. > Interesting how you put it. Let's be clear about something. Until > divesture, making a phone call was indeed a right under the philosophy > of universal telephone service. It was a _goal_, not a _right_. And even then, payphones weren't part of it. Seth [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It is impossible to prove something did _not_ happen. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Bob Goudreau Subject: RE: Another Year, Another Volume of the Digest Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 22:49:32 -0500 [As always, please obscure my email address from the spammers. Thanks.] PAT wrote: > We are now on volume 25 of the Digest (in case you had not noticed) and > we are in another year, 2006 (which I am sure you _did_ notice.) We > started off yesterday, Sunday, with issue 1 of volume 25. This Digest > has been around now for a _quarter-century_, since 1981, ... > Our 'official' quarter-century mark occurs on August 11. Pat, how did the Digest manage to misplace a volume somewhere along the way? If the practice ideally is to always start a new volume on January 1 of a new year, then this year's volume should be number 26, not 25. I.e.: Volume 1: August 11, 1981 through December 31, 1981 (a partial year volume) Volume 2: January 1, 1982 through December 31, 1982 ... Volume 25: January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2005 Volume 26: January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2006 But I see from the Telecom Digest Archives that the system seemed to break down for a while between 2001 and 2003: [DIR] 1999.volume.19/ (this one is numbered as expected) [DIR] 2000.volume.20/ (so is this one) [DIR] 2001.volume.20/ (wait, it's a new year but we're still in Vol. 20!) [DIR] 2002.volume.20/ (yet another new year, but still Vol. 20!) [DIR] 2002.volume.21/ (a second volume for 2002) [DIR] 2002.volume.22/ (a THIRD volume for 2002!) [DIR] 2003.volume.22/ (Vol. 22 also spans more than one year) [DIR] 2004.volume.23/ (things have stabilized to one volume per year again) I assume that this numbering confusion took place during your absence from the Digest that was caused by your stroke and ensuing convalescence. We're glad we managed to get you back, and happy birthday to the Digest! Bob Goudreau Cary, NC [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Figure it this way: 1981 from 2006 leaves 25 does it not? Originally August 1981 through December 1981 a partial volume. Volume 2 started in January 1982. During all of year 2001 I was in convelesance which was most of volume 20 and all of volume 21. I skipped volume 21 on paper for that reason, if you read the archives at the end of vol 20 I stuck a single issue in there referred to as vol 21, and went on to vol 22. At some point in there I thought about using the actual anniversary date to change volume numbers and went to volume 23 from 22. I think that is how the mix up happened. In any event, August 11 1981 through August 11, 2006 equals 25. I doubt I am going to do anything about the anniversary anyway. Not that many people care either way, but thanks for your kind thoughts. PAT ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Another Year, Another Volume of the Digest Date: 3 Jan 2006 07:03:29 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > but I do hope there will be another 25 years of this > publication, whoever is maintaining it at that point in time. Congratulations and thanks to Pat for maintaining the Digest for so many years. It's a lot more work than it appears. Probably not, as we will all have implanted chips in our brains by that time making telephones obsolete. Sorry to be such a downer on New Year's eve. Ok, maybe I'm being too paranoid, but the continuing loss of personal privacy in order to "protect us" has me worried. It doesn't seem to concern anyone else. Indeed, the technies of the world appear to love it because it means lucrative employment opportunities. Lockheed Martin, a major defense contractor, has a big contract for "security" devices for the NYC transit system. In the name of "security", we allow BOTH the government and private sector (our employers, our mortgager and landlords, our credit cards and banks) to collect all sorts of personal information. It wasn't bad when this stuff was stuffed away in a filing cabinet on paper or even on an old clunky mainframe. But now the stuff is always available on-line in compatible formats, easily shared. Supposedly this information is for business use only. But sooner or later someone or some other company or govt agency looks eagerly at the mass of data. We don't want terrorists running around, do we? We don't want perverts running around, do we? We don't want drug dealers. We don't want drug users. We don't want deadbeats. We don't want troublemakers. And so on. Verizon (nee Bell Telephone) announced it is reporting payment promptness to credit bureaus. They used to keep that strictly private. Each and every one of us at one point or another made a mistake in our lives. Often we got drunk and did something stupid. Maybe we took the weed or sold it. Or, we lost our temper and got into a fist fight at work. Perhaps we stole something. Somewhere that offense is recorded. Maybe it's still only on paper. But if they can convert the entire New York Times to machine readable form, they can convert anything quickly and easily. That little mishap way back in college or high school really is part of your "permanent record". ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2005-06 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #4 **************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Jan 4 19:38:44 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 2381614FB7; Wed, 4 Jan 2006 19:38:44 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #5 Message-Id: <20060105003844.2381614FB7@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 19:38:44 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.7 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 4 Jan 2006 19:40:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 5 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson BellSouth IPTV Trial Advances With Satellite Deal (Reuters News Wire) UAE Extends Curbs on Child Porn (Richard Dean) Lenovo and Cingular Make High Speed Deal (Reuters News Wire) Double the Power (Michael Desmond) The Hazards of Instant Communication (Lisa Hancock) Cellular-News for Wednesday 4th January 2006 (Cellular-News) Verizon Wins Video Franchise in Maryland County (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Schools Make Parents Pay For Computers Before Kids Log on (Steve Sobol) Re: Another Year, Another Volume of the Digest (Bob Goudreau) Re: Oklahoma-Texas Fires, California Mud Slides-Floods (Jim Rusling) Re: Cell Phone Extenders? (Paul Coxwell) Re: Cat Speech? (Paul Coxwell) Re: Payphone Surcharges (was: Unanswered Cellphones) (Lisa Hancock) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Reuters News Wire Subject: BellSouth IPTV Trial Advances With Satellite Deal Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 14:55:00 -0600 BellSouth, the No. 3 U.S. local telephone company, said on Wednesday it signed a deal to receive satellite video services from SES Global as it moves ahead with test plans to deliver television over the Internet. The deal with SES Global's U.S. arm, SES Americom, expands on a trial BellSouth began last year with Microsoft Corp to launch a new Internet-based TV system in mid-2006. "SES Americom enables us to make additional content available to BellSouth's IPTV trial participants as we continue our analysis of this technology," said Don Granger, president of BellSouth Entertainment, in a statement. SES Americom, the largest provider of satellite services in the United States, said it would provide BellSouth with video aggregation, encoding, monitoring and transport. Atlanta-based BellSouth has been more cautious than its rivals about embracing IPTV as telecoms providers join a heated battle with cable operators, which have been offering low-cost phone calls over the Internet. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news from the daily media, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/news-today.html ------------------------------ From: Richard Dean Subject: UAE Extends Curbs on Child Porn Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 14:56:39 -0600 By Richard Dean The UAE has banned telecoms operators from selling services below cost in a policy overhaul that will also extend curbs on Internet pornography to censorship-free business parks, the chief regulator said. The UAE is preparing the telecoms sector for competition with a second nationwide operator launching mobile, fixed-line and data services this year. The regulator has decided to limit the ability of both operators to cut prices. "We have issued a price regulations policy. No operator will be allowed to sell services at below cost to kill competition, or to offer cross subsidies," said Mohamed Al-Ghanim, director general of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). Cross subsidization is when an operator offers cheap or free services to lure customers, and then charges premium rates for other services, such as international calls. "This is anti-competitive. It will not be allowed," Ghanim told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. The TRA is also considering a move to allow Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), which is currently banned in the UAE -- much to the annoyance of the majority expatriate population, which wants to make cheap calls to families, mostly in Asia and Europe. "I think a decision has to be made in the next quarter whether it is allowed or not," said Ghanim. "Of course, it brings a positive impact in reducing tariffs, but we have to look how it would impact the sector." He said the TRA would consult public opinion before making a decision. State-controlled Etisalat enjoys a monopoly throughout most of the country, blocking cheap VOIP phone calls and enforcing a federal ban on Internet pornography and gambling. At present a few thousand homes and offices in Dubai, served by niche telecoms operator TECOM, are exempt from a national ban on sites considered "unIslamic." Dubai-government owned TECOM enjoys a mini-monopoly in a handful of new developments including Dubai Internet and Media City, which it owns. It also serves homes built by Emaar Properties -- part-owned by the Dubai government. TECOM has a stake in Emirates Integrated Telecom Company, which won the second national license in December. Ghanim warned that it must abide by UAE censors, who last week banned access to the online version of Britain's popular The Sun newspaper. "The Internet will remain censored for cultural reasons. We have to keep our culture protected," he said. TECOM "will have to abide by the rules." Dubai's free zones have lured scores of media brands, including CNN and the BBC, on the promise of freedom from censorship, which is the norm in the Arab world. Some observers fear online censorship within the zones could undermine their reputation as creative hubs. Ghanim confirmed comments made to Reuters in May that a third operator would not be licensed before 2015 in the UAE, a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1996. "We have submitted the schedule of commitment for the telecoms sector to the WTO," he said. He said the UAE was under some pressure from the United States to open the telecoms sector before 2015, as part of a Free Trade Agreement that the two countries are negotiating. "This is one of the areas we are seriously discussing with the U.S.," said Ghanim, who heads the telecoms negotiating team. He said EITC was building a second GSM mobile phone network across the seven emirates that make up the UAE, which should be ready by mid-2006. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news from the daily media, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: Tech News Wire Subject: Lenovo to Put Cingular High Speed in Laptops Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 14:57:33 -0600 Cingular Wireless said on Wednesday that computer maker Lenovo Group Ltd. would embed links for its fastest wireless data service in laptop computers that will go on sale in the second quarter. Cingular, a venture of AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp., recently began offering high-speed wireless services based on HSDPA technology in 52 U.S. communities. It has yet to announce mobile phone partners for the service. Lenovo bought the personal computer business of International Business Machines Corp.. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more tech news headlines of interest, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ From: Michael Desmond Subject: Double the Power Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 14:59:52 -0600 by Michael Desmond Two heads are better than one. That's the mantra preached by processor makers Intel and Advanced Micro Devices entering 2006. More and more CPUs found in mainstream desktop PCs -- and even notebooks -- are using so-called dual-core designs, which essentially bundle two CPUs into a single square of silicon. But despite the dual-core religion, PC makers aren't necessarily harping on the new technology. You could buy a system today and not even know you were getting a two-headed monster under the hood. So what is it? And why the double dip? Around 2003 or so, the Intels and Dells of the world began to notice a disturbing trend. Ever-faster CPUs were running so hot that they made it difficult to ramp up performance. Industry watchers began talking seriously about water-cooled systems, even as Intel struggled to churn out high-end processors. CPU makers simply could not count on aggressive clock rate increases to produce faster performance. Enter dual-core CPUs such as the AMD Athlon 64 X2 and Intel Pentium D. These processors incorporate two CPU cores to bring more gray matter to bear on computing tasks. More important, they work together to deliver excellent performance at lower clock rates than their single-core counterparts. The result: cooler operation and less stress on minute silicon transistors, which is critical to producing affordable CPUs. You might expect a dual-core CPU to be twice as fast as a single-core model running at the same clock speed, but you'd be wrong. A lot of issues conspire to dilute the performance impact. First, dual-core CPUs can only work their magic when there is more than one discrete set of tasks to work on -- known as a "thread" in computing parlance. A single-threaded application running on a dual-core CPU simply will not benefit from that second core. Second, any time you try to share work between cores, there's overhead involved. Depending on the nature of the task, you can expect that adding a second core will boost performance by up to 70 percent over a single-core CPU. But again, because dual-core CPUs run at lower clock rates, the advantage over competing single-core processors is slim. PC World benchmark tests show that today's top-end single-core CPUs remain competitive with top dual-core CPUs. Software Goes Multicore Still, there are plenty of situations where dual-core CPUs can work their magic, says industry analyst Nathan Brookwood. Business users, for instance, typically have several programs open at once. Dual-core CPUs can help speed things up when you are doing many things at the same time, such as working on a document while loading a page in your Web browser and listening to music on a media player. Most important, more and more software is being tuned with dual-core processors in mind. Brookwood singles out game vendors and graphics-card companies as two groups that have aggressively adopted multithreaded architectures to tap dual-core systems. "Even if the game is single-threaded, all the graphics and 3D [drivers] are multithreaded," says Brookwood. Multithreaded code is already present in many media-creation applications, such as Adobe Photoshop and Premier. You can expect multithreading to become more pervasive as software vendors seek to cater to a large installed base of dual-core CPUs. The result: Buying a dual-core system today will help you take advantage of coming performance improvements tomorrow. But all dual-core processors are not created equal. Chris Connelly, marketing director for PC maker GamePC, says AMD has enjoyed a significant lead in the performance of its dual-core offerings compared to those of the Pentium D. He singles out system offerings like the GamePC Disruptor-SLI series, which incorporates top-end technology for high-end gaming and desktop applications. The Disruptor-SLI family is based on AMD Athlon 64 X2 processors. "The biggest complaints about Intel's dual-core products were that the chip used too much power, creating too much heat in the process, and the chips themselves did not perform as well as many expected, given their high clock rates," says Connelly. All that may be changing. Brookwood says that next-generation desktop chips from Intel will be much more efficient, delivering more performance at lower clock rates than current offerings. "I think the competitive situation between Intel and AMD will grow tighter, and that always benefits buyers," says Brookwood, adding that once Intel rolls out its dual-core desktop processor, code-named Conroe, in the second half of 2006, "that's going to make Intel much more competitive with AMD." The tight competition should help make multicore systems a staple on the market, says Connelly. GamePC expects 90 percent to 95 percent of the systems it sells at the end of the year to be multicore. Future-Proofing Dual-core CPUs may be a no-brainer for all but low-end systems, but tough decisions still await buyers. For instance, 64-bit CPUs are already making their mark in the consumer market, led by AMD's successful Athlon 64 line. And Brookwood says that anyone contemplating the next version of Windows -- called Windows Vista -- should be thinking about a 64-bit CPU. "Vista will certainly take advantage of 64-bit code in ways that Windows XP does not," says Brookwood. "The belief is that 32-bit programs running on Windows Vista won't run as fast as their 64-bit equivalents." There are real implications. A 64-bit version of Adobe Premiere, for instance, might be able to render a large video several hours faster than the 32-bit version of the same program. "You may very well want a 64-bit computer," Brookwood says. What's more, Brookwood says that quad-core processors are in the works. The additional cores will further scale performance, enabling processors to achieve new levels of performance without pushing heat output to untenable levels. Recent Intel road map information, published by Tom's Hardware, shows quad-core and even eight-core CPU platforms emerging in the 2008 time frame. Is the single-core processor finished? Not by a long shot, says Brookwood. "For people who are doing the Web over even a moderate broadband link -- e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets, heavy-duty gaming like Solitaire," he jokes, "they don't need a lot of processing power to do that. [Low-end processors] will stay single-core because it's cheaper to make a single-core processor than a dual-core processor." Michael Desmond writes from his home in Vermont. He wonders if CPU makers will take multicore marketing to the silly extremes of companies like Schick, which touts a four-blade men's razor. Copyright 2005 Yahoo/Tech Tuesday ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: The Hazards of Instant Communication Date: 4 Jan 2006 11:02:47 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com By now you've probably heard the sad story that the WV miners, originally thought to be ok, were in fact not. It appears this was a communications misinterpretation. One report, 1010 newsradio said cell phone conversations and relayed to the public before they were confirmed and properly interpreted. In reading this morning's newspaper closely, I note the headline "12 are alive" was quoted from family member statements, not officials. Further, the official comments were pessimistic. I also note that the premise that the men were alive was based simply that they couldn't find them, not that they had any contact with them which is really what would be needed. Not having a body proves nothing. I mention this because of today's passion for "instant" news. In another thread, a poster was glad to be bypassing established companies in getting music out; others are glad to bypass established news organizations. But instant news is not news. It is raw data. Raw data in itself is meaningless, indeed dangerous. News is the _intepretation_ and _compilation_ of raw data. Let's look at a classic example. When FDR ran for election, a telephone poll predicted he'd lose. He won by a landslide. Why was the poll so wrong? Because it was a telephone poll and at that time those who had telephones were not representative Americans; they were more affluent and more likely to vote for Hoover. We all know the famous Truman victory where everyone just "knew" Dewey would win. They "knew" wrong. When breaking news happens, there is tremendous misinformation. Individual witnesses can be notoriously unreliable and possibly biased. (People who didn't see anything will claim that they did just to be on TV and get some attention.) In our discussion about the stranded Amtrak train, my newspaper reported that the train was indeed resupplied with food and sudry, yet others asserted there were no supplies at all. So, who was right? (I believe the train was indeed resupplied). A good news organization takes the reports from various sources and assembles it together. Contradictory information is re-checked. Historical and situational background is checked and matched against the story and contradictions again resolved -- this step is critical toward defining and reporting a story accurately. Individuals at home receiving snippets from the Internet are not getting the full story at all, yet they think they are. Yes, I know news organizations are not perfect, but it is better than no checking at all. [public replies please] [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That report from West Virginia was one of the saddest things I have ever read. WV, one of the poorest states in the union earns much of its living in the coal mines, a dirty job and dangerous by anyone's standards. Wasn't there a popular song several years ago which went (something like this} "Work (some amount) of hours, and what do you get, another day older and deeper in debt; Saint Peter don't you call me cause I can't go; I owe my soul to the company store.". A lot of WV people are grieving today since this incident. The really cruel part of the whole thing was how the folks were at first told that 'their men were all okay', only to find out the sad, bitter truth later on. The hassle though is not in getting the news too fast or too slow, but getting it _accurately_ whenever it arrives. That famous headline "Dewey Wins" in the Chicago Tribune was a good example of rushing things through but getting it wrong. According to Tribune historical accounts of that incident, the newspaper was on strike at the time; some division of the multitude of unions which _used to be involved_ in putting together newspapers (linotype oper- atorss perhaps?) had been on a work stoppage for several days. Management was attempting to do that job function and the reporters had put together _two different_ front pages; one for "Truman Wins" and one for "Dewey Wins" so they could be ready to slide the proper front page into place at the last minute and start the press run. They were under a lot of pressure at the Tribune at that time, due to the strike and the lateness of the election results and the paper's own publishing deadline. When it seemed 'almost certain' that Dewey was going to win, they went to press _but with the wrong front page_. I have seen a photo many times of President Truman holding up a copy of the Tribune front page -- in that early edition -- it was hastily corrected by the time the next edition came out about two hours later -- saying "Dewey Wins". The early edition was supposed to say "(whoever)wins, election results to follow in next edition". Although the story was quite simple and short, just the headline and a few very sketchy details, it has been a source of embarassment for them ever since. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Cellular-News for Wednesday 4th January 2006 Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 07:30:51 -0600 From: Cellular-News Cellular-News - http://www.cellular-news.com [[ Handsets ]] Samsung Offering HSDPA Handsets to Vodafone http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15436.php Samsung Electronics has announced today introduction of High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) phones for the first time in Europe through cooperation with Vodafone, and Qualcomm. Samsung is currently developing the first commercially available HS... 10GB Hard Drives for Mobile Phones http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15438.php The computer hard drive manufacturer, Cornice has launched a couple of small hard drives that can be fitted into mobile phones, offering 8 and 10 gigabytes of storage space. By narrowing the casing around the disk and by shrinking the "z" height, Cor... [[ Legal ]] Serbia Ministry: Mobtel Subject Of Fraud Probe http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15430.php Serbian authorities have found evidence mobile telephone operator Mobtel committed fraud and failed to pay the state hundreds of millions of euros in dividends it should have received, the interior minister said Tuesday. ... [[ Mobile Content ]] Chinese WAP Usage Declines - report http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15431.php China's overall mobile VAS market maintained a good growth momentum in Q3 2005 to reach US$600 million, nevertheless, WAP service declined substantially due to the recent consolidation move taken by China telecom operators, according to a report from... [[ Network Operators ]] Hungarian Operators Set Up Non-Payment Blacklist http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15432.php Hungary's three mobile network operators, Pannon, T-Mobile and Vodafone are reported to have set up a shared blacklist of customers that they have had to disconnect due to non-payment of their phone bills. The blacklist came into effect from January ... Reliance Launches Nationwide Tariff http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15433.php India's Reliance Infocomm has announced dramatic plans breaking the circle barrier and thus became the first operator in the country to launch 'One-Nation, One Tariff.' Calls from Reliance IndiaMobile prepaid anywhere-to-anywhere across India will co... Palestinian Infrastructure Released http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15434.php Israel's Ministry of Communications has agreed to release telecoms equipment that had been purchased by the Palestinian GSM network operator, Jawwal. The equipement had been impounded by the Israeli authorities citing security concerns. The military ... [[ Personnel ]] New Directors for Linktone? http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15437.php The Chinese mobile content provider, Linktone has announced the appointments of Richard Xu and Liaoyuan Du to the newly created positions of Senior Vice President, Operation and Senior Vice President, Sales, respectively, in order to further strength... [[ Reports ]] Data Services Grow While Smartphone Prices Fall http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15435.php Mobile telephone users in the developed world are adopting wireless data services in large and growing numbers, leading to a rise in sales of smartphones that support these advanced functions. According to ABI Research analyst Shailendra Pandey, "Som... [[ Statistics ]] China 06 Phone Users To Exceed 820 Million Vs 746 Million In 05 http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15429.php The number of fixed-line phone users in China is expected to rise by 30 million this year, while mobile-phone users are likely to rise by 48 million, boosting the country's total phone users to more than 820 million, the official Xinhua News Agency r... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 12:39:21 EST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Verizon Wins Video Franchise in Maryland County USTelecom dailyLead January 4, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/BfnwatagCGoVlduZqz TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Verizon wins video franchise in Maryland county BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Report: BellSouth, Sprint top wholesale data market * Is Google planning a CES shocker? * Verizon to brand home-networking gear sold at retail stores * Skype inks deal with Kodak * BellSouth boosts IPTV trial with SES Americom pact USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * See the technology of communications and entertainment at TelecomNEXT TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Chinese researchers unveil high-speed 3G chip * Current eyes BPL VoIP REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * U.K. cities to get Wi-Fi access Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/BfnwatagCGoVlduZqz ------------------------------ From: Steve Sobol Subject: Re: Schools Make Parents Pay For Computers Before Kids Log on Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2006 20:43:10 -0800 Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com William M. Welch wrote: > Some parents say the financial expectations and price tag violate > California's constitutional guarantee of a free public education -- a > principle also in other state constitutions. The parents are > threatening a lawsuit and have enlisted the help of the American Civil > Liberties Union. My wife, her mother, a brother-in-law and two of her sisters all work for the same Southern California school district. Their district has traditionally been a lower-income district, although with the new $200K-$400K homes being built on the southern end of town, that's changing. And they have a lot of "at-risk" students. So they get some funding that other districts don't. But funding for all California school districts has been, and continues to be, cut to the bone. Fullerton's down in Orange County, on the way to Anaheim. I'm not sure what their economic makeup is, but I'm reasonably sure they are better off than my wife's district. I don't know that any part of Orange County can reasonably be considered low-rent -- indeed, much of the O.C. consists of very affluent suburbs and exurbs of Los Angeles. > "The California constitution is very, very clear: My children attend a > free public school," Sandra Dingess says. [snip] > McCune, who created the program, acknowledges that his school system > is trying something controversial, but he says lower-income families > can get help paying for the computers. "In all four schools, nobody > has been denied access because of a lack of ability to pay." > There are other concerns. Some parents say transferring to another > school is not fair. Others object to requests for tax returns and > financial records to obtain aid. "We don't think you have the right to > ask for that information," Dingess says. "You're not the IRS. You're a > public school." I think I have to agree with that sentiment. But to make some kind of educated judgement about whether this program is fair or not, I'd have to have more details ... > "Our problem here in California is we're underfunded so much, we just > don't have the money to pay for it," school board member Minard Duncan > says. "I don't blame the parents for objecting to paying for what we > call free public education." I agree with both of those statements too, and unfortunately I don't believe there are any easy answers. Steve Sobol, Professional Geek 888-480-4638 PGP: 0xE3AE35ED Company website: http://JustThe.net/ Personal blog, resume, portfolio: http://SteveSobol.com/ E: sjsobol@JustThe.net Snail: 22674 Motnocab Road, Apple Valley, CA 92307 ------------------------------ From: Bob Goudreau Figure it this way: 1981 from 2006 leaves 25 does it not? Yes, and (Volume) 26 from (Volume) 1 also leaves 25. The Digest started with Volume 1, not Volume 0, after all. > Originally August 1981 through December 1981 a partial volume. > Volume 2 started in January 1982 Yup. Volume 1 = 1981 Volume 2 = 1982 Volume n = 1980 + n, Which is why Volume 26 should = 1980 + 26 = 2006. > During all of year 2001 I was in convelesance which was most of volume 20 > and all of volume 21. I skipped volume 21 on paper for that reason, if > you read the archives at the end of vol 20 I stuck a single issue in there > referrred to as vol 21, and went on to vol 22. At some point in there I > thought about using the actual anniversary date to change volume numbers > and went to volume 23 from 22. I think that is how the mix up happened. > In any event, August 11 1981 through August 11, 2006 equals 25. > I doubt I am going to do anything about it anyway. Not expecting you would, just wondering about the anomaly. Thanks for clearing it up. Bob [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But just as on January 4, if you were born on January 1 you would not say "I am a year old" neither can you claim to be 25 years old if that won't happen until August. In other words, 1/4/2006 less 8/11/1981 results in a difference of 24 years, 7 months and 1 week (more or less, I am too tired to calculate it to the minute right now. We could tighten it up a bit closer if we took the telecom-related messages which appeared in _Human Nets_ during May through July, 1981 and the first two 'test mailings' which went out to the telecom list in August and said those were 'really part of the Digest' as well. But we cannot say that, and I will use the cover date on the first issue as the starting point. A lot of water under the bridge since then, but we have to have some reference point to work with. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Jim Rusling Subject: Re: Oklahoma-Texas Fires, California Mud Slides-Floods Organization: Retired Reply-To: usenet@rusling.org Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2006 21:41:48 -0600 Jim Rusling wrote: > Ashley Gibson wrote: >> By ASHLEY GIBSON, Associated Press Writer >> A rash of wildfires raged Sunday across Oklahoma, Texas and New >> Mexico, including one that burned several homes in northeastern >> Oklahoma City. > We had one here in Mustang, OK (near Oklahoma City). It burned about > 25 acres, destroyed 6 homes and many storage/out buildings. I don't > know how many homes were damaged. There were 3 minor injuries. We > were lucky and only had a little siding damaged. I did lose a 8x16 > storage building that was full of stuff and a 10 feet cab over camper. > My truck also has an unknown amount of wiring damage. > I was at work, but the wife got the sprinkler set up in the front yard > and loaded up the dogs. They ended up spending over 4 hours in the > car. It was moving very fast. We had fire equipment from 8 different > cities fighting the fire. We had at least 6 engines in an 8 square > block area and they still could not stop it from jumping the street. > Jim Rusling > More or Less Retired > Mustang, OK > http://www.rusling.org > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But the important thing is, your wife, > family and dogs are okay, so you did not lose anything that mattered, > did you? :) PAT] Not the main things, but we had to put the older dog, Sampson, down this morning. He had been going down hill for the last 6 months, but the stress did not help any. I also lost some items that were my dad's and granddad's. The rest of the stuff can be replaced. Jim Rusling More or Less Retired Mustang, OK http://www.rusling.org ------------------------------ From: Paul Coxwell Subject: Re: Cell Phone Extenders? Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2006 10:41:08 +0000 > A GSM phone without a SIM should still be able to make "Emergency" calls > in whatever service area it is in. > This has been a bit of a problem with idiots making untraceable nuisance > calls to emergency operators in Australia. In the U.K., no network will accept even an emergency call from a GSM phone without a SIM card. The phone will ATTEMPT to make the call, but it will be rejected. -Paul ------------------------------ From: Paul Coxwell Subject: Re: Cat Speech? Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2006 10:41:20 +0000 > I have a cat who is very vocal, that is, he makes a wide variety of > sounds. His "meows" are long and short, and go up and down in pitch. > If I talk to him, he responds in various sounds (that I can't > understand). > Anyway, has there ever been serious study to identify cat sounds? Just like people, cats seem to vary widely. One cat I had until a few years ago was VERY vocal, especially when I returned home or she came back in the house from a long ramble. I only had to give a little "brrrrp" to her, and she'd set off on a long tale, telling me everything that had been going on. My present cat is very much the silent type. He speaks occasionally, usually when excited over food, but otherwise remains quite quiet. He can still make his wishes known very distinctly though: I know the exact looks and positions he adopts for "I'm hungry" or "I want to sit on your lap." There is a small book titled "How To Talk To Your Cat," by Patricia Moyles which you might find interesting. A local library might be able to get hold of a copy. -Paul ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Payphone Surcharges (was: Unanswered Cellphones) Date: 4 Jan 2006 06:51:07 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Seth Breidbart wrote: > It wasn't the owner of the payphone who forced you to make those > notifications, right? Whoever forced you to call your employer and > your sister is the one who extorted you. That's a rather odd way of looking at the situation, don't you think? Are you saying it is unusual for a person to call other family members when someone gets sick? Are you saying it is unusual to call your employer when you will be delayed reporting to work? > So the problem was your own ignorance. In most other retail services your attitude would grounds for government action. Oh, my ground meat has 75% filler in it? Well, you should've known about it, shouldn't you? Oh, my gasoline is 80 octaine? Well, you should've known about it, shouldn't you? In other retail services the price is on the item or the shelf. Yet in pay phones the price is nowhere to be found. Sorry, but I don't buy your argument that the consumer should already know. >> After complaining, they took off the $25/minute charges. That's >> fraud and deceptive business practice. > Taking off the charge is fraud? How many people just pay the bill? How many people give up after being stonewalled? (I was stonewalled at first but kept persisting, demanding to speak to higher levels of management.) >> Do you think a supermarket could get away with advertising a big >> special but charging you outrageous prices because you didn't dial an >> 800 number first? > They could get away with advertising Joe's Brand Spaghetti at $0.10/lb > and charging you $4.95/lb for Mike's Brand Spaghetti. Two very different things. For one thing, the far higher Mike's Brand price would show up immediately at the cash register, where a consumer could refuse it right then and there. Oh, let's keep our order of magnitude correct here -- Mike's would be $25.00 / pound. >> Interesting how you put it. Let's be clear about something. Until >> divesture, making a phone call was indeed a right under the philosophy >> of universal telephone service. > It was a _goal_, not a _right_. And even then, payphones weren't part > of it. It was indeed a _right_, codified by national policy by rates set by the FCC and local PUCs. Rate averaging and universal service. Some payphones were very costly, some were very profitable, but all payphones in an area charged the exact same rate by law, inter-state calls all paid the same rate. Further, rates were available in advance from an easily reached operator always on duty. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I think Seth was making the unwarranted assumption that everyone is as sophisticated on telecom topics as he is. Despite all the years I have talked telecom, sadly most folks are only (at best) slightly more knowlegeable about telephony than they were pre-divestiture. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2005-06 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #5 **************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jan 5 15:29:08 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 4C2E514F06; Thu, 5 Jan 2006 15:29:08 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #6 Message-Id: <20060105202908.4C2E514F06@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 15:29:08 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.8 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, CELL_PHONE_IMPROVE,MAILTO_TO_SPAM_ADDR autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 5 Jan 2006 15:30:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 6 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Netgear to Offer Wireless Phone for Skype Calling (Reuters News Wire) Marketing Mayhem at Consumer Electronics Show (Leslie Walker) EFFector 18.43 (Monty Solomon) EFFector 18.44 (Monty Solomon) EFFector 18.45 (Monty Solomon) Motorola Share - Mobile Service for Image Sharing On the Go (Monty Solomon) Universal High Definition DVD Lineup (Monty Solomon) Toshiba to Sell HD DVD Players in U.S. (Monty Solomon) Panasonic OCAP HD-DVR Set-Top Boxes (Monty Solomon) Cingular Completes First 3.6Mbps Mobile Data Call (Monty Solomon) AT&T Rolls out Internet TV in San Antonio (USTelecom dailyLead Cellular-News for Thursday 5th January 2006 (Cellular-News) Re: Penn Central (Wesrock@aol.com) Re: Penn Central (Al Gillis) Two Things ... (was Re: The Hazards of Instant Communication) (Al Gillis) 16 Tons (was Re: The Hazards of Instant Communications (Danny Burstein) Re: The Hazards of Instant Communication (Michael Quinn) Re: The Hazards of Instant Communication (Lisa Hancock) Re: Payphone Surcharges (Lisa Hancock) Re: Another Year, Another Volume of the Digest (Henry) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Netgear to Offer First Wi-Fi Phone For Skype Calling Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 12:28:55 -0600 Netgear Inc. and Skype, the Web-based calling company which is a unit of eBay Inc. said on Wednesday they plan to introduce the first wireless mobile telephone for Skype. The Netgear Wi-Fi phone is designed to work wherever a consumer is connected to a wireless Internet access point -- at home, in an office, cafe, public hotspot, or in cities where wireless access may be available citywide, the companies said. By contrast, existing Skype phones, including cordless models, must be connected to a computer. A variety of telephone makers including Cisco's Linksys, are seeking to cash in on the Web-based calling craze popularized by Skype, first in Europe and Asia, and increasingly in the United States. Users can make free domestic and international calls and hold conference calls with other Skype users. Calls to regular phones incur a small fee. "Customers can now call anyone on Skype, anywhere in the world for free without using a PC anytime they are connected to Wi-Fi," said Patrick Lo, Netgear's chairman and chief executive in a statement issued ahead of a press conference at the Consumers Electronics Show underway in Las Vegas this week. An October report from Jupiter Research predicted that 20.4 million U.S. households will subscribe to some form of Internet-based broadband phone service by 2010. The Netgear phone is pre-loaded with Skype's software. The user simply needs to turn on the phone and enter a username and password. The software pulls up the user's full contact list of Skype contacts to whom free calls can be made. More information on Netgear's Skype Wi-Fi phone, including pricing and availability, is planned for the first quarter of 2006, the companies said. In addition to the Skype Wi-Fi phone, Netgear and Skype said Netgear's RangeMax wireless network router will be optimized to work with Skype. RangeMax is designed to avoid interference from neighboring wireless networks and to eliminate "dead spots" that can prevent consistent connections around a house. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more Reuters News Headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: Leslie Walker Subject: Marketing Mayhem at Consumer Electronics Show Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 12:30:42 -0600 By Leslie Walker LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4 The Big Pitch assaults me here like some rock opera: See me, feel me, touch me . It started months ago, in a trickle of e-mails offering advance briefings; followed by a drumbeat of phone calls, printed invitations and more e-mails; building up to a crescendo here Thursday as the nation's biggest trade show opens with about 2,500 gadget vendors screaming for media attention. The Big Pitch for the annual Consumer Electronics Show starts earlier every year and involves phantom products that may never reach store shelves along with real gadgets being shown for the first time. Over the past two months, I've read more than 400 pitches inviting me to a private showing of some "life-changing" device or offering access to a "highly exclusive" party where such devices will be celebrated. Big companies are flying in celebrities to entice people to attend their product launches and after-hours parties. Thursday night, chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices is presenting the Black Crowes at MGM's Studio 64 club while rival Intel has snared hip-hop stars the Black Eyed Peas. Over at the House of Blues, Motorola is putting the Foo Fighters on stage, as Samsung holds an NFL "Champions Dinner" at the Wynn casino featuring "chalk talk" from Boomer Esiason, Troy Aikman and Steve Young. And the nighttime fun continues Friday with a Monster Cable awards ceremony featuring Stevie Wonder. But because marketers use so much hype, techno-babble and incomprehensible acronyms in their wind-up to the five-day show, I am always torn about how to tackle an exhibit area taking up more space than two dozen football fields. Quick, what should I see first? Do I make a beeline for the S.beat, which creator Swissbit billed in an e-mail as the first Swiss army knife with a built-in music player? Perhaps I should gawk at the "clothes that glow" from Elam USA, which the company assured me contained "the world's first washable lamp designed to be sewn into clothing." Seriously, folks, those were both real pitches. Then again, I might head over to LaserShield's booth, taking that little black fob with a panic button the company mailed me last month, so I can pick up my review copy of what it billed as a "revolutionary wireless Plug 'N Go fully monitored LaserShield Instant Security System." In one of many previews held for the media Wednesday, pitch men and women from about 100 companies set their shiny gadgets on a spotlit table in a ballroom of the Venetian resort and casino and gave one-minute spiels about how you and I might actually use them. There was the latest "digital hotspotter" from Canary Wireless that is supposed to save time by telling you right away if a wireless data signal is nearby. I don't know about you, but I don't waste a lot of time booting up my laptop in search of Wi-Fi signals. Of slightly more interest was a doohickey from Spotwave Wireless that supposedly boosts cell phone signals to extend your phone battery time. Even that didn't get me fired up, considering my phone already has ample juice to match my gab time. Among the cooler gadgets I've seen is the SkyScout, a handheld star-viewing assistant. Point it at any bright object in the sky, and it will identify the object using global-positioning-system technology. A new biometric system from Fujitsu called PalmSecure identifies people by capturing vein patterns in their hands using near-infrared rays. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, the opening speaker Wednesday night, came with a vast marketing army, trumpeting where Microsoft aims to take everyone with its new Windows operating system called Vista, due for release this year. All of its major rivals -- except Apple Computer -- also are here, including Sony, which is hosting one of the biggest booths. There were more news conferences Wednesday than a lone reporter could attend in months. While big companies tried to lure reporters with celebrities, fancy food and highly scripted presentations, the little guys had to work harder. A start-up called MusicGremlin picked me up at my hotel in a white stretch limo and took me to my first appointment -- just so co-founder Robert Khedouri could do a back-seat demo of what he calls his "record store in your pocket." MusicGremlin's software lets its portable music player bypass computers and pull music directly from the Internet. That's a goal big companies here are tackling, too -- streamlining music downloads so you don't need a PC to snag a fresh song -- but only MusicGremlin went to the extreme of giving demos inside limos equipped with traveling Wi-Fi signals. "We're a small company; we don't have a booth on the show floor," said Karen Novak, the PR rep who talked MusicGremlin into hiring five limousines to ferry reporters around Sin City this week. "What is the one thing everybody really needs and can't get here? Transportation." The lines to hail a cab -- and even those to get on the Las Vegas Monorail system -- are a nightmare. Of all the advance pitches, Kodak's paper campaign seemed the slickest -- the film giant mailed a series of glossy photos showing black-suited spies handing off suitcases and sexy, tattooed young folks hanging out in a bar. They accompanied mysteriously worded invitations to Kodak's party at the Ghostbar Wednesday night, where details of its secret "Project Gemini" were to be revealed. Kodak even sent black plastic admission badges hanging from black lanyards, as if to illustrate its claim that the event would be "highly exclusive." But I still have no clue what Project Gemini is about because the Ghostbar hoo-haw was to start at 10 p.m. Vegas time, or 1 a.m. Eastern time, which meant Kodak was winding up its digital gears just as my personal analog clock was set to wind down -- and I needed to conserve energy to wade through the tens of thousands of gadgets that go on display starting Thursday. Oh, did I tell you about Loc8tor, the pocket fob that lets you find anything if you remember to stick a postage-stamp-size tag on it in advance? I just might start with that. If I plaster myself with Loca8tor tags, maybe I can keep track of my senses amid the marketing lunacy engulfing the Consumer Electronics Show. Leslie Walker welcomes e-mail atwalkerl@washpost.com. Copyright 2006 The Washington Post Company NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 08:44:25 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EFFector 18.43 EFFector Vol. 18, No. 43 December 9, 2005 editor@eff.org A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424 In the 359th Issue of EFFector: * Help EFF Fight for Your Digital Rights! * Security Questions Remain in New Sony BMG Security Patch * North Carolina Sued for Illegally Certifying Voting Equipment * Government Still Pushing for Cell Phone Tracking Without Probable Cause * New Canadian Voice in Digital Rights Issues * PATRIOT Reauthorization Slogs On * Help Us Bust the Goldberg Online Gaming Patent * Nominate a Pioneer for EFF's 2006 Pioneer Awards! * Summer Legal Internships at EFF * miniLinks (12): Musicians Against DRM * Administrivia http://www.eff.org/effector/18/43.php ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 08:46:41 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EFFector 18.44 EFFector Vol. 18, No. 44 December 16, 2005 editor@eff.org A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424 In the 360th Issue of EFFector: * PATRIOT Act Renewal Blocked in Senate! * Huge E-voting Victory in Volusia County, Florida * Evidentiary Hearing Set for North Carolina E-Voting Certification * EFF Defends Prisoners' First Amendment Rights * Good News for Music/Lyrics Fans After All? * Help EFF Fight for Your International Digital Rights! * miniLinks (6): Who Owns Your CD/DVD Collection? * Administrivia http://www.eff.org/effector/18/44.php ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 08:47:31 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EFFector 18.45 EFFector Vol. 18, No. 45 December 23, 2005 danny@eff.org A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424 In the 361st Issue of EFFector: * Action Alert: Demand Congress Investigate Illegal Wiretapping! * A Lump of Coal for Consumers: Analog Hole Bill Introduced * After EFF Litigation, Diebold Pulls Out of North Carolina * Five More Weeks to Fight PATRIOT * Bad Ruling on Cell Phone Tracking: What a Difference a G Makes * RSS Feeds at EFF - now with Added Action Alerts * MiniLinks(13): The Security Threat of Unchecked Presidential Power * Administrivia http://www.eff.org/effector/18/45.php ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 08:57:42 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Motorola Share - Mobile Service for Image Sharing On the Go Motorola and Avvenu Announce New Mobile Service for Image Sharing On the Go - Jan 5, 2006 08:00 AM (PR Newswire) With new Motorola Share service, photos stored on your computer can be viewed and shared remotely using your Motorola mobile phone LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at the Consumer Electronics Show, Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT), a global leader in wireless communications and Avvenu, a Palo Alto, California based start-up specializing in remote access and sharing technology, announced Motorola Share, a free service for mobile users providing on-the-go image access and sharing capabilities from a wide range of Motorola mobile devices -- including the popular RAZR, ROKR, and V557 models. Sharing photos with the new service is easy, requiring only an Internet- connected computer with Motorola Share software and a web-enabled mobile handset.* From a mobile device, users can view images stored on their computer and select a guest to share them with. An email notification with a link grants the guest safe, password-protected access to only the images selected. Users of the service maintain complete control over what pictures are shared, who has access to them and for how long. The Motorola Share service is flexible, allowing for optimized image viewing on the mobile phone screen. An automatic image scaling feature enables users to share even high-resolution photos with ease. Also, because images are stored on the user's Internet-connected computer, the service does not require guests to download the images to their mobile phone or upload to a centralized server, reducing time for image load and preview. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54474788 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 09:03:49 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Universal High Definition DVD Lineup Universal Pictures Unveils Inaugural High Definition DVD Lineup - Jan 4, 2006 11:30 PM (PR Newswire) Feature Films Include Recent Blockbusters 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' and 'The Bourne Supremacy' LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Signaling its continued support of the next generation hi-definition DVD disc format (HD DVD), Universal Pictures today announced its slate of flagship titles to be released in HD DVD. The announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show by Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Universal will release 10 titles timed to coincide to the format's March launch, with plans to continue issuing new and catalog films throughout the year. The first wave of titles include, "Jarhead," "Doom," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Cinderella Man," "Serenity," "The Bourne Supremacy," "The Chronicles of Riddick," "U-571," "Van Helsing," and "Apollo 13." - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54466582 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 09:01:40 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Toshiba to Sell HD DVD Players in U.S. Toshiba to Sell HD DVD Players in U.S. - Jan 5, 2006 05:03 AM (AP Online) By KOZO MIZOGUCHI Associated Press Writer TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp. said Thursday it will start selling high-definition players supporting its HD DVD format in the United States in March _ the first commercial launch of the product in the world. The new HD DVD players _ HD-XA1 and HD-A1, priced at $799 and $499 respectively _ will hit the U.S. market about the time major Hollywood studios are expected to unveil HD DVD movie titles, the company said. Toshiba said in a release it will be the first high-definition player sold in the world. The move will heat up the battle in the high-stakes market for the next generation of video discs. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54470022 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 22:12:44 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Panasonic OCAP HD-DVR Set-Top Boxes Panasonic and Comcast Announce Industry-First Agreement for Enhanced OCAP HD-DVR Set-Top Boxes and OCAP Software License - Jan 4, 2006 07:00 PM (PR Newswire) Collaboration to Simplify and Enhance the Home Entertainment Experience With Seamless Integration of Digital Cable Set-Top Boxes and CE Devices LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Panasonic, the principal U.S. subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE:MC), and Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSK, CMCSA) today announced the industry's first agreement for the manufacture and deployment of Comcast's new series of digital cable set-top boxes, referred to as "RNG." These set-top boxes will be compliant with the OpenCable(TM) Application Platform (OCAP(TM)) specifications. In another industry first, the companies have agreed to make Panasonic's OCAP middleware available to Comcast, as well as to jointly explore and develop extensions to the OCAP specifications. The new boxes and software will improve and simplify the consumer's home entertainment experience. Under the agreement, Panasonic will supply Comcast with advanced digital cable set-top boxes with the processing power and advanced functionality that enables the kind of performance, flexibility and ease of use that consumers want. The Panasonic digital set-top boxes will have high-definition digital video recording (DVR) capabilities with a minimum of 250 GB storage capacity, which essentially doubles the amount of DVR storage currently available on Comcast DVR set-top boxes. In addition, these boxes will have both MPEG-2 and H.264 decoder capabilities. The H.264 capabilities will offer higher video compression rates and could let consumers use their televisions to enjoy media elements commonly available on the Internet. The new set-top boxes are the result of Comcast's efforts to develop next-generation devices that bring greater efficiencies to today's cable infrastructure, while adding advanced functionality such as USB 2.0 that will let consumers connect other media devices, such as digital cameras or music players, to their televisions. Panasonic will manufacture and supply Comcast with 250,000 HD-DVR set-top boxes. Comcast will have the option to acquire up to a total of one million set-top boxes in the first year, with options for additional boxes in subsequent years. The initial 250,000 set-top boxes will be supplied with Panasonic's OCAP middleware. OCAP is a middleware software standard that enables application developers to create new interactive services that will run on a broad range of advanced digital set top boxes and cable-ready TVs. Among the OCAP software extensions the companies will develop are those that enable Comcast-deployed set-top boxes to easily interact with a wide variety of Panasonic Consumer Electronics (CE) devices -- such as plasma TVs, home theater systems and DVD recorders -- that will be equipped with Panasonic's HDAVI Control capability. HDAVI Control capability will let consumers activate and operate all devices in a home theater, including the digital cable set-top, with a single remote and through a unified user interface. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54461279 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 22:34:53 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Cingular Completes First 3.6Mbps Mobile Data Call Live From Las Vegas: Cingular Completes First 3.6Mbps Mobile Data Call - Jan 4, 2006 06:14 PM (PR Newswire) Commercial 3G Network Used to Showcase HSDPA Evolution LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular didn't need any luck in Vegas today as it became the first wireless carrier in the world to complete a mobile data call using a 3.6Mbps (megabit per second) HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) device on its commercial 3G network. Cingular showcased its Las Vegas HSDPA network by carrying the live call using a laptop computer equipped with an Option Wireless PC Modem Card and QUALCOMM's MSM6280TM chipset. The company said it will showcase the potential of its network technology tonight at this year's Digital Experience event at the Bellagio hotel. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54459394 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 12:14:13 EST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: AT&T Rolls Out Internet TV in San Antonio USTelecom dailyLead January 5, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/BinwatagCGtUnREdow TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * AT&T rolls out Internet TV in San Antonio BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Microsoft tunes in video * Cincinnati Bell hangs on to its wireless business * France Telecom ends bid for Telindus * Sprint Nextel offers details about cable partnership * Google to offer video downloads, free software bundle * LG hooks up with Cingular to sell 3G phone USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * You're getting USTelecom dailyLead, but are you missing part of the story? TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Skype teams with Netgear for Wi-Fi phone * Q-and-A: Microsoft's grand IPTV vision * Survey takes an inside look at IMS deployment * T-Mobile to sell its own line of laptops Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/BinwatagCGtUnREdow ------------------------------ Subject: Cellular-News for Thursday 5th January 2006 Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 07:40:37 -0600 From: Cellular-News Cellular-News - http://www.cellular-news.com [[ 3G ]] Embedded EV-DO Cards in Laptops the Cheapest - report http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15451.php iGillottResearch has published a report studying the total cost of ownership (TCO) models for wireless and mobile devices. Each TCO model focused on different types of deployments. The first modeled a wireless email implementation using new smartphon... [[ Financial ]] Colombia Wireline Cos Face Consolidaton As Mobile Cos Fly http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15439.php Sales reported last year by Colombia's three mobile telephone operators surpassed for the first time revenues from fixed-line companies, a segment under increasing pressure to consolidate. ... NTT DoCoMo: Considering Investing In Philippines PLDT http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15441.php Japan's NTT DoCoMo said Wednesday it is considering investing in Philippine Long Distance Telephone in a move that would strengthen its position in the mobile phone market there. ... Bouygues Telecom Pulls Out Of Tunisie Telecom Bidding http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15442.php Bouygues Telecom, the French telecommunications operator, Wednesday said it has pulled out of bidding for 35% of state-owned Tunisie Telecom. ... Brazil's Wireless Co Shares Rise On Weak Christmas Sales http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15444.php Shares in Brazil's wireless phone operators rose strongly on the Sao Paulo stock exchange, or Bovespa, Wednesday, despite ideas that Christmas sales were much lower than expected. ... Nokia Gets Antitrust Approval For Intellisync Buy http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15445.php Finnish telecommunications equipment maker Nokia Corp. received antitrust clearance from the Federal Trade Commission to buy Intellisync Corp. ... [[ Handsets ]] Nokia Launches 3 New Bluetooth Headsets http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15443.php Finland's Nokia said Wednesday it launches three Bluetooth headsets; the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-800, the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-900 and the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-200. ... US Handsets Sales to Reach US$16 Billion - report http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15448.php Factory sales of consumer electronics will reach a new high of US$135.4 billion in 2006, according to the Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) annual industry forecast. The 2006 projections, 2005 year-end figures and more are included in CEA's bi... USA Online Sales of Handsets Double Previous Year http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15450.php If the start of the 2005 online holiday shopping season compared to last year is any indication, it should be a lucrative one for the wireless industry. The average carrier site conversion rate more than doubled versus 2004 during the same 10 day tim... [[ Messaging ]] Courts Send SMS Reminders to Criminals to Pay Fines http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15452.php Magistrates' courts across England and Wales could soon send SMS's to fine evaders demanding they pay up, after the initiative was successfully used in one region recently. Courts are also looking at sending automated reminders by text, email or phon... [[ Mobile Content ]] Motorola Unveils New Radio Service For Cell Phones http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15440.php NEW YORK (AP)--Motorola, after nearly a year of vague pronouncements, unveiled Tuesday an ambitious music radio service for cell phones that also plays over car and home stereos. ... Content and Transparency Drive Wireless Connectivity http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15455.php Wireless subscribers want to access advanced services and download content. It started with texting and ringtones, then songs. Now video is beginning to arrive. Where it will end, nobody knows, but one thing is certain... most consumers, except hardc... [[ Network Contracts ]] Azure Deploys Billing Platform in Pakistan http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15447.php Azure Solutions has announced that Telenor Pakistan has implemented it's interconnect billing solution to provide billing and rating for its LDI (Long Distance International) services. Telenor secured a licence to provide mobile and international int... [[ Statistics ]] Finish Operator Sees Shrinking GSM Subscriber Base http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15449.php Finland's Saunalahti has reported that its GSM subscriptions decreased slightly during the fourth quarter of 2005. During October-December, the number of GSM subscriptions decreased by approximately 5,000 and amounted to 478,973 at the end of Decembe... [[ Technology ]] Actix Wins Chinese CDMA Test Contract http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15446.php Actix says that it has reached agreement with China's ZTE for the support of ZTE's CDMA drive test tools. Under the five-year contract, ZTE customers worldwide will be able to use Actix software solutions to streamline the planning, roll-out, trouble... First Single-Chip Mobile TV Solution Shipping http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15453.php Texas Instruments has announced that initial Hollywood DTV single-chip solutions for mobile phones are now being delivered to TI's customers who manufacture handsets worldwide. TI's Hollywood chips are the first in the industry to integrate the mobil... Super-Sized SD memory Cards Due Shortly http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15454.php The SD Card Association (SDA) says that it expects to finalize specifications for a new, high-capacity SD Memory Card -- the SDHC Memory Card -- in early 2006. The new specification will expand SD card capacity beyond 2GB, to meet the memory-hungry r... ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 20:47:08 EST Subject: Re: Penn Central In a message dated 3 Jan 2006 10:02:00 -0800, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes: > As an aside, the Pennsyslvania Railroad had a sophisticated telephone > system, with its own toll test switchboards. I believe railroads were > one of the types that were allowed to own their own telephone gear and > maintain it themselves and still connect to the Bell System. "Right-of-way" companies were able to connect with the Bell System (and other telephone companies) this way. In fact, when the Santa Fe freight station in Oklahoma City burned down they built a new freight station in a location further out in an industrial district (and more accessible to trucks, too). They wanted to keep the same numbers (the new location was not in the same central office area) so they connected with the Bell lines at their old location, extended the loops to the new location over their own facilities, and the Bell phones were connected to them at the new location. "Right-of-way companies" were those that had their own right of way and communications facilities. Railroads and pipeline companies made up most of the "right-of-way" companies, but undoubtedly there were others. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com ------------------------------ From: Al Gillis Subject: Re: Penn Central Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 19:28:28 -0800 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com (See my note 'way at the bottom!) wrote in message news:telecom25.4.5@telecom-digest.org: > Seth Breidbart wrote: >>> The Penn Central Railway, just to name one example, ran so well "by >>> itself", that it drove itself into bankruptcy, and liquidation. The >>> vast sums that they lost on passenger rail service were a direct >>> contributing factor. >> Actually, it didn't do so badly until it was looted by corrupt >> management. > A close look at the record does not support that. A key book is "The > Wreck of the Penn Central". The authors, two newspaper reporters, > took a muckraking approach and clearly felt the bankruptcy was totally > management's fault. However, they at least included details of other > circumstances that were actually the real reasons for bankruptcy. > (The authors chose to emphasize different issues). > Note that: > -- The key PC personnel didn't get rich. The head guy, Saunders, lost a > lot of money and prestige. > -- The bankruptcy was aggresively investigated and no criminal > wrongdoing was found. > -- As a result of the bankruptcy laws were changed to eliminate the > problems the PC had. Passenger service, both local and long distance, > was transferred to govt agencies. (PC lost a tremendous amount of > money on psgr service). Abandonments of unprofitable segments and > better rate making was deregulated by the Staggers Act. > -- Keep in mind there is a big difference between bad decisions and > criminal decisions by management. Bad decisions is not "looting". > -- Unlike modern corporations where assets are mostly paper and the guts > are hidden, the physical plant of the Penn Central was wide open for > everyone to see, and it was obvious it was lousy. Everybody was stuck > on the legends of the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central and > ignored the reality that both railroads were in terrible physical > condition and were losing money at the time of the merger. It amazes > me how Wall Street ignores--good and bad--the actual condition of a > company. (A friend told me a utility was undervalued by Wall Street > and to buy it. He was right, the stock doubled soon after I bought it. > Too bad I only bought a little so even though I doubled my money my > actual gain wasn't that much.) > As an aside, the Pennsyslvania Railroad had a sophisticated telephone > system, with its own toll test switchboards. I believe railroads were > one of the types that were allowed to own their own telephone gear and > maintain it themselves and still connect to the Bell System. After > Amtrak and Conrail came in the system was replaced with modern stuff. > Tiny modern brown 2554 Touch Tone wall sets replaced big old style > phones and Teletype 40 series CRTs replaced the old green impact > printers. Amtrak used Control Data computers and CRT screens. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Baltimore & Ohio and Santa Fe Railroads > each had their own telephone network as well. PAT] And let's not forget about the Southern Pacific Railroad (or was it the Southern Pacific Railway?)... As the story has it they were the ones who thought up SPRINT! Al [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The outhern

acific ailroad nternal etwork elecommunications Department of that railroad -- or S.P.R.I.N.T. for short -- did a major re-build of their trackside telephone system in the late 1960's. They did such a good job of it, they had a huge anount of left-over capacity and decided to lease it out to other businesses and companies. That was the original Sprint, which a few years later got into residential telecom service as well, and has now -- 2005 -- gone through many changes in ownership and management. About 1998 or so, Sprint bought the United Telephone Company which serves a lot of northern Kansas among other territories. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Al Gillis Subject: Two Things ... (was Re: The Hazards of Instant Communication) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 17:57:34 -0800 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com wrote in message news:telecom25.5.5@telecom-digest.org: > By now you've probably heard the sad story that the WV miners, > originally thought to be ok, were in fact not. It appears this was a > communications misinterpretation. One report, 1010 newsradio said > cell phone conversations and relayed to the public before they were > confirmed and properly interpreted. > In reading this morning's newspaper closely, I note the headline "12 > are alive" was quoted from family member statements, not officials. > Further, the official comments were pessimistic. I also note that the > premise that the men were alive was based simply that they couldn't > find them, not that they had any contact with them which is really > what would be needed. Not having a body proves nothing. > I mention this because of today's passion for "instant" news. In > another thread, a poster was glad to be bypassing established > companies in getting music out; others are glad to bypass established > news organizations. > But instant news is not news. It is raw data. Raw data in itself is > meaningless, indeed dangerous. News is the _intepretation_ and > _compilation_ of raw data. Let's look at a classic example. > When FDR ran for election, a telephone poll predicted he'd lose. He > won by a landslide. Why was the poll so wrong? Because it was a > telephone poll and at that time those who had telephones were not > representative Americans; they were more affluent and more likely to > vote for Hoover. > We all know the famous Truman victory where everyone just "knew" Dewey > would win. They "knew" wrong. > When breaking news happens, there is tremendous misinformation. > Individual witnesses can be notoriously unreliable and possibly > biased. (People who didn't see anything will claim that they did just > to be on TV and get some attention.) In our discussion about the > stranded Amtrak train, my newspaper reported that the train was indeed > resupplied with food and sudry, yet others asserted there were no > supplies at all. So, who was right? (I believe the train was indeed > resupplied). > A good news organization takes the reports from various sources and > assembles it together. Contradictory information is re-checked. > Historical and situational background is checked and matched against > the story and contradictions again resolved -- this step is critical > toward defining and reporting a story accurately. Individuals at home > receiving snippets from the Internet are not getting the full story at > all, yet they think they are. Yes, I know news organizations are not > perfect, but it is better than no checking at all. > [public replies please] > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That report from West Virginia was one > of the saddest things I have ever read. WV, one of the poorest states > in the union earns much of its living in the coal mines, a dirty job > and dangerous by anyone's standards. Wasn't there a popular song > several years ago which went (something like this} "Work (some amount) > of hours, and what do you get, another day older and deeper in debt; > Saint Peter don't you call me cause I can't go; I owe my soul to the > company store.". A lot of WV people are grieving today since this > incident. The really cruel part of the whole thing was how the folks > were at first told that 'their men were all okay', only to find out > the sad, bitter truth later on. The hassle though is not in getting > the news too fast or too slow, but getting it _accurately_ whenever > it arrives. > That famous headline "Dewey Wins" in the Chicago Tribune was a good > example of rushing things through but getting it wrong. According to > Tribune historical accounts of that incident, the newspaper was on > strike at the time; some division of the multitude of unions which > _used to be involved_ in putting together newspapers (linotype oper- > atorss perhaps?) had been on a work stoppage for several days. > Management was attempting to do that job function and the reporters > had put together _two different_ front pages; one for "Truman Wins" > and one for "Dewey Wins" so they could be ready to slide the proper > front page into place at the last minute and start the press run. They > were under a lot of pressure at the Tribune at that time, due to the > strike and the lateness of the election results and the paper's own > publishing deadline. When it seemed 'almost certain' that Dewey was > going to win, they went to press _but with the wrong front page_. I > have seen a photo many times of President Truman holding up a copy > of the Tribune front page -- in that early edition -- it was hastily > corrected by the time the next edition came out about two hours > later -- saying "Dewey Wins". The early edition was supposed to say > "(whoever)wins, election results to follow in next edition". Although > the story was quite simple and short, just the headline and a few very > sketchy details, it has been a source of embarassment for them ever > since. PAT] Thing One ... Thinking of the Truman "Dewey Wins" photo mentioned above I took a photo of the two newspaper boxes outside our employee entrance this morning. On one paper, the USA Today, the headline says 12 miners were alive. Just to it's left the Portland Oregonian headline says 12 were dead. Although the event itself was sad and horrifying I thought the juxtaposition of the two headlines was interesting. (And I'm feeling badly for those the miners left behind). Thing Two... The song Pat recalled for us was Tennessee Ernie Ford singing "Sixteen Tons". Want to memorize the lyrics? Check this: http://www.qlyrics.com/tennessee_ernie_ford/sixteen_tons/. Al ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 22:56:14 EST From: Danny Burstein Subject: Sixteen Tons ... (was Re: the Hazards of Instant Communications) > and dangerous by anyone's standards. Wasn't there a popular song > several years ago which went (something like this} "Work (some amount) > of hours, and what do you get, another day older and deeper in debt; > Saint Peter don't you call me cause I can't go; I owe my soul to the > company store.".... The song is "Sixteen Tons" by Tennesee Ernie Ford. For a modern video takeoff on it, used by General Electic in an advertisment, check out: http://www.panix.com/~dannyb/video/16-tons-cdr.mov _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: The Hazards of Instant Communication Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 07:25:14 -0500 From: Michael Quinn My comments are below PAT's. TELECOM Digest Editor noted: > That report from West Virginia was one of the saddest things I have > ever read. WV, one of the poorest states in the union earns much of > its living in the coal mines, a dirty job and dangerous by anyone's > standards. Wasn't there a popular song several years ago which went > (something like this} "Work (some amount) of hours, and what do you > get, another day older and deeper in debt; Saint Peter don't you > call me cause I can't go; I owe my soul to the company store. Our thoughts and prayers are with the community and families of Sago WV; an undeniable tragedy. The song to which PAT alludes above is "Sixteen Tons" and was written by Merle Travis, and subsequently popularized by Tennessee Ernie Ford in the 50s. The words are worth reading and reflecting on to this day: "Some people say a man is made outta mud A poor man's made outta muscle and blood Muscle and blood and skin and bones A mind that's a-weak and a back that's strong You load sixteen tons, what do you get Another day older and deeper in debt Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go I owe my soul to the company store I was born one mornin' when the sun didn't shine I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal And the straw boss said "Well, a-bless my soul" You load sixteen tons, what do you get Another day older and deeper in debt Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go I owe my soul to the company store" The balance of the lyrics and an interesting history of the song is at: http://www.ernieford.com/Sixteen Tons.htm The poignancy of unofficial word reaching familiy members by news, cell phone, email, text messages, etc before official notification is played out every day in our military, be it peacetime or wartime casualties, and our cities and highways. There's no going back that I can see though. No one with a relative in potential harm's way answers a phone these days without at least slight trepidation. Hope the rest of the New Year gets better. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Its really hard to say about the rest of this new year, when you consider how rough the last two years have been right at the very start at least: 2004/05 at New Year's brought us the tsuami in Asia and all kinds of violence in Iraq which continued throughout the year. In the new year now going on, we started with (a) California mudslides and flooding [although apparently 'typical' for parts of California, still a bit extreme, IMO] and (b) lots of fires raging in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico and (c)the coal mine disaster in West Virginia; additionally (d) continued violence in Iraq with over a hundred American troops killed; all that between the first and the fourth of January. On a more local note (you would not have seen it in your newspapers, although it was in the Independence Reporter) a young, 23 year old man committed suicide here in our town on December 31. Apparently his 'farewell note' said simply that "things in the world are just to screwed up for me." I did not know him -- never met him but how I wish that _someone_ had been able to reach him in time. Just anyone, someone who could have made an emergency interven- tion. The newspaper said Independence EMS had found him at his home southwest side of town, a young man named Christopher Bates, originally from Bartlesville, OK. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: The Hazards of Instant Communication Date: 5 Jan 2006 10:57:43 -0800 > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That report from West Virginia was one > of the saddest things I have ever read. WV, one of the poorest states > in the union earns much of its living in the coal mines, a dirty job > and dangerous by anyone's standards. The papers reported that coal mining is far safer than it once was through many inspections and safety procedures. It is still dangerous work. Old-line coal mining towns (like in Penna and WV) are quite poor because of the low demand for coal. Coal is dirty stuff compared to other fuels, coal even is slightly radioactive and spews radon in the air. Other reports mention that there are other very dangerous occupations than coal mining. They are late night convenience store, fast food, and gas station attendants, who are frequent victims of robbery/murder. We don't hear about them as much as they happen one at a time scattered throughout the country, but their frequency is alarming. In Camden NJ, one of the nation's poorer cities, there is a highway lined with gas stations, porn stores, and sleazy motels. The gas station attendants working overnight are frequently robbed and killed. My local convenience store used to give the cops free coffee and I saw no problem with it; it was good to have the cops around being very visible and available to people, esp late at night. (As a patron, I felt better). But someone made a stink about it, and now the cops pay for their stuff and take their breaks elsewhere more discretely. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Same thing happened in Chicago. Police officers were allowed to ride CTA busses and trains for free. Someone one day, with their head in the clouds made a stink about it, and police were told they had to start paying fares, so most of them quit riding busses/trains and taking their own cars instead. Criminals saw that and said "it is now safe for _us_ to ride the trains again". Talk about dumb. we definitly _needed_ police riding on the trains. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Payphone Surcharges (was: Unanswered Cellphones) Date: 5 Jan 2006 10:48:03 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I think Seth was making the unwarranted > assumption that everyone is as sophisticated on telecom topics as he > is. Despite all the years I have talked telecom, sadly most folks are > only (at best) slightly more knowlegeable about telephony than they > were pre-divestiture. PAT] Most people have lives to live and can't be bothered with pricing nuances. Unscruplus businesses take full advantage of that fact to defraud people. Apparently the other poster thinks it is perfectly reasonable for purchasers to study, understand, and memorize the fine print so many businesses put nowadays. I think that's an insult to people. What's particular galling is that this is a change from traditional service. My mother tended to prefer shopping with large, established organizations even if they cost more. If she dealt with smaller or newer outfits, she was very careful. She grew up in a time before government regulation of labels when a merchant could claim anything he wanted about a product's composition or weights and measures could be suspect (the old "thumb on the butcher's scale" trick). She never brought ground beef, but rather had the butcher do it for her. This way she got less fat. (Unfortunately, her lean hamburgers, while healthier, weren't very tasty). Anyway, in today's mega merger world we've seen a return of sleazy business practices once performed in my mother's day but ended by law. That is sad. It's bad enough they charge us $25 for a pay phone LD call, it's worse they hide it from us. Frankly I have no use for anyone who would defend that practice. As to pay phones, like other divesture services the new players want the candle lit on both ends. They want the freedom to charge whatever they want (no regulation), yet they want forced inclusion (continue regulation) into existing services. So, some sleazy pay phone operator -- who otherwise would never be dealt with -- is mandated to be included. One solution is very simple -- mandate every pay phone have a mounted rate card for LD calls from that phone. Every other retail business does it. (And make the LD carrier serving that phone be the responsible party). I can hear the screaming now. Pay phones historically didn't need long distance price lists because all rates were strictly regulated and were modest. Even in the early years after divesture, when AT&T began to raise operator handling charges, they weren't too bad. The initial period cost might be high, but subsequent time was still at a low rate. A dollar for three minutes is not $25 for one minute. A basic premise of technology is to make things _easier_ for humans. A Touch Tone pad is easier than a rotary dial. A CD player is easier than a phonograph. BUT, dialing an extra 11 digits before making a phone call is NOT easier. It is harder. Adding to the confusion is the original plan of labeling the long distance carrier on the phone (this is what tripped me up). I presumed, quite naturally, that if the LD carrier was the default on the payphone, it wouldn't be necessary to dial a separate access number. Further, originally, LD carrier access numbers were the 10+ code, which I used to use and presumed was adequate. It's not. I found out the hard way that one had to dial the 800 number as well as other considerations. I also was misquoted rates numerous times. I also want to note that my Bell issued calling card number remained unchanged long after disvesture (until I disconnected the phone it was tied to two years ago). Until things got out of hand, I would get charged a surcharge for a calling card call -- which I expected -- but this surcharge was modest. Frankly, I didn't know who had my calling card -- local Bell or AT&T -- but I didn't care since it worked fine on either type of call. I had used standard Bell payphones with AT&T LD service only. ------------------------------ From: henry999@eircom.net (Henry) Subject: Re: Another Year, Another Volume of the Digest Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 14:16:23 +0200 Organization: Elisa Internet customer > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But just as on January 4, if you were > born on January 1 you would not say "I am a year old" neither can > you claim to be 25 years old if that won't happen until August. In > other words, 1/4/2006 less 8/11/1981 results in a difference of 24 > years, 7 months and 1 week (more or less, I am too tired to calculate > it to the minute right now. We could tighten it up a bit closer if > we took the telecom-related messages which appeared in _Human Nets_ > during May through July, 1981 and the first two 'test mailings' which > went out to the telecom list in August and said those were 'really > part of the Digest' as well. But we cannot say that, and I will use > the cover date on the first issue as the starting point. A lot of > water under the bridge since then, but we have to have some reference > point to work with. PAT] But Bob's point (I think) is that from _volume_ 1 to _volume_ 26 is not a measurement of elapsed time but a cumulative _count_. 'How many days are there in January?' 'Well, let's see. The first day is the 1st and the last day is the 31st. So, if we subtract...one from 31...right, here we are: there are 30 days in January!' Cheers, Henry [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, Henry, when you subtract like that you are _always_ going to come out one short. And when you take a cumulative count you are _always_ going to come out ahead a little, the problem being you cannot make _assumptions_ about what is laying ahead, nor short-cut some portion of what happened in the past. Although I _expect_ three hours from now to be volunteering at the Thursday night community 'free' dinner at Epiphany Church here in Independence as I always do, there is no _guarentee_ of it as we know. 'Terrorists' may blow us all up sometime in the next couple hours, ending everything including this Digest. (Dubya, are you monitoring this email closely?) or I may have another heart attack or stroke. I will say it is 25 years if/when we get to that point. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2005-06 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #6 **************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Jan 6 13:55:59 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 4221414EDA; Fri, 6 Jan 2006 13:55:59 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #7 Message-Id: <20060106185559.4221414EDA@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 13:55:59 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.7 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 5 Jan 2006 23:26:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 7 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Verizon Wireless Unveils Wireless Music Store (Sinead Carew) Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (Bob Alan) Butt-Set Recommendation (Jason Brault) Re: Payphone Surcharges (was: Unanswered Cellphones) (Seth Breidbart) Re: Unanswered Calls to Cell Phones? (Seth Breidbart) Re: Penn Central (Tony P.) Sprint (was Re: Penn Central) (Al Gillis) Difficulty With Issue 6 (GarsDuBell@aol.com) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Sinead Carew Subject: Verizon Wireless Unveils Wireless Music Store Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 20:45:10 -0600 By Sinead Carew Verizon Wireless on Thursday announced a music download service for its subscribers with a catalog of 1 million songs, going head to head with its biggest rival, Sprint Nextel Corp., which launched a similar service last year. Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. cell phone provider, said it would charge $1.99 a song for wireless downloads and 99 cents a song if the customer downloads the song on a personal computer first. Sprint Nextel, which launched its music service late last year, charges about $2.50 per song. Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc . Verizon Wireless Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam said music would be the company's most important source of revenue growth for data services. Data services represents about 8 percent of revenue. "I think this will double data as a percentage of revenue in the next two to three years," McAdam told Reuters. Verizon Chief Executive Officer Denny Strigl cited analyst estimates for music to represent about $3 billion of revenue for the wireless industry in about four years -- marking a huge opportunity for the company. McAdam also said he believes Verizon's current pricing models for music would be appropriate for the next 12 months but could change after that. He said possible changes for the service that runs on Microsoft's Media Player software could include a subscription model or charging different rates for different phones, depending on agreements with its music partners. Verizon Wireless and its rivals are trying to get subscribers to use their phones for everything from watching video clips to surfing the Web, with the aim of growing revenue even as the price of phone calls falls. Verizon Wireless said it would kick off the music download service, which will work on its high-speed network covering about half the population, on January 16. Consumers will be able to search or browse for music on their personal computers or on their phones through the new service, which also offers the option of providing text message alerts when a favorite performer has released a new album. Verizon Wireless said it expects to have a music catalog of about 1 million songs from the major music labels. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and stories from the daily media, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Reply-To: Bob Alan From: Bob Alan Subject: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 15:08:04 -0500 Organization: Cox Communications Hello, I recently switched to VOIP but kept my old POTS line for back-up. I use the VOIP for all my LD calls. Am I correct that even though I'm not using my 3rd party LD provider that I had with my POTS service that I'm still paying some form of a month connection fee to the POTS provider? Any idea what the fee is called. Thanks for any advice. Bob [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What does the monthly bill from your local telco say about it? If you are getting some sort of monthly recurring minimum charge, then that third-party LD carrier _is_ charging you. But there are many who do not charge unless you actually use them. Now, there is a 'network connection fee' your local telco charges, or a 'universal access fee' but those things are purely your local telco gouging you, under cover of the law, for extra fees. If you go a month or two and do not see any sort of 'minimum use charge' on your long distance bill then I guess they are not charging anything. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 14:43:38 -0600 From: Jason Brault Subject: Butt-Set Recommendation Hi Telecom Gurus! Forgive my asking what appears to be a somewhat frequently asked question, but I need some direction in choosing a test set (Butt-Set) for work, and all the previous info I've found hasn't helped. To give you an idea of what I do, I'm a telco administrator (HAHA, that's the title, I'm really a telco trainee at the moment) for my company, which makes open die steel forgings. So, first off I'm not working for any kind of telecommunications company. However, we do do a lot (virtually all) of our in house wiring and troubleshooting ourselves. So far, in my time in this position, I've worked on loop and ground start COs, T1s (PRIs), as well as our phone system, which is ISDN to each desk phone (a TDM PBX). Seemingly here in Verizon land, our ground start COs are always having some kind of an issue ... I swear cross with battery is haunting my dreams. My question is this, what kind of a test set should I get in order to reasonably perform all the testing I need. I'm sure a basic, entry level set like the TS19 from Harris would do what I need, but where I get confused is all of the data protection and data lockout features that the more advanced sets offer (everything from the TS20's to the TS44DLX). Are these features something I could really use, or perhapse are they not enough? Or are they for a telco technician who will be using it all the time, and coul= d potentially tie into some serious voltage on a lie that would make T1s look like child's play? What have you run into in your jobs that have turned out indispensable, or something you wish you'd gotten originally? Any direction would be much appreciate, and thanks for your time! Best Regards, -Jason Brault ------------------------------ From: sethb@panix.com (Seth Breidbart) Subject: Re: Payphone Surcharges (was Unanswered Cellphones) Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 01:17:30 UTC Organization: Society for the Promulgation of Cruelty to the Clueless In article , wrote: > Seth Breidbart wrote: >> It wasn't the owner of the payphone who forced you to make those >> notifications, right? Whoever forced you to call your employer and >> your sister is the one who extorted you. > That's a rather odd way of looking at the situation, don't you think? Nope. You claimed extortion, which involves force. I suggest that whoever _forced_ you to do something is the one who performed the extortion. > Are you saying it is unusual for a person to call other family members > when someone gets sick? Are you saying it is unusual to call your > employer when you will be delayed reporting to work? No, I'm not saying that those things are _unusual_. What does usualness have to do with _extortion_? >> So the problem was your own ignorance. > In most other retail services your attitude would grounds for > government action. Oh, my ground meat has 75% filler in it? Well, > you should've known about it, shouldn't you? Contents of ground meat are specified by law (including maximum amount of fat). > Oh, my gasoline is 80 octaine? Well, you should've known about it, > shouldn't you? The sign at the pump says so. Why didn't you read it? > In other retail services the price is on the item or the shelf. Yet > in pay phones the price is nowhere to be found. You must use a different kind of payphone than all the ones I've seen. Those list their prices (for local calls, and tell you how to get the prices for other calls). > Sorry, but I don't buy your argument that the consumer should > already know. I thought your complaint was about the price your calling card charged, not the phone. >>> Interesting how you put it. Let's be clear about something. Until >>> divesture, making a phone call was indeed a right under the philosophy >>> of universal telephone service. >> It was a _goal_, not a _right_. And even then, payphones weren't part >> of it. > It was indeed a _right_, codified by national policy by rates set by > the FCC and local PUCs. And if you couldn't make a phone call, did somebody go to jail for violating your rights? Policy is a _goal_. > Rate averaging and universal service. Some > payphones were very costly, some were very profitable, but all > payphones in an area charged the exact same rate by law, Which law? Actually, the rates were set by filed _tariff_. I believe that the phone company didn't try to file tariffs specifying different rates for different locations. > inter-state calls all paid the same rate. Further, rates were > available in advance from an easily reached operator always on duty. Did you ask for the rate you'd get using your calling card? Seth [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I think Lisa may have used the word 'extorted' in a loose, general way. You need to understand, Seth, that we do not all speak the Queen's English in everything we say. Part of the fun in our conversations is that we do not need to measure-every- single-word-before-we-use-it. I think almost everyone knows the 'general, everyday casual' use of the word 'extort'. But for those of you who do not, or who wish to make an issue out of the words we use rather than deal with the concept/opinion presented, in this ouvre you are reading now, most readers would generally take 'extort' to mean not only physical force used, or a gun to your head (the most severe forms of extortion, I grant you) but additionally the simple act of arranging things so that if the customer does not 'follow along' with a plan presented, i.e. use _my_ telephone for ten dollars because I do not permit cell phones in my establishment or because I do not permit (by virtue of re-routing the call) the use of _your_ calling card or _your_ toll free number, it simply becomes very inconvenient for the customer to do otherwise. Its not that we could not walk some distance on a cold, snowy night to find a telephone which would respond as we desired, nor do we have any _legal_ right to have a phone wired to our pleasure at our beck and call. And realistically Seth, people do not read; they approach certain situations in life pre-conditioned, to 'know what to expect'. I hope you can deal with that lack of perfection in many people around you. PAT] ------------------------------ From: sethb@panix.com (Seth Breidbart) Subject: Re: Unanswered Calls to Cell Phones? Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 01:23:11 UTC Organization: Society for the Promulgation of Cruelty to the Clueless In article , wrote: > John Levine wrote: >> No extortion involved. If someone held a gun to your head or >> otherwise forced you to use the payphone, it would be extortion. >> Since you choose to use a payphone, you choose to absorb that cost. A >> cost, which is regulated, and which helps telcos continue to run pay >> phones at all, since they're not generally considered profitable >> anymore, at least around here. > Utter nonsense. It IS extortion. > When you are in an emergency situation (ie in a hospital) and they > don't allow cellphone use or you don't have one, you indeed are forced > to use their phone and pay their charges. No, you are not forced to use their phone. I've been in a hospital where they didn't allow cellphone use. I wasn't forced to use their phone. If you want Chinese food at 3 AM, and the only Chinese restaurant in your neighborhood that's open at 3 AM charges a lot, is that extortion? Nobody is _forcing_ you to buy their food. > As others pointed out, all charges the customer pays on a pay phone > are UNREGULATED. The pay phone provider can charge you whatever you > wish. Just like almost every other business. > Unlike normal businesses, pay phone providers do not have to tell you > their prices; They don't? Did you ask? > you only find out a month later when you get the bill. When I use a pay phone, I put money in. I know the price at the time I put the money in, it's the amount of money I put in. If I want to charge the call to something else (a calling card or credit card), I find out the charge first. I've never had difficulty doing that. Seth [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: No, I am sure you have not, because you try to read and study up on the circumstances around you. But you are one of the few members of the public which go to that effort, particularly when in a personal emotional crises (a relative rushed to the hospital, DOA for example, or someone runs out of gas on the highway and rushes into a highway convenience store trying to find help. You know, it sounds to me like you are just _too perfect_ for the rest of us. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: Penn Central Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 19:00:37 -0500 In article , alg@aracnet.com says: > (See my note 'way at the bottom!) > wrote in message > news:telecom25.4.5@telecom-digest.org: >> Seth Breidbart wrote: >>>> The Penn Central Railway, just to name one example, ran so well "by >>>> itself", that it drove itself into bankruptcy, and liquidation. The >>>> vast sums that they lost on passenger rail service were a direct >>>> contributing factor. >>> Actually, it didn't do so badly until it was looted by corrupt >>> management. >> A close look at the record does not support that. A key book is "The >> Wreck of the Penn Central". The authors, two newspaper reporters, >> took a muckraking approach and clearly felt the bankruptcy was totally >> management's fault. However, they at least included details of other >> circumstances that were actually the real reasons for bankruptcy. >> (The authors chose to emphasize different issues). >> Note that: >> -- The key PC personnel didn't get rich. The head guy, Saunders, lost a >> lot of money and prestige. >> -- The bankruptcy was aggresively investigated and no criminal >> wrongdoing was found. >> -- As a result of the bankruptcy laws were changed to eliminate the >> problems the PC had. Passenger service, both local and long distance, >> was transferred to govt agencies. (PC lost a tremendous amount of >> money on psgr service). Abandonments of unprofitable segments and >> better rate making was deregulated by the Staggers Act. >> -- Keep in mind there is a big difference between bad decisions and >> criminal decisions by management. Bad decisions is not "looting". >> -- Unlike modern corporations where assets are mostly paper and the >> guts are hidden, the physical plant of the Penn Central was wide >> open for everyone to see, and it was obvious it was lousy. >> Everybody was stuck on the legends of the Pennsylvania Railroad and >> New York Central and ignored the reality that both railroads were >> in terrible physical condition and were losing money at the time of >> the merger. It amazes me how Wall Street ignores -- good and bad >> -- the actual condition of a company. (A friend told me a utility >> was undervalued by Wall Street and to buy it. He was right, the >> stock doubled soon after I bought it. >> Too bad I only bought a little so even though I doubled my money my >> actual gain wasn't that much.) >> As an aside, the Pennsyslvania Railroad had a sophisticated telephone >> system, with its own toll test switchboards. I believe railroads were >> one of the types that were allowed to own their own telephone gear and >> maintain it themselves and still connect to the Bell System. After >> Amtrak and Conrail came in the system was replaced with modern stuff. >> Tiny modern brown 2554 Touch Tone wall sets replaced big old style >> phones and Teletype 40 series CRTs replaced the old green impact >> printers. Amtrak used Control Data computers and CRT screens. >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Baltimore & Ohio and Santa Fe Railroads >> each had their own telephone network as well. PAT] > And let's not forget about the Southern Pacific Railroad (or was it > the Southern Pacific Railway?)... As the story has it they were the > ones who thought up SPRINT! > Al > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The *S*outhern *P*acific *R*ailroad > *I*nternal *N*etwork *T*elecommunications Department of that railroad > -- or S.P.R.I.N.T. for short -- did a major re-build of their > trackside telephone system in the late 1960's. They did such a good > job of it, they had a huge anount of left-over capacity and decided > to lease it out to other businesses and companies. That was the > original Sprint, which a few years later got into residential telecom > service as well, and has now -- 2005 -- gone through many changes in > ownership and management. About 1998 or so, Sprint bought the United > Telephone Company which serves a lot of northern Kansas among other > territories. PAT] They also serve a good chunk of central Florida too. ------------------------------ From: Al Gillis Subject: Sprint was: Penn Central) Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 18:22:51 -0800 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Al Gillis wrote in message news:telecom25.6.14@telecom-digest.org: > (See my note 'way at the bottom!) > wrote in message > news:telecom25.4.5@telecom-digest.org: >> Seth Breidbart wrote: >>>> The Penn Central Railway, just to name one example, ran so well "by >>>> itself", that it drove itself into bankruptcy, and liquidation. The >>>> vast sums that they lost on passenger rail service were a direct >>>> contributing factor. >>> Actually, it didn't do so badly until it was looted by corrupt >>> management. >> A close look at the record does not support that. A key book is "The >> Wreck of the Penn Central". The authors, two newspaper reporters, >> took a muckraking approach and clearly felt the bankruptcy was totally >> management's fault. However, they at least included details of other >> circumstances that were actually the real reasons for bankruptcy. >> (The authors chose to emphasize different issues). >> Note that: >> -- The key PC personnel didn't get rich. The head guy, Saunders, lost a >> lot of money and prestige. >> -- The bankruptcy was aggresively investigated and no criminal >> wrongdoing was found. >> -- As a result of the bankruptcy laws were changed to eliminate the >> problems the PC had. Passenger service, both local and long distance, >> was transferred to govt agencies. (PC lost a tremendous amount of >> money on psgr service). Abandonments of unprofitable segments and >> better rate making was deregulated by the Staggers Act. >> -- Keep in mind there is a big difference between bad decisions and >> criminal decisions by management. Bad decisions is not "looting". >> -- Unlike modern corporations where assets are mostly paper and the guts >> are hidden, the physical plant of the Penn Central was wide open for >> everyone to see, and it was obvious it was lousy. Everybody was stuck >> on the legends of the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central and >> ignored the reality that both railroads were in terrible physical >> condition and were losing money at the time of the merger. It amazes >> me how Wall Street ignores--good and bad--the actual condition of a >> company. (A friend told me a utility was undervalued by Wall Street >> and to buy it. He was right, the stock doubled soon after I bought it. >> Too bad I only bought a little so even though I doubled my money my >> actual gain wasn't that much.) >> As an aside, the Pennsyslvania Railroad had a sophisticated telephone >> system, with its own toll test switchboards. I believe railroads were >> one of the types that were allowed to own their own telephone gear and >> maintain it themselves and still connect to the Bell System. After >> Amtrak and Conrail came in the system was replaced with modern stuff. >> Tiny modern brown 2554 Touch Tone wall sets replaced big old style >> phones and Teletype 40 series CRTs replaced the old green impact >> printers. Amtrak used Control Data computers and CRT screens. >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Baltimore & Ohio and Santa Fe Railroads >> each had their own telephone network as well. PAT] > And let's not forget about the Southern Pacific Railroad (or was it > the Southern Pacific Railway?)... As the story has it they were the > ones who thought up SPRINT! > Al > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The (S)outhern (P)acific (R)ailroad > (I)nternal (N)etwork (T)elecommunications Department of that railroad > -- or S.P.R.I.N.T. for short -- did a major re-build of their > trackside telephone system in the late 1960's. They did such a good > job of it, they had a huge anount of left-over capacity and decided > to lease it out to other businesses and companies. That was the > original Sprint, which a few years later got into residential telecom > service as well, and has now -- 2005 -- gone through many changes in > ownership and management. About 1998 or so, Sprint bought the United > Telephone Company which serves a lot of northern Kansas among other > territories. PAT] BZZZZZT! Sorry, Pat, it was the other way around! United Telephone, based in the Kanasa City, KS area (maybe Overland Park) bought SPRINT and then assumed the name, much like the recent changes at SBC/AT&T. United Telephone owned numerous local operating telephone companys around the US of A. In my area it was United Telephone of the Northwest. There was a United Telephone of Ohio, United Telephone of Florida, and others with the "United Telephone of..." name. There were still others as well, like Carolina Telephone, which operated in North and South Carolina. Possibly the largest city in SPRINT's stable in Las Vegas, NV. Al ------------------------------ From: GarsDuBell@aol.com Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 19:40:01 EST Subject: Errors in Issue 6 Pat, The second half of V25 #6 is in a different font with a line through the text. See below: Can you resend it? Thanks. David Willingham In a message dated 1/5/2006 3:32:58 PM Eastern Standard Time, editor@telecom-digest.org writes: > And let's not forget about the Southern Pacific Railroad (or was it > the Southern Pacific Railway?)... As the story has it they were the > ones who thought up SPRINT! > Al > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'The outhern acific Railroad nternal' > Network Telecommunications Department of that railroad -- or > S.P.R.I.N.T. for short -- did a major re-build of their trackside > telephone system in the late 1960's. They did such a good job of it, > they had a huge anount of left-over capacity and decided to lease it > out to other businesses and companies. That was the original Sprint, > which a few years later got into residential telecom service as well, > and has now -- 2005 -- gone through many changes in ownership and > management. About 1998 or so, Sprint bought the United Telephone > Company which serves a lot of northern Kansas among other territories. > PAT] [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well! The absence of the _S_ and _P_ in 'Southern Pacific' and the absence of the _I_ in 'Internal' tells me what I did wrong. To make the first letters of each word to stand out demonstrating the meaning of 'SPRINT' I encased each of those first letters in greater-than/lesser-than symbols which is a no-no if some of the readers use an HTML reader. Those three letters, when encased in braces serve to make them 'control' characters or instruction for use in hypertext markup language. The _P_ when encased like that means to start a new paragraph, the _I_ when encased in those brackets means to change to italics and the _S_ I suspect means to 'strike out' what has been written. The _I_ and the _S_ conditions get cancelled when a forward slash is inserted before them, that is , the forward slash '/'causes the condition to be 'closed'. _P_ requires no closure. That is the reason (I think) why David Willingham's (and Lord only knows who else) copy of the last issue of the Digest went sour. It may have just been his copy of a browser which did it, or the version of AOL he has on his account, or maybe its because back in 1995 when I started a hypertext (.html) edition the Digest, I should have remembered that _never again_ would I be able to use '<' and '>' around letters by themselves in my ouvre each day, text-version be damned or whatever audience I was writing to as long as there was also an .html version of the ouvre going out. I have remailed a text-based version of issue 6 to David and if _your_ copy also went sour like that, let me know and I will remail a copy to you as well. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2005-06 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #7 **************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Jan 6 15:10:25 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 49ECA14E4B; Fri, 6 Jan 2006 15:10:25 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #8 Message-Id: <20060106201025.49ECA14E4B@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 15:10:25 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.6 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, NO_COST autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 6 Jan 2006 15:10:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 8 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Yahoo Launches Content Search (May Wong) Review: Video News Services on the Web are Plentiful (Anick Jesdanun) EchoStar's Dish Network Launches Nation's Largest HD Lineup (Monty Solomon) Cellular-News for Friday 6th January 2006 (Cellular-News) Verizon Completes $8.5B Merger With MCI (USTelecom dailyLead) Canadian Telecom Update #511 (John Riddle Angus Communications) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (John Stahl) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (BobT) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (John Levine) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (Mark Crispin) Re: Payphone Surcharges (was Unanswered Cellphones) (John Levine) Re: Slammed for 25 Grand (heyarnoldusa@yahoo.com) Re: Sprint (was Re: Penn Central) (Steven Lichter) Re: Bringing Prime Time to Video iPod (c901rg@hotmail.com) Re: Butt-Set Recommendation (Scott Dorsey) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: May Wong Subject: Yahoo Launches Content Search Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 01:40:35 -0600 By MAY WONG, AP Technology Writer Yahoo Inc. is expanding its presence beyond the PC, moving onto Web-enabled cell phones and other mobile devices so users can access their customized content while untethered. Yahoo Go Mobile, a new service set to be launched Friday at the International Consumer Electronics Show, is the latest example of the growing trend of get-your-information-anytime-anywhere. Many of the features and services that Yahoo has been amassing in recent years, beyond the e-mail already available on many so-called smartphones, can now follow its 400 million users wherever they go. Anyone with a Yahoo account can have their customized data they now get through the Web portal load itself into whichever device they carry. The information -- from news to restaurant reviews to personal contacts and appointments -- will be synchronized through whatever data network they may be using -- cellular or Wi-Fi, for example. Yahoo Go Mobile will work on any cellular network, but for now, only on Nokia's Series 60 line of smartphones. Support for additional mobile devices is planned. The product encompasses a new user interface designed to fit on the small screen of a smartphone. Instead of the plethora of links now viewable at once on a user's personalized Yahoo home page, Yahoo Go streamlines the main menu content into major categories such as search, mail, news and calendar, which users could then scroll through. Yahoo's music and video services is not yet available through Yahoo Go Mobile but may be added later, company officials said. The Yahoo Go application is downloadable for free at Yahoo's Web site. However, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Internet giant says it has also signed a deal with Nokia Corp. so the cell phone maker will be pre-installing the Yahoo Go program on select mobile devices. Cingular Wireless also plans to promote Yahoo Go. Yahoo is also working with Motorola Inc. to bring Yahoo Go to those phones, said Marco Boerries, senior vice president of Yahoo's "Connected Life" division. Bringing the service to Java-based phones will come later, but Boerries could not specify when. Another version of Yahoo Go for PC-connected televisions, called Yahoo Go TV, will be launched in coming months, the company said. It will similarly let Yahoo users access much of their personalized Web data as long as the TV is connected to the Internet. Unlike Yahoo Go Mobile, the TV version of the service will also include music and video content from Yahoo. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ From: Anick Jesdanun Subject: Review: Online News Video is Plentiful Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 01:42:43 -0600 By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer Online news video is plentiful: NBC, ABC and CBS all have Web editions of their evening news, and CNN recently launched a four-channel broadband network carrying feeds not available on its U.S. cable channels. Best of all, most of it is free. ABC and CNN offer more through subscription packages, but unless you're a news junkie you'll do fine with the free offerings from both networks, along with CBS, NBC and Fox News Channel. The bigger question is whether you have the time and patience to watch. Laurels go to ABC for offering a Web edition of the evening news hours BEFORE the TV newscast. CBS's version appears shortly after the East Coast broadcast while NBC, through MSNBC.com, simply runs the TV version minus commercials hours later. All three also break the news shows into segments available on-demand. Beyond the newscasts, free original video is rather limited. MSNBC updates news and business highlights all day, while CBS correspondents appear online long before their dispatches air on television. CBS also sometimes offers longer versions of interviews shown on TV. Fox has clips on lifestyle, travel and fitness as part of iMag, its Internet magazine. And you can often find live webcasts of press conferences and other breaking events for free throughout the day. In recent days, I got plenty on the coal mine tragedy. But for around-the-clock feeds, you have to pay. CNN's $25-a-year Pipeline offers four live feeds exclusive to the Web (considering that CNN International, one of those feeds evenings and weekends, isn't available on U.S. cable systems). One feed is anchored, the other three generally raw footage. Following a seaplane crash off Miami Beach last month, I got two or three simultaneous feeds of local television coverage, all of which differed from CNN cable. At the same time, another feed came from the Senate floor. But more isn't always better and some feeds came across as fillers. The other day, I got lengthy live video on Pipeline -- no audio -- from one spot overlooking New York's Central Park. The news peg? Preparations for New Year's Eve celebrations at Times Square about a mile away. ABC charges more -- $40 a year -- for ABC News Now, the network's digital answer to cable channels like CNN and Fox News. (It's free for paid subscribers of America Online, Comcast, SBC Yahoo or a number of other services). The ABC offering feels much more like television, with scheduled programming interrupted now and then by breaking news as well as commercials. The subscription also gets you previously broadcast "Nightline" and "World News Tonight" (the Web preview edition is free) and additional on-demand clips. CNN's subscription gets you its archived, ad-free versions of the free video and longer interviews shown only briefly for free or on TV. I'd go with CNN if you enjoy raw footage, ABC if you prefer news in a package. For all sites, video quality was tolerable, but television it is not. The screen is small, clips can take long to load and video stutters -- the picture freezes, and the sound cuts in and out. My office Internet connection could be at fault; video performed better at home, though that was during the low-traffic late evening period. I couldn't get MSNBC video to work on Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh computers. Error messages direct me to version 6 of the Internet Explorer browser, even though Microsoft Corp. never developed a version past 5.2.3 for the Mac. And on Microsoft's Windows computers, MSNBC's video generally fails on the competing Firefox browser. Microsoft happens to jointly own MSNBC.com with NBC. Hmmmm. (I should note that Microsoft and The Associated Press are planning an advertising-supported online video news network early this year, using Microsoft's technology.) Video from the other four networks worked on the Mac and on Firefox, but only CBS made its video explicitly available for both Microsoft's Windows Media Player and RealNetworks Inc.' RealPlayer. CBS and MSNBC both let you build your own newscast by adding any number of clips to a "to play" list. CBS's was slightly better, particularly on IE. CBS also lets you watch some clips from within the Web page, without opening a separate window for the video player. The featured clip changes as you move from section to section, story to story. ABC, CBS and Fox were best in sorting items by both category and news program; CBS, CNN and MSNBC let you search by keyword. Overall, CBS's offerings were the easiest to find and use. That said, I thought CBS promoted too much entertainment-related news segments within its player -- namely, the "Early Show" concerts and interviews with reality show castoffs. And CBS, along with Fox and ABC, also weren't as good about labeling their clips. MSNBC and CNN both stamped items with dates -- time of day would have been nice, too. Overall, I ran across many interesting clips, and it's good to know the video is available when I want it. But I didn't find any of it compelling enough to set aside time from my already busy day. Nor do I see any clear-cut winner among the free offerings. The beauty is you don't have to stick with one. The Internet is all about personal choice -- including the choice to tune out if you lack the attention span for online news video. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It is _not_ true that you have to pay for audio or video or printed news. Many times it is _totally free_ on the internet. For example, here at Telecom Digest, we have _many_ news feeds available with no charge, no registration, and no login require- ments. Whatever news you desire to read, hear or view, it is all available. Just go to http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra and look at all the various categories, ranging from Associated Press' news feed along with news feeds from New York Times, National Public Radio, The Christian Science Monitor, NASA television, Reuters, tech news from two or three categories, United Press International and many more. We also have the Associated Press News Radio audio 24/7, BBC World Service audio, AP five minute news every hour, a BBC five minute news summary and my very own Telecom Digest News Radio audio 24/7. It is all _totally free_ to users, it is paid for by Google advertising. I am attempting now to add Associated Press's "One Minute World" television program as well, again, paid for through your clicks on the Google advertisers. Please try it all out, and let me know if you would like new additions. Just go to http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/ and check out our features. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 09:48:55 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EchoStar's Dish Network Launches Nation's Largest HD Lineup EchoStar's Dish Network Launches Nation's Largest HD Lineup by Adding Expanded Suite of Rainbow Media's VOOM HD Networks; New 15-channel Offering Reinforces VOOM's Role as the Leading Provider of Niche HD Content - Jan 5, 2006 02:30 PM (BusinessWire) LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2006--EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH) and Rainbow Media Holdings announced today that EchoStar's DISH Network will expand its offering of Rainbow's VOOM HD Networks from 10 to 15 channels. VOOM HD Networks provides the largest and most diverse suite of HD content in the nation, and today's announcement reinforces its commitment to fill the HD content void and to create programming that maximizes the HD experience. As part of its strategy to be the nation's leading provider of HD programming, DISH Network started distributing an initial lineup of 10 VOOM HD Networks in the spring of 2005. Telecast in 1080i with Dolby 5.1 surround sound, VOOM HD Networks provide 24 hours of high-definition, commercial-free, programming. The new suite of 15 VOOM HD channels will be available to consumers on February 1, as part of DISH Network's new DishHD package, which was also introduced today at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54490464 ------------------------------ Subject: Cellular-News for Friday 6th January 2006 Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 07:35:52 -0600 From: Cellular-News Cellular-News - www.cellular-news.com [[ 3G ]] Ericsson To Supply Network To Indonesian Operator http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15457.php Sweden's Telefon AB LM Ericsson Thursday said it received an order from Indonesian mobile operator Natrindo Telepon Selular to build, operate and manage its new 3G/WCDMA network in Jakarta and surrounding areas. ... Make 3G Videocalls from a Normal PC http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15468.php Vodafone Portugal has launched a service, designed for computer users which will enable any Vodafone customer (whether or not they have a 3G phone) to associate their mobile phone number with their PC and to receive or make videocalls from their comp... [[ Financial ]] Vietnam Post & Telecom Corp. 2005 Revenue Up 9% To $2.12 Billion http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15458.php Vietnam's state-run Post & Telecommunications Corp., or VNPT, reported revenue of $2.12 billion for last year, up 9% on year, a company statement said Thursday. ... [[ Handsets ]] Nokia Adds Bluetooth To Two Popular Phone Models http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15459.php Nokia Corp. Thursday announced the Nokia 6102i and Nokia 6103 phones, both of which adds Bluetooth technology to the feature sets found on the mid-range fold-style Nokia 6101 and Nokia 6102 phones. ... EDGE Capable Walkman Phone from SonyEricsson http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15465.php Sony Ericsson has announced a new Quad-band EDGE Walkman-branded mobile music phone. The latest Walkman phone comes with a 512MB removable Memory Stick (approximately 150 music tracks), which can be upgraded to 2GB currently available in retail outle... [[ Interviews ]] Microsoft Chairman Gates Says Digital World Taking Hold http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15456.php Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates unveiled an array of new products and services Wednesday night as he claimed the age of digital entertainment is taking hold among consumers around the world. ... [[ Mobile Content ]] Verizon Wireless Plans To Launch Music Service http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15460.php Verizon Wireless plans to launch on Jan. 16 a music service that lets users download music over the air. ... [[ Network Contracts ]] New Billing and Media Platform for Indonesian Operator http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15462.php LogicaCMG has won a contract with PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler (NTS), a 3G and GSM1800 operator in Indonesia, to provide an extensive suite of telecoms products and solutions to enable mobile data and charging services for NTS' mobile networks. The co... [[ Network Operators ]] Latvian Indoor Coverage Improves http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15467.php The GSM network operator, BITE Latvija says that it? is extensively improving in-door coverage in Riga by increasing the density of its base stations and is also rapidly developing geographical network coverage. The company now covered five new towns... [[ Regulatory ]] Mexico's Telmex Cuts Rates Again For Calls To Mobiles http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15461.php MEXICO CITY (DOW JONES)--Mexican telecommunications regulator Cofetel said Thursday that the country's main phone company, Telefonos de Mexico, has reduced rates for calls to cell phones for the second year in a row. ... TeliaSonera Appeals Against Spectrum Removal http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15466.php TeliaSonera Finland says that it is appealing against the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority's (FICORA) GSM 900 radio license decision and has requested that the enforcement of the decision should be suspended for the duration of the appeal ... [[ Reports ]] Mobile Operators Not-so-Secret Weapon: Managed Services http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15463.php Managed services provide a large and growing opportunity for mobile communications service providers to offload network operation tasks to third parties, and for infrastructure vendors to secure new revenue streams, according to a new study from ABI ... Motorola Will Challenge Nokia for Top Spot http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15464.php Motorola, which was widely predicted to be overtaken by Samsung to second place in 2004/05, has turned the corner and is setting its sights on challenging Nokia to become the handset market leader. That is the finding from a new study, "Motorola: Inn... ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 13:04:02 EST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Verizon completes $8.5B merger with MCI USTelecom dailyLead January 6, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/cOhsfDtutaciuBnMLM TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Verizon completes $8.5B merger with MCI BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Rumor mill: AT&T eyes EchoStar * Verizon Wireless unveils music service * Intel has coming-out party for Viiv at CES * Verizon captures 20% of first TV market * Internet content providers may face charges for fast access USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * 2005 USTelecom Industry Directory TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Google, Yahoo! move into TV services * Motorola, Google to work jointly on searches, photos * Cable industry ready for OCAP VOIP DOWNLOAD * Survey: VoIP awareness on the rise * Google sued over VoIP service * Vonage taps Sonus to bolster network REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Germany at odds with EU over telecom regulation * Wireless carriers work toward E911 target Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/cOhsfDtutaciuBnMLM ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 11:06:11 -0800 Subject: Telecom Update #511, January 6, 2006 From: Angus TeleManagement Group Reply-To: Angus TeleManagement Group ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 511: January 6, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.com/canada/telecom/ ** MITEL NETWORKS: www.mitel.com/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** We're Back ** Wireless Number Portability Schedule Shortened ** Bell Cuts One-Third of Enterprise Team ** Videotron Leads IP Phone Race ** RIM Wins Another Patent Ruling ** Bell Told to Reduce "Naked DSL" Rates ** Bell Canada Plans Business-Line Rate Hikes ** Nortel Chooses Toronto HQ ** Telus Charged Over Cellphone Records ** BC Firm to Make Phones for Skype ** CRTC Holds Off on VoIP 9-1-1 Service Ruling ** Nortel Buys Router Maker ** Amtelecom Boosts Offer for People's ** NW Ontario Cellcos in Roaming Dispute ** U.S. Cellcos Miss E9-1-1 Deadline ** Exfo Buys Testing Firms ** Cygnal Names New CFO ** CIRA Meeting to Revise Bylaws ============================================================ WE'RE BACK! We've had a two-week break, we're relaxed and invigorated, and we're pleased to resume our weekly reports on changes in the ever-changing telecom industry. The rate of change shows no signs of slowing in 2006! WIRELESS NUMBER PORTABILITY SCHEDULE SHORTENED: In Telecom Decision 2005-72, the CRTC orders Bell, Rogers, and Telus to implement full wireless number portability by March 14, 2007, in all areas of BC, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec where wireline Local Number Portability is currently in place. This is six months earlier than the implementation date previously proposed by the cellcos. (See Telecom Update #497, 500) ** In other provinces where wireline LNP is already available, as well as in Regina and Saskatoon, these carriers must implement "porting-out" of wireless numbers by March 14, and "porting-in" by September 12, 2007. The same deadlines apply to other wireless carriers, including resellers, wherever wireline LNP is available. ** Wireless-to-wireless ports must be completed in 2.5 hours; wireless-to-wireline and wireline-to-wireless ports can take two business days. ** Wireless carriers (but not resellers) will have direct access to Canada's LNP systems without having to meet CLEC obligations. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2005/dt2005-72.htm BELL CUTS ONE-THIRD OF ENTERPRISE TEAM: Bell Canada laid off about one-third of the employees in its Enterprise Marketing organization in December. The company eliminated 65 full-time positions and 10 contract jobs, mostly lower level-managers who worked on video broadcast, international, and program management and on custom deals for large customers. ** These layoffs are in addition to September's cuts, which eliminated 5% of Enterprise Marketing positions, including three directors. ** According to CRTC figures, large and very large businesses make up 1.8% of incumbent telco business accounts, but generate 68% of their business revenues. VIDEOTRON LEADS IP PHONE RACE: Videotron says it now has nearly 163,000 cable phone customers. The cableco's total year-end customer base of 1.51 million is 4% higher than a year ago. ** Videotron Telecom has been merged into Videotron Ltee as part of a new division, Videotron Business Solutions. The division includes business cable services and offers expanded small-office services. RIM WINS ANOTHER PATENT RULING: The U.S. patent office has issued non-final rejections of two more patents involved in NTP's suit against Research In Motion. The agency has assigned a special "dispatch team" to fast-track the review of the NTP patents. (See Telecom Update #508, 510) ** RIM reports revenue of $561 million for the three months ended November 26, an increase of 53% on the year and 14% on the quarter. Net income of $120 million was a third higher than a year ago. BELL TOLD TO REDUCE "NAKED DSL" RATES: CRTC Telecom Order 2005-415 orders Bell Canada to lower its unbundled loop rate by 50% when a "dry loop" is leased by an ISP in conjunction with Bell's Gateway Access or High Speed Access service. The Commission said Bell recovers the other half of the cost through the Gateway Access and HSA charges. ** A coalition of Quebec ISPs calls this a "landmark decision" that allows them to offer VoIP on "naked" DSL across Quebec and Ontario. The Commission has not yet ruled on the coalition's complaint that Bell is subjecting them to a margin squeeze (see Telecom Update #507). http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2005/o2005-415.htm BELL CANADA PLANS BUSINESS-LINE RATE HIKES: Bell Canada has asked the CRTC to approve monthly rate increases of between 2.9% and 3.7% for Business Primary Exchange service (local telephone lines) and for Local Link service, in most of its operating territory, effective March 1. The telco also wants to increase the minimum charge for Centrex changes from $60 to $100 per request, effective January 23. ** Primary Exchange: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/8740/eng/2005/B2.htm#200515447 ** Local Link: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/8740/eng/2005/B2.htm#200515455 ** Centrex: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/8740/eng/2005/B2.htm#200515413 NORTEL CHOOSES TORONTO HQ: Nortel Networks has chosen an 11-storey, 160,000 square foot building in west Toronto as the site of its new global headquarters. ** Nortel's Chief Marketing Officer, Clent Richardson, will leave the company March 1 after only 18 months on the job. TELUS CHARGED OVER CELLPHONE RECORDS: The RCMP received Telus cellphone records related to an Edmonton serial-killer investigation on December 23, nearly five months after requesting them. Telus will appear in court next week to answer charges related to the delay, which it says was due to "misunderstanding and miscommunication." BC FIRM TO MAKE PHONES FOR SKYPE: Ascalade Communications, based in Richmond BC, has signed a development deal to develop telephones and other devices for Skype's VoIP service. The first product is a DECT-based cordless phone. ** At the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas this week, Skype announced a Netgear-developed phone that allows users to place Skype calls over Wi-Fi connections, and a D-Link adapter that enables Skype calls from a customer's traditional telephone. CRTC HOLDS OFF ON VoIP 9-1-1 SERVICE RULING: In Telecom Decision 2005-73, the CRTC agrees to wait until after April 2006 to rule on CISC proposals to improve VoIP 9-1-1/E9-1-1 service. CISC reported on fixed/non-native VoIP 9-1-1 options in November, but says its proposals for nomadic VoIP services, due in April, may provide better options for both types. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2005/dt2005-73.htm http://www.crtc.gc.ca/cisc/COMMITTE/E-docs/ESRE0041.doc NORTEL BUYS ROUTER MAKER: Nortel Networks has agreed to buy San Jose-based Tasman Networks, which makes wide-area network routers for small- and medium-office deployments, for US$99.5 million. AMTELECOM BOOSTS OFFER FOR PEOPLE'S: Faced with a rival bid for People's Communications, the independent telco in Forest, Ontario, Amtelecom has raised its offer by 6% to about $22.6 million. The People's board is recommending acceptance. (See Telecom Update #509) NW ONTARIO CELLCOS IN ROAMING DISPUTE: Superior Wireless, a cellco in northwestern Ontario, has asked the CRTC to order Thunder Bay Telephone to reinstate roaming on its digital wireless network for Superior Wireless customers, stating that TBT deactivated such roaming without notice on December 12. (See Telecom Update #318) http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2005/8622/s72_200515752.htm U.S. CELLCOS MISS E9-1-1 DEADLINE: Under a Federal Communications Commission order, U.S. cellular carriers were supposed to ensure that 95% of their customers were using digital GPS-equipped cellphones that can transmit location information when calling 9-1-1. Five of the largest cellcos have asked for an extension, saying that seven million customers have refused to give up their old phones. EXFO BUYS TESTING FIRMS: Exfo Electro-Optical Engineering, based in Quebec City, has agreed to buy the assets of Toronto-based Consultronics, which makes broadband access testing equipment. Exfo will pay about $20 million. CYGNAL NAMES NEW CFO: Cygnal Technologies has appointed James Shannon, who formerly headed finance for a hardware distributor, as its Chief Financial Officer. (See Telecom Update #500) CIRA MEETING TO REVISE BYLAWS: The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), the group that manages the dot-ca Internet domain, will meet in Toronto on February 1, to vote on bylaw amendments. The changes, it says, will provide more diverse representation on the Board of Directors and allow the group to broaden its operations. See http://www.cira.ca/en/special-meeting/documents.html for details. ** All dot-ca domain owners are members of CIRA. Members who attend the February 1 meeting in person will receive a 128 MB memory key. ============================================================ HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca =========================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web late Friday afternoon each week at www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2005 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:49:09 -0500 From: John Stahl Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance On 5 Jan 2006, in Telecom Digest there appeared a query from Bob Alan regards Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance: > Hello, > I recently switched to VOIP but kept my old POTS line for back-up. > I use the VOIP for all my LD calls. Am I correct that even though I'm > not using my 3rd party LD provider that I had with my POTS service > that I'm still paying some form of a month connection fee to the POTS > provider? When cell phones became a low cost alternative to land-lines, I decided to make my land-line primarily a "receive only" device except for outbound FAX's and to use my cell phone for LD (and regional calls) and many of the local calls I make (I am looking into VoIP but that will tie me down into a land-line type application again - cell phones are so nice that you can take your communications with you in your pocket or on your belt!) So I contacted Verizon to get the cheapest rate for the land-line. I ended up with a real POTs service where I pay $0.09 for each outbound local call (free inbound) and have no LD carrier or regional tool carrier "attached" to the line. According to my last monthly statement here is a break down of costs as indicated on the statement: Monthly Charge for Dial tone $8.61 Surcharges and Taxes: 9.78 FCC Line Charge $6.40 Federal USF Surcharge .66 Surcharge(s) .51 911 Surcharge .35 Federal Tax .51 NY State/Local Sales Tax 1.35 Total $18.39 So as you can see, there doesn't seem to be any charges for any LD or regional carrier (I would assume this because I have none) as shown on the bill unless it is hidden in the "Surcharge(s)" portion. Of course you will note that I pay more in taxes and surcharges than for basic service, but that situation can be discussed at another time! Hope this helps with your query. John Stahl Telecom and Data Consultant Aljon Enterprises ------------------------------ From: BobT Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy! Date: Fri, 06 Jan 2006 15:33:41 GMT On Thu, 5 Jan 2006 15:08:04 -0500, Bob Alan wrote: > Hello, > I recently switched to VOIP but kept my old POTS line for back-up. > I use the VOIP for all my LD calls. Am I correct that even though I'm > not using my 3rd party LD provider that I had with my POTS service > that I'm still paying some form of a month connection fee to the POTS > provider? Many (most?) LD providers do not have a recurring periodic minimum fee for their most basic service, although they often do for more advanced types of service. You can contact your local ILEC and remove any LD preferred carrier arrangement, if you wish. This should prevent any recurring fee, if there was one in the first place, but the disadvantage is that if a LD call should, even by accident, be placed from your phone, you may find yourself assigned to a random carrier for that call, and this carrier will bill you at an unbelievably high per minute rate. ------------------------------ Date: 6 Jan 2006 05:08:18 -0000 From: John Levine Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA > Am I correct that even though I'm not using my 3rd party LD provider > that I had with my POTS service that I'm still paying some form of a > month connection fee to the POTS provider? Yes. > Any idea what the fee is called. I believe the usual term is a "phone bill". If you're refering to a line called something like: FCC MANDATED ACCESS CHARGE which is probably $6.50, its correct label should be: EXTRA MONEY THE FCC LETS US COLLECT since it is simply part of your monthly phone rate. Back at the time of the Bell breakup, the access charge was a temporary band-aid the FCC added to make up for part of the previous subsidy from deliberately overpriced interstate long distance rates. It should have gone away in a few years once the telcos went to the states to adjust their rates to include it, but that never happened. Some people think that they shouldn't have to pay it if they never make toll calls but they are wrong. The niggly reason is that even if you never call anyone long distance, other people can call you so your phone is still connected to the long distance network. The real reason is the one above, it's just part of your phone rate. R's, John ------------------------------ From: Mark Crispin Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 22:30:46 -0800 Organization: University of Washington With Qwest in Washington State, the only way of getting out of having to pay a monthly fee for long-distance access is to sign up for something called "Managed Long Distance", which prohibits you from using 10xxx and 10xxxxx numbers and international dialing. You're allowed to make domestic long-distance calls, for which you are charged $.18/minute(!) and are cut off when it reaches $20. I got fed up with paying $5+ in fees in order to make less than $1 worth of long-distance calls a month. I either use my cell phone or Skype for long distance calls (my residence is in a weak/dead zone for all the cell phone carriers) and Skype for international calls. -- Mark -- http://panda.com/mrc Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote. ------------------------------ Date: 6 Jan 2006 05:16:18 -0000 From: John Levine Subject: Re: Payphone Surcharges (was Unanswered Cellphones) Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA wrote: > snarl >> Seth Breidbart wrote: >> snarl back, etc. Lisa has one reasonable point -- ever since the Bell breakup, the cost of making a payphone call by dialing 0+number and then entering your LEC calling card number has been set by the operator of the payphone, and is utterly unpredictable and more often than not completely absurd. I agree that stinks, but my solution wouldn't be to regulate it but rather to get rid of it since it's now a quaint historical artifact from the monopoly era. The vast majority of calling cards, whether from big companies like AT&T and Sprint or small companies that sell cards at newsstands, use an 800 number and the price you pay is set by the calling card company and is the same regardless of whose pay phone you use. Seth: she's right to the extent that the price for 0+ calls is a ripoff. Lisa: get with the program and use an 800 number to make your calling card calls like everyone else does. R's, John ------------------------------ From: heyarnoldusa@yahoo.com Subject: Re: Slammed for 25 Grand Date: 5 Jan 2006 20:44:49 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us wrote: > PHONE USER ON HOOK FOR 25G > By BILL SANDERSON > New York Post 1/3/2006 > http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/60856.htm > January 3, 2006 -- Bedridden for 17 years, Timmy Secor can't work a > computer - he can't even lift his head from his pillow - but > Verizon bills him as if he were a millionaire keyboard whiz. > He's been overbilled $25,000, a friend said. > His monthly tab includes $19.95 for dialup Internet service he's never > used and $39.95 for a nonexistent Web page. > There's no explanation for the $29.95 Verizon collects for a company > called Directory Billing Service or the $21.45 "multiline charge" for > "Business Network LD." > With other mystery charges and the regular ... > TO READ ENTIRE STORY you have to agree to nine pages of privacy policy > and fifteen pages of terms of us 24 pages total. I don't have time to > study that much legalese. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That's okay, I got it from my RSS feed > and have the entire account here for everyone to read: PAT] > PHONE USER ON HOOK FOR 25G > By BILL SANDERSON > Bedridden for 17 years, Timmy Secor can't work a computer - he > can't even lift his head from his pillow - but Verizon bills him as if he > were a millionaire keyboard whiz. > He's been overbilled $25,000, a friend said. > His monthly tab includes $19.95 for dialup Internet service he's never > used and $39.95 for a nonexistent Web page. > There's no explanation for the $29.95 Verizon collects for a company > called Directory Billing Service or the $21.45 "multiline charge" for > "Business Network LD." > With other mystery charges and the regular Verizon charges, fees > and taxes, Secor's September phone bill was $575.76. > "These phone companies are bankrupting me," said Secor, 63, who runs a > modeling agency from his hospital bed in his Upper East Side apartment. > The law requires Verizon to bill its customers on other companies' > behalf. Consumer advocates call it "cramming." > Verizon has refunded $4,950, and an official told The Post that the > company was working on Secor's "issues" but declined to comment > further. > Arnold Martin, a pal helping Secor with the problem, figures he's > overpaid around $25,000 over the years. > It's a mystery how his phone bill got so bloated. > One company, Simple.net, says Secor responded in 2004 to a mail > solicitation that contained a check for $3.25. By depositing the > check, the company says, Secor signed up for dialup Internet service. > by bill.sanderson@nypost.com > NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. > NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of > NYP Holdings, Inc. > Copyright 2005 NYP Holdings, Inc. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have gotten a lot of those 'checks' > for amounts ranging fom fifty cents through several dollars, always on > the condition 'cash this check and you authorize us to do whatever.' > I always throw them away, which Mr. Secor should learn to do. PAT] It's easy for the average able bodied person to read the fine print on those phony checks and discard them. However, Timmy is a quadriplegic and can't hold the check and read the tiny 1 point size fine print. Timmy told his assistant to deposit the $3.25 check which has cost him over $25000.00 in fraudulent charges billed by Verizon. ------------------------------ From: Steven Lichter Reply-To: Die@spammers.com Organization: I Kill Spammers, Inc. (c) 2005 A Rot in Hell Co. Subject: Re: Sprint was: Penn Central) Date: Fri, 06 Jan 2006 04:56:17 GMT > BZZZZZT! Sorry, Pat, it was the other way around! > United Telephone, based in the Kanasa City, KS area (maybe Overland Park) > bought SPRINT and then assumed the name, much like the recent changes at > SBC/AT&T. > United Telephone owned numerous local operating telephone companys > around the US of A. In my area it was United Telephone of the > Northwest. There was a United Telephone of Ohio, United Telephone of > Florida, and others with the "United Telephone of..." name. There > were still others as well, like Carolina Telephone, which operated in > North and South Carolina. Possibly the largest city in SPRINT's > stable in Las Vegas, NV. > Al GTE bought Sprint from Southern Pacific Railroad, then went into a deal with United to form SprintNet, which really was the first form of real communications on what is now the Internet. They operated E-mail systems for companies over their network, links to banking and other sites, a system allowed you to dial a local number or 800 number, then make long distance calls, and allowed computer users to call into the network and go out to a distant system, say a BBS across the country. What the SprintNet did for Sprint was test and refine their system for what it is used today, then then dumped all of their users, I believe Pat used the system. I seem to remember a comment on it years ago. GTE sold its holdings to United. As to Sprints local company, Las Vegas would be the largest of their companies, it was bought by United some years ago. But that might change soon, if the what they say about selling the local wireline companies and just keeping the Cellular and Long distance end of the business. I did a lot of contract work for them in Las Vegas and found it to be an interesting company to work with, but they had too many bean counters at their HQ. The only good spammer is a dead one!! Have you hunted one down today? (c) 2005 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot in Hell Co. ------------------------------ From: c901rg@hotmail.com Subject: Re: Bringing Prime Time to Video iPod Date: 5 Jan 2006 23:24:25 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com See Best Buy video to iPod Converter Software from http://www.best-seller-reviews.com/videoipodconverter/ http://www.best-seller-reviews.com/videoipodconverter/ ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Butt-Set Recommendation Date: 6 Jan 2006 11:49:15 -0500 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Jason Brault wrote: > My question is this, what kind of a test set should I get in order to > reasonably perform all the testing I need. I'm sure a basic, entry > level set like the TS19 from Harris would do what I need, but where I > get confused is all of the data protection and data lockout features > that the more advanced sets offer (everything from the TS20's to the > TS44DLX). Are these features something I could really use, or > perhapse are they not enough? Or are they for a telco technician who > will be using it all the time, and coul= d potentially tie into some > serious voltage on a lie that would make T1s look like child's play? I use a 1950s vintage butt set with a rotary dial for most things. The telco techs usually make fun of it, but I have yet to find anything critical that I have needed to do where it wouldn't function. It's just fine for listening to T-1 circuits and trying to hear resynch issues. The data lockout stuff will help you not screw up a data circuit if you accidentally come across one with the TALK switch on. Is that important to you? Don't forget that you will also need a Fox and Hound set. If you work on T-1 circuits, you really need a T-1 BERT at least, and a full protocol analyzer is a nice thing to have. No reason not to just get a cheap butt set, though. > What have you run into in your jobs that have turned out > indispensable, or something you wish you'd gotten originally? The Stanley push drill. scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2005-06 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #8 **************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Jan 7 02:14:10 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 96AA714EC7; Sat, 7 Jan 2006 02:14:09 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #9 Message-Id: <20060107071409.96AA714EC7@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 02:14:09 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.8 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sat, 7 Jan 2006 02:15:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 9 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson A Marriage Not Made in Heaven (Monty Solomon) A New Palm Treo Uses Microsoft's Software; Doesn't Beat 650 (Monty Solomon) Motorola and Google Align for Mobile Search (Monty Solomon) Google Unwraps the Google Pack (Monty Solomon) Google to Launch Video Marketplace (Monty Solomon) Intel Launches Viiv Entertainment PC (Monty Solomon) Intel CEO: Latest Platforms, Processors Form New Foundations (M Solomon) Google Ups Ante in Online Video Gold Rush (Monty Solomon) Judge Tentatively OKs Sony BMG Settlement (Monty Solomon) Yahoo! Go (Monty Solomon) Yahoo! Go Mobile to Launch with AT&T, Cingular and Nokia (Monty Solomon) GTE, Sprint, United, Centel, Contel, Nextel, etc. (Anthony Bellanga) Re: Payphone Surcharges (was Unanswered Cellphones) (Lisa Hancock) Long Distance Dialarounds (Anthony Bellanga) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (Bob Alan) Re: The Hazards of Instant Communication (Thomas Lapp) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 15:50:11 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: A Marriage Not Made in Heaven David Pogue YOU thought the apocalypse was upon us when Apple switched to processor chips from Intel, which Mac fans had considered the Dark Side for more than 20 years? Well, try this on for size: Palm's new Treo 700W cellphone-organizer runs on software from Microsoft. Yes, that Microsoft, whose palmtop software was mocked by Palm employees for years as bloated and inefficient. What's next -- a new radio show with Rush Limbaugh and Al Franken as co-hosts? The first question, in Palm's case, is: why? The answer is: corporate sales. For years, Palm has stood by, gnashing its teeth and losing market share, as corporate tech buyers lived and breathed the credo, "Nobody ever got fired for buying Microsoft." So maybe, thought Palm, it could join that party by offering its much-admired Treo phone with Microsoft inside. The second question is: how? From the beginning, Palm's and Microsoft's design philosophies were miles apart. Microsoft lived for long lists of features and 65 different ways to get at them, while Palm strove for simplicity and directness. (At one point, Palm actually employed a tap counter - a guy whose job it was to make sure no task required more than three taps on the PalmPilot's touch screen.) How on earth can these two approaches be reconciled? As it turns out, not very easily. The Treo 700W ($400 with a two-year Verizon commitment) is a Frankensteinian mishmash. Some of its features are so inspired and well executed, you can't help grinning, while others are so clumsy, you smack your forehead. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/technology/circuits/05pogue.html?ex=1294117200&en=118d7d1a62c22b03&ei=5090 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 15:50:07 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: A New Palm Treo Uses Microsoft's Software, But It Doesn't Beat 650 By WALTER S. MOSSBERG Palm's Treo smart phones have been the best high-end cellphones on the market, with the finest combination of voice, email and Web-browsing capabilities in a hand-held device. But many corporate information-technology departments have refused to buy the phone. Why? Because the Treo is powered by the Palm operating system and not by software from Microsoft, the only company whose software is supported by many IT departments. So Palm this week introduced a Treo model that uses the latest version of Microsoft's Windows Mobile software (formerly known as Pocket PC). On the outside, the new Treo 700w looks very much like the current Palm-based model, the Treo 650, which will remain on sale and will continue to be developed on a parallel track. On the inside, though, the new Treo's key software functions -- phone, email, Web, multimedia -- are all different. [Palm] I have been testing the Treo 700w, which will be sold by Verizon Wireless, to see how it stacks up against the Treo 650, the phone I carry every day. My verdict: Despite some nice new features, the Windows Mobile software is still inferior to the Palm software for one-handed use on the go. Its crucial email and phone functions are also weaker. And there's a serious bug in its email software that affects individuals, though not corporate users. So the Treo 700w is neither as easy to use nor as powerful as the Treo 650. In addition, the screen on the 700w offers significantly lower resolution than the screen on the 650, and the new model costs twice as much -- $400 versus $200. http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20060105.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 22:22:13 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Motorola and Google Align for Mobile Search Motorola Enables Users Immediate Access to Google on Millions of Motorola Handsets Worldwide LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT), a global leader in wireless communications, and Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) today announced a global alliance to enable users easy access to Google on Motorola handsets. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060105/CGTH084 ) Motorola will integrate a Google icon onto select devices so that users can connect directly to Google anytime, anywhere at the click of a button. These mass-market, Internet-optimized handsets will be distributed from early 2006 to select Motorola customers worldwide. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54509803 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 22:23:54 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Google Unwraps the Google Pack Free Software Package Offers Users One Stop to Discover, Install and Maintain a Wide Range of Essential PC Programs CES, LAS VEGAS, Nev., January 6, 2005 - Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced Google Pack beta, a free collection of safe, useful software from Google and other companies that improves the user experience online and on the desktop. In just a few clicks, users can easily discover, install and maintain software to surf the web faster and safer, communicate better, and effectively manage information. "We've heard from countless new computer owners that it can take days or weeks to install all the software they need to make their computer useful," said Marissa Mayer, VP of search products and user experience at Google. "We developed Google Pack to give users a way to painlessly install all the essential software they need - pre-configured in a sensible way - in a matter of minutes. Better yet, users don't have to keep track of software updates or new programs - we maintain and update all the software for them." Google Pack offers programs that meets Google's high software standards and are considered best in their class, including: * Adobe Reader 7 * Ad-Aware SE Personal * GalleryPlayer HD Images * Google Desktop * Google Earth * Google Pack Screensaver * Google Talk * Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer * Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar * Norton AntiVirus 2005 Special Edition * Picasa * RealPlayer * Trillian Google Pack also includes Google Updater, a new tool that intelligently downloads, installs and maintains all the software in the Google Pack. Google Updater alerts users when updates and new programs become available and ensures each program is always up-to-date. Google Updater can also be used to monitor the status of installation, run software that's been installed, or easily uninstall software. http://www.google.com/press/pressrel/pack.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 22:24:50 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Google to Launch Video Marketplace CBS Leads List of Video Providers with CSI, Survivor, NCIS, Amazing Race and Classics Including I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, Twilight Zone and Many Others NBA Introduces Current Season Games for the First-Time on the Web Google Video Store To Show News and Historical Videos from ITN, Charlie Rose Interviews; New Titles Will Be Added Everyday LAS VEGAS, NV - Jan. 6, 2006 - Live from the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced the planned opening of the Google Video Store, the first open video marketplace enabling consumers to buy and rent a wide range of video content from a major television network, a professional sports league, cable programmers, independent producers and film makers. This fast growing collection of videos will include prime-time and classic hits from CBS, a full slate of NBA games from this season and outstanding performances from the past, music videos from SONY BMG, Charlie Rose interviews as well as news and historical content from ITN and new titles being added everyday. http://www.google.com/press/pressrel/video_marketplace.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 22:45:39 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Intel Launches Viiv Entertainment PC LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Chip-maker Intel Corp. launched its Viiv entertainment PC platform Thursday and announced a slew of deals with entertainment and other tech companies to provide content for the new systems. Viiv PC owners will be able to watch video that's stored in Google Inc.'s video service, high-definition highlights from NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics and classic TV shows from America Online. In all, Intel has signed dozens of content deals. Viiv computers will be capable of replacing the array of standalone boxes that surround the television _ such as a digital video recorder, DVD player or cable box. Intel also says it's working to ensure a Viiv PC works seamlessly with other equipment. By focusing on more than chips, Intel hopes its technical and marketing muscle will help make entertainment PCs easier to use _ and more appealing. The approach is similar to the strategy Intel followed when it launched its Centrino technology for wireless notebook computers in 2003. It not only supplied the chips but also marketing support and a quality-assurance program to ensure the technology worked. Also Thursday, Intel launched its Core Duo chip, which the company claims has lower power requirements and higher performance. The processor, which has two computing engines built into a single chip, is expected to enable smaller, living-room friendly Viiv systems and will power the next-generation mobile platform, the Centrino Duo. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54509935 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 22:47:29 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Intel CEO: Latest Platforms, Processors Form New Foundations Intel CEO: Latest Platforms, Processors Form New Foundations for Digital Entertainment and Wireless Computing - Jan 5, 2006 08:00 PM (BusinessWire) LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2006--Intel Corporation: -- Otellini Introduces Intel(R) Viiv(TM) Technology -- AOL, ClickStar, DIRECTV, NBC Universal Alliances -- Launches Next-Generation Intel(R) Centrino(R) Duo Mobile Technology to Advance Laptops -- New Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo Processor Redefines Performance-Per-Watt Intel Corporation President and CEO Paul Otellini today unveiled two platforms and several content alliances that provide the foundation for new experiences from digital entertainment and wireless laptops -- and include the new high-performance, low-power Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo processor. Noting the transformation now underway in entertainment, Otellini introduced the company's new home platform -- Intel(R) Viiv(TM) technology -- and several commitments from top U.S. and international entertainment companies including AOL, DIRECTV, NBC Universal, Turner Broadcasting's GameTap, ESPN, Televisa and Eros. ClickStar announced its first feature film, "10 Items or Less," with a plan for an Internet premiere within weeks of its theatrical release, an industry first. These and other developments will bring millions of songs, movies, programs and games to the PC in 2006. Intel Viiv technology-based entertainment PCs will help make it easier for families to download, store, view, manage and share all kinds of digital entertainment and information on a choice of TV, PC, laptop and hand-held viewing screens. Intel(R) Centrino(R) Duo mobile technology improves performance and battery life for the fast-growing wireless laptop market segment. Otellini also introduced the ground-breaking Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo processor -- powerful dual core silicon supporting the Intel Centrino Duo and certain Intel Viiv technology models. The processor is well equipped to deliver performance-per-watt efficiency and sleek designs for entertainment PCs, notebooks and CE-like devices. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54507105 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 22:52:09 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Google Ups Ante in Online Video Gold Rush By MAY WONG AP Technology Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Google Inc. is upping the ante in the online video gold rush, allowing content owners to set their own prices in a bid to create a more flexible alternative to Apple Computer Inc.'s pioneering iTunes store. Google's planned video expansion, announced Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show, already has lined up commitments to sell thousands of downloads, including recent television broadcasts of popular CBS shows and professional basketball games, as well as vintage episodes from series that went off the air decades ago. A launch date for the expansion has not been released. "It's the biggest marketplace of content that was previously offline and is now brought online," said Jennifer Feikin, director of Google Video. Since Apple began selling video downloads for its iconic iPod in October, a flurry of companies have joined forces to distribute TV programming or other video content. The company says it currently offers more than 3,000 music videos and 300 television shows for sale. Google's flexible pricing model sets its service apart. Apple dictates all the pricing in its iTunes store, charging $1.99 for each video download and 99 cents for each song downloaded. The restrictions already have caused considerable consternation in the music recording industry and eventually could trigger a backlash on the video side. With Google's marketplace, content suppliers can name their own price, from zero on up. The content owners who charge for video downloads must share 30 percent of the revenue with Google. The video providers have the option of offering content on a download-to-own or download-to-rent basis. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54541172 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 23:01:38 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Judge Tentatively OKs Sony BMG Settlement NEW YORK (AP) -- A judge Friday tentatively approved a proposed settlement of lawsuits against Sony BMG Music Entertainment that would give millions of consumers free music downloads to compensate them for flawed software on CDs. U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald gave her approval after a hearing in which lawyers explained the deal that requires the world's second-largest music label to stop manufacturing compact discs software that can leave computers vulnerable to hackers. The settlement pertained to lawsuits alleging that the vulnerabilities were created by MediaMax software or with extended copy protection or XCP software. According to terms of the settlement, Sony BMG will let consumers who bought the CDs receive replacement discs without the anti-piracy technology and will let them choose one of two incentive packages. The first package lets consumers who bought XCP CDs to obtain a cash payment of $7.50 and a promotion code allowing them to download one additional album from a list of more than 200 titles. The second package permits them to download three additional albums from the list. The court papers said Sony BMG would try to offer Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes as one of the download services available to the consumers. Those who purchased MediaMax CDs would receive additional compensation to allow them to download non-content protected versions of music on their MediaMax CDs and to download one additional album. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54533786 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 23:03:07 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Yahoo! Go Yahoo! Expands Reach Beyond the Browser with Launch of Yahoo! Go; Yahoo! Go Brings Seamless and Personalized Communications, Entertainment and Information Services to Mobile Devices, Televisions and Desktops - Jan 6, 2006 12:00 PM (BusinessWire) LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2006--Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading global Internet company, today announced the launch of Yahoo! Go, a new suite of innovative products designed to extend the company's reach beyond the Web browser. Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel featured the new Yahoo! Go products in his keynote today at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Yahoo! Go Mobile, TV and Desktop will enable consumers to quickly and easily access the Internet information and services they want across the various devices they use every day. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54523862 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 23:09:10 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Yahoo! Go Mobile to Launch with AT&T, Cingular and Nokia; Yahoo! Go Mobile to Launch with AT&T, Cingular and Nokia; New Service Seamlessly Integrates the Internet into the Mobile Device Functionality to Create a New Connected Experience for Consumers - Jan 6, 2006 12:02 PM (BusinessWire) LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2006--Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading global Internet company, today announced Yahoo! Go Mobile, a new service designed to let consumers take their favorite Internet content and services with them on their mobile devices. Yahoo! Go Mobile will be launching with AT&T and Cingular Wireless in the United States and with Nokia in multiple international markets in the coming months. Yahoo! Go Mobile integrates the power of the Internet into consumers' mobile device experiences by combining real-time connectivity with access to their community, information and content services from across the web. This new service will be the first time Yahoo! has brought a comprehensive set of the company's industry-leading products and full access to services across the Web into a single mobile application. Yahoo! Go Mobile ( http://go.yahoo.com ) will also connect the company's familiar communications services to the mobile device's built-in e-mail, messaging, address book and calendar applications, giving consumers one reliable source for the information they find most vital. For example, if a user loses their mobile device, their saved contact information will still be available to them on the web, and easily synched with a new mobile device. In the United States, Yahoo! will launch Yahoo! Go Mobile with AT&T companies and Cingular Wireless in three markets and with AT&T and Cingular within the traditional AT&T 13-state local service footprint. The companies also plan a co-branded AT&T Yahoo! Go Mobile service designed to allow new and existing AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet subscribers to take their personalized Internet experience with them on their Cingular Wireless mobile device. Following the launch, consumers will be able to purchase the service pre-installed on new Nokia 6682 devices from select Cingular Wireless stores in the Austin, TX, Columbus, OH and Los Angeles markets and through some AT&T sales channels within the company's 13-state ILEC local service areas. Internationally, Nokia and Yahoo! will launch Yahoo! Go Mobile to consumers in 10 countries across Europe and Asia. Consumers purchasing select Nokia 6630, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681 and Nokia N70 devices will receive Yahoo! Go Mobile pre-installed. Today consumers can download the Yahoo! Go Mobile application directly onto these devices from http://go.yahoo.com . - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=54524006 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Jan 2006 14:13:40 -0700 From: Anthony Bellanga TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: >> The (S)outhern (P)acific (R)ailroad (I)nternal (N)etwork >> (T)elecommunications Department of that railroad -- or S.P.R.I.N.T. >> for short -- did a major re-build of their trackside telephone >> system in the late 1960's. They did such a good job of it, they had >> a huge anount of left-over capacity and decided to lease it out to >> other businesses and companies. That was the original Sprint, which >> a few years later got into residential telecom service as well, and >> has now -- 2005 -- gone through many changes in ownership and >> management. About 1998 or so, Sprint bought the United Telephone >> Company which serves a lot of northern Kansas among other >> territories. PAT] > BZZZZZT! Sorry, Pat, it was the other way around! > United Telephone, based in the Kansas City, KS area (maybe Overland > Park) bought SPRINT and then assumed the name, much like the recent > changes at SBC/AT&T. > United Telephone owned numerous local operating telephone companies > around the US of A. In my area it was United Telephone of the > Northwest. There was a United Telephone of Ohio, United Telephone of > Florida, and others with the "United Telephone of..." name. There > were still others as well, like Carolina Telephone, which operated in > North and South Carolina. Possibly the largest city in SPRINT's > stable in Las Vegas, NV. Southern Pacific Railways began to offer "common carrier" telecom services (SPRINT) during the 1970s era, paralleling what MCI had also begun doing. At first, it was private line services, but over time, combinations of private line with switched long haul services emerged, and finally "fully switched" OCC (Other Common Carrier) services. In the early 1980s, GTE bought out SPRINT from Southern Pacific Railways. In the early 1980s, their 950-xxxx feature group 'B' dial-up access number was 950-0777, the '777' for 'SPR', and their initial post-divestiture feature group 'D' equal-access dial-around code was 10-777. Also happening during the early 1980s was that the independent telco group owner United (which was one of about four or five or six of the larger ones, the others being GTE, Contel, Centel, and also Alltel, CenturyTel, PTI, etc) was developing their own 'OCC' long-distance network called "US Telecom". Their access number was (is) 950-1033, and their dial-around was 10-333 (now 101-0333). In 1986, GTE and United decided to "join forces" and merge their OCC long-distance networks. The new joint-venture would be called "US Sprint", owned 50/50 by GTE and United. It would take some time for the networks and billing departments of "US Sprint" to be properly merged and operating "seamlessly". In the first couple of years of "US Sprint", there were numerous billing errors! (Not that they didn't have significant billing errors or broken promises throughout the 1990s as well!). After a year or two of the "US Sprint" joint-venture of GTE and United, GTE suddenly announced that they "wanted out" of Sprint. It was decided that over the next five or so years, that United would slowly buy out GTE's ownership of "US Sprint". So, every year, if you read the reports of who owned what, United would have larger shares of Sprint, and GTE would have less. By 1992 or so, GTE had completely exited Sprint, with United owning all of Sprint. Also about the same time, GTE and Continental Telephone (Contel) merged, with the GTE name surviving. There were long time Contel service areas sold off, as well as some long-time GTE service areas sold off too, to comply with antitrust laws. Alltel and Citizens Tel bought up these one-time GTE and Contel service areas. There were also a few Alltel areas that were sold to GTE at the same time, sort of a "swap" of some GTE/Contel and Alltel areas! Also during the 1992/93 time period, United also bought out Central Telephone (Centel). Some legacy Centel areas included Tallahassee FL, large areas of Virginia, parts of Illinois (including the one-time Step-by-Step Chicago suburbs of Park Ridge and Des Plaines, later sold in 1996 to Illinois Bell/Ameritech now SBC/AT&T), and the Las Vegas NV Metro area. The combined United (which now owned 100% of Sprint) with Centel, changed its name to Sprint around 1993. The Sprint Local Telco areas of southern, central, and also scattered in parts of northern Florida is mostly all legacy United. Tallahassee FL and a few other areas of northwestern (panhandle) FL are legacy Centel. Sprint has also become involved in Cellular. Sprint-Canada was a marketing name of Call-Net (Canada), a CLEC and Canadian-based OCC (competitive Long Distance carrier). More recently, Rogers (which at one time was in a venture with the old Unitel, also once known as AT&T-Canada), has bought out Call-Net in Canada. I think that the Rogers name will replace the Sprint-Canada and the Call-Net names. Earlier in 2005, Sprint bought out Nextel wireless. It's going to take some time before the Nextel name is completely replaced with the Sprint name, but Sprint did announce that it was retaining wireless and long distance. The legacy incumbent local telco operation (once known as United and Centel) is going to be spun-off to a new entity altogather but the name of this entity is still TBA. At the time that Sprint tookover Nextel, the red/white "diamond" logo (in use since 1986 with the GTE and United joint-venture of US-Sprint) was abandoned (although it will take time for embedded advertizing signage, etc. to be completely replaced), the new Sprint-Nextel logo being black, with black text, on a yellow background (similar to pre-merger Nextel), the black logo itself now being something that looks like bird-feathers fuffling or book-pages being rifled. So, Sprint has had quite a colorful history dating back over 30 years. And I'm defining Sprint by the OCC long distance aspect of the company and name. Its one time owner United has a history that does indeed go back over 100 years, as an independent local telephone company that seems to have begun in the Kansas area in the 1890s or early 1900s. And it was around 1992/93 (NOT 1998), that United changed its name to Sprint, since United now owned all 100% of Sprint, in the transition completely from GTE ownership over to United ownership. - anthony bellanga ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Payphone Surcharges (was Unanswered Cellphones) Date: 6 Jan 2006 13:41:08 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Seth Breidbart wrote: > The sign at the pump says so. Why didn't you read it? >> In other retail services the price is on the item or the shelf. Yet >> in pay phones the price is nowhere to be found. > You must use a different kind of payphone than all the ones I've > seen. Those list their prices (for local calls, and tell you how to > get the prices for other calls). The only charge I've seen posted on pay phones is the initial deposit for a "local" call. I have NOT seen signage how many minutes that charge covers, nor how far the "local" calling area covers. It's easy to get burned on over time charges -- is it 50 cents per each minute or for ten minutes? That can add up quickly and be a nuisance. I have rarely seen long distance charges posted on pay phones, and generally only for cash calls if the phone accepts such calls. For rates of other calls one must call "customer service". Ha Ha Ha. I've tried that numerous times and have never gotten any answer. MCI was great on handling assistance calls -- anyone who wanted help was told to call AT&T, which meant MCI was dumping difficult customers on its competition. So, to answer your question, toll charges ARE NOT POSTED on pay phones. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I think Lisa may have used the word > 'extorted' in a loose, general way. Pat makes an excellent point. Please allow me to elaborate. I was in a convention center and wanted something to eat. In the hallway they had stands with hot dogs and soda. The prices were enormous. Now, I knew the area and knew I could get other food about a block away by foot, but I was tired, in a rush, and chose to pay the higher price rather than make the effort to walk around for something cheaper. The point is that here I had a choice to pay double or not. What I call "extortion" was when I (and many other people) were in situations where finding another pay phone wasn't so simple, indeed, rather difficult. I was in a building surrounded by a large parking lot, so I'd need to get my car and drive somewhere else, park, and hope there's a phone that is cheaper (presuming I'd even know since there's no toll rate card). More significantly, my presence was required in the immediate area and I could not leave it. So while perhaps nobody was holding a gun to my head, I was effectively detained in that location. I did not have a choice. I also note the charge was more than double. > Seth, people do not read; they approach certain situations in life > pre-conditioned, to 'know what to expect'. I hope you can deal with > that lack of perfection in many people around you. PAT] Good point. I emphasize the issue of "pre conditioned" because we do have constant CHANGES in the way pay phone service is offered and price to us members of the general public. IMHO unscruplus businesses are taking advtg of that and our "lack of perfection" to overcharge us. Some businesses do so deliberately knowing they'll get calls of complaint that they'll have to adjust, but figure the downward adjustments still will be less that the total big profits received by the high prices. I used to remember a major long distance company always being in the paper for FCC /FTC violations for which they'd get some fine. I think the company was doing the above, knowing all along their practices were wrong but figured the fine, if it came, would be less than the profits. Some cities, to protect the public, regulate tow truck charges knowing the people needing a tow are in a very vulnerable situation to price gouging. Still tow truck operators come up with schemes to fleece the public, such as simply charging more than the ceiling price and figuring the customer won't bother fighting it. (Some taxicabs do likewise.) When that sort of thing happens, some posters here seem to take a very obssessive approach to the problem and stand on paperwork and procedure, utterly ignorant of the predicament of the victim. These posters must realize that not all of us have unlimited time nor desire to study in detail every procedure from every business we might possibly deal with in the far distant future. That they enjoy reading these things is fine for them, but not for the rest of us. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Jan 2006 15:19:04 -0700 From: Anthony Bellanga Reply-To: no-spam@no-spam.no-spam Subject: Long Distance Dialarounds PAT: Please do NOT display my email address where ever it might appear! On Thursday 5 Jan 2006, Mark Crispin wrote in "Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance": > With Qwest in Washington State, the only way of getting out of having > to pay a monthly fee for long-distance access is to sign up for > something called "Managed Long Distance", which prohibits you from > using 10xxx and 10xxxxx numbers and international dialing. The old 10-XXX+ Long Distance Dialaround code format is totally obsolete now. It was replaced by the expanded 101-XXXX+ code format over a phased period in the 1990s. Those previously assigned 10-XXX codes were permissively dialable as 101-0XXX, or the "so-called" 10-10-XXX or "ten-ten". However, that is a misnomer, since there were also 101-5XXX and 101-6XXX codes in use during the transition, since it turned out that under the shorter, older format, there had never been any 10-10X codes, nor 10-15X or 10-16X codes. Thus, permissive use of 101-0XXX and new 101-5XXX and 101-6XXX codes didn't conflict. By 1998 in the US, and 2000 in Canada, the expanded 101-0XXX+ format was mandatory for calling the previous 10-XXX+ codes. And since 2001, in addition to 101-0XXX and the "new" 101-5XXX and 101-6XXX codes, there have been codes from the entire "generic" range of 101-XXXX. However, it might be a long time before the four-digit -xxxx format would run out. I don't know if the plans are to really expand to 10-xxxxx, i.e., '1', '0', and then five posssible 'x' digits, i.e., where the third digit in the full dial-around code could be digits other than just '1'. ------------------------------ Reply-To: Bob Alan From: Bob Alan Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 22:48:50 -0500 Organization: Cox Communications > you may find yourself assigned to a random carrier Wow did you just open my eyes, cause I can see my wife doing that ... BobT wrote in message news:telecom25.8.8@telecom-digest.org: On Thu, 5 Jan 2006 15:08:04 -0500, Bob Alan wrote: > Hello, > I recently switched to VOIP but kept my old POTS line for back-up. > I use the VOIP for all my LD calls. Am I correct that even though I'm > not using my 3rd party LD provider that I had with my POTS service > that I'm still paying some form of a month connection fee to the POTS > provider? Many (most?) LD providers do not have a recurring periodic minimum fee for their most basic service, although they often do for more advanced types of service. You can contact your local ILEC and remove any LD preferred carrier arrangement, if you wish. This should prevent any recurring fee, if there was one in the first place, but the disadvantage is that if a LD call should, even by accident, be placed from your phone, you may find yourself assigned to a random carrier for that call, and this carrier will bill you at an unbelievably high per minute rate. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 14:33:27 -0500 From: Thomas Lapp Subject: Re: The Hazards of Instant Communication > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That report from West Virginia was one > of the saddest things I have ever read. WV, one of the poorest states > in the union earns much of its living in the coal mines, a dirty job > and dangerous by anyone's standards. Wasn't there a popular song As one who grew up in West Virginia, I find it still common belief that the image of WV in the 1940s is what people think of when they think of WV. Fortunately, time and West Virginia have marched on. While WV is still a producer of coal, and there are counties in which unemployment is at very high levels, West Virginia has a lot more going for it. West Virginia is the home of a large IRS processing center. It is the home of a large FBI facility. Even NASA does significant business in the state. I should also mention that WV was one of the first states to provide a computer network statewide connecting all of its state educational institutions. The eastern panhandle of the state is quickly becoming a bedroom community for commuters to Washington DC. West Virginia University has long waiting lists for its programs in criminal forensics (think: CSI) and Physical Therapy. There was a very good reason that Randy was taken to Ruby Memorial hospital for initial treatment. It is one of the premier teaching and trauma centers in the region. And for those who are sports fans, you already know that West Virginia University's football team is ranked in the top five in the nation. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You _are_ correct; many people still think of WV in the 'olden days' rather than as it is becoming now. Thank you very much for helping to educate us. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2005-06 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #9 **************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Jan 8 00:51:34 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 54C0614EBE; Sun, 8 Jan 2006 00:51:34 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #10 Message-Id: <20060108055134.54C0614EBE@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 00:51:34 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.7 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, MAILTO_TO_REMOVE autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 8 Jan 2006 00:54:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 10 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Public Wants Court to Okay Wiretaps (Katherine Shrader) Phone Problems and Question (Eli Tomlinson) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (John Stahl) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (Ken Abrams) Re: GTE, Sprint, United, Centel, Contel, Nextel, etc. (Al Gillis) History Web Site Now Open! (TELECOM Digest Editor) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Katherine Shrader Subject: Public Wants Court to Okay Wiretaps Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 23:20:21 -0600 By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer A majority of Americans want the Bush administration to get court approval before eavesdropping on people inside the United States, even if those calls might involve suspected terrorists, an AP-Ipsos poll shows. Over the past three weeks, President Bush and top aides have defended the electronic monitoring program they secretly launched shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, as a vital tool to protect the nation from al-Qaida and its affiliates. Yet 56 percent of respondents in an AP-Ipsos poll said the government should be required to first get a court warrant to eavesdrop on the overseas calls and e-mails of U.S. citizens when those communications are believed to be tied to terrorism. Agreeing with the White House, some 42 percent of those surveyed do not believe the court approval is necessary. "We're at war," Bush said during a New Year's Day visit to San Antonio. "And as commander in chief, I've got to use the resources at my disposal, within the law, to protect the American people. ... It's a vital, necessary program." According to the poll, age matters in how people view the monitoring. Nearly two-thirds of those between age 18 to 29 believe warrants should be required, while people 65 and older are evenly divided. Party affiliation is a factor, too. Almost three-fourths of Democrats and one-third of Republicans want to require court warrants. Cynthia Ice-Bones, 32, a Republican from Sacramento, Calif., said knowing about the program made her feel a bit safer. "I think our security is so important that we don't need warrants. If you're doing something we shouldn't be doing, then you ought to be caught," she said. But Peter Ahr of Caldwell, N.J., a religious studies professor at Seton Hall University, said he could not find a justification for skipping judicial approvals. Nor did he believe the administration's argument that such a step would impair terrorism investigations. "We're a nation of laws. ... That means that everybody has to live by the law, including the administration," said Ahr, 64, a Democrat who argues for checks and balances. "For the administration to simply go after wiretaps on their own without anyone else's say-so is a violation of that principle." The eavesdropping is run by the secretive National Security Agency, the government's code-makers and code-breakers. Charles Franklin, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said most people think that the eavesdropping is aimed at foreign terrorists, even when the surveillance is conducted inside the country. "They are willing to give the president quite a lot of leeway on this when it comes to the war on terror," said Franklin, who closely follows public opinion. Some members of Congress have raised concerns about the president's actions, but none of those lawmakers who have been briefed on the program has called for its immediate halt. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, GOP Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, has promised hearings this year. Five members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, including GOP Sens. Olympia Snowe of Maine and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, have called for immediate inquiries. On top of that, a memorandum circulated Friday from two legal analysts at the Congressional Research Service concluded that the justification for the monitoring may not be as strong as the administration has argued. The NSA's activity "may present an exercise of presidential power at its lowest ebb," the 44-page memo said. Bush based his eavesdropping orders on his presidential powers under the Constitution and a September 2001 congressional resolution authorizing him to use military force in the fight against terrorism. The administration says the program is reviewed every 45 days and that Bush personally reauthorizes it. His top legal advisers argue its justification is sound. The issue is full of grays for some people interviewed for the poll, including homebuilder Harlon Bennett, 21, a political independent from Wellston, Okla. He does not think the government should need warrants for suspected terrorists. "Of course," he added, "we all could be suspected terrorists." Associated Press writers Will Lester and Elizabeth White contributed to this report. On the Net: Ipsos: http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more stories and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ From: Eli Tomlinson Subject: Phone Problems and Question Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 10:18:06 -0500 I have been suffering for quite some time with a PRI problem. The short version is: I never lose the signal, but sporadically I lose the line because of 'bad data' or 'garbage' on the line. This can happen once a day or thirty times a day. I am using Verizon as my PRI provider and a Nortel BCM 400 as the phone equipment. Verizon's position is that there is nothing wrong. Nortel's position is that I am occassionally getting bad layer 2 data that their system can't handle. Both companies claim they do not have the resources or expertise to help me ... Do you know of anyone in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York area that is an independent telco engineer that can come in with a protocol analyzer and give me definitive evidence of what my problem is? I need someone with the ability to authoritatively prove my issue so I can end the finger-pointing. Any help or references would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, - Eli Eli Tomlinson Wayne Bank 717 Main Street Honesdale, PA 18431 (570) 253-8566 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Maybe you should advise both companies that you 'do not have the resources to pay for their non-help. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Jan 2006 09:45:26 -0500 From: John Stahl Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance Bob Alan asked about Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance on Fri, 6 Jan 2006 22:48:50 -0500 > You can contact your local ILEC and remove any LD > preferred carrier arrangement, if you wish. One thing I failed to mention in my original answer, but the latest response reminded me, was about the high costs the incumbents charge to make simple (non-hardware) changes to your Teleco lines. In the bill I mentioned in my response, there appeared a note (in the FYI section) below the billing section regarding an increase in the charge to change/modify LD carrier on the line. Verizon indicated that effective the effective Jan 1, 2006, new rates apply when you change your LD carrier but ... there were options in how much the charge. If one calls the Verizon business office the charge is now $5.50. However, if one were to establish an account on-line and use the Internet (see, there are advantages -- at least for now -- in using the Internet!), the charge to change LD carriers is only $1.25. AND if you change both regional toll and LD carrier at the same time the charge will be discounted an additional 50%. Isn't that nice. Cost of doing business: one more reason to go to VoIP (or even a cell) service. John Stahl Telecom and Data Consultant Aljon Enterprises ------------------------------ From: Ken Abrams Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Sat, 07 Jan 2006 16:27:09 GMT Bob Alan wrote >> you may find yourself assigned to a random carrier > You can contact your local ILEC and remove any LD preferred carrier > arrangement, if you wish. This should prevent any recurring fee, if > there was one in the first place, but the disadvantage is that if a > LD call should, even by accident, be placed from your phone, you may > find yourself assigned to a random carrier for that call, and this > carrier will bill you at an unbelievably high per minute rate. I don't think this is true. If you have specified that you don't want an assigned (preferred) LD carrier, then a LD call DIALED "by accident" would not complete. Random carrier assignments are only made for those customers who state that they DO want LD service but don't have a preference for which carrier is used. This usually only happens when a new line is activated (installed, connected, turned on ... whatever). If you have specific information about a LEC that will do what you claim, please provide the details. ------------------------------ From: Al Gillis Subject: Re: GTE, Sprint, United, Centel, Contel, Nextel, etc. Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 07:15:03 -0800 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Anthony -- That's a great history! Thanks for taking time to "shine a light" onto that part of our past! Pat -- I think posting Anthony's article in the History section of the TELECOM Digest Archives would be a great idea! Al Anthony Bellanga wrote in message news:telecom25.9.12@telecom-digest.org: > PAT -- please suppress my email address in the "from" line, and any > other place it might appear! > Al Gillis wrote: >> TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: >>> The (S)outhern (P)acific (R)ailroad (I)nternal (N)etwork >>> (T)elecommunications Department of that railroad -- or S.P.R.I.N.T. >>> for short -- did a major re-build of their trackside telephone >>> system in the late 1960's. They did such a good job of it, they had >>> a huge anount of left-over capacity and decided to lease it out to >>> other businesses and companies. That was the original Sprint, which >>> a few years later got into residential telecom service as well, and >>> has now -- 2005 -- gone through many changes in ownership and >>> management. About 1998 or so, Sprint bought the United Telephone >>> Company which serves a lot of northern Kansas among other >>> territories. PAT] >> BZZZZZT! Sorry, Pat, it was the other way around! >> United Telephone, based in the Kansas City, KS area (maybe Overland >> Park) bought SPRINT and then assumed the name, much like the recent >> changes at SBC/AT&T. >> United Telephone owned numerous local operating telephone companies >> around the US of A. In my area it was United Telephone of the >> Northwest. There was a United Telephone of Ohio, United Telephone of >> Florida, and others with the "United Telephone of..." name. There >> were still others as well, like Carolina Telephone, which operated in >> North and South Carolina. Possibly the largest city in SPRINT's >> stable in Las Vegas, NV. > Southern Pacific Railways began to offer "common carrier" telecom > services (SPRINT) during the 1970s era, paralleling what MCI had also > begun doing. At first, it was private line services, but over time, > combinations of private line with switched long haul services emerged, > and finally "fully switched" OCC (Other Common Carrier) services. > In the early 1980s, GTE bought out SPRINT from Southern Pacific > Railways. In the early 1980s, their 950-xxxx feature group 'B' dial-up > access number was 950-0777, the '777' for 'SPR', and their initial > post-divestiture feature group 'D' equal-access dial-around code was > 10-777. > Also happening during the early 1980s was that the independent telco > group owner United (which was one of about four or five or six of the > larger ones, the others being GTE, Contel, Centel, and also Alltel, > CenturyTel, PTI, etc) was developing their own 'OCC' long-distance > network called "US Telecom". Their access number was (is) 950-1033, > and their dial-around was 10-333 (now 101-0333). > In 1986, GTE and United decided to "join forces" and merge their OCC > long-distance networks. The new joint-venture would be called "US > Sprint", owned 50/50 by GTE and United. It would take some time for > the networks and billing departments of "US Sprint" to be properly > merged and operating "seamlessly". In the first couple of years of "US > Sprint", there were numerous billing errors! (Not that they didn't > have significant billing errors or broken promises throughout the > 1990s as well!). > After a year or two of the "US Sprint" joint-venture of GTE and > United, GTE suddenly announced that they "wanted out" of Sprint. It > was decided that over the next five or so years, that United would > slowly buy out GTE's ownership of "US Sprint". So, every year, if you > read the reports of who owned what, United would have larger shares of > Sprint, and GTE would have less. > By 1992 or so, GTE had completely exited Sprint, with United owning > all of Sprint. Also about the same time, GTE and Continental Telephone > (Contel) merged, with the GTE name surviving. There were long time > Contel service areas sold off, as well as some long-time GTE service > areas sold off too, to comply with antitrust laws. Alltel and Citizens > Tel bought up these one-time GTE and Contel service areas. There were > also a few Alltel areas that were sold to GTE at the same time, sort > of a "swap" of some GTE/Contel and Alltel areas! Also during the > 1992/93 time period, United also bought out Central Telephone > (Centel). Some legacy Centel areas included Tallahassee FL, large > areas of Virginia, parts of Illinois (including the one-time > Step-by-Step Chicago suburbs of Park Ridge and Des Plaines, later sold > in 1996 to Illinois Bell/Ameritech now SBC/AT&T), and the Las Vegas NV > Metro area. The combined United (which now owned 100% of Sprint) with > Centel, changed its name to Sprint around 1993. > The Sprint Local Telco areas of southern, central, and also scattered > in parts of northern Florida is mostly all legacy United. Tallahassee > FL and a few other areas of northwestern (panhandle) FL are legacy > Centel. > Sprint has also become involved in Cellular. > Sprint-Canada was a marketing name of Call-Net (Canada), a CLEC and > Canadian-based OCC (competitive Long Distance carrier). More recently, > Rogers (which at one time was in a venture with the old Unitel, also > once known as AT&T-Canada), has bought out Call-Net in Canada. I think > that the Rogers name will replace the Sprint-Canada and the Call-Net > names. > Earlier in 2005, Sprint bought out Nextel wireless. It's going to take > some time before the Nextel name is completely replaced with the > Sprint name, but Sprint did announce that it was retaining wireless > and long distance. The legacy incumbent local telco operation (once > known as United and Centel) is going to be spun-off to a new entity > altogather but the name of this entity is still TBA. > At the time that Sprint tookover Nextel, the red/white "diamond" logo > (in use since 1986 with the GTE and United joint-venture of US-Sprint) > was abandoned (although it will take time for embedded advertizing > signage, etc. to be completely replaced), the new Sprint-Nextel logo > being black, with black text, on a yellow background (similar to > pre-merger Nextel), the black logo itself now being something that > looks like bird-feathers fuffling or book-pages being rifled. > So, Sprint has had quite a colorful history dating back over 30 years. > And I'm defining Sprint by the OCC long distance aspect of the company > and name. Its one time owner United has a history that does indeed go > back over 100 years, as an independent local telephone company that > seems to have begun in the Kansas area in the 1890s or early 1900s. > And it was around 1992/93 (NOT 1998), that United changed its name to > Sprint, since United now owned all 100% of Sprint, in the transition > completely from GTE ownership over to United ownership. > - anthony bellanga [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I think so also, and did that earlier on Saturday. His message (and another one about the 'ten-ten' access code numbers) is in the History section of the Telecom Archives as of now. Thanks for the mention however; I might have otherwise overlooked it. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: History Web Site Now Open! Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 00:29:19 EST From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) I am pleased to announce that after spending most of the day today working on the matter, I finally have the Internet Historical Society web site open for viewing at http://history-internet.org . There are still some broken links to be investigated (all of YOUR help will be appreciated with that) and I will get to those over the next couple days. There still has to be added a user bulletin board for open posting as I had on the earlier version. You can start looking it over now, however, at http://history-internet.org and thank you all for your patience with me on this project. PAT ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #10 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Jan 8 19:27:41 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id B854D14F20; Sun, 8 Jan 2006 19:27:40 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #11 Message-Id: <20060109002740.B854D14F20@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 19:27:40 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.6 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, DIET_1,MAILTO_TO_REMOVE autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 8 Jan 2006 19:30:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 11 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson In With the New E-Mail, Out With the Old (Sam Diaz) Google to Launch Online Video Store (Eric Auchard) Re: Public Wants Court to Okay Wiretaps (Mark Crispin) Re: GTE, Sprint, United, Centel, Contel, Nextel, etc. (Geoffrey Welsh) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (GarsDuBell@aol.com) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (BobT) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (Wesrock@aol.com) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (Rich Greenberg) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Sam Diaz Subject: In With the New E-Mail, Out With the Old Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 14:27:04 -0600 By Sam Diaz Washington Post Staff Writer It's only been a week since the calendar turned the corner into 2006, and I'm slowly making progress on one of my New Year's resolutions: organizing my digital life. The digital music and digital photo files were fairly easy -- photo album software has made it simple to organize my pictures by dates or events while music software allows me to create playlists or find duplicate tracks with just a few clicks. And I've been pretty good at keeping it organized month after month. The biggest challenge, the one that I'm finding is taking a lot of time, patience and commitment, is tackling the e-mail mess that I've created. Part of the problem, I think, is that I have too many e-mail accounts. There's the mail that comes into the office, as well as the personal account I use through Yahoo. And of course, I couldn't refuse an invitation to Google's GMail when a friend lured me in. And, to intensify the flood of mail, I subscribe to a half-dozen or so e-newsletters and have set up my mail to receive daily news alerts. Add to that the jokes that some friends just won't stop sending and the Spam that seems to regularly sneak past the filters, and you get an idea of how quickly things can get cluttered. How cluttered? I have more than 6,200 e-mails in my Yahoo inbox alone. Now I find myself wrestling with two impulses: The need for some sort of order in my e-mail versus my pack-rat instinct to save everything. So I came up with a no-budget plan to not only do some cleanup but also ensure that I never get back to this cluttered place again. DELETE OR ARCHIVE. It sounds simple enough, but just sorting through the hundreds (or thousands) of mails is a job within itself. No matter if you read mail over Yahoo, GMail or Hotmail, or if you access it through programs such as Outlook, Lotus Notes or Eudora, you have the capability to sort the mail by sender or subject line. That's where I started. Click on the heading and start searching for stuff that has to go. In my case, the automatic news alerts that date back to last summer can probably go first. If you're using Outlook, select a group of similar e-mails and press the delete key once. If you're using a Web-based program, the best bet may be to perform a search on the e-mails from a sender or those who use the same subject line. When your search results appear, select them all and hit delete. I have cleared hundreds of e-mails in one shot by doing this. If you really can't fathom the idea of deleting hundreds of e-mails, do yourself a favor and archive them to get them out of the inbox. Archiving, also known as exporting in some programs, really isn't that hard. You're basically saving a select group of e-mails, usually those within a range of dates, to another place on your computer, though I suggest saving them to a USB drive or CD. Whenever you need to search for a particular e-mail from 2004, for example, you can just plug in that drive or pop in that CD and retrieve them. FILTERS AND FOLDERS. Regardless of what program you use to get e-mail, you probably have the ability to create custom filters and new subfolders. I made a new folder called Alerts and set up a filter that automatically puts any e-mail sent by "alerts@yahoo-inc.com," the address that sends those daily bulletins, directly into the Alerts folder. I've done the same for newsletters and other regular e-mail that's not necessarily critical. My inbox will no longer be cluttered by them, they'll be easy to find and even easier to delete in bulk when the time comes. Sure, now I have more folders to sort through during the day, but the important stuff, the e-mail that needs to be in my face, will pop into the primary inbox. FORWARD THOSE E-MAILS. I realize that the last thing you need is another e-mail account, but I have started putting that GMail account to good use. Every e-mail that comes into my inbox, or filtered subfolders, is automatically forwarded to my GMail account, which has a mailbox capacity of two gigabytes and keeps growing as you continue to feed it. Here's the trick: Set up your primary account to forward a copy of the e-mail, not the original, to a different account, one that you don't check regularly. Read, reply and delete as you normally would with the peace of mind that somewhere out in cyberspace there's a copy for you. It's worth noting that none of these tricks is new, but none will cost you a penny. Filters and folders have been around for years, but like backing up important data or updating anti-virus software, we don't use them until things go crazy. Like losing weight or quitting smoking, this e-mail organization resolution can be overwhelming. Just remember, like the weight and smoking, this didn't happen overnight. It took a while to get here. Getting out of it will take plenty of time, as well -- and a commitment. Copyright 2006 The Washington Post Company NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news headlines, go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ From: Eric Auchard Subject: Google to Launch Online Video Store Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 14:24:26 -0600 By Eric Auchard Google Inc. said on Friday the company is expanding into two new fields with an online video store and a computer maintenance service, moves that mark stepped-up challenges to its biggest computer and media rivals, including Apple, Microsoft and Yahoo. Google Co-founder and President Larry Page said the video marketplace would offer free programming, low-cost rentals and outright purchases of premium entertainment and sports shows ranging from episodes of Star Trek to every National Basketball Association league game online, for the first time ever. Page also introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas a plan to offer any user of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP-powered PCs basic software, security and Web features on both new and existing machines. With the product, called Google Pack, the company is promising to help most users set up and maintain their machines in a matter of minutes rather than the hours that many computer users require to get going on a new PC. "Google Pack is quite exciting," said Page during his keynote address at the show, "It's as easy as going to the Google home page." Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates used his own keynote speech here earlier this week to take the covers off many new consumer features of the next upgrade of the Windows desktop, known as Vista, due out later this year. "This is a direct action to challenge Microsoft: Google is saying we can manage the browser and other elements of the computer desktop experience better than what you get now," Forrester media and Internet analyst Josh Bernoff said. Specifically, Google said it will rent and sell television programs from CBS Corp. and the NBA. CBS plans to offer three current programs, including "Crime Scene Investigation," for rental a day after they originally air, priced at $1.99. 'STAR TREK' DOWNLOADS Another 300 "classic" CBS shows such as "I Love Lucy," "The Brady Bunch" and "Star Trek" will be offered for download and outright ownership for the same $1.99 fee. Other partners include the historical video archive of Britain's ITN and selected Sony BMG videos. Time Warner is expected to eventually participate in the video store as part of a recently expanded search and advertising deal, Google CEO Eric Schmidt added. The significance of the video store is that it marks one of the first moves by Google to begin charging users of its services beyond search-based advertising sales, which drives 99 percent of company revenues. Executives said the company would not announce plans to enter the computer business, denying rumors that Google would launch at the show a machine costing as little as $100. In its most overt slap at Microsoft, Google has named a set of preferred software, security and Web service providers that will be part of its recommended PC set-up. Preferred software vendors include Symantec Corp., Adobe Systems Inc. and RealNetworks Inc. Highlighting the potential greater scope of Google's plan, Page told reporters after this speech that Google considered including OpenOffice, a free suite of applications supported by Sun Microsystems Inc. that would compete directly with Microsoft's Office software suite. Instead, Google elected to keep the first package of software small, Page said. Invoking parallels to a decade-old battle that pitted Microsoft versus Web browser pioneer Netscape Communications, Google plans to automatically install for customers who accept its offer the Mozilla/Firefox browser, a challenge to Microsoft's far more widely used Internet Explorer browser. The most basic measure of the Google-Microsoft competition is the growing percentage of time computer users spend on Google products rather than Microsoft, Bernoff said. Initially, Google offered only Web search. That has expanded to include desktop search, communications, video and an ever broader array of software offerings, he said. A version of new Google video store for Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac line of computers is coming, Page said. "We have a version of video for Mac that is not downloadable yet," Page said. "Hopefully that will come out soon." Roughly four-fifths of U.S. households in a survey of consumer Internet trends released this week by brokerage SG Cowen use Microsoft Windows XP as their operating system software. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news from Reuters, pleasr go to: http://telecom-digest.otg/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: Mark Crispin Subject: Re: Public Wants Court to Okay Wiretaps Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 22:36:48 -0800 Organization: University of Washington On Sat, 7 Jan 2006, Katherine Shrader wrote: > Yet 56 percent of respondents in an AP-Ipsos poll said the government > should be required to first get a court warrant to eavesdrop on the > overseas calls and e-mails of U.S. citizens when those communications > are believed to be tied to terrorism. This is something that confuses me. Were the calls that were eavesdropped of US citizens? Or were they of non-citizens who happened to be in the US? The reports that I heard indicated that it was the latter. Most foreign countries substantially abridge the rights of American citizens in their countries compared to their citizens. I have direct first-hand experience on this count. I see no reason for the US not to do the same. In fact, we already do. Non-citizens in the US are generally denied the rights, enjoyed by citizens, to: . reside . employment . possess a firearm . public assistance . vote, etc. There are means by which a non-citizen can get these rights (green card, alien firearms license, etc.); but normally visitors to the US are very much limited compared to citizens and green card holders. I don't see why a non-citizen should expect the right to privacy of communications in the US if that non-citizen falls under suspicion of terrorism. You can bet that outside the US, the phones of anyone suspected of terrorist ties are tapped, EU regulations or not. In some cases, the bureaucracy conceals it, and it's a crime for the press to reveal what the bureaucracy has concealed. In other cases (e.g., Canada), the very document that states all these wonderful rights gives the government the power to abridge them whenever it thinks it's necessary. Don't believe me? Read Canada's "Charter of Rights and Freedoms", and note the "notwithstanding" clauses (in particular section 33): http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/ -- Mark -- http://panda.com/mrc Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote. ------------------------------ From: Geoffrey Welsh Subject: Re: GTE, Sprint, United, Centel, Contel, Nextel, etc. Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 15:05:22 -0500 Organization: UseNetServer.com Anthony Bellanga wrote: > Sprint-Canada was a marketing name of Call-Net (Canada), a CLEC and > Canadian-based OCC (competitive Long Distance carrier). More recently, > Rogers (which at one time was in a venture with the old Unitel, also > once known as AT&T-Canada), has bought out Call-Net in Canada. I think > that the Rogers name will replace the Sprint-Canada and the Call-Net > names. I do business with the former Sprint Canada, and Rogers has already replaced all Sprint Canada logos on stationery and sent replacement calling cards, etc. The new cards, unfortunately, are ugly and amateurish-looking. The history of Canadian telecom companies is just as complicated as that of Sprint, plus has the added element of on-again, off-again partnerships with U.S. companies. AT&T Canada -- as you point out, the former Rogers partner -- became Allstream and was promptly acquired by MTS, the ILEC for the province of Manitoba and a former Bell Canada partner in the Stentor alliance, who were looking for a way to compete in their former partners' territories against ILECs such as Bell Canada and Telus as well as CLECs and cablecos with internet operations ... like Sprint/Rogers, who only recently dropped "AT&T" from their wireless brand. Geoffrey Welsh Never leave until tomorrow what can wait until next week. ------------------------------ From: GarsDuBell@aol.com Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 09:33:00 EST Subject: Re: Cost of POTS, w/o Long Distance Ken, On a BellSouth POTS line, if no long distance carrier is assigned, a long distance call cannot be dialed accidentally using 1 + 10 digits, but you can dial long distance by dialing 101 + the carrier code + 10 digits. The only way to avoid this is to pay for a restricted line, which is several dollars more per month. In a message dated 1/8/2006 12:52:29 AM Eastern Standard Time, Ken Abrams wrote: > You can contact your local ILEC and remove any LD preferred carrier > arrangement, if you wish. This should prevent any recurring fee, if > there was one in the first place, but the disadvantage is that if a > LD call should, even by accident, be placed from your phone, you may > find yourself assigned to a random carrier for that call, and this > carrier will bill you at an unbelievably high per minute rate. I don't think this is true. If you have specified that you don't want an assigned (preferred) LD carrier, then a LD call DIALED "by accident" would not complete. ------------------------------ From: BobT Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy! Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 14:56:53 GMT On Sat, 07 Jan 2006 16:27:09 GMT, Ken Abrams wrote: > I don't think this is true. > If you have specified that you don't want an assigned (preferred) LD > carrier, then a LD call DIALED "by accident" would not complete. > Random carrier assignments are only made for those customers who state > that they DO want LD service but don't have a preference for which > carrier is used. This usually only happens when a new line is > activated (installed, connected, turned on ... whatever). > If you have specific information about a LEC that will do what you > claim, please provide the details. I suspect you are correct, but I have insufficient data to tell, conclusively, from my experience. Brief summary follows. Location, SBC, former Ameritech, specifically Chicago. Incident involved intrastate local toll rather than interstate LD. I had switched interstate LD carriers, and during the transaction, without my knowledge, local toll carrier on one of my two lines apparently was listed as unassigned, as you speculate. I rarely use that line for outbound, but one month I had two local toll calls. Both were assigned (randomly?) to Sprint, which charged me $1.19 a minute (!) for a call from Chicago to Wilmette, a Chicago suburb. After a bit of argument, it was agreed that SBC made the error, and charges were reversed. ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 10:00:24 EST Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance In a message dated 6 Jan 2006 05:08:18 -0000, John Levine writes: > Back at the time of the Bell breakup, the access charge was a > temporary band-aid the FCC added to make up for part of the previous > subsidy from deliberately overpriced interstate long distance rates. > It should have gone away in a few years once the telcos went to the > states to adjust their rates to include it, but that never happened. It was intrastate long distance that was overpriced. State commissions required this intentionally to make POTS less expensive to their local constituencies. The FCC, which dealt only with interstate L.D., called for low interstate rates, since the FCC were not involved in the rates for POTS. If you lived in a large state, it was particularly noticeable. It cost a lot more to call from Dallas to El Paso (or v.v.) than it did to call from Dallas to Phoenix. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com wleathus@yahoo.com ------------------------------ From: richgr@panix.com (Rich Greenberg) Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 18:46:40 UTC Organization: Organized? Me? In article , John Stahl wrote: > If one calls the Verizon business office the charge is now > $5.50. However, if one were to establish an account on-line and use > the Internet (see, there are advantages -- at least for now -- in > using the Internet!), the charge to change LD carriers is only > $1.25. AND if you change both regional toll and LD carrier at the same > time the charge will be discounted an additional 50%. This actually makes sense. If you call the office, a human droid must take the info from you and enter it into some system that will make the change. If you do it online, it gets done "untouched by human hands" and costs VZ considerably less. Rich Greenberg Marietta, GA, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 770 321 6507 Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67 Canines:Val, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, husky Owner:Chinook-L Atlanta Siberian Husky Rescue. www.panix.com/~richgr/ Asst Owner:Sibernet-L ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #11 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jan 9 17:11:30 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 6C22314FAB; Mon, 9 Jan 2006 17:11:30 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #12 Message-Id: <20060109221130.6C22314FAB@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 17:11:30 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.9 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, CELL_PHONE_IMPROVE,MAILTO_TO_REMOVE autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 9 Jan 2006 17:15:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 12 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson History of Hayes Modem (The Great Idea Finder) Era of the BBS (Jason Scott) Your Phone Records For Sale (Frank Main) Blogger (john in dc) Responds to Sun-Times Article on Number Selling (john) Create an E-Annoyance, Go to Jail (Monty Solomon) Cellular-News for Monday 9th January 2006 (Cellular-News) Shift to IPTV Gains Momentum (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Cost of POTS, w/o Long Distance (Ken Abrams) Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance (Tony P.) Re: Public Wants Court to Okay Wiretaps (Phil Earnhardt) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: The Great Idea Finder Subject: History of Hayes Modem Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 20:56:30 -0600 Fascinating facts about the invention of the PC Modem by Dennis Hayes in 1977 From PC MODEM Modem, device that converts between analog and digital signals. Digital signals, which are used by computers, are made up of separate units, usually represented by a series of 1's and 0's. Analog signals vary continuously; an example of an analog signal is a sound wave. Modems are often used to enable computers to communicate with each other across telephone lines. A modem converts the digital signals of the sending computer to analog signals that can be transmitted through telephone lines. When the signal reaches its destination, another modem reconstructs the original digital signal, which is processed by the receiving computer. If both modems can transmit data to each other simultaneously, the modems are operating in full duplex mode; if only one modem can transmit at a time, the modems are operating in half duplex mode. To convert a digital signal to an analog one, the modem generates a carrier wave and modulates it according to the digital signal. The kind of modulation used depends on the application and the speed of operation for which the modem is designed. For example, many high-speed modems use a combination of amplitude modulation, where the amplitude of the carrier wave is changed to encode the digital information, and phase modulation, where the phase of the carrier wave is changed to encode the digital information. The process of receiving the analog signal and converting it back to a digital signal is called demodulation. The word "modem" is a contraction of its two basic functions: modulation and demodulation. Dennis C. Hayes invented the PC modem in 1977, establishing the critical technology that allowed today's online and Internet industries to emerge and grow. He sold the first Hayes modem products to computer hobbyists in April of 1977 and founded D.C. Hayes Associates, Inc., the company known today as Hayes Corp., in January of 1978. Hayes quality and innovation resulted in performance enhancements and cost reductions that led the industry in the conversion from leased line modems to intelligent dial modems -- the PC Modem. Hayes-Compatible, in computer science, an adjective used to describe a modem that responds to the same set of commands as a modem manufactured by Hayes Microcomputer Products, originators of the de facto standard for microcomputer modems. TO LEARN MORE: RELATED INFORMATION: Dennis C Hayes, Inventor Profile from The Great Idea Finder History of Computing from The Great Idea Finder ON THE WEB: Zoom Telephonics, Inc. This company acquired most of the modem assets of Hayes Corporation. (URL http:// www.zoom.com/news.shtml ) The Rise and Fall of the Modem King Dennis C. Hayes begins selling personal computer modem products to computer hobbyists. Initially, the modems are boards for the S-100 bus, and later for the Apple II. International Herald Tribune. Article by Victoria Shannon. (URL http:// timeline.textfiles.com/1977/ ) Hayes Compatible There was a time when Hayes compatible meant something. (URL http:// www.pcwebopaedia.com/TERM/H/Hayes_compatible.html ) Modem Standards The organization that now sets modem standards is the International Telecommunication Union. (URL: http://www.itu.int/home/index.html ) Computer History Timeline of computer history from BC to the present. Presented by Computer Hope, free help for computer users.History for 1960 - 1980 (URL http://www.computerhope.com/history/196080.htm ) Buzz Words A Glossary of Modem Terms (URL http://www.v90.com/glossary.htm ) Modems (This site has closed.) The latest, and last, analog modem standard is called v.90, and everything you ever wanted to know about modems. (URL http://www.modemshop.com/mdic210.txt ) Modem pioneer struggles for survival (Article removed.) The company is offering a new product -- a limited-edition, 56K 20th anniversary modem, signed by Dennis Hayess. Article from USA TODAY, by The Associated Press. (URL http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ctd913.htm ) HOW IT WORKS: How Modems Work From the popular How Stuff Works Web site by Marshall Brain. Lots of COOKIES and POP-UP ADS at this site. DID YOU KNOW?: a.. 1978 -- Dennis C. Hayes and partner Dale Heatherington, working on Hayes' dining room table, develop first personal-computer modem and formed a company. b.. 1985 -- Hayes annual sales hit $120 million as popularity of home computers grows. Reference Sources in BOLD Type This page revised March, 2005. Copyright 1997 - 2006 The Great Idea Finder. All rights resereved. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance, Great Idea Finder. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ From: Jason Scott Subject: Era of the BBS Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 20:57:30 -0600 The TEXTFILES.COM Historical BBS List: An introduction by Jason Scott As the age of the Dial-Up BBS draws to a close, I thought it necessary to ensure a way to keep some understanding of the role of BBSes in the growth of the Internet. More importantly, I thought it might be fun to collect the phone numbers of every known dial-up BBS and find a way to enshrine them in one easy-to-browse list. This way, people could look back at the area codes and exchanges of their youth and remember all these electronic places, these meeting houses and hangouts that formed a part of so many people's youth. A Very Short History The first modem for microcomputers was invented by Dennis Hayes in 1977. This device (short for MOdulator-DEModulator) allowed two computers to connect to each other over the existing telephone network. Previously, dedicated phone lines were used between permanent computer installations. He soon founded D. C. Hayes Associates, later Hayes Corporation, which was a leader in PC Modems for most of the 1980's. While the idea of being able to use the existing phone network for computer communication was still new (and gaining interest by hobbyists and others to transfer information) it was two people, Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, who created the first "Bulletin Board System" and put it online in February, 1978. The concept behind "Ward and Randy's CBBS" was to provide a way for others to dial into their computer, and leave messages for other users. They described it as a natural extension of an actual physical Bulletin Board they were using for their local computer club. They published an article in Byte Magazine describing their software, and the era of the Dial-Up BBS had begun. There are many histories of the BBS and I hope to write a comprehensive one myself at some point in the future, but a number of links are provided below for you to research by yourself. The BBS List As more and more people purchased modems to go with their home computers and wanted to sign up with all these "BBSes" they'd been hearing about, a fundamental problem presented itself: How to find out what the numbers of the BBSes were. Since anyone could set up a BBS (if they had an extra phone line or were willing to give up human calls) the issue was more one of publicity than opportunity. Word-of- mouth was effective, with BBS numbers showing up at computer club meetings and passed around schools. Some people advertised on other BBSes, so that if you got one phone number to a BBS, you would soon know others. Eventually, however, some folks took it upon themselves to maintain BBS Lists, where they would keep track of all the BBSes of a given subject matter or type, or even an area code, and others would let them know if they had put up a new BBS. Over time, these BBS lists could be found everywhere, and gave people an easy way to know what numbers to call to log on. This was the age of the BBS List; you would download the month's list to see what new places there were to call. If a site didn't get on enough BBSes, they wouldn't get enough calls, and would eventually close down. Of course, the administrators of these lists had policies of who they would let on, focusing on one kind of computer hardware, or location, or what the subject matter of the BBS was. Some also refused to list "underground" BBSes, making them even more "underground" than they might have been. An Idea Is Hatched While doing work on textfiles.com, I started to think about the many thousands of BBSes that had come and gone, and the effect they'd had on myself and many others. I remembered the days when I would go up and down BBS lists calling every last board seeing what was new or what was being offered, ignoring what the board called itself or what others claimed it did or didn't have, wanting to see for myself. I remember running into boards with brilliance behind the wheel and BBSes that had been left to die and were inhabited by a bunch of squatters and power players. Many of these places are lost in my memory, but seeing their names or numbers brings it all back. I figured that since TEXTFILES.COM had all these BBS Lists from that period of time, I might consider compiling a list. Several bourne and Perl scripts later, the list is now up into the many thousands (although always in need of pruning and verification) and the project is well underway. The way I see this project is as a lark, and a fun thing to do in my spare time. I will work to always make my efforts reproducible, and the data files that are generated by my scripts will hopefully come of use to people in other projects, related or not. I would hope that some people will browse these lists and really enjoy looking back at their favorite area codes, and remember that part of their lives. So welcome to the world's largest BBS list. I hope you enjoy browsing it as much as I did compiling it. Bibliography Information was taken from the following sources: Ideafinder: The PC Modem http://www.jps.net/foxnhare/cbbs.html (link dead) Interview with Ward Christensen and Randy Seuss [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: These two articles, on Dennis Hayes and the 'Era of BBS-ing' are going to go in my newly revised web site http://history-internet.org among the links for your review. Regards very old BBS systems, I ran a couple of them during the early 1980's: I had Lakeshore Modem Magazine, a social issues BBS in Rogers Park in Chicago, from 1981-85. I was also the volunteer 'Sysop' (or System Operator) for the Chicago Public Library BBS in 1981-82 and I worked with Jerry Ablan, a Chicago southwest side (Beverly) resident with a discussion forum on his 'THINK! BBS' in 1982-83. The BBS was named after the old IBM-slogan in those years, which was 'Think!', and I began mousing around a lot on Usenet at more or less the same time. My computer in those days was an Apple ][+, as was the one used at the Library. Jerry Ablan had a Tandy Model 4 for his thing. Also, in the middle 1980's I worked with a guy in Oak Park, Illinois who was maintaining a FIDO node on a Tandy 4. My first experience with (what are called 'newsgroups' on Usenet), or 'echogroups' on FIDO came on his node. 'Nodes' were the numerical assignments given to everyone who maintained a FIDO system. I have thought some about expanding this Digest as it stands today, through a 'gateway' to FIDO. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Frank Main Subject: Your Phone Records Are For Sale Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 23:17:28 -0600 http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-privacy05.html BY FRANK MAIN Chicago Sun-Times Crime Reporter The Chicago Police Department is warning officers their cell phone records are available to anyone -- for a price. Dozens of online services are selling lists of cell phone calls, raising security concerns among law enforcement and privacy experts. Criminals can use such records to expose a government informant who regularly calls a law enforcement official. Suspicious spouses can see if their husband or wife is calling a certain someone a bit too often. And employers can check whether a worker is regularly calling a psychologist -- or a competing company. Some online services might be skirting the law to obtain these phone lists, according to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has called for legislation to criminalize phone record theft and use. In some cases, telephone company insiders secretly sell customers' phone-call lists to online brokers, despite strict telephone company rules against such deals, according to Schumer. And some online brokers have used deception to get the lists from the phone companies, he said. "Though this problem is all too common, federal law is too narrow to include this type of crime," Schumer said last year in a prepared statement. The Chicago Police Department is looking into the sale of phone records, a source said. Late last month, the department sent a warning to officers about http://Locatecell.com , which sells lists of calls made on cell phones and land lines. "Officers should be aware of this information when giving out their personal cell phone numbers to the general public," the bulletin said. "Undercover officers should also be aware of this information if they occasionally call personal numbers such as home or the office, from their [undercover] ones." Test got FBI's calls in 3 hours To test the service, the FBI paid http://Locatecell.com $160 to buy the records for an agent's cell phone and received the list within three hours, the police bulletin said. Representatives of Data Find Solutions Inc., the Tennessee-based operator of http://Locatecell.com , could not be reached for comment. Frank Bochte, a spokesman for the FBI in Chicago, said he was aware of the Web site. "Not only in Chicago, but nationwide, the FBI notified its field offices of this potential threat to the security of our agents, and especially our undercover agents," Bochte said. "We need to educate our personnel about the dangers posed by individuals using this site and others like it. We are stressing that they should be careful in their cellular use." How well do the services work? The Chicago Sun-Times paid $110 to http://Locatecell.com to purchase a one-month record of calls for this reporter's company cell phone. It was as simple as e-mailing the telephone number to the service along with a credit card number. The request was made Friday after the service was closed for the New Year's holiday. 'Most powerful investigative tool' On Tuesday, when it reopened, http://Locatecell.com e-mailed a list of 78 telephone numbers this reporter called on his cell phone between Nov. 19 and Dec. 17. The list included calls to law enforcement sources, story subjects and other Sun-Times reporters and editors. Ernie Rizzo, a Chicago private investigator, said he uses a similar cell phone record service to conduct research for his clients. On Friday, for instance, Rizzo said he ordered the cell phone records of a suburban police chief whose wife suspects he is cheating on her. "I would say the most powerful investigative tool right now is cell records," Rizzo said. "I use it a couple times a week. A few hundred bucks a week is well worth the money." Only financial info protected? In July, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission seeking an end to the sale of telephone records. "We're very concerned about Locatecell," said Chris Jay Hoofnagle, senior counsel for the center. "This is the company that sold the phone records of a Canadian official to a reporter 'no questions asked.' " Schumer has called for legislation to criminalize the "stealing and selling" of cell phone logs. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set up a unit to stop it. He said a common method for obtaining cell phone records is "pretexting," involving a data broker pretending to be a phone's owner and duping the phone company into providing the information. "Pretexting for financial data is illegal, but it does not include phone records," Schumer said. "We already have protections for our financial information. We ought to have it for the very personal information that can be gleaned from telephone records." Contact Frank Main at fmain@suntimes.com Copyright The Sun-Times Company NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance, Chicago Sun-Times. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ From: Blogger Response Subject: Blogger (John in DC) Responds to Selling Phone Records Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 23:35:10 -0600 Cingular Wireless says 3rd parties buying your phone records is "an infinitesimally small problem" by John in DC - 1/08/2006 12:10:00 PM "Mark Siegel, a spokesman for Cingular Wireless, said his company constantly is on guard against people trying to get at customer information. But he called the acquisition of call records 'an infinitesimally small problem' at his firm." - Washington Post, July 8, 2005 Really? Cingular thinks the fact that I was able to go online and with $110 and a click of a button get every single phone call made by my cell phone in the month of November in just a few hours "'an infinitesimally small problem' at his firm." Well Cingular, your problem just got bigger. It was cake for me to get Cingular phone records, as I reported yesterday. Took no effort whatsoever. So what part of the fact that anybody anywhere can get Cingular phone records with no effort whatsoever is "an infinitesimally small problem"? And as for Cingular being "constantly on guard," well, I clicked my mouse and got the private phone records of one of your customers within hours, and with no effort. Also, the Washington Post article alerted Cingular last July to the company from which I got my records, and they're still up and running. So I'm not sure who at Cingular is "constantly only guard," but they need to be fired. According to the Washington Post article, the phone companies claim they have no part in your information being shared. Experts say these resellers are probably use one of three methods to get your phone records: They might have someone on the inside at the carrier who sells the data. Spokesmen for the telephone companies said strict rules prohibiting such activity make this unlikely. But Joel Winston, associate director of the Federal Trade Commission's Financial Practices Division, said other types of data-theft investigations have shown that "finding someone on the inside to bribe is not that difficult." Another method is "pretexting," in which the data broker or investiga- tor pretends to be the cell phone account holder and persuades the carrier's employees to release the information. The availability of Social Security numbers makes it easier to convince a customer service agent that the caller is the account holder. Finally, someone seeking call data can try to get access to consumer accounts online. Telephone companies, like other service firms, are encouraging their customers to manage their accounts over the Internet. Typically, the online capability is set up in advance, waiting to be activated by the customer. But many customers never do. If the person seeking the records can figure out how to activate online account management in the name of a real customer before that customer does, the call records are there for the taking. The article goes on to note that "phone companies view all these tactics as illegal." See, now that's funny. Because Cingular didn't have any interest in me passing along my evidence of the crime. They didn't want a copy of my records I'd received, nothing. If they really thought this was a crime, and actually cared, don't you think they'd want the proof? Then again, perhaps Cingular considered my phone call "an infinitesimally small problem." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 13:12:43 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Create an E-Annoyance, Go To Jail By Declan McCullagh Story last modified Mon Jan 09 04:00:00 PST 2006 Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime. It's no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity. In other words, it's OK to flame someone on a mailing list or in a blog as long as you do it under your real name. Thank Congress for small favors, I guess. This ridiculous prohibition, which would likely imperil much of Usenet, is buried in the so-called Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act. Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison. "The use of the word 'annoy' is particularly problematic," says Marv Johnson, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "What's annoying to one person may not be annoying to someone else." Buried deep in the new law is Sec. 113, an innocuously titled bit called "Preventing Cyberstalking." It rewrites existing telephone harassment law to prohibit anyone from using the Internet "without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy." http://news.com.com/2010-1028-6022491.html ------------------------------ Subject: Cellular-News for Monday 9th January 2006 Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 06:01:38 -0600 From: Cellular-News Cellular-News - http://www.cellular-news.com Improvements to cellular-news We are pleased to announce three changes to cellular-news that will enhance the service we offer you. Statistics We are pleased to announce an agreement with The Mobile World which enable us to provide value added information and analysis to our readers, complimenting our daily news stories and providing extra insight into the global wireless telecoms market. The Mobile World Database is a comprehensive online information resource detailing the shape and structure of every mobile market in the world. The Database provides accurate and detailed market data on subscriber numbers, KPIs (operational & financial metrics), ownership and technologies covering 220 countries over a 15 year archive. For more information and to request a trial, visit the web site at http://www.themobileworld.com Recruitment Center The web sites recruitment center has been upgraded to provide more services that reflect the services offered on much larger job boards. You can now create an account on the job board and set up email alerts for jobs which match your interests and also upload your CV for potential recruiters to search. More News We have signed an agreement with Business News Americas to offer selected news from their services to cellular-news readers. BNAmericas is one of the leading news publications covering Latin Amercia, and their addition to cellular-news will significantly improve our coverage of the South Americas. [[3G News]] China's Homegrown 3G Standard Ready For Network http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15469.php China's homegrown third-generation mobile standard is sufficiently advanced to begin developing a domestic 3G network, the Communist Party newspaper reported Friday. ... [[Financial News]] Endwave In Long-Term Purchase Pact With Nokia http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15472.php Endwave Corp. disclosed Friday that it signed a long-term purchase agreement with its largest customer, Nokia Corp., last week. ... China State Asset Official Suggests Stock Plan For Government Cos http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15475.php A senior Chinese government official Saturday proposed a shareholding structure for reforming the large state-owned enterprises. ... [[Handsets News]] Motorola Signs Deals with Google & Kodak http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15470.php Motorola Inc. and Eastman Kodak unveiled a partnership late Thursday to share their respective technologies and to jointly develop mobile camera phones. ... Next Generation Of Wireless Handsets Goes Beyond Phones http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15471.php Mobile handsets, what Motorola calls the "device formerly known as the cell phone," can do a lot more these days than just let people talk to each other. ... Samsung Expands Distribution in Latin America http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15480.php InfoSonics, one of the largest distributors of wireless handsets in the United States and Latin America, says that it has expanded its distribution agreement with Samsung Electronics Argentina to add Paraguay and Uruguay to the territory it is allowe... Desktop Speakers for Sony Ericsson Walkman Handsets http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15484.php Sony Ericsson has announced two new music accessories, the Portable Speakers MPS-60 and the Music Desk Stand MDS-60. The Walkman-branded Music Desk Stand MDS-60 allows owners to share the music on their mobile phone and charge their phone at the same... [[Legal News]] Legal Problems Slow Network Deployment in Israel http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15481.php Israel's National Planning and Construction Council has issued a regulation that will require all cellular network operators to offer a 100% indemnity to local authorities for any possible lawsuits over impacts on the value of properties in the vicin... [[Mobile Content News]] Yahoo Launches Services To Bring Content To Cellphones, TVs http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15474.php Yahoo unveiled a number of new products and services that will bring its content to televisions and cellphones and other mobile devices. ... [[Network Contracts News]] Venture to Build Phone Network in Somaliland http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15476.php Aquentium says that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Faaco Telecom to provide a telecommunication mobile phone system for the Republic of Somaliland. Under terms of the agreement, Aquentium Hong Kong is agreeing to install, serv... [[Network Operators News]] Number Portability Ready in Guam http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15479.php GTA, the incumbent local exchange carrier arm of TeleGuam Holdings, says that it has successfully upgraded its network to support wireless number porting for its wireless operations as well as for other unaffiliated cellular carriers on Guam. The Fed... [[Offbeat News]] Remote Control Car From Motorola http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15483.php Motorola has shown off a remote control toy car controlled by select Motorola iDEN handsets. Based on the Freescale Semiconductor wireless Personal Area Network (PAN) technology which utilizes the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, the 1/16 scale replica is the... [[Personnel News]] Portugal Telecom CFO Bava To Run Domestic Mobile Unit TMN http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15473.php Portugal Telecom said Friday that its Chief Financial Officer, Zeinal Bava, would also become head of TMN, the company's domestic mobile unit. ... [[Reports News]] Mid-East Mobile Penetration to Overtake Asia-Pacific - report http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15477.php BIS Shrapnel has launched the latest editions of its Regional Mobile Communication studies, and forecast that the Middle East will surpass the Asia-Pacific in terms of the mobile penetration rate, by the end of 2006. Mr Joe Leong, Asia-Pacific analys... [[Statistics News]] Orascom Passes 30 Million Subscriber Mark http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15478.php Egypt's Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) has announced its subscriber base exceeded the 30 million benchmark on December 31, 2005. OTH recorded over 30 million total subscribers on its networks operating in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. This i... DoCoMo Secures 20 Million 3G Customers http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15482.php Japan's DoCoMo has announced that the number of subscribers to it's 3G FOMA service surpassed the 20 million mark on December 29, 2005, a little over four years since the service's launch on October 1, 2001.... Lithuania Expected to Pass 150% Market Penetration This Year http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15485.php The Lithuanian GSM network operator, Bite has put out a statement commenting on the local market conditions and made the rather surprising conclusion that mobile penetration at the end of 2006 will reach 155 percent. According to data from TheMobileW... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 11:51:31 EST From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Shift to IPTV gains momentum USTelecom dailyLead January 9, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/cOpUfDtutadftRFEQn TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Shift to IPTV gains momentum BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * TDC takeover unclear after pension fund rejects deal * AT&T rolls out Internet ad blitz * Comcast added 200K digital phone subscribers in 2005 * BellSouth trims price for 3 Mbps DSL tier * As AT&T merger talks fade, EchoStar becomes target USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Telecom Crash Course -- The must-have book for telecom professionals HOT TOPICS * Verizon completes $8.5B merger with MCI * AT&T rolls out Internet TV in San Antonio * Rumor mill: AT&T eyes EchoStar * Is Google planning a CES shocker? * Report: BellSouth, Sprint top wholesale data market TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Yahoo!, Google move deeper into TV business * The wired living room * Broadband video arrives * Qualcomm, Crown Castle TV networks could boost mobile video Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/cOpUfDtutadftRFEQn ------------------------------ From: Ken Abrams Subject: Re: Cost of POTS, w/o Long Distance Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Mon, 09 Jan 2006 14:45:50 GMT wrote: > On a BellSouth POTS line, if no long distance carrier is assigned, a > long distance call cannot be dialed accidentally using 1 + 10 digits, > but you can dial long distance by dialing 101 + the carrier code + 10 > digits. The only way to avoid this is to pay for a restricted line, > which is several dollars more per month. I think this is pretty much the norm but is somewhat different than what I was commenting on. The situation you describe would certainly NOT result in the call being assigned to a "random carrier". >> LD call should, even by accident, be placed from your phone, you may >> find yourself assigned to a random carrier for that call, and this >> carrier will bill you at an unbelievably high per minute rate. As was pointed out in another reply, the only way I see this happening is if the LEC screws up and actually assigns you to a "random" carrier when you really wanted none. ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: Cost of POTS w/o Long Distance Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 21:09:49 -0500 In article , richgr@panix.com says... > In article , John Stahl > wrote: >> If one calls the Verizon business office the charge is now >> $5.50. However, if one were to establish an account on-line and use >> the Internet (see, there are advantages -- at least for now -- in >> using the Internet!), the charge to change LD carriers is only >> $1.25. AND if you change both regional toll and LD carrier at the same >> time the charge will be discounted an additional 50%. > This actually makes sense. If you call the office, a human droid must > take the info from you and enter it into some system that will make > the change. > If you do it online, it gets done "untouched by human hands" and costs > VZ considerably less. Do you mean to tell me that when I had Verizon I could turn features on and off via their web interface and the switch would actually make the changes sans human contact? That isn't the Verizon that I know. For example -- on the Business/Government side in order to get a Verizon screw up fixed takes a minimum of four people at Verizon including a VP, and account exec, one of that account execs flunkies and a switch technician. That might be why the average cost of a line in this area is $35 a month. ------------------------------ From: Phil Earnhardt Subject: Re: Public Wants Court to Okay Wiretaps Date: 8 Jan 2006 23:25:55 -0800 Organization: Newsguy News Service [http://newsguy.com] On Sat, 7 Jan 2006 23:20:21 -0600, Katherine Shrader wrote: > By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer > A majority of Americans want the Bush administration to get court > approval before eavesdropping on people inside the United States, even > if those calls might involve suspected terrorists, an AP-Ipsos poll > shows. And how many citizens polled replied that they had failed to inform themselves sufficiently in order to opine on the question? Most of the media articles I've read about this speak little about the fact and precedent. Two that did speak of such things are: http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110007703 Which was published 4 days after the NYT article/excerpts from the book and http://www.opinionjournal.com/weekend/hottopic/?id=110007783 Which explains why warrants are often problematic. The ACLU did their damndest to muddle the issue with the full-page ad they took out in the 12/29/2005 issue of the New York Times: http://www.aclu.org/images/bushnixonwiretappingnytadsmall122905.jpg There is no comparison between Nixon's wiretaps and the NSA wiretaps being discussed here. Shame on that organization to try to make such a link. I fondly wish that more Americans would take the time to educate themselves on this issue. --phil ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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, Yahoo Groups, 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 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@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 oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have 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 fifty 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. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #12 ***************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jan 9 23:46:49 2006 Return-Path: Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id B7BB414FFF; Mon, 9 Jan 2006 23:46:48 -0500 (EST) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #13 Message-Id: <20060110044648.B7BB414FFF@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 23:46:48 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on massis.lcs.mit.edu X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.6 required=2.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, BIZ_TLD autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 9 Jan 2006 23:49:00 EST Volume 25 : Issue 13 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Fiber Optics Cut Causes Sprint Service Interupption (AP NewsWire) Letter to the Internet Community: IOIC - "For an Open Internet" (Weinstein) Sheraton Hotels and Yahoo Strike a Broadband Deal (Reuters NewsWire) Re: Create an E-Annoyance, Go To Jail (David Horvath) Re: Create an E-Annoyance, Go To Jail (Tony P.) Re: Create an E-Annoyance, Go To Jail (Steve Sobol) Re: Public Wants Court to Okay Wiretaps (Michael Chance) Re: Era of the BBS (burris) Re: Era of the BBS (Tony P.) Re: Era of the BBS (Steven Lichter) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Fiber Optics Cut Causes Sprint Service Interuption Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 22:07:25 -0600 Sprint Nextel Corp.'s wireless, long-distance and Internet customers along the West Coast were without service for several hours Monday after a fiber-optic cable was cut west of Phoenix. The problem was compounded by network repairs near Reno, Nev., that had forced the company to route calls from that region through the Phoenix lines, spokesman John Taylor said. Taylor said both cables were repaired by 7 p.m. EST, and that service had been restored in the affected areas. He said he didn't know how many customers nationwide had lost service. The cable cut, between Phoenix and Palm Springs, Calif., happened about 3:30 p.m. EST, Taylor said, but he said company officials didn't know yet what caused it. "It affected (network) traffic going to and coming from the West Coast and other Western parts of the U.S.," Taylor said. But some internet service providers such as cableone.net reported that customers were affected in other parts of the country as well. The emergency work near Reno was in response to cable that was cut after heavy rains washed out a railroad where the cable was buried, he said. "Where the cut happened was inaccessible by car," Taylor said. "Crews went in on the railroad. They carried cable in, stringing it through the trees." He said the outage, which lasted about 3 1/2 hours, affected customers of the both the Sprint PCS and the Nextel cell phone services. Residential and business wireline customers lost service in the affected areas as well. Though the bulk of the outages were in the West, Taylor said isolated outages also were reported in other parts of the country, including in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Sprint Nextel is based in Reston, Va., and has an operational headquarters in Overland Park, Kan. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ From: Lauren Weinstein Subject: Letter to the Internet Community: IOIC - "For an Open Internet" Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 17:09:32 -0600 David J. Farber Peter G. Neumann Lauren Weinstein January 8, 2006 A Letter to the Internet Community IOIC - International Open Internet Coalition "For an Open Internet" http://www.ioic.net The marvel that is the Internet is under an increasing barrage of policy, regulatory, and related technologically-enabled attacks against its fundamental open-access, "end-to-end" operational model. Under the auspices of PFIR (People For Internet Responsibility), we have established a new organization -- the International Open Internet Coalition (IOIC) -- dedicated to the proposition that the Internet should remain an open and neutral resource, free from unreasonable interference or restrictions on the actions of businesses, organizations, individuals, or others related to their access or use of the Internet. IOIC has been created as an entity to serve the common interests of everyone concerned about the increasing levels of restrictions being planned or implemented relating to the Internet and its users. Such parties and stakeholders are likely to include all manner of Web/Internet-based and other businesses, educational and non-profit organizations, regulatory and government entities, individual Internet users, and many others. We cordia