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TELECOM Digest Fri, 26 Jan 2007 17:45:00 EST Volume 26 : Issue 27
Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson
Symantec Security Alert (Patrick Townson)
The End of the Old Bell System Colors? (Stan Schwartz)
Ultimate iPhone FAQs List, Part 2 (Monty Solomon)
CommunicationsDirect News Daily Update (communicationsdirect_daily)
AT&T Expands IPTV Service (USTelecom dailyLead)
Telecom Update #565 Canada (John Riddle)
AT&T Analysis Video (Mike Sandman)
Re: Cable, HDTV and Must-Carry (Garrett Wollman)
Re: The Idea of Paid Entries Angers Wikipedia Publisher (Dave Garland)
Re: The Idea of Paid Entries Angers Wikipedia Publisher (Mark Atwood)
Re: DA Wants to Restrict Pre-Paid Cell Phones (George Mitchell)
Re: DA Wants to Restrict Pre-Paid Cell Phones (Dave Garland)
====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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
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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
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===========================
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, and why not
support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom .
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:39:54 -0600
From: Symantec Security Department <symantek@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Symantec Security Alert
Symantec Security Response recently raised the risk level of
Trojan.Peacomm to a category 3 of a possible 5 threat levels, due to
the speed and volume in which it is being aggressively spammed across
the Internet. The Trojan, which was first spotted January 17, 2007 has
been raised to a higher category following a sustained increase in new
versions of the attack which appeared over the weekend as the malware
author responded to improvements in protection made by s
ecurity companies by adjusting his tactics.
Trojan.Peacomm is one of a number of spamming Trojan horse programs
Symantec has seen lately that appear to originate from Russia and are
clearly aimed at making money for the author by pumping up penny
stocks. The victim is enticed through social engineering techniques
to open an attachment, which typically appears to be a video clip on a
recent, newsworthy event.
The email itself will have no message body, but will have one of
several subject lines such as "A killer at 11, he's free at 21 and
kill again!," "Fidel Castro Dead," "Re: Your Text." For a complete
list of subject lines, please go to: http://www.symantec.com/index.htm .
Symantec's new technology, Symantec Online Network for Advanced
Response (SONAR), which is included in Norton AntiVirus and Norton
Internet Security, helped to detect an increase in activity around
supporting files dropped by Trojan.Peacomm early last week, before the
threat was seen in the wild.
We will closely monitor further information related to this threat,
and will provide updates and security content as necessary.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 03:03:10 -0500
From: Stan Schwartz <stannc@gmail.com>
Subject: The End of the Old Bell System Colors?
Here in soon-to-be-former BellSouth territory, the "new at&t" has been
running ads touting the upcoming name change.
One of the ads is racing-themed, and shows BellSouth logoed trucks
pulling in for a pit stop and getting a new at&t paint job. I realized
that this is the disappearance of the last remaining Ma Bell style
logo and colors (BellSouth had been using the last version of the Bell
logo with gold and blue stripes on a white van).
Is this yet another end of an era?
-Stan
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:12:02 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Ultimate iPhone FAQs List, Part 2
by David Pogue
Just got back home tonight after my week in San Francisco, and found
ANOTHER several dozen questions about the iPhone waiting on this
blog's comments area!
I promise that this blog isn't going to become "all iPhone, all the
time" -- but I've read through your comments and compiled this second
list of Q's and A's.
First, though, a clarification on my earlier post.
"Will the browser offer Flash and Java?" In my previous blog post, I
said "No" (you'll see why in a moment). But several of you have
pointed out an interview published in the German magazine MacWelt, in
which the browser IS said to offer Flash and Java.
So I've asked John Markoff, who audio-recorded our interview with
Steve Jobs, to play back the relevant exchange for me. Here it is:
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/ultimate-iphone-faqs-list-part-2/
------------------------------
Subject: CommunicationsDirect News Daily Update - January 26, 2007
From: communicationsdirect_daily <communicationsdirect@telecom-digest.org>
Reply-To: communicationsdirect_daily-owner@communicationsdirectnews.com
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:39:12 EST
********************************
PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents
The CommunicationsDirect Daily Update
For January 26, 2007
********************************
Synchronizing for Results
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/120/22340?11228
The sequence of steps from the arrival of a customer's order, up
to and including the customer's cash reaching the operator's bank
account, represents the financial lifeblood of any communications
company's business. But the order-to-cash cycle also does more:
It shapes many key touch points-installation, provisioning, ...
Spanish Government Keeps Close Eye on Telef=C3=B3nica's Tariffs
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/130/22338?11228
The Spanish government has cautioned the country's fixed-line
incumbent, Telefonica, that is still has the right to curb the
telco's fixed-line tariffs, if they are deemed anti-competitive.
As the dominant market player, Telefonica is obliged to inform
the government of its tariff changes with a 21-day notice. ...
Ukrainian President Signs Legislation for Privatization of Telecom
Giant Ukr telekom
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/130/22333?11228
KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed
legislation Friday to privatize telecom giant Ukrtelekom. The
sale of Ukrtelekom, in which the government holds a 92.9 percent
stake, has been repeatedly postponed. But both Yushchenko and
Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych now support holding an open,
public auction ...
Motorola's WiMax Wait
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/140/22330?11228
Motorola Inc. isn;t expected to see revenues from its early
adventures in the mobile WiMax field for at least 12 months and
possibly much longer. Motorola snagged a slice of what are
arguably the two highest profile WiMax deals in the
U.S. recently. The Schaumburg, Ill.-based company is one of the
three major infrastructure ...
France Telecom: 'More IPTV, Please'
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/140/22327?11228
PARIS -- France Telecom SA, one of the world's biggest IPTV
service providers with 600,000 telco TV customers, has issued a
plea to other carriers: Build more IPTV. Benjamin Schwarz, the
carrier's international IPTV projects manager who has helped
France Telecom roll out Orange TV services in five countries,
said the...
T-Mobile Ranks Highest in Customer Service. Again.
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/120/22324?11228
J.D. Power and Associates awarded T-Mobile with the highest
ranking in wireless customer care for the fifth time in a row.
T-Mobile held onto the top spot and ranked highest among the five
largest U.S. wireless network operators by creating a positive
experience among customers who contact the carrier for service or
assistance. ...
Why Apple's iPhone Isn't 'Smart'
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/150/22322?11228
Although the industry buzz continues regarding Apple's iPhone,
analysts are just now beginning to talk about what the device is
not, and the term 'smart' is surfacing. While the iPhone
initially was given high marks regarding its user interface, its
innovation and its seamless integration, two ABI Research
analysts --...
Nokia Posts 19% Rise in 2006 Profits, ASP Falls
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/150/22319?11228
The global mobile handset maker, Nokia, has posted a 19% rise in
profits for the year ending December 2006, thanks to impressive
results from its mobile phones and enterprises divisions. Net
profits in 2006 rose to 4.31 billion euro (US$5.56 billion) from
3.62 billion euro a year...
Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to:
CommunicationsDirect Editor <telecom_direct_editor@us.pwc.com>
Copyright (C) 2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 12:06:12 CST
From: USTelecom dailyLead <ustelecom@dailylead.com>
Subject: January 26, 2007 - AT&T expands IPTV service
USTelecom dailyLead
January 26, 2007
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/gbxcfDtusXlhdsCibuddqfhi
TODAY'S HEADLINES
NEWS OF THE DAY
* AT&T expands IPTV service
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* Siemens shares surge despite fine
* U.K.'s C&W going into long-distance business in India
* Nokia and Motorola grab greater shares of global market
* China Mobile brings change to the Asian hinterlands
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
* Cisco issues security fixes for IOS, IOS XR
* Cable, satellite DVRs to kill off stand-alone versions, analyst says
* Social networking tops 2007 predictions for global wireless
REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE
* FCC commissioners prepare for first oversight hearing
Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/gbxcfDtusXlhdsCibuddqfhi
------------------------------
From: John Riddell <jriddell@angustel.ca>
Subject: Telecom Update #565, January 26, 2007
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:11:20 -0800
Here is this week's edition of Telecom Update from Canada in HTML
format. I was unable to convert it back to text.
http://www.angustel.ca/update/up.html
PAT
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:49:12 -0600
From: Mike Sandman <mike@sandman.com>,
Subject: AT&T Analysis Video
Hi Pat,
I got this link from an old telephone man I used to work with, Don
Vick. I think he retired from Centel in Des Plaines, IL, and went to
work for Kraden Communications which became Honeywell, which became
TIE, which became some other names (I don't know what company it is now).
Centel was bought by Ameritech (which used to be Illinois Bell), which
was bought by SBC, which changed its name to AT&T after they bought
AT&T. I guess he's now an AT&T retiree after retiring from an
Independent (Centel)?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1Mtv9cD0I
I guess future telco phone men will simply be Verizon or AT&T
retirees, since they're sure to be the only phone companies left.
Something tells me few will survive to retirement (I'm not sure I mean
they won't live that long, the company will lay them off first, or one
of the two companies will purchase the other - and they'll retire from
the opposite company they started at).
Since the guy who sold Ameritech to SBC is running Qwest, I'm betting
it's only a short time before AT&T buys Qwest.
Mike
Mike Sandman 630-980-7710
mike@sandman.com - http://www.sandman.com
Check out our catalog of Unique Telecom Products & Tools.
We have a fantastic assortment of Cable Installation Tools
and Training Videos to help you use them. New "Basic Installation 2"
is a 3 tape set, 6 hours that shows you how to build a frame.
Also check out our Telephony History Page which contains ads, catalogs
and information from telephony related magazines from the first part
of the last century: http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html
------------------------------
From: wollman@csail.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman)
Subject: Re: Cable, HDTV and Must-Carry
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:51:50 UTC
Organization: MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
In article <telecom26.26.5@telecom-digest.org>, Neal McLain
<nmclain@annsgarden.com> wrote:
> The FCC is considering imposing mandatory carriage for all subchannels
> ("multicasting"), but it hasn't taken formal action.
At least in market #6, all of the stations which have an interest in
doing so seem to have managed via retrans consent, and all are
available (HD and subchannels) in the clear over the Comcast system I
was able to check. (They are however remultiplexed and I suspect some
may be recompressed.)
--
Garrett A. Wollman | The real tragedy of human existence is not that we are
wollman@csail.mit.edu| nasty by nature, but that a cruel structural asymmetry
Opinions not those | grants to rare events of meanness such power to shape
of MIT or CSAIL. | our history. - S.J. Gould, Ten Thousand Acts of Kindness
------------------------------
From: Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com>
Subject: Re: The Idea of Paid Entries Angers Wikipedia Publisher
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 02:55:54 -0600
Organization: Wizard Information
It was a dark and stormy night when support@sellcom.com wrote:
> If you don't believe me, try posting anything negative
> regarding the anti-commerce "commies" who run craigslist.
I dunno about wikipedia, but craigslist is "anti-commerce"? I bought my
car from a craigslist listing, I've bought computer and DSL gear from
craigslist listings, that's what craigslist facilitates, can't get more
commerce than that.
I expect there's negative things to say about the folks who run
craigslist, but I don't have a clue what they are, aside from maybe
people who sell advertising find craigslist cuts into their income. Ten
years ago, I would have bought a car from the newspaper classifieds. But
like I say, I dunno.
Dave
------------------------------
Subject: Re: The Idea of Paid Entries Angers Wikipedia Publisher
From: Mark Atwood <me@mark.atwood.name>
Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy!
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 20:49:07 GMT
support@sellcom.com writes:
> The staff of Wikipedia exercise strong censorship of views they do not
> agree with. If you don't believe me, try posting anything negative
> regarding the anti-commerce "commies" who run craigslist.
The people who run craigslist *own* it! They can give away, rent, or
sell, or shutdown parts of their service as they desire. That's whats
meant by "ownership".
Is everyone who gives away a free service "anti-commerce" or a
"commie"? If so, then the editor here of Telecom-Digest must be one
as well.
Mark Atwood When you do things right, people won't be sure
me@mark.atwood.name you've done anything at all.
http://mark.atwood.name/ http://fallenpegasus.livejournal.com/
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am neither anti-commerce nor a
Communist, as is Lucille Ball. (She admitted to being a c-person in a
1950's interview with the Christian Science Monitor which was
reprinted in the New York Times and other papers of that era. More
recently, TV-Land has rehashed all those old rumors, in its Wednesday
night series 'Television Confidential', 9 pm Eastern, 8 Central time.)
I create a lot of things on the net, not the least of which is this
rag you are reading now, all of which is free for the asking, and in
return I ask readers to make donations, etc. Most of Usenet's partic-
pants would have 'those tendencies', IMO in the 1970-80's era, and
some even today.
True, I did _NOT_ create TELECOM Digest, but I have created other
services on the net, including my most recent endeavor,
http://gaynews.n3.net, which is chock-full of headlines and reports on
the LGBT lifestyle, updated daily, just as is this Digest. Because of
my physical (or would you claim 'mental'?) problems, and the fact that
my recently-arrived power wheel chair's batteries are already running
low and I do not have the time nor energy to sit here in my computer
room 24/7 typing, I have http://gaynews.n3.net *totally automated*. I
set it up once; now and then manually update the scripts, then my cats
and dog and I go sit in the other room and listen to the radio.
http://episcopal-news.blogspot.com is _partially automated_ but I
occassionally sit here and (as Mark Crispin and John Levine would
phrase it) put on my tin-foil hat and grouse about _something_ or
another. The main reason I do not charge for any of my services is
because probably no one would pay anything anyway. We are told that
'spammers make a lot of money on the net' but frankly I think that is
a lot of bravado. I think spammers make more money from lawsuits they
file and win rather than from the Viagra or other pills they pump or
penny stocks they push. I have PayPal boxes all over the place; the
limited amount they collect is shameful. I suppose if I started
offering sex-movies on the net and charging $39.95 per month to
download them I could make a little money (provided of course I
offered a free obscure trojan-virus with each purchase), but that is
just not my thing. PAT]
------------------------------
From: George Mitchell <george@m5p.com>
Subject: Re: DA Wants to Restrict Pre-Paid Cell Phones
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:26:15 -0800
Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com
Rick Merrill wrote:
> Untraceable phones should be outlawed. These are what the bombers
> use for placing calls and for detonation.
Good thinking! Let's ban pencils, too -- they can be used to write
libelous statements. And what about computers? They can be used to
send spam. Better get rid of aspirin, too; it's a poison in large
quantities.
George Mitchell
------------------------------
From: Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com>
Subject: Re: DA Wants to Restrict Pre-Paid Cell Phones
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 02:39:53 -0600
Organization: Wizard Information
It was a dark and stormy night when Rick Merrill
<rick0.merrill@NOSPAM.gmail.com> wrote:
> Untraceable phones should be outlawed. These are what the bombers
> use for placing calls and for detonation.
In the US, it's an open secret that the NSA has tapped phones in
felony violation of the FISA law, but no prosecutor has the cajones to
charge those NSA employees. Why would anyone believe the secret
police would hesitate to access the records for any reason they chose?
Dave
------------------------------
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm-
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************************
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End of TELECOM Digest V26 #27
*****************************
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