TELECOM Digest     Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:12:00 EST    Volume 26 : Issue 53

Inside This Issue:                            Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Telus Decides to Cancel Porn Service After Many Complaints (Gudrun Schultz)
    Telus Bows to Pressure,  Ends Phone Porn Downloads (Wojtek Dabrowski)
    The Solar Powered Cell Phone (Michael Kanellos, CNet)
    Risks Mount as Stores Mine a Wealth of Shopper Data (Monty Solomon)
    Verizon Set to Discontinue Analog Cell Servie (Lisa Hancock)
    Verizon Brings Local Advertising to FiOS (USTelecom dailyLead)
    Re: Party Line Dialing (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com)

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Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:26:16 -0600
From: Gudrun Schultz <lifesite@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Telus Decides to Cancel Porn Service After Many Complaints
 


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This is the first of two items in the
news today regards Telus' decision to discontine their adult
offerings.  PAT]

Source URL: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/feb/07022102.html

LifeSiteNews.com
By Gudrun Schultz

VANCOUVER, B.C., February 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Telus
announced yesterday the company would cancel pornography sales through
its cellular phone service, CanWest News Service reported earlier
today, after losing contracts and receiving hundreds of customer
complaints.

Jim Johannsson, director of media relations for Telus, said the volume
of individual complaints played a significant role in the company's
decision to withdraw the service.

Beginning in January, adult customers were offered a porn delivery
service that allowed them to download images or video clips for $3 or
$4 dollars each. Several thousand users had registered for the
service, according to Johannsson.

Numerous LifeSiteNews.com readers issued complaints to Telus via the
contact information provided by this news service.

Archbishop Raymond Roussin, of the Vancouver Catholic archdiocese,
actively opposed the Telus program by directing nearly 130 Catholic
parishes and schools to cancel their contracts with Telus Mobility. 
The B.C. Catholic newspaper, published weekly by the archdiocese,
included a 12-page special section covering the issue in this week's
edition. A front page editorial criticizes Telus for "hitching its
financial future to the abuse-ridden and pain-filled pornography
industry."

In a statement issued Tuesday, Archbishop Raymond Roussin said he was
pleased and grateful that Telus is amending its decision. This is for
the greater good of the community as a whole and I'm glad Telus is
recognizing it," the Archbishop said.

Telus officials had defended the company decision to offer what it
referred to as "adult content" by pointing out that most cell phones
are capable of accessing the Internet, allowing users to download
hard-core pornographic material at will. The Telus service limited
images to full or partial nudity and avoided more explicit content.

Archbishop Roussin said last week that Telus' defense was "inadequate."

"So pervasive is the problem of pornography in our society today and
so lucrative are the profits from this segment of the industry, that
mobile phone providers are willing to take substantial risks in terms
of their image."

"They do so by turning a blind eye to the enormous and widespread
problems resulting from pornography: the abuse of countless vulnerable
persons -- including children, women, and men -- who view pornographic
material, those who are portrayed in sexually explicit material, and
those who suffer from the behavior of their loved ones."

Johannsson told CanWest the company had "taken to heart" the concerns
expressed by customers. "(Providing adult content) is not a business
our customers want us to be in."

"Some of our corporate customers, too, have called to try and
understand the direction we were going," Johannsson said.

Gordon Keast, who runs a communications company in Surrey, B.C., is
suing Telus over the company's refusal to cancel his three-year
cellphone contract, after he objected to the new pornography service,
CanWest reported.

"At the time I renewed my contract with Telus in November they didn't
market and sell pornography. Now they do, and as a subscriber I don't
want my fees to underwrite their pornography business," said Keast. He
filed suit yesterday in small claims court, seeking $3,000 for alleged
breach of contract.

"Consumers have the power to shape the marketplace," Archbishop
Roussin said, in his directive to churches and schools. "I strongly
urge you to use your influence to protect our society from the
destructive effects of the proliferation of pornography."

See coverage by The B.C. Catholic:
http://www.rcav.org/media/

http://bcc.rcav.org/07-02-19/Pornography_and_Sex_Addiction.p...

See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:

BC Archbishop Considers Cancelling Telus Contract Over Porn Sales
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/feb/07021205.html

Copyright 2007: LifeSiteNews.com is a production of Interim Publishing. 


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: There were two items on the newswire
today regards this decision by Telus to discontinue its newly-formed
'adult information' business. The second report comes from Reuters
and follows immediatly.  PAT] 

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

Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:36:00 -0600
From: Wojtek Dabrowski, Reuters <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Telus Bows to Pressure,  Ends Phone Porn Downloads


By Wojtek Dabrowski

TORONTO (Reuters) - Telus Corp., Canada's No. 2 telephone company, has
decided to stop offering pornography for downloading to mobile phones
after complaints from hundreds of customers and criticism from
Catholic church officials.

"It was the type of feedback and the sincerity of it that caused us to
reflect on the service and ultimately to withdraw it," Telus spokesman
Jim Johannsson said in an interview.

Telus was the first North American carrier to offer adult content for
direct cellphone downloads, although hard-core pornography is readily
available for download from countless Web sites and for viewing on
adult channels offered by scores of cable-TV companies.

Since January, users have been able to download images for C$3 and
videos for C$4 from Telus after having their age verified by a
third-party service. Nudity was offered, but no sex, Johannsson said.

Earlier this month, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver took
aim at Telus's decision to offer adult content. Its official
newspaper, the B.C. Catholic, quoted Vancouver Archbishop Raymond
Roussin as saying the company's plan was "disappointing and
disturbing."

The archbishop cited growing awareness of addiction to pornography
over the Internet as well as the "abuse that this perpetuates of
vulnerable persons."

"We haven't spoken to them directly on this," Johannsson said of the
archdiocese. "Certainly we heard their concerns, but at the same time,
we heard concerns from many, many consumers ... over the past few
weeks."

Those who wish to use cellphones to download pornography will still be
able to gain access to adult Web sites via their Internet-enabled
devices.

"Our withdrawal of the service doesn't restrict access to the open
Internet in any way," Johannsson said.

Telus was surprised about how few people understood that today's
cellphones are Web-enabled, he said, adding "not a lot folks are aware
of how much power they've got clipped to their beltloops."

Telus shares were down 15 Canadian cents, to C$58.23, on the Toronto 
Stock Exchange.

($1=$1.16 Canadian)

Copyright 2007, Reuters News.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
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For more news and headlines, please go to:
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------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:31:33 -0600
From: Michael Kanellos <cnet@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: The Solar Powered Cell Phone


The solar powered cell phone. It sounds like something Jethro might
make if The Beverly Hillbillies was still on. But it's coming.

Konarka Technologies, which makes flexible solar cells from organic
materials, is talking with consumer electronics companies about
integrating its solar cells into their products. Konarka may be able
to make announcements later this year, said Marko Maschek, a partner
at venture firm 3i and an investor in Konarka.

"It works well in interior light too," he said, so you don't have to
stand outside in the broiling sun to get a charge.

Konarka was one of the first companies to come out on the clean tech
wave, but it hasn't exactly exploded out of the gate. Since 2001, it
has raised $60 million, but most of its revenue has come from design
engineering fees, not mass production of solar cells. The flexible
solar cells the company specializes in are made from dies or organic
materials. Thus, they potentially degrade over time, making them
somewhat risky for the commercial building market.

The technology behind Konarka in large part emerged from the labs of
Alan Heeger, a Nobel Prize winner at the University of California at
Santa Barbara.

Posted by Michael Kanellos

 (but readers objected to this CNet report by noting:)

Would it be too much trouble for CNet to provide a few numbers
regarding these new solar cells and the power consumption of a
typical cell phone?

Cell phones can get smaller because batteries have been getting better
 ... more power in a smaller package. Being able to provide a couple
days of standby and many hours of talk time on a single charge is huge
by comparison to a solar cell's output.

I seriously doubt the six square inches available on the back of my
RAZR would provide enough power to make or receive a call.  If the
purpose is to recharge a battery ... then how long would it take to
accumulate enough of a charge to make a 10 minute call? If the purpose
is to supplement a battery ... then how much could a small solar panel
really contribute?

I think most people would only want solar cells if they knew they
could always make a call regardless ... i.e. no more worry about
recharging or carrying batteries. Otherwise, what benefit to the
user?

Unless there is some major breakthrough in the physics of solar cells,
this idea is going nowhere fast.

Background numbers:

Quick Google search-

Solar cell: 0.050 Watts per square inch (50 milliwatts/sq. in.)

Verizon dot com-

Cell phone power during call: 3.000 Watts consumed (3000
milliwatts)

Cell phone power during standby: 0.600 Watts consumed (600
milliwatts)

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 each day, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html

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

Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:28:42 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Risks Mount as Stores Mine a Wealth of Shopper Data


Vast troves of information are vulnerable to fraud
By Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff 

With a scan of your index finger, some supermarkets memorize what kind
of toilet paper or cereals you buy. They share that information with
suppliers who offer coupons so you'll purchase more of their products
next time.

Other merchants collect your driver's license number when you make a
return. They share that information with a company that keeps track of
your returns. If you have too many, the store may suspect you're
making fraudulent exchanges and ban you from bringing back
merchandise.

Retailers have become huge repositories of personal data in recent
years, assembling increasing amounts of information and sharing more
of it with others. But in the quest for knowledge, some merchants,
like TJX Cos., have become prime targets for thieves looking to pilfer
sensitive information, and have made their customers more vulnerable
to fraud and identity theft. Indeed, some analysts believe store
databases are becoming even more valuable than stolen merchandise.

http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/02/04/risks_mount_as_stores_mine_a_wealth_of_shopper_data/

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

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Verizon to Discontinue Analog Cell Service
Date: 21 Feb 2007 13:10:45 -0800


Verizon announced it will discontinue cellular analog service next
February 2008.

Has any of the other cellular carriers made such an announcement?

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

Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 12:16:32 CST
From: USTelecom dailyLead <ustelecom@dailylead.com>
Subject: Verizon Brings Local Advertising to FiOS


USTelecom dailyLead
February 21, 2007
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/gjlAfDtusXmtspCibuddldes


TODAY'S HEADLINES


NEWS OF THE DAY
* Verizon brings local advertising to FiOS
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* Qwest can combine local, long distance services
* Alcatel-Lucent invests in WiMAX
* Alltel may attract several suitors, analysts say
* Google needs TV industry's cooperation
* Telstra wants regulators to loosen grip on broadband
* LogicaCMG sheds telecom unit
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
* Widevine wins encryption patent
* Deltathree buys fellow VoIP provider
* Vonage plans wireless rollout
* New technology from Terayon allows for targeted ads
REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE
* Spotlight on ITC amid telecom developments, patent fights, global trade

Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/gjlAfDtusXmtspCibuddldes

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

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Re: Party Line Dialing
Date: 21 Feb 2007 09:29:11 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


On Feb 20, 12:06 am, Neal McLain <nmcl...@annsgarden.com> wrote:

> - Holly, Michigan. All numbers were in the form MElrose 4-XXXX and
>   MElrose 7-XXXX; the initial 3 and 6 were absorbed.

Speaking of digit absorbtion, this was a major step as part of DDD.
In this way a town could have an addressable 10 digit nationally
unique phone number.  However, locally residents would continue to
dial 5 digits.  More importantly, Bell did not have to install more
switches in the chain to handle 7 digits, which would have been a huge
expense.

As an aside, an employer once had digit absorbtion in their centrex
which I discovered by accident.  Their number was nnx-3000 (no longer
used for that organization today) and all extensions were 3xxx.  I was
curious as to other access codes (8-n accessed various tie lines), so
I experimented.  It turned out that the first 3 was absorbed.  That
is, to call ext 3256 one needed to dial only 256.  My co-workers
thought that discovery was pretty neat.  BTW, the attendant
switchboard was a cord board, not a console; I thought consoles were
standard with Centrex.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note:

> the 1940's the village of Niles Center, Illinois (the former name of
> the village of Skokie), in its wisdom chose to destroy a perfectly
> beautiful apple orchard in order to build a commercial enterprise,

Was it the city govt that did it or a private transaction between the
owner of the farm and the developer?

> I am sure the farmer who owned the orchard which had been there for
> over a century prior must be very proud of what became of his land
> and his beautiful trees, etc.

In developing areas, the price offered to farmers for their land is
very, very generous.  It's far more than they can earn farming the
land.  It's really a no-brainer for them -- take a bundle of money and
then not have to do anything, or keep working their tails off for very
little.

A second consideration is that after an area develops, the new
residents don't like the farms and give them grief.  That is, they
discover that farming is not quaint like "Pepperidge Farm" covers or
Currier & Ives, but rather quite noisy and smelly, with slow farm
vehicles blocking the roads and chemicals in the air.  The new
residents go to court and pass nuisance laws effectively shutting the
farms down.  Further, the farmers get vandalized and robbed.  It's no
wonder farmers sell out.

Oddly, the new residents don't want that either.  They want the farmer
to hold onto the land so it isn't developed, but not earn any money
from it.  (Yes, people actually say this at public meetings).

As to local jails, in NYC the big stores have their own private jails
(big article in the NYT on that.)  Apparently legal.



[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Skokie did it with 'emminent domain',
which was the same thing here when Walmart had their eyes set on the
West Main Street property they eventually took over. Apparently the
theory of emminent domain can be liberally interpreted. At one point,
there had to be some _specific government use_ for property in order
for the government to condemn it and obtain it. Not so any longer; the
fact that some corporation merely _claims_ that their acquisition of
a piece of property will 'eventually' benefit the city or town is a
good enough reason. Old Orchard is all pretty much ancient history
now, and I cannot say what was on the mind of the original primary 
tenant, Marshall Field and Company, when they moved in out there. I
know at the time, it was just barely outside the city limits of Skokie
in an unincorporated area of Cook County and just barely -- in the 
opposite direction -- outside the requirements that another village
(in that instance, Golf, Illinois) had to give permission. Since that
point in time, Skokie has grown by leaps and bounds between Church
Street (formerly north end) and Golf Road (new north end) and going
west to the edge of the village of Morton Grove -- which we sometimes
call MORON Grove; remind me, I will tell you why sometime -- and the
village of Glenview's southeast corner where the Glenview Country Club
sits and the tiny, exclusive village of Golf, Illinois is
located. Back in the 1940-50's all the land between (the old edge) of
Skokie and Golf/Morton Grove/Glenview was farmer's fields.

Ditto with Independence:  the city ended well before the point where
Walmart is located; there were a couple of farmers out there on the
south side of Main Street, which by that point geographically was
being referred to as US Highway 75 and 160. By jerry-rigging the city
boundary lines with a dip here and a slash there, the city eagerly got
the proposed property within -- barely -- the 'new' city limits in
order to benefit from all the sales tax Walmart would be producing. It
was the big issue here in 1999-2000; whether or not to 'allow' Walmart
to come into our town. The city renamed a couple of county roads in
the vicinity with 'street names' and arbitrarily numbered those
'streets' sort of in line with existing street numbers. As an example,
although Walmart should logically be the 3000 block of West Main
Street, they decided it would be known as '121 South Peter Pan Road'
and to hell with the other businesses close by. Instead of being some
number on County Road whatever, you will now be numbered on Peter Pan
Road; that's how Walmart wants it. What city did not know was the
amount of expense (versus the relatively little income from sales tax) 
the area would bring in. Having city out there means sewer and water
are out there now, as well as police and fire. And if the police are
out there once per day, they are out there five or six times per day,
always for shoplifting, etc. And now they are talking about possibly a
_new_ Walmart store, the other side of town, but I do not think the
city will roll over for them as easily as they did five years ago when
the first store opened.  We'll see if Walmart tries the old 'emminent
domain' trick again: 'our store will such a benefit for your town'.
PAT]
   
------------------------------


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End of TELECOM Digest V26 #53
*****************************