wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew) (01/04/89)
It looks like PCP junkies that go way beyond the new 30 hr. use limit are going to have to look into what those of us who don't live in PC Pursuit-able areas have already been forced to deal with .. that of reducing connect time and using a higher rate carrier. Suppose you are a heavy PCP user that is running USENET feeds for 8 hours a day over a 1200 baud Telenet outdail. If your compuer is capable of keeping up, you could reduce that to about a 1 hour connect by using a v.32, USR or telebit modem. If you buy AT&T's reach out america plan, you could possibly get by at 12.5 cents per minute by picking your one hour feed time judiciously. That would cost you $225 for your 30 hours per month at the higher baud rate plus the amortized cost of your modem. It looks to me like you could come out better than the new PCP rates even with the added expense of a new modem within a few months. I'd say, if it's too hot, get out of the kitchen .. or get a high speed modem. GTE might change its mind if it start losings PCP customers. In a way, GTE's rates are fair in that the number of lines available in PCP is a limited resource. If you are on continuously, you are devaluing the service by making that line unavailable for other users. What stinks is that the contract as originally written made it quite clear that use was unlimited. Unfortunately, they saw an opportunity to make quick bucks. Maybe GTE owns stock in Telebit :-). --Bill