john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) (02/18/91)
AT&T NEWS BRIEFS
GULF BILLS -- Texas families who have amassed large phone bills
talking to troops in Saudi Arabia got help Wednesday from the state
Public Utility Commission, which gave emergency approval for aid.
[Texas PUC commissioner Marta Greytok] has asked the federal
government to decrease rates for troops in Saudi Arabia. Dallas
Morning News, 19A. Also AP, Los Angeles Times, A9. Also WINS/AM, New
York, 2/12, CNN Headline News, 2/13.
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Isn't that amazing? There were stories in the {San Jose Mercury} about
families being faced with $1500 phone bills resulting from a son or
daughter or loved one in Saudi Arabia making daily calls home. It
shows what a telephonic society we have become. Can you imagine this
in previous wars, even the Vietnam war? Few in those days would have
even considered making one single phone call from overseas.
Now, it is somehow expected that the means should be made available
for FREQUENT calls from those overseas. Families that I knew during
the Vietnam era considered themselves fortunate to receive an
infrequent letter from a relative stationed in the war zone. Times
certainly have changed.
On a related note, now that the cost of sending a transcontinental FAX
is less than postage, do you suppose we may see a drop in USPS mail
volume anytime soon?
John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395
john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !peter@taronga.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) (02/18/91)
In article <telecom11.127.10@eecs.nwu.edu>, john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: > On a related note, now that the cost of sending a transcontinental FAX > is less than postage, do you suppose we may see a drop in USPS mail > volume anytime soon? I doubt it. The up-front capital costs of a FAX machine, plus a second line at the recipient end, don't help the economics much. Remember, not that many people have these new toys, and the majority of the USPS mail volume already gets a more favorable rate. peter@taronga.uucp.ferranti.com
john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) (02/19/91)
Peter da Silva <peter@taronga.hackercorp.com> writes: > The up-front capital costs of a FAX machine, plus a second > line at the recipient end, don't help the economics much. Remember, > not that many people have these new toys, and the majority of the USPS > mail volume already gets a more favorable rate. On the face of it, this would appear to be true. But for various reasons, the FAX machine has become ubiquitous in businesses large and small. I for one refused to get sucked into such toys myself for years. But there came a point when enough people said, "I'll send this right to you. Do you have a FAX?", that I broke down and joined the crowd. Now, virtually all correspondence other than telephone and e-mail is delivered via FAX. The USPS is anachronistic, unreliable, slow, and now, expensive. Yes, FAX machines require a capital outlay. But if one already has the equipment for whatever reason, does it not make more sense to send a business letter by wire? FAX is (much) faster, more reliable, requires less handling by office personnel, and is now cheaper per unit. The post office has screwed me over just once too often. If I really expect the distant party to receive my document, I will use any method other than the US mail. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !
ccplumb@rose.uwaterloo.ca (Colin Plumb) (02/19/91)
There are more amazing telecommunication stories with the gulf.
Here's one from RISKS (v11i10) that's of enough interest to re-post:
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 91 11:47:35 PST
From: Martin Minow <minow@bolt.enet.dec.com>
Subject: On-line in Saudi Arabia
Date: Fri, 08 Feb 91 16:06:19 -0500
From: Steve Elias <eli@pws.bull.com>
Subject: funny sco unix story
[...] at sco last week, they told me that their customer service line
had received a call from a US Army dude who was calling from inside
his M1 tank in the Saudi desert. Apparently, SCO Unix runs on one of
the computers in the tank. The customer service person pointed him to
the SCO BBS system and he dialed it and downloaded the bug fix.
Steve Elias, eli@spdcc.com; 617 932 5598 (voicemail), 508 294 7556 (work phone)
[Hmm. I wonder if someone could dial up the tank's Unix? PGN]
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*I* wonder if he came in over the 800 number, and if so, what the
billing looks like! That, and whether one could rig a news/mail feed.
This actually sparks an enormous number of questions regarding
military use of telecommunications technology. I'm sure they have
more jam-resistant systems than Motorola's Iridium, but more
bandwidth?
Colinpeter@taronga.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) (02/21/91)
In article <telecom11.133.6@eecs.nwu.edu>, john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: > Peter da Silva <peter@taronga.hackercorp.com> writes: > > The up-front capital costs of a FAX machine, plus a second > > line at the recipient end, don't help the economics much. Remember, > > not that many people Here I'm talking about individuals, not businesses. > > have these new toys, and the majority of the USPS > > mail volume already gets a more favorable rate. > On the face of it, this would appear to be true. But for various > reasons, the FAX machine has become ubiquitous in businesses large and > small. How much mail is first-class mail between businesses? The majority is direct mail (gets a better rate) or to or from residences (no fax). > post office has screwed me over just once too often. If I really > expect the distant party to receive my document, I will use any method > other than the US mail. But you have never been the USPS main customer. Myself, I tend to use Email. And I can send a Fax by Email if I have to. peter@taronga.uucp.ferranti.com