bernhold@qtp.ufl.edu (David E. Bernholdt) (01/02/91)
I have a few questions relating to the business/residence distinction: 1) Historically, what is the argument for charging businesses and residences differently? Do the businesses get better quality lines? :-) Is it more expensive (to the telco) for someone at a business location to pick up the phone and make a call? To receive one? In the latter case, isn't the person _calling_ the business picking up the tab? 2) Do these arguments still apply in the present day? (For example, most people say that tone dialing is now cheaper to the telco than pulse dialing -- thus negating a major argument for the tone dialing tariff.) 3) In the past, what has the criteria been for the telco to force someone to pay business rates? Are they looking at licenses which might be required by the local authorities or registered charitable/non-profit groups? Is the installer looking for some sign that I'm running a business when (s)he comes to hook me up? 4) Where will it end? Will I have to pay business rates if I have a terminal/modem at home which I use to dial up the computer at work occasionally? Will I have to pay business rates if I put an add in the paper trying to sell my car? How about if I casually start buying and selling used cars, using newspaper adds giving my home phone number in order to fund my hobby of collecting and restoring old Yugos? David Bernholdt bernhold@qtp.ufl.edu Quantum Theory Project bernhold@ufpine.bitnet University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 904/392 6365
kusumoto@chsun1.uchicago.edu (Bob Kusumoto) (01/07/91)
You'll have to forgive me since my experience with a business phone line that my parent's switched to when they started a landscaping business out in the burbs. Our local Bell is Illinois Bell. bernhold@qtp.ufl.edu (David E. Bernholdt) writes: >1) Historically, what is the argument for charging businesses and >residences differently? Do the businesses get better quality lines? :-) >Is it more expensive (to the telco) for someone at a business >location to pick up the phone and make a call? To receive one? In >the latter case, isn't the person _calling_ the business picking up >the tab? The only differences tend to be that business get one small free listing in the Yellow Pages. Apart from this small fact and the different rates that (small) businesses pay for service, there is none. (I mention small businesses since larger ones tend to buy or lease their own PBX or cut some deal for the larger number of phones lines they use, a la IN/OUT WATS.) Businesses do have a larger variety of services that are readily available to them though, although I stress that these services tend to be for small businesses and can be pretty useless to the typical BBS. >3) In the past, what has the criteria been for the telco to force >someone to pay business rates? Are they looking at licenses which >might be required by the local authorities or registered >charitable/non-profit groups? Is the installer looking for some sign >that I'm running a business when (s)he comes to hook me up? I'm not sure what the typical requirements are, basically anything that is done for an extended period of time, running an actual business, paying taxes or filing forms as a business, etc. Hobby type activities as far as I know are not charged business rates. (I do know that local chat lines a la Diversi-Dials, were under the gun to pay business rates for all their phone lines because they were hitting subscribers for monthly fees, like $10/month.) >4) Where will it end? Will I have to pay business rates if I have a >terminal/modem at home which I use to dial up the computer at work >occasionally? Will I have to pay business rates if I put an add in >the paper trying to sell my car? How about if I casually start buying >and selling used cars, using newspaper adds giving my home phone >number in order to fund my hobby of collecting and restoring old >Yugos? The phone company usually lets modem lines go under residental rates given that it's not being used to as a BBS to collect money (something on the order of portal or maybe chinet might have to pay business rates, prodigy probably has to pay business rates). I think the point is that you shouldn't have to be charged to access a particular phone number or service charged by that number to qualify under residental rates for BBSes. Buying and selling used and/or reconditioned cars probably doesn't fall under this catagory. A final note: IBT charges a much higher rate than normal residental/business rate for DATA QUALITY lines. Supposedly, getting DATA QUALITY lines guarentees a minimum level of quality between your connection from your place to the central office (IBT does not guarentee the wiring from the point where the wiring enters the building box to your jack any more, although they do have services where they will take care of the inside wiring for you for a small monthly charge :-). No one I know has actually gone out to do this (although there have been times where I've been tempted to do this myself). I suspect this is mostly for businesses that use dedicated lines, but then again, ISDN is also offered by IBT, which is a hell of a lot cheaper. Bob Kusumoto Internet: kusumoto@chsun1.uchicago.edu Bitnet: kusumoto@chsun1.uchicago.bitnet UUCP: ...!{oddjob,gargoyle}!chsun1!kusumoto