wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher) (11/25/90)
The REAL question for those of you stuck in 'every call is a toll
call' land, PT, is:
Is your bell.eecs.nwu.edu port a local call?
{David's defn: local -- you talk all day and it does not cost any
more than if you talk for one minute.
L.D -- anything other than the above.
If NOT, it might be cheaper for you to move on campus :-}
[Moderator's Note: Since I am on the far north side of Chicago (312)
there are many suburban 708 points -- including the Evanston dialup
lines -- which are local ('talk' all day) to me. PAT]telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) (11/26/90)
After I mentioned getting the new CLASS features from Illinois Bell
installed on my two lines, someone raised the question of what all
this costs per month. I wanted to wait until I had examined my first
bill under the new system to be sure I had the rates quoted
accurately. Here is what it says:
Monthly Service, NOV 13 thru DEC 12, 1990
Local Service ...................................... 43.98
1 Non-Pub Directory Svc 1.45 (covers both lines)
1 Automatic Callback 3.50 (line 1)
1 Repeat Dialing 3.50 (line 1)
1 Call Screening 5.50 (line 1)
1 Threeway Calling 2.50 (line 1)
1 Call Forwarding 2.50 (line 1)
1 Call Waiting 2.50 (line 1)
1 Speed Calling 8 2.50 (line 1)
1 Discount for 7 features 4.50 CR
1 Touch Tone Service .73 (line 1)
1 Line Connection Charge 5.56 (line 1)
1 Repeat Dialing 3.50 (line 2)
1 Speed Calling 8 2.50 (line 2)
1 Call Forwarding 2.50 (line 2)
1 Discount for 3 features 1.50 CR
1 Touch Tone Service .73 (line 2)
1 Line Connection Charge 5.56 (line 2)
1 Multi-Ring Linked to 1st Number 4.95
Supplemental Line Charges, per FCC rulings ............. 6.86
Total Monthly Service ..................................... 50.84
Purchase of more than one custom calling feature per line provides for
a 75 cent discount per addtional feature/line. Seven features on line
1 therefore gives a discount of 6 X .75 = $4.50. Three features on
line 2 which is primarily used by the modems, terminals, etc. allows
for a discount of 2 X .75 = 1.50. Speed Calling allows a separate
directory for each line, or a common directory for both. You advise
telco how to set it up; however you program it as desired. I have two
directories; one for each line.
In addition to the regular monthly service, shown above, we are
charged *per call* we make, with various discounts built in depending
on the time of day, day of the week, and volume of usage. This part of
the bill varies from one month to the next, of course.
Local Usage Services - OCT 13 thru NOV 12, 1990
Volume Summary: No Discount 10% Discount 40% Discount
9 am - 11 am 8 am - 9 am 9 pm - 8 am &
2 pm - 8 pm 11 am - 2 pm Sat / Sunday
------- 8 pm - 9 pm Holidays
No. of Calls Band
Untimed Calls A 71 55 306
Over 8 miles B 18 11 64
Over 15 miles C 6 0 5
Over 40 miles D 0 0 0
Billed Minutes
Untimed Calls A --- --- --- 15.81
Over 8 Miles B 146 162 947 23.45
Over 15 Miles C 6 0 6 .94
Over 40 Miles D 0 0 0 .00
Volume Discount 5.07 (memo only - included in above totals)
Total Local Useage Services for this period ...................... 35.13
Local untimed calls (those calls within your own CO or to nearby CO's
within eight miles of you) are billed at about five cents per call or
less, for the first fifty calls, depending on the time of day/day of
week per above schedule. Local untimed calls reduce in cost to about
three cents each on a sliding scale depending on the volume used and
time of day. Inter-telco (IBT <--> Centel) calls are included, and
area code boundaries do not matter.
Calls to Bands B, C and D are billed by the minute at rates ranging
from three to ten cents per minute depending on Band, time of day and
volume discounts.
Other Charges and Credits include applicable federal, state and
municipal taxes, as follows:
City of Chicago Surcharge - Emergency 911 Access 2 @ .95 = 1.90
State of Illinois Additional Charge 2 @ .04 = .08
City of Chicago Additional Charge 2 @ 2.42 = 4.84
Federal Tax = 2.84
State Tax = 4.59
Other Charges and Credits also include the use of Directory
Assistance locally, Name and Address Service and surcharges for the
use of the IBT Calling Card on local calls.
2 Calls to Name and Address Service @ .35 = .70
1 Intrastate Information Calls @ .30 = .30
There were a few additional minor charges this month I am not
including in this summary which pertained to the removal of Starline
service and the start of the new CLASS features. These were pro-rated
charges for CLASS and pro-rated credits for Starline, since the
service was changed in the middle of a billing cycle. IBT sees fit to
not charge me for installation / work order charges, which is nice of
them. The total bill this month was $107.45. This is typical, or maybe
a few dollars higher than usual.
Since line 2 is almost exclusively used by the modems, etc, there is
no Call Waiting or Threeway Calling on that line (undesirable with
modem!), nor do I need or want Call Screening or Auto Call Back on
that line.
Local Usage Services are computed in total on both lines, so the
volume discounts kick in a little sooner.
Now, Part 2 of the bill for NOV 13 thru DEC 12 -- the part that is
'provided as a service to AT&T' ... and which notes I'm free to get my
long distance service wherever I please while still receiving my local
service from IBT.
Monthly Service - NOV 13 thru DEC 12 ............ $11.70
This is 'Reach Out America', the 24 hour plan which is offered in
Illinois. The usual overnight rates apply. In addition there is an
evening discount and a five percent discount on daytime interstate
calls and international calls at any hour. Included is one hour of
interstate calling during overnight and weekend hours.
This also includes 'Reach Out World' at $3.00 per month. This plan
provides good discounts on international calls at certain hours as
well as a five percent discount at all non-ROA hours on interstate
calls. I formerly had 'Reach Out Canada' and 'Reach Out UK' on my
account. I dropped these in lieu of the world plan which is much less
expensive although it includes no calling time.
Other Charges and Credits on the AT&T portion of the bill this time
includes a charge for:
1 Interstate, Canada, and/or 809 Directory Assistance
0 Allowed 1 Billed ................................ .60
And again, we have Uncle Sugar, Governor Thompson and the greedy
alderpersons of our city council feeding at the trough ......... $5.20
As with local calling, the Reach Out America / World Plans use both
lines in their calculations so that charges from either line count
toward the benefits of the plans.
Total AT&T portion, including calls, other charges, etc ........ $70.00
Total due telco this month ... $177.45
This is about typical. I've had bills as high as $200.00, and as
little as $140.00 when long distance usage was light.
Enclosed with this month's bill:
The monthly copy of {Telebriefs} newsletter, which this month promotes
Illinois Bell Calling Cards, vanity phone numbers for $38 each
provided the number is available in your CO, gift certificates for the
holiday season (the same little generic scrips AT&T sends out marked
"Pay to the order of the Telephone Company"), a reminder to call ahead
before going wherever you are going, and a cartoon of a man on a
remote island in the ocean getting a message in a bottle asking him
"what is your fax number?". A promotional message for the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra and public television fill out the issue.
I own all my telephones with the exception of one 2-line single turn
button set (lift the left plunger for hold) which belongs to AT&T. So
I get a bill every three months from AT&T Consumer Products, Inc. for
the lease of that phone -- about $20.00. I should go buy a new two
line phone from Radio Shack and give theirs back.
I also get two bills each month direct from AT&T, Orlando, FL for the
long distance usage on my two cell phones. The long distance traffic
on both is not enough to justify ROA or similar. A nice feature of
AT&T direct billing (as opposed to through telco) is that if the bill
is less than $5, it can be held over automatically for up to 90 days
before payment for the convenience of not having to write small
checks.
My cell phones typically cost about $50 per month in total. I use the
Ameritech phone more often; it costs about $35. Cell One costs about
$15. Calls to cell phones from telco payphones in 312/708 are at the
regular price of 25 cents for a local call. Calls to cell phones from
private lines are considered local, untimed calls.
So, there you have a look at the Moderator's monthly phone bill. I
also spend $30 per month on Telenet/PC Pursuit and about $40 per month
on the 800 numbers I have from Telecom*USA which are set to ring in on
the new multi-ring (coded ring) number I got from IBT. This enables me
to know ahead of time that the incoming call is on the 800 number.
Patrick TownsonSABAHE@macalstr.edu (Arun Baheti <SABahe@Macalstr.EDU>) (11/26/90)
Oi vey, Patrick! I hope that you can at least deduct some of that from your taxes... :-) (Or that you are at least somehow reimbursed for at least some of the costs!) [Moderator's Note: I get re-imbursed for international calls I make from home on business due to the time difference. PAT]
oheare@cs.utexas.edu (David O'Heare) (11/28/90)
Pat: In the look at your phone bill, you say: > I own all my telephones with the exception of one 2-line single turn > button set (lift the left plunger for hold) which belongs to AT&T. So > I get a bill every three months from AT&T Consumer Products, Inc. for > the lease of that phone -- about $20.00. I should go buy a new two > line phone from Radio Shack and give theirs back. Is it possible to buy one of these phones? I assume it's a 500-style set with a turn button -- I would dearly love to have one of those so I could get rid of the poor-quality thing I've got. Any ideas on where a poor Canadian might get one (Ma Bell's reps claim to not know about them)? Dave O'Heare oheare@gandalf.ca +1 613 723 6500 [Moderator's Note: AT&T is selling off quite a bit of their inventory of phones and related stuff. I do not think they are selling the one button, two-line phones. In fact I am almost positive you can only lease them, and that you must be in the USA to do that. PAT]