0004133373@mcimail.com (Donald E. Kimberlin) (09/16/90)
Several recurring threads of the Digest relate to abuses and
downright illegalities of denying consumers free choice of
alternatives in dialing a telephone call. Some are related to COCOTS,
hotel room dialing and Alternative Operator Services providers. It
appears that the FCC is responding by measuring the level of
non-compliance at some locations. Here is a very short summary, as
republished by a promotional newsletter of Vector Software titled
"Queue Time" for September, 1990. It attributes the original source
as,"The Washington Connection," published by Valucom, Inc. of Vienna,
Virginia:
"OPERATOR SERVICES STILL NOT NICE
"The FCC's recent audit of the operator-services market notes
that there are still significant FCC compliance problems. The FCC
audited 971 telephones at 351 different properties.
Only 20 telephones complied fully with written notification
requirements. Blocking of the user's carrier of choice occurred on 40
percent of the phones, blocking of 10XXX access occurred on 31
percent, and many telephones blocked 950 access. On the bright side,
however, operator-services providers identified themselvs orally 87
percent of the time."
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Looks like we can say, "You've still got a long way to go, Baby!" to
our goal of a properly free market for dialed call competition.