djcl@uunet.uu.net> (07/30/90)
Bell Canada has just introduced blocking of 976 or 900 calls to its customers as of 1st July. The service costs $4/month (plus an initial administrative charge, likely $14) so that attempts to dial 976 or 900 numbers will be met with an intercept. This was brought about by parent's complaints that their children were racking up heavy 976 charges on such things as childrens hotlines, chat lines, unauthorised forays into the world of "adult entertainment", etc. [Moderator's Note: I'm surprised they were allowed to make a month charge for this service. When 900/976 first got started in a big way here in Chicago, Illinois Bell (admittedly, they never liked 900 service from the beginning) offered to block both types of numbers for free, and with no charge for the paperwork involved. They were more than happy to 'assist parents in keeping that stuff out of their home and away from the children ...'. Their decision not to charge for blocking was met with approval by consumer groups, and make IBT come out looking like the good guys. PT]