cmoore@brl.mil (VLD/VMB) (03/16/90)
I don't know how President Carter's call-in was done. I do recall it was toll-free, on a 900 number (done so that it would not interfere with the normal long-distance traffic), and that calls from the DC area to that were routed via Wayne, Pa. (near Philadelphia). The number was 900-242-1611, if I remember, and someone in the Milwaukee area got deluged with calls from some people (in 414 area?) who forgot to dial the 900. This was in 1977.
dattier@chinet.chi.il.us (David Tamkin) (03/16/90)
Jody Kravitz wrote in TELECOM Digest, Volume 10, Issue 169: | Jimmy Carter did a "call in show" one Saturday morning when he was in | the white house. The number was a 900 number. I had never heard of a | 900 number before. I was curious then (and am now) if this was done | for "billing the caller", network congestion control, or caller-id. | Anyone care to comment ? It could not have been for billing the caller, as those calls were publicized as free. That was the first time I heard of 900 numbers, and that was the only time I have ever heard of a free call to a 900 number. David Tamkin PO Box 813 Rosemont IL 60018-0813 708-518-6769 312-693-0591 dattier@chinet.chi.il.us BIX: dattier GEnie: D.W.TAMKIN CIS: 73720,1570
Robert Kaplan <kaplanr@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu> (03/16/90)
A 900 number in 1977?!? I was but 5 years old then, so I don't remember, but it seems to me like a lot of COs wouldn't have been programmed to accept a 900 number. Anyone know if that was the case? Scott Fybush Disclaimer: This may not be my own opinion. "Help me, my home phone is a COCOT!" [Moderator's Note: There were '900' numbers in the middle seventies; but not nearly the number we have today. I think there were maybe ten or a dozen in all. Sports, horoscope and the talking clock were among the first, along with national weather. All were one-way; there were no interactive 900 numbers then (except President Carter). A call to 1-900-555-1212 is free; the tape used to last about a minute or less, but now it goes on, and on and on. PT]