jsol@bu-it.bu.edu (10/19/89)
Yes, Patrick, that's exactly what I feel too, however I must point out that the average number of donuts per capita income per person is about 2. It seems there is also a gaping hole around 12; some get more, some get less. In any case, Los Angeles politics is a big deal. I'm fairly sure that Beverly Hills won't get out of 213. Just too much money there. And Hollywood? Think about it. All those Hollywood types who have to use area code 909 or 818 or 213......... Hmm, maybe it would make sense to use 909 in downtown LA, but they're essentially right. Just like New York City, area code 213 has a larger saturation than area code 818. Even in Boston, 617 is getting nearly full; even though they just split the code already. It poses a real problem: How do you evenly split an area code so that the growth flows nearly evenly in both codes? I suspect 617 will go to NXX codes before it splits again, at least now that there is no non-Electronic/Digital switching in 617, so changing that shouldn't be much of a problem. However, I will miss the dial-1-is-a-toll-call feature of this area, meaning that if I call a number, I won't know if I have to pay for it or not. jsol [Moderator's Note: Jon Solomon was the founder of TELECOM Digest and the moderator for several years. PT]
jsol@bu-it.bu.edu (10/20/89)
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 89 18:04:38 -0400 From: clements@BBN.COM Sorry, I think we are having a basic misunderstanding... > From Lexington you can call 508 numbers, but from Cambridge you can't. > I can't call Concord or Framingham or any of the other areas outside of > the "don't dial 1" area.... > Note that if you don't have Metropolitan service, you get charged message > units for calls placed to areas outside of your immediate local calling > area but inside the metropolitan service boundary. You don't dial 1 for > these calls either. I know all that. These seem to be examples of what I was saying, namely that there is NOT and has not recently been the "feature" that you can tell what is a free call by whether you have to dial a "1". But in your telecom posting, I thought you were saying that there WAS such a feature and that you would miss it when it goes away: "However, I will miss the dial-1-is-a-toll-call feature of this area, meaning that if I call a number, I won't know if I have to pay for it or not." ????? /Rcc In Cambridge, Somerville, and Everett and Boston this is the case. It is not the case in Lexington. I had forgotten about the case of the numbers that are either in 508 or can dial 508 numbers included in metropolitan service. Let me point out that my experience with Metropolitan service is the cities listed above. Those are places where I have actually lived and have had dial-1-means-toll-call service for about 6 years. It is true that in many cases, particularly in outlying areas of Mass., that dial-1-means-toll-call is not implemented. Here it is, and therefore I will miss it when it goes away. jsol