DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu) (DOUGLAS SCOTT REUBEN) (08/04/89)
A couple (?) of Digests back, John Covert mentioned that AT&T
operators can not talk to Local Bell operators via inward dialing.
I'm not sure if I'm right, and maybe in New England it's different,
but if that's the case, how do AT&T ops do Emergency Interrupts and
Busy Verifications?
We I call from CT or New York to verify/interrupt a busy number in Benicia,
CA, I call the local op, who puts me through to the AT&T op. (In
Connecticut, SNET/AT&T are the same, but in NY they split up, and
I just *hate* to dial 00! :-) )
Anyhow, after getting AT&T, I say "Hi, can you interrupt 707-745-1999?"
And then she call the number herself, see's that it is busy, and
then calls Rate&Route. The number she gets is "415+11591+". Before
1987, it was "415+121+", but then Pac*Bell split up from AT&T in
terms of operators, so I guess AT&T keeps +121, and Pac*Bell got
+11591. (And it's 415+ since 707-745/Benicia is close to San
Francisco - well, sort of - and I guess it is handled by a center in
415, right?)
So the AT&T operator dials in 415+11591, gets the operator on the
other end who says "Pacific Bell operator", and then they talk
about the interupt, and the Pac*Bell op interrupts the line.
So they do seem to talk to each other, at least in this case. I
would suspect that this is how it works in New England too, but
as I've never tried it, I don't know..
Anyhow, give it a try yourself (unless you are in the San Francisco
Bay Area, in which case AT&T has nothing to do with it..).
The number 707-745-1999 is just a number that is always busy in
my friend's exchange there, and isn't assigned to anyone. Just ask
them to verify it, to see if it's OK...They always say "OD or OH",
which the AT&T op translates as "Off-Hook"...(So what's "OD"?? hmmm..)
Finally, in case you REALLY want to confuse some newer AT&T ops,
ask them to connect you with the mobile/high frequency operator in
Hay River, in the Northwest Territories (Canada). After explaining
what you mean a few times, and usually going to the supervisor,
you'll get a routing like 403+069+, and they also still use a
"ticket" or "mark" for this one, so they will give you some
number like 285-130. (I can't recall the numbers exactly...).
After you get the operator there, you can ask for SR1777, which
I think USED to be "number" there, but no one has answered it
for years. The operator there actually gets on the radio and
calls "SR1117...Calling SR1117...This is the operator...Come in
SR1117"...She will take a message if the party does not answer,
and if she hears them come on during the day, will tell them that
you called. (If she's nice, that is... :-) )
Well, give 'em both a try...I'd be especially interested to hear
if there are other ways to do an interrupt/verification...
-Doug
P.S. If you call a toll station, like the one in New York mentioned
earlier, just say "Hi, can I have a RINGDOWN to the River
Edge (?) Toll Station, #3515, in New York, please?" They know what
a "ringdown" means, and that usually ends any confusion
about it being direct-dialable or not...
dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu
dreuben%eagle.weslyn@wesleyan.bitnet
(and just plain old "dreuben" to locals! :-) )
[Moderator's Note: Your point about emergency interupts and busy verification
is well taken. I frequently encounter busy signals for unusually long periods
of time and will ask the AT&T operator to verify. I do *not* know the routing
or all the specifics, but I *have* heard the distant operator answer saying
"Southern Bell Inward" or similar. This is why like yourself, I took some
exception to Mr. Covert's report a couple days ago. I think they still have
an arrangement with the local BOC's to address their operators direct when
required. PT]