telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) (07/14/89)
Here in Chicago, in fact all over northern Illinois in the 312/708/815 area codes, there is one class of service for all residential subscribers and one class for business users. For business users, ALL calls are timed, including the ones to very near-by places. Measurement is done in 'units', which is a function of the length of the call times the distance. A one minute call could range between 0.6 and 5 units, depending on the distance between subscribers. Between 9 PM and 9AM daily, the total number of units used is adjusted by 33 percent. For residential subscribers, the situation is a little different. The charge for a 'local call' is one unit during the day, and 0.67 units during the 9 PM to 9 AM time period each day. The 'local area' calls are untimed, and are always one (or .67ths) of a unit. The local area is a relative matter. It includes your own switching center, as well as most, if not all, of the ajoining offices. Your local area is always approximatly eight miles in any direction of your switch. Calls outside this area are timed, and the units keep adding up. The charge is calculated on length of time the connection was up times the mileage between switches. If your eight mile -- your switch and neighbor switches -- crosses the boundary from one city to another, fine. If it crosses the Indiana/Illinois border, again fine. If a call is timed, then the cost will be at least two units, and probably a lot more. Like the business deal, calls made between 9 PM and 9 AM are given a thirty percent discount. For both business and residence subscribers, the cost per unit ranges from 5.2 cents for the first thirty units. The cost of units drops to 3.5 cents each as you use more. It is worth noting that if you make a lot of your calls in the evening, the 33 percent discount in *the number of units used* -- as opposed to the cost of each unit -- it takes longer to reach the required number of units in Illinois Bell's tariffs. Residential users with modems typically use $100 - 150 worth of units per month. There is virtually no such thing as a 'free call' in northern Illinois. We had unlimited calling, (that is, calls from around Chicago) until 1987. In March, 1987, this plan was dropped (actually, there were about 100 variations on the plan) and the ESS computer took over.