dts@cloud9.stratus.com (Daniel Senie) (06/01/89)
My dad has a summer cottage in western Mass. which currently is on a 4-party line. I have been looking in to the pricing alternatives for him for switching to single party service, since a Rabbi and his wife are also on the same line and talk for 3 or 4 hours at a time. NET charges about $3.50 per month for the service, which we can't complain about... My dad is willing to pay the extra $4.26 per month for private service, but does not want to pay $32 for the privilege of conversion. One interesting thing came up in the conversation I had with NET. The CO is supposed to become an ESS (probably a satellite off a 5ESS) in 1992. During the year prior to the conversion, the 4 party lines are eliminated by offerring 2-party lines, single party timed, or single party unlimited service. It seems there is no way to support 4-party service on an ESS. I was surprised that a 2-party service would work. (With party lines it is required by law that you be able to hear the other party talking when you pick up the phone -- so that you can tell them to get off in an emergency). During the conversion period, NET will do the conversion free. I'm somewhat surprised that they don't just do it for free now if desired. The party line service is responsible for at least 5 service calls a year of the variety where they need to come out on a Sunday (all summer cottages). The best service call was to CUT the line to one of the other houses when they plugged in an answering machine... All long distance calls are operator assisted, since it is not possible to determine which house is originating calls. Thought people on the net would be amused by the archaic equipment we deal with in the little forgotten towns... -- Daniel Senie UUCP: harvard!ulowell!cloud9!dts Stratus Computer, Inc. ARPA: anvil!cloud9!dts@harvard.harvard.edu 55 Fairbanks Blvd. CSRV: 74176,1347 Marlboro, MA 01752 TEL.: 508 - 460 - 2686