ski%COMPUTING-MATHS.CARDIFF.AC.UK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU (S I Khokhar) (08/23/88)
Here in the Uk where we have to suffer from British Telecon (sorry Telecom!) we can put a call on hold, set up call forwarding, barring etc. I would be very interested to hear of the equivalents in the US and how they are used. Do you get them a a standard feature, or do you have to pay for each one that you have, just as we will have to pay `4.00 for EACH service we want, together with 10p for an automated alarm call, and 5p to be told how much the last call w We still have to pay for ALL local calls. I understand that in the US local calls made by a residential (non-business) line , at off peak times are free of charge. Is this right? Would any kind person be willing to tell me how much line rental in the US is on average. here it is `13.95 per quarter with metered units costing 5p each. They last for a varying length of time depending on the distance of the call and the time of day. Any help appreciated. ski@uk.ac.cf.cm.v1 OR ski@v1.cm.cf.ac.uk OR ski@cf-cm.UUCP.
scott@eddie.MIT.EDU (Scott Statton) (08/25/88)
In article <telecom-v08i0131m07@vector.UUCP> ski%COMPUTING-MATHS.CARDIFF.AC.UK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU (S I Khokhar) writes: > >Do you get them a a standard feature, or do you have to pay for each one that >you have, just as we will have to pay `4.00 for EACH service we want, together >with 10p for an automated alarm call, and 5p to be told how much the last call w >We still have to pay for ALL local calls. I understand that in the US local >calls made by a residential (non-business) line , at off peak times are free >of charge. Is this right? Would any kind person be willing to tell me how much >line rental in the US is on average. here it is `13.95 per quarter with >metered units costing 5p each. They last for a varying length of time depending >on the distance of the call and the time of day. > Well, my south-of-the-Equator friend, you make the assumption that there is a standardised telephone system within the United States. Special services, (Call forwding, etc.) are available on a location-by-location basis, with several 'basic' services that are almost universally available. As to free local calling areas, this varies from state to state, and even city-to-city. Some states have free local calling for residence AND business customers (California -- depending on the city) and some states don't have ANY free local calling (New York). Each state has a governing body, with a name like "Department of Public Utilites" or "Public Utilities Comission" that is a 'watchdog' for the industry. Any service that the telephone company wishes to carry, must be approved by this authority. Because of red tape, services that CAN be offered, are generally several years behind services that are technically feasable. For readers in the United States (and Canada, I believe) you live with something that we would find unthinkable -- you pay message units for INCOMING calls as well as outgoing. (At least in Britain, that is so). So -- in summary -- there is no "What's it like in the United States" or even within any one state. -- scott@eddie.mit.edu | I don't have any opinions.