covert@covert.DEC.COM (John R. Covert) (05/04/88)
Submitted-by: Greg Monti, National Public Radio
Apparently, non-Bell company phone directories are allowed to show a whole
lot more information about long distance, equal access, company code dialing
and other features since these companies aren't required to be at arm's length
from AT&T. The Centel book in Las Vegas, NV, has the following items of
interest:
- in-Nevada dir asst, both local and LD, is 555-1212, not 411; it's free.
- time & temp is 118
- a description of the subscriber line charge notes that it "recovers a portion
of the cost of connecting the customer to the national phone network that were
covered by interstate long distance charges. It may be offset by a reduction
in long distance charges." That's the first time I've seen an admission by
a local phone company that the SLC eliminates the earlier subsidy.
- a feature known as "call within" is available to any home or business:
you can talk to other extensions of your own phone by dialing your own phone
number, getting a busy signal and hanging up. All your phones ring. When you
hear the ringing stop, someone must have picked up an extension. You pick
up your extension and talk to others in your household.
- a package called "Teen Talk" gives you a second line with touchtone ("for
quick connections") and 3-way calling ("to plan those Friday nights easily")
for $9.35 a month. Add toll restriction to that and it costs $11.85 a month.
It must be a second line billed to the same party as the first one in that
household.
- Equal Access is explained. There's a $12.00 charge in Nevada to change
default LD companies. To confirm if you have equal access, dial 777 and a
recording will tell you. A list of LD companies serving the area is given
along with their business/sales phone numbers and their 10XXX codes, along
with an explanantion of how to use 10XXX codes and why they might be useful.
Companies serving the area include Access Long Distance (10007), ATT (10288),
American Network/American Telephone Exchange/Starnet (10050), First Digital
Network (10230), MCI (10222) and Sprint (10777). Full-page-per-carrier "ads"
are given for some of these which show services offered, numbers to call and
how to access services provided by the various companies, but not rates.
[Hmm, thought 10007 was TMC (Telamarketing Communications, i.e., PacBell.]
- Long distance operator assistance for calls made outside the Southern
Nevada Calling Area is reached by dialing 00 if your LD company offers
operator assistance. The Centel book clearly notes that only AT&T and US
Sprint curently offer this service. If you don't have one of these companies
as your default LD carrier, the book notes, you'll have to dial 10288 + 00
to reach an AT&T operator or 10777 + 00 for a Sprint operator.
- International dialing instructions are given, with a caveat that your LD
carrier may not provide international service. If not, book suggests, use
10XXX to access an LD carrier that does.
In all, quite complete information. The C&P directories here (DC, VA, MD)
don't even come close.
Greg Monti, National Public Radio, Washington, DC +1 202 822-2459