SPGDCM@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU.UUCP (06/11/87)
MSG:FROM: SPGDCM --UCBCMSA TO: NETWORK --NETWORK 06/11/87 13:52:27 To: NETWORK --NETWORK Network Address From: Doug Mosher <SPGDCM at UCBCMSA> Title: MVS/Tandem Systems Manager (415)642-5823 Office: Evans 257, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 Subject: Intra-lata credit calls To: telecom@buit1.bu.edu The discontinuance of promotion of ATT long-distance credit cards by Regional companies still leaves unresolved how anyone is supposed to handle intra-lata long-distance calls. People still make them and need to charge them. For that matter, I have been sustainedly confused on the nature of intra-lata calls. Originally (the dawn of time for tel reorg, a few years ago) the competing ld carriers such as Sprint stated in their literature that their services were, I believe, "only for interstate calls". This has been changed, I believe, to "only for inter-lata calls". It always seemed to me that the equipment itself did not screen out intra-lata calls and if you wanted to do it you went ahead and did it and paid the ld carrier for it, the silliest example being right in the same local place (but possibly still useful for payphone calls if you haven't a dime). That seemed to create a legal lacuna that nobody did anything about or worried about. Do any readers have comments on this blurry legal state, and on what regional companies might possibly do to charge, and account for, intra-lata credit calls? Thanks, Doug e Intra-lata credit calls
rees.UUCP@apollo.UUCP (06/17/87)
I've noticed that when I make an intra-lata call in Michigan (formerly Michigan Bell), and charge it on my calling card, the charge shows up on the NE Tel portion of my bill (my home service is from NE Tel), but it not listed as anything special. I assume that NE Tel is doing the billing on behalf of Michigan Bell, but it doesn't say that on the bill. But why should my AT&T card number allow Michigan Bell to bill NE Tel? AT&T wasn't involved in the call. Or is the card acting as a NE Tel card at the time? If so, why should Michigan Bell honor the card? I think the technology has outpaced the regulation, as usual, but it's nice that these calls still work.