lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) (09/26/83)
Most areas of the U.S. still have "flat local" calling for residential service, at least as an option, and usually as the "standard" residential service. Of course, "local" areas aren't very large in most major cities, where message units (or ZUM units) have long been in use. Some metro areas (NYC springs to mind immediately) long charged 1 message unit for each local call, regardless of duration, and with a certain allowance of units included in the monthly bill. Now, this is all changing rapidly. Local telcos are filing proposed measured local service tariffs right and left. The exact plans still vary widely. Some (at least for now) put a "cap" on the maximum amount you could be charged for local calls, some will continue (once again, for now) to offer flat rate residence service at a much higher cost. Out here in California, PacTel now publicly calls "flat rate" service "premium", and "measured" service "standard" -- even though the overwhelming majority of residential subscribers have flat rate service. Doublethink in action -- just in time for 1984! Both PacTel and GenTel have filed measured local service tariffs -- PacTel including an (expensive) flat rate service option (as a temporary measure, apparently) and GenTel, to date, not offering such an option. GenTel wants to start phasing in measured local service around the end of either '84 or '85 -- I forget which. They'd have to phase in -- since they can only efficiently track local calls in areas where EAX/ESS machines have been installed -- and some exchanges (and I know which ones!) aren't currently scheduled for cutover until close to 1990. In any case, I wouldn't gloat too much up there in Canada. The articles I've seen in the Telco industry trade journals indicate that Bell Canada and their friends have the same measured service plans laid out for you as we're getting down here. Good luck. --Lauren--