telecom@ucbvax.ARPA (09/05/84)
From: Jon Solomon (the Moderator) <Telecom-Request@MIT-MC>
TELECOM Digest Wednesday, 5 Sep 1984 Volume 4 : Issue 79
Today's Topics:
Where can I find....
Carrier line quality
Equal Access -- A scream!
telephone costs
Equal Access
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Date: 31 Aug 84 19:43 EDT
From: David H M Spector <SPECTOR@NYU-CMCL1.ARPA>
Subject: Where can I find....
Can anyone point me in the right direction for some basic telephone
technical information. Such as, where can I find documentation on
wiring, installing, debuging {...etc...etc} of one phone
equipment/systems?
Also, are those nifty handsets purchasable anywhere? Please respond
by mail, if there is enough interesting stuff I will summarise....
Thanks,
Dave Spector
NYU Systems Group
SPECTOR@NYU-CMCL1
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From: mknox@ut-ngp.ARPA (mknox)
Date: Fri, 31 Aug 84 20:06:12 CDT
Subject: Carrier line quality
I decided to finally add my 2 cents to the question of ATT vs other
carrier line quality.
I have, for business reasons, 1) standard AT&T, 2) AT&T WATS, and 3)
SPRINT. The SPRINT is extremely useful for calls not placed from
base, and for calls made to other points within the state and to
Mexico. The WATS service is only good for out-of-state to calls
within the US, and the standard AT&T is needed for in-town and most
out-of-country calls.
I find the service to be good on ALL of the above. But there are
three interesting problems:
SPRINT billing: they DO bill me for perhaps 50 calls a month I did
not complete (let it ring 5 or 6 times).
AT&T billing: MUCH worse. NO ONE in the continental UNITED STATES
can track down an errant WATS bill, I have decided.
SPRINT quality: I have never had any significant line problems with
voice SPRINT service. BUT... I have a 1200 baud 212A modem which
absolutely REFUSES to connect over a SPRINT line. The line sounds
fine, but the modem says NO WAY. It works just fine over AT&T lines.
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Date: 03-Sep-1984 2232
From: covert%castor.DEC@decwrl.ARPA (John Covert)
Subject: Equal Access -- A scream!
I was just poking around at Equal Access.
Dialed 10222 (MCI) 0 NPA NXX-XXXX. MCI's switch (yes, I know it was
MCI and not the BOC) gave me the following recording:
For operator assistance please hang up and dial 10288 plus 0...
Guess they're glad to hand that business over to AT&T.
/john
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Date: 3 September 1984 23:54-EDT
From: "Marvin A. Sirbu, Jr." <SIRBU @ MIT-MC>
Subject: telephone costs
There have been few good studies published of the actual costs of
local calling -- mostly because the telcos themselves don't know. The
accounting systems that they set up years ago under FCC orders didn't
require them to keep track of detailed information in that way, so
they never did. That's beginning to change, but little of that type
of data has reached public print.
One of the few good studies in this area is a paper by Bridger
Mitchell of Rand published in the American Economic Review in 1978.
Also, see the book by Meyer et.al. published by Charles River
Associates entitled something like "Competition in Telecommunications"
Marvin Sirbu
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Date: 04-Sep-1984 1622
From: covert%castor.DEC@decwrl.ARPA (John Covert)
Subject: Equal Access
Couple of things:
1. If you choose anyone other than AT&T as your primary carrier,
0+ will work within your LATA, but outside your LATA, you will
get whatever that carrier provides (such as the recording telling
you to dial 10288 0 ... which MCI provides).
Likewise with overseas. MCI says "MCI does not yet provide service
to the country you are calling, but plans to."
2. You can forward through any carrier.
3. Speed calling does not store a carrier, so you get either your
primary
carrier, or, if you precede the call with a 10xxx code, you get
that
carrier.
4. NO-PICK is an option in at least Northwestern Bell, which means
that
1+ only works within your LATA; all calls have to have an explicit
carrier choice.
5. In some places, just plain "0" may not work if your carrier is not
AT&T. This is worth objecting to, because of the potential impact
on emergencies.
Interesting times are ahead!
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End of TELECOM Digest
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