[fa.telecom] TELECOM Digest V3 #104

Telecom-Request%usc-eclc@brl-bmd.UUCP (Telecom-Request@usc-eclc) (11/21/83)

TELECOM Digest           Monday, 21 Nov 1983      Volume 3 : Issue 104

Today's Topics:
                Bozo is alive and well and living in NYC!
                    Possible Access Charge Compromise
                                complaint
                         MCI Mail and Dow Jones
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Date: Saturday, 19 Nov 1983 03:19-PST
Subject: Bozo is alive and well and living in NYC!
From: lauren@rand-unix

After New York City finishes with that "consultant" they hired 
regarding the 718/212 horrors, I know someone out here in L.A.  who'd
like to hire him to entertain at a children's birthday party.  Does he
bring his own balloons?

--Lauren--

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Date: 19 Nov 1983 0702-PST
From: SEGELBAUM%UCI@USC-ECL
Subject: Possible Access Charge Compromise

I got an idea about the Access Charge; can't understand why nobody
else has thought of it. Or, perhaps it was thought of, and rejected
for some reason.  (If anyone knows any history on this, feedback would
be appreciated.) Here is the idea:

Why should not the Access Charge itself be made usage-sensitive? I.e.,
if you make NO l.d. calls in a given month, you pay NO access charge
(this would seem to be elementary, and its implementation would
certainly go a long way toward reducing the public outcry from people,
and people speaking for people, who say "I never use my phone for long
distance, why should I have to pay for people who do?").  Then, for
each N minutes of l.d. use in a given month (or a given year, or some
other given time period), the access charge grades up proportionately.

I dont't see how anyone could complain about this, but I'm sure there
must be some legitimate complaint. Let's hear it.

Rob

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Date: 19 Nov 1983 1347-PST
From: Jon Solomon <JSol@USC-ECLC>
Subject: complaint

The legitimate complaint about your suggestion is that ACCESS charges 
are not charges to provide long distance service, they are what the 
long distance company paid to the local company to provide you LOCAL 
service.

I think this point is missed by a fairly large segment of the 
population.  They all seem to THINK that Access implies "to long 
distance". It does not.

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Date: 19 Nov 1983 2340-EST
From: Clifford Neuman <BCN%MIT-EECS@MIT-MC>
Subject: MCI Mail and Dow Jones

Well, the welcome package does indeed include information on how to 
access Dow Jones through MCI Mail.  I have not tried it yet, and 
intend not to until I have a better idea of what the charges are.  A 
rate schedule was included, but when you find in small print at the 
bottom the statement that "the rates will be 2.0 times these when 
using 1200 baud instead of 300 baud", you begin to wonder.

        ~ Cliff

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End of TELECOM Digest
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