Telecom-Request%usc-eclb@brl-bmd.UUCP (Telecom-Request@usc-eclb) (09/03/83)
TELECOM Digest Saturday, 3 Sep 1983 Volume 3 : Issue 53
Today's Topics:
"Unusual" User
News Bulletin
Unused Area Codes
More Miscellanea
Carterfone
Rotaries
Duck Soup
Billing Malfunctions
Special Instructions In New Hampshire
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Date: Tue, 23 Aug 83 7:55:54 EDT
From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@brl-vld>
Subject: "unusual" user
"...have your line disconnected if you receive a large number of calls
and you refuse to get a rotary"?!? Just how would such refusal impact
the phone system?
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Date: Thu, 25 Aug 83 7:52:51 EDT
From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@brl-vld>
Subject: news bulletin
Date: 24 Aug 83 2201 PDT
COMPUTER TROUBLESHOOTER:
'Artificially Intelligent' Machine Analyses Phone Trouble
WASHINGTON - Researchers at Bell Laboratories say they've developed an
''artificially intelligent'' computer system that works like a
telephone network. Slug PM-Bell Computer. New, will stand. 670 words.
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Date: Thu, 25 Aug 83 13:24:22 EDT
From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@brl-vld>
Subject: unused area codes
Omitting N00, N10, and N11, the following area codes are not in use.
(I am not sure about dialing instructions to Mexico.)
407,508,
706 (see under Mexico),
708,
718 (to be implemented 1984 in NYC),
719,
818 (to be implemented 1984 in Los Angeles area),
903 (see under Mexico),
905 (see under Mexico),
908,909,917
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Date: Fri, 26 Aug 83 16:01:07 EDT
From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@brl-vld>
Subject: more miscellanea
1964 Cincinnati Enquirer microfilm had many letter prefixes from
Cincinnati area; most of these have the number 1 (as in CH1, etc.).
Any reason for such 1's?
I saw a pay phone at Cambridge, Ohio (614-439-9110) which had dial
tone but still required deposit of 20 cents for calls which don't
require coins on most DTF phones. (Such phone was put in by GTE of
Ohio.)
[GTE pay telephones in the Los Angeles area also required a dime
before it would complete ANY call, dispite the fact that it was DTF
(dial tone first). This is because the touch tone pad (or dial) is
disabled until you insert the dime. --JSol]
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Date: Sun, 28 Aug 1983 02:13 EDT
From: DVW.STRAT@MIT-OZ
Subject: Carterfone
Just for clarity's sake I will quote directly from the C & P
Telephone Acronyms Directory (with a legislative jargon section).
"Carterfone decision - A 1968 FCC decision which held that telephone
company tariffs containing blanket prohibition against the
attachment of customer-provided equipment to the
telecommunications network were unreasonable, discriminatory
and unlawful. The FCC declared the telephone companies could
set up reasonable standards for interconnection to insure the
technical integrity of the network. Following Carterfone, the
telephone companies filed tariffs for protective connecting
arrangements to facilitate the interconnection of
customer-provided terminal equipment."
If you read that slowly, you can almost hear their distaste...
--Bob--
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Date: Sunday, 28-Aug-83 18:18:44-PDT
From: Lauren Weinstein <vortex!lauren@LBL-CSAM>
Subject: rotaries
How would not getting a rotary affect telco? Heh heh. I spent the
better part of a day down at the Calif. PUC arguing about this topic
(amongst others) in an informal hearing consisting of my clients,
myself (as a consultant), a PUC official, and a bunch of officials
from PacTel. The story is hilarious, since it involves PacTel
bringing forth piles of statistics that they had gathered on incoming
usage of my client's phone line (a telephone joke service called
"ZZZZZZ" -- it was the last listing in the L.A. phone book). I
successfully showed that most of their statistics were being
erroneously interpreted -- clearly PacTel had not been expecting the
people they'd be dealing with to know more about a typical Crossbar
office and the toll network than they did! I had a great time
demonstrating that the only reason they wanted my clients to get a
rotary was that it would result in more COMPLETED calls (as opposed to
calls that reached a busy singal). More completed calls means more
revenue -- but does not directly reduce interoffice trunk loading or
other significant factors in a Crossbar office. They never really
admitted that revenue was the primary factor, but it became pretty
clear. This is the *very* short version of the story -- the long
version is very involved and this is not a suitable forum for such a
discussion.
The bottom line, however, is that many Telco tariffs give TPC a very
broad ability to rather arbitrarily declare various actions to be
"detrimental" to other person's phone service, even when this cannot
be technically proven. This can turn some rather trivial situations
into rather complex headaches.
--Lauren--
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Date: 29 Aug 83 14:06 EDT (Monday)
From: Denber.WBST@PARC-MAXC.ARPA
Subject: Duck Soup
>From the Fall 1983 edition of the Sharper Image Catalog comes:
The phone that quacks. [really]
A valued addition to the den or desk of any outdoorsman, the Decoy
Phone artfully conceals the newest solid state technology. A soft,
pleasant quacking characteristic of the species replaces harsh rings.
Simply lift the head and you're on the line. The head also serves as
a shoulder pad [that's using your head] to free your hands during
important calls.
Cord extends four feet and retracts automatically when you replace the
handset.
Pushbutton True-Tone dialing so you can access MCI and other long
distance economy services. Weighs 7 lbs. [precooked, I assume],
measures 13 1/2 x 9 x 7 1/2".
The rugged, unbreakable ABS plastic has been beautifully detailed to
resemble the finest collectible decoys. Yet it's strong, surprisingly
light for its size, and comfortable to use. Mounted on its own solid
oak base for even more authenticity. One year warranty. Adds the
feel of the outdoors to any room, and a sure conversation starter [no
doubt]. Use your 30-day return privilege to try the Decoy Phone in
your home or office. You'll agree it's one of the most ingenious
phones ever made.
Decoy Phone #CDK365 $249.
- Michel
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Date: 31 Aug 1983 1757-EDT
From: John R. Covert <RSX-DEV at DEC-MARLBORO>
Subject: Billing malfunctions
The OCCs, who at the present time generally do not receive information
telling them that a call has been answered, supposedly will remove
incorrectly charged calls simply by asking.
But soon they will be able to receive the so-called supervisory
information from the local operating companies. This supervisory
information is right 99.99 (or so) percent of the time, but I've had
occasional difficulty with false charging on calls into my home
exchange (617 263) in Acton, which I thought had been fixed.
I first noticed it when calling from a pay phone in Germany; my money
started disappearing as soon as ringing started (pay phones in Germany
require prepayment and count down the money as the message units
elapse). I was told that the failing trunk had been found and fixed.
But a couple of weeks ago, I was making a calling card call to home,
got no answer, and also couldn't get the MCCS responder to notice my
"#" so it would say "You may dial another number now." This could
only have been caused by one of two things; a malfunction in MCCS, or
the fact that the 263 exchange had reported answer even though it
hadn't happened (the MCCS responder is only there before and after the
distant end is on the line).
So when the bill came in, I called the business office and complained.
Only with great difficulty could I convince the representative that
there could have been a malfunction. Finally she agreed to remove the
charge, but told me that the matter would be referred to SECURITY.
I told her that she better refer the problem to a technical
department, not security, but she insisted that security had to be
notified.
I wonder what sort of treatment we'll get from the OCCs when this sort
of thing starts happening.
We all know that computers never make mistakes.
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Date: Thu, 1 Sep 83 7:45:55 EDT
From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@brl-vld>
Subject: special instructions in New Hampshire
The following turned up in the call guide for Portsmouth, Exeter,
Dover, Somersworth, Rochester area (including adjacent Maine ex-
changes); some rewording by me.
Local calling also includes phones located within your city or town
but served by exchanges other than those shown for your local calling
area; no toll even if you dial 1+ 7 digit number; this does not apply
to coin phones.
(I don't know what exchanges--or parts of exchanges?!--are
involved here.)
[I've seen this in the Springfield, MA. Telephone directory as well.
Apparently New England Telephone does this whenever it splits a town
across an exchange boundary which is not "local" (assuming "local"
implies that you don't dial a 1 first). --Jsol]
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End of TELECOM Digest
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