TELECOM%usc-eclb@brl-bmd.UUCP (07/21/83)
TELECOM AM Digest Thursday, 21 July 1983 Volume 3 : Issue 42
Today's Topics: Sprint - Owned by GTE
212/718 NYC Area Code Splitting
Song, Battery Backup, Bell 212A Modems, GTE EAX Switching
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Date: Tue, 19 Jul 83 23:17:51 PDT
From: jmrubin%Coral.CC@Berkeley
Subject: Sprint
I just saw a "Sprint" ad on TV, and noticed in the fine print that
Sprint is now owned by GT&E. It was originally part of the Southern
Pacific Railroad.
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Date: 20 July 1983 12:51 edt
From: TJMartin.ADL at MIT-MULTICS
Subject: Re: Area Code Splitting
>From the N.Y.Times of 7-20-83:
''...a handful of officials held a hasty news conference
yesterday to oppose plans to split New York City into two
telephone area codes.
''New York Telephone...says it is running out of 212 numbers
because of all the specialized services...using telephone
lines.
''Let these 'esoteric' services use the new code, Attorney
General Robert Abrams said.
''"Exotic-service customers, who cause the problem, should
bear the burden of converting to 718," Assemblyman Joseph
Ferris of Brooklyn agreed.
[Other officials included Brooklyn Borough Pres. Howard
Golden and Queens Borough Pres. Donald Manes.]
I don't know what kind of expert help the four gentlemen received
while preparing their proposal, but is it feasible to split area codes
by type of service, instead of geographic location?
--Tom Martin/Arthur D. Little, Inc./Cambridge MA/
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Date: Tuesday, 19-Jul-83 20:19:26-PDT
From: Lauren Weinstein <vortex!lauren@LBL-CSAM>
Subject: Song and Misc.
Greetings.
First of all, I'd like to thank CC.CLIVE for his kind comments
regarding my "Bell System" lyrics. I must state firmly, however, that
I refuse to give up my exciting (???) career as a
computer/telecommunications consultant in exchange for the glamour of
the music/lyrics biz. That is, I refuse to do so *unless* I'm offered
a firm contract including video rights and plenty of groupies...
The lyrics are really only intended for the enjoyment of individuals
who truly understand the telecommunications industry. Thusly, I have
a hunch that the average Public Utilities Commission would have
difficulty appreciating them. Typically, these Commissions have very
underdeveloped senses of humor, so I recommend against sending them a
copy of the lyrics. Just as an aside, I had a very nice conversation
with a California PUC staff member earlier this week regarding
PacTel's recent filings. We talked almost an hour (on his "dime",
too!) He was surprisingly open in discussing his feelings about the
whole telecommunications "fiasco" now being played out, and promised
to try keep me informed as to the goings on with the PacTel filings.
The problem, of course, is that the actual Public Utility Commission
members usually ignore the comments made by their own (sometimes quite
knowledgeable) staff.
----
A few random points to cover...
----
1) As has already been mentioned, virtually all telco CO's use
battery backup for short duration power failures, and, indeed, most
CO's other than the small unattended facilities also have at least
one backup generator for use if the failure becomes prolonged. One
point that wasn't mentioned is that most of the telco batteries are
ALWAYS live on the circuit -- the DC power derived from the outside
mains is continually float-charging the batteries which are in turn
continually providing power to keep the office running. That's why
the phones keep working, generally without even the slightest
glitch, through most short duration power failures -- even
currently open connections are usually not disturbed.
2) Bell 212A modems operate at 600 BAUD, using scrambled "dibit"
phase-shift modulation (2 bits of information per baud). Indeed,
the terms bits and bauds are thrown around rather sloppily, but
normally it is pretty clear what is really meant.
3) Right -- EAX is General Telephone's version of ESS. GenTel's
primary supply unit has always been their own "Automatic Electric
Company", and they've thusly liked to work the word "Automatic"
into GenTel product offerings. While ESS stands for "Electronic
Switching System", EAX stands for "Electronic Automatic Exchange".
Another similar case: Bell System uses the term PBX for "Private
Branch Exchange". GenTel uses PABX, for "Private Automatic Branch
Exchange". It's all in the name!
Bye for now.
--Lauren--
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End of TELECOM Digest
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