TELECOM@Usc-Eclb.arpa (03/15/83)
TELECOM AM Digest Wednesday, 12 January 1983 Volume 3 : Issue 3
Today's Topics: Baby Bell - The First Day
Cellular Mobile In Washington, D.C. Area
V&H, Area Codes 307 & 308
Query - How To Deal With Harrassing Phone Calls
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Date: Wed 5 Jan 83 17:02:33-PST
From: Jim Celoni S.J. <CSL.JLH.Celoni@SU-SCORE>
Subject: 1st-day encounter w/ Baby Bell
We've been deciding on a new PBX, and Pacific Telephone was one of the
contenders. I decided to call our account executive Monday, but
didn't have her number at the new local American Bell, Inc. office (a
different building from Pac Tel), so called her old number. A
secretary from another group answered and told me what she thought the
new number was. I called it and got a recording ("not in service ...
no referral"), so called our Pac Tel Market Administrator (who worked
with her on the proposal). He said he couldn't give me her number,
that he'd signed an agreement that if he talked business to an ABI rep
without a customer designating ABI as its agent, he was fired. (He
also said that last year he had ten accounts, now 300.)
So I called local directory assistance, but all they had was one
American Bell *PhoneCenter* (there are many in the area!). Then I
called 415 directory assistance, which gave me the SF office, which
gave me the numbers for the ABI National Response Center (800/
247-1212), which gave me another SF office I could call collect (but
"wasn't likely to be for our account"--we're over cutoff of 40
stations), which gave me a local ABI employee's number, which I called
but got no answer.
Then I called 800 information, which gave me an ABI "general business"
number (800/ 521-5221), which gave me a local "general business"
number (also 800, even though office is 3 mi away) . The one at the
last number didn't know whether our rep or her boss worked there, but
that I'd gotten the right number.
Next, I called the local ABI employee, who answered this time and had
numbers for my AE and her boss (and the correct local office number,
which differed from the one that gave me the recording in one digit).
I was disconnected when she tried to transfer the call to her. (Today
I found out the ABI office has a Dimension PBX, incidentally.)
I talked with the AE today, who gave me her address (but didn't know
zip) and said she still has the file on us she had as a Pac Tel
employee, except for the network-related binders she couldn't take..
She confirmed the PBX pricing she preannounced last month (20% off
tariffs--still high--and no change on Applications Processor).
Switches still aren't for sale, but peripherals will be (are?), and
other maintenance options will be available (less service for less
cost).
According to her, the local ABI office is now a profit center--if it
doesn't achieve E-to-R (expenses to revenue) ratio better than 12:1
this year, it vanishes. ABI is part of AIS (AT&T Information
Systems), as is AT&T International. At mid-year, when the Operating
Companies' installed base (e.g. existing Dimensions & Horizons) is
transferred to ABI, ATIX (AT&T IntereXchange Service) will become part
of AIS to handle current Long Lines accounts. Finally, she said
there's a lot she still doesn't know. (From my understanding of the
breakup, it's not clear some of what she told me is right,
either--please publish corrections.)
Many questions remain about Baby Bell, big and little. (Our former
Pac Tel repairman works for ABI now. What will he be doing until the
installed base moves?) I hope to hear about developments, as they
break, in TELECOM.
+j
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Date: Saturday, 8 Jan 1983 17:26:37-PST
From: John R. Covert <decwrl!RHEA::CASTOR::J_COVERT%Shasta at SU-Score>
Subject: Cellular mobile in Washington, D.C. area
Am currently on the phone with a friend who is driving down Interstate
270. Just at the moment, he changed cells. We noticed as it muted.
Sounds bad for modems.
In D.C., it turns out that whichever non-wireline company gets the
licence will simply purchase Motorola's test system and be ready to
go.
By the way, all of Metrorail is expected to be one cell.
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Date: 4 Jan 83 10:33:17-EST (Tue)
From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@Brl-Bmd>
Subject: V&H, areas 307 & 308
As noted earlier, most of Wyoming (307 area) is routed via area 303.
Interesting pattern in 308 area (part of Nebraska), ignoring about
half a dozen points along Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and S. Dakota
borders: western part of state (roughly that part due N of Colorado)
and a smaller, noncontiguous part (western Buffalo County, including
Kearney, and a little bit of eastern Dawson County) much further E are
routed via 308; rest of area 308 routed via 402. (Can't find
coordinates of 308-555 anywhere else in 308 area.)
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Date: Mon 10-Jan-1983 14:01-EST
From: Richard Kenner <KENNER@NYU>
Subject: Harassing phone calls
A friends's relative is getting harassing calls. At her request, the
phone company (NY Tel.) put a trap on her line to get the calling
numbers. However they say that they are not allowed by law to tell
her the calling numbers and can only tell the police if it is
life-threatening. Does anyone know if this is true? If not, do you
have anything that can be given to NY Tel as proof? If so, do you
have any ideas as to what can be done about the calls (other then
getting a new phone number)?
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End of TELECOM Digest
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