DP Tool Club 19/CD_ASCQ_19_010295.iso/vrac/tc14_405.zip/TC14-405.TXT

Text File | 1994-11-13 | 44KB | 1,048 lines

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 28 Oct 94 02:35:00 CDT    Volume 14 : Issue
405

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A.
Townson

    Bell Canada Ends Messaging Trial (Dave Leibold)
    Mounties Join Video-on-Demand Test (Dave Leibold)
    Pac*Bell Touch-Tone Refunds (Linc Madison)
    Pac*Bell Info About New Dialing Procedures (Linc Madison)
    AT&T Launches WWW Server (Andrew B. Myers)
    T1 Costs and Specifications (Dan Kahn)
    RochesterTel Calling Cards Dump 10XXX Dialing (Rob Levandowski)
    AM Expanded Band Allotments (Monty Solomon)
    AT&T Throws in the Towel ... err Card (Paul Robinson)
    AT&T Takes Action Against MCI 800-CALLINFO (Will Martin)
    New List for Telecommunication Rules (David Devereaux-Weber)
    Phone Fun 800 (Monty Solomon)

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Leibold)
Date: 28 Oct 94 00:03:20 -0500
Subject: Bell Canada Ends Messaging Trial
Organization: FidoNet: The Super Continental - North York, Canada


[from Bell News, 24 Oct 94; content is Bell Canada's; e&oe]

Star Messenger to be withdrawn

Our new Star Messenger[tm] service will be withdrawn at the end of the
trial period ending October 31.

"The disappointing trial results and the requirement for further
technological development played a major part in the decision to
remove the service," says Janet Garrod of Consumer Market Management.

Star Messenger, a pay-per-use service, allowed customers to leave a
one minute voice message when they received a busy signal or no answer
on an alternately billed long distance call to most points in North
America.

A new trial to address the needs of local and direct distance dialing
(1+ calls) messaging along with possible payphone messaging is being
considered in selected locations during the first quarter of '95.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This is interesting, since Illinois
Bell
is testing the same thing on a limited basis including a couple of
exchanges here in Skokie, Illinois. I found out about it only by
chance
when using a payphone about a week ago at the bus station. I dialed a
local number, it rang *only three times* and a recorded message popped
on the line while the ringing continued in the background. It said,
"your party did not answer. You may leave a one minute message which
we will attempt to deliver every thirty minutes for the next eight
hours
by depositing 25 cents, then wait for instructions before beginning to
speak your message; or if you prefer, stay on the line and continue to
wait for your party to answer."  I've never heard that before, and
only
hear it when I use payphones on the 708-675 exchange.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Leibold)
Date: 28 Oct 94 00:03:32 -0500
Subject: Mounties Join Video-on-Demand Test
Organization: FidoNet: The Super Continental - North York, Canada


[from Bell News, 24 Oct 94; content is Bell Canada's; e&oe]

RCMP joins our Video on Demand trial in Ottawa

RCMP staff and hundreds of Ottawa-based public school students have
just gained access to a storehouse of educational and training videos
through personal computers at on-site locations.

The delivery of this information last Monday marked the beginning of
Phase II of the Business Video on Demand Trial (VOD), involving
programs in three RCMP locations in the Ottawa area and eight
Ottawa-Carleton public schools in four school boards.

The trial is part of the recently-announced Bell Canada and Stentor
Beacon Initiative, a 10-year, $8 billion plan to build a
coast-to-coast broadband infrastructure for the delivery of new
multimedia services.

Phase I of the trial, which tested the underlying technology and the
design for users of VOD, offered video on demand from key locations
at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.

Phase II expands on the earlier test by simulating a city-wide
environment, serving more customers and testing operational methods
and procedures and an enhanced user interface.

The trial, scheduled to last until May 1995, connects a minimum of 14
sites in the Ottawa-Carleton area. Through computers in their school
libraries, students have access to more than 70 video titles to
complement their learning environment. Video content for the echools
is provided by Magic Lantern Communications Limited.

RCMP users are able to obtain easy access to the force's own wide
range of training videos. The system offers full VCR-like controls
such as rewind, fast-forward, pause, etc.

There's great potential in new multimedia services as educational and
business tools. Possible serving applications include training,
product and service information, stock footage for advertising and
public relations, as well as video clippings for educational,
industrial and financial use.

The trial is funded by Bell Canada and Stentor with technical
assistance from Bell-Northern Research and MPR Teltech.

The first VOD services for business customers should be available
starting in late 1995.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 23:55:37 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Linc Madison)
Subject: Pac*Bell Touch-Tone Refunds


In the insert with my monthly Pacific Bell bill is a notice that some
customers who had Touch-Tone service between 5/4/87 and 5/3/90 may be
due a refund of up to $66.20 (business) or $48.20 (residence), plus
12% interest.  The affected customers are those who moved or
discontinued Touch-Tone service during the time in question, in
certain, mostly rural, prefixes.  There is a complete list in the
insert, but I'll just hit a few highlights:

209: Chowchilla, Coalinga, Lodi, Modesto, Turlock, Yosemite
408: Ben Lomond, Felton, Salinas
415: Crockett*, Moss Beach, Pescadero, Pittsburg*    (* now in 510)
619: Borrego, Furnace Creek, Imperial, Shoshone
707: Arcata, Eureka, Napa, Ukiah
805: Bakersfield, Mojave, Morro Bay, Ventura
916: Mount Shasta, Placerville, Redding, Yreka

For more information, contact Pacific Bell, Sacramento CA 95851.

The same billing insert also has a form to remove your listing from
the Street Address Telephone Directories, explaining that they are
"sometimes used by businesses or emergency services to contact you
when they don't know your last name.  For example, lost children may
know their addresses but not how to spell their last names."

There are also blurbs about the statewide uniform dialing plan and the
new 562 area code for Los Angeles; I'll include those in a separate
message.


Linc Madison  *  Oakland, California  *  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 23:55:42 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Linc Madison)
Subject: Pac*Bell Info About New Dialing Procedures


I got my Pacific Bell bill today, including an insert with information
about several things, including the touch-tone refunds and the new
area code 562.  Here is the blurb about the dialing changes required
for 1995:

STATEWIDE UNIFORM DIALING IS ALMOST HERE!

On October 11, 1994, dialing procedures will become standard
throughout California.  After that, you'll dial calls the same way, no
matter where you are in the state.

HERE'S HOW CALIFORNIANS WILL DIAL:

-> Always dial "1" first when you call *outside* the area code you're
in.
-> Never dial "1" to begin a seven-digit call.
-> *Always* dial the area code on any operator-assisted or Calling
Card
   call (calls that begin by dialing "0"), whether you're calling long
   distance or not.

OUR CHARGES FOR CALLS WILL REMAIN THE SAME.

[map of California with 916, 209, 805, 310, 562, with middle digits
emphasized, and a 1+ to the side]

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

If you have Speed Dialing or Call Forwarding, you *may* need to re-
enter
the numbers you programmed into your telephone.  Also, if you have a
PBX
or other customer-provided equipment, you *may* need to make
programming
changes.  Please contact your vendor if you need more information or
assistance.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

Telephone companies are running out of numbers for new area codes.  In
the past, either a zero or a one was used for the middle number of any
area code.  When the uniform dialing project is completed, new area
codes
will use any of the numbers two through nine as the middle number.
This
allows for 640 new number combinations for area codes throughout the
United States, Canada and the Caribbean Islands.


Linc Madison  *  Oakland, California  *  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 94 10:53:54 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Andrew B Myers)
Subject: AT&T Launches WWW Server


AT&T LAUNCHES WORLD WIDE WEB INTERNET SERVER

     CHICAGO, Oct. 19, 1994 -- AT&T is extending its commitment to
global communications and computing with the launch of its own
information site, or "home page," on the Internet.

     AT&T's new Internet site was described yesterday by William
Holland, a technical manager at AT&T Bell Laboratories, in a talk at
the Second International World Wide Web Conference here. Holland heads
a group responsible for AT&T's electronic gateway services.

     The AT&T site, called "www.att.com," is situated on the
Internet's World Wide Web -- often abbreviated as "the Web" or
"WWW"--a fast-growing and user-friendly section of the Internet.
Offering a range of information about AT&T, its products and services,
a sampling of what's available includes:

   o Historical, current and financial information;
   o Descriptions of business units, joint ventures and global
operations;
   o News releases;
   o Full text of the current annual report;
   o Product and service descriptions, including many color images;
   o Product and service customer contact numbers;
   o Product and service technical data and specifications;
   o Product and service monthly featured items;
   o Access to research and development activities at Bell Labs;
   o Access to the company's Customer Information Center;
   o AT&T's YOU WILL commercials (graphic, audio and video versions);
   o An AT&T Phone Center locator;
   o Offerings of AT&T Technical Education Center courses, with on-
line
     registration, and other AT&T technical consulting services; and
   o Other features, data bases and pointers to additional
     resources in AT&T and elsewhere on the Internet.

     Visitors to the AT&T Web home page may also win T-shirts, books
and other prizes that will be offered through random drawings and
other promotional activities at the site.

     AT&T's home page has been designed for access by Internet users
of all kinds, from those with multimedia (sound, graphics and video)
capabilities to text-only browsers. The system offers a number of
full-color images and sounds.  In the near future the AT&T Web site
will offer a number of leading edge "You Will" type technology
demonstrations, lists of frequently asked questions (FAQs), and a
self-guided electronic tour of AT&T and its global operations.

      "This is just the beginning for AT&T," said Ron Ponder, AT&T
chief information officer.  "We believe we have some interesting
things to offer, but we want to listen to our readers and customers.
In response, we will ensure that our site always carries information,
capabilities, features and tools that people tell us they want."

     It is estimated that some 20 to 30 million people have access to
the Internet, either directly or through various commercial on-line
services, Internet access providers, and corporate and academic
networks. The number of Internet users is also growing dramatically as
more user friendly browsing software, such as National Center for
Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Mosaic, becomes widely available.
(Mosaic is the most popular graphical browser for the Internet. More
than two million copies of Mosaic are in use, and an additional 30,000
copies are being downloaded each month from the Internet.)

     The World Wide Web is based on "hypertext" documents and files
linked to each other through key words or "pointers" so that readers
may pursue whatever interests them by pointing and clicking on
highlighted words with a computer mouse, or by moving their cursor to
the highlighted text and hitting the ENTER key.

     The linked file or document may be located anywhere on the global
Internet on any one of several thousand graphical, hyperlinked
databases around the world.  Users may download any information they
are reading, or request the file or document to be sent via e-mail.

     Ponder said AT&T's home page on the Web is expected to expand as
more AT&T business units and organizations join the company-wide
project. He said the company envisions three primary uses for its
World Wide Web Internet server:

  1. Customers can have real-time access to products and services with
video,
     graphical and audio support capabilities.
  2. Customers can access distributed databases, such as information
help
     line numbers, easily, quickly and on-line.
  3. Customers can provide real-time feedback on their needs to enable
AT&T
     to provide faster and better quality service.

     AT&T also expects to use the Web internally in various ways. For
example, AT&T employees in one unit could use it to locate or identify
resources or people in other AT&T organizations, faster and easier
than they ever could before. Other internal applications may include
database or resource sharing, collaboration on product and service
development, and various other communications and data processing
activities.

     As AT&T's Web server continues to evolve, the company will enable
customers to place orders for products and services directly while
on-line.  Work is continuing on the development of processes and
systems to facilitate on-line ordering, purchasing and other financial
transactions.

     Internet users may access the AT&T site from various "What's New"
pages and directories available on the Web, or they may connect
directly by providing the proper Universal Resource Locator (URL)
address of http://www.att.com/.


CONTACTS:
  Andrew Myers, 908-221-2737 (office), 908-522-9485 (home)
  Jim Byrnes, 908-221-7876 (office), 908-689-6040 (home)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dan Kahn)
Subject: T1 Costs and Specifications
Date: 28 Oct 1994 00:17:32 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, UNC


Hi,

I'd like to get the answer to some questions -- which may not make
much sense since I'm new to the telecom world.

I'm trying to get some other folks interested in doing a more detailed
study of getting T1 between our facilites (about 1/4 mile apart) so I
only need to be armed with some ballpark figures and ideas about T1.

I'd like to know what T1 services costs, and how it is billed.  I'm
interested in a connection within a small town, so only the local
phone company would be involved.  Is it billed monthly, per amount of
data what does the equipment on the ends of the line run, etc.

I'm also interested in installation costs, is in necessary to install
special wires or are ordinary voice lines used (T1 is supposed to be

·
equivilent of 24 voice lines, but does that mean one only needs 24
voice lines, or does coax need to be run?)

The line would be used for data communications not voice
communications,
so if T1 would be less appropriate than something else please let me
know.

The project is short term (about a year) which means equipment could
be rented, instead of purchased, so if anyone can give me ideas about
the cost of renting necessary equipment I'd appreciate it.


Thanks,

dan

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rob Levandowski)
Subject: RochesterTel Calling Cards Dump 10XXX Dialing
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 94 00:40:55 GMT


I got an interesting letter from Rochester Telephone the other day.
They recently sent me a new (hideous purple) calling card, which had
my old PIN imprinted (but not my phone number), along with
instructions for dialing an 800 access number for RCI, RochesterTel's
long-distance arm. The letter, which trailed the card by several
months, explains that the Rochester Telephone calling card can no
longer be used for 0+ dialing after November 15th. In order to use
your standard RochesterTel calling card, and have the call billed to
your local telephone bill, you must dial the access number and use RCI
Long Distance.

I called their customer service and asked: will I still be able to use
10XXX codes to select an alternative long-distance carrier for my
calling- card calls? The answer is NO. Apparently they're taking their
cards out of the database.

The letter explains that this change is to help prevent calling-card
fraud.  I'm concerned ... how much fraud can an 800 access code
prevent? Is the savings in fraudulent calls worth relinquishing the
ability to choose which carrier your local-telco calling card calls
are carried by? Is it even legal for RochesterTel to prohibit 10XXX
dialing on their cards?

I suppose I could just get an AT&T card for those times I want to use
AT&T, or whoever ... I already have an RCI calling card, which is
completely seperate from my RochesterTel calling card, because if I
use RCI via my RochesterTel card, I don't get any of my plan
discounts. The RCI Pronto card does. Two cards for one phone number is
bad enough ... will I have to have accounts with any LD company I want
to
use in the future?

I'm writing a letter of complaint to RochesterTel and the PSC and FCC,
in hopes that someone else will see that forcing calling card users to
use an affiliated division's LD service is kind of fishy. (Isn't this
what Bell used to do before it was broken up?) If anyone else reading
this is a RochesterTel customer, I urge them to do the same. The
addresses are in every RochesterTel phone book.

Most of all, I'm amazed at RochesterTel's hypocrisy. They've been
patting themselves on the back for months now, in every billing and
throughout the newspapers and TV, on their "Open Market Plan" that
will, as of January 1, enable local telephone service to competition
with recipocrity, etc. Now, they turn around and monopolize their
customer's calling card service. This sounds more like lip service
than phone service to me! :)


Rob Levandowski
Computer Interest Floor associate / University of Rochester
[e-mail]     [Opinions expressed are mine, not UR's.]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: My understanding is that independent
telcos are under *no legal obligation* to offer 10xxx dialing or for
that matter access to any long distance carrier other than whatever
they choose.  Certainly there are a large number of tiny little telco
cooperatives and the like around the USA who still shunt all their
long distance traffic to AT&T. Divestiture only applied to AT&T and
the Bell Companies. GTE also implemented much of the same when it
became common knowledge that the Justice Department was going to get
after them next when it finished with AT&T if they did not voluntarily
change their ways ... so they did.  But as for Rochester and the
other independents, I think they are still pretty much free to do as
they please. Certainly where their own calling card -- thus, an
extension
of credit they are granting to you -- is concerned, they are perfectly
free to say what the card (account) can and cannot be used for.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 13:10:18 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <[e-mail]>
Subject: AM Expanded Band Allotments


Forwarded to the Digest, FYI.

 Date: 19 Oct 1994 05:33:47 GMT
 From: [e-mail] (FCC World)
 Subject: AM Expanded Band Allotments
 Organization: Capital Area Internet Service
 Newsgroups: rec.radio.broadcasting


            FCC UPDATE
         October 18, 1994

    An update on news from the
  Federal Communications Commission
            written by:

       Shaun A. Maher, Esq.
       Smithwick & Belendiuk, P.C.
       1990 M Street, N.W.
       Suite 510
       Washington, D.C.  20036
       [e-mail]   INTERNET E-MAIL
       [phone] VOICE
       [phone] FAX
       [phone] FCC WORLD BBS

FCC ANNOUNCES AM EXPANDED BAND ALLOTMENTS

               In its Review of the Technical Assignment Criteria for
the AM Broadcast Service, 6 FCC Rcd 6273 (1991), recon. granted in
part and denied in part, 8 FCC Rcd 3250 (1993)["AM improvement
Order"], the Commission adopted measures to facilitate an overall
improvement and revitalization of the AM broadcast band and to
effectuate the necessary incorporation of new spectrum between 1605
and 1705 kHz into the AM broadcast band.  The Commission concluded
that the public interest would be best served by using the expanded AM
band to improve the overall quality of the AM service by lessening
interference and congestion in the existing band. On May 3, 1993, the
Commission opened a filing window for existing AM stations to file
petitions to migrate to the expanded band. On December 3, 1993, the
Commission announced a ranking of all petitions to migrate in
accordance with the priority groups and improvement factors described
in the AM Improvement Order.

     This Public Notice announces the expanded band Allotment Plan,
and identifies the stations that are eligible to apply for
authorizations associated with specific allotments, based upon the
previously announced ranking of the petitions. Stations not receiving
an allotment were precluded by one or more of the following: the
Canadian agreement, the Mexican agreement, the Region 2 agreement,
Federal Travelers' Information Service Stations ("TIS"), harmonic
frequency relationships with existing stations, or preclusion by
stations of higher ranking.  The Canadian agreement restricts the
assignment of stations within 500 km of the common border to 1620,
1640, 1660, 1680, and 1700 kHz with a US priority on 1680 kHz and a
Canadian priority on 1630 kHz. Stations on 1620, 1640, 1660, and 1700
kHz must be notified to Canada. A comparable restriction applies to
Canadian stations. The Mexican agreement restricts assignments within
450 km of the common border to 21 specified frequencies at specific
locations. If an expanded band proposal for a station was within 45 km
of an allotment specified in the Mexican agreement it received an
expanded band allotment provided it was not precluded by a station
with a higher ranking or other factors.  U.S. Government TIS
facilities were protected in accordance with the guidelines of 47
C.F.F 90.242(a)(2)(i). Expanded band stations were not allotted within
30 km of an existing station if the frequency relationship being
considered was twice the frequency of the existing station. The
allotments also maintain a separation of 53 km from existing 1590 khz
stations and 200 km from existing 1600 kHz stations. Finally a
proposed station may have been precluded by the allotment of a
frequency to a station(s) having a higher ranking. Stations not
selected for migration will be afforded thirty (30) days to file for
reconsideration of the Allotment Plan with arguments limited to
addressing errors in the selection process. After the Allotment Plan
has become final and no longer subject to Commission reconsideration,
the Commission will enter the allotments into the Commission's AM
Engineering Data Base. The Commission will issue a Public Notice of
the finality of the Allotment Plan and call for applications to be
filed. Stations selected for migration will be afforded sixty (60)
days from the date the plan becomes final in which to file an
application for construction permit on the allotted channel The
application should be filed on Form 301 and must be accompanied by the
normal filing fee for such application. After acceptance of the
application for filing, the Commission will then put the application
on a cut-off list. The application will then be subject to petitions
to deny but not to competing applications. After grant of the
construction permit application and construction of the authorized
facilities, the expanded band permittee will then file a covering
license application on FCC Form 302.

Licenses for stations in the expanded band will be issued for a term
that is concurrent with the existing license for operation in the
535-1605 khz band.

For more information, contact Jim Buttle at [phone].

AM EXPANDED BAND ALLOTMENTS

                              Pres.Ex.Bd.
Call Licensed to    State     kHz  kHz
WEUP Huntsville     AL        1600 1610
KFVR Cresent City   CA        1310 1610
KECN Blackfoot      ID        690  1610
KENN Farmington     NM        1390 1610

KXBT Vallejo        CA        1190 1620
KHMO Hannibal       MO        1070 1620
WVMI Biloxi         MS        570  1620
WLNC Laurinburg     NC        1300 1620
KQWB West Fargo     ND        1550 1620
WEHH Elmira Heights NY        1590 1620
KPAR Granbury       TX        1420 1620
WGOD St. Thomas     VI        1090 1620
KRIZ Renton         WA        1420 1620
KSHY Fox Farm       WY        1530 1620

KIDR Phoenix        AZ        740  1630
WPGS Mims           FL        840  1630
KCJJ Iowa City      IA        1560 1630
KYUU Liberal        KS        1470 1630
WSYD Mount Airy     NC        1300 1630
KTMT Phoenix        OR        880  1630
WTAW College StationTX        1150 1630
KTKK Sandy          UT        630  1630

KLOQ Merced         CA        1580 1640
KRKS Denver         CO        990  1640
WAOK Atlanta        GA        1380 1640
WIWO South Bend     IN        1580 1640
KLXX Bismark/Mandan ND        1270 1640
WTRY Troy           NY        980  1640
KTRT Claremore      OK        1270 1640
KPHP Lake Oswego    OR        1290 1640
KURV Edinburg       TX        710  1640

KITA Little Rock    AR        1440 1650
KFRN Long Beach     CA        1280 1650
KNRO Redding        CA        600  1650
WBIT Adel           GA        1470 1650
KCFI Cedar Falls    IA        1250 1650
KSVE El Paso        TX        1150 1650
KSOS Brigham City   UT        800  1650
WPMH Portsmouth     VA        1010 1650


KBLU Yuma           AZ        560  1660
KRCX Roseville      CA        1110 1660
KCOL Ft. Collins    CO        1410 1660
WCCF Punta Gorda    FL        1580 1660
KAGY Port Sulphur   LA        1510 1660
WRGC Sylva          NC        680  1660
WJDM Elizabeth      NJ        1530 1660
WPJC Adjuntas       PR        1020 1660
KHVN Fort Worth     TX        970  1660
KEYF Dishman        WA        1050 1660
WNNO Wisconsin DellsWI        900  1660


KWHN Fort Smith     AR        1320 1670
KECR El Cajon       CA        910  1670
WRCC Warner Robins  GA        1600 1670
WTGM Salisbury      MD        960  1670
KKOJ Jackson        MN        1190 1670


KKIS Concord        CA        1480 1680
KQXI Arvada         CO        1550 1680
WELX Callahan       FL        1160 1680
WKCT Bowling Green  KY        930  1680
WNSW Brewer         ME        1200 1680
WEBC Duluth         MN        560  1680
WNED Buffalo        NY        970  1680
KDSX Denison-ShermanTX        950  1680
KPOZ Seattle        WA        1590 1680

WKRG Mobile         AL        710  1690
KFRE Fresno         CA        940  1690
WBCI Normal         IL        1440 1690
WGHB Farmville      NC        1250 1690
KCRC Enid           OK        1390 1690
WRRA Frederiksted   VI        1290 1690

WFMH Cullman        AL        1460 1700
KCEE Tuscon         AZ        940  1700
KAHI Auburn         CA        950  1700
WOKB Winter Garden  FL        1600 1700
KRGI Grand Island   NE        1430 1700
KAHZ Fort Worth     TX        1360 1700
WAGE Leesburg       VA        1200 1700
KCPL Olympia        WA        920  1700
WKSH Sussex         WI        1370 1700

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 20:09:00 EST
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA
From: Paul Robinson <[e-mail]>
Subject: AT&T Throws in the Towel ... err Card


AT&T finally gave in and set up an 800 bypass number the way its
competitors did.  AT&T has finally caved in on another marketing
concept.

Visiting Staples, a discount office supply store today, I saw a
display card and brochures for:

THE AT&T PREPAID CARD

It's a typical prepaid calling card in which you purchase telephone
time on it in advance, and you dial a special 1-800 number (800 357
PAID) to use it.  (They are also apparently trying to claim trademark
rights on the term "PrePaid".) Here are some of the points from the
brochure:

  {Where does it work}
  You can use the AT&T PrePaid Card to call anywhere in the U.S and to
  over 200 countries - from any touch tone phone.

(And this one probably is accepted for calls to those countries that
"don't accept AT&T's card".  :)

  {How much is it worth}
  You can purchase PrePaid Cards in 10, 15, 25, 50 and 100 calling
unit
  denominations.  Calls within the continental U.S. cost just one unit
  per minute.  Calls outside the continental U.S, are 3-5 units per
  minute, depending on destination.

  {Is it good for more than one call}
  You can use the PrePaid card for as many calls as you like, up to
the
  face value of its calling units.  After each call, you'll be told
how
  many units remain on the card,  And you'll get a 1-minute warning if
the
  card is about to expire during a call.

The two quoted prices at Staples were $11.99 for a 25-unit card (list
price $14.99), and $7.99 for a 15-unit card (list price $8.99).  As
you can see, this translates to a "list" price of 60c per unit,
Staples' price being 48c and 53c a unit for the 25 and 15 unit cards,
respectively, about twice AT&T's highest interstate call, e.g. LA to
DC or New York which is nominally about 26c, and 1 1/2 times their
highest intrastate rate, usually 35 or 40c.

About the only type of call this makes sense on is calls to very
expensive overseas calls such as Israel or Russia, assuming they are
the 5-unit per minute rate ($2.45) vs a credit card call to Israel at
$6.94 for the first minute and $1.39 each additional.  On a call to
Moscow Russia, the prepaid card makes more sense with the credit card
price being 7.25 for the 1st minute and 2.89 each additional, a
25-unit card costs less.

I expect if this continues, that some of the higher overseas rates
will come down or they will soon (if it doesn't already) bar the most
expensive overseas calls via this prepaid card.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 94 9:31:47 GMT
From: Will Martin <[e-mail]>
Subject:  AT&T Takes Action Against MCI 800-CALLINFO


This was over on misc.consumers -- I don't think it appeared in
Telecom yet:

Topic: AT&T files with FCC challenging MCI on 800- calls

     WASHINGTON (Reuter) - AT&T Corp. said Wednesday it filed a formal
complaint against MCI Communications Corp. over a new MCI charge for
calling an MCI 800 phone number.

     The complaint, filed with the Federal Communications Commission,
charges that MCI is billing customers for 800 calls without informing
them beforehand. ATT said this violates federal legislation
prohibiting phone companies and information providers from charging
800 call customers.

     Charges can only be imposed for 800 calls when the caller uses a
credit card or calling card or has an established billing agreement
with the provider before the call, it said.

     ATT said MCI's newly announced 1-800-CALL-INFO service would
charge customers for directory assistance calls placed to an MCI 800
number.

     MCI had no immediate response.

                             --------------

(There wasn't any reference pointer as to where this article came
from.)

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 94 10:36:12 CDT
From: David Devereaux-Weber <[e-mail]>
Subject: New List for Telecommunication Rules


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22-October-1994 v1.01

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------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 13:06:10 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <[e-mail]>
Subject: Phone Fun 800


Forwarded to the Digest, FYI.

  Date: Wed, 19 Oct 1994 15:30:52 -0700
  From: "Brock N. Meeks" <[e-mail]>
  Subject: Phone Fun 800

CyberWire Dispatch// Copyright 1994 //

Jacking in from the "There's No Free Lunch" Port:


Washington, DC -- So you think that all calls to an 800 number are
free? Think again.

Not only are some calls to an 800 not free, you may be getting popped
for the bill without knowing it.

I know, I know. Where is the trust? A free call to an 800 number is
one of the few remaining "free lunch" perks us ordinary Joe's and
Jane's had going for us.

Actually, the practice of allowing companies to charge for 800 number
calls has been going for a while now. Funny how such rules slip into
being without much fanfare, eh? Do you recall any of the long distance
phone companies taking out ads to tell you this news?

I mean, MCI could have taken their obnoxious Saturday Night Live
frontman -- the one that does the insufferable 1-800-COLLECT ads --
and had him whine: "Hey, Phoners... not all 800 calls are FREE
anymore. Get a Clue, Phone Dude."

Although there are legitimate uses of "for fee" 800 services, the
practice is still highly dubious. Why? Because it does run against a
certain "trust" telephone companies have built up.

Don't believe me? Try this. Ask the next 10 people you see this
question: Are calls to an 800 number free? I'll bet 9 of 10 tell you
"Yes."

Of course, the Dial-A-Hard-On sex chat lines were the first to learn
how to abuse the "right" of being able to bill for 800 calls. The sex
chat folks would, in essence, issue an instant 'calling card' to some
sweaty, heavy breather, creating an "business relationship" which was
allowed under the for-fee 800 billing rules. The caller would get a
PIN with his instant calling card. On subsequent "visits" the caller
tapped in the PIN and the meter began ticking.

The tricky part came in on the billing side. Businesses, hotels and
college dorms routinely block calls to 900 numbers, afraid of the
potential for untraceable and astronomical bills. But such isn't the
case with calls to 800 numbers. "Why block calls to free 800 numbers?"
goes the thinking.

Here's another bit of "Inside Telco" info for you: Whenever you make
an 800 number call, all sorts of information is "captured" by the
service you're calling. Name, address, telephone number, etc. Neat
trick, eh? It's done using a nifty piece of software called Advanced
Intelligent Network or AIN or short.

Well, these porn lines would issue an instant PIN tied to the AIN
information off the original 800 number call. So, if you called a sex
line using an 800 number from the Rectory of your local Catholic
Church or the office of a congressman and were issued a PIN, any later
calls you made would be *billed to the church or congressman's phone*
because the porn line guys "captured" the billing address information
from that phone.

Suddenly, businesses, hotels and college dorms (don't know about
churches or congressman's offices) were hit with tens of thousands of
dollars in bogus billings, all tied to porn lines.

The FCC and Federal Trade Commission hammered such loop holes last
August after a hue and cry of public complaint.

The trick for billing to an 800 number is that it can done if one of
three criteria are met: (1) The call is billed to a credit card. (2)
The call is billed to a pre-subscribed calling card. (3) An
established billing agreement between caller and service provider is
in place.

For example, say an Internet service provider wants to establish
nationwide service, but doesn't have local calling numbers in place in
every city. The answer might be to buy a huge block of time from a
long distance company to get cheap rates and then allow callers to
connect via an 800 number that is billed to a credit card. Not
perfect,
but legitimate.

AT&T To MCI: Hold The Phone
============================

But on Wednesday those madcap pranksters of the long distance market,
AT&T, decided that MCI had pissed on their parade one too many times.
So, AT&T, October 19, filed a formal complaint with the FCC against
its closest competitor over a service it launched called 1-800-CALL-
INFO.

AT&T claims the service is illegal because it violates federal rules
governing billable 800 calls.

The MCI service connects the caller to an information operator.
Anywhere, anytime, from any phone. It's an ingenious service, and one
that, if left intact, is sure to eat into AT&T profits just as the
brilliant 1-800-COLLECT service has kicked AT&T's ass in the collect
calling market.

But like the 1-800-COLLECT service, MCI has chosen not to "brand" the
service.  In other words, they don't tell you it's an MCI service. Are
they embarrassed of their own brand? Some folks at AT&T think so, but
they cherish their pension plan and wouldn't go on record saying it.

So, having been embarrassed at the drubbing they've taken in collect
calling market, AT&T's gone to the FCC complaining about the MCI's 800
directory service. AT&T's complaint says that MCI bills customers for
the service without informing them beforehand of the cost. (Hey,
AT&T ... it's right there in *really, tiny print* on the TV screen
...)

Dispatch called MCI for comment; no calls were returned.

1-800-MEEKS-OUT...



[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The mail has been rolling in here on
this very topic the past week and perhaps soon I should print another
issue with some responses and commentaries.  I don't think MCI will
lose the case for the simple reason that like all the other
information
providers using 800 as their carriage, they are not billing for the
call itself but for the information rendered as a result. You can see
this for yourself if you call from a payphone: they won't give out the
information without asking for alternate billing advice, yet I am sure
the local telco is none-the-less billing MCI for that one minute call
you made (from a payphone) which MCI declined to service.   PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #405
******************************