Phoenix Rising BBS/phoenixrising.zip/phoenixrising/tele-dig/td14-024.txt

Text File | 1994-01-12 | 31KB | 689 lines

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 11 Jan 94 09:16:00 CST    Volume 14 : Issue 24

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Book Review: "Sendmail" by Costales/Allman/Rickert (Rob Slade)
    Call Waiting/Three-Way Together (Michael Israeli)
    Someone Has Tapped My Line - Help (Joel M. Hoffman)
    Possible Internet Service Scam (Les Reeves)
    NYTel/NYNEX Dusts Off Rotary Payphones (Paul R. Coen)
    Network Outage in 205 NPA? (Paul Cook)
    Truckstop Calling Cards (Scott M. Pfeffer)
    Cell Phone Charges: Can You Pay With a Calling Card? (Velu Sinha)
    Touch-Tone Dial Pads? (Willie Smith)
    Re: SW-56 and ISDN Questions (Susan Sirmai)
    Oracle and Bell Atlantic ADSL Service (Randy te Velde)
    Inquiring Minds Want to Know (Alec Isaacson)
    50 Pin Connector Help Wanted (John Stewart Pinnow)
    Phone Line Simulator Wanted (David Jones)
    Distinctive Ringing and Ring Detectors (Bob Rankin)
    New ATTmail Charges (David Appell)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie.
Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations
and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of
Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and
long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers.
To reach us:  Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone
at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: [e-mail].

    ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated
Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech
Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience
of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All
opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 00:34:07 MDT
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Sendmail" by Costales/Allman/Rickert


BKSNDMAL.RVW  930922

O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
103 Morris Street, Suite A
Sebastopol, CA   95472
800-998-9938    707-829-0515
fax: [phone]  [e-mail]
"sendmail", Costales/Allman/Rickert, 1993, U$32.95
[e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail]

Sendmail might not be the heart of UNIX mail and communications
services, but it certainly is a good portion of the autonomic nervous
system.  Although considered venerable by some, it is also extremely
widely used.  This book hopes to make sendmail administration not only
easy, but fun.  Quite a task.

Part one of the book is tutorial in nature, starting with background
information in chapter one.  We are given a brief history and
philosophy of sendmail, plus some description of the component parts,
and the related Internet RFCs (Request For Comment) and technologies.
(RFCs, the name to the contrary, are the descriptions of how Internet
functions should work.  In a sense, they are the standards of the
Internet.)  Chapter two gives us some examples of how "subnetworks" of
machines within the Internet handle mail among themselves, and
introduces routing, very briefly.  It takes its tutorial function
seriously: there are questions at the end of the chapter for you to
think about or try out.  The questions get harder in chapter three,
and start requiring more knowledge of both UNIX and the RFCs, in order
to deal with headers and "envelopes".  (Actually, the text is easy.
Only the questions are hard.)  Chapter four introduces the various
related programs that sendmail calls and the functions it performs.

So it continues up to chapter fifteen.  The tutorial covers the
invocation and switches, the configuration file, mail delivery agents,
macros, rules, rules and more rules, class macros, options, headers,
and miscellaneous topics.

Part two deals with administration and management, and runs you
through the process of configuring, compiling and installing sendmail.
It also has specifics of V8 and IDA, as well as DNS (Domain Name
Server).  Topics covered include security, the queue, aliases, mailing
lists and forwarding logging and statistics.

Part three is the reference, and chapters twenty-three to thirty-three
list the options for delivery agents; defined, class and database
macros; options, headers, the command line and debugging.  Finally,
seven appendices deal with queue file intervals, obscure error
messages, the "define" macros in the confi.h file, the client.cf file
from the tutorial, V8 and IDA configuration macros, and a bibliography.

Because of the nature of the book, you will find a fair amount of
material duplicated (for example between the tutorial on delivery
agents, and the reference sections).  However, the duplicated
material, and the short chaptering make this an excellent reference
work overall.  The material is generally clear and well laid out.  The
tutorial section is definitely for the technically advanced: I suspect
the authors have a ways to go before many people find sendmail "fun".


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993   BKSNDMAL.RVW  930922
Permission granted to distribute with unedited copies of the TELECOM
Digest and associated mailing lists/news groups.

DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters

Editor and/or reviewer [e-mail], [e-mail], Rob Slade at 1:153/733
DECUS Symposium '94, Vancouver, BC, Mar 1-3, 1994, contact: [e-mail]

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

From: [e-mail] (Michael Israeli)
Subject: Call Waiting/Three-Way Together
Date: 10 Jan 1994 11:41:22 GMT
Organization: Net Access - Philadelphia's Internet Connection


In my house, I have call waiting and three-way calling installed on
the same line.  They are a great combination, as you are even able to
turn off call waiting through the three-way calling on an incoming
call.  Now, the problem is that when I am on a three-way call, my line
becomes busy, allowing no calling to come through.  I know other
people in different areas who can be on a a three-way call and still
receive call waiting.  What is the reason for this difference?  I
called Bell of PA, and they said that it just wasn't available in my
area.  Anyone know?


Michael Israeli   [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: There are two types of 'three-way' calls.
If you are in 'consultation' you have pressed the hook, dialed a number
and are talking with a third person while leaving the second person on
hold. Situations like that will result in a new caller getting a busy
signal. If however you have flashed, dialed the third party and gotten
him on the line, then flashed again so that the three of you are talking
then call waiting should become available once again. At that point if
there is a call waiting, flashing will leave your two three way parties
(from your outgoing call) on hold unable to speak to each other while
you take your new incoming call. The reason a busy signal has to be
given to a new arriving call during the early stages of a three way
call (when you have flashed, gotten dial tone and brought one additional
party on the line but not yet joined that party with your call in pro-
gress) is because you only have one flash of the hook available to you
and there is a conflict at that point as to whether the flash should
cause the newly dialed third party to join your outgoing call or it
should cause the whole thing to go on hold while you speak to the newly
arrived call waiting. Try getting an actual three way call installed
(not just to the beginning 'conference' stage where you talk to a third
party and tell him you are attaching him to the call in progress) where
you are talking to two parties (both of whom *you originated*) then see
if call waiting does not work okay once again. Where there is a conflict
between CW and 3WC (because flashing the hook could cause one thing to
happen or the other) then 3WC takes priority. The theory is should telco
hand you a CW at that point in time does your flash mean you want to
accept the new call or connect the other two. Since maybe you do not
want that to happen (the two you dialed to be joined together) telco
has chosen to block CW for that limited period of time. Let us know.  PAT]

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

From: [e-mail] (Joel M. Hoffman)
Subject: Someone Has Tapped My Line - Help
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 18:40:12 GMT
Organization: Excelsior Computer Services


Two hours ago, I heard a clear conversation on my line.  I live alone,
and have no extensions, so someone else is using my line.  I called
the phone company to try to get information (on another line) and
tried to get information about the call, but they told me that local
calls are not recorded.  The technician tells me my line is connected
to a 5ESS.  Am I correct in assuming that the phone company can access
that information, but that they're choosing not to?

Does anyone else have experience with this, and perhaps advise they
can offer?


Many thanks.

Joel  ([e-mail])


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: One of four things is happening: Assuming
the worst, someone did 'borrow' (or is 'borrowing') your line. Telco
won't know about that immediatly until/unless a technician or outside
plant auditor specifically comes out and looks around. Check your bill
when it comes for calls you did not make which appear to be direct-
dialed or an unusually high number of local calls which you feel sure
you did not make. The second case would be where someone in your area
got new service and telco did accidentally put them on your pair of
wires due to errors in the outside plant records as to what pairs were
available for use, etc. In either case, telco will make the required
adjustments in billing and service (who gets which wire pair, etc) when
the matter is brought to their attention. In the third case, a very
temporary fluke or bug or programming error caused the ESS to misbehave
for a few minutes. Again, telco will make required adjustments, but
actually catching this while it is happening so that it can be traced
and corrected will be difficult. In the last scenario, there may have
been 'crosstalk', a condition which occurs when wires get wet or are
otherwise quite conducive to each other in the cable or at a junction
point in a conduit/underground crawl space in the street, etc.

You did not say if you were able to participate in the spurious
conversation or not (or if you chose not to). In the first two cases
above, you *could* have participated should you chose to do so. In the
third and fourth case, it is unlikely you would have been heard by the
other people had you chosen to speak up. In the case of crosstalk due
to intermittant shorts and grounds on your line due to damaged or wet
cable, normally what you hear is several conversations going on at one
time, none of which are distinct enough to be understood although one
might stand out and have reasonable clarity. It could also be that a
phone technician was working in the area on a telephone pole somewhere
nearby and chose to make a call to his office using your line. That
happens occassionally. In order to make an an effective judgment call
on this, we need a bit more history and background. Yes, the numbers
dialed on local calls are recorded by the ESS, but it is a mess trying
to find the record on the microfilm at the end of the billing cycle
and anyway, this may have nothing more than crosstalk or a temporary
glitch in the ESS. Followup on this for a couple weeks or so and let
us know in more detail exactly what you are hearing if you hear it
again; if you can speak to the party 'using your line' etc.   PAT]

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

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 10:15:01 PST
From: Les Reeves <[e-mail]>
Subject: Possible Internet Service Scam


---------- Forwarded message ----------

 Date: Thu, 06 Jan 1994 10:18:48 -0500 (EST)
 From: Melinda Massi (MHM0) <[e-mail]>
 To: Multiple recipients of list TECHWR-L
      <[e-mail]>
 Subject: warning: possible Internet scam

If you are contemplating a private Internet account, read the
following and be alert. Washington, DC, may not be the only place
where this is happening.

 -- M. Massi
 ---------------------------- Text of forwarded message

 > Date: Tue, 4 Jan 1994 16:18:44 -0500
 > From: Scott A. Ward 703-614-4719 <[e-mail]>
 > To: Multiple recipients of list COMMUNET
 > Subject: Warning: International Internet Association

A company calling itself the International Internet Association, and
billing itself as "the largest non-profit provider of free Internet
access in the world" has started advertizing in the Washington, D.C.
area, and offering free Internet accounts to individuals who will FAX
them, among other things, a credit card number.  As an active member
of the Member Council of the National Capital Area Public Access
Network (CapAccess), I wanted to find more about this organization
that supposedly has offices NOT THREE BLOCKS FROM CAPACCESS.  Here's
the result of my search for the IIA.

1.  Their address, listed as "Suite 852 - 202 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20006", is actually a post office box at Mailboxes, Etc.

2.  The company lists no incorporation, trademark or service-mark licenses.

3.  They claim your E-mail address would be <userid>@iia.org.  However:
      a.  No iia.org is listed in the hq.af.mil hosts table
      b.  No iia.org is listed in the acq.osd.mil hosts table
      c.  No iia.org is listed is the INTERNIC 'whois' database
      d.  No iia.org is listed using the INTERNIC 'netfind' Internet lookup
In other words, IIA.ORG does NOT, at this time, exist.

4.  Although they apologize profusely in the application, they state
that "Without receiving a credit card number, the IIA _cannot_ process
an account."

5.  Although I have left a message on their voice-mail system, I have
received no response from them. (They also apologize in the voice
mail that, due to demand, they are operating at a three-week backlog for
applications.)

I cannot judge an organization in advance.  However, I do think it
highly suspicious that, to use their propaganda, "The International
Internet Association is able to make this service available through
generous private donations, and the extraordinary dedication of its
membership."  I can say that I am not convinced this organization
exists, and highly discourage any Internet user from sending
information until you make certain that the IIA is real.

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

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 18:29:11 EST
From: "Paul R. Coen" <[e-mail]>
Subject: NYTel/NYNEX Dusts Off Rotary Payphones
Organization: Drew University Academic Technology


Yup, that's right.  The return of the pulse-dial, rotary, bleed to death
while dialing 9-1-1 payphone.

Some neighborhoods have gotten tired of the drug dealers and the
"corner office" by the payphone.  Seems that a lot of them use the
touch-tone payphones to access the beepers of their associates.  So,
under pressure from local groups, New Yor..., uh, I mean NYNEX,
decided to put in the old rotary payphones.  I'm sure it broke their
heart to find a use for all this old equipment, and to put the touch
tone equipment somewhere else.

They apparantly tried this in one or two areas already, and it did cut
down on the number of people hanging around by the phones on corners.
However, in some of the new areas, touch-tone phones are as close as
across the street from the "new" rotary phones.

A NYNEX official was shown on the local news (WABC, channel 7) saying
that these phones "couldn't" be used to trigger a pager.  Gee, and
DTMF tone generators are so hard to come by.  If they make it hard
enough to walk to a different phone, the dealers with half a clue will
just pick one up.  Hell, it isn't like they don't have telephone-savvy
people involved -- look at all the cellphone ID modification going on
in NYC.  This doesn't stop cellphones, either.

They did mention, however, future plans to expand blocking. Currently,
a lot of these phones apparantly can't accept incoming calls, and
NYNEX is talking about expanding this to prevent calls from going out
to pager numbers.

I wonder how long it will be before the drug dealers just let
themselves into buildings and start attaching new wiring to pairs?  A
lot of the older buildings have tons of exposed wiring and screw-down
connections in the hallways and basements.  Seems like they're just
expanding the incentive to commit cellular fraud as well.  Not that I
think it shouldn't be done at all, I just think it isn't going to make
that big a difference.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The return to rotary dial plus 'calling
card, collect or third party billing after dark' seem to be the two
principal ways the neighborhood people are convincing telco to help in
the 'war on drugs'. Many payphones in Chicago have the latter option
on them, meaning coins are not accepted as payment between about 8 PM
and 4 AM daily. This causes a more reliable paper trail to exist should
someone want to seek it out and prove a point as to who called whom at
what time. A third option, and the one which seems to me to be a little
more fair to everyone concerned is to fix the phone for no incoming
service, although customers of drug dealers could still make outgoing
pages and transmit messages to dealers other than to be called back at
the payphone they are using. Everyone seems to love the war on drugs
as it is quite profitable for all concerned: telcos, governments, police
departments -- all are getting extra money from it.   PAT]

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

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 94 13:18 EST
From: Proctor & Associates <[e-mail]>
Subject: Network Outage in 205 NPA?


Anyone know what happened with the telephone network in Alabama on
Monday?  I got a call from a customer in Arab, and I get an
all-circuits-busy when trying to return his call on all AT&T, Sprint
and MCI.  Did BellSouth lose a tandem switch?


Paul Cook                       206-881-7000
Proctor & Associates       MCI Mail 399-1080
15050 NE 36th St.          fax: [phone]
Redmond, WA  98052-5378  [e-mail]

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

From: [e-mail] (Scott M. Pfeffer)
Subject: Truckstop Calling Cards
Date: 11 Jan 94 05:00:45 GMT
Organization: Southwestern Bell Telephone Company


Recently I was traveling home from Atlanta to St. Louis.  I stopped at
a gas station somewhere in Tennessee or Kentucky for refreshments,
refilling, and relief, and noticed something very interesting in a
business card holder near the convenience store cash register -- a
stack of pre-authorized long distance calling cards.

I inquired of the cashier.  The cards cost $10 for 20 minutes of long
distance, or $20 for 40 minutes of long distance.  Instructions on the
card indicated a toll-free number you could call that would enable you
to see how much your card had left, in minutes.  This card is printed
on paper (as opposed to plastic), and requires no identification or
registration to purchase, since the life of the card is based on your
pre-paid purchse.

The cashier told me the major selling point, that now, if you lost
this card, you were only out the amount left on the card.  "Great for
travelling!"

I didn't buy.  (Although it would have been interesting to attempt to
call overseas with this card, if it let me.)


Scott


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Those are called 'Talk Tickets' and
they are a bit expensive at 50 cents per minute of domestic use although
you can get that down to about 35 cents per minute with quantity pur-
chases of the ticket from the wholesalers of same. Yes you can make
international calls also but instead of 20 minutes for ten dollars you
wind up getting about five minutes. To be a wholesaler of Talk Tickets
you plunk down $1850 for $2500 in tickets of assorted denominations.
That gets you a 25 percent discount off the 50 cent per minute rate,
or about 35 cents per minute of use. If you then resell these to truck
stops or convenience stores, etc you split the commission with them by
selling them the tickets for around $2200; they in turn sell to their
customers at the face value. Western Union also has prepaid calling
cards like this at a similar rate. Personally, I prefer the Orange
Card with its 25 cent per minute rate and no surcharge.   PAT]

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

From: [e-mail] (Velu Sinha)
Subject: Cell Phone Charges: Can You Pay With a Calling Card?
Organization: Pix -- The company with no adult supervision.
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 15:07:53 GMT


Are there any cellular service providors out there who are able to
bill your fixed monthly fees along with usage and roaming charges to a
calling card (AT&T)? (Instead of sending you a bill that you need to
pay by check or whatever ...)

I notice that the new generation of cellular phones in Hertz rental
cars allow you to swipe your AT&T calling card for payment. The older
generation phones require a Visa/MC/Amex and perhaps Discover or CB.
But I haven't gotten any informed response from either Cellular One or
Bell Atlantic Mobile in the DC area on this matter.

(I know that you can charge the toll portion of any call made from a
cell phone by dialing in the standard 0+ or 10XXX0+ fashion, but the
roaming and access charges still seem to wind up on your monthly
bill!)

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

From: Willie Smith <[e-mail]>
Subject: Touch-Tone Dial Pads?
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 94 10:18:53 EDT


I've got a couple of the old-style Bell (WE?) 2500 touch-tone phones
that I bought from the Telco after renting them that are having
troubles dialing.  Some of the row and collumn switches are kinda
'mushy' and make intermittent contact, so I'm not making real
Touch-Tones.

Is there a way to clean these, tighten the switches, or just buy new
TT pads?  Any hints on cleaning or pointers to suppliers of the real
full-travel (not the newer style hinged button) TT pads would be
greatly appreciated!


Willie Smith    [e-mail]         [e-mail]

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

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 94 10:50 EST
From: Susan Sirmai <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: SW-56 and ISDN Questions


Global ISDN is becoming a very hot topic these days as companies
continue to go global and applications such as videoconferencing,
batch file transfer and G-4 fax continue to grow.  I will provide you
the answers to your questions from an overall and MCI perspective.


> 1. Which countries/provinces have SW-56 service and are ISDN capable?

Today over 20 countries around the world currently have some level of
ISDN service. The number is growing as domestic networks are upgraded
and advanced signalling is implemented between the overseas carriers
and the domestic US carriers. In most countries, the network operates
at a 64 kbps level and is accessed using BRI (2B+D) or PRI (30B+D). 56
kbps connectivity can be achieved with the use of a terminal adapter
for rate adaption which is marketed by several companies in the US and
overseas.

MCI International 64 Service currently provides switched digital
connectivity to Canada and most of the European and Pacific Carriers
capable of providing the service today. Current MCI Tariffed Countries
include: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France,
Ireland, Italy, Japan (IDC, ITJ, KDD), New Zealand, Netherlands,
Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom.
Additional countries are planned for 1994.

> 2. Here in the US what cities have been converted to ISDN, and who are
> still operating at SW-56?

Availability depends on the local exchange carrier. There is a
document published by Bellcore that lists most of the exchanges that
are capable of providing the service. You should contact your local
LEC provider or your local MCI representative to assist you with
evaluating a specific location in your area since the list changes and
either source could provide you with up to date information.

> 3. If you know, who are their carriers?

Service is provided locally by the US Local Exchange Carriers and
interexchange and internationally by the interexchange carriers
offering the service.  The carriers in-country overseas are the PTTs
or ITOs who provide local and/or international service.

Please contact your local MCI rep or me by phone at 1-703-903-1033 or
fax at 1-703-506-6626 if you have any additional questions.


Regards,

Susan Sirmai    MCI Global Marketing

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

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 23:21:15 EST
From: Randy te Velde <[e-mail]>
Subject: Oracle and Bell Atlantic ADSL Service


The {New York Times} reports today that Oracle and Bell Atlantic will
offer interactive broadband services to the home in the "DC area"
using ADSL over copper wire.

The Times anticipates a Wednesday announcement by the companies
involved.  According to this report, work will begin on the service
"before the end of 1994" and will offer "movies as well as other
interactive services".


randy

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

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 94 21:50:47 EST
From: Alec Isaacson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Inquiring Minds Want to Know


This evening in Cincinnati Bell-land I had a lot of trouble getting
making phone calls.  Each time I tried to make a call, I got a "fast
busy" reorder.  After a bunch of attempts I called the repair people
and they said there was "central office trouble", but had no details.

Now, being a dilligent TELECOM Digest reader, I'm more than a little
interested in knowing more details.  I have heard that telephone
companies have to report outages, but I don't know to who.  Bottom
line is, I'm interested in finding out what happend, but don't know
who to ask.  I'd appreciate some pointers from those who know.

Oh, for the record, I'm in (513) 829-


Thanks for the help.

Alec D. Isaacson
[e-mail]
Miami University, Oxford, OH

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

From: [e-mail] (John Stewart Pinnow)
Subject: 50 Pin Connector Help Wanted
Organization: Tmoh Research, Milwaukee, WI
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 22:53:16 GMT


A 50 pin connector. Used for a phone system. What are the pin layouts
for it?

Does anyone have a description?


Tmoh Research    Internet: [e-mail]     Phone:    [phone]
John S. Pinnow             [e-mail]  Disclaim: Opinions==Mine

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

From: [e-mail] (David Jones)
Subject: Phone Line Simulator Wanted
Organization: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, U of Toronto
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 15:25:15 -0500


I am in need of a phone line simulator.  It will be used to verify the
functionality of modems for a large computing network.

This device need not be complex -- I need dial tone, DTMF detection,
ring signal generation and an analog path whose noise characteristics
approximate that of a real phone line (i.e. 3300 Hz BW, -34 dB S/N).

Any ideas as to where I can get one cheap?  Even used?


David Jones, M.A.Sc student, Electronics Group (VLSI), University of Toronto
email: [e-mail], finger for more info/PGP public key

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

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 94 09:27:59 EST
From: Bob Rankin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Distinctive Ringing and Ring Detectors


Just saw an ad for a gizmo that will decipher the unique ringing cadence
for up to four lines and route them to a specified telephone device.

Using this device ($75) along with distinctive ringing ($6/mo) sounds
like a wonderful alternative to having separate lines installed for
fax, modem, answering machines, etc.  Kinda like a poor man's DID!
Anyone have any experience with these devices?  Any drawbacks?


Bob Rankin ([e-mail])


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The only drawback to distinctive ringing
and/or call-waiting is that you still only have one phone line instead
of two (or three or four), and as long as there is no possibility two
or more of the devices (or human persons) will want to be on the phone
at the same time everything is fine. As soon as two people or devices
need to be on the phone at the same time, everything falls apart. I can
see and justify a single distinctive ringing number so that two things
share one line if neither is used a lot. But when you are talking three
or four distinctive rings for that many end 'users' to share, unless
none of them get any real volume of calls there will always be someone
or something getting a busy signal in a conflict with the others.  PAT]

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

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 1994 18:13:27 -0700
From: David Appell <[e-mail]>
Subject: New ATTmail Charges


I received the following message in my January bill for AT&T Mail:

   "Due to increasing costs associated with the delivery of messages
   received from the Internet, AT&T Easklink Services will implement
   a new inbound Internet pricing structure beginning Feb. 1, 1994.

   All Internet messages received will be charged at the following rates:

   0 to 1,000 characters           $0.15

   Each additional one thousand characters (or portion thereof) will be
   charged at $0.02.

Looks like it's time to find another Internet provider -- the quality
of their service doesn't warrant anything near that, IMO.


David Appell    [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That means a typical issue of this
Digest will cost each recipient via ATTMail about 50-60 cents. My
calculations are 2 cents per K times 22K = 44 cents plus 1 K at 15
cents. Too bad.  :(    PAT]

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

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #24
*****************************