HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: CER2520@ritvax.isc.rit.edu (Curtis E. Reid)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Use N-1-1 Codes for Relay Services: FCC Docket 92-105
Date: 10 Oct 92 13:44:36 GMT
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 769, Message 2 of 9

I am quoting an article from the newsletter, _GA-SK_Newsletter_,
Summer, 1992 (but I just received it last week).  _GA-SK_Newsletter_
is sent to all members of the Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc.
(TDI), a non-profit organization devoted to promoting
telecommunications use for and by the deaf people in the world.  The
article appears on page 5.  I am typing it as excatly printed.


MAKE OUR RELAY LIVES EASIER!  DIAL 7-1-1 OR 5-1-1 FOR RELAY?!!
Pamela Ransom

It has been a little over a year now since the Americans with
Disabilities Act and Title IV -- Telecommunications Relay Services --
was signed into law.  We have had some time to step back, take a look
at the "big picture" and decide where we want to go from here.

One of our goals is to make accessing Telecommunication Relay Services
(TRS) quick and easy.

The Problem: At present there are more than 40 statewide relay
services -- each with its own telephone number.  For a person
travelling from state to state it becomes a near impossibility to
remember all the different numbers.  Also the relay telephone numbers
are usually ten digits, so it takes a long time just to dial into the
TRS.

A solution: T.D.I. is working together with a coalition of national
disability rights organizations represented by the National Center for
Law and Deafness.  The coalition has asked that the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) reserve two of the remaining N-1-1
telephone numbers for national access to telecommunication relay
services (TRS), 5-1-1 for voice initiated relay calls and 7-1-1 for
TTY/TDD initiated relay calls.

Dialing 5-1-1 or 7-1-1 from anywhere in the country to access a
state's relay service will be easy to remember, quicker, and will
bring us closer to the ADA goal of equal access to the telephone for
people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or have speech disabilities.

What you can do: The FCC is in the process of making its decision
based on legal documents that have been filed and letters that it
receives.  A letter of support from you will help!  Please include in
your letter that you are writing about Docket 92-105, "Use of N-1-1
Codes" and send your letter to:

	Secretary Donna Searcy
	Federal Communications Commission
	1919 M Street N.W.
	Washington, D.C.  20554

and a copy to TDI.  If you need assistance, call TDI.  Your letters
will help make a difference!


Curtis E. Reid				CER2520@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Rochester Institute of Technology/NTID	REID@DECUS.org (DECUS)
P.O. Box 9887				716.475.6089 TDD/TT 475.6895 Voice
Rochester, NY 14623-0887		716.475.6500 Fax
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 01:26:14 -0500
From: Joseph.Bergstein@p501.f544.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Joseph Bergstein)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Question About ROLM PBX Telephones
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 782, Message 4 of 12

In a message from Martin McCormick, he states:

> The Rolm PBX'S are made by Seimens, as far as I know.

ROLM PBX'x have been made by the Rolm Company since they were founded.
As I recall, ROLM actually started out manufacturing MILSPEC Nova
(Data General) computers in the early '70s.  I recall seeing them as
the console computer on early Amdahl 470 mainframes.

Rolm PBXs up to and including the current 9751 are still made by ROLM.
Since the ROLM - Siemens merger, and subsequent acquisition, the two
firms indicate that they are merging their technology platforms, but
so far Siemens does not make ROLM PBX's, per se (other than now owning
the ROLM company).
Date: 6 Oct 92 19:35:05 GMT
From: lairdb@crash.cts.com
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Retail Videoconferencing?
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 766, Message 3 of 16

Reminded by someone else's post hypothesizing full-motion switched
service, I've been wondering for a while why there aren't services out
there that provide a meeting room with a videoconference setup, on a
by-the-hour basis.  (Maybe there are, and I just haven't found them.)

I end up doing quite a bit of traveling just in order to resolve
technical issues face to face, and I would think that I could
substitute videoconferencing for a lot of that, if I could just tell
the other people (mostly in other major metros) to go to thus-and-such
an address at thus-and-so time, and we'll "meet."

Am I overestimating the demand, or have I not found the supply?


Laird P. Broadfield     lairdb@crash.cts.com    ...{ucsd, nosc}!crash!lairdb


[Moderator's Note: For many years, the Bell Telcos all had 'Picturephone'
studios in their larger offices which they rented to the public. I do
not know why they never were very popular. For that matter, why is 
videoconferencing catching on now, but Picturephone never did. Or is
videoconferencing doing any better financially?   PAT]
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 15:20:07 GMT
From: sra@henson.cc.wwu.edu (Sarah Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Cellular Internationally?
Organization: Western Washington University
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 770, Message 8 of 11

I was wondering how Cellular telephones have progressed
internationally.

Specifically, are other countries following the technology used here
in the US? Will there be atime when I can take my cellular phone to
Europe and use it with out a hitch? (I realize there may be problems
with local carrier / account sort of thing, but my question is
primarily with the technology compatibility thing.)


Sarah
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 13:30:46 GMT
From: tom@bim.itc.univie.ac.at (Tom Kovar)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Touch Tone Question
Organization: Inst.of Theor.Chemistry,Univ.of Vienna,Austria
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 773, Message 5 of 15

I've got a problem with touch tone.  Our nice city has parts of its
telephone network already on the touch tone system, parts without it.
I am living in a touch tone district; our institute is still in the
pulse dialing region. But the internal network of the institute is
touch tone, again.

And this is the problem. I want to reach my replying machine at
home, and send it some touch tone signals. Unfortunately, our
institute's "gateway" transforms all outgoing touch tone signals into
pulse sequences, thus the remote end gets just the first trace of the
beep, interrupted by the pulsing. And, naturally, does not react.

Nobody knows here, how (if??) I can force the gateway to stop the
transformation of the beeps into pulse sequences. Is there any
standard defined method for that?

I'd be very grateful for any help.


Desperately,

Tom
(+43/1) 436141 670       (+43/1) 214-0608 priv.


[Moderator's Note: Does your system continue pulsing even after the
connection has been established?   You might try hitting the * or #
keys first, then the answering machine commands. Some systems will
quit pulsing and just pass along the tones if they get the * or #
first as a signal to not pulse but just pass along what is heard.
Other than that, you may have to get one of the handheld touchtone
pads which you hold up to the receiver and press ... and that is
assuming your system won't start pulsing when it hears those tones
also. Incidentally, in the regular course of dialing, what does the *
and # produce? Sometimes they act like repeat dial, etc.   PAT]
From: wagner@utoday.com (Mitch Wagner)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Question About Air Phones
Date: 8 Oct 92 17:34:03 GMT
Organization: OPEN SYSTEMS TODAY
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 767, Message 14 of 17

In article <telecom12.754.12@eecs.nwu.edu> cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us
(gordon hlavenka) writes:

> Often, Hollywood modifies reality a bit in order to make the
> screenplay a little easier.  Another glaring example is the fact that
> upward calling to a commercial airplane just does _not_ exist.  (Yet,
> but that's another post.)

A point which killed the willing suspension of disbelief for me in DIE
HARD II.

I'm no nerd when it comes to movies. If Our Hero Dirk Cleft wants to
glance at a sheet of computer printout and say, "Oh My God that's the
Computer Virus that ate Manhattan!" I'll just keep munching popcorn
and wait for the next cool gunfight. But all that phoning back and
forth to the airplane in flight was getting to be a bit much in DH II.


          -- mitch w.
From: bt0l+@andrew.cmu.edu (Bruce Taylor, IV)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Retail Videoconferencing?
Date: 12 Oct 92 16:40:32 GMT
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 775, Message 9 of 12

Laird,

  Sprint has a network of public and private videoconference rooms.
Some are operated by Sprint, others by Sprint customers.  Here in
Pittsburgh, costs are in the range of $100/half hour, plus
communications charges.  Try calling the Sprint Meeting Channel
reservation center for more information: 800-669-1235.

  AT&T is affiliated with an entity called the Affinity Group, which
operates a number of public video conferencing rooms.  Try calling
508-768-7480.

  Mandatory disclaimer: I'm a customer of both AT&T *and* Sprint, so I
guess I'm biased fairly evenly... :-)


Bruce Taylor   (blt@cmu.edu)    (412) 268-6249 
New Projects Coordinator, Telecommunications, Carnegie Mellon University
From: kupiec@hp800.lasalle.edu (Bob Kupiec)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: College Phone System AGAIN!
Date: 12 Oct 92 22:14:58 GMT
Organization: LaSalle University, Philadelphia, PA
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 775, Message 3 of 12

In <telecom12.765.9@eecs.nwu.edu>, JD2859A@AMERICAN.EDU writes:

> Hi all, I'm a student at the American University and have a few q's
> about the phone system here.

Same situation here at LaSalle University.  We have been running on
two PBX's (one for campus offices, one for campus dorms) and AT&T ACUS
for the dorms for the past few years.  We were equipped with free
local calls, free 800, Call Waiting, Three-Way Calling and Call
Forwarding with all the frills.

Now things have changed ...

Everything was fine until I returned for the fall semester.  They
decided to consolidate the two switches into one NCR switch.  So far
there has been nothing but trouble.

800 access to all 800 numbers are BLOCKED (except for the 445 ACUS
prefix) and without an ACUS plan you can't call 800!  What about
calling card users?  The Telecom Operations guy gave me the useless
"800 numbers were forwarded to 900 numbers and we don't want to be
stuck with the bill" response.

Call Waiting sometimes does not work for incoming off-campus calls.
There is NO way to block Call Waiting!  This give me a fit, because
how am I supposed to use the modem?!

Also, the Telecom Operations person told me one of the tie lines seems
to be messed up because some on-campus calls connect with very faint
audio.  He also can't seem to find which one it is to disable it
either.

No Three-Way and no Call-Forwarding enabled.  Also, and the previous
poster mentioned, there is NO WAY to get a local or LD Operator!  NO
9-0 and no 9-00.  Only the campus operator.

I just hope that 9-911 works in case of an REAL emergency!  (How
should I test this?)

The latest development is the ACUS codes don't even work!  For the
last few days there has been no way to call home from the campus
telephones.  I think I should ask for my "phone service" deposit back
because I sure don't get any.


Bob Kupiec - Amateur Radio: N3MML       Internet: kupiec@hp800.lasalle.edu
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 08:23:49 -0400
From: art@aficom.ocunix.on.ca (Art Hunter)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Question About Caller ID Information Display
Reply-To: art@aficom.ocunix.on.ca (Art Hunter)
Organization: AFI Communications - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 776, Message 7 of 14

> Approximately just before the second or third ring (depending on the
> system), the information is sent as a data stream about 300 baud
> between rings.  In short, this is why modems can be built to take the
> caller ID information.

        The Caller-ID message is 1200 bps and resides between rings
one and two.  There are two other ways that the specification says it
can come.  One is when the handset is on-hook and is NOT ringing and
the other is when the handset is off-hook and not ringing.  The latter
is designed so that you can obtain the identification of the calling
party (like call waiting) while you are talking to someone else.

        To date, I am only aware of the message between rings one and
two as being implemented by the telcos.  It is just a matter of time
for the other two applications to be implemented.
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 92 00:28 PDT
From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Huh?
Reply-To: John Higdon <john@zygot.ati.com>
Organization: Green Hills and Cows
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 773, Message 13 of 15

Latest Sprint commercial:

"We interrupt this commercial for this important message. An
independent consumer organization has found that among unrestricted
calling plans, Sprint often offers the lowest rate with the least
restrictions."

So let us take a look at this (for those who shop by listening to
commercials rather than looking at rates) statement and see what it
tells us. It says that what Sprint calls "unrestricted" actually has
restrictions. Sometimes those restricted calling plans (which Sprint
refers to as "unrestricted") have lower rates than the competition
(but not always).

Pretty heavy stuff. Guess I should immediately "switch to Sprint"!


John Higdon  |   P. O. Box 7648   |   +1 408 264 4115     |       FAX:
john@ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | 10288 0 700 FOR-A-MOO | +1 408 264 4407


[Moderator's Note: Speaking of interuptions for important messages,
the Chicago papers had an clever and funny advertisment Sunday.
Channel 50 ran a full page ad showing the three presidential
candidates and a caption saying "at six pm central time tonight, seven
television networks will be showing you these three men. Here at
Channel 50, we will be showing you these three guys instead."  Then
immediatly below the caption was a picture of the Three Stooges. I
thought that ad was pretty funny.    PAT]
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 10:32:08 EDT
From: Ken Jongsma x7702 <jongsma@swdev.si.com>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Michigan Bell: Business vs Residential Rates
Reply-To: jongsma@esseye.si.com
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 773, Message 2 of 15

In a recent bill insert from Michigan Bell (News and Views), a small
article caught my eye. The article was promoting the installation of a
second phone line. This is nothing new. However, one paragraph read as
follows:

 "Home based workers who use their phone lines for business more than
  50% of the time need a business line."

At first glance, this seems to be a pretty reasonable compromise on
class of service billing. How one determines 50% may be open to
discussion, but it beats the attitudes of some companies that want to
bill business rates if you so much as publicise your phone number.


Kenneth R Jongsma          jongsma@esseye.si.com
Smiths Industries      73115,1041@compuserve.com
Grand Rapids, Michigan           +1 616 241 7702
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 92 11:07 PDT
From: lauren@cv.vortex.com (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Operator -- Live or Memorex?
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 772, Message 1 of 11

Greetings.  The first few times, I couldn't put my finger on what was
bothering me about the calls.  Something had changed when I called the
AT&T (0-0) operator, possibly sometime within the last couple of
weeks.

After a few more calls I realized what seemed odd.  Operators were
answering with "This is (name) with AT&T -- how may I help you?"  But
the pause between the first and second phrases was often a wee bit too
short -- like an audio edit that had been made a little too tightly.
And listening carefully, I realized that the volume level between the
opening phrases and my conversation with the operators sometimes
varied just a litte.  That was it -- the opening phrases were
recorded!  Apparently the ID and "how may I help you" were (presumably
digitally) recorded separately, and were being played back in
sequence, with the operator actually cut in and listening at the end
of the second phrase.

When I asked a couple of operators about this, they immediately
confirmed that the intros were recorded.  They said that this was
being done to give them a bit more rest time between calls.  This
makes sense--it allows the operators to rest their voices a little
while not delaying the handling of any calls.  It doesn't actually
increase call capacity (since the operator position must be free
before the recordings are played, since the caller must already be
attached to that position before the playback).

Another benefit of the system is that it assures a uniform answering
message from each operator which includes their name.

So, the next time you call your 0-0 operator, listen carefully.  Is
the greeting live, or is it ...?


 --Lauren--


[Moderator's Note: Actually this is not new. Illinois Bell operators
have used these recorded greetings for a few years now. In many cases
they do not have to speak at all as in the case of a call to DA where
the recording greets the caller, the caller gives his request and the
operator merely types it in, then the computer announces the number
the operator selected from the listings. I thought AT&T had been using
this for quite awhile also, although not with a standard response in
the system. (It was up to each operator to record what they wanted to
say there.)   PAT]
From: slr@cco.caltech.edu (Steve L. Rhoades)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Stolen Cell Phone
Date: 15 Oct 92 23:21:05 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 784, Message 7 of 10

In article <telecom12.779.5@eecs.nwu.edu> ccoprfm@prism.gatech.edu 
(Monte Freeman) writes:

[Stuff about getting his OKI 700 cellular phone stolen deleted]

> I called Pactel and told them what had happened. They turned off 
> service to the phone immediately.                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I'm on my third car phone now, the previous two having been stolen.

I've always wondered if instead of the provider turning off service to
the phone, what about just leaving it on for about a week and see who
he/she calls?  (Maybe put it on a special class of service so that
long distance would be restricted, reducing the loss to the provider.)

If the thief were a teenager, chances are he'd be calling all his
friends to impress them with his new "toy".

Comments?


Steve L. Rhoades            | Voice: (818) 794-6004
Post Office Box 1000        | 
Mt. Wilson, Calif 91023     | Internet: slr@cco.caltech.edu


[Moderator's Note: Good idea! When two guys picked my pocket on the
subway a four years ago (one distracts you while the other gets in your
pocket) they got my telco calling card among other things. Although I
went back to the station where it happened, found one of the animals and
violated his civil liberties by assaulting him in the process of
holding him for police who were on the way, the one who actually got
my wallet was long gone. I notified IBT the next morning and they
turned it off, but when the bill came I skip-traced a few of the phone
numbers. I found one place where calls had originated that was a
private residence here in the city. I called the number, raised cain
and told them off. I also gave that address and phone number to IBT
and the police for their report and investigation -- what a joke! :( PAT]
From: c.crepin@ic.ac.uk (Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Stolen Cell Phone
Date: 15 Oct 92 23:47:21 GMT
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 784, Message 5 of 10

A friend of mine had his hand-held cell phone stolen two weeks ago. It
was grabbed from his hand as he was walking in the street and the
thief was running too fast for my friend to catch him.

Knowing that he'd never see his phone again, my friend immediately
went to a public phone box and called his cellular number. The thief
answered and after my friend showered him with insults, they had a
brief conversation about getting the phone back otherwise the number
would be cut by the phone company. The thief answered that whether
with a line or without a line, that phone was worth a lot to him and
it was tough luck for my friend before hanging-up.  My friend
immediately called the cellular company and got the number cut.

Sad day.


Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond, Digital Comms. Section, Elec. Eng. Department
 Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London SW7 2BT, UK
       Internet/Bitnet: <ocl@ic.ac.uk> - Janet: <ocl@uk.ac.ic>
WARNING: Please send any reply to above addresses, NOT to FROM-field !!!


[Moderator's Note: Yes indeed, a sad day, but an all too common
scenario these days. Unfortunatly here in the United States,
particularly in urban areas, violent crime is growing by leaps and
bounds through perverse though popular ways of interpreting our
Constitution by some powerful legal organizations here.  Someone
*tried* to steal my cell phone several months ago; but the way I wrap
the strap around my neck and across my shoulders, they'd have to pull
my head off to get the phone! :) During the few seconds he was
grabbing at me I got my little cannister of Mace (attached to my key
ring) from my pocket and gave him a liberal squirt in the eyes and up
his nose. That was enough to put him down for the minute or so it took
me to hail a cab and (admittedly) leave the scene in a hurry.  PAT]
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 92 10:52:15 CDT
From: mattair@sun44.synercom.hounix.org (Charles Mattair)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: British Call Waiting                    
Organization: Synercom Technology, Inc., Houston, TX
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 776, Message 10 of 14

In article <telecom12.755.5@eecs.nwu.edu> mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk
writes:

> Touchtones here have always been (and will always be) free!

I can understand why the US telco's initially charged for touchtone
(or at least the rationale) but what's the excuse now?  Don't they
have to add additional equipment to convert pulse to TT for most
switches?


Charles Mattair		 mattair@synercom.hounix.org
Any opinions offered are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.