From: mgreeny@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (David S. Greenberg)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: University Telephone System
Date: 23 Jan 93 07:01:25 GMT
Organization: Greeny's Bar & Grill
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 13, Issue 38, Message 3 of 11

Hi all. At the university I attend/work at, one is able to apply for a
four digit code which allows one to make long distance calls by
dialing 1,xxxx,AC + 7D (where xxxx is the code...).  This then goes
out over some outgoing WATs line I suppose, etc. Usually the service
isn't too bad, and it's not super expensive, but there are two things
that are irritating:

	1)	Each time a bill is sent to someone, they're charged a
35 cent billing fee.

	2)	If one wants to call 900 numbers with a code, one has
to ask for the 900 number access to be enabled for the code, and be
willing to pay a 10% surcharge on top of whatever the regular 900
number cost is.

My question is thus "Is it legal for the University to do either or
both of the above?", and/or are such actions covered by some
tariff(s) somewhere? (or rules, laws, regulations, guidelines,
etc...).

Also, I've noticed that it's impossible to dial a 900 number with a
calling card (I wanted to call a mail order computer store one day
that's what this all stems from).  Asking Sprint, MCI, or AT&T
garnered the response that the 900 calls have the potential to be more
costly than an overseas call, so they've been blocked, and ONE can not
equest that access be granted. Doesn't this violate something related
to equal access?

Finally (yes, this is more than I mentioned), can the University be
required to allow "dial-1" access from a phone in which the individual
room resident gets to choose his/her long distance carrier of choice
rather than being forced to deal with the University run system?

Thanks in advance,


Microcomputer Support Specialist, Student Residential Programs
Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL  61455
Internet: mgreeny@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (preferred) GEnie: GREENY (once a month)
AOL: GREENY1@AOL.COM (really infrequently....use the internet!)


[Moderator's Note: The person, organization, company or institution
ultimatly responsible for the payment of the bills gets a lot of
leeway in deciding how to run things. There is very little they *have*
to give you at all. The 35 cent billing fee they charge is about half
of what some telcos add as a surcharge to calling card calls. Your
four digit PIN essentially functions like a calling card. Where most
telcos will not allow 900-number calls on calling cards, your school
is willing to do it provided you pay a surcharge for the extra
paperwork involved. It seems to me you have a much better deal than
some universities give their students. 

Read the message from Thomas Brown which follows next in this issue to
see *why* some places will not allow '900-style' calls to be billed to
credit cards. While his case deals with the workaround to 900 blocking
which involves being called back 'collect', the problem remains the
same.  There are too many disputes involved; no one wants to be in the
middle of it. If your university is willing to do it for a ten percent
surcharge, then you've got a good deal, I think.  PAT]