From: Jack@myamiga.mixcom.com (Jack Decker)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Caller*ID Stops a Telemarketer
Date: 10 Apr 92 22:29:29 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 307, Message 4 of 10

In message <telecom12.301.13@eecs.nwu.edu>, nagle@netcom.com (John
Nagle) wrote:

> If you are called by a junk caller, you post the number to a USENET
> group.  An application then downloads all junk numbers identified by
> anyone on the net, and applies them to your incoming calls.  If this
> could be made effortless, it could be really useful.

I think things are starting to get out of hand.  I feared this would
happen.

WHEN are folks going to realize that the calling number has NO
particular relationship to the identity of caller?

Let me give you a not too farfetched example.  Salesman X rolls into
town, gets a motel room with "free local calls", and starts dialing
for dollars.  You get such a call at home or at work and promptly add
the number to your "trash this call" list.

Next week your Aunt Millie and Uncle Fred come to town and just happen
to get a room at the same motel.  They try to call you to let you know
they've decided to add you to their will.  They get your computerized
answering service which looks at the number and routes it to a
recording which says, in your voice, something like, "Sorry, we don't
accept calls from folks like you" and hangs up.

Okay, I'm being a bit dramatic for effect, but do you see the problem?

I see three real sources of concern:

1) Changed numbers.  You get a new phone number and unknown to you,
the last person to have it was a sleazy insurance agent who's on the
"blocked call" list of everyone in town.  So you never seem to be able
to get through to business establishments, and you don't know why.  I
think those who maintain their own "blocked numbers" list ought to at
least make sure there's a "drop off the list" date associated with
each number, that would be at maximum a year from the date the number
is put on the list.  Surely you can tolerate one call a year from any
particular telemarketer (you still don't have to actually converse
with him, you know).  As for the telephone company, when a number is
disconnected (or at least when it is reassigned), it ought to be
automatically erased from the "blocked call" lists of subscribers that
pay for call blocking.  The telco could even market this as an
advantage ("we keep your blocked call list current for you, and
automatically erase any disconnected numbers").

2) Calls that pass through small LD companies (resellers) that use FX
lines to complete calls.  If you block their number, you'll prevent
anyone from getting through to you that happens to land on that
outdial port.

3) For data calls, the numbers of outdials used by packet data
networks may be confused with the numbers of actual callers.  For
example, Johnny Twit calls you from Seattle using PC Pursuit, but it
shows up as a local number on your Caller ID.  When he finally manages
to tick you off and you block that number, you block all other calls
coming from that PC Pursuit outdial.

Also, how are you going to block calls from large telemarketing firms?
I can see it now ... they'll buy 100 phone lines (or more!)  and then
use a computerized outdialing system that makes sure that your number
is never called from the same line twice.  You'll fill up your blocked
call list with their numbers (which they'll change frequently ... the
telco records change charge will be cheap compared to the money
they're raking in) and find that they'll never recall you from the
same number, while you may be blocking legitimate calls from someone
who got their old number.

Want to get rich?  Just write the definitive anti-Caller-ID software
for sleazy telemarketers, that makes sure that no one is ever called
twice from the same line.  Who knows, you might get to share the same
compartment in Hell as the guy who invented the HOLD button ... in
fact, you might get to relieve him!  :-)

PLEASE ... if you didn't get anything else from this message, PLEASE
use a "drop dead" date for any number entered in a blocked call list.
It's not perfect but at least some poor sucker won't be forever
deprived of calling you (or your firm) because he happened to get the
number previously assgined to your least favorite telemarketer.

(I wonder if the phone company will start charging extra for "virgin"
phone numbers that have never been previously assigned?)  ;-)


Jack Decker    jack@myamiga.mixcom.com    FidoNet 1:154/8