From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Dec 18 02:51:14 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.6) id iBI7pCk20964; Sat, 18 Dec 2004 02:51:14 -0500 (EST) Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 02:51:14 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200412180751.iBI7pCk20964@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #605 TELECOM Digest Sat, 18 Dec 2004 02:51:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 605 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Apple Sues Over Web Leak of Advance Products (Lisa Minter) Wireless in Cherryvale (Wesrock@aol.com) Mass Call in or Choke Lines in Chicago Area (kevin906) Re: Is 'Transitional Fair Use' The Wave Of The Future? (Wesrock@aol.com) Re: Cingular Migration (jrefactors@hotmail.com) Re: Cross Battery and Verizon (William Warren) Re: Vonage Voice Quality Getting Worse? (Rick Merrill) Re: Geico Claims Google Ad Policy Violates Trademark Law (Clarence Dold) Re: Cell Phone Motorists Are Dangerous (Phil McKerracher) Re: Is 'Transitional Fair Use' The Wave Of The Future? (Tony P.) CTI Consultant (Peter Deveaux) Copy Protection Easily Defeated With Shift Key (Marcus Didius Falco) Cable TV Advertising (was 'Transitional Fair Use'...) (Neal McLain) VOIP (jim@giganews.com) Lots of Free Domains Without ICANN Tyranny (TELECOM Digest Editor) Ten Ducks (joppenheimer@icbtollfree.com) Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Lisa Minter Subject: Apple Sues Over Web Leak of Advance Products Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 19:48:36 EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. is suing anonymous people who leaked details about new products by posting information on the Internet, court documents showed on Friday. Apple's complaint, filed with the Santa Clara County California Superior Court, comes only weeks ahead of the Macworld conference in San Francisco, the annual show where CEO Steve Jobs unveils the latest Apple products. Apple is notoriously secretive about its product plans, while many fan sites routinely discuss what may be in store, including posting pictures of real products and hoaxes. The complaint alleges that "an unidentified individual, acting alone or in concert with others, has recently misappropriated and disseminated through Web sites confidential information about an unreleased Apple product." Apple said in the seven-page civil complaint, filed on Dec. 13, that it did not know the "true names or capacities, whether individual, associate, corporate or otherwise," of the defendants. Once they have been discovered, the Cupertino, California-based company said it would amend the complaint. It was not the first time Apple has gone after fanatics who have posted information about upcoming products on the Internet. In December 2002, Apple sued a former contractor who allegedly posted drawings, images and engineering details of the company's PowerMac G4 computer in July of that year, several weeks before the product was officially unveiled. "Apple has filed a civil complaint against unnamed individuals who we believe stole our trade secrets and posted detailed information about an unannounced Apple product on the Internet," the company said in a statement provided to Reuters. "Apple's DNA is innovation and the protection of our trade secrets is crucial to our success." Mac rumor Web sites are at their busiest ahead of the annual Macworld conventions, which are highly anticipated by the Mac faithful for product introductions and Jobs' keynote. In recent weeks, the Web sites have been buzzing with speculation that Apple will introduce a smaller, cheaper version of its market-leading iPod digital music player that uses flash memory, rather than the hard disk drives of the standard iPods. Flash memory chips retain data stored on them even when electrical current is shut off. Financial analysts Andy Neff of Bear Stearns and Charlie Wolf of Needham & Co. have also published notes in recent weeks mentioning flash iPods. "To succeed, Apple must develop innovative products and bring those products to market in advance of its competitors," the company said in its complaint. "If Apple competitors were aware of Apple's future production information, those competitors could benefit economically from that knowledge by directing their product development or marketing to frustrate Apple's plans." NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra . New articles daily. *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance, Reuters News Service.. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 20:15:24 EST Subject: Wireless in Cherryvale What kind of wireless service do they have in Cherryvale? I was there a week or two ago and tried three times to make a call. My phone is a Nokia 5165, which has both digital and analog capabilities. It displayed simply "Roam" (not "Cingular Roam") so I must have been in an area (never encountered one before on my "regional plan"), and then my attempts had these results: 1. Assorted noises, perhaps switching noises, no connection. 2. Very noisy connection, cut off several seconds into the recorded message at the number (in Cherryvale) I was calling. 3. Clean connection, and proceeded through the called number's announcement message all the way to the beep to record, and I did leave a message, apparently successfully. My service is registered in Oklahoma City, area code 405, and Kansas is in the "region." You're probably familiar with the situation in Cherryvale and would know what kind of service I got, what carrier, and why it was so erratic. Just wondering, no big deal. It was a day with bright sunshine and the calls were made from different locations in Cherryvale. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Cherryvale, with around 2000 residents, has the same carriers we have here in Independence, namely Cingular Wireless, Alltel, and Sprint. But the towers are few and far apart. Now that I think about it, I don't beleive any carrier has an office there in town, however, in all fairness, I am a few blocks down the street from a Cingular Wireless tower here in Independence, but yet now and then my phone says 'roam' also (Nokia 6100 series, an older type phone). If I 'cycle the power' it comes back up in Cingular, but when I tested it (by dialing 611 when 'roaming') I found I was on Alltel. PAT] ------------------------------ From: kevin906 Subject: Mass Callin or Choke Lines in Chicago Area Date: 17 Dec 2004 11:20:54 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Anyone have any clues about how these lines are engineered these days? Or has everyone that knew anything about them retired to sunny climes? I would think that in the era of modern ISDN SS7 networks that these chokes would no longer be needed to manage traffic loads between Central offices. If they can be provisioned as something besides analog lines without caller id? I am just throwing this out there. Wondering if this technology can be updated into the 21st century. Thanks for any input. ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 19:24:49 EST Subject: Re: Is 'Transitional Fair Use' The Wave Of The Future? >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Do you remember *many, many* years >> ago when cable television was first getting underway how 'they' said >> cable would be a better deal 'since there would not be any >> commercials; it is all paid for by your cable fees'. What a joke >> that was. Of course that was long before they started showing >> commercials in the movie theatres (where you had bought a five or >> six dollar ticket to watch a movie also.) PAT] This seems a strange memory, since I remember commercials in movie theaters in Perry, Oklahoma, in the 1930s, when I was not yet even a teenager. A few years later I was working as a projectionist in those same theaters, and running the commercials along with the rest of the show. This would have been in the 1940s, perhaps into the 1950s. Most of the commercials for movie theaters were produced by the Alexander Film Company of Colorado Springs, Colo. One which probably had a lasting effect on commerce, and which most people from that time will still remember is the one where the audio was the song "Twice as much and for a nickel, too ... Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you." Surely they ran them in Independence, too, and pretty much everywhere in the country, including theaters in cities. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com wleathus@yahoo.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Maybe, but I do not remember, sorry. PAT] ------------------------------ From: jrefactors@hotmail.com Subject: Re: Cingular Migration Date: 17 Dec 2004 11:51:15 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I am AT&T customer. AT&T customers have the option to unchange the plan or migrate to Cingular. But if Cingular already bought AT&T Wireless, even AT&T customers unchange the plan, eventually the wireless network will be Cingular's network. And the AT&T wireless bill will become Cingular bill. Then what's the point to migrate? There are so many advertisments encourage AT&T Wireless customers to migrate to Cingular, that's my confusion. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Cross Battery and Verizon From: William Warren Organization: Church of the Infinite Possibility Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 20:11:10 GMT On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 14:01:52 GMT, Joe Perkowski wrote: > Hey ppl, > Does anyone know what is "cross battery"? We put in a NBX 2 months > ago running fine. Now, we are getting static and crosstalk on some of > our incoming lines. > We have had a great deal of rain these past 2 weeks, and have had > previously problems with Verizon due to old copper in our area. > The Verizon guy is telling us "cross battery" is causing this? > What is "cross battery" if anyone knows...? Joe, He means "Crossed _WITH_ Battery", i.e., he sees a "foreign" voltage on your pair when he puts a voltmeter on your line at the CO. There are three possible causes: 1. The pair is defective, and is shorted to another pair in the cable. The tester is seeing the voltage on the _other_ pair (-48v from the CO), looped back to him through the short circuit in the cable. 2. There is a short circuit in your company's internal cable. 3. Your PBX places a "Ground detect" voltage on the pair in order to sense the tip ground which signals dial tone on a ground-start line. In all these cases, you'll need to open the lines at the demarcation point and make a binary decision about which side (your or theirs) the problem is coming from. In case (3), if your test at the demarc shows voltage coming from your PBX, the problem could be that your PBX is optioned for ground-start, but the CO is configured for loop-start. You'll need to change the options on the line(s) involved. HTH. William (Filter noise from my address for direct replies) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 15:28:35 -0500 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: Vonage Voice Quality Getting Worse? A number of people 'think' they have a problem with their VoIP provider, BUT the problems only occur when talking to someone on a CELL phone. The reason may be that the compression algorithms used in the cell phone do not "fit well" with the compression algotithms used for VoIP. - RM ------------------------------ From: dold@XReXXGeico.usenet.us.com Subject: Re: Geico Claims Google Advertising Policy Violates Trademark Law Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 20:30:45 UTC Organization: a2i network ptownson wrote: > > Monday, December 13, 2004 (AP) > SAM HANANEL, Associated Press Writer > (12-13) 14:39 PST ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- federal judge heard > arguments Monday in a trademark dispute that could threaten millions > in advertising revenue for search engine Google Inc. Let's try to stay current. The judge issued a summary dismissal of the case moments after Geico finished their presentation and Google asked for a dismissal. Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5 ------------------------------ From: Phil McKerracher Subject: Re: Cell Phone Motorists Are Dangerous Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:00:43 GMT wrote in message news:telecom23.602.3@telecom-digest.org: > I just had two close calls, nearly getting hit by two separate > motorists distracted by their cell phone conversation... > Why is it so critical that people must stay connected 24/7? I can think of lots of possible reasons, some of which make me wonder how we ever managed without cell phones. Two obvious examples are medical emergencies (pregnant wife etc) and arranging a rendezvous somewhere (e.g airport). Things that are hard to predict but sometimes very important. But I completely agree that people should pull over or at least use a hands-free kit. Phil McKerracher www.mckerracher.org ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: Is 'Transitional Fair Use' The Wave Of The Future? Organization: ATCC Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 20:26:07 -0500 In article , hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com says: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Do you remember *many, many* years >> ago when cable television was first getting underway how 'they' said >> cable would be a better deal 'since there would not be any >> commercials; it is all paid for by your cable fees'. What a joke >> that was. Of course that was long before they started showing >> commercials in the movie theatres (where you had bought a five or >> six dollar ticket to watch a movie also.) PAT] > Yes, I do. Indeed, I remember a lot of promises about cable > television that never came to be, and I've read a lot of the hopes for > broadcast TV that either never came out or only did in a trickle. > All these broken promises from new technology is a motivator for many > of my postings here. I've seen enough "oh this is a wonderful > technology!" promises when in reality it actually made things _worse_ > for us consumers. Sometimes the technology itself was just plain bad, > sometimes it was the way it was promoted and marketed. > Everyone is deep in love with "digital" over analog, but the rush to > implementation had a lot of bugs with disasterous consquences as > firemen radios went dead. A major police system used in several > cities tends to fail; the mfr is working on it. Working on it until the first wrongful death suit that is. > The old Bell System used to test, test, and retest its new > technologies before rolling them out nationwide. After in-house > extensive lab testing, they did carefully controlled beta tests in one > real exchange. Their famous initial ESS tests taught them a heck of a > lot about reliability, the switchgear, and station sets. The first ESS couldn't even handle ring current so there were special phone sets with electronic ringers. Now here we are forty or so years later and most new phones have electronic ringers yet the infrastructure still supports the 90VAC 20Hz signalling. > The original point of CATV was better reception. I'm still waiting > for that to happen. For some reason the lowest channels on my system > come in very poorly, and I've called them out many times. As it > happens I don't watch those channels too much so I live with it, but > it's interesting how this supposedly high-tech medium (with fiber > optic now) still can't get the basics right. I love how the cable companies harp on the fact that satellite transmission can be interrupted by rain, and then one of their own carried stations goes off the air because you guessed it, weather interfered with the cable companies OWN satellite reception. > The second point of CATV was better program selection. In some ways > that has come true, but in many ways that's lacking. When Nick@Nite > and TV Land first came out they offered some neat stuff from the > 1950s, but now it's just more reruns of recent junk. Nick daytime had > some creative original shows, but I don't think they bother anymore. What kills me is all the commercials. I've got expanded basic service and I can flip through all 80 channels in a given time and see nothing but commercials. > I don't think much of cable news networks because they spew out raw > facts that are _out of context_ and thus not newsworthy. Good news > reporting is more than just reporting isolated facts -- it is putting > them together in a logical fashion, eliminating contradictions, and > putting in a wider context. Despite all the time they have they still > put everything in brief sound bites. But that costs money. It's the same thing that ruined prime time television. Reality television is so much cheaper to produce but you get absolute lowest common denominator television. The only reason I watch the local evening news is to if anyone I know has gotten ambushed which has happened a couple of times. :) Tony ------------------------------ From: pdeveaux@primas.net (Peter Deveaux) Subject: CTI Consultant Date: 17 Dec 2004 18:08:59 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com CTI Systems Applications Consultant design computer telephony integrated solutions Description: We are a developer of custom computer telephony (CT) software solutions. We seek the services of a skilled CTI consultant. CTI Systems Applications Consultant Primary responsibility is to design and develop custom Computer Telephony Integrated solutions. Candidate will be responsible for design, development, testing and support for Intel NetMerge Dialogic CT-Connect consulting projects. Secondarily, this engineer will also be responsible to provide site implementation and installation services for CT Connect related products at customer sites. This includes installing CT Connect Software on CTI server platforms, testing and troubleshooting the telephone switch to CTI server link, providing consulting services for CT Connect management and maintenance procedures, and verifying the customer's acceptance of the installation services. A working knowledge of data networking is required for the site implementation and installation services aspects of this position. Other responsibilities include assisting sales professionals with customer requirements gathering. Approximate travel time 20%. Minimum Qualifications: 3+ years experience in developing software solutions on a Windows / Windows NT environment Person must be able to program in one or more of the following languages, C, C++, VB or Java, and have the necessary skills to test and troubleshoot complex systems. Proven track record in delivering consulting and application integration projects. Experience with object-oriented programming and 1+ years of Computer Telephony Integration development is a minimum requirement. Desired Qualifications: Excellent communications skills Intel NetMerge experience Dialogic CT-Connect experience Aspect Contact Server Company-Paid Benefits: Medical Coverage Vision Coverage Paid Prescription Program Dental Coverage Additional Benefits: Paid Time Off Holidays Optional Benefits: Tuition Reimbursement Plan Apply to: tech-hr@primas.net www.primas.net ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 21:28:42 -0500 From: Marcus Didius Falco Subject: [IP] Copy Protection Easily Defeated With Shift Key If I recall correctly there was a similar scheme several years ago that could be defeated in a similar way: From: "David Farber" < > _______________ Forward Header _______________ Subject: Copy Protection Easily Defeated With Shift Key Author: EEkid Date: 17th December 2004 2:50:43 pm SonyBMG plans to begin the new year with a batch of freshly pressed music cds that will feature copy protection technology from First 4 Internet. First 4 Internet's technology encodes the music files with a heavy encryption that allows standard cd players to playback the music. There are also additional data files on the CD that further enhance encryption. All of which is easily bypassed by simply holding down the shift button when you load the CD into a PC. http://www.anandtech.com/news/shownews.aspx?i=23525 _______________ Forward Header _______________ Subject: Re: [IP] Copy Protection Easily Defeated With Shift Ke y Author: Brett Glass < g> Date: 17th December 2004 5:40:38 pm Dave: One doesn't even need to hold down the shift key to disable this nasty DRM if one configures one's Windows system not to "autoplay" CDs when they are inserted. This is a good idea, since leaving this "feature" enabled can also cause awkward problems if a CD is left in a drive when the machine is rebooted. Instructions on how to disable "autoplay" (They'll vary for different versions of Windows) are available on hundreds of Web sites; consult your favorite search engine. --Brett Glassi ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 21:32:09 -0600 From: Neal McLain Subject: Cable TV Advertising (was 'Transitional Fair Use'...) PAT wrote [TD 23:602]: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Do you remember *many, many* > years ago when cable television was first getting underway how > 'they' said cable would be a better deal 'since there would not > be any commercials; it is all paid for by your cable fees'. Huh? That's not the way I remember it. Who's the 'they' that told you that? From 1948 to 1975 (before communications satellites existed) cable TV systems carried programming from two sources: "local origination" and television broadcast stations. Local-origination programming was non-broadcast programming produced either by the cable operator or by local "access" organizations. Broadcast stations fell into two loosely-defined categories: "local" stations, which potential subscribers could receive off-the-air, and "distant" stations which the average viewer couldn't receive without an elaborate antenna. Distant broadcast stations which didn't duplicate local stations were the cable operator's bread and butter. Cable operators usually carried local stations in an effort to offer a complete lineup (and because FCC rules made such carriage mandatory for most cable systems). But local stations didn't help sell cable subscriptions: only distant broadcast stations which subscribers couldn't receive off-the-air -- particularly commercial independents like WOR-TV and WGN-TV -- would induce potential subscribers to sign up for cable. Cable operators went to great lengths to "import" distant stations. Tall towers, some exceeding 1000 feet, were erected just to support receiving antennas. Many cable operators constructed microwave links to import distant stations. Some cable operators even constructed antenna sites on mountaintops so remote that they couldn't be reached except by helicopter. The FCC's "manner of carriage" rules governed how cable systems could carry television stations. One fundamental rule that was established in those days (and that remains in place to this day) stated that, unless specifically permitted by some other FCC rule, the cable TV system must carry each broadcast signal in its entirely, without any interruption or substitution. In other words, the cable system **shall carry** all commercial and political messages transmitted by the originating station, and shall not delete or alter any such message. This rule applied even to non-commercial educational (NCE) stations. Although these stations didn't carry commercials, they did carry program promos and solicitations for contributions. Local programming was governed under FCC different rules. - Any sort of paid commercial or political advertising was prohibited on any channel designated by franchise as a public, educational, or government access channel. - Advertising was permitted on channels controlled by cable operators, and many cable operators accepted commercial and political messages. Even character-generated "message board" channels carried advertising. Given this history, I don't see how it's possible that anyone familiar with the industry could have claimed that "there would not be any commercials; it is all paid for by your cable fees." Without distant independent commercial stations like WGN-TV and WOR-TV, the cable industry wouldn't have had a salable product. Neal McLain ------------------------------ From: jim@giganews.com Subject: VOIP Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:22:11 -0600 I'm considering VOIP for my home but realistically, how many phones can it support? I've read from 2 sites, 3 and 5 phones so I was hoping what your experience has been? Does it matter who the provider is to answer this question? I presume the phones are the same used as before voip. Just in case, can you buy one base unit with multiple hand sets ? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 02:02:03 EST From: TELECOM Digest Editor Subject: Lots of Free Domains Without ICANN Tyranny I notice that in addition to .tf domains, one can also now get free domains in the .tc and .ms domains under the same terms as the original .tf domains. That is, auto, unvalidated registration, free forever, using redirection to any other site you want it to go to. For 'ms' domain names, go to http://www.cydots.com to sign up. For 'tc' domain names, go to http://www.smartdots.com to sign up. For 'tf' domain names, go to http://unonic.com to sign up. For wox.org and dhs.org, n3.net and home.dhs.org you do have to pay $5.00 for a two year registration, but it is a totally automated process as well, and these also redirect to wherever you wish. Yoy pay the $5.00 fee (one charge gets you up to four domain names)and these turn on immediatly upon set up); these are also redirectors to wherever you wish, and can be passworded or not as you wish. You pay the five dollar registration fee for wox.org and dhs.org and n3.net using a PayPal account. These three are all based out of Australia, but like all 'org' and 'net' domains, they *are* subject (I suppose) to ICANN tyranny. So you may wish to go with ms, tc, and tf which are not only free, and easy to use instant signup/registration, but no ICANN supervision. Other than 'tf' which was explained to me as the Antarctic area of the Indian Ocean, I have no idea where 'tc' and 'ms' are located, but they are free, with remote registration, and redirection as well as incoming email, etc. Just a reminder, I was notified by John Levine that he will be doing some work on his machine xuxa.com this weekend and as a result, telecom-digest.org may be unreachable some of the weekend. If you try to reach us, and cannot get through, then try either of these which bypass John: massis.lcs.mit.edu or www.telecom-digest.n3.net . PAT ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: Subject: Ten Ducks Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 18:10:40 -0500 Organization: ICB Inc./WhoSells800.com Today ICB made a small holiday donation -- half a dairy cow, some rabbits, fruit trees, clothes for homeless children, blankets, ducks, a gift to the "Girls in Crisis Fund." It's not much, we thought at first, just a token, a drop in the bucket. But we realized that a lot of drops in a lot of buckets, helps a lot of people. And we did touch a few lives today, each one important. So as you do your last minute shopping, you might consider farm animals, or a foot-powered water pump. It's most rewarding. (See http://worldvision.org.) Best wishes to you and your family for a happy holiday and a healthy new year. Warmest Regards, Judith Oppenheimer http://JudithOppenheimer.com http://ICBTollFreeNews.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And the same to you, Judith! I can also recommend http://worldvision.org as a good site for readers. PAT] ------------------------------ 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 networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. 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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. End of TELECOM Digest V23 #605 ******************************