TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units From Toll

May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units From Toll

hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
28 Aug 2006 14:46:14 -0700

May 1966 -- NYT -- Suffolk County Long Island telephone subscribers were
angry at a change in billing practices. NY Telephone switched to a
message unit system instead of itemized toll charges for calls outside
one's calling area on Long Island.

With "message units", the bill only shows a gross number of units
rather than individually itemized calls. The units charged per call
vary by distance and time.

Business people said they needed itemization for tax purposes.

Others complained they had large bills but no way to figure them out.

The phone company said the switch saved customers 20% in bookkeeping
costs. From the phone company's point of view, it is much simpler
than listing on a bll a slew of 5c and 10c toll calls.

The above refers to Suffolk County on suburban Long Island (still
mostly rural in 1966). The rest of NYC and adjacent suburbs went to
message units -- along with direct dialing -- around 1950.

I don't know how the phone company recorded charges back then.
According to the Eng & Sci history, AMA tapes included message unit
calls, so detailed records were available even if not shown on the
customer's bill. But message units could also be easily recorded on
the same meters used to track local calls, just incrementing the
counter as needed per call. AMA was developed with No 5 crossbar in
1948 so it was theorectically available for NY.

Could anyone elaborate on this process?

Message units or measured service is still used today in places.

Post Followup Article Use your browser's quoting feature to quote article into reply
Go to Next message: Neal McLain: "Developer to Raze Bell Labs Holmdel Facility"
Go to Previous message: John Hines: "Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision"
Next in thread: danny burstein: "Re: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units From Toll"
May be reply: danny burstein: "Re: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units From Toll"
May be reply: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: "Re: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units From Toll"
TELECOM Digest: Home Page