From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Jun 7 16:13:58 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h57KDv013563; Sat, 7 Jun 2003 16:13:58 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 7 Jun 2003 16:13:58 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306072013.h57KDv013563@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #501 TELECOM Digest Sat, 7 Jun 2003 16:14:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 501 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Site Problems - Archives Files Not Available (Jim Willis) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (Dave Close) Re: B101 FM-WBEB Philadelphia (Al Iverson) Re: My New Toy ! (Dave Garland) BT to Link Mobiles With Land Lines (Joseph) What Do I Do When the Don't-Call List is Ignored? (Brian Kendig) Cell Number Portability (Dave Close) Ring Delay (John Schmerold) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Reply-To: Jim Willis From: Jim Willis Subject: Site Problems - Archives Files Not Available Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 17:54:48 -0400 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This very major problem with our web site http://telecom-digest.org was brought to my attention very late Friday evening. It remains out of order as of now. ====================================== I have found a problem with the site. The current issue is available to read - OK Seems like the recent issues that are in directories dated 2003 can not be read. For example if I goto: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/back.issues/recent.single.issues/ I select: V22_#497 that points to: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/back.issues/recent.single.issues/V22_%23497 I get: The page cannot be displayed The page you are looking for might have been removed or had its name changed. Please try the following: a.. Open the mirror.lcs.mit.edu home page, and then look for links to the information you want. b.. If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly. If you still cannot open the page, click the Internet Explorer Search button to look for similar sites. Kind regards, Jim Willis - jwillis@drlogick.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thank you very much for bringing this to my attention. Its not just the most recent past issues that are unreadable; almost all of the back issues are unreadable with the very same message in each case. The 'latest-issue.html' file is readable, but that is the only one I can find which can be read! A few minutes ago, I sent the following note to one of the sysadmins at LCS-MIT asking for help on this: From ptownson Sat Jun 7 15:06:11 2003 To: noahm Subject: Telecom Archives Malfunction Status: R Would you please investigate and see what is going wrong with many files in the telecom archives? When using a typical browser to read many of the back issues files, all you can get is a message that says 'page cannot be displayed, etc.' In the section, for example, recent.single.issues you can (via browser) read only one file, which is the 'latest issue' while all the others on the page are unreachable. I do not *think* I changed any of the permissions incorrectly. I do note however, that the one single file which is readable in the back issues area is the very final one, 'latest-issue.html'. Did one of you change some default in the way the web server operates? Please advise or try and repair. Thanks. Patrick Townson =============================== So as soon as I get some response on this, I will try to make the back issues available once again using internet explorer or netscape or Opera. You can still get many of the archives pages using the web, but for the back issues area, at least this weekend, you will need to resort to FTP (as we did and got by with nicely for many years. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 20:32:24 -0700 From: Dave Close Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Date: 6 Jun 2003 20:31:06 -0700 Organization: Compata, Costa Mesa, California John Higdon writes: >> I'd have agree with this statement. I'm not in favor of subsidies >> (welfare) for any reason. But if the "powers that be" see fit to >> provide one, they should be funded by taxpayers and not rate payers. > Why should taxpayers fund that which benefits subscribers to the cable > service? The network is a condition for allowing the company to do > business in the city. Why should those of us who will have nothing to > do with the cable services subsidize that which enables the services > to those who do? You shouldn't. But requiring that you do provides a necessary check on the tendency for sweetheart deals between government and industry. Rate payers are not a constituency for any unit of government, except to the accidental extent that they happen also to be local residents. Not all cable subscribers are also residents; some may be business owners who live elsewhere. Putting a burden on them is like putting a high sales ("bed") tax on hotels: it raises money from people who can't vote on the tax. Governments should not be able to tax anyone who can't vote on the tax. Wasn't that a founding principle of this country? This is just another reason why governments should not be making business decisions. Granting a franchise agreement is a business decision. Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA +1 714 434 7359 dave@compata.com dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu "The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working the minute you're born and never stops until you get up to speak in public." -Roscoe Drummond ------------------------------ From: Al Iverson Subject: Re: B101 FM-WBEB Philadelphia Organization: Radparker & Associates Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2003 23:24:18 -0500 In article , bandsherein@yahoo.com (chris nowinski) wrote: > Yes, that would be cool if someone does. Hey, at least you talked > about some possibilities. I'm not giving up, and I'm making it my > business to somehow someway elicit change on that station. I wil let > ya know how it turns. Appreciate everything. Does that mean you're going to stop spamming? You posted your stupid rant against B101 to every newsgroup you can find, and you even posted it to an XM radio mailing list I'm on. Al Iverson -- http://www.spamresource.com Disclaimer: All of my opinions are mine alone. ------------------------------ From: Dave Garland Subject: Re: My New Toy ! Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 01:52:14 -0500 Organization: Wizard Information It was a dark and stormy night when TELECOM Digest Editor I do not know about the 'LG Solutions' company, which apparently is > a distributor. Probably connected to Lucky Goldstar, which is a large Korean electronics manufacturer (many of their products are sold in the US under the Goldstar brand). [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It sounds likely. I was downtown yesterday afternoon at one of our local computer dealers, a shop called 'Computer Generation' (which is next door to, connected with, and owned by the same fellow who owns our Radio Shack.) I was telling him about my new toy, and he commented that they got the same item in stock recently, and showed it to me. It looks a wee bit different than mine, but does the same things. His came from some company in Korea or China. As an aside, Computer Generation is our competing ISP here in Independence; their ISP is called 'hit.net' and 'hit' stands for Horizon Internet Technologies. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: BT to Link Mobiles With Land Lines Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 10:28:29 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: joeofseattle@yahoo.com Richard Wray The Guardian BT will announce its full-scale return to the mobile phone market later this month with a service which will make extensive use of the company's massive fixed line network. In a move likely to cause howls of outrage from its rivals, who do not have the benefit of a direct connection with people's homes, BT will offer consumers the ability to use their mobile at home as if it was a fixed-line phone -- potentially offering consumers huge savings. The service will operate just as any other mobile phone network once a customer leaves their home. BT, which demerged its MMO2 mobile phone unit 18 months ago, has already signed a deal with rival T-Mobile to use its network for the service. http://www.guardian.co.uk/mobile/article/0,2763,972611,00.html Replies are seldom read. Please reply in the group. ------------------------------ From: Brian Kendig Subject: What Do I Do When the Don't-Call List is Ignored? Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 11:54:55 -0400 Organization: Info Avenue Internet Services, LLC I've been getting a lot of phonecalls from the Southern Star Mortgage Company trying to sell me a new mortgage. Well, by 'a lot of phone calls' I mean just a couple every month for the past several months ... but since I hardly get *any* other telemarketing calls, these stand out. I haven't done any prior business with the company, and its telemarketers are pushy. My standard response when a telemarketer calls is to say 'Please put me on your don't-call list' and then I hang up on them. Sometimes the agents from this mortgage company call me right back and take the 'don't you want a better mortgage rate?' tack, sometimes they call me right back and get huffy that I hung up on 'em when they're only trying to help. Sometimes they insist that they're not telemarketers because they're not trying to sell me anything, they're just letting me know about an moneysaving opportunity that's available to me. Once one of their telemarketers called back immediately after I hung up on him and pretended he didn't remember me from a moment before. Another time, my last line before I hung up was "I don't take calls from telemarketers," and before the line went dead he got in "What's a telemarketer?" I'm wondering whether I can try to bring legal action against the company for failing to honor my request to be put on their don't-call list. The reason I'm wondering whether I can do this is because one or two of the callers have told me that there's no central office to the company; they say each office is an independent branch with its own don't-call list, so I've gotta keep getting myself put on each individual list and I might still get calls from other branches. What's the best response to this? How should I fight it? (I live in Florida, if that's important.) ------------------------------ From: Dave Close Subject: Cell Number Portability Date: 7 Jun 2003 09:30:27 -0700 Organization: Compata, Costa Mesa, California According to today's LA Times, "Cell Users May Keep Numbers, Court Says", http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-number7jun07220422,1,1338186.story?coll=la-headlines-business Here's my reply to the editor. The most important impact of cell phone number portability may be on land-line phone companies. Portability not only allows a cell phone customer to change carriers, it also allows a land-line customer to change to a cell phone as a replacement while keeping the same number. The churn between cell phone customers may be nothing compared to the migration of current land-line customers to using cell phones exclusively. For this reason, some cell companies have abandoned their resistance to portability. The potential may also be one reason why some land-line companies have recently started offering unlimited flat-rate service plans. Cell phones have the potential to be the true competition which those reselling land lines have never become. Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA +1 714 434 7359 dave@compata.com dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu "The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working the minute you're born and never stops until you get up to speak in public." -Roscoe Drummond ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 14:45:06 -0500 From: John Schmerold Subject: Ring Delay I've configured Identafone to block calls from evil doers. Problem is that the caller ID information is sent between ring one and two. Anybody know if there's a box to mute ring one ? PS: For those who don't know about these products there are two decent products out there for user defined call blocking & monitoring: http://www.voicecallcentral.com/ & http://www.identafone.com/ PPS: I'd love to find a mass produced product that works like voicecallcentral. If you put an Ethernet port on the thing with a web interface, they'd sell like hotcakes at $150. SBC's call blocker service has too many loopholes to be of use. ------------------------------ 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, 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. 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Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #501 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Jun 8 01:52:56 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h585qtU15577; Sun, 8 Jun 2003 01:52:56 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 01:52:56 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306080552.h585qtU15577@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #502 TELECOM Digest Sun, 8 Jun 2003 01:53:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 502 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Sprint Charges $5.50 per Minute on Intl Calls (Patrick Townson) Re: MCI Sucks, Too!!!! (Jack Daniel) Re: Verizon and Shady Centrex Sales - What Do I Do? (tonypo1) Re: What Do I Do When the Don't-Call List is Ignored? (Bit Twister) Western Union President Inquiry, c.1912 (Richard Oliver) Vonage With Autodialing Feature (Pierrot) Re: Court Rejects Wireless Challenge to FCC Ruling (Gail M. Hall) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (John Higdon) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (Neal McLain) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Patrick Townson Subject: Sprint Charges $5.50 per Minute on International Calls Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2003 11:18:48 -0500 Just about the time you (maybe) thought things had leveled off a little with everyone's favorite long distance carrier, comes this report: From: maureen cote [maureenecote@earthlink.net] Subject: Sprint Charged $ 5.50 per Minute for International Calls to Russia and Cyprus In October 02 when I signed up for Earthlink, I was switched over to a Sprint representative who promised me better long distance rates than AT&T because of a special deal for Earthlink customers. I signed up. In December 02 I got a $822.28 phone bill (!) -- Turns out that when Sprint promised me cheaper long distance rates, they meant only national rates, not international rates. A swift calculation showed that Sprint was giving me a mere two cents off the national rate but charging me $5.50 per minute for international phone calls to Russia and Cyprus. This was $5.25 more per minute than AT&T had been charging for the same service. In January 02 I called Sprint, who promised half off the international bill meaning that I would be paying $2.25 per minute for international calls. Since Sprint's own website promises 30 cents a minute for international phone calls, I asked them to give me THAT RATE. Sprint said that the it would be impossible to change my "plan." Why not, I asked, since Sprint had put me into the wrong plan to begin with? Just re-calculate the bill. (No answer.) By this time I had switched my business back to AT&T and contacted the Kansas Better Business Bureau, who mediated most of the above exchange of views. I also sent a complaint to the FCC. Although I never got a response on my complaint from the FCC, it seems that Sprint's representative Yolandia Anderson did, because on 4 April 03 she was suddenly telling the Kansas City Bureau that the FCC agreed with Sprint. Dear FCC, "Say it aint' so." Is it possible that the FCC is colluding with Sprint? or is Sprint misrepresenting the FCC?) In April 03 the Kansas City Better Business Bureau wanted to know if I was satisfied; I wasn't -- and I sent them a letter to that effect. I didn't hear from the KCBBB but I did hear indirectly from Sprint, because in May 03 Sprint turned my accounts over to a collection agency that is demanding that I provide all the paperwork associated with the complaint (didn't Sprint give them the paperwork?) and threatening to assess my wages. There are other unpleasant aspects to this situation, such as Sprint's own collection dept phoning me several times a week on my cell phone despite my request that they use my domestic phone line, where I would have been more than happy to discuss the problem with them and whose number they certainly knew because it appeared on all my Sprint invoices ... and more. Several problems are here: 1. misadvertising amounting to bait and switch; 2. extortionist phone rates; 3. harassment of the customer before the customer has received any final communication from the FCC; 4. targeting AT&T customers with deceptive information. This problem occurred in February 2003. Maureen Cote Arlington, VA ------------------------------ From: Jack Daniel Reply-To: JackDaniel@RFSolutions.com Subject: Re: MCI Sucks Too!!!! Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 21:03:44 GMT Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net Here's the latest twist: They changed my Worldcom account to an MCI account. MCI invoiced me for the last (and final I hope) Worldcom charges and added a $24 credit. (The $24 was ONE monthly item of many they had erroneously billed me for over 7 years. They overcharged me thousands that I will never be able to recover.) I have learned from dealing with these crooks; I sent the Worldcom payment by registered mail and had a delivery reciept, so they didn't make me pay that fee twice. (I wonder how many others are being scammed by this account 'transfer' scheme ?) I confirmed that I no longer had any Worldcom oe MCI services. I asked them to just send a $24 check to completely close the books. THEY refused! They say the credit was an INVALID entry from Worldcom and MCI didn't have to honor it! However, they did recommend I send them a letter closing the account to stop receiving a monthly staement showing the credit. Of course, the $24 credit would be cancelled and not paid in that process. I'm beginning to think it's time for an attorney to start a class action suit against MCI. I can't be the only one being treated this way. $24 bucks isn't a big deal, but that's linked to a $450 dollar credit Worldcom promised four months ago in response to a claim of $5000 + in overchages over 7 years or more. MCI is rottem to the core. Jack Daniel John Higdon wrote: > In article , Jack Daniel > wrote: >> IF you want customer respect and want to deal with an honest company, >> MCI / Worldcm is NOT a good choice. >> No matter what you do with these people, document it in detail, get >> names, record conversations, etc. You may need it to sue them later. > Better advice is to avoid MCI completely. Not only have I had 100% bad > experiences with the company, even after I thought I was rid of them, > they have come back like a bad burrito. Even recently, I have received > billing for non-existent services against an account that was closed > in 1995. > And I get the same routine you have described: we can't help you. "We > can't issue any credits because the account is closed. If we re-open > the account to make adjustments, there will be a "restoral fee", as > well as other fees that will be charged." > So now, I just throw anything that comes from MCI in the trash. I > would recommend everyone else do the same thing. Run from that company > as fast as you can. > John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS > +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 Then, responding to Ed, Ed, Don't even THINK about signing up with MCI to resolve improper charges. They financially abuse their customers worse than non-customers! You are correct about the 'script'. Too many different people at MCI have used evasive methods with others. In my opinion this is INTENTIONAL FRAUD. See my posts in this newsgroup, subject: " MCI Sucks!" Jack Daniel Ed Gibbs wrote: > dold@MCIXWorldc.usenet.us.com wrote in message > news:: >> As an IXC, we suffered some difficulty that would explain this issue. >> There were several different "codes" that would eventually land in the >> same switch, where the authorization lookups were done by ANI. At >> this point, we could no longer see the original code used to route the >> call to our switch, so it was impossible to differentiate one "plan" >> from another. We didn't allow casual dialing. All of our users were >> pre-subscribed, so we never paid any attention to the field with the >> "code" in it. Some upstream switch was stripping off the codes, so >> when we instituted this goofy plan where customers dialed a 1010 code >> for special international rates, we ran into trouble. > I can understand a billing technical error, as long as it gets > corrected. I also appreciate the fact that they pro-actively saw an > unusual pattern of charges, put a block on the service, and notified > me. That was great. > What I just can't get around is the fact that BOTH the high toll > department and the Customer Service Department told me that I needed > to "set up an account" to resolve the issue. The fact that they both > used the same euphemism for switching my long distance to MCI makes me > believe that they were following a script. > Why would a script for resolving a known technical issue with 101-0987 > billing require the customer to change their long distance provider to > MCI in order to correct the billing? That is what is really bugging > me. I told them over and over that these were 101-0987 calls. I even > read portions of the web site to them over the phone (the parts about > no commitment, $.03 per minute to the UK and Canada, etc.). They > simply refused to do anything to correct the billing unless I "set up > an account." They even tried to tell me it was an AT&T Local problem, > and sent me on a wild goose chase to AT&T customer service. AT&T of > course wondered why I was calling them about an MCI billing problem. > It was only after I called Telecom*USA customer service (which > automatically connected me back to the MCI High Toll department) that > I finally got a rep with some sense who agreed to re-rate the calls at > the proper rate. I only hope it stays fixed -- I have nothing in > writing, have not been billed yet (either accurately or inaccurately), > and my request to Telecom*USA for a corrected listing of the charges > has been unanswered for over a week. > Given the technical issues that you described with Telecom*USA billing > there are probably a lot of customers who are experiencing the same > problem, especially in light of the saturation ad campaign Telecom*USA > is currently running. If they are all getting the same script (switch > your LD to MCI or pay up), then there must be a fair percentage of > them who are giving in and switching under the threat of huge bills. > And that is just plain wrong. No one should be forced to switch their > long distance to MCI in order to get MCI to correct an internal > billing error. > Ed Gibbs > [Lisa Minter note: In looking through the old archives here in my > spare time I notice an article or two dealing with some Telecom USA > problems where they thought there was some fraud going on. I wonder > if I should fetch those and ask Patrick about reprinting them? Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: tonypo1@sdc.cox.net Subject: Re: Verizon and Shady Centrex Sales - What Do I Do? Organization: The Ace Tomatoe and Cement Company Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 20:23:35 GMT In article , unspammable-3107 @workbench.net says: > My guess is that the biggest reason Verizon wants to get you on > Centrex is to lock you in as a customer. Not only will they likely > insist that you sign a contract for as long a period of time as they > can convince you to go for, but they'll also "helpfully" disconnect > (and possibly even remove, if you let them do it) your current PBX. > What that means is that should another company come along with a > better deal -- and that could be either a competitive local phone > company, or one of the new companies springing up that offers voice > over IP service (such as VoicePulse or Vonage or something similar) -- > you can't get out of the contract with Verizon right away. But even > when that contract runs out, you will still be faced with having to > buy all new equipment, unless you have the presence of mind to hang > onto your existing PBX and make sure it's not damaged in any way > during the transition. Another note -- Verizon will often quote you the per line charge for Centrex hauled in via digital facilities, but won't tell you what the loop charge is. In many cases, the charge for the loop negates any line savings. > So here are the questions I would ask: 1) Will I be required to sign a > contract that in any way limits my ability to discontinue using your > service at will? 2) Will you reconnect my existing PBX if I am not > happy with your service (and if so, will you change me anything to do > so)? 3) Will I have complete freedom to choose a carrier other than > Verizon for InterLATA and/or IntraLATA long distance? 4) What, if > anything, will I be charged for each "dial 9" local call? 5) Will my > business phone numbers be changed? And if someday I stop using this > service, can I still keep those numbers? Verizon is flexible on their contracts. We had occasion where we had enough lines that Centrex to our PBX wasn't a problem. But we tore the contract apart (Hey, with over 100 attorneys in the office it wasn't hard.) and sent the changes back to Verizon. They accepted and a few weeks later we had our new service installed on OUR terms. > IMHO, what you just may find if you dig a little is that there is > something anticompetitive going on here. I'm sure others will have > more to say, but personally I'd run as fast as I can from this kind of > deal, unless ALL the answers are right (starting with the assurance > that you can stop using the service at any time with NO penalty > whatsoever). They'll only be anti-competitive if you let them be. At another job we switched at the time from then Bell Atlantic to Brooks Fiber (I'm still chuckling that it's now MCI.) -- Problem was that Brooks fiber loop didn't quite make it to our location, roughly two blocks away. Because they wanted the business they paid Verizon to drag their own fiber and related equipment in. I know they were losing money on that deal. ------------------------------ From: Bit Twister Subject: Re: What Do I Do When the Don't-Call List is Ignored? Organization: attbi.com user getting ~16.9 kbyte/sec news feed Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 20:23:48 GMT On Sat, 07 Jun 2003 11:54:55 -0400, Brian Kendig wrote: > I've been getting a lot of phonecalls from the Southern Star Mortgage > Company trying to sell me a new mortgage. Well, by 'a lot of > phone calls' I mean just a couple every month for the past several > months ... but since I hardly get *any* other telemarketing calls, > these stand out. You might look here http://www.ftc.gov/ You would think you could send registered mail about do not call, get a tape recorder on the phone, and take them to small claims court and get a few hundred dollars. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 18:08:02 -0700 From: Richard Oliver Organization: The Clock Guy - America's Antique Brokerage Subject: Western Union President Inquiry, c.1912 Greetings, We have just acquired a tallcase clock that was the master clock at the Western Union headquarters in San Francisco. This clock was purchased from the granddaughter of Charles J. Eldridge, who was a Vice President of Western Union. According to the papers in our possession, Mr. Eldridge(last?) lived in the city Walnut Creek, CA. According to original documents with the clock, the movement was manufactured by the Self-Winding Clock Company and inspected at their factory on July 26, 1912, and placed in a tall mahogany case there on September 5, 1912. The dial of the clock bears the initials "CHG", which we are told were the initials of the president of Western Union at that time, one Charles H. Gault (Galt?). We have been unable to find any records of Western Union executives, but your archives appear to possibly touch on the information we are seeking. Please let me know if you have access this information, or let us know where we might access it directly. Generalized web searches have been non-productive to date. We are most anxious to confirm the provenance of this particular historic clock. Thanks in advance, --=Richard Oliver 760-598-2270; 760-604-0262-cell [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: We do have information about Western Union Clocks in our archives, and a few of our readers have antique Western Union 'Naval Observatory' clocks in their possession. I am not sure we have quite the detail you are seeking, but perhaps a reader or two can contribute to this conversation. PAT ------------------------------ From: pierrot@verizon.net (Pierrot) Subject: Vonage With Autodialing Feature Date: 7 Jun 2003 21:59:13 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I am looking to use the Vonage service for my business as a backup line. Our database uses a standard modem for dialing outgoing calls. Will the Cisco ATA-186 (through Vonage) support this autodialing feature? Thanks, Pierre pierrot@verizon.net ------------------------------ From: Gail M. Hall Subject: Re: Court Rejects Wireless Challenge to FCC Ruling Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 21:42:15 -0400 Reply-To: gmhall@apk.net On Sat, 7 Jun 2003 03:31:14 -0400, in comp.dcom.telecom message , Monty Solomon copied a news report: > WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - Cellular phone customers may be able to > switch carriers without losing their phone numbers as early as > November after an appeals court rejected a challenge by the industry > on Friday. > A U.S. appeals court upheld the Federal Communications Commission's > long-delayed rule forcing wireless telephone companies to let > switching customers keep their phone numbers. If landline customers can't count on this being available, even if they pay for number portability, how do they expect wireless telecom companies to be able to do it? > A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of > Columbia turned back arguments by Verizon Wireless and the cell-phone > industry's trade group that the rule was unnecessary, arbitrary and > capricious. > The FCC said last year that the rule was needed because companies > would not likely offer the option on their own, locking in consumers > who were dissatisfied with the service but did not want to change > their phone number. And why? Because of expenses involved that customers probably wouldn't want to pay extra for. > The judges concluded that the wireless companies had filed their > challenge too late, and they dismissed the industry's contention that > the agency had misinterpreted what the law deems "necessary" to > protect consumers. Maybe the wireless companies should fire their attorneys. Filing late is almost a guarantee that your case will be lost. > The judges said the argument amounted to "dueling over dictionary > definitions," which it called "pointless." Would the judges be willing to pay the extra cost of having their numbers be "portable"? As I understand things, telcos have to buy lots of numbers, say in 1000 or 10,000 bunches. Now what happens when individuals in a group opt to go to other companies. After a while all the numbers would be a mishmash of numbers and much harder to keep track of. Computer systems people running databases might make extra money on the deal. > - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34432088 Our paper had a similar article from the Associated Press. I hope if they force the wireless companies to give this service that it will be an OP-IN service and that the rest of us will not have to bear the burden of paying for this. Many of us don't really give out our wireless phone numbers anyway except to those very close to us. It's mainly the business people who depend on their wireless phones for business that *need* to keep the same number. In the meantime, our local newspaper also carried an article by Chris Seper about a company that offers to "merge" phone numbers for business people. It offers customers a one-contact number to "distribute publicly, which callers use to reach the owner." This company has been making deals with other companies to offer this call-one-place type service in large metropolitan areas of the US. This one-contact number rings to whatever number the "owner" wants. Although the article doesn't give the details, I take it that business owners who subscribe to this one-contact number service will be able to call in or access a web site to direct the calls according to where they will be and ring the appropriate phone. The article did not give a web site for the company, and I don't know enough about the company to know if this is really on the up and up so I won't give their name here, either. You can find this article at The date the story ran is 7 June 2003. Headline: Wherever you are, phone can find you Gail in Ohio USA ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 16:00:47 -0700 In article , Dave Close wrote: > Rate payers are not a constituency for any unit of government, except > to the accidental extent that they happen also to be local > residents. Not all cable subscribers are also residents; some may be > business owners who live elsewhere. Putting a burden on them is like > putting a high sales ("bed") tax on hotels: it raises money from > people who can't vote on the tax. Governments should not be able to > tax anyone who can't vote on the tax. Wasn't that a founding principle > of this country? But, the reality of the matter is that most cities have hotel taxes, including San Jose. It's a fact of life. If Comcast wants to do business in San Jose, it can agree to the terms being set down by the city fathers, or it can take a hike. As a spokesperson for the city of San Jose mentioned, if Comcast doesn't want to play, there are other cable companies out there who do. > This is just another reason why governments should not be making > business decisions. Granting a franchise agreement is a business > decision. Franchise agreements are specifically allowed under Federal regulation. Obviously the authors of the Communications Act disagree with you. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 21:42:19 -0600 From: Neal McLain Reply-To: nmclain@annsgarden.com Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Herb Stein wrote: > John Higdon wrote in message > news:telecom22.499.2@telecom-digest.org: >> Why should taxpayers fund that which benefits subscribers to the cable >> service? The network is a condition for allowing the company to do >> business in the city. Why should those of us who will have nothing to >> do with the cable services subsidize that which enables the services >> to those who do? > Of course, you should not have to if that is the case. Perhaps I > misunderstood the earlier comments. I thought that the cable company > was being asked to provide a voice and data system for the city. If > the city needs such a network, someone has to build it. If that is in > fact the case, the rate payers ought to be off the hook. You didn't misunderstand. The network in question is a separate dedicated voice (and possibly data) network for use of the city government (and possibly for other governmental and quasi-governmental agencies such as school districts, county offices, federal offices, libraries, etc.). Since this type of network serves governmental entities, but not regular cable TV subscribers, it benefits all residents of the city. Even residents who "will have nothing to do with the cable [TV] services" will still benefit from it. The original Reuters article described this network as a "local telephone network." That certainly implies that it's a voice network. Most dedicated networks of this type (often called "Institutional Networks" or "I-nets") can be used for data and video as well. At this point, I'd like to thank John Hidgon for clarifying (in an off-list message) that the "local telephone network" that San Jose seeks is, in fact, a separate dedicated network. Neal McLain nmclain@annsgarden.com ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #502 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jun 9 00:33:43 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h594Xhh20363; Mon, 9 Jun 2003 00:33:43 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 00:33:43 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306090433.h594Xhh20363@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #503 TELECOM Digest Mon, 9 Jun 2003 00:34:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 503 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Industry Offers a Carrot in Online Music Fight (Monty Solomon) Growing Pains Fading, Satellite Radio Ready to Blast Off (Monty Solomon) Talk Gets Cheaper (Monty Solomon) Re: MCI Sucks Too!!!! (Gordon S. Hlavenka) Re: BT to Link Mobiles With Land Lines (Mike Hartley) Re: Court Rejects Wireless Challenge to FCC Ruling (John R. Levine) Re: Hand Cranking Telephones (Lars Poulsen) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (Mark Crispin) Aspect PBX Phone System - LOADED (Jonathan Roberts) Re: What Do I Do When the Don't-Call List is Ignored? (Bryan Bethea) Re: Hunting Works With Alternate Local Phone Provider? (Bryan Bethea) Re: Verizon and Shady Centrex Sales - What Do I Do? (Mike Blake-Knox) Seeking Web Site of FM Station Listings (Richard Pitts) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 16:55:50 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Industry Offers a Carrot in Online Music Fight By AMY HARMON Like a lot of music fans roaming the Internet these days, David Bishop registers one basic sentiment when he thinks about the record industry. "They're a bunch of greedheads," he says. "They've been really fat on what I think of as huge profits and now they're trying to maintain the status quo." Mr. Bishop is not your typical college-dormitory Internet pirate. A 49-year-old illustrator in San Rafael, Calif., he has steered scrupulously clear of file-sharing software like Napster and KaZaA. But he recently discovered how to play the music provided by other online fans without copying it, and has no compunction about flouting recent efforts to stamp out the practice. "I'm not doing anything wrong," he insists. Until recently, music executives have largely failed to acknowledge the millions of individuals, from teenage Eminem fans to Elvis- obsessed baby boomers, who have joined in what amounts to an online rebellion against the industry by some of its most important customers. Hoping to end Internet music piracy by ridding the world of the technologies that make it possible, they have so far focused on legal battles against KaZaA and its many brethren. But for the first time in the Internet file-sharing wars, record industry executives have in recent weeks started to address music fans directly, both offering carrots and wielding sticks to persuade people to buy their product again. How well they succeed is likely to determine the way music is produced and consumed for years to come. "The technology has destabilized us, it has hurt us," said Doug Morris, the chief executive of the Universal Music Group, a unit of Vivendi Universal and the largest of the five major record companies. "But now it's going to take us to new heights." The industry is pursuing lawsuits against music pirates but is also offering new ways to legally listen to and buy music online through deals like a recent alliance with Apple Computer. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/08/technology/08TUNE.html [Lisa Minter note: When reading NY Times articles, feel free to use our group login 'telecomdigest' and our group password 'telecomdigest' in order to maintain your own privacy, etc. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 22:54:26 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Growing Pains Fading, Satellite Radio Ready to Blast Off By Brian Bergstein, Associated Press, 6/2/2003 07:29 NEW YORK (AP) Satellite radio comes from space bearing gifts: 100 digital channels with eclectic music options and few or no commercials, beamed directly to cars and home stereos throughout the continental United States. Less than a year ago, potential subscribers and investors were treating it like an unwelcome visitor from another planet. Its dueling providers, XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., were warning they might run out of cash. Finally, though, the mini-industry seems primed to take off. Automakers are showing more enthusiasm for putting receivers in cars. Design advances are shrinking the tuners and their prices, to as low as $70, from around $300. Subscriber numbers are jumping for XM's $10 monthly service and Sirius' $13 offering. Both companies have abated their cash crunches though financial maneuvers. http://www.boston.com/dailynews/153/economy/Growing_pains_fading_satellite:.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 23:21:15 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Talk Gets Cheaper As long-distance giants hike prices, bargains emerge from the fringe By Bruce Mohl, Globe Staff, 6/8/2003 The nation's three long-distance giants are doing their best to raise prices or at least keep them from falling further, yet cheap talk still abounds -- and can be found in some unexpected places. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/159/business/Talk_gets_cheaper+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Jun 2003 16:41:40 -0500 From: Gordon S. Hlavenka Reply-To: nospam@crashelectronics.com Organization: Crash Electronics Subject: Re: MCI Sucks Too!!!! Jack Daniel wrote: > MCI is rotten to the core. Jack (and other MCI fans) might enjoy the cameo appearance MCI makes in this video: http://www.oddtodd.com/index2.html -- Gordon S. Hlavenka http://www.crashelectronics.com Grammar and spelling flames welcome. Yes, that's really my email address. Don't change it. [Lisa Minter note: I just went to look and it is a funny cartoon. lisa M] ------------------------------ From: Mike Hartley Subject: Re: BT to Link Mobiles With Land Lines Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 23:02:37 +0100 > BT will announce its full-scale return to the mobile phone market BT > will offer consumers the ability to use their mobile at home as if > it was a fixed-line phone -- potentially offering consumers huge > savings. Yeah, ok. We'll see if this comes off: bt had a go at a > DECT/GSM roaming to do just this a couple of years ago and AFAIK it > vanished without trace. If it is going to work BT will have to find a very low price point in order to compete with existing tm-uk consumer tariffs. Personally I don't imagine all that many people would shell out for additional PSTN kit when you can get a sexy new GSM handset on a 'all-you-can-eat' tariff (from tm-uk) for a very competitive price. Anyway, time will tell; as will my 2k4 bonus ;-) Mike ------------------------------ Date: 8 Jun 2003 22:54:44 -0000 From: johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) Subject: Re: Court Rejects Wireless Challenge to FCC Ruling Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA > If landline customers can't count on this being available, even if > they pay for number portability, how do they expect wireless telecom > companies to be able to do it? Landline portability is being phased in starting with large cities and working its way down. It's available now, for example, in the not particularly large city of Ithaca NY, down the road from me. > As I understand things, telcos have to buy lots of numbers, say in > 1000 or 10,000 bunches. Now what happens when individuals in a group > opt to go to other companies. After a while all the numbers would be > a mishmash of numbers and much harder to keep track of. Computer > systems people running databases might make extra money on the deal. It's true, it's kind of complicated. Fortunately, the databases have already been designed and built and they're up and running now. > I hope if they force the wireless companies to give this service > that it will be an OP-IN service and that the rest of us will not > have to bear the burden of paying for this. Many of us don't really > give out our wireless phone numbers anyway except to those very > close to us. That certainly used to be the case, but it's much less true now. I have a bundled minute package on my cell phone with far more minutes than I ever use, so I give my number to pretty much anyone I want to be able to get in touch with me. As it happens, my current cell carrier stinks less than any of the local alternatives, but I wouldn't count on that being the case forever, and being able to switch without having to remember everyone who might have my old number would be nice. > In the meantime, our local newspaper also carried an article by > Chris Seper about a company that offers to "merge" phone numbers for > business people. That's a fancy call forwarding system. It's unrelated to portability. A similar service called Wildfire has been available for years. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 727, Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 330 5711 johnl@iecc.com Village Trustee and Sewer Commissioner http://iecc.com/johnl Member, Provisional board, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Jun 2003 19:20:35 -0700 From: Lars Poulsen Subject: Re: Hand cranking telephones First of all, let me mention that this REALLY belongs in the (moderated) newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom, also known as TELECOM Digest. This discussion here in alt.folklore.computers has however brought together such a mix of telecom old-timers and people who have never before given a second throught to the telephony network, that it might be worthwhile to edit some of the exchanges here into a couple of "special isues" of TELECOM Digest. I leave that thought for the new moderator of TELECOM. Steve Burton wrote: > The original codes were for exchanges (not areas) and exchanges had > names. All non-local numbers begin with '0', there was a two character > exchange code and a single digit to ensure 'uniqueness'. Except for > London of course. So Leeds had code 0LE2 which translates as 01532, > York was 0YO4 => 0904 and so on. Later the larger cities were assigned > codes from a different range; 01 for London ('cos it's obviously more > important - like 001 for US ;-) 061 for Manchester etc. > When codes were rearranged to allow (once and for all) a larger > address space, most codes were altered by inserting a '1' after the > initial '0' (York: 01904, Manchester 0161 etc.). London was apparently > and increasing being confused with the US so it was split into 0171 > and 0181 and certain, unfortunate cities (Leeds was one) had their > codes changed (Leeds 01532 to 0113). > When codes were rearranged to allow (once and for all) a larger > address space, London became 020 - someone elase has posted details of > this. > So codes depended on human-readability (for you dialing comfort), > address-space size, ineptitude and politics. I think you'll have to > look long and hard to find logic. As has been brought up in a roundabout way a couple of times, the engineers also had to figure out some basic concepts while rebuilding the network. One of the fundamental thins learned through that process was the difference between ADDRESSES and ROUTES. An address is a unique identifier. A route is how we get from where we are to the point identified by that address. Telephone dialing strings have had to do double duty in the years until SS7 allowed us to perform the routing computations separately on the side BEFORE setting up the circuits for the call. In a funny way, this distinction is reflected in the difference between the US term "area code" which implies a high level address and the UK term "STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialing) code" which implies a routing function, and indeed the STD codes for a given city could vary depending of where you were calling FROM. -- Lars Poulsen +1-805-569-5277 http://www.beagle-ears.com/lars/ 125 South Ontare Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 USA lars@beagle-ears.com ------------------------------ From: Mark Crispin Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 09:51:46 -0700 Organization: University of Washington On Fri, 6 Jun 2003, Dave Close wrote: > Governments should not be able to > tax anyone who can't vote on the tax. It happens all the time with property taxes. But these are used to fund schools (hence are "for the children"). -- Mark -- http://staff.washington.edu/mrc Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate. Si vis pacem, para bellum. ------------------------------ From: jmr504@hotmail.com (Jonathan Roberts) Subject: Aspect PBX Phone System - LOADED Date: 8 Jun 2003 10:58:36 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Aspect PBX Phone System - LOADED PBX Phone system with: (347) Aspect 3010 hand sets (55) Aspect 3190 flip display hand sets (6) Switching shelf controllers (13) T-1 Trunk interface card (17) Teleset 16-port interface card (6) 8-port Voice subsystem Interface 8-port DNIS/DID Trunk interface card (2) DTMF Receiver cards 8-port Loop/Ground start trunk card Music-on-hold interface 500 Hours Voice Disk Space Kentrox rack-mount CSU chassis 77102 L1 GCU Controller Unit (11) 77120 L2 T-Smart Cards (2) 77830 RJ48H to RJ48C Patch Panels Please call me with any questions! 504-401-4364. Or e-mail any questions to jbowersiii@aol.com. ------------------------------ From: Bryan Bethea Subject: Re: What Do I Do When the Don't-Call List is Ignored? Date: Sun, 08 Jun 2003 18:49:39 GMT Organization: Cox Communications You may want to contact the Florida Department of Agriculure and Consumer Affairs. Florida has a fairly strict "Do Not Call" statute, but one has to proactively subscribe to the state's list to be protected. http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/~cs/tmkfaq3.html Bryan Bethea Pensacola, Florida ------------------------------ From: Bryan Bethea Subject: Re: Question: Hunting Works With Alternate Local Phone Provider? Date: Sun, 08 Jun 2003 19:05:52 GMT Organization: Cox Communications (snipped) > [Lisa Minter Note: To get a good idea of how it works, see the > messages from the middle of May here dealing with Prairie Stream > Communications, CLECs and UNE-P services. Essentially what happens > is the CLEC leases *all the equipment and lines and switches* -- in (snipped) This is not *always* the case. For facilities-based CLECs (like my employer) we lease only the local loop from the incumbent telco. The leased loops terminate to equipment owned by my employer colocated inside the incument's central office, but only the loop actually belongs to the incumbent. Call switching, routing, etc. is done by my company's own switch. The same is true for data (DSL) circuits. The local loop is leased from the incumbent, terminates to our own equipment, and we handle it from that point. Chances are that if the original poster is a residential customer he would be served by a CLEC in the manner Lisa described. However, he might actually be able to escape the incumbent's network entirely (aside from the local loop) if he has a business account. I can't speak for other CLECs, but in the case of my employer we have no facilities-based residential customers (aside from employees of the company.) The few remaining residential accounts we do have are all UNE-P. I would caution against doing business with any phone company, CLEC or incumbent, whose sales and/or customer service representatives are unfamiliar with hunting. That is such a basic feature that I would run screaming (along with my checkbook) in the opposite direction. Bryan Bethea Pensacola, FL ------------------------------ From: Mike Blake-Knox Subject: Re: Verizon and Shady Centrex Sales - What Do I Do? Date: Sun, 08 Jun 2003 08:10:44 EDT Organization: CompuServe Interactive Services Reply-To: mikebkdont@spamIntrex.net In article , Dave Bushnell wrote: > Their whole pitch is that if we switch to digital service our monthly > bill will go down about $5 a line, and we'll get other services for > free that we were paying for, like call forwarding and such. Their > only pitch has been "just sign here and you'll start saving money!" in > an extemely pushy way. We're suspicious. A number of years, my employer had 10 business lines in a hunt group. When they wanted to start answering calls at our location and transferring them to other locations, I discovered that GTE didn't offer the transfer feature with individual business lines but did with Centrex. When I compared the costs, I discovered that Centrex was actually slightly ($1-2/month I think) less expensive than plain business lines. Both rates were for normal tariffed services. It also included additional features on each line. Mike Blake-Knox ------------------------------ From: Richard Pitts Subject: Seeking Web Site of FM Station Listings Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 09:46:37 -0400 Hi, Mr. Townson, My name is Sandy. I live in Little Rock, Arkansas. I was surfing the net, and would like to know -- what is the web address of a listing of every FM radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas???? I am also an Amateur Radio Operator with an Advance Class License. I would appreciate any information that I could on this subject. Thank you very much. Sandy. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You could try http://airwaves.com and look at the FCC database listings section for starters. Or you could look at http://www.fcc.gov as well and check their listings. Maybe that will help you. 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #503 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jun 9 21:05:48 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5A15mw25167; Mon, 9 Jun 2003 21:05:48 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 21:05:48 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306100105.h5A15mw25167@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #504 TELECOM Digest Mon, 9 Jun 2003 21:06:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 504 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Telecom Update (Canada) #386, June 9, 2003 (Angus TeleManagement) Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? (Kevin Pro Se) Good Calling Card? (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Re: 911 Operators Getting Addresses and More Qs About Service (Hoffman) Re: Seeking Web Site of FM Station Listings (Tom Betz) Re: Seeking Web Site of FM Station Listings (John McHarry) Re. Seeking Web Site of FM Station Listings (John Stahl) Re: Court Rejects Wireless Challenge to FCC Ruling (Mark Crispin) Danger Gets Colorful (Eric Friedebach) Re: B101 FM-WBEB Philadelphia (Chris Nowinski) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 10:54:38 -0400 From: Angus TeleManagement Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #386, June 9, 2003 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 386: June 9, 2003 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** BELL CANADA: http://www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: http://www.cisco.com/ca/letstalk ** CYGCOM INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES: http://www.cygcom.com ** ERICSSON CANADA: http://www.ericsson.ca ** JUNIPER NETWORKS: http://www.juniper.net ** PRIMUS CANADA: http://www.primustel.ca ** Q9 NETWORKS: http://www.Q9.com ** TELUS: http://www.telus.com ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Nortel Merges PBX Software ** GT Wins Memorial U. Centrex Contract ** Primus Launches Local Service Trial ** Microcell Sees Room for Four Cellcos ** Telco Inspections Can Begin Today ** Sympatico Ups Internet Access Speed ** Cygnal Offers Telecom Outsourcing ** Videotron Inside Wire Ruling Clarified ** CRTC Announces Telecom Fees ** CRTC Sets Privacy Rule for Affiliates ** Call-Net Names New CFO ** New President Named at Canadian IIC ** Nortel Selected for MCI's IP Upgrade ** MTS to Buy Back 5% of Stock ** Challenge to U.S. Portability Rejected ** Quality Rules Extended to SaskTel ** New CSE Commissioner Named ** In Memoriam, Ken Barr ** Angus Seminars Set for October 15 ** Utelcos Offer New Broadband Options ============================================================ NORTEL MERGES PBX SOFTWARE: Nortel Networks has announced release 3.0 of its Succession enterprise software, which provides a common software platform for its IP-based Succession 1000 and circuit-switched Meridian 1 PBX. Availability is promised for fourth quarter. ** Nortel also announced the Succession 1000M, which supports 10,000 IP users per call server. GT WINS MEMORIAL U. CENTREX CONTRACT: Group Telecom has won a $3 million contract to provide Centrex service to Memorial University in St. John's Newfoundland. Aliant outbid GT for this project in April 2002, but the CRTC agreed with a GT complaint that the telco's proposed rates violated its tariffs. (See Telecom Update #378) ** Group Telecom has asked the CRTC to order Aliant to lease its in-building wire at Memorial University to GT, either at no charge or at $1/month per channel (see Telecom Update #289). GT says Aliant has offered to lease wire in only seven buildings, insisting that the university purchase it in the other 30 buildings at "an excessive price." http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2003/8644/g7_200306763.htm ** GT has also won a $3 million contract from Newfoundland's Avalon East School District to provide a fibre-optic network for voice and data communications between 57 schools. PRIMUS LAUNCHES LOCAL SERVICE TRIAL: Long distance reseller Primus Telecommunications has begun offering local telephone service to its residential customers in the York region, just north of Toronto. The company offers service at the same price as Bell Canada, but subscribers will receive Air Miles or Aeroplan points for their combined local and LD bill. ** U.S.-owned Primus cannot operate as a CLEC in Canada, so it is reselling local service provided by FCI Broadband, formerly known as Futureway. MICROCELL SEES ROOM FOR FOUR CELLCOS: A study by Lemay-Yates Associates, commissioned by Microcell Telecommunications, says there remains "substantial growth for each of the four mobile carriers to expand and thrive." Microcell President Andre Tremblay says that the company will launch a major promotional campaign this week: it aims to capture 18% of new cellco subscribers this year. TELCO INSPECTIONS CAN BEGIN TODAY: Random investigations of telco activities could begin this week. In April, the CRTC denounced repeated tariff violations by major phone companies, and gave 60 days notice of its intent to appoint inspectors with broad powers to verify compliance with the Telecom Act and with Commission rulings. (See Telecom Update #378) SYMPATICO UPS INTERNET ACCESS SPEED: Bell Sympatico is increasing the top speeds on its High-Speed Standard service. By July, the download maximum will go from 1 Mbps to 1.5 Mbps and the upload maximum will double, to 320 Mbps. CYGNAL OFFERS TELECOM OUTSOURCING: Cygnal Technologies now offers CygnalCare, an outsourcing program that will design, install, and maintain enterprise telecom systems for a monthly fee. VIDEOTRON INSIDE WIRE RULING CLARIFIED: In response to an appeal by Videotron, the CRTC says the 52 cents per subscriber per month fee for competitors using Videotron's inside wire is retroactive to February 8, 2002 (see Telecom Update #353). Competitors must pay arrears "forthwith" and then pay ongoing fees monthly. No contracts are required. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2003/db2003-176.htm CRTC ANNOUNCES TELECOM FEES: Carriers regulated by the CRTC must pay a total of $22.83 million by July 2, to pay for Commission operations in the coming year. The amount includes a $1.05 million adjustment for last year. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2003/pt2003-5.htm CRTC SETS PRIVACY RULE FOR AFFILIATES: The CRTC has ruled that telecom carriers cannot disclose confidential customer information to affiliates without the customer's express consent. The Commission may order carriers to include a similar requirement in their contracts with resellers, which are not directly regulated by the CRTC. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2003/dt2003-33.htm CALL-NET NAMES NEW CFO: Roy Graydon, formerly with VGC Capital Partners, takes office today as CFO of Call-Net Enterprises. Call-Net's previous CFO, Randy Benson, left the company in December. NEW PRESIDENT NAMED AT CANADIAN IIC: Michael MacMillian, CEO of Alliance Atlantis, has been named President of the Canadian Chapter of the International Institute of Communications. He replaces Andre Bureau, who recently became Chairman of Microcell. NORTEL SELECTED FOR MCI'S IP UPGRADE: Nortel Networks has won a contract for the next phase of upgrading MCI's long distance network to IP, a process that is to be completed by 2005. MTS TO BUY BACK 5% OF STOCK: Manitoba Telecom has received TSX approval to buy back up to 5% of its common stock during the next 12 months. It bought 3.5% of its stock during the last year. CHALLENGE TO U.S. PORTABILITY REJECTED: The U.S. Court of Appeals has denied a bid by wireless carriers to block implementation of wireless number portability. The FCC has ordered cellcos to allow customers to keep their phone numbers when they change carriers, beginning in November. QUALITY RULES EXTENDED TO SASKTEL: Effective July 1, SaskTel will be subject to the same quality of service rules as the other incumbent telcos: they must provide rate adjustments to customers and competitors if service falls below prescribed standards. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2003/dt2003-36.htm NEW CSE COMMISSIONER NAMED: The federal government has named Antonio Lamer as the new Commissioner of the Communications Security Establishment, replacing Claude Bisson. The CSE gathers foreign "signals intelligence" and advises the government on information and IT security; the commissioner's job is to review its operations and attest to its compliance with Canadian law. IN MEMORIAM, KEN BARR: We are saddened to report that long-time industry veteran Ken Barr, former President of Lucent Canada's Business Communications Systems division and of Combined Telecom Inc, died on June 2 after a brief battle with cancer. His family has asked that donations be made in his memory to either the Canadian Cancer Society or Ronald McDonald Children's Charities of Canada. ANGUS SEMINARS SET FOR OCTOBER 15: On October 15 Angus Dortmans Associates and Angus TeleManagement Group will present two high-priority briefings on critical issues in Canadian telecom and networking. The one-day event features updates on the state of business telecom in Canada today and an exclusive tutorial on auditing corporate phone bills. ** Mark your calendar now: full details will be announced soon. UTELCOS OFFER NEW BROADBAND OPTIONS: The June issue of Telemanagement profiles three telecom carriers that are associated with electrical utilities, describing them as "financially stable, highly reliable, competitively priced, and eager for business." Also in Telemanagement #206: ** "Bell and Telus Confront the Billing Crisis" ** "Commons Committee: Lift Telecom Ownership Rules" ** "On the Line: To Implement a Strategic Plan, You Need a Road Map" Telemanagement is available only by subscription. For more information on Canada's #1 source for expert, independent telecom analysis and guidance, call 800-263-4415 ext 500 or go to http://www.angustel.ca/teleman/tm.html. ============================================================ HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-MAIL: editors@angustel.ca FAX: 905-686-2655 MAIL: TELECOM UPDATE Angus TeleManagement Group 8 Old Kingston Road Ajax, Ontario Canada L1T 2Z7 =========================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web on the first business day of the week at http://www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2003 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail rosita@angustel.ca or phone 905-686-5050 ext 500. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ From: kevinale@prontomail.com (Kevin Pro Se) Subject: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? Date: 9 Jun 2003 12:35:13 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Can anyone point me to where in the law that states that a company must maintain its own internal "DO NOT CALL" list and not call those that request to be put on it? I'm suing a company that I've specifically asked to not call me, and I want to show where the law states that this cannot be done. I'm not talking about the statewide "DO NOT CALL" lists. I've glanced at the TCPA and it seems to assign that specific piece of legislation to the "Commission" (FCC?). Can anyone help? Thanks! [Lisa Minter Note: Just curious, but why wouldn't your state's 'Do Not Call' list serve this purpose for you? I take it you are suing because they won't stop calling. Why does it have to be an 'internal' list for that company if you don't mind me asking. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ Subject: Good Calling Card? Organization: Excelsior Computer Services From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 19:43:23 GMT I'm looking for a good calling card, mostly for International calling, but also for occasional domestic calling. Someone here recommended Accudial, but for the past 20 minutes I've been on the line with their "tech support" department, trying to figure out why my card isn't working, and the best they can do is "well, it works for us." When I told them that that doesn't help me, they agreed "no it doesn't." Sigh. Can anyone recommend a calling card that: 1. WORKS! 2. Uses CID to avoid the need to enter a PIN from commonly used phones. 3. Has good call quality. 4. Has good int'l rates. 5. Bills to a credit card. Many, many thanks. -Joel Hoffman (joel@exc.com) [Lisa Minter note: Joel, what you may need to do with these folks is trace it or step down through the procedure step by step to find out where the failure is occuring. Many times when you get into a 'yes it is, no it is not' situation with some tech support person, one or the other of you is doing something slightly different than the other one. A good tech support person -- as Patrick found out during the time he was working for the Terraworld ISP trouble desk here in Independence -- does this: he never says, did you do thus and so, because of course the user is always going to say 'yes I did, and it still does not work'. You have to make the user tell you step by step *what* he is doing? What keys did you press, etc? I would venture to say there is some discrepany in (for example) the password you are putting in (or think you are putting in, if speed dialed) or the dial-in number you are using or the tech is using, or the way you are dialing the number and he is dialing the number. It occurs to neither of you that the other guy is diddling it a bit differently so therefore neither of you challenges the other one 'tell me exactly what digits you dialed', etc. Try again with the tech, quite literally 'tracing' it step by step. Compare notes on dialup numbers, passwords, etc and let us know how it worked out. Lisa M] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: 911 Operators Getting Addresses and More Qs About the Service Organization: Excelsior Computer Services From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 20:32:59 GMT > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That thinking, of having 911 centers > as 'regional' or 'countywide' is part of the problem. I know the Agreed. I once called 911 from one of only two highways in NYC ("The FDR") and the person handling the call (1) had never heard of the highway, and (2) demanded a cross street before she would call an ambulance. Of course, I didn't know the cross street, just which exit I had passed. They never called an ambulance. -Joel [Lisa Minter note: A good, really good, experienced 911 dispatcher must know his/her territory so well she could close her eyes and draw a map of it all in her head. (First this cross street, then that cross street, then this alley comes through and connects over there, etc). Salaries to 911 operators are a big item and governments like to skimp wherever they can. 911 operators are part of that budget crunch process, and the supervisors play the crap table on them like everything else. Hopefully they don't lose too much or too bad, but the larger the 'region' or 'county' the easier it is to lose out unless you have really great help which most of them do not have. Lisa M] ------------------------------ From: Tom Betz Subject: Re: Seeking Web Site of FM Station Listings Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 23:21:02 UTC Organization: XOme Quoth Richard Pitts in news:telecom22.503.13@telecom- digest.org: > what is the web address of a listing of > every FM radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas???? It's a great site; I just turned my father on to it last weekend. ------------------------------ From: John McHarry Subject: Re: Seeking Web Site of FM Station Listings Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 19:22:23 -0400 Richard Pitts wrote: > Hi, Mr. Townson, > My name is Sandy. I live in Little Rock, Arkansas. I was surfing the > net, and would like to know -- what is the web address of a listing of > every FM radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas???? The old MIT listing is now here: http://www.radio-locator.com/ It has what you are looking for and a lot more. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 06:57:15 -0400 From: John Stahl Subject: Re: Seeking Web Site of FM Station Listings On Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 09:46:37 -0400, Richard Pitts said: > My name is Sandy. I live in Little Rock, Arkansas. I was surfing the > net, and would like to know -- what is the web address of a listing of > every FM radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas????" Try this URL (address): http://www.radio-locator.com/ You can look up nationwide radio stations by zip code, state and even call-sign. Hope this helps your search. John Stahl Telecom/Data Consultant Aljon Enterprises ------------------------------ From: Mark Crispin Subject: Re: Court Rejects Wireless Challenge to FCC Ruling Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 23:56:38 -0700 Organization: University of Washington On Sat, 7 Jun 2003, Gail M. Hall wrote: > I hope if they force the wireless companies to give this service that > it will be an OP-IN service and that the rest of us will not have to > bear the burden of paying for this. Don't count on it. We've been paying a surcharge on our landline phone bills for number portability for some time. I get angry when I add up how much I've paid (and will continue to pay) to provide number portability to some clown who doesn't want to be bothered with giving out a new number. It's a huge subsidy for businesses put on the back of all ratepayers, perhaps not as big as the Al Gore tax or the "fund the Spanish-American war" tax, but it's still an annoyance. 25% of my landline bill and 20% of my wireless bill goes for these taxes and fees. -- Mark -- http://staff.washington.edu/mrc Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate. Si vis pacem, para bellum. ------------------------------ From: Eric Friedebach Subject: Danger Gets Colorful Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 14:21:39 -0500 Organization: Purity Of Essence/Plant Operational Error Reply-To: Eric Friedebach Arik Hesseldahl, 06.09.03, Forbes.com NEW YORK - We started last week with a new version of the Blackberry wireless e-mail device that boasts a color screen. The week ended with a Blackberry-like device, Danger's Hiptop, debuting an updated model with a color screen of its own. Danger surfaced last year as sort of a dark horse in the wireless messaging space. We first noticed it in January. Since then it has turned out to be a fairly successful product for T-Mobile, a wireless carrier unit of Deutsche Telekom. T-Mobile prefers to call it the Sidekick. It's a curious little device with a unique swivel-top display that hides a keyboard, but is also a fair wireless phone. It also handles AOL's popular instant messenger service, AIM, and can browse the Web. http://www.forbes.com/2003/06/09/cz_ah_0609tentech.html Eric Friedebach ------------------------------ From: bandsherein@yahoo.com (Chris Nowinski) Subject: Re: B101 FM-WBEB Philadelphia Date: 9 Jun 2003 14:57:18 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Al Iverson wrote in message news:: > In article , > bandsherein@yahoo.com (chris nowinski) wrote: >> Yes, that would be cool if someone does. Hey, at least you talked >> about some possibilities. I'm not giving up, and I'm making it my >> business to somehow someway elicit change on that station. I wil let >> ya know how it turns. Appreciate everything. > Does that mean you're going to stop spamming? > You posted your stupid rant against B101 to every newsgroup you can > find, and you even posted it to an XM radio mailing list I'm on. > Al Iverson -- http://www.spamresource.com > Disclaimer: All of my opinions are mine alone. It's not spam when it is true, accurate, beneficial information the public needs to see. You need to learn from the real a.i., you need to chill! [Lisa Minter note: Actually Chris, it is a form of spam to post messages unncessarily to unwanted, unneeded newsgroups. There is a lot of 'accurate, beneficial information' the public needs to see, which is one important reason for Usenet newsgroups, and it is good when guys like yourself take the time to post important messages like you did. But one thing the anarchists did who put this system together was ask politely that you limit your posting to one or two -- maybe even three as really needed -- newsgroups where your message would reach the largest audience and do the most good. Since most people read multiple newsgroups, they will wind up seeing your message many times in the process. Be more careful in your selection of places to post your news, thanks. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #504 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jun 10 00:52:45 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5A4qjS26425; Tue, 10 Jun 2003 00:52:45 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 00:52:45 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306100452.h5A4qjS26425@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #505 TELECOM Digest Tue, 10 Jun 2003 00:53:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 505 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Web Site Still Mostly out of Order (TELECOM Digest Editor) ORG Implements New Service to Protect Registrants (Julia M. Williams) FYI: Yr E-mail Can Haunt U 4ever (Monty Solomon) Networks Try Reality Cure for Summer Rerun Blues (Monty Solomon) E-Mail Message Blitz Creates What May Be Fastest Fad Ever (M Solomon) Radio Left Out of Relaxed Rules (Monty Solomon) The Man Pushing America to Get on the Internet Faster (Monty Solomon) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (John David Galt) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (Joey Lindstrom) Readers Getting Spammed Again From Digest (Name Withheld on Request) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (John Higdon) Beware of Commtech, Inc ... aka Dick Larson (Freespeechstore) Question About A Job Offer From Comcast (Arya Amode) Re: Seeking Web Site of FM Station Listings (J Kelly) Re: B101 FM-WBEB Philadelphia (Steven J. Sobol) NYC's 911, was Re: 911 Operators Getting Addresses (Danny Burstein) Nokia GGSN (IP650 Based) DoS Issues (Monty Solomon) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 21:21:08 EDT From: TELECOM Digest Editor Subject: Web Site Still Mostly out of Order A message on Saturday here in the Digest told you that there were some problems with the Digest web site and being able to retrieve messages. That problem continues and is being investigated by LCS-MIT staff. In the meantime, please continue to use FTP to review and pull archive files as needed: ftp://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives and from there around the site as needed. I really hope this problem gets corrected soon. PAT ------------------------------ From: Julia M. Williams Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 16:19:43 -0400 Subject: Org Implements New Service to Protect Registrants Reply-To: jwilliams@pir.org PUBLIC INTEREST REGISTRY MEDIA ALERT Date: June 9, 2003 Contact: Julie Williams Phone: (703) 464-7005, x111 Cell: 703-402-6715 E-mail: JWilliams@pir.org .ORG IMPLEMENTS NEW SERVICE TO PROTECT REGISTRANTS .ORG name holders now have an additional 30 days to recover name if inadvertently deleted Reston, VA June 9, 2003 The Public Interest Registry (PIR) today announced the successful implementation of a new service called Redemption Grace Period (RGP). RGP will give .ORG domain holders an additional 30 days to recover their domain name if it is deleted inadvertently. This additional safeguard will help prevent .ORG name holders, primarily noncommercial organizations, from accidentally losing their domain names. Without RGP, there is no reliable recourse if a domain name is not renewed by the due date. The domain name automatically becomes available on the open market and the Internet identity of the noncommercial organization is often lost. The RGP service was introduced to provide additional time to catch erroneous deletions before the name is made available for re-registration. Now, with RGP implemented, when a domain name is deleted, e-mail will not function and the Web page will not resolve, signaling to the domain name holder there is a problem. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has recommended that registries implement this service to allow the original registrants (domain name holders) to redeem a deleted name through their original registrar. Domain name holders who lose a domain name via a deletion should contact their registrar immediately. ABOUT .ORG The .ORG domain, which has come to be associated with noncommercial activities, is the Internet’s third largest “generic” or non-country specific top-level domain (behind .COM and .NET), housing over 2.7 million domain names worldwide. Late last year, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Board of Directors selected ISOC's proposal from among 11 organizations bidding to operate the .ORG top-level domain. VeriSign Global Registry Services' contract as registry operator for .ORG expired on December 31, 2002. PIR assumed control of the registry on January 1, 2003. ABOUT PIR Public Interest Registry (www.pir.org) is a not-for-profit corporation created by the Internet Society to manage the .ORG domain. PIR’s mission is to manage the .ORG domain in a way that supports the continuing evolution of the Internet as a research, education and communications infrastructure, and educates and empowers the noncommercial community to most effectively utilize the Internet. PIR is based in Reston, Virginia. PIR was created by the Internet Society (www.ISOC.org). ISOC is a not-for-profit, open membership organization founded in 1991 and is dedicated to ensuring the open evolution, development and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people. It provides leadership in addressing issues that confront the future of the Internet, and is the organizational home for many of the groups responsible for Internet standards. For additional information on PIR and the .ORG registry please visit www.pir.org. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 00:57:25 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: FYI: Yr E-mail Can Haunt U 4ever A word to the unwary: Private missives don't belong on the Internet. By Bettijane Levine, Times Staff Writer Why can't we behave? When the risks are huge and the potential consequences dire, why can't we stop ourselves from typing those suicidal e-mails, hitting the send key and sealing our doom? This month, it's West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise's turn to ponder those questions. Until a few weeks ago, incumbent Wise was a shoo-in as Democratic candidate in his state's next gubernatorial election. Now, members of his own party are suggesting he resign; Republicans are savoring their improved chances - and Wise, 55, has proved he is anything but. The reckless fingers of fate - his own - may have typed him right out of the governor's office. And his cyber-trail of decidedly unromantic e-mails to a state employee with whom he may have been romantically involved are making him something of a literary laughingstock as well. Wise is alleged to have had a relationship with Angela Mascia-Frye, 35, of the West Virginia Development Corp. Both are married -- to other people. And they corresponded by e-mail with the kind of dull propriety that one Web wag described as having all the passion of a tuna sandwich. (The most intimate missives are like this one, from Mascia-Frye to Wise: "Too bad you canceled your visit at our offices. We made special coffee for you today." And like this, from the governor: "Sorry to have missed you tonight at Alex's I walked around for an hour and called out your name in 5 languages"). http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-et-levine6jun06,1,5771765.story ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 01:14:57 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Networks Try Reality Cure for Summer Rerun Blues By BILL CARTER and JIM RUTENBERG After about a half century of treating summer as the lowest of low seasons, keeping their schedules between June and September bereft of almost any original programming, the broadcast networks this year are suddenly offering more new series than at any time in their history. The reason: cable channels have had enormous success in the summer picnicking on their lazy bones - otherwise known as repeats. Last summer, 11.3 million more people watched cable shows during prime time than the fare on broadcast networks like NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox, according to Nielsen Media Research. Back in 1998, the broadcast networks beat their cable brethren by about three million viewers. This summer, senior executives at all the broadcast networks are seeking to reverse the trend. "There's no doubt the networks are fighting back this summer," said Jeff Zucker, the president of NBC Entertainment. Indeed, thanks mainly to long rosters of reality shows like "The Real Roseanne" on ABC, "Paradise Hotel" on Fox and "The Restaurant" on NBC, the networks are offering viewers a much fatter diet of original programming this summer. Cable executives acknowledge that this may cut into their ability to claim attention from viewers and the news media with the new shows they reserved expressly to take advantage of the livin' is easy attitude at the networks this summer. Still, the cable networks are rolling out dozens of shows, including Snoop Dogg's comedy show on MTV and USA Network's "Peacemakers," about two 19th-century lawmen solving murders in Silver City, Colo. Many of these shows represent the best these cable networks have to offer, their most expensive, highest-profile projects. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/09/business/media/09TUBE.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 01:17:02 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: E-Mail Message Blitz Creates What May Be Fastest Fad Ever By SAUL HANSELL LAKE FOREST, Ill., June 4 - As he tapped out an e-mail message early one Monday morning in April, Zac Brandenberg had no idea the kind of success he would achieve. At 2:30 a.m. he pushed a button on his keyboard, sending two million copies of the message scampering across the Internet imploring their recipients to "Get the `Iraqi Most Wanted' Deck of Cards!" The Friday before, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks had announced that the Defense Intelligence Agency had created a deck of playing cards with the names and photos of 55 Iraqi leaders for distribution to border guards. The Defense Department put the images of the cards on its Web site, spurring Mr. Brandenberg's company, JDR Media, and many others to race to get reproductions of the cards to market. By 2:35 a.m., the first order came back for four decks at $5.95 each. "At that point, I knew we would be successful and I went to bed," Mr. Brandenberg said. Hundreds of millions of e-mail messages about the cards have been sent since, and some 1.5 million decks have been sold by GreatUSAflags.com, a Web site owned by JDR, based in Los Angeles, and its partner, Lionstone International, which is based here. Other companies have sold a total of more than one million decks, making the Iraqi cards one of the fastest-selling fad products in history. Just as the Iraqi war showed off the power and speed of America's high-tech weapons, the marketing of the Iraqi cards showed the ability of the Internet and e-mail to promote a product with overwhelming force. Once it was clear that the product would sell, Mr. Brandenberg dashed off e-mail messages to his contacts at other Internet marketing companies. They, in turn, brought in more affiliates. In total, some 1,500 separate companies sold GreatUSA's cards online. Some were better-known companies, like SportsLine .com, and others were tiny operations, like WeLoveTheIraqiInformationMinister .com, an impromptu that was site set up to chronicle the improbable bravado of former Iraqi Information Minister Muhammad Said al-Sahhaf. Since GreatUSA paid these companies only if they made sales, it had enormous reach with almost no marketing expenditure. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/09/technology/09CARD.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 01:19:50 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Radio Left Out of Relaxed Rules By JENNIFER 8. LEE WASHINGTON -- It happened in June, but for much of the media industry it might as well have been Christmas morning last Monday when Michael K. Powell, the Federal Communications Commission's chairman, and two of his Republican colleagues dispensed many of the gifts that had been on industry wish lists. Despite the sweeping deregulation the F.C.C. enacted by a 3-to-2 vote along partisan lines, however, one medium was left out of the celebration: radio. Not only were radio ownership caps left in place, some of the restrictions were effectively tightened. How radio got left out of the party is more a tale of politics than of business. And the story almost exclusively centers on Clear Channel Communications, the company that began rising from obscurity in 1996, when radio ownership caps were raised, to amassing nearly 1,250 stations. As it has grown into the nation's largest radio company, owning more than 10 percent of the commercial stations in the United States, Clear Channel has drawn the wrath of musicians, who accuse it of using its concert division to strong-arm musicians, and the scrutiny of Congress, where many members contend that the company has engaged in anticompetitive practices. Although Clear Channel is widely respected on Wall Street, in Washington good business necessarily means practicing good politics, especially for the media business. Politicians, after all, depend on local media outlets to reach constituents through both advertising and news coverage. And as much as it purports to be independent, the F.C.C. is a political creature, influenced by public opinion and pressure from Capitol Hill. These are fundamentals that Clear Channel evidently grasped too late. The F.C.C. ruling last week will make it much more difficult for Clear Channel to continue its longstanding strategy of growth through station acquisitions. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/09/business/media/09AIR.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 08:57:58 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Man Pushing America to Get on the Internet Faster By MATT RICHTEL SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 3 - The United States, where the Internet was invented, now falls behind Japan, Korea and Canada in deploying high-speed Internet access in homes and businesses. But advocates for quicker transfer of e-mail, Web site content and music files, take note: Peter K. Pitsch is on the case. Mr. Pitsch is a self-described staunch free-market Republican who once served as chief of staff for the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Today, he is the top lobbyist for the Intel Corporation and a coalition of the technology companies in their efforts to press the government for a national policy as crucial to general economic growth -- one that would accelerate the spread of broadband, or high-speed, Internet access. Of course, the technology industry has a particular interest in this issue, aside from wanting to see increased American productivity. It sees much of its future growth connected to the deployment of high-speed access, and the entertainment, music and software that will be able to reach consumers on upgraded networks. The topic of a national broadband policy will be central to discussions held at the annual conference and trade show of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association in Chicago, which ends June 11, with participants including executives like Bill Gates of Microsoft, Richard D. Parsons of AOL Time Warner and Mel Karmazin of Viacom. The industry coalition had a recent success in persuading the F.C.C. to modify its rules so that telecommunications companies will not be forced to lease their high-speed access lines to competitors. But it continues to face a difficult battle to get Congress to grant tax credits to companies building next-generation Internet access networks. For telecommunications companies, making the investment in broadband access is not without risk. The costs for building high-speed networks are enormous, whether through wires on the ground or through wireless networks. Moreover, the companies must market the concept to consumers who are already paying monthly fees for home telephone, cellphone and cable television service and may not want to pay yet more for high-speed access. To mitigate the risk, the industry has turned to the government for help, and Mr. Pitsch has led the charge. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/09/technology/09PETE.html ------------------------------ From: John David Galt Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 00:24:00 -0700 Organization: Diogenes the Cynic Hot-Tubbing Society John Higdon wrote: > Why should taxpayers fund that which benefits subscribers to the cable > service? The network is a condition for allowing the company to do > business in the city. Why should those of us who will have nothing to > do with the cable services subsidize that which enables the services > to those who do? The telephone network the city demands does not "benefit subscribers to the cable service". It is simply another tax on cable ratepayers by the city. ISTR that the US constitution explicitly forbids any state from taxing imports from another state. Since cities are legally part of the state government, that should apply here and cities should be banned from taxing the cable business, period. It's too bad the FCC allows this crap to go on. ------------------------------ From: Joey Lindstrom Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 08:44:16 -0600 Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Reply-To: joey@telussucks.info On Fri, 6 Jun 2003 19:15:45 -0400 (EDT), John Higdon wrote: > In article , Herb Stein > wrote: >> I'd have agree with this statement. I'm not in favor of subsidies >> (welfare) for any reason. But if the "powers that be" see fit to >> provide one, they should be funded by taxpayers and not rate payers. > Why should taxpayers fund that which benefits subscribers to the cable > service? The network is a condition for allowing the company to do > business in the city. Why should those of us who will have nothing to > do with the cable services subsidize that which enables the services > to those who do? From what I've read here, the dispute centres around the city's demands that Comcast build an internal network FOR THE USE OF THE CITY. To me, this doesn't sound like "that which benefits subscribers to the cable service", but rather something that benefits the city, and thus all taxpayers. And, thus, all taxpayers should pay for it. Perhaps you feel Dish Network and DirecTV should be kicking in for this as well? -- Joey Lindstrom ------------------------------ From: Name Withheld by Request Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 11:00:56 -0400 Subject: FYI ONLY - PLEASE DO NOT PUBLISH Patrick: I'm sure you're aware of the problem I'm about to describe here, so I apologize if this is not useful. I just want to be sure you're aware of the problem. Also, this is NOT a complaint. We're all concerned about SPAM and the effect it has on our use of the net. Several weeks ago, I posted a message which wound up in the digest as well as one or two replies. I have 16 domain names and a multitude of addresses. For telecom stuff, I normally use the domain (withheld). The specific address I used for the message is one I have used for several years. No spam to that address. At least not until that message was posted. Within a couple of days, I started getting spam. Now I get spam, porn spam, virus attachments, etc. All because I made the "mistake" of using a non-disposable email address in a posting to the digest. I'm currently in the process of "retiring" the address (withheld) and replacing it with disposable addresses for any situation that might necessitate "public" postings. In other areas of email activity, that has worked very effectively and dropped the amount of spam to zero. Depending on the domain or email arrangement, I either block "retired" email addresses or delete them from the email forwarding arrangement at my registrar which causes an error message to return to the sender. I used to filter all my incoming mail to a junk mail folder. Except, I found it took way too much time to manage the filters and the deletion of all the junk. Now I get almost zero spam and there's nothing to delete. This crap is worse than the telemarketers at dinner time. Have a nice day and thanks for all the work you do on the digest. It's very informative. A reader. ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 08:55:46 -0700 In article , Mark Crispin wrote: > On Fri, 6 Jun 2003, Dave Close wrote: >> Governments should not be able to >> tax anyone who can't vote on the tax. > It happens all the time with property taxes. Some people get to vote for taxes which they don't have to pay. The taxes are known as "property taxes" and the privileged class that gets to vote to have other people pay them is known as "renters". Califor- nia, recognizing this anomaly, requires many taxes to achieve a 2/3 majority to pass. Of course, the tax and spend politicians HATE this. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ From: freespeechstore@aol.com (Freespeechstore) Date: 09 Jun 2003 19:23:41 GMT Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Subject: Beware of Commtech, Inc ... aka Dick Larson Stay clear of the above! They are nothing more than a "middle man/broker" with NO CUSTOMER SERVICE! Go to http://freespeechstore.com for full story. ------------------------------ From: lkoshti@hotmail.com (ARYA AMode) Subject: Questions About a Job Offer From Comcast Date: 9 Jun 2003 17:51:29 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Hi, I got a job offer from Comcast. Does anyone know about stability there, and does anyone reading this work there ? Arya ------------------------------ From: J Kelly Subject: Re: Seeking Web Site of FM Station Listings Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 19:57:19 -0500 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Reply-To: jkelly@newsguy.com On Sun, 8 Jun 2003 09:46:37 -0400, Richard Pitts wrote: > Hi, Mr. Townson, > My name is Sandy. I live in Little Rock, Arkansas. I was surfing the > net, and would like to know -- what is the web address of a listing of > every FM radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas???? http://www.100000watts.com Sadly, this is soon to become a pay site. ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: B101 FM-WBEB Philadelphia Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 01:16:02 -0000 Organization: JustThe.net LLC From Chris Nowinski (bandsherein@yahoo.com): > It's not spam when it is true, accurate, beneficial information the > public needs to see. You need to learn from the real a.i., you need > to chill! Oh, you've gotten me started, Chris. Yes. When you post essentially the same thing many times or crosspost or multipost to several different newsgroups it's spam. I don't think that's your problem, though. I will be blunt with you and tell you that I think that a lot of what I'm hearing from you is sour grapes, and that your topic has been beaten to death and I really think you ought to STFU about it. However, I am the moderator for rec.radio.broadcasting and am sending your posts through because they're at least on-topic for *that* newsgroup, which deals with broadcast radio. But read the name of the newsgroup I am posting my response in. You aren't even close to being on-topic for comp.dcom.telecom, and I don't understand why you're posting here. By doing so you're sticking your opinion in the faces of a bunch of people who probably don't want to hear it. This is a telecomm newsgroup. Most of the stuff posted here has to do with telephony or Internet or data-related services. So ... spam? Not necessarily, but it doesn't belong here. Continue to post in RRB if you wish. Unless you get really nasty with people (ad hominems, flamefests, etc.), I see no reason not to let your posts through to RRB. They're on-topic there. But if I was moderating comp.dcom.telecom, which I'm not, your posts wouldn't even see the light of day in this newsgroup. You'd be told I'm not posting the message due to its off-topicness, and then I'd delete the submission from my inbox. Lisa Minter noted: > did. But one thing the anarchists did who put this system together was > ask politely that you limit your posting to one or two -- maybe even > three as really needed -- newsgroups where your message would reach > the largest audience and do the most good. Since most people read > multiple newsgroups, they will wind up seeing your message many times > in the process. Be more careful in your selection of places to post > your news, thanks. Lisa M.] Thanks, Lisa. That's the point I just made. Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge, JustThe.net POTS: Toll Free from anywhere in the USA or Canada, 888.480.4NET (4638) HTTP: www.JustTheNetLLC.com MAIL: 5686 Davis Drive, Mentor on the Lake, OH 44060-2752 [Two moderators 'talking shop' note: Well Steve, you know I think he is just a young kid and sort of new to Usenet and Internet without any real knowledge/information on netiquette and all that. If it had first got here when I was doing this I probably would have bumped him but he arrived while Patrick was mostly doing this so as a courtesy I let the thread (pitiful little thing, what there was of it) run its course. The problem with cutting off new, inexperienced users Patrick has chosen to cultivate in the past is that he has gotten some good, decent guys started on the net. Consider your predecessor, Goofus MacPeiffer, as Pat says he called him when he was alive. I guess the first three or four posts of Bill's were total crapola, back in the late seventies or early eighties. What newsgroup/digest/web site would YOU have today if Patrick had stomped Bill out of existence back then for being off topic and unworthy? Think about it that way and try to be kind to the newer guys just coming on board. Lisa M] ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: NYC's 911, was Re: 911 Operators Getting Addresses Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 01:37:39 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) writes: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That thinking, of having 911 centers >> as 'regional' or 'countywide' is part of the problem. I know the > Agreed. I once called 911 from one of only two highways in NYC ("The > FDR") and the person handling the call (1) had never heard of the > highway, and (2) demanded a cross street before she would call an > ambulance. Of course, I didn't know the cross street, just which exit > I had passed. They never called an ambulance. Having worked in the NYC 911 system and also being a frequent caller to 911 (and, for that matter, 112), I suspect there's quite a bit being lost here in the telling. First of all, there are quite a few other highways in NYC above and beyond just two. But that being said: Calls to 911 made in NYC from wireline phones are answered by the central NYC PSAP (Public Safety Answering Position - the 911 center), which is e-911 equipped and staffed by civilian police employees. Calls from cellular phones are usually routed to the same PSAP but, depending on which cellular tower they actually hit, may get one of the PSAPs from some suburban areas. If the call reached NYC's PSAP then the call receiving operator should have been quite familiar with the FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt highway) and gotten enough info from the original caller to get a police car and/or ambulance onto the road. (Note that we do NOT have e-911 for cellular calls, and, in fact, often don't even get the correct calling number. That's despite tens of millions in cellular surcharges for that very purpose ...) If the call hit any of the neighboring suburban PSAPs, then they would have similarly recognized that the FDR was in NYC and used their tieline circuit and handed the call off to NYC. The delay would be just a few seconds. Either there was a human failure here, or, just barely possibly, one of those Wierdly Impossible Radio Things [tm] occurred and the cellular call reached a tower 75 miles away across Long Island Sound in Ct., or some similarly distant spot, and the confusion followed. danny " schoolkill river? where's that? " burstein Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 23:30:30 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Nokia GGSN (IP650 Based) DoS Issues @stake Inc. www.atstake.com Security Advisory Advisory Name: Nokia GGSN (IP650 Based) DoS Issues Release Date: 06/09/2003 Application: Nokia GGSN (IP650 Based) Platform: Nokia GGSN (IP650 Based) Severity: An attacker is able to cause GGSN to kernel panic Authors: Ollie Whitehouse [ollie@atstake.com] Joe Grand Brian Hassick Vendor Status: Informed/Fixed CVE Candidate: CAN-2003-0368 Nokia GGSN Kernel Panic Reference: www.atstake.com/research/advisories/2003/a060903-1.txt http://www.atstake.com/research/advisories/2003/a060903-1.txt ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. 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Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #505 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jun 10 16:34:13 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5AKYDl01429; Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:34:13 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:34:13 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306102034.h5AKYDl01429@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #506 TELECOM Digest Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:34:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 506 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Tiny Tracking Chips Surface in Retail Use (Monty Solomon) Challenges Looming for Linux (Monty Solomon) Spam Makes Kids Feel 'Uncomfortable and Offended' (Monty Solomon) A Boost For High-Definition TV (Monty Solomon) Key Acquisitions Put Diller Among Internet Survivors (Monty Solomon) Harnessing the Power of Wireless Devices (Monty Solomon) ABC News and RealNetworks Announce Expanded Relationship (Monty Solomon) TiVo, Gemstar-TV Guide End Court Battle (Monty Solomon) Wi-Fi for Dummies - You Want a Home Wireless Network (Monty Solomon) Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? (John R. Levine) Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? (Daniel W. Johnson) Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? (Paul A Lee) Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? (Fritz Whittington) Re: Questions About a Job Offer From Comcast (John Higdon) Re: Good Calling Card? (John R. Levine) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (John Higdon) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 01:34:38 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Tiny Tracking Chips Surface in Retail Use RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION Retail uses for ID chips surfacing By Chris Gaither, Globe Staff, 6/9/2003 MORGAN HILL, Calif. -- Tom Pounds waved his overflowing grocery basket at the wall and offered a glimpse of our shopping future. The coffee cans, razor blades, and other items in his basket each carried a stowaway -- a tiny chip, the size of a fleck of black pepper, coupled with an antenna. Each emitted a short burst of identifying data that streamed via radio waves to a sensor on the wall. ''These chips have enough smarts in them that they can sort themselves out in a field of others,'' said Pounds, a vice president with Alien Technology Corp., the Morgan Hill-based company that makes them. Within fractions of a second, a computer translated those received signals onto a monitor as images of each product in the basket. The circuit-and-antenna packages that enable this prototype in Alien's office here, 15 miles south of San Jose, are called radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags. More primitive versions of the technology enable some current wireless payment methods like Mobil Speedpass for ringing up gas purchases and Fast Lane, the Massachusetts toll collection system. But the chips are getting smaller all the time, creating visions of one in just about everything. Manufacturers predict that they will one day produce these RFID tags so cheaply that retailers can cost-effectively build them into the packaging of items with low profit margins, like candy bars or toilet paper. In 15 or 20 years, futurists predict, the pervasive RFID tags will link to massive computer networks, enabling speedy checkout from the grocery store, medicine cabinets that tell you when to take pills, and milk cartons that inform your fridge when to add another gallon to the grocery list. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/160/business/Tiny_tracking_chips_surface_in_retail_use+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 01:36:17 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Challenges Looming for Linux Utah firm's suit against IBM could deal a blow to operating system By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff, 6/9/2003 Linus Torvalds, receiver of stolen goods? That's the assertion of a Utah software company whose lawsuit against IBM Corp. threatens to cripple the surging popularity of the Linux operating system. You know Linux, the powerful operating system software that anybody can download off the Internet at no charge. Torvalds is the legendary Finnish-born programmer who developed its kernel -- the core software that handles Linux's most basic functions -- and for whom the software is named. Once scorned as a toy for nerds, Linux is now so powerful and versatile that it can do most of the tasks once reserved for expensive operating systems like Unix. That's why many of the biggest businesses and government agencies in the world use Linux these days, saving billions in the process. But how did Linux so quickly become a viable substitute for Unix? By stealing the necessary know-how, say executives of SCO Group, a small company in Utah that owns rights to Unix. SCO has licensed its Unix to IBM and many other firms. Now SCO is suing IBM, claiming IBM's been taking SCO's intellectual property and plugging it into Linux -- a sort of binary plagiarism. If true, it means that Linux has been transformed from an operating system into a computer virus, one with a particularly nasty payload: lawsuits and licensing fees. Already SCO has warned 1,500 corporations that using Linux could mean a costly trip to the courthouse. Even those who didn't get the warning letters are bound to take heed. Executives will wonder if it isn't time to replace Linux with something a bit less controversial -- a traditional Unix, say, or Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP. And those who haven't made the leap to Linux have just been given a good reason to hold back. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/160/business/Challenges_looming_for_Linux+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 01:08:20 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Spam Makes Kids Feel 'Uncomfortable and Offended' By Tim Richardson Posted: 09/06/2003 at 14:12 GMT More than 80 per cent of kids say they receive "inappropriate" spam every day. So says security software outfit Symantec which found that half of those who took part in its survey felt "uncomfortable and offended" when seeing dodgy emails. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/31103.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 01:38:37 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: A Boost For High-Definition TV By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff, 6/9/2003 CHICAGO -- In a boost for the rollout of high-definition television offerings, 55 million US households are now served by cable television systems offering high-definition channels as part of their programming lineup, according to new figures released yesterday. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, which is kicking off a four-day meeting here, said that as of June 1 cable companies were offering HDTV in 18 of the 20 largest markets, including parts of Greater Boston, and 78 of 100 overall in the United States. HDTV offerings by cable companies have grown by 50 percent in the last five months measured by homes reached, the association said. Greater availability of HDTV through cable connections, instead of through special $200 reception devices that raise the typical $1,500-plus cost of an HDTV set, is seen as a key way for viewership to grow, which could entice networks to expand their high-definition offerings substantially. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/160/business/A_boost_for_high_definition_TV+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 01:49:50 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Key Acquisitions Put Diller Among Internet Survivors Deals for Expedia, LendingTree hint at broad strategy By Leslie Walker, Washington Post, 6/8/2003 Barry Diller may prove Woody Allen was right when he said 90 percent of success is showing up. The onetime Hollywood mogul first got into electronic commerce more than a decade ago, never left, and may end up being one of its biggest successes. It was 1993, soon after he entered the television home-shopping business, that he started extolling the convenience of 'buying underwear in your underwear.' When the real electronic commerce wave arrived on personal computers instead of television, Diller regrouped and started buying Internet ventures. Yet except for his failed $18 billion bid to buy the Lycos Web portal in 1999, Diller has remained largely known as an entertainment and media executive, and his online escapades have attracted little attention. Until now. The Internet industry is finally taking notice of Diller's online empire since his conglomerate, USA Interactive, announced a recent string of takeovers that are transforming it into one of the Internet's superpowers. Diller's moves are part of a consolidation wave gaining speed in the high-tech sector, where start-ups are still struggling to overcome depressed stock prices and an oversupply of goods and services. "We want to be the largest and most profitable e-commerce company utilizing multiple brands," Diller, chief executive of USAI, declared in an interview this week. (Diller is a director of The Washington Post Co.) Diller's recent acquisitions appear to reflect a shift toward more direct forms of commerce online, where new commercial matchmakers that could bypass traditional forms of advertising are catching on. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/159/business/Key_acquisitions_put_Diller_among_Internet_survivors+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 02:40:51 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Harnessing the Power of Wireless Devices By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff, 6/9/2003 As if our cellphones or laptops didn't have enough to do handling our own wireless communications needs, a Florida company wants to put them to work carrying other people's data as well. The US Army has already used the concept on the battlefield in Iraq, and now MeshNetworks Inc. of Maitland, Fla., is bringing the idea to the civilian market -- first for use by police officers and firefighters and someday by all of us. The technology bears the same name as the company. Mesh networking is based on the idea that wireless devices can be made far more powerful and versatile if they're programmed to link up with every other compatible device within range. Then the linked devices act like routers on the Internet. When someone on the mesh makes a phone call or sends an e-mail, the message bounces from point to point on the mesh, from a pocket phone, to a laptop, to another phone in a car, until it reaches a land-based receiver connected to the standard phone network. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/160/business/Harnessing_the_power_of_wireless_devices+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 02:45:21 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: ABC News and RealNetworks Announce Expanded Relationship RealOne to Be the Only Premium Content Subscription Service to Offer ABC News Live; ABC News to Provide Content for Mobile and International RealOne Services CHICAGO and SEATTLE, June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ABC News and RealNetworks(R), Inc. (Nasdaq: RNWK), a global leader in network-delivered digital media, today announced they have expanded the agreement between the two companies. With today's announcement, RealNetworks is the only premium content subscription service to offer ABC News Live, ABC News' 24-hour live news service, which launched in March. In addition to providing ABC News content to RealOne(TM) SuperPass subscribers and supporting premium video news content for ABC News On Demand, ABC News will also collaborate with RealNetworks on new mobile content services. The new agreement also provides for inclusion of ABC News content in new RealOne subscription services in international markets. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34460535 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 02:46:56 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: TiVo, Gemstar-TV Guide End Court Battle By MATTHEW FORDAHL AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Ending a three-year legal spat, TiVo Inc. and Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. on Monday settled their dueling lawsuits over the electronic program guide built into TiVo's digital video recorders. Under the deal, TiVo will license a patent from Gemstar-TV Guide, which in turn will provide some content to TiVo's service. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but both firms said it would not affect their previous financial forecasts. The agreement clears a major obstacle for TiVo, which sells its own recorder as well as its service to cable and satellite set-top makers, which would be reluctant to include legally disputed technology in their offerings, said TiVo spokeswoman Rebecca Baer. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34456503 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 02:58:53 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Wi-Fi for Dummies - You Want a Home Wireless Network You want a home wireless network, but you're afraid it won't work. Here's how to do it right. By Paul Boutin Wireless networking is the best thing to happen to the Internet since the browser, but whoever came up with it should have tested it at home first. The current crop of 802.11 gear (colloquially known as "Wi-Fi," even when that's not technically correct) can reach through a room or two, but many homeowners find it's not enough to cover the entire house and yard. Wi-Fi uses a microwave radio signal to reach through walls, floors, and ceilings, just like a cordless phone. But these obstacles also dampen the signal just as they do with the phone. The advertised range for Wi-Fi is 150 feet indoors and 300 feet outdoors, but in real life it often fails to reach from the kitchen to the living room, or upstairs to the bedroom. Determined to exercise my inalienable right as an American to surf the Web from the swimming pool, I enlisted a Wi-Fi engineer who also owns a sprawling suburban home to make my system work. Our mission: Blanket the entire property with Wi-Fi, using only off-the-shelf consumer hardware and without running more cables. That meant setting up multiple Wi-Fi bases ("access points," as they're called) linked back to a single DSL line. Furthermore, we decided our access points all had to be the same model of hardware, rather than mixing one kind of central base station with different satellite units as we had seen some techie friends do. As a final restriction, our chosen gear had to be mass-market consumer hardware, not something sold to the "enterprise" niche of office IT professionals. That way, we could send homeowners to the mall with only one model of gadget to purchase, one for which they could find ample customer support. They could start with one, then keep adding more of them until they covered the whole house. The only product that met our needs was Apple's AirPort Extreme base station. At $199 for the entry-level model, it's a bit pricier than most other home Wi-Fi bases, but it has all the right stuff for our project: It's sold to the home consumer market. It's designed to serve as home firewall and router as well as wireless access point. Most important, it's the only home consumer base that flaunts its support for the Wireless Distribution System, which knits multiple access points together to act as a single network. An AirPort base plugged into the DSL or cable modem can bridge to up to four additional AirPorts, nearly doubling the network's wireless reach in four directions at once. Even better, the method lets you put an AirPort right in the room with you, rather than trying to beam the connection through a wall. This approach vastly reduces the amount of squirming in your seat required before your laptop will pick up enough signal from the other room. http://slate.msn.com/id/2084046/ ------------------------------ From: johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) Subject: Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? Date: 10 Jun 2003 00:50:59 -0400 Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA > Can anyone point me to where in the law that states that a company > must maintain its own internal "DO NOT CALL" list and not call those > that request to be put on it? Look at the FCC's rules implementing the TCPA at http://www.junkfaxes.com/federal_law.htm You are correct, every telemarketer has to have its own DNC list and to provide you a written copy of their policy on request. >[Lisa Minter Note: Just curious, but why wouldn't your state's 'Do Not >Call' list serve this purpose for you? Belt and suspenders. Also, not all states had DNC lists, one of the reason that Congress directed the FTC and FCC to set up a national one. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 727, Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 330 5711 johnl@iecc.com Village Trustee and Sewer Commissioner http://iecc.com/johnl Member, Provisional board, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail ------------------------------ From: panoptes@iquest.net (Daniel W. Johnson) Subject: Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? Date: 9 Jun 2003 22:30:42 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ kevinale@prontomail.com (Kevin Pro Se) wrote in message news:: > Can anyone point me to where in the law that states that a company > must maintain its own internal "DO NOT CALL" list and not call those > that request to be put on it? Looks like section 227(c), especially 227(c)(1)(A). The rules mentioned are summarized at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tcpa.html : The FCC requires a person or entity placing live telephone solicitations to your home to maintain a record of your request not to receive future telephone solicitations from that person or entity. A record of your do-not-call request must be maintained for ten years. This request should also stop calls from affiliated entities if you would reasonably expect them to be included, given the identification of the caller and the product being advertised. Each time you receive a call from a different person or entity, though, you must request that that person or entity not call you again. Tax-exempt non-profit organizations are not required to keep do-not-call lists. And don't forget http://www.ftc.gov/os/2000/02/telesalesrule16cfr310.htm > I'm suing a company that I've specifically asked to not call me, and I > want to show where the law states that this cannot be done. I'm not > talking about the statewide "DO NOT CALL" lists. You can probably find the full gory details about the FCC rules at http://ftp.fcc.gov/cgb/policy/telemarketing.html . > I've glanced at the TCPA and it seems to assign that specific piece of > legislation to the "Commission" (FCC?). Well, it doesn't explicitly state Federal Communications Commission after section 2, but I think it's clear enough. > [Lisa Minter Note: Just curious, but why wouldn't your state's 'Do Not > Call' list serve this purpose for you? I take it you are suing > because they won't stop calling. Why does it have to be an 'internal' > list for that company if you don't mind me asking. Lisa M.] Maybe his state didn't have such a law at the time in question. Maybe the state law has a loophole not present in the federal law. Maybe the federal penalties are more severe. ------------------------------ From: Paul A Lee Subject: Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 12:03:52 -0400 In TELECOM Digest V22 #504, kevinale@prontomail.com (Kevin Pro Se) wrote (in part): > Can anyone point me to where in the law that states that a company > must maintain its own internal "DO NOT CALL" list and not call those > that request to be put on it? Title 16 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Section 310.4 [16 CFR 310.4] and its references in other subsections of 16 CFR 310. See: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr310_03.html Paul A Lee Voice: +1 717 730-8355 Sr Telecom Engineer [Voice & Transmission] Fax: +1 717 975-3789 Rite Aid Corporation, Telecomm, 30 Hunter Lane, Camp Hill, PA 17011-2410 Tell your senator you support Senate Bill 877 to CAN-SPAM . Find him/her at http://www.senate.gov/. ------------------------------ From: Fritz Whittington Subject: Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:23:35 GMT Organization: AT&T Worldnet Kevin Pro Se wrote: > Can anyone point me to where in the law that states that a company > must maintain its own internal "DO NOT CALL" list and not call those > that request to be put on it? > I'm suing a company that I've specifically asked to not call me, and I > want to show where the law states that this cannot be done. I'm not > talking about the statewide "DO NOT CALL" lists. > I've glanced at the TCPA and it seems to assign that specific piece of > legislation to the "Commission" (FCC?). > Can anyone help? > Thanks! > [Lisa Minter Note: Just curious, but why wouldn't your state's 'Do Not > Call' list serve this purpose for you? I take it you are suing > because they won't stop calling. Why does it have to be an 'internal' > list for that company if you don't mind me asking. Lisa M.] See http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/dncalrt.htm question 16. The actual law quoted: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/47/227.html A more user-friendly explanation of the law is at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tcpa.html ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Questions About a Job Offer From Comcast Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 22:01:25 -0700 In article , lkoshti@hotmail.com (ARYA AMode) wrote: > Hi, > I got a job offer from Comcast. Does anyone know about stability > there, and does anyone reading this work there ? Comcast is the sixth owner of our local cable system. Somehow, that doesn't suggest a lot of stability to me. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ Date: 10 Jun 2003 05:04:29 -0000 From: johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) Subject: Re: Good Calling Card? Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA > Can anyone recommend a calling card that: > 1. WORKS! > 2. Uses CID to avoid the need to enter a PIN from commonly used > phones. > 3. Has good call quality. > 4. Has good int'l rates. > 5. Bills to a credit card. I've been pretty happy with the Cognidial dial-around service from Cognigen which does all those things. For #2 it doesn't use CID, it uses ANI which is better. The call quality is fine, rates aren't rock bottom but are reasonable: 6.9 cpm domestic, 8.3 to Canada, 6.8 to the UK, 6.3 to Madrid (go figure), billed to credit card, no monthly fee, no monthly minimum, no paper bill, call detail on their web site. It includes a somewhat useful inbound service where someone can dial an 800 number followed by your six digit "mailbox" number and it rings on your target number. Change the target number whenever you want on their web site, same 6.9 cpm rate. I point it at my cell phone, very handy at meetings so that friends without cell phones (can you imagine such a thing?) can call me from a payphone. Sign up online at www.cognidial.com Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies", Information Superhighwayman wannabe http://iecc.com/johnl Sewer Commissioner "A book is a sneeze." - E.B. White, on the writing of Charlotte's Web ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 21:59:48 -0700 In article , Joey Lindstrom wrote: > Perhaps you feel Dish Network and DirecTV should be kicking in for > this as well? Since the satellite operators put no stress whatsoever on the city's infrastructure, I give them a pass. DSS companies have no presence in the city. On the other hand, Comcast tears up streets, opens manholes, tromps through backyards, etc. I have no problem with the city making certain demands. That way, when the suckers send their money off to Philadelphia, at least a little of it comes back to the city. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #506 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jun 10 18:11:57 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5AMBvO03248; Tue, 10 Jun 2003 18:11:57 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 18:11:57 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306102211.h5AMBvO03248@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #507 TELECOM Digest Tue, 10 Jun 2003 18:12:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 507 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Telecom Archives Seems to be Better Now (Patrick Townson) Beyond WiFi: Airwaves Used in Creative, Lucrative Ways (Monty Solomon) Microsoft Introduces New Software Platform to Help Cable (Monty Solomon) Industry Leaders Announce Support for Microsoft TV Product (M Solomon) Motorola Revises Financial Guidance for Second Quarter (Monty Solomon) Broadband Internet Subscribers Look For Value, Survey Finds (M Solomon) Ebbers' 'Management Style' May Save Him Yet (Eric Friedebach) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (Seises de Corazones) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (Garrett Wollman) MFC-R2 Signaling Questions (Mike) Re: FYI: Yr E-mail Can Haunt U 4ever (Gail M. Hall) A Reader's Lament About Spam/Worm Attacks on His Address (Gail M. Hall) Re: NYC's 911, was Re: 911 Operators Getting Addresses (Jungle Jim) Outgoing E-mail to FAX (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Re: Good Calling Card? (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Re: Last Laugh! was Re: Comcast Sues San Jose (Paul A Lee) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:00:00 CST From: Patrick Townson Subject: Telecom Archives All Better Now Beginning last Saturday and continuing through yesterday, I reported to you that there were some 'problems' with the telecom-digest.org web pages and their not being readable. That appears to be fixed now. According to my contact at LCS-MIT something was wrong with the 'MIME types' on the web server there. They are supposed to default to 'mail-text' if no specific file suffix instructs otherwise. Somehow, for reasons unknown to me the web server was trying to make 'smart choices' on its own about what to do without specific instructions. That was messing things up. Since 'MIME types' are not my forte these days (most things are not my forte with my deseased brain it seems) I just had to take his word for it. About 2 AM this morning, (while Noah was working at his home on a few things, he got this problem resolved also. For that I say thanks very much. Anyway, feel free to resume using http://telecom-digest.org and all the old reference files and back issues once again. Thanks again, Noah! PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 03:07:25 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Beyond WiFi: Airwaves Used in Creative, Lucrative Ways Beyond WiFi: Airwaves used in creative, lucrative - and unregulated - ways By Sarah Lai Stirland Special to The Seattle Times WASHINGTON - What do camera pills, cordless phones, wireless Internet service providers, a radar that checks highways and a keyless ignition system have in common? Answer: The technologies all rely on the airwaves to work. And they have proliferated, according to a recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report, because entrepreneurs have commercialized their ideas without having to secure licenses that could otherwise limit where, when and how their services can be deployed. As an indicator of how pervasive wireless devices are in our lives, report authors Kenneth Carter, Ahmed Lahjouji and Neal McNeil point to industry figures showing that more than 80 percent of U.S. households own a cordless phone and 41 percent have garage-door openers. The devices use so-called unlicensed wireless technologies, the subject of the report. Unlicensed wireless occupies portions of the airwaves not subject to the same detailed regulation as the spectrum used by the cellphone industry, television broadcasters, satellite services and the government. Companies that make use of the unlicensed bands also never had to pay anyone to use the spectrum. In contrast, wireless-phone carriers shell out millions at auction for renewable licenses that give them exclusive use of other portions of the spectrum. Critics have said this framework for managing the nation's airwaves is inefficient, and the FCC is making another attempt to respond through a series of proceedings designed to overhaul the current system. In addition, the Bush administration last week announced a major one-year initiative to examine how it can improve the way it allocates spectrum to government agencies. While the FCC oversees commercial spectrum use, the administration oversees government-agency spectrum use through the National Telecommunications & Information Administration. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/134937813_wireless090.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 03:22:39 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Microsoft Introduces New Software Platform to Help Cable Microsoft Introduces New Software Platform to Help Cable Operators Get More Value From Digital TV and On-Demand Services - Jun 9, 2003 09:00 AM (PR Newswire) Microsoft TV Foundation Edition Helps MSOs Offer More Services and Better Merchandize Services to Increase Revenues CHICAGO, June 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at The National Show, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's (NCTA's) annual convention, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) unveiled Microsoft(R) TV Foundation Edition, a new digital TV software platform designed to help cable operators get more value from on-demand and other digital TV services using the hardware and network infrastructure they have in place today. Microsoft TV Foundation is a complete end-to-end solution that enables network operators to better package and promote services such as video on demand (VOD), while helping viewers more easily find and use the services with an innovative, built-in interactive program guide (IPG). Operators can create On-Demand Storefronts for video, and offer games and information services including news, weather and sports, bringing new benefits to subscribers. The Microsoft TV Foundation platform scales from today's thin-client set-top boxes to future-generation devices, providing a consistent consumer experience for cable operators to promote services as their digital TV offering evolves. The solution is being demonstrated publicly for the first time at the National Show, in Microsoft Booth 931. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34448714 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 03:24:05 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Industry Leaders Announce Support for Microsoft TV Product Industry Leaders Announce Support for Microsoft TV Product Strategy - Jun 9, 2003 09:00 AM (PR Newswire) Leading Hardware, VOD, Software, Content and Chip Providers Collaborate With Microsoft on Digital TV Software Solutions, Support New Microsoft TV Foundation Edition and Future Products CHICAGO, June 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today announced broad support from leading digital TV suppliers for the new Microsoft(R) TV Foundation Edition software platform and future Microsoft TV products. This support is a key component of Microsoft's value-based strategy of delivering products that maximize the potential of digital television now and in the future for the cable industry. Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT), SeaChange (Nasdaq: SEAC), Concurrent Computer Corp. (Nasdaq: CCUR), MetaTV Inc., Two Way TV Ltd. and Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) Ltd. are working with Microsoft to extend the capabilities of the Microsoft TV Foundation platform. Unveiled today at The National Show, The National Cable & Telecommunications Association's (NCTA's) annual convention, Microsoft TV Foundation is a scalable digital TV software platform designed to help cable network operators get more value from on-demand and other digital television services using the hardware, systems and network infrastructure they have in place today. Microsoft TV Foundation and industry solutions will be demonstrated publicly for the first time in the Microsoft Booth 931. In addition, Sigma Designs Inc. (Nasdaq: SIGM), National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:NSM) and selected application developers are working with Microsoft TV to develop future products and technologies for digital television. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34448705 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 03:26:44 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Motorola Revises Financial Guidance for Second Quarter - Cellular Handset Sales in Asia Lower than Expected Due to SARS and Channel Inventory Building Pressure From Locally Based Manufacturers - Cellular Handset Results in North America, Latin America and Europe Are Meeting Expectations - Semiconductor Product Sales to the Wireless Market Also Affected By These Asian Issues - Semiconductor Products Segment Results Also Impacted By Damage to Facility In Sendai, Japan From 7.0 Rated Earthquake - Other Reportable Business Segments Meeting Expectations in the Second Quarter - Second Quarter Sales Guidance Revised to a Range of $6.0 to $6.2 Billion - Second Quarter Earnings Per Share Guidance, Excluding Special Items, Revised to Approximately Breakeven and On a GAAP Basis to Approximately $.02 - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34447741 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 09:22:18 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Broadband Internet Subscribers Look for Value, Survey Finds BROADBAND INTERNET Subscribers look for value, survey finds More than two-thirds of US broadband Internet subscribers would dump their current provider if they could get similar service for 10 to 15 percent less than they now pay, according to a new survey by Newton-based Strategy Analytics. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/160/business/Sector_Report+.shtml ------------------------------ From: Eric Friedebach Subject: Ebbers' 'Management Style' May Save Him Yet Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 12:35:14 -0500 Organization: Purity Of Essence/Plant Operational Error Reply-To: Eric Friedebach Dan Ackman, 06.10.03, Forbes.com NEW YORK - Ignorance was always part of Bernie Ebbers' shtick. The one-time high-school basketball coach once said, "I'm not an engineer by training. I'm not an accountant by training. My job is to bring in people who do have those specific skills and then rely on them," adding "I'm the coach, I'm not the point guard who shoots the ball." But most coaches at least hang around to watch the game. Whether Ebbers did that much is the subject of two detailed reports into the massive accounting fraud at WorldCom. The two reports show how top executives at WorldCom kept tight control over information while using financial gimmicks and outright fraud in an attempt to disguise the company's eroding prospects and to shore up Ebbers' personal fortune, which was dependent on WorldCom shares -- shares he borrowed $400 million to buy between 2000 and 2002, when the share price was plummeting. It remains unclear if Ebbers had enough specific knowledge to support criminal charges and he remains unindicted. The deceptions, whatever their nature, failed in large part to stop the erosion of WorldCom's share price to below $2. But their exposure ultimately forced the company -- to be rechristened MCI -- into bankruptcy. http://www.forbes.com/2003/06/10/cx_da_0610topnews.html Eric Friedebach ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute From: Seises de Corazones Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 14:27:07 GMT Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net I ordered 200 oxen, but John Higdon sent me this instead: > Some people get to vote for taxes which they don't have to pay. The > taxes are known as "property taxes" and the privileged class that gets > to vote to have other people pay them is known as "renters". Of course, an increase in property taxes is usually passed on in the form of higher rent. > California, recognizing this anomaly, requires many taxes to achieve > a 2/3 majority to pass. A wonderful idea. I think all tax increases should require a 2/3 majority to pass, and all tax cuts should require only a 1/3 minority to pass. > Of course, the tax and spend politicians HATE this. Of course. Ted Rathkopf ------------------------------ From: wollman@lcs.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:38:59 UTC Organization: MIT Laboratory for Computer Science In article , John Higdon wrote: > Some people get to vote for taxes which they don't have to pay. The > taxes are known as "property taxes" and the privileged class that gets > to vote to have other people pay them is known as "renters". Meanwhile, over here in the real world, rental agreements provide for automatic increases should tax or assessment rates rise during the term of the lease. -- Garrett A. Wollman |[G]enes make enzymes, and enzymes control the rates of wollman@lcs.mit.edu |chemical processes. Genes do not make 'novelty- Opinions not those of|seeking' or any other complex and overt behavior. MIT, LCS, CRS, or NSA| - Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The same situation here. I am purchasing this house from my mother (actually paying the mortgage payment each month), and the taxes and insurance are included in the monthly mortgage payment. Once or twice each year the mortgage company 'settles' on the taxes and I am told starting next month the monthly payment will be ... if you do not like it, then abandon the property, etc'. Of course since I am of ancient age and disabled, I get to apply for a refund each year on some percentage of what they call here the 'Homestead Tax'. I do not know all the details, since the clerk at City Hall does the paperwork on it for me. But the idea is the same, some people get to pay their share of the tax through 'rent' increases from time to time. PAT] ------------------------------ From: bsd_mike@hotmail.com (Mike) Subject: MFC-R2 Signaling Questions Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 07:06:54 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I am starting a project which needs MFC-R2. I have found a lot of information on the net about this, but I still am a bit confused. I have noticed there is MFC-R2 Line Signaling Used and MFC-R2 Register signaling. Line signaling seems to be based on the CAS bits, though only two of those bits seem to be used. Register Signaling seems to be tone based. Where is line signaling used? Would this be in a device similar to a channel bank? Where would register signaling be used? Would it be used in a device like a pbx or a switch? Or are the two used hand in hand on all devices? Thanks! Mike ------------------------------ From: Gail M. Hall Subject: Re: FYI: Yr E-Mail Can Haunt U 4ever Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 04:13:47 -0400 Reply-To: gmhall@apk.net On Mon, 9 Jun 2003 00:57:25 -0400, in comp.dcom.telecom message , Monty Solomon wrote: > A word to the unwary: Private missives don't belong on the Internet. > By Bettijane Levine, Times Staff Writer [....] > This month, it's West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise's turn to ponder those > questions. Until a few weeks ago, incumbent Wise was a shoo-in as > Democratic candidate in his state's next gubernatorial election. Now, > members of his own party are suggesting he resign; Republicans are > savoring their improved chances - and Wise, 55, has proved he is > anything but. > The reckless fingers of fate - his own - may have typed him right out > of the governor's office. And his cyber-trail of decidedly unromantic > e-mails to a state employee with whom he may have been romantically > involved are making him something of a literary laughingstock as well. > Wise is alleged to have had a relationship with Angela Mascia-Frye, > 35, of the West Virginia Development Corp. Scary stuff! Yes, "alleged" is the operataive word at this point. How easy is it to forge e-mails? An enemy or several enemies in their offices might find forging such e-mails an easy way to get rid of competition that would be harder to get rid of without such "evidence." At least with telephone conversations, if they are recorded, forensic scientists can do voice analysis to see if the voices on the recording are reasonbly close to the real ones to help verify the allegations. It's possible recordings could be forged, but I think it's easier to forge e-mail messages. Spammers do it all the time! Gail in Ohio USA ------------------------------ From: Gail M. Hall Subject: A Reader's Lament About Spam/Worm Attacks on His Address Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 04:13:48 -0400 Reply-To: gmhall@apk.net On Mon, 09 Jun 2003 11:00:56 -0400, in comp.dcom.telecom message , Name Withheld by Request wrote: > Patrick: > I'm sure you're aware of the problem I'm about to describe here, so I > apologize if this is not useful. I just want to be sure you're aware > of the problem. Also, this is NOT a complaint. We're all concerned > about SPAM and the effect it has on our use of the net. > Several weeks ago, I posted a message which wound up in the digest as > well as one or two replies. I have 16 domain names and a multitude of > addresses. For telecom stuff, I normally use the domain (withheld). > The specific address I used for the message is one I have used for > several years. No spam to that address. At least not until that > message was posted. I can verify this experience. I edited my address just a tad a couple days ago and posted ONE message to this group using that variant. I found that the address was quickly grabbed by someone's infected computer and I got that fake Microsoft update message -- TWO copies! One was to the address I usually use here, and the other was to the new address I had used only ONE time. My little scheme "labeled" it as an address used ONLY when posting to this group. The infected messages apparently came from someone at bellsouth.com, although some of those headers could have been forged. The From: header showed "Microsoft Network Technical Support" . The Path showed a bellsouth.com address. It definitely passed through a server there at some point, though, if I can trust some of the other headers. These came with the subject: Internet Security Pack. The virus checker said it was infected with the virus W32/Gibe-D. Although the Microsoft update message has been widely reported recently, people still fall for it. > Within a couple of days, I started getting spam. Now I get spam, porn > spam, virus attachments, etc. All because I made the "mistake" of > using a non-disposable email address in a posting to the digest. Sadly, it takes only one slip to get attacked. > I'm currently in the process of "retiring" the address (withheld) and > replacing it with disposable addresses for any situation that might > necessitate "public" postings. > In other areas of email activity, that has worked very effectively and > dropped the amount of spam to zero. Depending on the domain or email > arrangement, I either block "retired" email addresses or delete them > from the email forwarding arrangement at my registrar which causes an > error message to return to the sender. Many of the more modern worms can grab addresses from anywhere on a person's computer, not just their e-mail. So if you save usenet messages, it could find them there, too. There is a lot to be said in favor of hiding addresses in usenet groups. Some server software does allow moderators to do that. Gail in Ohio USA [Lisa Minter Note: We could do the same thing here, and force all replies to messages to be routed through the Digest. I have been told by Patrick the reason we do *not* do that on this group is because many guys want to be able to respond to *each other* and not the group as a whole. Most messages do come here, but if two people want to exchange some information or technical specs or whatever, it is not very fair to them to say, 'well it has to come through here', which is what would have to happen of course if no email addresses were given. What I have suggested to Patrick is that since he 'owns' the telecom- digest.org domain and all mail@telecom-digest.org arrives here, (save a very few reserved 'names' which are picked off by John Levine such as postmaster@, list-owner@ and a couple others) that the domain be 'opened' to any of you who wish to use it as a dummy address. In other words, if afraid of spam/privacy violations when writing to the Digest then send your mail here from yourname@telecom-digest.org, but of course get your real name/address embedded in the text using the usual tricks for same, replacing @ with 'at' for example; other techniques which you all know about for fooling the harvesters. All that will happen, as far as I can tell, is the spam assassin here will have to'work harder as spam addressed to yourname@telecom-digest.org starts flowing in. If that's *all* that will happen, that's no big deal; its as easy to zap 500 spams as it is to zap 5 or 10 spams. Any ideas or thoughts on this before we make it an official policy? Lisa M.] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: NYC's 911, was Re: 911 Operators Getting Addresses From: SaveYourBreath@hotmail.com (Jungle Jim) Organization: Daktari Enterprises Inc. Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 13:41:32 GMT Danny Burstein wrote: > Calls to 911 made in NYC from wireline phones are > answered by the central NYC PSAP (Public Safety Answering > Position - the 911 center), which is e-911 equipped > and staffed by civilian police employees. > Calls from cellular phones are usually routed to > the same PSAP but, depending on which cellular > tower they actually hit, may get one of the > PSAPs from some suburban areas. > Either there was a human failure here, or, just barely possibly, one > of those Wierdly Impossible Radio Things [tm] occurred and the > cellular call reached a tower 75 miles away across Long Island Sound > in Ct., or some similarly distant spot, and the confusion followed. In Manhattan a couple of years ago I exited a subway car in which a woman was being harassed by a very scary guy who followed her out at the station I was exiting. On the street he continued to follow and bother her, and I jumped to a phone booth, called 911, and tried to get police to show up at 28th St and Park Avenue. The operator refused to accept this address, said it didn't come up in her computer, and refused to connect me with a supervisor. The woman and the guy following her disappeared while I was on the phone. End result? I have no idea where the operator was located, but it turned out that the official street address was 'Park Avenue South' (which nobody ever uses in the real world) and since it didn't 'come up on the computer' the operator refused to assist me. ------------------------------ Subject: Outgoing E-mail to FAX Organization: Excelsior Computer Services From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 13:51:25 GMT Hi. After an ... er ... altercation with my fax machine that involved the machine not sending my fax and my pulling too much paper out of the feed mechanism, I'm looking for a good (commercial) e-mail to fax service, that will let me e-mail postcript files to some address, and have them delivered as faxes, with the charges billed to my credit card. I stumbled upon faxaway, which will send text messages from e-mail to fax for a reasonable fee, but they won't do PostScript, though, surprisingly, they will do Word and WordPerfect documents. (For those who don't know, with faxaway, you send e-mail to NUMBER@faxaway.com, and faxaway faxes the text to NUMBER.) I'm looking for something like faxaway, but with postscript support. Any suggestions? I don't send a lot of faxes, so anything with monthly fees is a non-starter, but I don't care about paying a few extra cents per page. Many thanks. -Joel ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Good Calling Card? Organization: Excelsior Computer Services From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 13:56:03 GMT > [Lisa Minter note: Joel, what you may need to do with these folks is > trace it or step down through the procedure step by step to find out > where the failure is occuring. Many times when you get into a 'yes it Good advice, but, of course, I tried that. I know how to use the card. The "tech support" people suggested that a phone plugged into the fax would work differently that a phone integrated into the fax, that maybe their system wasn't reading my PIN even though it asked me for a phone number, and other idiotic ideas. One person wasn't sure if she was a supervisor or not ... > you dialed', etc. Try again with the tech, quite literally 'tracing' > it step by step. Compare notes on dialup numbers, passwords, etc and > let us know how it worked out. Lisa M] Keying in a PIN and phone number for a calling card isn't exactly rocket science. There's not a whole lot that can go wrong. In this case, I think AccuLinq has a call timeout, because sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. But I never figured out why. I did, however, manage to damage my fax machine with all the paper going through. See my last message. -Joel ------------------------------ From: Paul A Lee Subject: Re: Last Laugh! was Re: Comcast Sues San Jose Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 12:54:10 -0400 In TELECOM Digest V22 #500, joe@obilivan.net wrote (in part): > Charles Cryderman wrote: >> Lex Luther had it right the first time. A couple of well aimed >> nuclear devices along the San Andreas fault and who cares about >> cable service in San Jose' (Los Angeles and all points between). > Hey, what about us who live in Calyfornia who don't agree with all > that stuff? You simply want to snuff us, no mater what? And Lisa Minter noted: > Isn't Lex Luther the arch-enemy of Superman in the comic books? Chip must've been thinking of the first Superman movie ["Superman: The Movie" (1978)], in which villain Lex Luthor [Gene Hackman] plotted a huge real estate killing. He was buying up dirt-cheap Nevada desert land. Then, he planned to use "a few well-aimed nuclear devices along the San Andreas Fault" to cause California to slide into the ocean, leaving Luthor the owner of all the resulting "beachfront property" in Nevada. Of course, Luthor was based on the East Coast, so he dogmatically hated California, like everyone else in the east ...[?!?!?] (Where did that notion come from, anyhow?) Ob Telecom? Well, Luthor used a phone, and Superman changed in a phone booth, I think ... Paul A Lee Voice: +1 717 730-8355 Sr Telecom Engineer [Voice & Transmission] Fax: +1 717 975-3789 Rite Aid Corporation, Telecomm, 30 Hunter Lane, Camp Hill, PA 17011-2410 Tell your senator you support Senate Bill 877 to CAN-SPAM . Find him/her at http://www.senate.gov/. [Lisa Minter note: The idea of 'dogmatically hating California?' Well my late grandmother used to claim that 'the people in California all drive their cars funny.' When I asked her why, she said 'they speed up and down the expressway and cut in and out of different lanes and don't give proper signals when they do. She also suggested that 'in one of those earthquakes they are always having, some day the entire state of California will break off and float away in the ocean.' Lisa M.] ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #507 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Jun 11 17:39:05 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5BLd5B09249; Wed, 11 Jun 2003 17:39:05 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 17:39:05 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306112139.h5BLd5B09249@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #508 TELECOM Digest Wed, 11 Jun 2003 17:39:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 508 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter High-Speed Internet Growth Slows, FCC Finds (Monty Solomon) Microsoft Announces Commitment to Support Uniform Code (Monty Solomon) Motorola Extends Its Relationship With Broadcom (Monty Solomon) Portable VAIO PC Features PVR Capabilities, Premium Display (M Solomon) ReplayTV Strips Ad Skipping in New DVR Models (Monty Solomon) The Untapped Potential of Caller ID (Monty Solomon) Phone Companies Find Bundles of Joy (Monty Solomon) Comcast Mulls Ultrafast Net Access (Monty Solomon) Build It: Extreme TiVO PC (Monty Solomon) Re: Good Calling Card (Randal Hayes) Photos from the The Seattle Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum (scosu) How to Dial a Phone (Mark Roberts) Calling Card For Toll-Free Numbers (ed) Press Release (Randy Simmons) Re: FYI Only - Please Do Not Publish (J Kelly) Need VOIP Help .. Please (True Jack) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 22:37:13 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: High-Speed Internet Growth Slows, FCC Finds WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - High-speed Internet connections grew 23 percent in the second half of 2002, the U.S. government said Tuesday, as households and businesses signed up for broadband service at a slowing clip. The Federal Communications Commission said 3.7 million new subscribers signed up for broadband between June and December 2002, a rate of growth down from the 27 percent posted in the first half of the year. For the full year, the number of high-speed lines increased by 58 percent. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34470681 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 22:53:04 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Microsoft Announces Commitment to Support Uniform Code Microsoft Announces Commitment to Support Uniform Code Council In Commercialization of RFID Technology Microsoft Will Work Closely With Organization to Develop Standards For Radio Frequency Identification Technology CHICAGO, June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at Retail Systems 2003 Conference & Exposition, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced it will join AutoID Inc., a joint venture of the Uniform Code Council Inc. and EAN International, which will develop and oversee commercial and technical standards for the Electronic Product Code (EPC) Network. Microsoft will work closely with AutoID to take product and item identification to the next level across manufacturing and retail supply chains. Central to fulfilling that mission is radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which combines the benefits of the silicon chip and radio frequencies. The technology has been widely lauded for its potential to provide an unprecedented level of product visibility across the supply chain. If widely adopted, RFID-enabled systems will have the capability to greatly reduce human error from data collection, reduce inventories, improve product availability, identify and reduce loss and waste, and help ensure safety and security. Microsoft's efforts with AutoID will initially focus on the manufacturing and retail supply chains. In the future, Microsoft plans to work with its partners to develop affordable technology and solutions that take advantage of the capabilities of RFID technology to improve efficiencies throughout the value chain. Microsoft has a significant partner ecosystem that includes independent software vendors and systems integrators that deliver solutions built on Microsoft(R) technologies for customers in a variety of industries, including manufacturing and retail. Microsoft anticipates that many of these partners will benefit from the further development of RFID technologies and standards. Microsoft is already a certified In Sync alliance partner of UCCnet Inc., an industry-endorsed initiative to resolve product data inaccuracies among trading partners. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced the Microsoft BizTalk(R) Toolkit for UCCnet, which allows retailers and their suppliers to quickly and cost-effectively connect to UCCnet and helps bring them together with trading partners. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34463941 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 23:05:43 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Motorola Extends Its Relationship With Broadcom Motorola Extends Its Relationship With Broadcom As a Primary Provider of Digital Cable Set-Top Box Technology - Jun 10, 2003 08:03 AM (PR Newswire) Broadcom Will Continue to Provide Innovative Technology to the World's Leading Cable Set-Top Provider IRVINE, Calif., June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), the leading provider of silicon solutions enabling broadband communications, extended its supply agreement with cable set-top market leader, Motorola, Inc (NYSE:MOT) Broadband Communications Sector, to be a primary supplier of chips for Motorola's standard definition and high definition video set-tops through 2004. The relationship will continue to drive next-generation video services for consumers on cable networks such as High-Definition (HD) video programming and Personal Video Recording (PVR), which are incorporated in Motorola's recently introduced DCT6000 product family. Motorola is the world leader in digital cable technology and has shipped more than 26 million digital set-tops and over 2,000 digital headends serving more than 75 million homes. Motorola's diverse digital set-top portfolio has enabled 350 broadband operators worldwide to deliver a range of interactive information and entertainment services to customers' homes in over 1,000 cable systems. These services include video-on-demand, interactive television, and HDTV. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34463330 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 23:07:53 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Portable VAIO PC Features PVR Capabilities, Premium Display SAN DIEGO, June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Think a desktop is the only way to get advanced entertainment functions in a PC? Think again. The new VAIO(R) PCG-GRT190G is Sony's first notebook PC with Giga Pocket(TM) TV tuner and personal video recorder functionality. Users can watch TV in style on the PC's 16.1-inch UXGA display with Sony's new XBRITE(TM) technology. The display technology, exclusive to select Sony notebooks, ensures crisp, vivid TV viewing and DVD playback. With Giga Pocket, users can not only watch live TV but also record their favorite programs to watch later. Using the new notebook's analog inputs, Giga Pocket can also be used to convert personal analog content such as VHS or Hi 8(TM) video tapes to the digital domain for painless editing and DVD creation. Making a DVD is as easy as a single click using Sony's own Click to DVD(TM) software and the unit's dual format DVD+/=RW drive. The notebook's DVD recordable drive allows users to record and play back four of the most popular types of DVD media -- DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R and DVD+RW -- giving them the utmost in flexibility and compatibility with the various DVD playback devices. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34463323 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 23:11:26 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: ReplayTV Strips Ad Skipping in New DVR Models NEW YORK, June 10 (Reuters) - D&M Holdings Inc.(TOKYO:6735) on Tuesday said its new ReplayTV digital television recorder will not include controversial features such as automatically skipping commercials and sharing shows via the Internet. Due in August, the new ReplayTV 5500 series will remove the "Commercial Advance" and "Send Show" options present in models that are currently for sale. Digital video recorders (DVR) save hundreds of hours of TV programs to a hard drive and allow users to pause live TV and instantly replay selected scenes. When ReplayTV in 2001 introduced its 4000 series of DVRs, those services upset major media players such as Viacom Inc. and the TV networks, which sued SONICblue, ReplayTV's previous owner, claiming that the service violated copyrights and robbed them of advertising revenue. All other currently available models will retain the commercial skipping and Internet-sharing features. Competitive products made by TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ:TIVO) and EchoStar Communications Corp.'s (NASDAQ:DISH) Dish Network do not have these features. ReplayTV said the new devices will include updated software that allows users to skip reruns, eliminate programming conflicts and "Pause and Resume," where a viewer can halt a saved program playing on a ReplayTV box in one room, and finish watching that same program on a device in another room. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34469805 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 23:54:53 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Untapped Potential of Caller ID By Paul Rubens Knowing who is phoning you before you answer their call is normal on mobile phones -- but there's much more that could be done with the system when you're at home. If you call anyone from the pub payphone and try to make out that you're stuck in a meeting at work, there's a good bet that you could be rumbled. An increasing number of people are subscribing to caller ID service, which provides the telephone number of the incoming call on their phone line. While most people take for granted that all mobile phones display caller ID information when they ring, far fewer remember that when they call a home phone number the person who answers may already know who is calling, or that the call is coming from a payphone, not an office meeting room. If you subscribe to caller display services offered by phone networks, the information sent down the telephone line before the first ring is actually quite rudimentary - the useful bits being the date, time, and telephone number of the person calling. It can also indicate that the call is from a payphone, is unavailable (perhaps because the call comes from overseas), or that the number has been withheld. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2974820.stm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 23:56:45 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Phone Companies Find Bundles of Joy Packages that combine wireless, Web, and other services could be just what the telecoms need to boost revenues and retain customers Way back in 1998, AT&T introduced its Digital One Rate plan, which promised the same per-minute charge for long-distance and local calls made via cell phone -- and it was a huge financial hit. That year, the plan got credit for a third-quarter increase of 19%, to $1.42 billion, in the revenues of AT&T Wireless, which hadn't yet been spun off from AT&T (T ). The division's subscriber list grew 74% in that quarter alone, to 325,000. "The Digital One rate has turned out to be a home run," Michael Armstrong, AT&T's chairman, said at the time. Within months, it had became the industry's gold standard, with every major phone company following AT&T's lead. But until recently, few carriers had expanded the idea to signing up customers for a wider range of services -- meaning a larger bill every month, but a cheaper rate per individual service. That possibility had been stymied, to some extent, by the phone companies' decision in the late 1990s to spin off their cell-phone operations in order to cash in on the roaring stock market. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2003/tc2003066_8552_tc024.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 00:37:10 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Comcast Mulls Ultrafast Net Access By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff, 6/10/2003 CHICAGO -- Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable television company and the leading provider of high-speed Internet access in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, yesterday said it is taking a serious look at rolling out 100-megabit-per-second broadband service that would be 60 times faster than today's cable modems. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/161/business/Comcast_mulls_ultrafast_Net_access+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 00:47:01 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Build It: Extreme TiVO PC The Living Room PC. That promised land of computing, where our entertainment centers get intelligent, and PCs get super-easy to use. Yeah, right. Although we're not quite there yet, we are getting ever closer to that day when every family member, not just the house's sysadmin (you, probably) can fire up the PC media appliance, access stored music, video, and photos, and record television off the air, cable or from webcasts. Soon we'll be able to see this device as just another component in the rack. The good news is that you can build that appliance today, although you'll still need to do some legwork to make this wonder-box usable by the whole family. In this article we'll give you all the details on how to do it yourself. We make it easy by selecting the best parts, explaining how to integrate them together, and then giving you details on how it all works. In our first PC TiVO story written by Loyd Case last October, called "Roll Your Own TiVO" we built a TiVO PC using state of the art components at the time, and given things do change quite rapidly in the computer sector, we've upgraded certain key elements for this story. Also note that we promised a Part II of our Linux Media Jukebox story that highlights TiVO-like features, and we still owe you that story! But let's roll up our sleeves and get to our latest rendition of building your own TiVO PC. You can navigate this article sequentially, or use the table of contents at the bottom to get where you want to go. http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1121844,00.asp ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 08:52:28 -0500 From: Randal Hayes Subject: Re: Good Calling Card Hi: > [Lisa Minter note: Joel, what you may need to do with these folks is > trace it or step down through the procedure step by step to find out > where the failure is occuring. Many times when you get into a 'yes it > Good advice, but, of course, I tried that. I know how to use the > card. The "tech support" people suggested that a phone plugged into > the fax would work differently that a phone integrated into the fax, > that maybe their system wasn't reading my PIN even though it asked > me for a phone number, and other idiotic ideas. One person wasn't > sure if she was a supervisor or not ... Many, many fax machines do not process digits/tones once a call is connected, so it is quite possible that the "tech support" people were right on track. I've also used fax machines where there is a specific command that will allow a "normal" voice call to be placed, which then does allow the processing of digits/tones after the call connection. Oftentimes, it's a simple trace/step-by-step procedure, as Lisa Minter had mentioned, that will help pinpoint the location of the problem. If you'd have taken her advice rather than coming across somewhat arrogantly and indignantly with "I know how to use the card..." (well obviously not in this case), you'd probably have pinpointed the problem yourself. I've been in this business over 22 years and am managing a fairly large voice operation, and have found that the moment I think I know so much that I don't have to remember the basics or am too advanced to consider simple down-to-earth suggestions to solve problems, the service I provide to my end-user customers suffers ... As such: +Confirm that the card works from a telephone NOT connected via the fax machine. If it works, great..you've eliminated the calling card & provider as the problem. If it doesn't work, report to the provider exactly what happened. +Place a calling card call on the fax machine, checking, step-by-step to see if there is any digit/tone processing activity after the call is connected, etc. If it doesn't work, you've isolated the problem to calls placed from the fax machine. If it does work, GREAT! You've just experienced the mystical, magical "smoke & mirrors" of telecom, in which strange things sometimes occur! +Oh yes, check the fax machine operating manual to see if it provides details about voice calling from the machine, and whether it processes anything after the call connection, and whether it provides a feature that does let you pass digits/tones after the connections. Randy Hayes University of Northern Iowa ------------------------------ From: scosu Subject: Photos From the The Seattle Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 07:01:38 -0700 I am currently enrolled in Bellevue Community College (located just outside of Seattle Washington) in their Wired and Wireless Telecommunications program. As part of our class, we learn and take BICSI, CTP, and 1 other certification over a 5 month period. As part of our education, we took a field trip to the Seattle Vintage Telephone Museum. I brought along my digital camera. I would like to share these pictures with everyone on TELECOM Digest who has shared so much with me over the years. Pictures are posted in our class Yahoo group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wiredless/ Once logged in, select PHOTOS, then TELEPHON. - and you will see the entire gallery of museum photos. For those who do not wish to join, I have created a Yahoo! Login that may be used to access the group. Username: tcdigest Password: phonefriend I hope that this method for viewing these photos is not too inconvenient for anyone. I was totally BLOWN away by the vintage equipment, and was even able to use some of it to complete phone calls!!! If anyone enjoyed the pictures, I would like to hear from them. Scott X. Summers scosu@hotmail.com [Lisa Minter note: Scott, that is really great! I'll bet you get many viewers from our readers in the next few days. But my main question is, would you like to make the pictures available as part of the phone museum web pages I am going to be working on later this summer? If you do, just let me or Patrick know where to pick up the pictures using FTP so they can be moved in here. As our regular readers know, our archives was originally an FTP-only thing many years ago; when the web got started back in the 1990's Patrick put up a telecom web site which unfortunatly defaulted to mostly text stuff, i.e. all the back issues, etc. What I am going to be trying to do this summer is get a bit more 'life' into the web site. While keeping all the text of course, I want to get a lot more pictures and illustrations in. Patrick is currently plugging along on the Western Union Tech Review stuff which are mostly .jpgs of the old printed pages. I hope there will be a TOTAL (for the net) telecom archives as time goes on. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: markrobt@hotmail.com (Mark Roberts) Subject: How to Dial a Phone Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 02:03:24 -0000 Organization: 1.94 meters When I was back in Missouri three months ago, I took some time to go through the microfilms of the weekly newspaper in the small town where my family is from. And I found some gems (I hope) regarding the town's conversion to dial service in 1954, including a couple of newspaper articles before and after the switch, and an ad telling people how an "automatic telephone" should be dialed! Also included is an article about the 1971 switchover of two nearby exchanges from AC 816 to 314, a fairly rare switch for that time. It's at my modest little phone page: http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/etc/phones/ Specific pages: The ad: http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/etc/phones/how-to-dial-index.html Before: http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/etc/phones/centralia-dial-before.html After : http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/etc/phones/centralia-dial-after.html 1971 : http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/etc/phones/changes-1971.html Mark Roberts | "Disney does not sponsor Gay Day, but many of those Oakland, Cal.| who attend will go there." NO HTML MAIL | -- CBS Radio report about Disney World, 6-5-2003 [Lisa Minter note: And the same goes for you Mark. If your files about 'how to dial a telephone' can be moved over to our web site it will make a great addition. Let me know. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:15:57 -0400 From: ed Subject: Calling Card For Toll-Free Numbers On the subject of prepaid calling cards, I've been looking for one that allows calling to toll-free NPA's (800, 888,877, 866, etc.) Why use a calling card and pay for a call to a toll-free number? Privacy! When I call toll-free numbers from my cell phone (Sprint PCS) I do NOT want my number made available to the called parties at toll-free numbers. Even with my CLID blocked, they'll still get my cellular/PCS number via ANI. Ideally, the calling card would have a local number for access (as opposed to a toll-free number) to provide another layer of privacy, since the calling card company wouldn't get your cell phone number. It doesn't really matter what NPA the calling card's access number is in, since most cellular/PCS plans include free long-distance anyway. One IDT prepaid calling card I tried recently allowed calls to toll-free NPA's, but when I bought another of the same type the toll-free NPA's were blocked. I have not yet found a prepaid card that uses local (not toll-free) access *and* allows calls to toll-free NPA's. Does anyone on the list have any suggestions? Is there a market for this? -Ed ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 13:29:42 -0700 From: Randy Simmons Subject: Press Release Organization: Rainbow Software Inc. CONTACT: Robin McCabe Rainbow Software Inc. #1110 13560 Maycrest Way Richmond, BC Canada V6V 2W9 (604)232-1030 or toll-free: (888) 276-2339 www.broadfax.com randys@broadfax.com Award-Winning Rainbow Software Announces a Major New Software Release June 9, 2003 Rainbow Software, Inc., the creators of BroadFax a leading, award-winning software in Fax and E-Mail Communications has released the new BroadFax Pro on June 4, 2003. BroadFax was originally created for high volume faxing with service bureaus in mind. BroadFax Pro brings new features and benefits to the users and administrators of Fax Service Bureaus and large volume senders. Some of the more prominent features include: New SQL database system to handle larger databases and operate faster, scaling from one to thousands of ports Many database and system tools are automated New E-Mail and Fax drivers are V.34 and Jbig compatible Complete E-Mail bounce back (return errors) handling within the list Web Client can be secured using HTTPS security Client Server Communication now uses XML API XML API command structure is open for developers to create their own links to the BroadFax Pro Server Unicus, our Production Send environment is built into the XML API Word based Mail-Merge is available remotely over the internet Seamless integration with the MDX service network, will give users redundancy and least cost routing Improved reporting for regular, as well as billing, reports Coming Soon: Fax to E-mail via DID BroadFax Pro is a movement for Rainbow from the traditional model of broadcasting into an area where integration and customization are crucial says Chem Cohen, president of Rainbow Software. It is also our first serious email broadcasting product for those companies wishing to fax and email using the same proven platform”. Rainbow Software is the creator of BroadFax, a leading and award-winning software in fax and email broadcasting communications. ------------------------------ From: J Kelly Subject: Re: FYI ONLY - PLEASE DO NOT PUBLISH Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 15:56:24 -0500 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Reply-To: jkelly@newsguy.com On Mon, 09 Jun 2003 11:00:56 -0400, Name Withheld by Request wrote: > Several weeks ago, I posted a message which wound up in the digest as > well as one or two replies. I have 16 domain names and a multitude of > addresses. For telecom stuff, I normally use the domain (withheld). Same thing happened here. I emailed Pat something to post, and forgot to change the personality in Eudora, causing my "real" address, the one everyone I want to get mail from has, to be posted in the digest. The deluge of spam happened within 24 hours. That account had previously received almost no spam, now I get several a day. Thankfully, about 80% of them get caught by Brightmail. Now, if I could only convince Newsguy to implement Brightmail I could keep most of the spam out of my "disposable" email account also. ------------------------------ From: truejack@indiainfo.com (True Jack) Subject: Need VOIP Help ... Please Date: 11 Jun 2003 00:43:55 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I need some help on a CISCO VOIP setup? We have two devleopment centers and both of them need to be conncected for VOIP. One of the offices has a CISCO 1751V router with a 2 port FXO card. The other office does not have a CISCO router, but is connected through a Netopia Router, which is not VOIP enabled. Will I be able to use a CISCO ATA card at one end and the CISCO 1751V router at the other end. We do have VOIP compatible PABX at both ends. If so how do I configure my networks at both ends. ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #508 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Jun 11 18:31:44 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5BMVi310194; Wed, 11 Jun 2003 18:31:44 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 18:31:44 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306112231.h5BMVi310194@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #509 TELECOM Digest Wed, 11 Jun 2003 18:30:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 509 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (Dave Garland) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (Neal McLain) Seeking List of 1-700-XXX-XXXX Service Provider (Hernando Villavicencio) CCITT 5 R1 MF signalling (Keith M) Re: Beware of CameraWare - An FBI Sting! (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Re: Court Rejects Wireless Challenge to FCC Ruling ('nuther Bob) MFC-R2 Questions (Mike) Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? (Kevin Pro Se) Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? (Garry W) Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? (Herb Stein) Wireless Access with Laptop (Kenny Brown) Re: Good Calling Card? (J Kelly) Re: Last Laugh! was Re: Comcast Sues San Jose (Dave Close) Phone "Booth" in Superman Movie (was Re: Last Laugh!) (Name Withheld) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Dave Garland Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 00:06:26 -0500 Organization: Wizard Information It was a dark and stormy night when Dave Close wrote: > Governments should not be able to tax anyone who can't vote on the > tax. Corporations would certainly like that. Felons would like that. I'd like that when I visited a different state or municipality and they couldn't charge me sales tax, or income tax for work done there, or franchise taxes, because I didn't live there. Minors with significant incomes would like that. Come to think of it, I've never had an opportunity to vote on the Federal phone taxes (or most other taxes) either. Even if there was an opportunity, someone who became a voter subsequently wouldn't have had the opportunity. The fact is, governments have always taxed, regulated, even conscripted, people who couldn't vote on the issue. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 06:29:20 -0600 From: Neal McLain Reply-To: nmclain@annsgarden.com Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute John Higdon wrote: > In article , Joey Lindstrom > wrote: >> Perhaps you feel Dish Network and DirecTV should be kicking in for >> this as well? > Since the satellite operators put no stress whatsoever on the city's > infrastructure, I give them a pass. DSS companies have no presence in > the city. Satellite operators don't have to provide free PEG access channels, support public-access studio facilities, or pay the city a 5% franchise fee either. Neal McLain nmclain@annsgarden.com ------------------------------ From: hcvillavicenciojr@yahoo.com (Hernando Villavicencio) Subject: Seeking List of 1-700-XXX-XXXX Service Number Providers Date: 11 Jun 2003 13:00:42 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I would appreciate any info on how and where to order service for vanity 1-700-XXX-XXXX numbers. Tried six major interexchange carriers - no luck thus far. Thanks in advance. [Lisa Minter note: I might be (usually am) mistaken but I think 700's are no more. They are 'grandfathered' for the guys who have them and that is all. Is anyone still offering 700 service? Anyone know? Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: kmon@adelphia.net (Keith M) Subject: CCITT 5 R1 MF Signalling Date: 11 Jun 2003 13:49:55 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Hi all, I'm looking for information on how the older CCITT no. 5, R1, MF signalling worked within the US and worldwide. Something that describes step by step how a call would have progressed through the system, local calls, toll calls, inter/intra lata calls, etc. I have some limited background knowledge already, and I'm somewhat familiar with the overall process of inband signalling. I'm looking for a technical document which covers all the details and sort of fills in the gaps. What official specifications describe how this whole process worked? Does the ITU Q.310 - Q.331 describe this? Are they available online? How about the Bell System Technical Journals? Does anyone have specific references? Is there an online index of the journals? My local library does carry the full compliment, AFAIK. Most of the _current_ telco books out there briefly mention older interoffice signalling, but quickly (and understandably) move on to cover in more detail things like cellular and SS7. Can anyone make a book recommendation that have fairly complete coverage of these older systems? Even out of print books? Web sites? :) Thanks in advance. Keith M ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Beware of CameraWare - An FBI Sting! Organization: Excelsior Computer Services From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 14:53:37 GMT > Trust me: if an FBI agent showed up unannounced at my door sans > warrant and asked to look at anything I own, the answer would be a > polite, but firm "no". Somewhat off topic, but if the FBI came to my house as part of an investigation into child pornography, I'd do anything I could to help them. They're welcome to look around, check out my computer, and even help themselves to the contents of the fridge if they want. These people are protecting children from criminals. I'd be happy to help in any small way. -Joel [Lisa Minter note: I came into Patrick's life sort of in the middle of that fiasco (I had known him a little before but got to where I knew him a lot better after that incident. He said he 'sort of' agreed with your basic premise, and that children deserve 'extra protection' because of their youth and their inability to think things through as well as they should. But ... [big! but!] knowing as he does that justice is not always as well blindfolded as she should be and the scales of justice are sometimes a tiny bit top-heavy and not as well- balanced as they should be, innocent people can get nailed on such things. He said the whole distasteful affair left him moody and depressed for a couple days after it was over. He said he let them in as a matter of 'expedience' with what the law would have probably made happen anyway, but he said to me later that he wished he could have been personally courageous enough to tell deal with it differently. It was a bad scene, as have been a few other incidents in Patrick's life. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: Court Rejects Wireless Challenge to FCC Ruling Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 15:06:14 GMT On Sun, 8 Jun 2003 23:56:38 -0700, Mark Crispin wrote: > It's a huge subsidy for businesses put on the back of all > ratepayers, perhaps not as big as the Al Gore tax or the "fund the > Spanish-American war" tax, but it's still an annoyance. Before you blame Al Gore for _all_ of it, go check what Ronald Reagan did with the telco taxes. While you're at it, notice that GWB didn't jump to change any of it. I'm still paying "excise" tax when I buy tires too, it's funny that an "excise" or "luxury" tax is still waged on tires: Like my landline, they are hardly a luxury these days. Oh, have you bought any airline tickets lately ? 'nuff said, Bob ------------------------------ From: bsd_mike@hotmail.com (Mike) Subject: MFC-R2 Questions Date: 11 Jun 2003 12:05:59 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I have noticed there is MFC-R2 Line Signaling and MFC-R2 Register signaling. Line signaling seems to be based on the CAS bits, though only two of those bits seem to be used. Register Signaling seems to be tone based. Where is line signaling used? Would this be in a device similar to a channel bank? Where would register signaling be used? Would it be used in a device like a pbx or a switch? Or are the two used hand in hand on all devices? Thanks you very much. -Mike ------------------------------ From: kevinale@prontomail.com (Kevin Pro Se) Subject: Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? Date: 11 Jun 2003 12:41:57 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ > [Lisa Minter Note: Just curious, but why wouldn't your state's 'Do Not > Call' list serve this purpose for you? I take it you are suing > because they won't stop calling. Why does it have to be an 'internal' > list for that company if you don't mind me asking. Lisa M.] I am not a subsciber to my state's (TX) 'Do Not Call' list. I get an amount of phone calls that are tolerable. I'm one of the few who don't get hopping mad at telemarketers -- I get mad at those that continue to call me after I've asked them to not call me. This is the case here. ------------------------------ From: Garry W Subject: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 12:46:16 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Can anyone point me towards a new inexpensive answering machine that =doesn't= have the call-screening feature, or which allows you to =permanently= turn off the call-screening? I'm getting tired of opening boxes in the store and puzzling out the instruction manuals, only to find out that the manufacturer made their box act just like everybody's else's box. Thanks much, Garry ------------------------------ From: Herb Stein Subject: Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 15:56:22 -0500 Kevin Pro Se wrote in message news:telecom22.504.2@telecom-digest.org: > Can anyone point me to where in the law that states that a company > must maintain its own internal "DO NOT CALL" list and not call those > that request to be put on it? > I'm suing a company that I've specifically asked to not call me, and I > want to show where the law states that this cannot be done. I'm not > talking about the statewide "DO NOT CALL" lists. > I've glanced at the TCPA and it seems to assign that specific piece of > legislation to the "Commission" (FCC?). > Can anyone help? > Thanks! > [Lisa Minter Note: Just curious, but why wouldn't your state's 'Do Not > Call' list serve this purpose for you? I take it you are suing > because they won't stop calling. Why does it have to be an 'internal' > list for that company if you don't mind me asking. Lisa M.] Try http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tcpa.html for more info. Herb Stein The Herb Stein Group www.herbstein.com herb@herbstein.com 314 952-4601 ------------------------------ From: downtown1121@hotmail.com (Kenny Brown) Subject: Wireless Access With Laptop Date: 10 Jun 2003 18:50:53 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I am looking for opinions on a wireless solution for my laptop. I am in the construction industry and need to have internet access while traveling in my car and on location at different job sites. Please let me know if you have had any experience with the major providers and let me know what you think. Thanks, Kenny ------------------------------ From: J Kelly Subject: Re: Good Calling Card? Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:00:06 -0500 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Reply-To: jkelly@newsguy.com On Mon, 09 Jun 2003 19:43:23 GMT, joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) wrote: > I'm looking for a good calling card, mostly for International calling, > but also for occasional domestic calling. I've been mostly satisfied with Onesuite (www.onesuite.com). The problems I have are: 1) sometimes the access number is busy 2) sometimes call quality is poor, and occasionally I get a call with one way audio or with terrible audio. 3) it does not pass CID to the called party, so they don't answer thinking it is a telespammer. On the positive side it is cheap, and you do not have to enter your pin when called from your primary number. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 22:31:19 -0700 From: Dave Close Subject: Re: Last Laugh! was Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Date: 10 Jun 2003 22:25:33 -0700 Organization: Compata, Costa Mesa, California John Higdon writes: >> Lex Luther had it right the first time. A couple of well aimed >> nuclear devices along the San Andreas fault and who cares about >> cable service in San Jose' (Los Angeles and all points between). > Sometimes we think the same thing about much of that which lies east > of the Mississippi. But a big advantage to those of us in California is that the prevailing winds are west to east. Thus a "device" here would also cause problems for those east of us, while a "device" there might not have such a big impact on us. John Higdon had earlier said: > Some people get to vote for taxes which they don't have to pay. The > taxes are known as "property taxes" and the privileged class that gets > to vote to have other people pay them is known as "renters". Califor- > nia, recognizing this anomaly, requires many taxes to achieve a 2/3 > majority to pass. The above is true only if you believe that rents are not influenced in any way by property taxes. The super-majority rule is primarily intended to restrain government spending, not to protect against renters. > Franchise agreements are specifically allowed under Federal > regulation. Obviously the authors of the Communications Act disagree > with you. I do not quibble with the law. My word was "should". As in, governments "should" not be making business decisions. Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA "Whenever you have a secret, dave@compata.com, +1 714 434 7359 you have a vulnerability." dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu -- Whitfield Diffie ------------------------------ From: Name Withheld at User's Request Subject: Phone "Booth" in Superman Movie was Re: Re: Last Laugh! Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 09:15:03 -0400 NOTE TO MODERATOR: PLEASE REMOVE MY E-MAIL ADDRESS FROM THIS POST! THANKS! In TELECOM Digest V22 #507, Paul A Lee wrote (in part): > And Lisa Minter noted: >> Isn't Lex Luther the arch-enemy of Superman in the comic books? > Chip must've been thinking of the first Superman movie ["Superman: The > Movie" (1978)], in which villain Lex Luthor [Gene Hackman] plotted a > huge real estate killing. > Ob Telecom? Well, Luthor used a phone, and Superman changed in a phone > booth, I think ... Actually, the first time Clark Kent (Chris Reeves) changes into Superman! (tm), he trots over to a phone which is no longer (about 1979?) in a booth, but in one of those aluminum shells. He gives it a quick, dirty look, and changes in a revolving door instead. I remember it being very funny at the time. Superman _always_ changed in a phone booth, so what to do when there are no more phone booths? The look on his face was perfect. [Lisa Minter note: They have Superman on television here every night, on Channel 56 TV Land at 3:00 AM -- would you believe the hour? These are the old 1950's (first black and white, then at some point changed into color) episodes with Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olson, the fellow who is the editor of the 'Daily Planet', etc. In all of those, Clark Kent changes into Superman in a storeroom/janitor closet in the Daily Planet building. Very interesting, quaint old stories. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #509 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Jun 11 23:58:11 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5C3wBJ11988; Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:58:11 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:58:11 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306120358.h5C3wBJ11988@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #510 TELECOM Digest Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:58:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 510 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter EchoStar Claims Partial Victory in Court Ruling (Monty Solomon) US FTC Seeks Expanded Authority Over Telecom Firms (Monty Solomon) Comcast Backs Financial Forecasts, Subscriber Targets (Monty Solomon) Columbia House Adds Video Games to Music, Movies (Monty Solomon) Court Finds Echostar's Current Distant Network Procedures (M Solomon) Telefonica Moviles Mexico Deploys Nationwide GSM With Nokia (M Solomon) Sony Electronics; Intel Corporation Unveil Your Digital Destin (Solomon) Nextel, Motorola and Symbol Technologies Offer First Wireless (Solomon) Location-Based Services on Motorola iDEN(R) Mobile Phones Keep (Solomon) Legislator warns FCC on digital TV (Monty Solomon) Yahoo Sets up Spam Roadblock (Monty Solomon) 10-4 on That Wi-Fi, Good Buddy? (Monty Solomon) FTC Seeks Broad Powers to Fight Spam (Monty Solomon) A Handheld Before Its Time (Monty Solomon) 802.11g: It's Official (Monty Solomon) WiMAX Adds Members, Sets Standards (Monty Solomon) The Web, According to Google (Monty Solomon) Re: NYC's 911, was Re: 911 Operators Getting Addresses (Allston Parking) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (David Clayton) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute (John Higdon) Re: Last Laugh! was Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in (John Higdon) Re: Last Laugh! was Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in (Steven J. Sobol) Re: Beware of CameraWare - An FBI Sting! (John Higdon) Re: Beware of CameraWare - An FBI Sting! (Steven J. Sobol) Re: Phone "Booth" in Superman Movie was Re: Last Laugh! (Steven Sobol) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 21:49:47 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EchoStar Claims Partial Victory in Court Ruling NEW YORK, June 11 (Reuters) - EchoStar Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:DISH) on Wednesday said a Florida court rejected an attempt by broadcasters to force the satellite company to terminate all local and "distant network" channels -- channels that do not originate in a user's hometown -- to customers. While the satellite company said in a statement the ruling will force it to "requalify" all of its distant network channel customers, it said less than 10 percent of its customer base could lose certain distant network channels. Broadcasters also claimed partial victory from the ruling. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34487443 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 21:58:16 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: US FTC Seeks Expanded Authority Over Telecom Firms WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday urged Congress to expand the agency's authority over telecommunications companies. In testimony before House and Senate subcommittees, FTC commissioners asked lawmakers to lift a 90-year-old law that exempts much of the industry from scrutiny by the antitrust and consumer protection enforcers at the agency. Commissioners said the exemption was a relic of the days when telephone service was a regulated monopoly. They argued that oversight is needed now that it is a deregulated, competitive industry. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34489743 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:00:23 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Comcast Backs Financial Forecasts, Subscriber Targets CHICAGO, June 11 (Reuters) - Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts on Wednesday stood by the cable television company's full-year financial and subscriber growth forecasts, and said Comcast was on track to deliver free cash flow as early as next year. In May, the country's largest cable service provider raised subscriber expectations and said it planned to add an additional 75,000 to 100,000 new basic video subscribers in 2003, up from flat expectations. It also raised its targets on new high-speed Internet access customers to 1.6 million from a range of 1.3 million to 1.4 million for the full year. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34486668 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:01:18 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Columbia House Adds Video Games to Music, Movies By Ben Berkowitz LOS ANGELES, June 11 (Reuters) - If you weren't yet convinced that video games are mainstream entertainment, then here's your proof: gaming has gone mail order. Columbia House, which counts 11 million people who answer its direct-marketing offers on music and DVDs, on Wednesday said it has begun selling video games for all of the major console platforms to club members. And though the Web site selling games went live with no promotion or notification last Thursday, Columbia House said the response has already been strong. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34486340 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:03:26 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Court Finds Echostar's Current Distant Network Procedures Court Finds Echostar's Current Distant Network Procedures to Be in Compliance with Copyright Laws; No Impact on Local Network Channel Broadcasts for EchoStar Customers LITTLETON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 2003--EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH) is pleased that a Florida court has found that EchoStar's current network channel qualification policies are in substantial compliance with copyright laws. We are also pleased that the court rejected the outrageous attempt by broadcasters to try to force EchoStar to terminate local and distant network channels to all customers. Importantly, the decision today does not impact any DISH Network customers who are receiving their local ABC, NBC, CBS or FOX network channels by satellite. No damages were awarded by the court. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34485997 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:09:22 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Telefonica Moviles Mexico Deploys Nationwide GSM With Nokia HELSINKI, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 2003-- Besides at least 50% of the GSM radio-access network, Nokia will supply the entire GPRS core network. Telefonica Moviles Mexico, a subsidiary of Telefonica Moviles Group, has chosen Nokia to supply at least 50% of the radio-access system for its newly launched nationwide GSM network in Mexico, offering services through its brand name Telefonica MoviStar. In addition, Nokia has been selected to be sole supplier of Telefonica Moviles Mexico's packet core GPRS network. Nokia will be instrumental in Telefonica MoviStar's plans to develop a network in Mexico based on GSM, the world's most mobile and widely used cellular network standard. The network was launched on May 12th. Under the terms of the agreement, Nokia has supplied its UltraSite base stations for GSM 1900, base station controllers and the Nokia NetAct(TM) operations support system (OSS) solution. On the packet core network side (GPRS), Nokia has also delivered the GPRS support nodes (SGSN and GGSN), Nokia Charging Gateway and other connectivity elements. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34479965 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:12:01 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Sony Electronics and Intel Corporation Unveil Your Digital Destiny SAN DIEGO, June 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Electronics and Intel Corporation are hitting the road from June 12-15 to deliver Your Digital Destiny at the Boardwalk Art Show in Norfolk, Virginia. The action-packed Your Digital Destiny tour is the ultimate hands-on experience for technology consumers. The uniquely designed 2,000 square foot mobile showcase incorporates over 160 computing and entertainment devices, including new PCs, handhelds, digital cameras, home theaters and a series of interactive demos. It truly is a rich, interactive opportunity to see, hear and feel how innovative home and mobile technologies are swinging the digital lifestyle doors wide open -- whether it's DVD burning, home networking, playing intense online games, or just catching up with e-mail on the road. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34479941 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:21:38 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Nextel, Motorola and Symbol Technologies Offer First Wireless Bar Nextel, Motorola and Symbol Technologies Offer First Wireless Bar Code Scanner for Mobile Phones - Jun 11, 2003 10:00 AM (BusinessWire) RESTON, Va., PLANTATION, Fla. & HOLTSVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 2003-- Scanning Attachment Works Seamlessly in Conjunction with Nextel's Wireless Packet Data Network Nextel Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTL), Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) and Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:SBL) today announced the availability of the first bar code scanner attachment for mobile phones. The Symbol PSM20i allows mobile workers to use their phones to collect information wirelessly and in real time. This solution combines the accuracy and reliability in laser-based bar code scanning with the extensive voice, data and application capabilities of Nextel's Java(TM) technology-enabled phones from Motorola. Transformed by Nextel's wireless data network into a robust tool for mobile connectivity, the Symbol PSM20i bar code scanner attachment provides workers with the information and business support systems they need to operate efficiently. The bar code scanning attachment works seamlessly in conjunction with Nextel's wireless data service to provide field sales and service personnel with access to and transmission of critical information at their point of activity. In addition, it helps to reduce data entry errors and enables integrated applications for specific industry or business use such as asset management, mobile pick-up and delivery tracking, inventory fulfillment, sales force automation, and supply chain and inventory management. The compact, one-ounce Symbol PSM20i bar code scanning attachment clips directly onto select Motorola iDEN(R) phones for Nextel, including the i88s and the i58sr--two handsets with on-board assisted global positioning system (AGPS) capabilities. When the bar code scanner is attached, Nextel customers simply use the Direct Connect(TM) Push-To-Talk(TM) button, located on the side of every Nextel handset from Motorola, to initiate an instant scan. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34480320 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:25:10 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Location-Based Services on Motorola iDEN(R) Mobile Phones Location-Based Services on Motorola iDEN(R) Mobile Phones Keep Nextel Customers Connected, Productive and On Track - Jun 11, 2003 10:00 AM (PR Newswire) Applications Transform Motorola's iDEN Mobile Phones Into Portable Navigation Systems PLANTATION, Fla. and RESTON, Va., June 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) and Nextel Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTL) today announced several location-based services, ranging from voice-enabled driving directions to asset tracking solutions, that can now turn Motorola's GPS (global positioning satellite)-enabled iDEN(R) mobile phones into sophisticated workforce management and navigational devices for Nextel customers. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34480290 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:44:01 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Legislator Warns FCC on Digital TV By Declan McCullagh Staff Writer, CNET News.com WASHINGTON--A key legislator in the House of Representatives warned Tuesday that copy protection used in the transition from analog to digital television broadcasts must protect Americans' "fair use" rights. In a carefully worded speech, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing copyright law, said that future Federal Communications Commission regulations involving digital TV should not "have an adverse affect on how consumers may legitimately use lawfully acquired entertainment products." Smith also signaled his firm opposition to a bill introduced last year by Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., which would implant mandatory copy-protection technology in PCs and consumer electronics devices. "I am skeptical of government mandates on the technology industry ... Until evidence shows otherwise, I believe existing copyright law is adequate," Smith told a one-day conference organized by the Progress and Freedom Foundation. Smith called for greater disciplinary action against peer-to-peer pirates at universities, saying that research showed 16 percent of the files available on Kazaa are located at schools and universities. "It's unlikely that this amount of file-sharing activity is in furtherance of class assignments," Smith said. http://news.com.com/2100-1028-1015469.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:57:17 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Yahoo Sets up Spam Roadblock By Paul Festa Staff Writer, CNET News.com In an attempt to block spammers, Yahoo has put into action a controversial technique to help its e-mail service distinguish between human beings and junk-mail-sending software robots. The Internet giant's introduction last month of challenge-response technology to its Web-based mail service is not the first time the company has used the technique, which sets the sender a task that computers can't easily perform, as a way to tell whether the sender is a person or a computer. For some time now, people registering for a Yahoo ID are required to type a series of camouflaged characters in order to thwart computerized registrations. But in recent weeks, people using Yahoo Mail have found themselves asked to type in camouflaged letters before they can send an e-mail message, in an "image verification" method. Yahoo's introduction of the system follows recent moves by Internet service providers AOL, Microsoft's MSN and EarthLink to elevate their efforts against spammers and to advertise their antispam campaigns as a competitive advantage. The company said its spam-blocking method differed from those of its competitors because it targets the use of its service to send junk mail out, rather than targeting unsolicited mail on its way into members' in-boxes. http://news.com.com/2100-1032-1015247.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:58:59 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: 10-4 on That Wi-Fi, Good Buddy? By Ben Charny Staff Writer, CNET News.com Wi-Fi wireless networking is rolling into a lot more truck stops. In one of the largest projects of its kind, Knoxville, Tenn.-based IdleAire Technologies, a maker of in-cab gadgets for trucks, is installing Wi-Fi hot spots in 200 truck stops in 35 states, the company announced Tuesday. The IdleAire plan is a sign of just how pervasive Wi-Fi is in the United States. Millions of homes and offices with broadband connections already use the networking equipment, which creates 300-foot zones in which laptops can wirelessly connect to the Web or to an office network. http://news.com.com/2100-1039-1015303.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:03:10 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: FTC Seeks Broad Powers to Fight Spam By Declan McCullagh Staff Writer, CNET News.com The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday is expected to ask Congress for sweeping new powers that would let it cooperate closely with other governments and prosecute domestic and overseas spammers more readily. A 13-page proposal drafted by the FTC would turn the agency's investigators into virtual spam cops, granting them the power to serve secret requests for subscriber information on Internet service providers, peruse FBI criminal databases and swap sensitive information with foreign law enforcement agencies. The proposed legislation, titled the International Consumer Protection Enforcement Act (ICPEA) and obtained by CNET News.com, spotlights the tension between the long-standing privacy rights of Internet users and the recent push in Washington to enact strong laws targeting the most extreme spammers. Civil libertarians already are alarmed at the ICPEA draft, saying it does not contain sufficient checks and balances, and would unreasonably curb the Freedom of Information Act. http://news.com.com/2100-1028-1015517.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:07:35 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: A Handheld Before Its Time Ten O'Clock Tech A Handheld Before Its Time Paul Maidment, 06.11.03, 10:00 AM ET NEW YORK - Prime time isn't ready for Palm's new Wi-Fi-enabled top-end handheld, the Tungsten C. We've been carrying it around for several weeks and have to report we are surprisingly frustrated by it. It shouldn't be so. The machine is Palm's most powerful handheld to date. It has a more powerful processor than some laptops. Wi-Fi technology (802.11b) is built in and works well, even with virtual private networks common in companies. The color screen is a high-resolution 320 pixels by 320 pixels. Nor does the machine lack for memory (a nominal 64 megabytes of RAM) or expansion capabilities. It comes with Palm's (nasdaq: PALM - news - people ) newest operating system and stacks of apps. It also passed the teenager cool test, at least on first blush. Our unscientific survey of 15-year-old New Yorkers (a sample of one, it should be admitted) elicited the initial comment "Wow" on seeing the sleek, silver device and learning of its Wi-Fi capabilities. That enthusiasm subsided, though, as an immediate search for an instant-message application proved futile and subsequent Web browsing turned into a distracting and seemingly endless exercise in scrolling. http://www.forbes.com/2003/06/11/cx_pm_0611tentech.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:10:35 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: 802.11g: It's Official By Eric Griffith The final specification for 802.11g should be a done deal by this time Thursday. This is on target with projections from earlier this year for a June approval. 802.11g is the high speed (54Mbps) wireless networking technology that is backward compatible with the slower 802.11b that is just about everywhere. Both run in the 2.5GHz radio frequency band. 802.11g extends the OSI Model Physical Layer (PHY) of 802.11b from 11Mbps using DSSS modulation to 54Mbps using OFDM (define) modulation. Despite not being finalized until this week, 802.11g products have been shipping since late 2002. Final ratification will take place tomorrow during a meeting of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (define) Standards Board Review Committee. Just today, that group's Revision Subcommittee also signed off on 11g. Last week, in an e-mail ballot, the 802 Executive Committee also signed off on 802.11g. That group oversees all the 802/networking related Working Groups, everything from Ethernet (802.3) to Bluetooth/PANs (802.15.1) to Wi-Fi (802.11). http://www.80211-planet.com/news/article.php/2220701 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:12:12 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: WiMAX Adds Members, Sets Standards By Eric Griffith The WiMAX Forum , the non-profit corporation that will be promoting the 802.16a wireless broadband standard, this week announced that it is adding 18 new members. Among the companies joining the group are Andrew Corporation, Atheros, China Motion Technologies, Compliance Certification Services, LCC International, News IQ, Powerwave Technologies, Redline Communications, RF Integration, RF Magic, SiWave, SiWorks, SR Telecom, Stratex Networks, TowerStream, TurboConcept, Wavesat Wireless and Winova Wireless. They join existing members Airspan Networks, Alvarion, Aperto Networks, Ensemble Communications, Fujitsu, Intel, OFDM Forum, Nokia, Proxim and Wi-LAN. WiMAX (short for "Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access") Forum is to 802.16 what the Wi-Fi Alliances is to 802.11 LANs. That is, it's a group made up of representatives from companies using the 802.16 technology in products, devoted to not only spreading the gospel of wireless (in this case, wireless metropolitan area networks, or WirelessMAN) but also setting standards for and testing for interoperability between products to make sure everything works together. WirelessMAN will likely be used primarily as backhaul connections to the Internet for everything from homes to hotspots, as well as for straight network bridging connections between locations. http://www.80211-planet.com/news/article.php/2219961 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:21:02 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Web, According to Google SPECIAL REPORT: THE SOCIAL WEB It's becoming the dominant way to search the Net, and that worries critics who see problems with its privacy practices and ranking methods http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2003/tc20030610_2810_tc104.htm ------------------------------ From: AllstonParkingRefugee@hotmail.com (Allston Parking Refugee) Subject: Re: NYC's 911, was Re: 911 Operators Getting Addresses Date: 11 Jun 2003 15:22:33 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Danny Burstein wrote: > First of all, there are quite a few other highways in NYC above and > beyond just two. I think he meant Manhattan, where the count is more-or-less two if you ignore the Trans-Manhattan Expressway. > But that being said: > Calls to 911 made in NYC from wireline phones are > answered by the central NYC PSAP (Public Safety Answering > Position - the 911 center), which is e-911 equipped > and staffed by civilian police employees. See David Greenberger's post in nyc.transit about a 911 call he made on the Henry Hudson Parkway. A similar thing happened -- the operator demanded a cross-street and wouldn't accept a reference to the next and previous exits (and didn't know anything about New York State tenth-mile markers). -Apr ------------------------------ From: David Clayton Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 10:53:44 +1000 Organization: Customer of Connect.com.au Pty. Ltd. Joey Lindstrom contributed the following: > From what I've read here, the dispute centres around the city's > demands that Comcast build an internal network FOR THE USE OF THE > CITY. To me, this doesn't sound like "that which benefits subscribers > to the cable service", but rather something that benefits the city, > and thus all taxpayers. And, thus, all taxpayers should pay for it. > Perhaps you feel Dish Network and DirecTV should be kicking in for > this as well? Just as an aside on this, do the phone/cable companies in the US pay rent for the public infrastructure they use? In Australia some local councils are charging the Pay TV companies for "rent" in using poles located on public land to string up their cables. Their argument is that the companies are using public space for private profit, so they want a share of it. Regards, David Clayton, e-mail: dcstar@XYZ.acslink.net.au Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. (Remove the "XYZ." to reply) Dilbert's words of wisdom #18: Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Jose in Franchise Dispute Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 18:08:25 -0700 In article , Neal McLain wrote: > Satellite operators don't have to provide free PEG access channels, > support public-access studio facilities, or pay the city a 5% > franchise fee either. Nor should they. They don't block streets, tromp through flower beds in the backyard, put ugly green enclosures on parkways, or do any of the other obnoxious things the cable company does. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Last Laugh! was Re: Comcast Sues San Jose Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 18:11:03 -0700 In article , Dave Close wrote: > John Higdon had earlier said: >> Some people get to vote for taxes which they don't have to pay. The >> taxes are known as "property taxes" and the privileged class that gets >> to vote to have other people pay them is known as "renters". Califor- >> nia, recognizing this anomaly, requires many taxes to achieve a 2/3 >> majority to pass. > The above is true only if you believe that rents are not influenced in > any way by property taxes. The super-majority rule is primarily > intended to restrain government spending, not to protect against > renters. Actually ... it is for both. I've never heard of renters voting "no" on any property tax measure ... especially when they have "rent control". John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: Last Laugh! was Re: Comcast Sues San Jose Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 01:28:24 -0000 Organization: JustThe.net LLC From Dave Close (dave@compata.com): > John Higdon writes: >>> Lex Luther had it right the first time. A couple of well aimed >>> nuclear devices along the San Andreas fault and who cares about >>> cable service in San Jose' (Los Angeles and all points between). >> Sometimes we think the same thing about much of that which lies east >> of the Mississippi. > But a big advantage to those of us in California is that the prevailing > winds are west to east. Thus a "device" here would also cause problems > for those east of us, while a "device" there might not have such a big > impact on us. I'm moving to the High Desert. I'll be right on top of San Andreas. I'm pretty sure I would NOT enjoy the scenario described here, regardless of prevailing winds. :p Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge, JustThe.net POTS: Toll Free from anywhere in the USA or Canada, 888.480.4NET (4638) HTTP: www.JustTheNetLLC.com MAIL: 5686 Davis Drive, Mentor on the Lake, OH 44060-2752 ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Beware of CameraWare - An FBI Sting! Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 18:06:46 -0700 In article , joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) wrote: >> Trust me: if an FBI agent showed up unannounced at my door sans >> warrant and asked to look at anything I own, the answer would be a >> polite, but firm "no". > Somewhat off topic, but if the FBI came to my house as part of an > investigation into child pornography, I'd do anything I could to help > them. They're welcome to look around, check out my computer, and even > help themselves to the contents of the fridge if they want. These > people are protecting children from criminals. I'd be happy to help > in any small way. So, how would you feel if they came in, looked around, and found evidence for activity you didn't even know was against the law? You know, once you give them permission to snoop, they are not limited to finding things pertaining to the case at hand. Yes, I know you wouldn't have anything that would even be remotely considered illegal. If you are an attorney, that's great. If not, allowing any law enforcement agency to go shopping for evidence in your private possessions is really risky...even if it is "for the children". Frankly, I fail to see how letting the police snoop through your private world helps children, but that's another issue. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: Beware of CameraWare - An FBI Sting! Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 01:26:41 -0000 Organization: JustThe.net LLC From Dr. Joel M. Hoffman (joel@exc.com): >> Trust me: if an FBI agent showed up unannounced at my door sans >> warrant and asked to look at anything I own, the answer would be a >> polite, but firm "no". > Somewhat off topic, but if the FBI came to my house as part of an > investigation into child pornography, I'd do anything I could to help > them. They're welcome to look around, check out my computer, and even > help themselves to the contents of the fridge if they want. These > people are protecting children from criminals. I'd be happy to help > in any small way. Me too, but I still wouldn't let them in without a warrant. (Editor's note) > justice is not always as well blindfolded as she should be and the > scales of justice are sometimes a tiny bit top-heavy and not as well- > balanced as they should be, innocent people can get nailed on such > things. Definitely. Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge, JustThe.net POTS: Toll Free from anywhere in the USA or Canada, 888.480.4NET (4638) HTTP: www.JustTheNetLLC.com MAIL: 5686 Davis Drive, Mentor on the Lake, OH 44060-2752 ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: Phone "Booth" in Superman Movie was Re: Last Laugh! Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 01:29:30 -0000 Organization: JustThe.net LLC From Name Withheld at User's Request, Editor noted this: > Actually, the first time Clark Kent (Chris Reeves) changes into ObPedant: Chris Reeve. George ReeveS with an S was in the TV show. Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge, JustThe.net POTS: Toll Free from anywhere in the USA or Canada, 888.480.4NET (4638) HTTP: www.JustTheNetLLC.com MAIL: 5686 Davis Drive, Mentor on the Lake, OH 44060-2752 ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #510 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jun 12 13:57:09 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5CHv9i15640; Thu, 12 Jun 2003 13:57:09 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 13:57:09 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306121757.h5CHv9i15640@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #511 TELECOM Digest Thu, 12 Jun 2003 13:57:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 511 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Pole Rental Fees (was: Comcast Sues San Jose) (Neal McLain) The Net: Now, Folks Can't Live Without It (Monty Solomon) Wi-Fi Handhelds? Not for the Footloose (Monty Solomon) Pioneer Electronics Licenses TiVo Technology (Monty Solomon) Re: Seeking List 1-700-XXX-XXXX Service Number Providers (Linc Madison) Question About Roaming/Un-roaming on Sprint PCS (Linc Madison) Re: CCITT 5 R1 MF Signalling (Kenneth P. Stox) Re: Comcast Sues San Jose (Charles Cryderman) Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? (Gary Breuckman) Re: Photos From The Seattle Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum (Joseph) Re: Calling Card For Toll-Free Numbers (Joseph) Last Laugh! Psycho Telemarketers: Buy or Die! (J Kelly) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 10:45:50 -0600 From: Neal McLain Reply-To: nmclain@annsgarden.com Organization: Ann's Garden Subject: Pole Rental Fees (was: Comcast Sues San Jose) David Clayton wrote: > Just as an aside on this, do the phone/cable companies in the > US pay rent for the public infrastructure they use? > In Australia some local councils are charging the Pay TV > companies for "rent" in using poles located on public land to > string up their cables. > Their argument is that the companies are using public space > for private profit, so they want a share of it. I'll attempt to answer this question as it relates to the cable television industry. I'll leave it for some other reader to discuss phone companies. In the United States, cable television companies placing facilities on utility poles must pay for two separate rights: THE RIGHT TO PHYSICALLY ATTACH THE FACILITIES TO THE POLES. Most poles are owned by privately-owned public utilities (power or telephone companies), although some are owned by government agencies. Pole rental charges imposed by privately-owned public utilities are regulated by the FCC according to a complicated formula that takes into consideration the amount of pole space actually occupied. Typical rates are in the $5 to $10 per pole per year range. Rates charged by government-owned utilities are not regulated, and vary from zero on federal military bases to over $20 per pole per year in some particularly greedy municipalities. THE RIGHT TO PLACE THE FACILITIES IN THE AIRSPACE ABOVE THE UNDERLYING LAND. This amount depends on the ownership of the land and the easements thereon, if any. Possibilities include: - Public utility easement on privately-owned land. In this case, there is no charge, assuming the cable company can enforce its right to use the easement. Cable television companies have a federal right (under the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984) to use any "compatible" easement; however, this provision has been the subject of much litigation. - Privately-owned land without an easement. In this case, the cable company has no government-mandated rights, so it must negotiate directly with the landowner. In my experience, most landowners will usually grant an easement at minimal (or no) charge, provided that the cable company assumes all construction and restoration costs, and that it is fully insured against possible damage. But one obstinate landowner can block an entire project. - LFA-owned right-of-way. In this case, the franchise agreement between the cable company and the LFA (local franchising authority) governs. Most LFAs are municipal or township governments, but in some states, county governments serve as LFAs in unincorporated territory. Most franchise agreements specify one or more of the following types of compensation: Franchise fee: Typically 5% of gross revenue on all audio and video services (which equates to 5.26% of net). At the moment, internet access fees are not subject to franchise fees; however, this issue is under litigation in the courts. PEG (public, educational, and government) access channels: free use of channel capacity for public, educational, and government entities. Some franchise agreements also require the cable company to provide technical facilities (modulators, connecting infrastructure) in addition to the channel capacity. Cable companies are prohibited by federal law from exercising editorial control over PEG channels. Support for public access: this amount varies according to franchise requirements. Some agreements have no requirements, while others have fairly minimal requirements (such as play a VHS tape once a week). In larger communities, franchise agreements may require full-equipped color studios with production facilities and full-time personnel. Public assess channels have been the source of much controversy, partly because of the quality of the programming (the very term "public access" has acquired a derogatory connotation) and partly because of the cost (every subscriber has to subsidize it). Institutional network: this is a separate dedicated network for use by government. The pros and cons of I-nets have been thoroughly hashed over here lately, so I won't comment further. - State-owned right-of-way. States governments usually own the land under designated state and federal highways, although some designated highways actually occupy municipally-owned land, particularly in larger municipalities. Assuming that the land is actually owned by the state government, there's usually no charge for placing cables overhead. But there are excruciatingly-detailed safety, traffic-control, and insurance requirements, so using state land is definitely not "free." In states I'm familiar with, the responsible state agencies don't even require that the cable company have a franchise with the LFA. Thus, it's possible for a cable company to run a cable through a municipality (carefully following state-owned highways) without a franchise agreement in order to reach another community beyond. - Railroads. In this case, the cable company has no government-mandated rights, so it must negotiate directly with the railroad company. Railroad companies are keenly aware of the value of their right-of-way, and they operate in a virtually unregulated market. The rental fee frequently exceeds $2.00 per foot per year, so many a cable network is actually designed as two networks connected by a single railroad crossing. Neal McLain nmclain@annsgarden.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:24:36 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Net: Now, Folks Can't Live Without It SPECIAL REPORT: THE SOCIAL WEB The Net: Now, Folks Can't Live Without It Every year, millions more people around the world use the Internet to interact in more ways than ever before, incorporating it into all corners of their lives. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2003/tc20030610_7159_tc104.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:50:08 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Wi-Fi Handhelds? Not for the Footloose Wi-Fi Handhelds? Not for the Footloose If you're staying within a single network, a handheld has advantages. But if you want to roam, a phone-based PDA is a better bet. When the first Palm (PALM ) appeared seven years ago, the ability to exchange data just by popping your handheld in a cradle and hitting a button seemed miraculous. But that isn't enough anymore -- at least not for many mobile workers who need to keep key information up to date even when they're nowhere near their PCs. So handhelds are going wireless. The question is, what's the best wireless technology? http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_24/b3837025.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 09:14:26 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Pioneer Electronics Licenses TiVo Technology Future Pioneer Products Being Developed to Deliver TiVo Service LONG BEACH, Calif. and SAN JOSE, Calif., June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., a leader in the development and manufacturing of home electronics technology, today announced its license agreement with TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), a creator of television services for digital video recording. Pioneer becomes the latest licensee of the TiVo digital video recorder (DVR) service. Pioneer is currently working with TiVo in the development of products that will be available later this year. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34493830 ------------------------------ From: Linc Madison Subject: Re: Seeking List of 1-700-XXX-XXXX Service Number Providers Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 03:49:05 -0700 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises In article , Hernando Villavicencio wrote: > I would appreciate any info on how and where to order service for > vanity 1-700-XXX-XXXX numbers. Tried six major interexchange > carriers - no luck thus far. Thanks in advance. > [Lisa Minter note: I might be (usually am) mistaken but I think 700's > are no more. They are 'grandfathered' for the guys who have them and > that is all. Is anyone still offering 700 service? Anyone know? > Lisa M.] I haven't seen a 700 number advertised in quite a while. The important thing to remember about 700 numbers is that, unless by coincidence you are pre-subscribed with the same long-distance company, you must dial 101xxxx-1-700-xxx-xxxx, since each IXC owns the entire 700 numbering space. The FCC has pretty much driven out the IXCs that for some years used 1-700-xxx-xxxx as a way of forcing a call within the same NPA and LATA to go on the IXC instead of the LEC. I don't know of any IXCs that still use this workaround, since it is no longer necessary with intra-LATA carrier selection. The other use of 700 numbers was mostly for porno chat lines, but they've moved on to other number ranges that don't require dialing so many digits, and that also don't have the same consumer protections. About the only thing left is 1-700-555-4141 (or sometimes a different 1-700-555-xxxx, especially if your carrier is a reseller rather than a true facilities-based carrier) to verify your carrier preselection. For what purpose do you want to have a 700 number? Depending on what you want to do with it, you'd probably be better served with a toll-free 8YY (800, 888, etc.) or a 900 number or maybe a 500 number, although 500 numbers are an endangered species, too. If you do decide to go for a 500 number, you have to find the carrier for the specific NXX you want, since 500 numbers are not portable. [Lisa Minter note: Prompted by Linc's message above, I just now used a telephone at Patrick's place to try 700-555-4141 to try and find out a bit more about Prairie Stream, his service provider. The recorded message I got said "Forty seven dee ... thank you for subscribing to Global Crossing network. You may now make long distance calls using Global Crossing. Forty-seven dee". Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Linc Madison Subject: Question about Roaming/Un-roaming on Sprint PCS Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 04:03:12 -0700 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises The other day, I was driving on I-5 in far northern California, returning from Oregon to San Francisco. My cellphone is a Samsung SCH-3500 on Sprint PCS, and Sprint has a major gap in coverage between Ashland OR and Redding CA. Since I was expecting an important incoming call, I put the phone into "Automatic" roaming mode, which can roam on analog or digital networks. There was a stretch around Dunsmuir where I couldn't even get a signal on any compatible roaming network, but then I picked up an analog signal and locked onto it. The part that got me wondering the most, though, was when I got into Redding. I was into the city of Redding itself, which has good coverage on the Sprint PCS network. However, the phone stayed locked onto the analog roaming signal, even though there was no inbound or outbound activity. I finally had to switch the phone back to Sprint-only mode to get it to re-test for a signal; it then promptly latched onto a solid signal and registered with the system, picking up a voicemail that had been left earlier when I was off the air. So my question is, if a cellphone is in standby mode and has locked onto a roaming signal, what is the protocol for trying again to lock onto the preferred carrier? I would guess that I was in roaming mode in Sprint coverage territory for at least about 10 minutes without ever detecting that I could and should switch back to the Sprint network. I could understand that the phone would stick with the analog roaming carrier if I had a call in progress, but it seems like it should be a bit more diligent about detecting that it no longer needs to roam. ------------------------------ From: Kenneth P. Stox Subject: Re: CCITT 5 R1 MF Signalling Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 09:40:53 -0500 Keith M wrote: > Hi all, > I'm looking for information on how the older CCITT no. 5, R1, MF > signalling worked within the US and worldwide. Something that > describes step by step how a call would have progressed through the > system, local calls, toll calls, inter/intra lata calls, etc. I have > some limited background knowledge already, and I'm somewhat familiar > with the overall process of inband signalling. I'm looking for a > technical document which covers all the details and sort of fills in > the gaps > What official specifications describe how this whole process worked? > Does the ITU Q.310 - Q.331 describe this? Are they available online? > How about the Bell System Technical Journals? Does anyone have > specific references? Is there an online index of the journals? My > local library does carry the full compliment, AFAIK. > Most of the _current_ telco books out there briefly mention older > interoffice signalling, but quickly (and understandably) move on to > cover in more detail things like cellular and SS7. > Can anyone make a book recommendation that have fairly complete > coverage of these older systems? Even out of print books? If memory serves correct, a copy of "Engineering and Operations in the Bell System" would document this. I have no idea where you can find one these days, though. I think it was last published in 1983, just prior to divestiture. Do be aware that there were other inband systems, such as R2 and modified R2, which were/are in wide use outside of the US. ------------------------------ From: Charles Cryderman Subject: Re: Comcast Sues San Joes Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 11:26:52 -0400 Dave Close quoted John Higdon: > Some people get to vote for taxes which they don't have to pay. The > taxes are known as "property taxes" and the privileged class that > gets to vote to have other people pay them is known as > "renters". California, recognizing this anomaly, requires many taxes > to achieve a 2/3 majority to pass. And Dave replied with: > The above is true only if you believe that rents are not influenced > in any way by property taxes. The super-majority rule is primarily > intended to restrain government spending, not to protect against > renters. Here is Michigan Renters are able to deduct a portion of their rent off their state taxes to compensate for paying them. Mostly it is based on total income but then most renters tend to be making less and that is why they rent. You are also able to deduct them off your federal taxes. You just need to know what amount of your rent goes toward taxes. I think the law requires that your landlord must provide that information upon request. Chip Cryderman ------------------------------ From: Gary Breuckman Subject: Re: Internal Company "Do Not Call" Laws? Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:47:30 -0500 Organization: Puma's Lair - catbox.com Kevin Pro Se wrote in message news:telecom22.504.2@telecom-digest.org: > Can anyone point me to where in the law that states that a company must > maintain its own internal "DO NOT CALL" list and not call those that > request to be put on it? Registration for the new nationwide Do Not Call list starts July 1, however the old law was called the "Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991. Info is at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tcpa.html Gary Breuckman ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: Photos From the The Seattle Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 20:46:22 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: joeofseattle@yahoo.com On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 07:01:38 -0700, scosu wrote: > I would like to share these pictures with everyone on TELECOM Digest who > has shared so much with me over the years. > Pictures are posted in our class Yahoo group, > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wiredless/ > Once logged in, select PHOTOS, then TELEPHON. - and you will see the > entire gallery of museum photos. One thing you failed to mention is that you cannot get into the group unless you subscribe to the group. It is not open to the general public. Replies are seldom read. Please reply in the group. [Lisa Minter note: One thing scosu may like to is allow us here at the Digest to copy his photos for the archives. Maybe scosu or some other reader already enrolled in that group would be so kind as to pick up the pictures and tell me or Patrick where to get them. I personally have a Yahoo account: lisa_minter@yahoo.com. Anyone? Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: Calling Card For Toll-Free Numbers Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 20:33:58 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: joeofseattle@yahoo.com On Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:15:57 -0400, ed wrote: > On the subject of prepaid calling cards, I've been looking for one that > allows calling to toll-free NPA's (800, 888,877, 866, etc.) > Why use a calling card and pay for a call to a toll-free number? > Privacy! When I call toll-free numbers from my cell phone (Sprint > PCS) I do NOT want my number made available to the called parties at > toll-free numbers. Even with my CLID blocked, they'll still get my > cellular/PCS number via ANI. > Ideally, the calling card would have a local number for access (as > opposed to a toll-free number) to provide another layer of privacy, > since the calling card company wouldn't get your cell phone number. > It doesn't really matter what NPA the calling card's access number is > in, since most cellular/PCS plans include free long-distance anyway. > One IDT prepaid calling card I tried recently allowed calls to > toll-free NPA's, but when I bought another of the same type the > toll-free NPA's were blocked. I have not yet found a prepaid card > that uses local (not toll-free) access *and* allows calls to toll-free > NPA's. Does anyone on the list have any suggestions? Is there a > market for this? There's a good reason why you can't block your ANI. The toll-free customer is paying for the call so they should be able to know who made the charge to their account. Replies are seldom read. Please reply in the group. [Lisa Minter note: What Joseph says is very true. The one who is paying the bill gets to know what is going on, and to the extent it is technically possible for telco to do so, ANI is delivered on those calls to 'caller ID display boxes'. As has been pointed out here in the past, when telco is frustrated in its goal of providing ANI, then *some* number is handed to the recipient (or person paying for the call). But I can understand Ed frustration also; with some calls, no matter *who* is actually paying (especially in the cases where it is done 'routinely' such as calls to utility services or mail order places) you still have good reasons for the person on the other end to know who is calling. So what does Ed (or other guys) do in that case? I myself would suggest don't fool around with calling cards in that case; just use one or more loop arounds. Some of the phreak newsgroups have published them from time to time. Call into the loop around, get dial tone and dial the desired 800 number. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: J Kelly Subject: Last Laugh! Psycho Telemarketers: Buy or Die! Date: 12 Jun 2003 08:30:08 -0700 Organization: Newsguy News Service [http://newsguy.com] Qwest had to fire a Utah telemarketing firm this week after a telemarketer promoting the company's DSL services threatened a couple's life. http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~26430~1449927,00.html ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #511 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Jun 13 12:59:05 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5DGx4M21291; Fri, 13 Jun 2003 12:59:05 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 12:59:05 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306131659.h5DGx4M21291@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #512 TELECOM Digest Fri, 13 Jun 2003 12:59:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 512 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Comcast Looks to Internet For Financial Health (Monty Solomon) Pioneer Electronics Licenses Tivo Service (Monty Solomon) 3G Handsets Unfit for Consumers, Operators Say (Monty Solomon) DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Spam Crisis (Monty Solomon) Re: The Net: Now, Folks Can't Live Without It (Monty Solomon) Gohsuke Takama: Report on Privacy Enhancing Technologies (Monty Solomon) Recent Spam-Related Articles From Politech (Monty Solomon) Intrinsically Safe Cell Phone? (Paul Hebert) Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers (Chuck Marson) Re: List of 1-700-XXX-XXXX Service Number Providers (Hern Villavicencio) Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? (David) Re: Last Laugh! Psycho Telemarketers: Buy or Die! (joe@obilivan.net) Re: Photos From Seattle Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum (Scosu) Re: Photos From Seattle Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum (David Esan) Free ISP That Allows Direct Dialup? (Mike) Re: List of 1-700-XXX-XXXX Service Number Providers (Steve Crow) Re: Good Calling Card? (Ray & Rita Normandeau) Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? (Ray&Rita Normandeau) Re: CCITT 5 R1 MF Signalling (Alan Fowler) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 23:55:27 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Comcast Looks to Internet For Financial Health By Kenneth Li NEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) - Amid an industry wracked by severe video subscriber defections to satellite broadcast services, Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ:CMCSA), the largest U.S. cable operator, said it is not looking over its shoulders. Comcast is banking its financial health on selling lucrative high-speed Internet access subscriptions, which has proceeded at a brisk pace despite the rate cuts from competitive telephone industry services. But what Comcast CEO Brian Roberts really cares about is the $2 billion in cash flow he hopes to extract from simply upgrading the recently acquired cable properties quicker and running them more efficiently. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34502565 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 23:57:23 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Pioneer Electronics Licenses Tivo Service NEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) - Pioneer Electronics said on Thursday it licensed Tivo Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TIVO) digital video recording technology for use in consumer entertainment products it plans to release later this year. Terms were not disclosed. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34499057 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 23:58:05 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: 3G Handsets Unfit for Consumers, Operators Say By Lucas van Grinsven, European Technology Correspondent AMSTERDAM, June 12 (Reuters) - Third-generation (3G) mobile phones offering fast Internet access should be kept from European stores as they are unreliable, expensive, bulky and offer too limited services, mobile operators said on Thursday. 3G phones are already being sold by Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa <0013.HK> and Telekom Austria in Britain, Italy and Austria. But established European operators from Sweden, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Britain all insisted the 3G phones they were testing were unfit for consumers. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34498690 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 23:59:24 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis - Company Introduces Policy, Research, Education and Technology Initatives - NEW YORK, June 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DoubleClick Inc. (Nasdaq: DCLK), the leading provider of marketing tools for advertisers, direct marketers and web publishers, today announced that it unveiled a series of major anti-Spam initiatives. These initiatives are designed to help legitimate marketers and the email marketing industry better understand and leverage policy, research, education, and technology, in the fight against Spam, and to further differentiate legitimate marketing communications from Spam. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34497826 [Lisa Minter note: Seeing an article here where DoubleClick (I consider them a scourge, one of the worst offenders with their tricky ways of implanting cookies on a hard drive) is calling other forms of advertising on the net 'Spam' is really amazing. What is the difference between 'Spam' and what DoubleClick is doing? So Mister Pot is calling Mister Kettle black ... I wish a plague on both their houses! Is there any reader here who does not have a hard drive full of spy-cookies from DoubleClick? All of it is a damned offense on what little decent stuff remains on the net. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 00:07:20 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Re: The Net: Now, Folks Can't Live Without It Here is the correct URI > JUNE 10, 2003 > SPECIAL REPORT: THE SOCIAL WEB > The Net: Now, Folks Can't Live Without It > Every year, millions more people around the world use the Internet to > interact in more ways than ever before, incorporating it into all > corners of their lives > http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2003/tc20030610_7159_tc104.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 09:03:20 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Gohsuke Takama: Report on Privacy Enhancing Technologies http://www.politechbot.com/p-04846.html Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 02:11:03 -0400 From: Declan McCullagh Subject: FC: Gohsuke Takama: Report on privacy enhancing technologies Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 07:32:49 -0700 To: declan@well.com From: gt@twics.com (Gohsuke Takama) X-Sender: metaa@tkm.att.ne.jp Subject: Report on privacy and PETs now available on the web Hi Declan, As you might remember, I've been working with a project of research on international privacy and privacy enhancing technologies for last 8 months. the final report is now available in PDF files at the following URL. I believe this report would be useful for many of Politech readers. http://joi.ito.com/joiwiki/PrivacyReport The report covered Canada, USA and Europe, with a help of many privacy expert possibilly on Politech (many thanks!). It has both English and Japanese section. total 12MB for 400+ pages. Cheers, Gohsuke Takama ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 09:08:04 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Recent Spam-Related Articles From Politech Interscan blocks musician's email due to use of "whore" Wed, 11 Jun 2003 00:45:40 -0400 (EDT) http://www.politechbot.com/p-04831.html BusinessWeek: "Spam -- the inevitable result of capitalism?" Thu, 12 Jun 2003 02:11:45 -0400 (EDT) http://www.politechbot.com/p-04841.html Is Spamcop selling its soul (and users' privacy) to top bidder? Thu, 12 Jun 2003 02:21:58 -0400 (EDT) http://www.politechbot.com/p-04842.html New anti-spam bill from Christian Coalition, Sen. Chuck Schumer Thu, 12 Jun 2003 23:06:58 -0400 (EDT) http://www.politechbot.com/p-04843.html Hexamail's Finn Johansen on how to filter naughty words Fri, 13 Jun 2003 01:34:27 -0400 (EDT) http://www.politechbot.com/p-04848.html Another request for help: Translations of anti-spam laws Fri, 13 Jun 2003 04:42:09 -0400 (EDT) http://www.politechbot.com/p-04849.html ------------------------------ Date: 13 Jun 2003 10:07:45 -0400 From: Paul Hebert Subject: Intrinsically Safe Cell Phone? Our facilities group is asking for an intrinsically safe cell phone so the security guard can walk through hazardous areas (chemical manufacturing) on his watch. Is anyone familiar with such a device? Do you know what other companies do in cases like this to keep their security people in communication while on their appointed rounds? Paul Hebert Telecom Supervisor MARKEM Corporation Keene, NH 03431 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 10:56:09 -0700 From: Chuck Marson Subject: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers Question: is it possible to identify (and therefore sue) a junk faxer from the 800 number of the originating fax? The phone companies just give me the runaround when I ask this. The junk faxers are very careful in their text to conceal their identity, but once in a while they forget to blank out the number of the originating fax machine on the top line of the fax. I save those. I assume the opt-out 800 numbers are inoperable or made indirect somehow, but that would be hard to do with the originating fax. Does anyone know how to ID those 800 numbers? I'd love to sue these guys ... Charles Marson San Francisco, CA cmarson@well.com ------------------------------ From: hcvillavicenciojr@yahoo.com (Hernando Villavicencio) Subject: Re: Seeking List of 1-700-XXX-XXXX Service Number Providers Date: 12 Jun 2003 17:17:04 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Could not find the specific vanity nos. that we wanted in the 8XX toll free and 900 ranges. Decided to explore 700 nos. as a last resort ... Linc Madison wrote in message news:: > In article , Hernando Villavicencio > wrote: >> I would appreciate any info on how and where to order service for >> vanity 1-700-XXX-XXXX numbers. Tried six major interexchange >> carriers - no luck thus far. Thanks in advance. >> [Lisa Minter note: I might be (usually am) mistaken but I think 700's >> are no more. They are 'grandfathered' for the guys who have them and >> that is all. Is anyone still offering 700 service? Anyone know? >> Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: David Subject: Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? Organization: AT&T Broadband Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 00:30:19 GMT If by call screening you mean that you hear the incoming message as it is being recorded, almost all machines allow you to turn down the playback volume to zero, so that you don't hear anything while recording. But maybe I don't understand your question. What do YOU mean by call screening? The ATT model 1718 is only $20.00 at Staples, and has all the features you might want and works great. However, it is EXTREMELY difficult to program. If you have someone who can help you set it up, it's easy to work. David On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 12:46:16 -0700, Garry W wrote: > Can anyone point me towards a new inexpensive answering machine that > =doesn't= have the call-screening feature, or which allows you to > =permanently= turn off the call-screening? > I'm getting tired of opening boxes in the store and puzzling out the > instruction manuals, only to find out that the manufacturer made their > box act just like everybody's else's box. ------------------------------ From: joe@obilivan.net Subject: Re: Last Laugh! Psycho Telemarketers: Buy or Die! Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 18:36:24 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications J Kelly wrote: > Qwest had to fire a Utah telemarketing firm this week after a > telemarketer promoting the company's DSL services threatened a > couple's life. > http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~26430~1449927,00.html Is it the last laugh? Or, will this psycho, now fired, low-life seek out these poor folks and perhaps harass them or worse try to do them in? Telemarketing is fundamentally a scourge on the landscape and should be summarily dispatched to oblivion. The fact an operating LEC uses such scum doesn't say a lot positive about the LEC. In this ever-leaner, ever-more-aggressive society of ours, it seems the telephone may have outlived its usefulness unless the LECs offer answer-only-from-this-list-of-numbers with an access code override. ------------------------------ From: Scosu Subject: Re: Photos From The Seattle Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 11:22:09 -0700 When I sent the original - I INCLUDED an account that everyone could use. Your Yahoo! ID: tcdigest Password: phonefriend EVERYONE is welcome to use the above Yahoo! ID for checking out the pictures. All of the pictures can be clicked on to blow up to screen, and FULL size. I actually MISSED the orginal printing of my post. Thank goodness for the archives. Scosu scosu@hotmail.com ------------------------------ From: david_esan@hotmail.com (David Esan) Subject: Re: Photos From the The Seattle Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum Date: 13 Jun 2003 07:15:54 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Joseph wrote in message news:: > On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 07:01:38 -0700, scosu wrote: >> I would like to share these pictures with everyone on TELECOM Digest who >> has shared so much with me over the years. >> Pictures are posted in our class Yahoo group, >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wiredless/ >> Once logged in, select PHOTOS, then TELEPHON. - and you will see the >> entire gallery of museum photos. > One thing you failed to mention is that you cannot get into the group > unless you subscribe to the group. It is not open to the general > public. Please re-read the inital article. scosu provided a login and password so that we could get in. And it works -- I just tried it. ------------------------------ From: wpalco124@techie.com (Mike) Subject: Free ISP That Allows Direct Dialup? Date: 12 Jun 2003 10:42:16 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Hi all, Does anyone know of a free ISP that allows you to dial in directly like a regular dialup ISP? I just aquired an older handheld computer that only does dialup/POP. Email isn't required. Thanks for the help! Michael [Lisa Minter note: Where you are located will make a big difference in how 'free' it turns out to be, when you consider telephone toll charges. If you were around Chicago, I've been told by Patrick that Randy Seuss' Chinet is a wonderful thing to be part of. And a few years ago there were some very good public access Unix sites around the USA, all for free, or mostly. Are any of those still operating or did they all get burned out, spam-ridden, etc? At one point someone was making a monthly Usenet posting listing them all, and the technical specs to use them. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Steve Crow Subject: Re: Seeking List of 1-700-XXX-XXXX Service Number Providers Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 23:13:05 -0400 Organization: Newshosting.com - Highest quality at a great price! 700 numbers are still common within larger companies. My company uses 700 numbers, provided by Sprint, as an easy way to reach stores, warehouses, and repair centers. If I know the location number, ie 01-1234, I can dial 1-700-4xx-xxxx, where xx-xxxx is the 6-digit store/warehouse/facility number. Likewise, we can do 1-700-3xx-xxxx to send a fax. Wal-Mart has the same type of system in place, for the same purpose. That system is provided by AT&T. In both cases, the 700 number just forwards to a standard, local line. I don't know whether the carrier is directly responsible for issuing the numbers, or if there is some type of interface provided to the individual company for maintenance of those numbers. Those numbers can only be reached from company phone lines. Steve Linc Madison wrote in message news:telecom22.511.5@telecom-digest.org: > In article , Hernando Villavicencio > wrote: >> I would appreciate any info on how and where to order service for >> vanity 1-700-XXX-XXXX numbers. Tried six major interexchange >> carriers - no luck thus far. Thanks in advance. >> [Lisa Minter note: I might be (usually am) mistaken but I think 700's >> are no more. They are 'grandfathered' for the guys who have them and >> that is all. Is anyone still offering 700 service? Anyone know? >> Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: SAGactors@yahoo.com (Ray&Rita Normandeau) Subject: Re: Good Calling Card? Date: 12 Jun 2003 21:40:32 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ J Kelly wrote in message news:: > On Mon, 09 Jun 2003 19:43:23 GMT, joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) > wrote: >> I'm looking for a good calling card, mostly for International calling, >> but also for occasional domestic calling. > I've been mostly satisfied with Onesuite (www.onesuite.com). The > problems I have are: You can use an 800 number or local access number. I am in NYC and have to pay for each outgoing call so I use the 800 number. I do not get problems mentioned. You CAN generate PIN numbers for others to use and cancel them at will. From YOUR END You can set up someone else's phone to NOT need a PIN. I thusly gave a newly moved relative free LD service for a while. You prepay on the net via credit card. So ... if you give PINS to someone else, or set up their home phone for service, they can not abuse the account. And now my plug for Long Distance at 2.9 cents per minute no other fee see: https://www.onesuite.com/ Promotion Code 034720367 and we both get free minutes. ------------------------------ From: SAGactors@yahoo.com (Ray&Rita Normandeau) Subject: Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? Date: 12 Jun 2003 21:53:03 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Garry W wrote in message news:: > Can anyone point me towards a new inexpensive answering machine that > =doesn't= have the call-screening feature, or which allows you to > =permanently= turn off the call-screening? We turn the volume down to ZERO when we go to bed and turn off phone ringers. That way we don't hear the call screening. Not hearing it is like not having it. We also have some old Murata's on some lines where OGM can be turned off, but these are not NEW machines. We can also set to announce only, not screen and not take messages. Or best of all turn them off and they do nothing. For Long Distance at 2.9 cents per minute no other fee see: https://www.onesuite.com/ Promotion Code 034720367 ------------------------------ From: amfowler@melbpc.org.au (Alan Fowler) Subject: Re: CCITT 5 R1 MF Signalling Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 07:16:00 GMT Organization: Whitethorn Software kmon@adelphia.net (Keith M) wrote: > I'm looking for information on how the older CCITT no. 5, R1, MF > signalling worked within the US and worldwide. Something that > describes step by step how a call would have progressed through the > system, local calls, toll calls, inter/intra lata calls, etc. I have > some limited background knowledge already, and I'm somewhat familiar > with the overall process of inband signalling. I'm looking for a > technical document which covers all the details and sort of fills in > the gaps. > What official specifications describe how this whole process worked? > Does the ITU Q.310 - Q.331 describe this? Are they available online? Go to http://www.itu.int/home/index.html and have a search. Copies can be downloaded (for money if you want a lot, I think they still allow up to three FREE per year) Anyway, go look at the site, then e-mail them if you cannot find what you want. I've always found them helpful. > How about the Bell System Technical Journals? Does anyone have > specific references? Is there an online index of the journals? My > local library does carry the full compliment, AFAIK. > Most of the _current_ telco books out there briefly mention older > interoffice signalling, but quickly (and understandably) move on to > cover in more detail things like cellular and SS7. > Can anyone make a book recommendation that have fairly complete > coverage of these older systems? Even out of print books? > Web sites? :) > Thanks in advance. > Keith M ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #512 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Jun 13 23:31:46 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5E3VjG24017; Fri, 13 Jun 2003 23:31:46 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 23:31:46 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306140331.h5E3VjG24017@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #513 TELECOM Digest Fri, 13 Jun 2003 23:32:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 513 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter MCI Horror Service Story (Ian) Allegiance Telecom - Comments? (T.) Familiar With Limitations of Ancient Toshiba Strata Switch (A Jones) Re: Free ISP That Allows Direct Dialup? (Dave Garland) Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis (Warren) Re: Intrinsically Safe Cell Phone? (Dale Farmer) Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers (Gail M. Hall) Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers (John R. Levine) Siemens C25 IMEI (elektr_new@yahoo.com) Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? (Thomas A. Horsley) Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? (Garry W) Netscape, NY Attorney General Settle on Software Issue (Monty Solomon) Linksys Wireless-G Products to Conform to IEEE 802.11 (Monty Solomon) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ian@jardine.net (Ian) Subject: MCI Horror Service Story Date: 13 Jun 2003 10:09:11 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I have tenants in a house in NJ who are transfering to Dallas late June. They currently have telephone "service" in NJ, from MCI Neighborhood/Priority. The tenant called them up early this week to advise MCI to terminate the account on June 26th 2003 (the day they leave for Dallas). MCI has immediately disconnected the service and there is no dial tone (no cellphones work in this are). So a mother and 3 small kids have no ability to make even emergency phone 911 calls or communicate and the husband is in Dallas already 6 days out of 7. Calls have been made to MCI who immediately say "How can we give you outstanding service". Since Wednesday their reaction is "well the disconnect isn't yet complete and we can't start the reconnect yet, and it will be up to 72 hours ( a rolling 72 hours each day it seems) before a dial tone is back. Also we have no cellphone service at MCI so we have no other way to help. We apologize. We can however have someone call you back to update you in around 24 hours (I wonder what phone number they want to call?). So MCI made a huge error and a young wife and 3 very small children have no means of telephone communications and no ability to make any emergency calls should there be a need and MCI offer no way to help" Yes I know that Verizon owns the POTS line and this complicates things, but it's a cautionary story that when you deal with MCI and they MESS UP, by disconnecting, they cannot recitfy the situation for in less than one week and have no motivation to offer innovative ways to compensate for their error. And the user has no way to recify the situation. IMHO don't ever deal with MCI. They don't truly care about their customers. ------------------------------ From: T. Subject: Allegiance Telecom - Comments? Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy! - Test our service with our FREE trial at https://www.easynews.com/trial/trial.phtml Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 19:37:26 GMT I googled for comments on Allegiance and found a few from more then a year ago. Given that things in this biz change so rapidly, I must ask. Allegiance is offering a good deal on a full data T-1; a couple hundered less than I'm paying now for Frac 768k T-1. I would appreciate comments on service, uptime, personal experience, ect. Anything anyone can provide me to see if this is actually a good deal. After all, it's not always just about the monthly bill. ;-) Thanks. -T. ------------------------------ From: ajones@panoramaortho.com (Andrew Jones) Subject: Limitations of the Ancient Toshiba Strata S / VI Phone Switch? Date: 13 Jun 2003 12:53:31 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ We have obtained some office space that includes a working Toshiba Strata phone system. It's a Strata with 8 extensions, and I am curious as to its limitations because the manual seems to indicate it doesn't have the abilities to serve some of our needs. If anyone is familiar with this, I am wondering: a) Is there a way to transfer an incoming CO call back to the outside world? It seems it can only transfer from station to station and nothing else. b) Is there a way to set up hunting on CO lines so that you just have one main number for people to call and it finds an available line? I'm guessing the answer to both of these is "no," based on no indication of this in the manual. But maybe there's some obscure hack or something that I'm not aware of. Worth a shot ... (If not, I know that phone companies like Qwest can provide these types of services.) ------------------------------ From: Dave Garland Subject: Re: Free ISP That Allows Direct Dialup? Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 14:57:21 -0500 Organization: Wizard Information It was a dark and stormy night when Lisa noted: > And a few years ago there were some very good public access Unix > sites around the USA, all for free, or mostly. Are any of those > still operating Quite a few are still around, depending on where you are. google on "freenet" and maybe the name of your location. The local one here (http://www.tcfreenet.org) provides only text-based access (Lynx browser) to economize on bandwidth. But for a lot of people, the price is right. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 16:18:41 -0400 From: William Warren Subject: Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis Monty Solomon wrote: > - Company Introduces Policy, Research, Education and Technology > Initatives - > NEW YORK, June 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- > DoubleClick Inc. (Nasdaq: DCLK), the leading provider of marketing > tools for advertisers, direct marketers and web publishers, today > announced that it unveiled a series of major anti-Spam initiatives. > These initiatives are designed to help legitimate marketers and the > email marketing industry better understand and leverage policy, > research, education, and technology, in the fight against Spam, and to > further differentiate legitimate marketing communications from Spam. > - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34497826 > [Lisa Minter note: Seeing an article here where DoubleClick (I > consider them a scourge, one of the worst offenders with their tricky > ways of implanting cookies on a hard drive) is calling other forms > of advertising on the net 'Spam' is really amazing. What is the > difference between 'Spam' and what DoubleClick is doing? So Mister Pot > is calling Mister Kettle black ... I wish a plague on both their > houses! Is there any reader here who does not have a hard drive full > of spy-cookies from DoubleClick? All of it is a damned offense on > what little decent stuff remains on the net. Lisa M.] Lisa, The best defense is a good offense: DoubleClick can't exist without the cooperation of web surfers, since its advertisements (and the cookies that come with them) are downloaded *BY THE READER'S BROWSER*, in response to HTML commands imbedded in the web pages we visit. The solution is to block such requests: there are a number of proxy packages available that will accomplish this (I use Proxomitron, http://www.agentland.com/Download/Detailed/386.html). These programs also can block animated GIF image files, or (at the user's option) limit them to the first frame only. The other alternative is to switch to a browser such as Mozilla, which gives much better control over the loading of content external to the web page being visited. HTH. William Warren (Remove ".notme" from my address if you want to email me) [Lisa Minter note: One problem I have seen is that 'certain' web sites which are detirmined to hand you their cookies -- spy or otherwise -- just will not even let you login *unless* you take their cookies as issued. If you refuse the cookies, or if you take them and then later toss them out (so the site cannot find them when it wants them again, or maybe you play games with the ports you use to intake and output data, or you use an anonymizer) then many sites just tell you get lost; you cannot come in here. What to do then? Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Dale Farmer Subject: Re: Intrinsically Safe Cell Phone? Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 16:46:58 -0400 Organization: Furry green fuzz in the back of the refrigerator Paul Hebert wrote: > Our facilities group is asking for an intrinsically safe cell phone so > the security guard can walk through hazardous areas (chemical > manufacturing) on his watch. Is anyone familiar with such a device? Do > you know what other companies do in cases like this to keep their > security people in communication while on their appointed rounds? > Paul Hebert > Telecom Supervisor > MARKEM Corporation > Keene, NH 03431 In my experience, it is ignored. I don't know offhand of anyone who makes an intrinsically safe cell phone. There are plenty of two way radios that meet that standard. They are more expensive than the normal models, but not hugely so. ICOM and Motorola both make some. --Dale ------------------------------ From: Gail M. Hall Subject: Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 17:29:18 -0400 Reply-To: gmhall@apk.net On Thu, 12 Jun 2003 10:56:09 -0700, in comp.dcom.telecom message , Chuck Marson wrote: > Question: is it possible to identify (and therefore sue) a junk faxer > from the 800 number of the originating fax? > The phone companies just give me the runaround when I ask this. The > junk faxers are very careful in their text to conceal their identity, > but once in a while they forget to blank out the number of the > originating fax machine on the top line of the fax. I save those. I would not trust that number to be accurate! The number at the top of a fax is programmed in by whoever's fax machine sent it. A junk faxer is very unlikely to put the accurate number in that spot. > I assume the opt-out 800 numbers are inoperable or made indirect > somehow, but that would be hard to do with the originating fax. > Does anyone know how to ID those 800 numbers? I'd love to sue these > guys ... It seems to me your best bet would be to go after the people who are doing the advertising, the ones whose address and phone number are in the text of the fax. Even if they didn't generate the fax itself, they are the ones who are paying for the "service". I really didn't want to be bothered suing them, and because I now have very little reason to leave my fax on all the time, I just disconnected it. I still have a fax machine for when I want to send one. But most of my business I can do over the phone or by mail. It would be nice to have a fax program that can have some kind of opt-in service, that is, not answer all calls EXCEPT the ones you want to accept. But that means you would have to find out what numbers or names your desired fax senders would use. Or maybe there could be PINs for accessing fax machines. Only the senders who enter the right PIN would get their faxes received. You would give out the PINs very carefully. This would comapre to the old telecom host with restricted access like we use to have for running a private BBS. Anyone could call that host, but without the correct ID and password they couldn't get in. FWIW: I think we have lost a lot by not using the private BBS systems anymore. I think there was a lot less chance for abuse on those systems, especially from other countries where our laws can't apply. Gail in Ohio USA [Lisa Minter note: But Gail, all the private BBS's between them could not begin to get the traffic circulation that Usenet (for example) gets today ... even all the Fido echogroups did not reach a group of users as large (for example) as this telecom newsgroup. So why then, would the spammers bother with them? Even the spammers want some tiny return on their effort; the small BBS things is/was not where things are at. Yes there was a lot less chance for abuse (almost nil) but the small BBS's were all single server things with 25-30 users per day on good days. That's five minutes worth of traffic on our Telecom Archives site. Now if *you* were an abuser, which would you use or abuse? See my point? Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) Subject: Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers Date: 13 Jun 2003 14:02:06 -0400 Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA > Question: is it possible to identify (and therefore sue) a junk > faxer from the 800 number of the originating fax? Over on the junkfax-l list (see www.junkfaxes.org) people know just about every junk faxer's 800 numbers and can probably ID it. > The phone companies just give me the runaround when I ask this. What they should be saying is "we'll give you the subscriber info if you give us a subpoena". John R. Levine, IECC, POB 727, Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 330 5711 johnl@iecc.com Village Trustee and Sewer Commissioner http://iecc.com/johnl Member, Provisional board, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail [Lisa Minter note: I think that is what they say. I for one am glad telcos do make an effort to protect subscriber's privacy, and not inject themselves in the middle of a dispute over the use of their equipment. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: elektr_new@yahoo.com Subject: Siemens C25 IMEI Date: 13 Jun 2003 11:58:29 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Hi, To unlock my SP code the operator asked me my IMEI number . I pressed *#0003*something# . That something which is 8 digits was calculated by entering my IMEI and applying some algorithm ? Does anyone know what that something is ? What algorithm does it use to calculate the something from IMEI ? Thank you. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? From: tom.horsley@att.net (Thomas A. Horsley) Organization: AT&T Worldnet Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 22:08:04 GMT > We turn the volume down to ZERO when we go to bed and turn off phone > ringers. That way we don't hear the call screening. Yea, I do that too, but perhaps what the original poster is irritated by is the same thing I am irritated by: If I actually want to listen to my messages, I have to first turn the volume back up again, then remember to turn it back down again. I would much rather have a machine where I could leave the volume alone and just tell it: "Hey! Only make noise when I *tell* you to make noise, not when the asshole telemarketers at the other end of the line are making noise.". (But I couldn't find a machine with that feature either :-). >>==>> The *Best* political site >>==+ email: Tom.Horsley@worldnet.att.net icbm: Delray Beach, FL | Free Software and Politics <<==+ ------------------------------ From: Garry W Subject: Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 16:16:04 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Hi David - Thanks for the reply! David wrote: > If by call screening you mean that you hear the incoming message as it > is being recorded, That's it! > almost all machines allow you to turn down the > playback volume to zero, so that you don't hear anything while > recording. Problem is that, on the machines I'm familiar with, you have to turn down the volume each and every time you finish listening to your messages. My housemate habitually forgets, and I end up listening to her personal messages at high volume. I was going to solve the problem by simply getting her a machine that works in a kinder way. Unfortunately, I ain't having much luck! > The ATT model 1718 is only $20.00 at Staples, and has all the features > you might want and works great. However, it is EXTREMELY difficult to > program. If you have someone who can help you set it up, it's easy to > work. On the 1718, somewhere in that difficult programming, is there a way to *permanently* turn off the call screening? (I just tried hunting for the 1718's user manual on-line, but no such luck.) Thanks, Garry ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 22:17:47 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Netscape, NY Atty General Settle on Software Issue NEW YORK, June 13 (Reuters) - The New York Attorney General's office said on Friday Netscape would pay $100,000 as part of a settlement of complaints about a feature used by the unit of America Online to track what users downloaded online. Netscape, once the browser pioneer that has fallen second to Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Internet Explorer in recent years, would also delete all URLs and related data it has obtained through its SmartDownload browser software and undergo privacy audits, the Attorney General's office said. The settlement comes after a two-year probe, begun in 2002, into Netscape's collection and retention of information that identified files downloaded by users, which contradicted its statement to consumers that none of the information was saved. In the settlement, which is the latest in Spitzer's efforts toward online privacy, there is no liability or admission of wrong doing by Netscape, a division of AOL Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:AOL). - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34516846 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 22:34:33 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Linksys Wireless-G Products to Conform to IEEE 802.11g Standard IRVINE, Calif., June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Linksys(R), a division of Cisco Systems Inc., the leading provider of broadband, wireless and networking hardware for the consumer and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) markets, today announced that its award-winning and best selling Wireless-G products will comply with the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), specification for the 802.11g standard. All Linksys Wireless-G products will be upgradeable to the final 802.11g spec via a firmware or driver upgrade available on the Linksys website in the coming weeks. Currently shipping Linksys products that will conform to the final spec include: * Wireless-G Router (WRT54G) * Wireless-G Access Point (WAP54G) * Wireless-G PC Card (WPC54G) * Wireless-G PCI Adapter (WMP54G) * Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge (WET54G) * Wireless A+G Router (WRT55AG) * Wireless A+G Access Point (WAP55AG) * Wireless A+G PC Card (WPC55AG) * Wireless A+G PCI Adapter (WMP55AG) When the firmware and drivers are available on the Linksys website, these products will be 100% compliant with the final 2.4 GHz/54Mbps 802.11g specification. 802.11g is fully compatible with the 2.4GHz/11Mbps 802.11b standard. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34516404 ------------------------------ 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #513 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Jun 14 14:26:06 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5EIQ5o27840; Sat, 14 Jun 2003 14:26:06 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 14:26:06 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306141826.h5EIQ5o27840@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #514 TELECOM Digest Sat, 14 Jun 2003 14:26:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 514 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Broadcom's 54g(TM) Wireless LAN Products Meet Completed IEEE (M Solomon) Nokia 6650 Dual-Mode 3GPP Compliant GSM/WCDMA Mobile Phone (M Solomon) D-Link Announces IEEE 802.11G Standard Firmware Upgrade For (M Solomon) Sun Digital Programming Solution for HBO (Monty Solomon) RFID Payment Systems Take Off (Monty Solomon) Tiny IDs Can Track Almost Anything (Monty Solomon) Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? (jt) Re: MCI Horror Service Story (John Higdon) Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers (John Higdon) Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers (Jeff) Microsoft Swats at Stealthy Web Bugs (Danny Burstein) Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis (Welsh) Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis (tonypo) Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis (Bob) Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis (Hoffma) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 22:39:07 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Broadcom's 54g(TM) Wireless LAN Products Meet Completed IEEE Broadcom's 54g(TM) Wireless LAN Products Meet Completed IEEE 802.11g Standard Market Leading Reference Designs Compliant With New Mainstream Wireless LAN Standard Early 'g' Solutions From Apple, Belkin, Buffalo/MELCO, Dell, Fujitsu, Gateway, HP/Compaq and Linksys Are Easily Upgradeable IRVINE, Calif., June 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), the leading provider of silicon solutions enabling broadband communications, today announced that its 54g(TM) wireless LAN solutions comply with the newly-ratified IEEE 802.11g standard. 802.11g is expected to become the new mainstream wireless LAN technology, extending the data rate of the 802.11b standard from 11 Mbps to 54 Mbps. Broadcom's maximum performance implementation of the 802.11g standard, known as 54g(TM), provides optimum speed, range and security capabilities and has become the industry's premier 802.11g solution. Broadcom began shipping standard-compliant OneDriver(TM) software last month and all 54g(TM)-based products in the field are capable of being upgraded to the final standard. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34510777 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 22:47:26 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Nokia 6650 Dual-Mode 3GPP Compliant GSM/WCDMA Mobile Phone Nokia Has Started Commercial Deliveries of the World's First Dual-Mode 3GPP Compliant GSM/WCDMA Mobile Phone Capable of Seamless Handovers - Jun 13, 2003 01:21 AM (BusinessWire) HELSINKI, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 13, 2003-- The Nokia 6650 phone is expected to become available in Europe, Asia and Japan as mobile operators roll out their 3G services Following the successful completion of the piloting and test program, Nokia has started shipments of the Nokia 6650 mobile phone to selected mobile operators and retailers in Europe and Asia, including Japan. Operators will now be able to provide their customers with the Nokia 6650 as a standard GSM phone, a WCDMA phone or a dual-mode GSM/WCDMA phone, depending on their network architecture. The Nokia 6650 is the first mobile phone in the market capable of seamless hand-overs between GSM and WCDMA systems in a dual-mode network. Consumers will be able to enjoy global roaming on all GSM900/1800 networks globally as well as on WCDMA networks in Japan and Europe. Those operators building WCDMA coverage to complement their existing GSM900/1800 coverage can now offer high data speed services of up to 384 kbps with WCDMA, while having the full coverage of the GSM900/1800 grid in a single terminal with proven dual system capabilities, tested for interoperability across the full range of functionality with the leading infrastructure vendors. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34509148 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 22:56:59 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: D-Link Announces IEEE 802.11G Standard Firmware Upgrade D-Link Announces IEEE 802.11G Standard Firmware Upgrade For AirPlus Xtreme G and AirXpert A/G/B Wireless Networking Solutions D-Link's Upcoming Firmware Provides 802.11g Standard Interoperability For All Existing D-Link 802.11G Draft-Compliant Wireless Products IRVINE, Calif., June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- D-Link, a worldwide leader in manufacturing of networking, broadband and digital electronic technologies, today announced that it will provide a simple, free firmware upgrade for its award-winning AirPlus Xtreme G and AirXpert A/G/B wireless networking product lines to bring them into full compliance with the newly finalized IEEE 802.11g standard. The upgraded firmware will incorporate minor changes from the 802.11g specification that was recently finalized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Available by early-July, the standards-based firmware upgrade will be featured in shipping D-Link products and will be available at www.dlink.com to current users as a free firmware download. http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34520405 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 23:04:41 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Sun Digital Programming Solution for HBO Sun Microsystems Announces Digital Programming Solution for Home Box Office New System Controls To-Air Broadcast Content Reliability and Eases Management Of Digital Content with Storage, Servers and Software SAN FRANCISCO, JavaOne(SM) 2003 Developer Conference, June 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) today announced a first-of-its-kind digital programming repository to stage and manage video program content for 15 HBO and Cinemax networks over the next three years. HBO's goal is to move from a tape/server based platform to a fully digital server architecture while maintaining the 99.999% reliability of traditional playout mechanisms. This digital repository solution will reduce cost and increase HBO's overall operational efficiency. With interconnectivity to its digital "to-air" broadcast content, HBO's digital programming repository takes advantage of Sun's cost effective enterprise servers and storage solutions, Java(TM) technology and custom applications designed to meet HBO's demanding throughput, reliability and growth requirements. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34512452 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 00:11:12 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: RFID Payment Systems Take Off A new report says the use of contactless smart cards and other RFID payment systems will continue to rise. June 9, 2003 - Within five years, RFID payment systems will be as common as credit card payments in fast food restaurants, video stores, movie theaters and other outlets that do a lot of low-value transactions. That's the conclusion of a new study by Celent, an IT research and consulting firm to the financial services industry. The report, titled "Contactless Payments: Replacing Cash with Convenience: The Case for RFID," was written by Ariana-Michele Moore, a senior analyst at Celent. She interviewed merchants, consumers, and such companies as Texas Instruments, MasterCard, and Bank of America. The study indicates that there are enough benefits for consumers, merchants and banks to overcome obstacles to adoption, which include consumer concerns about security and investments in new equipment that merchants would have to make. http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/452/1/1 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 02:56:05 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Tiny IDs Can Track Almost Anything By Audrey Hudson THE WASHINGTON TIMES Computer chips the size of grains of sand have become the latest trend among manufacturers seeking to track everything from automobiles to underwear to razor blades. The new technology can fix the exact location of virtually any consumer product and the humans who wear and carry the items. The radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips now in mass production are affixed to postage-stamp-size labels. Merchandisers, led by Wal-Mart, will soon use them to track goods inside the store. Shelf antennae will alert staff to restock products, or turn on surveillance cameras if shoplifting is suspected. Some companies are already moving past consumer use and marketing the technology for military and homeland-security applications. The military used the technology to track food and equipment headed to the war in Iraq, said Mark Roberti, editor of RFID Journal. "In the first Gulf war, they sent 20,000 containers and had to open 16,000 to find out what was inside," he said. In this year's war, chips sewn into wristbands followed wounded military personnel and triage records as they moved through field hospitals. ActiveWave says its RFID system can aid homeland security by real-time tracking of airport employees working in secure areas by their identification cards, and passengers by airline tickets. To expedite border crossing, the Homeland Security Department is already using the chips, embedded on identification cards. http://washingtontimes.com/national/20030609-122709-8176r.htm ------------------------------ From: jt Subject: Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 07:52:39 -0300 Organization: WorldCom Canada Ltd. News Reader Service Thomas A. Horsley wrote in message news:telecom22.513.10@telecom-digest.org: >> We turn the volume down to ZERO when we go to bed and turn off phone >> ringers. That way we don't hear the call screening. > Yea, I do that too, but perhaps what the original poster is irritated > by is the same thing I am irritated by: If I actually want to listen > to my messages, I have to first turn the volume back up again, then > remember to turn it back down again. > I would much rather have a machine where I could leave the volume > alone and just tell it: "Hey! Only make noise when I *tell* you to > make noise, not when the asshole telemarketers at the other end of the > line are making noise.". (But I couldn't find a machine with that > feature either :-). Put a toggle switch in line with the speaker. ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: MCI Horror Service Story Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 20:41:11 -0700 In article , ian@jardine.net (Ian) wrote: > IMHO don't ever deal with MCI. They don't truly care about their > customers. Anyone who deals in any way with MCI does so at his peril. This is not hyperbole; this is reality. Unless one is looking for ways to be cheated, screwed, left without service, charged for no service, and horrors yet undiscovered, he will avoid MCI as if it were a deadly disease. The reason for that is simple: that is exactly what MCI happens to be. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 20:45:07 -0700 In article , Gail M. Hall wrote: > It seems to me your best bet would be to go after the people who are > doing the advertising, the ones whose address and phone number are in > the text of the fax. Even if they didn't generate the fax itself, > they are the ones who are paying for the "service". Junk fax advertisers rarely, if ever, put their own numbers on the fax. Those numbers belong to answering services whose prime directive is to keep you from finding who the advertiser happens to be. They will take your name and number and someone will call you back and qualify you before ever revealing who the advertiser is. Unfortunately, they are the professionals; you are the amateur. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 [Lisa Minter note: It would seem, therefore the litigant, or offended person (most of the world, it would seem), has to begin with the lowest common denominator, in this case the answering services of America. *Someone* has to have their head out there on the chopping block. What would be wrong with a little bit of liberally spread around legal service; a summons or two demanding to know who the advertisers are. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Jeff Subject: Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 01:46:18 -0400 Gail M. Hall wrote: > It would be nice to have a fax program that can have some kind of > opt-in service, that is, not answer all calls EXCEPT the ones you want > to accept. But that means you would have to find out what numbers or > names your desired fax senders would use. My Panasonic Fax machine does this. If it doesn't recognize the sending fax number, it terminates the call before receiving any documents. This has eliminated junk faxes for us. [Lisa Minter note: Call me curious ... I am wondering how many times as a result the phone rings over and over again with 'new' calls from the same old junk faxers wondering why the fax machine aborted the call prematurely for reasons such as the carriers did not correctly latch or noise disturbed the line, etc, prompting them to dial again, again, and again, hoping to get their worthless offer in front of your face. I know when I occassionally (but rarely) send outbound faxes for Patrick, if I get a failure notice I always try at least one or two more times. Don't all faxers -- junk or legitmate -- do that? So Jeff, did you wind up replacing 'junk faxes' with 'junk ringing signals'? Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Microsoft Swats at Stealthy Web Bugs Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 01:24:02 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC After years of doing this wrong, m-soft is finally starting to get it almost right : Microsoft Swats at Stealthy Web Bugs PRIVACY advocates say a shift by Microsoft could effectively marginalize a particularly intrusive use of Web bugs, the tracking and profiling devices used by online marketers and spammers. Last month Microsoft retooled its Hotmail service, adding a feature that allows users to block Web bugs placed inside e-mail messages. A similar option exists in the most recent version of Microsoft's widely used Outlook Express e-mail program, and the company says the next release of its other e-mail program, Outlook, will block the tracking mechanisms by default. (Submitter's explantion: when someone sends you e-mail, they can include an instruction in it that, *unknown to you*, activates your web browser and goes back to the sender. This can be used for marginally, almost legitimate uses; for example, to make sure you get the most recent bank statement when you read your e-mail. But it's more often used for tracking when you read the e-mail, etc. without telling you. And far too many e-mail programs default into allowing this. And even for the semi-legit purposes, the secretive nature of this is very, very, ungood. ) [a] [ snippety snip, rest at: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/12/technology/circuits/12bugs.html (free subscription) [a] I'm referring to e-mail programs used in default configurations by most internet correspondents. I suspect a significant portion of telecom digest folk (but cetainly not all) know about, and how to defeat, this nastiness. [Lisa M. note: I've two things to say: One, a significant portion of the people who write to me at my personal address specifically ask for a 'read receipt' but Outlook Express in any event always prompts before sending same: (Do You Want to Return a Reciept? y/n) But I guess you are talking about other, more nefarious ways to sneak a reciept past you. For next: Whenever you wish to read NY Times feel free to try and avoid a bit of spam and regain some privacy by using our group login 'telecomdigest' and our group password 'telecomdigest'. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Geoffrey Welsh Subject: Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 13:17:53 -0400 organization: Bell Sympatico > [Lisa Minter note: Seeing an article here where DoubleClick (I > consider them a scourge, one of the worst offenders with their tricky > ways of implanting cookies on a hard drive). What I find more offensive is that I have seen (admittedly, not recently) HTML spam with DoubleClick URLs in it, essentially tying your e-mail address to the records they have on your web surfing and giving them a heck of a premium product to sell to advertisers ("want to e-mail people who've visited such and such a type of site recently?") Geoffrey Welsh This address is not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Unsolicited bulk mail is spam, no matter what regulations (real or imagined) it complies with! FIGHT SPAM AND SCAMS: DISCONNECT CHINA FROM THE INTERNET! [Lisa Minter note: So very true, Geoffrey! If DoubleClick wants to announce plans to 'reduce spam' then they would be announcing their own corporate suicide! (smile). Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: tonypo1@sdc.cox.net Subject: Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis Organization: The Ace Tomatoe and Cement Company Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 17:29:03 GMT In article , wwarren.notme@timesucker.homelinux.org says: > [Lisa Minter note: One problem I have seen is that 'certain' web > sites which are detirmined to hand you their cookies -- spy or > otherwise -- just will not even let you login *unless* you take their > cookies as issued. If you refuse the cookies, or if you take them and > then later toss them out (so the site cannot find them when it wants > them again, or maybe you play games with the ports you use to intake > and output data, or you use an anonymizer) then many sites just tell > you get lost; you cannot come in here. What to do then? Lisa M.] Most of the pop-up and cookie stopper programs allow you to insert sites that won't work without leaving their cookies. It then wipes the cookie as soon as you close the web browser, or at least that's how I've got GuardIE set up. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Let me cut in here a minute. I wish that someone could help me properly configure Proxomitron to accomplish this same thing with various Yahoo sites for example. I have never been able to get Yahoo to 'fall for' any tricks like that. 'Accept then toss cookies' never seems to work right for me. I do have my IE history and cookie things set for one day through IE options but even that is not short enough it seems. PAT] ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 13:11:27 GMT On Fri, 13 Jun 2003 16:18:41 -0400, William Warren wrote: > The best defense is a good offense: DoubleClick can't exist without > the cooperation of web surfers, since its advertisements (and the > cookies that come with them) are downloaded *BY THE READER'S BROWSER*, > in response to HTML commands imbedded in the web pages we visit. The *only* thing a cookie does is allow a remote system to recognize who you are by virtue of the fact that you have been there before and that same domain created a cookie on your system. There is nothing in a cookie that you have not provided to the remote site. One domain cannot read the cookies from another domain. The "danger" of cookies is highly overrated. Back to the SPAM: the only fix is a legislative one - and not the lame, industry sponsored, DMA approved bills that some slimy money grubbing legislators are offering. These are actually PRO-SPAM bills masquerading as anti-SPAM in order to gain passage. Most of them are "opt-out" type bills which will *not* work. An opt-out registry would simply become a massive pro-SPAM list for all the off-shore spammers (most of them). It would require you to put the very address(es) that you are trying to keep private in a database that spammers will use as a resource. CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR and let him/her know that you vigorously oppose any opt-out bill. Try forwarding all your SPAM, including the pornography you get, to these folks so they can get a feel for what is being spammed these days. > The other alternative is to switch to a browser such as Mozilla, which > gives much better control over the loading of content external to the > web page being visited. Recent versions of IE and Mozilla/Netscape both let you set the settings to deny cookie creation, and any other technology, if you really care to look closely at the security/config settings. Bob [Lisa Minter note: Yes Bob, most of the folks here know all about 'denying cookie creation and other technology'. But *if* you deny cookie creation or play other tricks on the site offering same, you will find many of them flatly refuse to let you in at all. Take Yahoo as one example: If you do not have a well-seated, properly-placed cookie on your drive when you go there, you are sent away. Yahoo used to be a very decent service until they bought the telephone company (SBC) as part of their empire. Or the telephone company bought them, I do not know which. As far as 'the danger of cookies being over-rated' are you suggesting that companies like 'DoubleClick' with their cookie-reading/deciphering software are just wasting their time? About a year or two ago I read a *very chilling report* written by an ex-employee of DoubleClick who stated exactly what the company could figure out about any given hard drive; where it had been, what its user had been looking at, etc. If I can find that, I will print it here. Cookies *can be* (not always, some are very benign) very dangerous. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis Organization: Excelsior Computer Services From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 13:42:46 GMT > [Lisa Minter note: One problem I have seen is that 'certain' web > sites which are detirmined to hand you their cookies -- spy or > otherwise -- just will not even let you login *unless* you take their > cookies as issued. If you refuse the cookies, or if you take them and Right. The owners of a website can pay for the website any way they want. Most do it through advertising. Some charge the users directly. You can choose whether you want to use the site or not. The culture of free information on the Internet has become so prevalent that people have started thinking that it's their right to have companies set up free web sites that give valuable information. Accuweather.com, for example, provides wonderful animated radar images. When I teach at summer camps, this information actually lets me predict to within 10 minutes when a storm will hit. This is VERY valuable for me. Accuweather doesn't charge - they sell advertising on their site. They also have a for-fee service, which, I presume has no advertising. The situation is similar to supermarkets that offer "bonus cards." You get a better price at the supermarket if you let the company collect information about your purchases. Most websites are businesses, whose purpose is to make money, not entertain or inform anonymous people. -Joel [Lisa Minter note: Well, la-de-dah! 'Most web sites are businesses'. What a dreadful and total perversion of everything the web and the internet was orignally built for! This medium was supposed to be the *people's* medium, or information exchange. Why, in the hell, when the guys (and one or two in particular) who developed the 'web' software put it together, didn't they have enough common sense to see how quickly it would become abused by those folks with large business interests, etc and clamp some very restrictive, very strong restrictions on how the software (the web servers, etc) could be used, and to whom it would be licensed? All of our various complaints would be moot, wouldn't they? 'The culture of free information on the internet has become so prev- alent that people think it is their right to get free information'. That's right, Joel, we think that. Why shouldn't we? That's how the internet came to be in the first place, wasn't it? It is not just some kind of new-fangled urban legend. It is not just some starry-eyed dream that there used to be a community of caring people on the net; people who shared what they knew and worked to learn what they did not know. Of course things like accurate weather reports and news reports, etc are going to cost money, and someone has to pay for it. Not everyone is going to (or should anyone be willing to) scrimp and sacrifice to have a totally free net for all. Nothing is wrong with a *reasonable* amount of non-intrusive, non-privacy invading advertising on a web site to help keep it going. Of course that assumes that the webmasters are not greedy sons-of-buffoons who have to resort to more and more privacy-invading cookies, pop-ups and pop-unders that never seem to end (and some pop-unders just point back to themselves). That is a big assumption, I know, that webmasters respond with a decent attitude and a sense of propriety and concern for the 'community' *they* have chosen to be part of. I mean, the old-time netizens did not choose *them.* Please Joel, do NOT get me started on this theme. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ 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, 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. 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End of TELECOM Digest V22 #514 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Jun 15 17:59:13 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5FLxDQ04412; Sun, 15 Jun 2003 17:59:13 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 17:59:13 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306152159.h5FLxDQ04412@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #515 TELECOM Digest Sun, 15 Jun 2003 17:59:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 515 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers (AES/newspost) Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers (Jeff) Re: Allegiance Telecom - Comments? (Hoss) Re: Allegiance Telecom - Comments? (Keith M) Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? (Garry W) Re: Limitations of Ancient Toshiba Strata S/VI Phone Switch (S. Ewing) Re: Limitations of Ancient Toshiba Strata S/VI Phone Switch (Friedebach) Re: CCITT 5 R1 MF Signalling (Keith M) Re: DTMF Questions? (Keith M) TSA Modifies Screening Plan (Monty Solomon) Re: Seeking List of 1-700-XXX Service Number Providers (Linc Madison) E-Mail --> Fax? (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Web Bugs Aren't That Small (Name Withheld at User's Request) Savings on 411 Directory Assistance Calls (PBX Guy) Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? (Matt Bartlett) My New Student (Patrick Townson) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: AES/newspost Subject: Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 10:13:43 -0700 In article , johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) wrote: >> The phone companies just give me the runaround when I ask this. > What they should be saying is "we'll give you the subscriber info if > you give us a subpoena". > [Lisa Minter note: I think that is what they say. I for one am glad > telcos do make an effort to protect subscriber's privacy, and not > inject themselves in the middle of a dispute over the use of their > equipment. Lisa M.] Protect subscribers' privacy against the Feds, the local police, other non-involved parties or just busybodies -- no problem, I'm for that. But should a subscriber have "privacy" against someone else **whom they deliberately call**? I'm a lot less certain about that. Assuming you show up on my doorstep, or my phone line, as a result of **your** initiative not mine, seems to me I ought to have some right to ask, "Hey, just who are you?", and get an answer. Not so? "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord Acton (1834-1902) "Dependence on advertising tends to corrupt. Total dependence on advertising corrupts totally." (today's equivalent) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, Southwestern Bell (and by extension Prairie Stream, since they just mirror the SBC account) *does* give that feature. *77 blocks 'blocking' type calls. But the calling party has to deliberatly do *67 at the start of his call; make a conscious block effort for it to work. Numbers that just fall through the cracks of the switching matrix do not count. But if you deliberatly say *67 when you start dialing or are defaulted to that condition when you dial an SBC subscriber using 'blocked number blocking' (*77) then you get told 'these calls are not allowed at this number. Unblock your ID and dial again. I do not know why a person would want to, but you can dismiss that feature with *87, but don't forget to turn it back on! PAT] ------------------------------ From: Jeff Subject: Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 13:05:56 -0400 Jeff wrote: > Gail M. Hall wrote: >> It would be nice to have a fax program that can have some kind of >> opt-in service, that is, not answer all calls EXCEPT the ones you want >> to accept. But that means you would have to find out what numbers or >> names your desired fax senders would use. > My Panasonic Fax machine does this. If it doesn't recognize the sending > fax number, it terminates the call before receiving any documents. This > has eliminated junk faxes for us. > [Lisa Minter note: Call me curious ... I am wondering how many times > as a result the phone rings over and over again with 'new' calls from > the same old junk faxers wondering why the fax machine aborted the > call prematurely for reasons such as the carriers did not correctly > latch or noise disturbed the line, etc, prompting them to dial again, > again, and again, hoping to get their worthless offer in front of your > face. I know when I occassionally (but rarely) send outbound faxes for > Patrick, if I get a failure notice I always try at least one or two > more times. Don't all faxers -- junk or legitmate -- do that? So Jeff, > did you wind up replacing 'junk faxes' with 'junk ringing signals'? > Lisa M.] Fortunately, that has not been a problem. The last time I checked the fax machine's log there were no more than one junk fax attempt per day. On the other hand the failure to receive faxes doesn't seem to phase them from trying some other day. My fax machine was 'discovered' by the spammers via war dialing, judging by the empty fax page I got one day (at 5:30AM) which was followed by unending junk fax ads from fax.com. Fortunately the junk faxers do their deed during the day, not at night. That must be the one thing they are afraid of, getting sued for harassment from phone calls in the middle of the night. ------------------------------ From: Hoss Subject: Re: Allegiance Telecom - Comments? Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 12:56:03 -0400 T. wrote in message news:telecom22.513.2@telecom-digest.org: > I googled for comments on Allegiance and found a few from more then a > year ago. Given that things in this biz change so rapidly, I must > ask. > Allegiance is offering a good deal on a full data T-1; a couple > hundered less than I'm paying now for Frac 768k T-1. I would > appreciate comments on service, uptime, personal experience, ect. > Anything anyone can provide me to see if this is actually a good deal. > After all, it's not always just about the monthly bill. ;-) > Thanks. > -T. I recently dropped Allegiance here in the Boston area. We had all sorts of problems with them. Outages, poor routing and billing issues. Not worth the money we "saved". Hoss ------------------------------ From: Keith M Subject: Re: Allegiance Telecom - Comments? Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 14:20:23 -0400 Hi there, We currently use them for internet access for a fairly large company in Pittsburgh. We have a number of T's from them. Service is generally good, no problems getting responsible people on the phone fast. Although we don't measure it, the uptime and reliability is great. I can't think of more than one or two isolated instances(and they were more telco than isp related) over the past few years that we've had trouble. I can recommend them. Keith M T. wrote in message news:telecom22.513.2@telecom-digest.org: > I googled for comments on Allegiance and found a few from more then a > year ago. Given that things in this biz change so rapidly, I must > ask. > Allegiance is offering a good deal on a full data T-1; a couple > hundered less than I'm paying now for Frac 768k T-1. I would > appreciate comments on service, uptime, personal experience, ect. > Anything anyone can provide me to see if this is actually a good deal. > After all, it's not always just about the monthly bill. ;-) > Thanks. > -T. ------------------------------ From: Garry W Subject: Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 11:49:20 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com jt wrote: >> Yea, I do that too, but perhaps what the original poster is irritated >> by is the same thing I am irritated by: If I actually want to listen >> to my messages, I have to first turn the volume back up again, then >> remember to turn it back down again. > Put a toggle switch in line with the speaker. I don't think that helps. True, it allows the process of "turn the volume back up again, then remember to turn it back down again" to be engaged in more speedily. But it's not the speediness that is the problem. It's the requirement that you =remember= to click the toggle switch. Garry [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That may be the reason getting a machine with no 'call screening' is so difficult. For all the calls you do not want to take, there will be that occassional one you will want to jump up and interuppt the machine to get the call. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Shaun Ewing Subject: Re: Limitations of the Ancient Toshiba Strata S / VI Phone Switch? Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 16:46:34 +1000 Andrew Jones wrote in message news:telecom22.513.3@telecom-digest.org: > b) Is there a way to set up hunting on CO lines so that you just have > one main number for people to call and it finds an available line? You would have to set this up with the phone company anyway. This isn't a feature provided by the phone system. -Shaun ------------------------------ From: Eric Friedebach Subject: Re: Limitations of the Ancient Toshiba Strata S / VI Phone Switch? Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 08:31:53 -0500 Organization: Purity Of Essence/Plant Operational Error Reply-To: Eric Friedebach Andrew Jones wrote in message news:telecom22.513.3@telecom-digest.org: > We have obtained some office space that includes a working Toshiba > Strata phone system. It's a Strata with 8 extensions, and I am > curious as to its limitations because the manual seems to indicate > it doesn't have the abilities to serve some of our needs. > If anyone is familiar with this, I am wondering: > a) Is there a way to transfer an incoming CO call back to the > outside world? It seems it can only transfer from station to > station and nothing else. > b) Is there a way to set up > hunting on CO lines so that you just have one main number for > people to call and it finds an available line? I had the same system years ago. On (a) I'm not sure since this was not a feature I had a need for. On (b) I would have to say no. We had three incoming CO lines. CO1 was where the public number was parked, so we always used CO2 or CO3 for outgoing calls. The number that was parked on CO3 used to belong to a car wash in a bad part of town. We used to get a lot of cryptic calls coming in on that line (when was the last time *you* called a car wash), so I figured it was drugs. I had some fun with those. I still have the manual for it around here, so I'll report back if I find different. Some things, like MOH, the manual said was standard when in fact it took an optional card in the KSU. Eric Friedebach (Don't forget to mail your "Sorry I Forgot Father's Day" card tomorrow.) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Unless your father died twelve years ago as mine did. :[ ... I never knew how much I would miss him until a year or two ago as I began to 'settle in' following my own brain aneurysm. If your's is alive/around and you did not mail a card, then get on the phone to him today ... NOW! PAT] ------------------------------ From: Keith M Subject: Re: CCITT 5 R1 MF Signalling Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 13:46:32 -0400 Kenneth, Kenneth P. Stox wrote in message news:telecom22.511.7@telecom-digest.org: > If memory serves correct, a copy of "Engineering and Operations in the > Bell System" would document this. I have no idea where you can find > one these days, though. I think it was last published in 1983, just > prior to divestiture. Do be aware that there were other inband > systems, such as R2 and modified R2, which were/are in wide use > outside of the US. That book sounds real familiar. After doing a little searching, it turns out that there are quite a number of those books floating around. I think there was a first edition in 1977/78 and the second edition in 1983. I'm definitely going to pick up a copy. Although I've seen them before, both the Bell Laboratory Record and the Bell System Technical Journals are simply astounding. The sheer volume and range of topics covered in them are great. I'm lucky to have a local library that has them available. I wish I could find an online index though because doing research on this stuff is tough. Have you seen the size of those indexes? Thanks, Keith M ------------------------------ From: Keith M Subject: Re: DTMF Questions? Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 14:12:33 -0400 Marcus Jervis wrote in message news:telecom22.493.13@telecom-digest.org: > kamlet@panix.com (Arthur Kamlet) wrote: > Blue Boxes really are from another era, when you consider how cheap > phone calls are these days. Definitely a different era. However, as long as there is in-band signalling someplace in the world, the blue box is not dead! There has always been a certain group of people who boxed to explore the complex system, not to get free phone calls. The proof lies in the fact that now that phone calls are basically free, you still have people boxing. Most cell phone plans now include virtually free long distance. Keith ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 00:21:47 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: TSA Modifies Screening Plan Computerized Analysis Changed in Response to Criticism That It's Intrusive By Robert O'Harrow Jr. Washington Post Staff Writer The Transportation Security Administration has altered plans for a computerized passenger screening system, in part because of criticism that earlier proposals would have been overly intrusive, according to documents and interviews with government officials. Under the new approach, the system known as CAPPS II would draw less personal information about passengers into the government computers, the documents show. Instead, the system will rely on commercial data services that will authenticate passenger identities using mathematical models developed by the TSA and a wealth of personal details collected for marketing and business purposes. The data services will provide a coded response that the agency will then factor into a risk score that indicates whether passengers are who they claim to be and have verifiable roots in the community. An earlier version of the system would have used a more intensive mix of government computers and artificial intelligence to analyze passenger records. Previous plans also suggested that officials wanted far wider latitude in how they used records about passengers' lives. The government and business officials behind those efforts are no longer involved in the project. New details about the system are expected to be included in a Privacy Act notice to be published in the Federal Register next week. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A57122-2003Jun13 ------------------------------ From: Linc Madison Subject: Re: Seeking List of 1-700-XXX-XXXX Service Number Providers Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 00:09:45 -0700 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises In article , Steve Crow wrote: > 700 numbers are still common within larger companies. My company uses > 700 numbers, provided by Sprint, as an easy way to reach stores, > warehouses, and repair centers. If I know the location number, ie > 01-1234, I can dial 1-700-4xx-xxxx, where xx-xxxx is the 6-digit > store/warehouse/facility number. Likewise, we can do 1-700-3xx-xxxx > to send a fax. The crucial difference is that, as a matter of corporate policy, you are all using the same long-distance carrier, so there is no need to worry about prepending the 101xxxx company code. I don't know of anyone who is still using 700 numbers for the general public, because of the complication of dialing 101xxxx-1-700-xxx-xxxx, plus the confusion if the user misdials the company code portion. In fact, it's been a while since I've seen any of the sex chat lines advertising on 101xxxx-specific numbers. (For example, there was a number 101xxxx-1-206-xxx-xxxx that was heavily advertised for a while, which would be billed at the dialaround company's rates for a call to the Seattle area, but wouldn't complete if you tried it on any other carrier.) I'm not sure if that scheme ran into regulatory difficulties or was just unpopular. ------------------------------ Subject: E-mail --> Fax? Organization: Excelsior Computer Services From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 15:48:57 GMT I'm looking for a commercial e-mail to FAX service, that will let me e-mail a postscript document somewhere to have it faxed. It seems to me I should be able to eliminate my fax machine completely. Incoming faxes are no problem, but, surprisingly, I haven't found any good outgoing fax services. Any suggestions? Thanks. -Joel ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 12:45:20 -0400 From: Name Withheld at User's Request Subject: Web Bugs Aren't That Small Lisa, My opinion about web "bugs" is that they get much more attention than they deserve. Any http request creates a log entry which can be used for tracking, and that includes the "ordinary" fluff companies put into web pages, such as the corporate logo, the borders, etc. The debate should not, IMNSHO, be about the size of the image, but about what web servers give for what they get: they might think they get a web page in return for seeing advertisements, but there's a hidden bargain that most of them haven't agreed to, where they give up their privacy in return for vague assurances that it won't be violated. FWIW. YMMV. P.S. Tell Pat I said 'Hi'. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Pat says hello in return. Hey! That's me. Lisa is taking a day off today, to be with *her* parents. She has been a wonderful help thus far this month. You are right though, that there are all kinds of ways to spy on visitors at web sites. One of the easiest, least intrusive and most innocuous is what I do: I just grep the master log at LCS-MIT looking for telecom-archives log entries then I further grep the output of that by categories as to types of files the guys read, etc. I do not do any sort of reverse lookups as to their names, or what machines/sites used to reach me. I have heard something perfectly nasty however, and would appreciate some feedback from knowledgeable users: **So it is said** (I have no proof, no veracity of this statement) that a few of the 'web cam' sites have 'little tricks' which allow them to invade/intrude on your computer and *turn on your camera* to spy. Just as a hacker or spammer might 'get into your computer' to take advantage of vulnerabilities with your email, there are also 'vulnerabilities' involving your camera drivers and associated software programs, where you can be watched without even knowing it. Are there any 'trap doors' in camera software which could allow an intruder to spy in this way? After all, people are forever loading new programs on their computers; I do it all the time; damned if I know what all they are doing in there. We know there are freeware gizmos which are used to spy on the web sites you visit, etc; is there anything like that which quietly turns on a cam and sends its images elsewhere? When I first heard that, it was so chilling it send a chill up my backbone. Now when I am not using one of my various cameras specifically to send images, I turn them around to face the wall. Anyone want to comment? Lisa will be around late tonight or tomorrow. PAT] ------------------------------ From: pbxguy@cheeseborger.com (PBX Guy) Subject: Savings on 411 Directory Assistance Calls Date: 15 Jun 2003 10:36:00 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ In May we were given a mandate by our University CFO to reduce telecom costs. I knew we were paying high 411 rates at $1.25 at SBC Indiana and $2.49 at Sprint LD ... but didn't think we had any alternative until I searched Google under 411 and directory assistance to find an alternative. We hooked up with TeleDeal http://1800teledeal.com and they came through with a $.38/411 call rate and will save us over $46,000 per year. They have been great and we are now looking at bringing some of our Dedicated LD over to them. Dan ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 17:49:41 GMT From: Matt Bartlett Subject: Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? Organization: Optimum Online Hi folks, In my small apartment I am running a LinkSys 802.11 wireless card in my laptop which I primarily use in the kitchen/living/dining room (told ya it is a small apartment), and the Access Point is in the bedroom approximatley 25 feet away or so, through one sheet of paneling and one sheet of sheetrock (don't ask). I also just bought a 2.4Ghz cordless phone which I have about 5 feet away from my laptop in the living room. When I make a call on the cordless phone, the laptop loses its connection to the AP. Is there a way around this? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 17:44:59 EDT From: TELECOM Digest Editor Subject: My New 'Student' Justin Jones, age 22, my nephew (sister's son) lives in the middle of Florida in the Orlando area. He and the guy who is his roommate took the 'big plunge' two or three days ago and decided to buy a computer. Since the new computer came with an AOL disc good for 1500 hours of free time (what else is new, these days? snicker!) Justin and his roommate decided to install AOL as their first project. Both of these kids are *total* newbies; neither one has ever had a computer before in their lives. Justin wanted to learn 'how to do email' and so did his roomate. Justin told his friend, "let's ask Uncle Pat, he is really some kind of computer wizard." (his words; he heard his grand- mother [my mother] say that) so the two guys decided they had better call 'Uncle Pat' to get help putting their computer components together and installing AOL so they could 'do email'. I literally had to walk Justin step by step through the whole process using my copy of AOL on my screen as my guide to it all. He is sort of a (not terribly intelligent) southern kid. He got it set up finally and wondered how long it would take to get a piece of email to me. He asked 'will it probably get there in a week or so?' He had some difficulty grasping the concept of routing email with a @ sign and a location following. I told him 'the symbol above the '2' on your keyboard is what you use to mean /at/' and you will have to use it for any email to someone who is NOT on AOL the same as yourself. If they *are* on the same system as yourself, then you do not need it. Justin chose the screen name 'cobra' for himself (plus some digits following it, there being so many cobras at AOL. It took a while to explain to him that he was just 'cobra(number)' to the guys he wrote to on AOL but in the event he sent *me* email he had to give his fully qualified user name cobra-number@aol.com or if he sent email to grandmother Townson. But not to worry, his incoming mail will wind up in the same place either way ... then for his first two pieces of email he sent some to me and some to my mother. I had to remind him that we use 'little letters' on the net, not usually BIG letters, and that the email gets there more or less instantly, not 'within a week or so' as his roommate had claimed. To 'prove it' I told him to send a piece of email to me and I would read it back to him, which I did five or ten seconds later. I also helped him set up his 'profile page' on AOL and gave a very stern lecture about 'the kinds of people you write to or chat with on the net' and how there were people who seemed to thrive on 'luring young guys like you and roomie into trouble they do not need'. I think, while listening to his southern drawl, he understood me. I have never met the kid, but I hope to when he decides to come here to Independence to visit one of these days. At least he knows to NEVER give any personal information to anyone on the net at anytime. I told him you do not EVER say or type in your password no matter how much the other person claims to 'need it, as an employee of AOL', etc, and to not hesitate to call *me* on the phone or send me email with any questions he had or concerns which came up during chatrooms he discovered, etc. A two hour plus phone call with him to get him started; afterward I did not feel tired, I actually felt refreshed. From the tone in his voice I could tell he was just so thrilled to have this new power at his disposal, the ability to send email and talk on the computer. It may be one of the last things I do on the net but it was *so great* to be responsible for getting one more guy in the loop. Good luck with your new ability, Justin. May it serve you quite well in years ahead. PAT ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. 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End of TELECOM Digest V22 #515 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jun 16 18:33:18 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5GMXIr10476; Mon, 16 Jun 2003 18:33:18 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 18:33:18 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306162233.h5GMXIr10476@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #516 TELECOM Digest Mon, 16 Jun 2003 18:33:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 516 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Update (Canada) #387, June 16, 2003 (Angus TeleManagement) Re: Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? (joe@obilivan) Re: Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? (John Bartley) Re: Web Bugs Aren't That Small (Walter Dnes) Re: Web Bugs Aren't That Small (Linc Madison) Early Dial Exchanges, NYC, 1922 (Harry Dodsworth) David Nelsons Want Off The List (Monty Solomon) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 10:17:50 -0400 From: Angus TeleManagement Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #387, June 16, 2003 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 387: June 16, 2003 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** BELL CANADA: http://www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: http://www.cisco.com/ca/letstalk ** CYGCOM INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES: http://www.cygcom.com ** ERICSSON CANADA: http://www.ericsson.ca ** JUNIPER NETWORKS: http://www.juniper.net ** PRIMUS CANADA: http://www.primustel.ca ** Q9 NETWORKS: http://www.Q9.com ** TELUS: http://www.telus.com ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Committee Urges Single Communications Act ** Sheridan College Suspends Telecom Program ** Whistler Cable Tests VoIP ** Call-Net May Resell Wireless ** TeraGo Offers Symmetrical Data ** Bell Seeks to Kill PrimeLine ** Comments Sought on Consumer Bill of Rights ** Resellers to Appeal Toll Compensation Order ** Private Line Forbearance Rules Unchanged ** Manley May Testify in TeleZone Suit ** Meenan Heads Natural Convergence ** Telus Files $3 Billion Prospectus ** NorthernTel to Expand Digital Wireless ** More Layoffs at 3Com ** FTC Asks Anti-Spam Powers ** 10 Charged in Toronto Telemarketing Scam ** ITAC Names New CEO, Chair ** PriMetrica Buys TeleGeography ** Consultants Call for Speakers ** Save $50 on Telemanagement Subscription ============================================================ COMMITTEE URGES SINGLE COMMUNICATIONS ACT: The Commons Committee on Canadian Heritage says that a single communications act should replace the Telecom, Broadcasting, and CRTC Acts, and that a single department of communications should have responsibility for broadcasting, telecom, and the cultural industries. http://www.parl.gc.ca/InfoComDoc/37/2/HERI/PressReleases/HERIPR02-e.htm ** The Committee also recommends retention of current foreign ownership limits on broadcasting and telecommunications. The Canadian Cable Television Association says it is disappointed with that recommendation. SHERIDAN COLLEGE SUSPENDS TELECOM PROGRAM: One of Canada's longest-running programs in telecom management has been suspended, effective immediately. Sheridan College Dean Gary Closson says the telecom downturn has led to a decline in registrations and to difficulty in placing graduates. WHISTLER CABLE TESTS VOIP: Whistler Cable Television has begun testing Voice over IP telephone service, with a view to offering a local and long distance second-line telephone service in the Whistler, B.C., area later this year. The technology was developed by Vancouver-based Galaxy Telecom. CALL-NET MAY RESELL WIRELESS: According to published reports, Call-Net Enterprises is negotiating with Microcell to resell cellular service under the Sprint brand name. TERAGO OFFERS SYMMETRICAL DATA: TeraGo Networks is offering business customers in the Toronto area wireless high-speed Internet access at 3 Mbps for both downloads and uploads for $395/month. Uploads on ADSL are typically limited to 640 Kbps. BELL SEEKS TO KILL PRIMELINE: Ball Canada has asked the CRTC for permission to destandardize and then withdraw its PrimeLine Executive service. It proposes to offer a new Web- based service, Single Number Reach, as an alternative, effective July 9. (See Telecom Update #162) http://www.crtc.gc.ca/8740/eng/2003/b2-6752.htm COMMENTS SOUGHT ON CONSUMER BILL OF RIGHTS: The CRTC wants public comments to assist it in developing a Consumer Bill of Rights for residential and business customers of the major incumbent phone companies. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2003/pt2003-6.htm RESELLERS TO APPEAL TOLL COMPENSATION ORDER: Two Vancouver- area local resellers say they will ask the CRTC to "review and vary" its ruling that local resellers will not be compensated for foregone revenues when local calling areas are expanded (see Telecom Update #349, 382). In the meantime, they have asked for a stay of the new rules. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2003/8680/w32_200307315.htm PRIVATE LINE FORBEARANCE RULES UNCHANGED: The CRTC has denied a request by Telus to change the process for deregulating IX private line routes, saying the current process works "reasonably well" and has resulted in deregulation of about 1,000 routes served by two or more carriers. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2003/dt2003-37.htm MANLEY MAY TESTIFY IN TELEZONE SUIT: The Ontario Superior Court says that John Manley must submit to questioning in a $250 million lawsuit filed against Industry Canada by TeleZone Inc. Manley was Minister of Industry when TeleZone lost its bid for a digital cellular licence in 1995. (See Telecom Update #176) MEENAN HEADS NATURAL CONVERGENCE: James Meenan, former CEO of AT&T Canada, has been named Chairman of Natural Convergence, an Ottawa company that develops IP telephony software. TELUS FILES $3 BILLION PROSPECTUS: Telus Corp has filed a $3 billion shelf prospectus, replacing an earlier one that expired on Friday. CFO Robert McFarlane denied speculation that the company may buy AT&T Canada. NORTHERNTEL TO EXPAND DIGITAL WIRELESS: NorthernTel Mobility is building 20 new cellular sites to expand digital service in northeastern Ontario. NorthernTel will invest $3 million; another $5 million will come from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. MORE LAYOFFS AT 3COM: Blaming weak demand, 3Com says it will lay off about 400 of its 3,900 employees worldwide in the next six months. (See Telecom Update #373) FTC ASKS ANTI-SPAM POWERS: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission says two-thirds of spam is clearly deceptive. It has asked a Senate committee for increased powers to regulate e-mail and to investigate and prosecute deceptive spammers. 10 CHARGED IN TORONTO TELEMARKETING SCAM: Toronto police have charged 10a people and closed down 21 companies in connection with a telemarketing operation that solicited ads in non- existent magazines purportedly dealing with missing children, fire safety, and the police. ITAC NAMES NEW CEO, CHAIR: The Information Technology Association of Canada has named Bill Bergen, formerly President of Oracle Corp. Canada, as President and CEO. Adam Cowaniec of Tundra Semiconductor has been named Chair for 2003-2004, succeeding Paul Tsaparis. PRIMETRICA BUYS TELEGEOGRAPHY: TeleGeography, a publisher of telecom traffic and network research based in Washington DC, has been acquired by PriMetrica, a California-based market research firm. CONSULTANTS CALL FOR SPEAKERS: The Canadian Telecommunications Consultants Association will hold its Fall 2003 Conference in St. John's, Newfoundland, on September 12-13. Proposals for presentations at the conference are due by June 30: for information, write ctca.speakers@dataperceptions.com. SAVE $50 ON TELEMANAGEMENT SUBSCRIPTION: Until June 30, new subscribers will save $50 off the regular price of a one-year subscription to Telemanagement, Canada's #1 source for expert, independent telecom analysis and guidance. ** While copies last, new subscribers will receive the June issue, which analyzes what Canadian carriers are doing to cope with the crisis of inaccurate and unreadable telecom bills, and suggests self-defense measures for business customers. ** Telemanagement is available only by subscription. For more information, call 800-263-4415 ext 500 or go to http://www.angustel.ca/teleman/tm.html. ============================================================ HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-MAIL: editors@angustel.ca FAX: 905-686-2655 MAIL: TELECOM UPDATE Angus TeleManagement Group 8 Old Kingston Road Ajax, Ontario Canada L1T 2Z7 =========================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web on the first business day of the week at http://www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2003 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail rosita@angustel.ca or phone 905-686-5050 ext 500. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ From: joe@obilivan.net Subject: Re: Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 05:16:30 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications Change to either a 5 GHz or 900 MHz cordless phone. Matt Bartlett wrote: > Hi folks, > In my small apartment I am running a LinkSys 802.11 wireless card in > my laptop which I primarily use in the kitchen/living/dining room > (told ya it is a small apartment), and the Access Point is in the > bedroom approximatley 25 feet away or so, through one sheet of > paneling and one sheet of sheetrock (don't ask). I also just bought a > 2.4Ghz cordless phone which I have about 5 feet away from my laptop in > the living room. When I make a call on the cordless phone, the laptop > loses its connection to the AP. Is there a way around this? ------------------------------ From: 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) Subject: Re: Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 17:05:37 GMT On Sun, 15 Jun 2003 17:49:41 GMT, Matt Bartlett wrote: > Hi folks, > In my small apartment I am running a LinkSys 802.11 wireless card in > my laptop which I primarily use in the kitchen/living/dining room > (told ya it is a small apartment), and the Access Point is in the > bedroom approximatley 25 feet away or so, through one sheet of > paneling and one sheet of sheetrock (don't ask). I also just bought a > 2.4Ghz cordless phone which I have about 5 feet away from my laptop in > the living room. When I make a call on the cordless phone, the laptop > loses its connection to the AP. Is there a way around this? Try selecting different channels on the 802.11 system, and on the cordless phone. Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT. ------------------------------ From: Walter Dnes Subject: Re: Web Bugs Aren't That Small Date: 16 Jun 2003 10:30:35 GMT Reply-To: waltdnes@waltdnes.org On Sun, 15 Jun 2003 12:45:20 -0400, TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Name Withheld at User's Request: > I have heard something perfectly nasty however, and would appreciate > some feedback from knowledgeable users: **So it is said** (I have > no proof, no veracity of this statement) that a few of the 'web cam' > sites have 'little tricks' which allow them to invade/intrude on your > computer and *turn on your camera* to spy. Just as a hacker or spammer > might 'get into your computer' to take advantage of vulnerabilities > with your email, there are also 'vulnerabilities' involving your > camera drivers and associated software programs, where you can be > watched without even knowing it. Are there any 'trap doors' in camera > software which could allow an intruder to spy in this way? After all, > people are forever loading new programs on their computers; I do it > all the time; damned if I know what all they are doing in there. We > know there are freeware gizmos which are used to spy on the web sites > you visit, etc; is there anything like that which quietly turns on a > cam and sends its images elsewhere? When I first heard that, it was > so chilling it send a chill up my backbone. Now when I am not using > one of my various cameras specifically to send images, I turn them > around to face the wall. Anyone want to comment? Lisa will be > around late tonight or tomorrow. PAT] An article at http://www.theregister.com/content/archive/19812.html with explicit pics at http://www.retecool.com/webcamlessons/index.html Turning the camera to the wall may be insufficient if it can pan and rotate. Either unplug it or put a box over it. Check whether your camera, or its software drivers, listens on any ports, and whether your firewall allows those ports to be accessed from the internet. If the Windows popup spam works on your PC, outsiders can at least talk to it. Taking it over is harder, but being able to connect from outside is a necessary condition. Separate from that, if your PC has been compromised with Netbus or SubSeven or any other RAT (Remote Administration Tool) software, all bets are off. The remote attacker is, for all intents and purposes, sitting at your keyboard, and can issue any commands to the PC that you can. Walter Dnes Email users are divided into two classes; 1) Those who have effective spam-blocking 2) Those who wish they did [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That really is a scary scenario isn't it! I do not use any Remote Administration Tools and only on rare occassions did I turn on a way for a friend of mine to sit 'at the keyboard' to help me back when I was using Windows XP. The XP is no longer, it was converted into a Windows 2000 with a partioned drive to allow Linux to co-exist with it. Has anyone seen that software being advertised which allows the user to operate his computer from remote locations? I wonder what the agenda is for the people who offer that thing? Fortunatly, my cameras are all tiny little things which have sort of squat legs on them which sit 'around' the room. They do not swivel or rotate on their own. If I turn them to face the corner, that's the way they are sitting the next day. As far as getting access to my computer I will not say it is impossible, but I think with Linksys router it is more difficult and I do not have default password etc. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Linc Madison Subject: Re: Web Bugs Aren't That Small Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 19:44:49 -0700 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises In article , Name Withheld at User's Request wrote: > My opinion about web "bugs" is that they get much more attention than > they deserve. Any http request creates a log entry which can be used > for tracking, and that includes the "ordinary" fluff companies put > into web pages, such as the corporate logo, the borders, etc. Web bugs aren't about web pages at all. They're about e-mail messages. Specifically, a web bug allows the spammer to know that you have opened the spam e-mail message. The tag in the web bug identifies the specific recipient of that piece of spam, and verifies the time of accessing the message. That's a lot more information than they get when you load an ordinary web page, because they know not only your IP address, but your e-mail address and which spam message you opened. There are some lovely anti-spam programs that now collect all the web bugs out of your inbound spam, scramble the identifiers on them, and then blast them back out to the spammers' servers every couple of minutes until you tell the program to stop. That's one of my favorite features for anti-spam software. The reason for the concern about the size of a web bug is spammers often use a single white pixel against a white background. Thus you don't even know that the web bug is there unless you look at the raw HTML of the e-mail message, which very few people do. Many e-mail programs, especially from Microsoft, have historically been preset to automatically download any web graphics contained in an e-mail message, often even when you merely preview the message. Microsoft's change of tune on this issue is LONG overdue, but it is indeed welcome. If the spammers lose the ability to track people through Outlook Express and Hotmail, web bugs will lose much of their value to the spammers. Of course, they will still try to find other techniques to track you, but they will have lost one of their best tools. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Oooh Linc, anyone! Where can I get an anti-spam program such as you described, taking the bugs out and scrambling them then blasting them back? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 23:40:47 +0000 (GMT) From: af877@freenet.carleton.ca (Harry Dodsworth) Subject: Early Dial Exchanges, NYC, 1922 Organization: National Capital Freenet, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada I found the following clipping while looking for something else. I hope it is interesting to telecom historians on the group. New York Times, Friday, December 1, 1922 (microfilm) NEW 'DIAL' PHONES TO START TOMORROW Exchange, Which Is to Be Known as 'Academy,' Will Carry 4,000 Lines At midnight tomorrow night the New York Telephone Company will place in service New York City's second machine switching telephone central. It will be known as "Academy" and will be located at 193 Manhattan Avenue. About 4,000 telephone lines now served by the Academy manual central office will be transferred to the new machine switching apparatus. Academy serves the district between 102d Street and 110th Street, west from Central Park to the Hudson River. The first apparatus of the machine switching type to serve New York City subscribers was placed in operation in Pennsylvania central office district last October. At that time 1,800 lines were transferred to the new office and since then 1,200 more have been cut over to the Pennsylvania machine switching apparatus. A transfer of about 1,200 more lines is planned for this month. The telephone company announces that the success of the installation has been gratifying. Several other machine switching central offices will be placed in operation in the city during the next twelve months. In the "Walker" central office the company has begun to replace the manual instruments with the "dial" instrument. "Walker" will be the third central office in Manhattan to be this equipped. Harry Dodsworth Ottawa Ontario Canada af877@freenet.carleton.ca [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: *Thank you* very much for passing this along. It is immediatly going to go in our archives in the 'history' section. PAT] ------------------------------ Reply-To: Monty Solomon From: Monty Solomon Subject: David Nelsons Want Off the List Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 15:58:53 -0400 By Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- The skies haven't been friendly lately for David Nelson. Any David Nelson. Throughout Southern California and across the country, men named David Nelson report they have been harassed, questioned by FBI agents, pulled off airplanes, searched and then searched again when attempting air travel. Apparently caught up in a nationwide dragnet for a terrorist by that name, David Nelsons everywhere are being told their names raise red flags on airline screening software. The government, however, maintains that the problem is essentially a computer glitch the airlines must solve. Some David Nelsons in Southern California say they don't care why it's happening. They just want their names off the list. http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%7E20954%7E1456010,00.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well David Nelson will just have to forget about it. I can tell you right now that Dubya will not be thwarted in his 'war against terrorism' any more than he will be thwarted in his 'war against crime' or 'war against drugs'. Those things must go on if he hopes to get reelected in 2004. David Nelson will just have to sacrifice for the good of his country and his resident president now in power. 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #516 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jun 16 20:11:47 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5H0Bkp11481; Mon, 16 Jun 2003 20:11:47 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 20:11:47 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306170011.h5H0Bkp11481@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #517 TELECOM Digest Mon, 16 Jun 2003 20:12:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 517 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter Holy Change Agent! Consultants Edit Out Jargon (Monty Solomon) Session Fixation Vulnerability in Web Based Apps (Monty Solomon) The Camera Phone Quietly Wins Fans (Monty Solomon) Online Locator Software Use Grows (Monty Solomon) The Answer to Securing Data? Self-Destructing Files (Monty Solomon) Microsoft Swats at Stealthy Web Bugs (Monty Solomon) Re: Limitations of Ancient Toshiba Strata S/VI Phone Switch (J Bartley) Re: Limitations of Ancient Toshiba Strata S/VI Phone Switch (Alchemy Gu) Re: E-mail --> Fax? (Phil McKerracher) Re: E-mail --> Fax? (John Bartley) Re: E-mail --> Fax? (Carlo Coggi) Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers (Linc Madison) Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? (Fritz Whittington) Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? (Daniel J McDonald) Re: Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? (Monty Solomon) Re: Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? (Linc Madison) New Voice Mail For Toshiba Strata DK Series? (John Bartley) Power Supply: Value? (Alan Leroy) Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Spam Crisis (Barry Margolin) Fidonet vs Usenet (Joey Lindstrom) Re: My New 'Student' (Arthur Kamlet) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 22:57:38 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Holy Change Agent! Consultants Edit Out Jargon By JONATHAN D. GLATER The people blamed for incentivizing companies to repurpose, build mindshare and utilize change agents have taken aim at their own lingo. Deloitte Consulting, an arm of the accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, has developed a free software program, Bullfighter, that identifies jargon in documents. The goal is to make it easier for investors to decipher what companies are trying to say, said Chelsea Hardaway, the Deloitte marketing director who led the team that designed the software. "We hope that it is a fun way to make business communications safer for all of us," Ms. Hardaway said. Upon request, she shifted effortlessly to the language of consultants to offer an alternative -- or, perhaps, actually the same -- explanation: "We envision a center of excellence where our accelerated change agents can maximize their core competencies." The software, which works like a spelling checker program to spot questionable words and phrases in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents, is available on the Deloitte Consulting Web site at www.dc.com/bullfighter. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/14/technology/14BULL.html [Lisa Minter note: When surfing to the NY Times web site, users are invited to use our group ID and group password to avoid receiving unwanted spam: ussername telecomdigest password telecomdigest . ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 23:47:24 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Session Fixation Vulnerability in Web Based Apps http://www.acros.si/papers/session_fixation.pdf ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 01:02:30 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Camera Phone Quietly Wins Fans By D.C. Denison, Globe Staff, 6/15/2003 Real estate agent Michele Portlock, stylishly dressed in a slate blue duster, is doing a slow twirl as she surveys the living room of a small Back Bay condominium. She stops suddenly and lifts her silver cellphone to eye level. "I want to get this fireplace," she says, just before her cellphone emits a digital click. A few minutes later, Portlock, 38, is standing in the doorway of the unit's newly renovated bathroom, framing a shot of the gleaming marble floor and walls. "This unit will fly when it comes on the market," Portlock says. "That's why I want to get these shots to a couple of my clients, fast." Portlock, who works for Hammond Residential GMAC, is way outside the target market for the new generation of picture phones. Trend-conscious youth are the primary focus for this 'fun' technology currently being marketed by a number of wireless service providers. But many of these services are discovering a surprising new segment they hadn't anticipated: business people and professionals who are taking advantage of the phone's ability to take digital snapshots and quickly share them with colleagues and customers. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/166/metro/The_camera_phone_quietly_wins_fans+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 01:24:25 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Online Locator Software Use Grows By BOB TEDESCHI TECHNOLOGIES that can more or less determine an Internet user's physical location have long intrigued executives and others involved in the online medium. Just about the only thing these technologies could not locate was a market. Now, though, executives of companies that make such products, known as geolocation or geotargeting software, say they are finding their niches. Internet security specialists, digital media companies and professional sports leagues, among others, have emerged as the early adopters of geolocation software, possibly setting the stage for broader marketplace acceptance in the coming months. Major League Baseball, for example, is relying extensively on location technology this season as it sells live Webcasts of games, so far signing up more than 40,000 customers. Without the locator software "we simply could not offer our product," said Bob Bowman, the chief executive of Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the league's online division. The software helps Major League Baseball replicate the broadcast practice of blacking out local television markets for certain sports contests to try to inspire hometown fans to buy tickets. Likewise, MLB.com bars anyone in, say, the Boston market from watching a live Webcast of a Red Sox game -- to avoid sapping the game's television ratings. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/16/technology/16ECOM.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 09:34:13 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Answer to Securing Data? Self-Destructing Files By Bernhard Warner and Lucas van Grinsven LONDON/AMSTERDAM, June 16 (Reuters) - If technology firms like Sony (TOKYO:6758) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) have their way, songs and movies will expire after a single play -- unless you pay the copyright holder their due. The technology that makes this possible -- known as digital rights management, or DRM -- will forever change the way we consume media and software, experts believe. Software and media companies continue to push new content security initiatives, each plugging their own version of DRM that aims to protect content from unwelcomed eyes. In the near future, emails, spread sheet programmes and Webpage content alike will be secured with digital locks. Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ:SUNW) said this week it plans to roll out new software to protect copyrighted content stored on mobile phones and smart cards. Meanwhile, Warner Music released the new Steely Dan album "Everything Must Go" on CD and DVD Audio, the latter being an encrypted, "rip-proof" format. The biggest market for content security is expected to be corporations, government agencies and hospitals who need to keep sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands. But so far, it's the media companies that have made most noise about DRM. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34526931 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 22:25:56 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Microsoft Swats at Stealthy Web Bugs By THOMAS J. FITZGERALD PRIVACY advocates say a shift by Microsoft could effectively marginalize a particularly intrusive use of Web bugs, the tracking and profiling devices used by online marketers and spammers. Last month Microsoft retooled its Hotmail service, adding a feature that allows users to block Web bugs placed inside e-mail messages. A similar option exists in the most recent version of Microsoft's widely used Outlook Express e-mail program, and the company says the next release of its other e-mail program, Outlook, will block the tracking mechanisms by default. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/12/technology/circuits/12bugs.html ------------------------------ From: 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) Subject: Re: Limitations of Ancient Toshiba Strata S / VI Phone Switch? Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 17:10:10 GMT On 13 Jun 2003 12:53:31 -0700, ajones@panoramaortho.com (Andrew Jones) wrote: > We have obtained some office space that includes a working Toshiba > Strata phone system. It's a Strata with 8 extensions, and I am > curious as to its limitations because the manual seems to indicate it > doesn't have the abilities to serve some of our needs. > If anyone is familiar with this, I am wondering: > a) Is there a way to transfer an incoming CO call back to the outside > world? It seems it can only transfer from station to station and > nothing else. Can be done with an add-on voice mail/automated attendant server. Don't think it's part of the standard package. > b) Is there a way to set up hunting on CO lines so that you just have > one main number for people to call and it finds an available line? The Dk280 Strata can do it with v.2-4 of software. Don't know which version you have. Requires your telco to establish the numbers in a seek (hunt?) group. Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT. ------------------------------ Reply-To: Alchemy Guru From: Alchemy Guru Subject: Re: Limitations of the Ancient Toshiba Strata S / VI Phone Switch? Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 18:51:59 +0100 Organization: ntl News Service > a) Is there a way to transfer an incoming CO call back to the outside > world? It seems it can only transfer from station to station and > nothing else. NO - the Strata only support analog lines and Trunk to Trunk after on analog lines is not permited. (With no means of telling when the caller has cleared your PBX could be left with two open but dead lines.) > b) Is there a way to set up hunting on CO lines so that you just have > one main number for people to call and it finds an available line? BT can set up multiple lines on 1 number. ( A standard feature for most companies.) Another limitation to bear in mind with this system are only one internal speech path. This means that if an internal call is in progress it is imposible to transfer a call! On the + side Tosh systems are extremly reliable & rarely have problems. (Most problems are cured by replacing the line cord or handset cord on the ext.) ------------------------------ From: Phil McKerracher Subject: Re: E-mail --> Fax? Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 11:37:56 GMT Organization: blueyonder (post doesn't reflect views of blueyonder) Dr. Joel M. Hoffman wrote in message news:telecom22.515.12@telecom-digest.org: > I'm looking for a commercial e-mail to FAX service, that will let me > e-mail a postscript document somewhere to have it faxed. It seems to > me I should be able to eliminate my fax machine completely. Incoming > faxes are no problem, but, surprisingly, I haven't found any good > outgoing fax services. > Any suggestions? I would guess most people use a fax modem for this. They're dirt cheap these days and if you get one with a speaker you can hear if there's a problem (e.g. if you dial the voice number by mistake). Phil McKerracher www.mckerracher.org ------------------------------ From: 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) Subject: Re: E-mail --> Fax? Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 17:07:19 GMT On Sun, 15 Jun 2003 15:48:57 GMT, joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) wrote: > I'm looking for a commercial e-mail to FAX service, that will let me > e-mail a postscript document somewhere to have it faxed. It seems to > me I should be able to eliminate my fax machine completely. Incoming > faxes are no problem, but, surprisingly, I haven't found any good > outgoing fax services. If it does not have to be Postscript, try this site: http://www.tpc.int/ Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: E-mail --> Fax? From: noemail@forme.com (Carlo Coggi) Organization: Organization Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 23:41:53 GMT Dr. Joel M. Hoffman wrote: > I'm looking for a commercial e-mail to FAX service, that will let me > e-mail a postscript document somewhere to have it faxed. It seems to > me I should be able to eliminate my fax machine completely. Incoming > faxes are no problem, but, surprisingly, I haven't found any good > outgoing fax services. > Any suggestions? > Thanks. > -Joel J2.com (the result of the merger between jfax.com and efax.com) offers this functionality. ------------------------------ From: Linc Madison Subject: Re: Junk Faxes / ID'ing 800 Numbers Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 19:47:09 -0700 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises In article , AES/newspost wrote: > Assuming you show up on my doorstep, or my phone line, as a result of > **your** initiative not mine, seems to me I ought to have some right to > ask, "Hey, just who are you?", and get an answer. Not so? No, you have NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER to get an answer to who I am if I am standing on your doorstep. You have the right to order me to leave if I refuse to answer, but you do NOT have the right to get an answer. ------------------------------ From: Fritz Whittington Subject: Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 13:31:12 GMT Organization: AT&T Worldnet Garry W wrote: > jt wrote: >>> Yea, I do that too, but perhaps what the original poster is irritated >>> by is the same thing I am irritated by: If I actually want to listen >>> to my messages, I have to first turn the volume back up again, then >>> remember to turn it back down again. >> Put a toggle switch in line with the speaker. > I don't think that helps. > True, it allows the process of "turn the volume back up again, then > remember to turn it back down again" to be engaged in more speedily. > But it's not the speediness that is the problem. It's the > requirement that you =remember= to click the toggle switch. Put a Normally Open push-button switch in line with the speaker. You can't forget to take your thumb with you. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Answering Machine = Without = Call Screening? Organization: io.com From: djmcdona@io.com (Daniel J McDonald) Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 12:44:08 -0500 On the subject of obscure answering machine features, does anyone know of an answering machine that does distinctive ring? I've got two ring cadences at the house, and I want Ring A to be answered by CallNotes (Telco voicemail) and Ring B to be answered by a machine. Daniel J McDonald CCIE # 2495, CNX Visit my website: http://www.austinnetworkdesign.com [Lisa Minter note: You need to get telco to fix things so that your distinctive ring line does NOT forward to voicemail but your regular number moves out on schedule. Do NOT let telco tell you that it cannot be done. Patrick has that on his line here. The main number rings three times then moves to his cell phone (three more rings) then his voicemail. On the other hand, the ring-ring line never goes anywhere, and would ring-ring here forever if not for his answering machine grabbing it *one ring* after the first line has moved out. Telco may try to tell you that both lines have to work the same, but Patrick said to me that a *very smart service rep at SBC* once told him that 'many of my co-workers do not know how to fill out a template correctly so to avoid having to learn how to do it they just claim it cannot be done'. You don't have to accept that answer. The DECISION on how to handle unanswered calls is made in the switch *prior to* the DECISION to camp a second line on with a first line. Therefore if the ring-ring line is told DO NOT FORWARD ANYWHERE ANYTIME it won't. See if you can get a satisfactory conclusion to this from your telco as well. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 21:43:56 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Re: Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? On Sun, 15 Jun 2003 17:49:41 GMT Matt Bartlett wrote about Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? > In my small apartment I am running a LinkSys 802.11 wireless card in > my laptop which I primarily use in the kitchen/living/dining room > (told ya it is a small apartment), and the Access Point is in the > bedroom approximatley 25 feet away or so, through one sheet of > paneling and one sheet of sheetrock (don't ask). I also just bought a > 2.4Ghz cordless phone which I have about 5 feet away from my laptop in > the living room. When I make a call on the cordless phone, the laptop > loses its connection to the AP. Is there a way around this? They both operate at 2.4 GHz. Some options: * Configure them to use different channels. * Replace the phone with one that operates at 900 MHz or 5 GHz. * Replace the 802.11b/g products with 802.11a versions. ------------------------------ From: Linc Madison Subject: Re: Cordless Phone Interefering with Wireless Internet? Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 19:36:27 -0700 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises In article , Matt Bartlett wrote: > In my small apartment I am running a LinkSys 802.11 wireless card in > my laptop which I primarily use in the kitchen/living/dining room > (told ya it is a small apartment), and the Access Point is in the > bedroom approximatley 25 feet away or so, through one sheet of > paneling and one sheet of sheetrock (don't ask). I also just bought > a 2.4Ghz cordless phone which I have about 5 feet away from my laptop > in the living room. When I make a call on the cordless phone, the > laptop loses its connection to the AP. Is there a way around this? Workarounds: 1. Try switching the channel that the wireless internet setup uses. Unlike cordless phones, which can usually hop around to different channels to find a good one, or which may use multiple channels with digital spread spectrum (DSS), your wireless internet probably uses a specific pre-set channel. 2. Get a cordless phone that uses a different frequency range, which probably means either 900 MHz or 5.8 GHz. 3. It may help if you have considerable activity on the wireless internet at the moment the cordless tries to initiate the call. That may cause the cordless phone to view the channel as "in use" and use other channel(s). Option #2 is, in the long run, your best bet. If you can still exchange the new 2.4 GHz phone, I would do so. There are some brands of 2.4 GHz cordless phones that are reputed to have/cause fewer problems sharing turf with a wireless internet setup, but the best bet is to have them on completely different frequency bands. ------------------------------ From: 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) Subject: New Voice Mail For Toshiba Strata DK series? Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 19:17:11 GMT How many of y'all are managing a Toshiba Strata DK system? Which voice mail/automated attendant/IVR system are you using? Responses *greatly* appreciated from *actual users*. Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT. ------------------------------ From: TiredOwl@aol.com (Alan Leroy) Subject: Power Supply: Value? Date: 16 Jun 2003 15:30:31 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I have fourteen 200 volt power supply units from Acme Electric that I believe were used in a wireless communication application. They convert 200-240v power down to 5.25v and 12.25v. They are model number HF-75720, and weigh about 20 lbs. each. They were in working order at the time the operators' system was updated. Anybody have any idea what these things are worth? I'm thinking perhaps only for salvage value. Anyway, thanks for any help, Al ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: DoubleClick Announces Steps to Address Industry Spam Crisis Organization: Genuity Managed Services, Woburn, MA Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 18:25:25 GMT In article , 'nuther Bob wrote: > The *only* thing a cookie does is allow a remote system to recognize > who you are by virtue of the fact that you have been there before and > that same domain created a cookie on your system. There is nothing in > a cookie that you have not provided to the remote site. One domain > cannot read the cookies from another domain. The "danger" of cookies > is highly overrated. But once of the things you've "provided" to the remote site is the URL you followed to get to them. And in the case of DoubleClick, their URLs include information about the web page that contained the banner ad. So DoubleClick knows which of their clients' web pages you're accessing, and how often you visit each of them. Barry Margolin, barry.margolin@level3.com Level(3), Woburn, MA *** DON'T SEND TECHNICAL QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO ME, post them to newsgroups. Please DON'T copy followups to me -- I'll assume it wasn't posted to the group. ------------------------------ From: Joey Lindstrom Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 09:39:14 -0600 Subject: Fidonet vs Usenet Reply-To: joey@telussucks.info On Fri, 13 Jun 2003 23:31:46 -0400 (EDT), editor@telecom-digest.org wrote: > [Lisa Minter note: But Gail, all the private BBS's between them could > not begin to get the traffic circulation that Usenet (for example) > gets today ... even all the Fido echogroups did not reach a group of > users as large (for example) as this telecom newsgroup. So why then, > would the spammers bother with them? Even the spammers want some tiny > return on their effort; the small BBS things is/was not where things > are at. Yes there was a lot less chance for abuse (almost nil) but the > small BBS's were all single server things with 25-30 users per day on > good days. That's five minutes worth of traffic on our Telecom > Archives site. Now if *you* were an abuser, which would you use or > abuse? See my point? Lisa M.] I would be interested in seeing some actual numbers on this. During the late 80's and early 90's, when FidoNet and other FTSC-type networks were booming, there were over 30,000 member bulletin boards (each typically with hundreds of users) and God knows how many "othernet" systems as well. I had the pleasure (hah!) of moderating one of the busier echomail conferences, called "CANACHAT", and it was averaging 300-400 messages per day. On the other hand, Usenet only reached people in academic and military settings. Was Usenet AT THAT TIME actually that much "bigger and better" than FidoNet? Are there any numbers available on the actual usage of Usenet during that era? The FidoNet system, given its interconnected nature, *WAS* large enough to attract the attention of a few... er, entrepreneurs. Now that I dredge up these memories, I recall that every once in a blue moon, some moron would log into a member BBS, switch to an echomail conference, and try spamming (though I'm pretty sure we didn't have a name for it yet). They usually only did it once. Typically, that user would get banned not only from the echo conference but also from the host BBS. That sysop, in turn, would warn other local sysops about this particular user's behaviour, and they would (in most cases) prohibit that user from further posting (to ANY echo conference). Given that the relatively high long distance rates at that time really discouraged calling long-distance to login to bulletin boards, that usually ended the problem. There were the occasional really persistent ones, but they were the exception and they all eventually gave up -- I think the most persistent one I ever encountered quit after about a month. -- Joey Lindstrom [Lisa Minter note: But you could still only accomodate one (or maybe two or three in the case of a multi-user machine, which most were not). If I sat on line on your BBS typing out a message, no one else could get on line until I got off. That's unlike a modern Unix site which can not only handle many callers at once, but while it is doing that, it can be handling much incoming/outgoing mail/news, etc. Yes, you could have several hundred or several thousand subscribers, but only one at a time on line, or maybe you would max out at fifty calls per day if you had a *really active* BBS. While I have been typing this reply to you for example, the Telecom Archives web site caller 'counter' has incremented by seven more visitors. Statistics might be interesting but I think you would see the BBS's left far behind. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: kamlet@panix.com (Arthur Kamlet) Subject: Re: My New 'Student' Date: 15 Jun 2003 22:44:11 -0400 Organization: PANIX -- Public Access Networks Corp. Reply-To: ArtKamlet@REMOVE.com In article , TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > Justin Jones, age 22, my nephew (sister's son) lives in the middle of > Florida in the Orlando area. He and the guy who is his roommate took > the 'big plunge' two or three days ago and decided to buy a computer. > Since the new computer came with an AOL disc good for 1500 hours of > free time ... > I also helped him set up his 'profile page' on > AOL and gave a very stern lecture about 'the kinds of people you write Ah! He will now receive dozens and dozens of spam emails for vaigra, nude pics of young hot chix, cheap drugs, etc etc etc. That AOL Profile is a prime source of email addresses for spammers. AOL does allow you to do some filtering. Your next project is to get filtering to work, unless he is into nude pics, etc :^( > to or chat with on the net' and how there were people who seemed to > thrive on 'luring young guys like you and roomie into trouble they do > not need'. I think, while listening to his southern drawl, he > understood me. I have never met the kid, but I hope to when he decides > to come here to Independence to visit one of these days. Art Kamlet ArtKamlet @ AOL.com Columbus OH K2PZH [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I tried to explain that to him; not sure how much good it was. 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V22 #517 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jun 17 00:43:21 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5H4hKS12733; Tue, 17 Jun 2003 00:43:21 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 00:43:21 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306170443.h5H4hKS12733@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #518 TELECOM Digest Tue, 17 Jun 2003 00:43:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 518 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Cellular Phones and My Road Trip to Alaska (Dubs) Re: Intrinsically Safe Cell Phone? (Richard Songhurst) That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles (Joey Lindstrom) The Way Things Ought To Be (Joey Lindstrom) Fidonet vs. Usenet (Garrett Wollman) Re: My New 'Student' (Herb Stein) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: dubspam@yahoo.com (Dubs) Subject: Cellular Phones and My Road Trip to Alaska Date: 16 Jun 2003 16:22:10 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Hello People, I'm planning a big fat roadtrip from California to Alaska. I'm going to do internet work on the way, and I need a data capable cel phone that works well in rural areas. I'm on a shoestring budget, and I'm planning to spend some time working in Washington and Montana on the way. Does anyone have any advice for me? Please post your response, as this e-mail address is rarely checked. Thanks! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 23:18:06 GMT From: Richard Songhurst Subject: Re: Intrinsically Safe Cell Phone? Organization: Shaw Residential Internet There are a couple models made by Motorola for the iDEN network, operated in the U.S. by Nextel and Southern Linc. Dale Farmer wrote in message news:telecom22.513.6@telecom-digest.org: > Paul Hebert wrote: >> Our facilities group is asking for an intrinsically safe cell phone so >> the security guard can walk through hazardous areas (chemical >> manufacturing) on his watch. Is anyone familiar with such a device? Do >> you know what other companies do in cases like this to keep their >> security people in communication while on their appointed rounds? >> Paul Hebert >> Telecom Supervisor >> MARKEM Corporation >> Keene, NH 03431 > In my experience, it is ignored. I don't know offhand of anyone who > makes an intrinsically safe cell phone. There are plenty of two way > radios that meet that standard. They are more expensive than the > normal models, but not hugely so. ICOM and Motorola both make some. > --Dale ------------------------------ From: Joey Lindstrom Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 09:23:27 -0600 Subject: That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles Reply-To: joey@telussucks.info On Fri, 13 Jun 2003 23:31:46 EDT, Lisa Minter wrote: > [Lisa Minter note: One problem I have seen is that 'certain' web > sites which are detirmined to hand you their cookies -- spy or > otherwise -- just will not even let you login *unless* you take their > cookies as issued. If you refuse the cookies, or if you take them and > then later toss them out (so the site cannot find them when it wants > them again, or maybe you play games with the ports you use to intake > and output data, or you use an anonymizer) then many sites just tell > you get lost; you cannot come in here. What to do then? Lisa M.] Well Pat, you could always just accept the cookies. However, before doing so, remove all personal information from your setup - maybe replace it with false information. When I web-surf, the only information anyone gets from me is that my email address is "gof***yourself@spammers.com" (with *** being three actual alphanumeric characters), and that I'm a little 87-year-old lady from Pasadena. What they choose to do with that information is up to them. I'm sure they'll be somewhat amused by some of the sites that "granny" visits. This reminds me of one of my all-time favourite "Bloom County" cartoon strips from the early 1980's. (It's in both "Toons For Our Times" and "Bloom County Babylon" in case anyone's interested). The phone rings, and Opus (the penguin) answers. It's the "Bureau Of Nosy Statistics" on the line, and the girl asks if Opus would mind answering a few questions. He says sure. "What's your height? Weight? Pants size? And sexual preference?" His reply: "2'10". 30 pounds. I don't wear any pants. Svelte, buoyant waterfowl." She thanks him and hangs up. In the final panel, Opus looks out to the viewer and says "they're either going to arrest me or fire her." THAT is the approach we should all take when it comes to all such nosy invasions of our privacy. Give out your real info only when you absolutely have to. I actually had to walk out of a take-out pizzeria here in Calgary (www.cocobrooks.com in case you wanna send hatemail) because they refused (yes, refused) to sell me a take-and-bake pizza without first getting my name, address, and phone number. For a freakin' PIZZA. I had a few discussions with the owner, via email, about this, and advised him that this practice was against the law in Canada (our new Privacy Act). Didn't faze him a bit, and he ain't gonna stop until he's forced to. -- Joey Lindstrom ------------------------------ From: Joey Lindstrom Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 10:56:13 -0600 Subject: The Way Things Ought To Be Reply-To: joey@telussucks.info On Sat, 14 Jun 2003 14:26:06 EDT, Lisa Minter wrote: > [Lisa Minter note: Well, la-de-dah! 'Most web sites are businesses'. > What a dreadful and total perversion of everything the web and the > internet was orignally built for! This medium was supposed to be > the *people's* medium, or information exchange. Why, in the hell, > when the guys (and one or two in particular) who developed the 'web' > software put it together, didn't they have enough common sense to > see how quickly it would become abused by those folks with large > business interests, etc and clamp some very restrictive, very strong > restrictions on how the software (the web servers, etc) could be > used, and to whom it would be licensed? All of our various complaints > would be moot, wouldn't they? Nobody has decreed how web server software will be used. The individual website owners have rightfully decided on how THEIR SITES will be used. There's nothing stopping you from grabbing a copy of Apache and setting up your own site, running it how you choose. You would resent it if somebody told you how to run www.telecom-digest.org. Well, guess what? Perhaps the "large business interests" resent it when people like you come along and tell them how their sites must be run. How is it any of your business? > 'The culture of free information on the internet has become so prev- > alent that people think it is their right to get free information'. > That's right, Joel, we think that. Why shouldn't we? That's how the > internet came to be in the first place, wasn't it? It is not just some > kind of new-fangled urban legend. It is not just some starry-eyed > dream that there used to be a community of caring people on the net; > people who shared what they knew and worked to learn what they did > not know. Horse hockey. My first experience with "the internet" was back in 1992. I was involved in FidoNet and othernets at the time and did not have any connection to the internet. A friend of mine was a university student and *DID* have that access. One day he stumbled upon a then-new mailing list called "The Gary Numan Digest" and he knew I'd be interested in it because I was a huge fan of (musician) Gary Numan. So he grabbed copies of it from time to time and forwarded them to me via FidoNet netmail. I was thrilled -- this was information I couldn't get anywhere else, and I wanted more and more and more. But rather than rely on my friend's rather spotty delivery, I wanted to get in on the action. I wanted my *OWN* internet connection. And couldn't get one, for love or money. Nobody would offer me one, until three years later when they finally opened things up to "the public". Today, I host and moderate that same mailing list. (http://digest.garynuman.info for anyone interested). But for three long years, I just wasn't "good enough" to rate internet access. Pat, the internet you describe ... the internet that you believe is being destroyed by commercialism ... the internet of the people, by the people, for the people ... never existed. The internet of those days was strictly limited in who could use it. It was never "the people's medium" (your words) because "the people" were denied entry. Indeed, it was an elitist institution filled with people who seemed to think they were "better" than those of us who had to plug along with FidoNet or othernets because WE COULD NOT GET ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. There are a lot of organizations today that believe that things have become "diluted" because we can no longer control who gets in and who is kept out. Those organizations go by names like "Aryan Nations", "Ku Klux Klan", and several others. So screw you and your elitist rose-coloured glasses. I resented being looked down upon back then, and I resent it now. You and others like you are just pissed off that you don't have your little playground anymore, that you had to tear down the fence that kept out the riffraff. Riffraff like me. The internet that we have *TODAY* comes far, far closer to what you describe. Anybody can walk into a public library and have internet access. Nobody is denied. And that means commercial interests also have the right to get online. Now consider this: you're bitching about commercial websites that bombard visitors with advertising and/or charge for access. Well, those websites didn't exist 13 years ago. What they add to the internet is NEW CONTENT, but there is a price to that new content - you either view ads or buy in. Or don't use the website. Seems pretty libertarian to me. Nobody is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to surf to websites that demand cookies. And don't tell me that there aren't any websites left that don't. There are - all of mine, for example. But I'll bet if you tried compiling a list of sites from "back then" that still exist today but are now more restrictive, it'd be a short list. Nobody is precluded from setting up "free" services: websites, FTP servers, newsgroups, whatever. But SOMEBODY pays the freight. I myself offer several free websites: a couple of them have a single banner ad (for a product I personally own, endorse, and recommend), the others are "totally free". But the bills get paid - by me, out of my own pocket. I pay for the bandwidth, the server hardware, the electricity. Some of the sites earn me some income, some are hobby sites and do not (and are subsidized by the former). The internet you remember seemed "free" but somebody was still paying the bills. Then, it was "the government" and academic institutions. This created a false economy, which ended in 1995. You were part of a system in which you had no sense of value for the service you were getting because you never had to pay for it (or at least didn't have to pay a fair share of the true cost of the service). You were using - and indeed, are STILL using in the case of massis - server machines and internet feeds that cost millions of dollars. And you're either getting that access for free or at minimal cost. Somebody had to foot that bill ... and here you are crying about how the internet should be "free". Gimme a break. Personally, I'm glad those days are long gone. > Of course things like accurate weather reports and news reports, etc > are going to cost money, and someone has to pay for it. Not everyone > is going to (or should anyone be willing to) scrimp and sacrifice to > have a totally free net for all. Nothing is wrong with a *reasonable* > amount of non-intrusive, non-privacy invading advertising on a web > site to help keep it going. Of course that assumes that the webmasters > are not greedy sons-of-buffoons who have to resort to more and more > privacy-invading cookies, pop-ups and pop-unders that never seem to > end (and some pop-unders just point back to themselves). That is a > big assumption, I know, that webmasters respond with a decent attitude > and a sense of propriety and concern for the 'community' *they* have > chosen to be part of. I mean, the old-time netizens did not choose > *them.* Please Joel, do NOT get me started on this theme. Lisa M.] If you don't like it, don't visit those sites. It's pretty simple. Vote with your feet - or in this case, your mouse. Or follow some of the suggestions I made in my recent post about feeding them false information. If you believe your personal information is worth more than the value of the information you receive in return (and in my case, I also vote "yes"), then by all means obfuscate. As for the old-time netizens, yourself included, I offer the old saw: "you get what you pay for". You paid nothing. If you want to claim ownership of "the community" that you say you built, let's see the cancelled cheques. Otherwise, stick it in your pipe and smoke it, and hand me my mouse, I wanna surf to cnn.com. BTW, a good example of a website that I think even you would approve of (in terms of business model, but not in content obviously) would be www.rushlimbaugh.com. You can surf on in as a "free" user and only see one banner ad on each page (at the top, easily ignored). As a free user, you get access to quite a large amount of content free of charge. But if you pay for access, you get access to a lot more, including live streaming audio while Rush's show is on the air (commercial free), the ability to replay any show from the past two weeks, and access to this "Total Stack Of Stuff" (a very large repository). Point is, the site is *QUITE* useable and useful even if you don't pay the fee, which was the case for me for a couple of years. Two months ago I decided I wanted the "extras", and plunked down the coin and bought the subscription, and am quite happy with it. I knew what I was buying and, to me, the money paid was worth what I'm getting in return -- a win-win situation. And I really resent those who would tell me that both I and Rush are both johnny-come-latelies, who weren't here in the "good old days" and thus have no say in how websites will operate (including our own), and that it would be best if we would both kindly f'off. Well, I got a message for ya. We're here. To stay. Deal with it. Life sucks, get a freakin' helmet. Sincerely, Joey "Riffraff/johnnycomelately/newcomer" Lindstrom -- Joey Lindstrom [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am responding on this for Lisa who composed the original response. The *only persons* who should have any say-so in what are or are not permissible web site activities should be the persons who technologically developed the damn thing. All she said was those persons *could have* and *should have* established acceptable use restrictions as part of any copyright/patent/licensing plan, which was not done. Instead, in their generosity (as was so common in those long ago times) it was all made 'public domain' stuff, take it, use it, abuse it however you wish. And abuse it is exactly what has happened. Abuse! The fellow who was the primary architect of the web (his name escapes me at this second, give me a day or two to recall it) is resident in Switzerland, at (I think) CERN. He still works for a living; had there been any intent or desire to 'sell out' the community he/we came from, he would obviously be a *very* wealthy person today. If you look at the very early web sites (such as this one) you should be able to see what the original intention was for the net. The original web sites were intended to make the traditional repositories of information nicer and easier to use with their graphical interfaces. Things like 'gopher' and 'WAIS' which came along just before the World Wide Web were intended the same way. I guess it was just 'unthinkable' to him that his (truly his! not Al Gore's!) invention would get so twisted as time went on. By the time it became 'thinkable' it was too late, as often times happens. It was already out there, all over the place. I do not think Lisa was trying to say 'only the original netizens should have any say-so; the others can get screwed'; I think she was trying to say there were some definite ideals and goals in mind when the world wide web was started; please stick to those ideals and goals. Yes of course it takes money, and the money these days does not come through universities and government agencies. I do not care how much or how little advertising webmasters choose to use on their sites; just stick to the basic premises and ideals we had when it all got started. It was 'unthinkable' to spy on users in the old days. Let's keep that as a premise for today; as YOU do and Rush L. does. It was considered 'unthinkable' for spy cookies to be sent around telling other sites what you were doing and when and how much. Let's keep that premise today, as YOU do and Rush L. does. A few years ago, it was 'unthinkable' that fifty percent of all email would be unsolicited spam, and that sixty or seventy percent (of that fifty percent) would be pornographic, and sort of crude and boring at that. If all that bad news in recent years equates 'new members of the community' then if the shoe fits, wear it. It is not KKK-like to expect anyone who is a resident in a given community to meet certain minimal standards. And you say it was 'elitist' around here years ago and you could not get a user account when you first wanted one? Yes, there was a great deal of stink in those days about letting people in who did not have the highest calibre of credentials (like myself, for example; I just barely squeezed in on Usenet back in the middle 1980's; a lot of folks did not want the likes of myself on the net; many of them still do not, but that is a different matter.) But I am surprised you did not go through Portal Communications in San Jose which fought very hard for the rights of its users to be 'on the net' or Randy Seuss at Chinet or one of the other early 'Freenet' systems which were around in the 1980's. But which, pray tell, was worse: the 'elitism' of those early days or the crass commercialism and crudeness so prevalent on the net today? Which was worse: the genteel anarchy of the 1980's where we all demanded the right to do our own thing within certain very broad parameters or the wide-open criminality so common today at many web sites? You decide. PAT] ------------------------------ From: wollman@lcs.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) Subject: Re: Fidonet vs Usenet Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 01:47:02 UTC Organization: MIT Laboratory for Computer Science In article , Joey Lindstrom wrote: > On the other hand, Usenet only reached people in academic and > military settings. Not so. Usenet != Internet. Usenet was mostly used in the non-research-academic and corporate worlds, and its propagation depended in large part on the beneficence of companies like Ma Bell and DEC, who used their internal telephone networks to transport UUCP, to propagate with any reasonable dispatch. UUNET was started by Rick Adams as a commercial Usenet (and UUCP mail) hub, when the USGS Center for Seismic Studies (seismo) was no longer able to serve in this role. The EUUG (European UNIX Users' Group) started EUNET as a means to share the costs of translantic connectivity at about the same time -- a few years before the NSF opened Internet access to the commercial realm. Back then, a reasonably well-managed site could keep a week's worth of articles from every newsgroup and still have plenty of resources left over for whatever the ostensible purpose of the machine was. A combination of NNTP and The September That Never Ended made this impractical starting in the early nineties, not long after NSF loosed the floodgates. Now most sites that still run news have at least two machines dedicated to the task, and the big outsourcing providers have many more. According to my logs, Usenet today is averaging about 1.2 million articles per day, or about 245 gigabytes, excluding the unidata.* spews. My readerbox, however, only accepts about 326,000 articles per day; it has a much more limited notion of which groups are worth carrying. Nobody really knows how many newsgroups there are, and it depends a great deal on how you count. The number of 'big eight' groups is fairly static, but the other hierarchies can change more frequently and depend a lot more on the individual administrator's policy. For my transit server, here are the newsgroup counts by hierarchy for all hierarchies with more than 50 newsgroups: alt 6511 clari 1096 comp 960 fido7 763 rec 740 microsoft 663 de 508 fj 501 it 435 uk 410 fr 333 tw 323 z-netz 291 pl 272 soc 268 dk 248 sfnet 244 gov 239 nl 217 sci 213 no 211 es 205 bit 161 aus 159 free 147 misc 140 swnet 126 linux 124 hr 120 nlo 109 netscape 106 mit 101 bionet 94 su 80 se 76 biz 74 japan 74 han 72 chile 66 uiuc 66 relcom 65 maus 61 mailing 56 ee 55 hun 52 gnu 51 There are 410 other hierarchies (many created by mistake or as a result of spelling errors) that my server recognizes, 136 of which contain but a single group. Of course, back before the Great Renaming, there were only three hierarchies -- I'm certain PAT remembers what they were called. -- Garrett A. Wollman |[G]enes make enzymes, and enzymes control the rates of wollman@lcs.mit.edu |chemical processes. Genes do not make ``novelty- Opinions not those of|seeking'' or any other complex and overt behavior. MIT, LCS, CRS, or NSA| - Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: For the 'newcomers' here (i.e. people who arrived since 1986 or so) the 'Great Renaming' in 1985 was when the 'Usenet hierarchy' or our respected and accepted leaders -- the anarchists we all trusted -- decided to reorganize the several dozen newsgroups we had at that point into several broad categories for convenience. For instance what you are reading now (comp.dcom.telecom) *originally* was arpa.telecom ... 'arpa' because it came from 'the other side' i.e. the military/government 'internet' and 'telecom' because that is what we were ob'd to talk about. I *think* (and Garrett will oblige me to stand corrected if I am wrong) the three hierarchies were: arpa = newsgroups like telecom/others from the military side. comp = computers (that is what we all used at our work/school, etc). soc = as in social issues or being sociable, our private lives. (How close did I come, Garrett?) In the Great Renaming (which could be subtitled the First Great Civil War on the Net) they decided to have several additional 'main themes' and divide everything else up under those themes, then further sub-themes. Under COMPuters one category was DataCOMmunications or transmitting between computers and the next level was TELECOMmuications or talking voice (presumably about computer communications.) As another example after the renaming there was 'rec' for recreation, 'humor' for telling jokes as part of your recreation, and 'funny' for how the jokes were supposed to be, ie. 'rec.humor.funny' was one of the earliest newsgroups after the Great Renaming. And by the way, 'Internet'(with an upper case /I/) is not the same as 'internet' (with a lower case /i/). Lower case internet (often times interchangeably used or called 'the net') is what we are on; most all of us. Upper case Internet is a specific thing, mostly university based; Internet is one of the parts of internet. There, is all that just as clear as mud now? I have seen long, rather boring treatises (posted on the 'net, where else?) explaining all this in great detail. And even though ALTernet is not part of USEnet, it does have the same transport mechanisms. With Usenet, there were specific rules everyone had to follow about getting a new group started. A person had to 'Call for Discussion' on a new group to be started, where it would fit in the hierarchy, etc. Then a vote had to be taken with all users invited to participate, and the *new discussion group* could only be started if the vote carried by some plurality. I forget how much. Voting had to go on for thirty days. But if the vote passed, then there was a gentlemen's agreement between all sysadmins (in those days, that still was mostly university sites) that *ALL* sysadmins *HAD* to carry the new newsgroup on their spools. Consequently the voting was very important; if you called for discussion and subsequent voting then if your side 'won', you were assured that later that same night or the next day one of the 'trusted anarchists' (Gene Spafford comes to mind, as does David Lawrence) would issue (on his computer) a 'newgroup' command via the control 'newsgroup' and that 'newgroup' unix command would worm its way around the net overnight and the next day as needed in those days of UUCP type connections. In most sites, the 'newgroup' command was on auto-pilot; when it was not, no matter, then the local sysadmin had to administer it manually, but it would get done. Presto, your new newsgroup was now out there for users to see. Win the vote thirty days after the discussion, you were now assured that a couple hundred thousand sysadmins around the world had *your news group* out there for their users to read/post to, etc on their spools. No one else was supposed to do a 'newgroup' command. In the rare event a decision was made to discontinue a newsgroup (was it ever done? I do not know) then only *our anarchist leaders* were supposed to handle that also, via an 'rm group' command. This over simplifies it a little but bear in mind a newsgroup is simply an email box with read/write permissions set to universal. So everyone can read and write email to everyone else. The gentlemen's agreement said that all sysadmins had to create that new user account with an open-ended email box. Everyone can get in there and read it or write to it. In the event it was (to be) a 'moderated' newsgroup then the account had to have a .forword ('dot forward') file on it to redirect the 'mail' to some other location where a moderator presided over it. If you don't believe me, then try sending 'email' to your favorite newsgroup (I presume) like this: comp-dcom-telecom@your.site. Note the dashes - instead of the dots . Newsgroups as newsgroups have dots as needed between the parts of the names; newsgroups as pseudo- users at your (each, actually) site have dashes in the parts of its name. When your 'email' reaches your site's mail agent, that .forward flag will stick out and tell the email 'you have to move on to ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu to get delivered. But they do not call it a 'dot forward' file in the case of news as is done with regular users in email. Its some other name but has the same purpose. Let me talk shop with Garrett for a minute: I wonder what would happen if I were to do 'absolutely' (expressed as a backslash) in front of the 'user name'? We know that a backslash tells the incoming mail stream to ignore any .forward files and deliver absolutely to the address given. For example '\ptownson' as part of an email address is a way to get around any .forward files and whatever nasty pipes are connected behind it such as 'pipe through spamassassin or other filtering'. If you need to 'escape the backslash' (as happens often times in c+ to get the backslash to be accepted) then you do '\\' with the first backslash being an escape for the second backslash. So if I sent email to '\some-assholes-newsgroup@some.site.somewhere' would that have the effect of bypassing the moderator pipe and putting the good news out for the public to read? Oh, my! Leave it up to a deseased brain like mine to think of warped things to do to screw up the moderated newsgroups. Hush my mouth! Reminds me of the time I did an exposition on the VRFY command through the (traditional) mail socket and how the machine would then spill its guts and hand out the entire mailing list behind a user name. First thing the guy in Minnesota did was use that on me to snatch my mailing list 15 years ago. Well, what about it Garrett? You say 'no doubt PAT would know all about the Great Renaming', now let me pick your brain.! Anyway, I digress. I stated USEnet was not the same as ALTernet. In those genteel, long ago days of 'authorized anarchy' on the net, there were still some topics decent God-fearing anarchists would not talk about publicly, one of them being (looking over my shoulder, psst) sex. No respectable institution or university would have anything which might cause masturbatory fantasies in guys on their spools. Discussions, pictures, etc, all were taboo for any discussion or vote, etc. Those were ALTernate ideas, so an ALTerNET came about for them. Thus the .alt hierarchy, the charter member of which was 'alt.sex'... alt.anything is not the same as usenet.anything although they use the same transport mechanisms to get around the net. The *big* difference is anyone can start alt.anything. Just type it, 'newgroup' it and its out there. The catch was -you had to find a sysadmin who agreed to carry it on his spool.- With Usenet on the other hand, whenever you got through the tedious discussion and voting period (thirty days minimum) assuming the vote carried you were assured of a good size readership. With .alt, you could decide in a minute to have a discussion on whatever and do it, but you had to find sysadmins who agreed to allow that filth on their machines, etc. (tongue in cheek). With Usenet, remember, they had no real choice. That was part of the deal with having Usenet; take some, take it all; altnet on the other hand some sysadmins would have none of it. Remember when AT&T unilaterally decided to dump all of the alt groups from their spools? Some alt groups never were able to get very good circulation as a result, such as 'alt.dcom.telecom', isn't that right, John Higdon? And Garrett, of the 410 hierarchies on your spool do you still have 'christnet' as one of them? One of my favorites several years ago was 'christnet.telecom.patownsondiedforyoursins' . I do not know who newgrouped it but I always thought it was hysterical. Amen. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Herb Stein Subject: Re: My New 'Student' Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 20:26:00 -0500 TELECOM Digest Editor wrote in message news:telecom22.515.16@telecom-digest.org: > Justin Jones, age 22, my nephew (sister's son) lives in the middle of > Florida in the Orlando area. He and the guy who is his roommate took > the 'big plunge' two or three days ago and decided to buy a computer. > Since the new computer came with an AOL disc good for 1500 hours of > free time (what else is new, these days? snicker!) Justin and his > roommate decided to install AOL as their first project. Both of these > kids are *total* newbies; neither one has ever had a computer before > in their lives. Justin wanted to learn 'how to do email' and so did > his roomate. Justin told his friend, "let's ask Uncle Pat, he is > really some kind of computer wizard." (his words; he heard his grand- > mother [my mother] say that) so the two guys decided they had better > call 'Uncle Pat' to get help putting their computer components > together and installing AOL so they could 'do email'. > I literally had to walk Justin step by step through the whole process > using my copy of AOL on my screen as my guide to it all. He is sort > of a (not terribly intelligent) southern kid. He got it set up finally > and wondered how long it would take to get a piece of email to me. > He asked 'will it probably get there in a week or so?' He had some > difficulty grasping the concept of routing email with a @ sign and > a location following. I told him 'the symbol above the '2' on your > keyboard is what you use to mean /at/' and you will have to use it > for any email to someone who is NOT on AOL the same as yourself. If > they *are* on the same system as yourself, then you do not need it. > Justin chose the screen name 'cobra' for himself (plus some digits > following it, there being so many cobras at AOL. It took a while to > explain to him that he was just 'cobra(number)' to the guys he wrote > to on AOL but in the event he sent *me* email he had to give his fully > qualified user name cobra-number@aol.com or if he sent email to > grandmother Townson. But not to worry, his incoming mail will wind up > in the same place either way ... then for his first two pieces of > email he sent some to me and some to my mother. I had to remind him > that we use 'little letters' on the net, not usually BIG letters, and > that the email gets there more or less instantly, not 'within a week > or so' as his roommate had claimed. To 'prove it' I told him to send a > piece of email to me and I would read it back to him, which I did five > or ten seconds later. I also helped him set up his 'profile page' on > AOL and gave a very stern lecture about 'the kinds of people you write > to or chat with on the net' and how there were people who seemed to > thrive on 'luring young guys like you and roomie into trouble they do > not need'. I think, while listening to his southern drawl, he > understood me. I have never met the kid, but I hope to when he decides > to come here to Independence to visit one of these days. > At least he knows to NEVER give any personal information to anyone > on the net at anytime. I told him you do not EVER say or type in your > password no matter how much the other person claims to 'need it, as > an employee of AOL', etc, and to not hesitate to call *me* on the phone > or send me email with any questions he had or concerns which came up > during chatrooms he discovered, etc. A two hour plus phone call with > him to get him started; afterward I did not feel tired, I actually > felt refreshed. From the tone in his voice I could tell he was just > so thrilled to have this new power at his disposal, the ability to > send email and talk on the computer. It may be one of the last things > I do on the net but it was *so great* to be responsible for getting > one more guy in the loop. > Good luck with your new ability, Justin. May it serve you quite well > in years ahead. > PAT Good for you, Pat! I've got 2 sons and a few nephews into this "internet" thing also. Oh, wait, maybe the sons helped me! Herb Stein The Herb Stein Group www.herbstein.com herb@herbstein.com 314 952-4601 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, when Dan Kritchevsky got me started back in 1976-77 I had no idea -- none at all -- what a quarter century would bring. Did you ? Does anyone? Let's try this again, in 2025 or 2030 and see what we can recall from our early days. You are invited also, Joey! 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, 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: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 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. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! 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End of TELECOM Digest V22 #518 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jun 17 21:47:27 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h5I1lRX18323; Tue, 17 Jun 2003 21:47:27 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 21:47:27 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200306180147.h5I1lRX18323@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #519 TELECOM Digest Tue, 17 Jun 2003 21:47:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 519 Inside This Issue: Editor: Lisa Minter IE Cross-Site Scripting in Unparsable XML Files GM#013 (Monty Solomon) Review: TiVo Home Media Option (Monty Solomon) Script Injection to Custom HTTP Errors in Local Zone GM#014 (M Solomon) Wal-Mart Backs RFID Technology/Plan Poses Challenges For Chip (Solomon) Microsoft Identifies With RFID Tag Organization (Monty Solomon) Wal-Mart Leading RFID Charge (Monty Solomon) United Airlines Inflight Email on Domestic Flights (Monty Solomon) Nokia Secure Access System (Monty Solomon) Nokia 3100 Tri-Band GSM Phone (Monty Solomon) RFID Right to Know Act of 2003 (Monty Solomon) Samsung SGH-s307 Phone (Monty Solomon) Senate/House/Clinton Financial Disclosures (Monty Solomon) Safire: Regulate the F.C.C. (Monty Solomon) Re: Cellular Phones and My Road Trip to Alaska (Steven J. Sobol) Re: Cellular Phones and My Road Trip to Alaska (Mark Crispin) Re: Cellular Phones and My Road Trip to Alaska (John Bartley) Muting LEC's "Hang up" Tone (John Bartley) 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. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Reply-To: Monty Solomon From: Monty Solomon Subject: IE Cross-Site Scripting in Unparsable XML Files (GM#013-IE) Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 17:56:36 -0400 http://security.greymagic.com/adv/gm013-ie/ GreyMagic Security Advisory GM#013-IE By GreyMagic Software, Israel. Available in HTML format at http://security.greymagic.com/adv/gm013-ie/. Topic: Cross-Site Scripting in Unparsable XML Files. Discovery date: 18 Feb 2003. Affected applications: ====================== Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and 6.0. Note that any other application that uses Internet Explorer's engine (WebBrowser control) is affected as well (AOL Browser, MSN Explorer, etc.). Introduction: ============= Internet Explorer automatically attempts to parse any XML file requested individually by the browser. When the parsing process is successful, a dynamic tree of the various XML elements is presented. However, when a parsing error occurs Internet Explorer displays the parse error along with the URL of the requested XML file. Discussion: =========== We have found that in some cases the displayed URL is not filtered appropriately, and may cause HTML that was passed in the querystring of the URL to be rendered by the browser. This creates a classic cross-site scripting attack in almost any XML file that MSXML fails to read. Practically, this means that leaving XML files on your server that can't be parsed correctly by Internet Explorer and MSXML is exposing the site to a global Cross-Site Scripting attack. We have been able to reproduce this problem in various setups, but we couldn't pinpoint the vulnerable component reliably enough. It is most likely an MSXML issue, and not a flaw in Internet Explorer itself. Exploit: ======== This sample shows the basic URL for injecting content: http://host.with.unparsable.xml.file/flaw.xml?