From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Mar 29 17:48:30 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id i2TMmTf27132; Mon, 29 Mar 2004 17:48:30 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 17:48:30 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200403292248.i2TMmTf27132@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #148 TELECOM Digest Mon, 29 Mar 2004 17:48:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 148 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson 8x8 Announces Packet8 Virtual Office for Small Businesses (VOIP News) Level 3 Announces Residential VoIP Phone Services (VOIP News) Packet8; FreeWorld Dialup Now Offer Free Unlimited Calling (VOIP News) The Future is Calling (VOIP News) FTS Wireless Takes Voiceglo Retail (VOIP News) Pingtel Goes Open Source With IP Telephony Platform (VOIP News) Verizon Execs Get 911 Carpet Call (VOIP News) Help! No Incoming Calls, No Support (VOIP News) Free Web Tool Helps Gauge Companies VoIP Ability (VOIP News) Re: A Better Way To Squelch Spam? (Tom Betz) Re: GMAC Customers Put at Risk by Stolen Data (Steven J. Sobol) Re: Sorry -- No ala Carte Cable (Thomas A. Horsley) Re: Correcting 411/555-1212 Directory (William Robison) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 09:42:13 -0500 Subject: 8x8 Announces Packet8 Virtual Office for Small Businesses Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-29-2004/0002136291&EDATE= 8x8 Announces Packet8 Virtual Office for Small Businesses Packet8 Enables Small to Medium Businesses to 'Sound As Big As They Want' With New Business-Class VoIP Service VOICE ON THE NET (VON) CONFERENCE AND EXPO, SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 8x8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT), the broadband voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and video communications service provider, today announced the immediate availability of Packet8 Virtual Office(TM), the industry's most affordable, complete business-class VoIP service tailored for small businesses. Packet8 Virtual Office(TM) is an easy-to-use business class telephone service alternative to traditional PBX systems or expensive Centrex class services from legacy telecommunications providers, while providing features and services that neither can provide. Packet8 Virtual Office allows users anywhere in the world to be part of a virtual PBX that includes auto attendants, conference bridges, extension-to-extension dialing and ring groups, in addition to a rich variety of other business class PBX features normally found on dedicated PBX equipment. Virtual Office also provides its users with access to Packet8's unlimited calling plans in the United States and Canada, and access to Packet8's low international rates. Packet8 Virtual Office subscribers have the ability to choose any phone number from the Packet8 universe (including number portability from other service providers) regardless of a user's geographic location. Each extension in the virtual PBX can be located anywhere in the world where there is access to the Internet. Packet8 Virtual Office extension-to-extension calls and transfers are accomplished over the Packet8 network, anywhere in the world, free of extra charges. "Packet8 Virtual Office proves that VoIP is ready for business -- big or small," said Bryan R. Martin, Chairman and CEO of 8x8, Inc. "Until now, most small businesses couldn't afford the PBX features they needed to sound like a large, multi-national company. With Packet8 Virtual Office, subscribers get the PBX features and long distance plans they need to grow their business without the huge cost of expensive telephone systems and exorbitant business-rate long distance phone bills. Packet8 Virtual Office customers also get access to the same unlimited and international calling rates that all Packet8 customers enjoy. Finally, Packet8 Virtual Office users will experience the easy-to-install simplicity, convenient billing, voice quality and service reliability of Packet8." Features and Benefits: Packet8 Virtual Office The Packet8 Virtual Office business class telephone service is targeted at the small business market consisting of greater than three and an unlimited number of Packet8 extensions. Packet8 Virtual Office offers the services small businesses need most, including: -- Auto-attendant providing dial by extension, name or by group; -- Unlimited calling to the US, Canada and other Packet8 subscribers, as well as low international rates; -- Unlimited 3 digit Packet8 extension-to-extension dialing anywhere in the world; -- Direct Inward Dial (DID) with any desired area code for each -- extension; -- Conference Bridge, 3-Way Conferencing, Music on -- Hold, Call Park/ Pick-up, Call Transfer, huntgroups, and Do Not -- Disturb; Business-class Voice Mail including email alerts, and -- direct transfer to mailbox; Call Waiting / Caller-ID; -- Distinctive Ringing; and Optional Receptionist console -- application offering: Multiple call viewing and handling; -- Direct transfer to extension's voicemail; Supervised transfers; -- and View of extension status. Mr. Martin continued, "In our trials of the service, the receptionist application module, auto-attendant functions and geographic independence were some of the most popular features of the service. Small businesses are not used to having access to these types of services with the PBX solutions that they can afford." Mr. Martin continued, "We will initially distribute Packet8 Virtual Office through our worldwide reseller channel. We want the PBX resellers and computer consultants that call on small businesses representing this product and convincing their clients to experience the new world of calling available from Packet8 voice over IP." Packet8 Virtual Office also offers an online, real-time consolidated monthly billing statement (with call logs of all extensions) to make it simple to manage your telecommunications bills. The Packet8 Virtual Office service is available today from http://www.packet8.net for $39.95/month per extension (with a 3 extension minimum). All extensions enjoy unlimited calls anywhere in the United States and Canada, and access to Packet8's low international calling rates. As always, calls between any two Packet8 subscribers anywhere in the world are included in the service. All Packet8 Virtual Office extensions include a business-class LCD screen phone with context sensitive menus pre- programmed for accessing the diverse feature set available from the Packet8 service. For a complete description of all the features of the new Packet8 Virtual Office, please visit http://www.packet8.net. About 8x8, Inc. 8x8, Inc. offers the Packet8 broadband voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and video communications service (http://www.packet8.net), Packet8 Virtual Office and videophone equipment and services. For more information, visit 8x8's web site at http://www.8x8.com. About Packet8 Launched in November 2002, Packet8 enables anyone with high-speed Internet access to sign up for voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and video communications service at http://www.packet8.net . Customers can choose a direct-dial phone number from any of the rate centers offered by the service, and then use an 8x8-supplied terminal adapter to connect any telephone to a broadband internet connection and make or receive calls from a regular telephone number. For $19.95/month, Packet8 subscribers can make unlimited calls to any telephone number in the United States and Canada, and unlimited calls to another Packet8 subscriber anywhere in the world. All Packet8 accounts come with voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, call waiting caller ID, call forwarding, hold, line-alternate, 3-way conferencing, web access to account controls, and real-time online billing. Packet8 Virtual Office allows users anywhere in the world to be part of a virtual PBX that includes auto attendants, conference bridges, extension-to-extension dialing, ring groups and a host of other high end business class PBX features while still following true to Packet8 unlimited calling anywhere in the United States and Canada. NOTE: 8x8, Packet8 and Packet8 Virtual Office are trademarks of 8x8, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 09:30:15 -0500 Subject: Level 3 Announces Residential VoIP Phone Services Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-29-2004/0002136162&EDATE= Level 3 Announces Residential VoIP Phone Services New Services to be Offered in More than 300 of the Largest U.S. Markets by End of 2004 through Cable Operators, ISPs and Enhanced Service Providers New Services to be Made Available in Second Quarter SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: LVLT) today announced that it is launching two new residential VoIP services to more than 300 of the largest markets in the U.S. by the end of 2004, with service availability beginning during the second quarter. The new services, (3)VoIP(SM) Enhanced Local service and HomeTone(SM), will enable cable operators, ISPs, enhanced service providers, IXCs and others to offer IP-based local and long-distance voice service to consumers via any broadband connection to the home. Level 3 formally unveiled the services at the Spring 2004 VON Conference & Expo. "The U.S. consumer voice market, which is valued at over $65 billion per year, is on the verge of fundamental change," said Sureel Choksi, president of Softswitch Services for Level 3. "The growth of residential broadband access, coupled with the increasing adoption of VoIP technology, is allowing a wide variety of companies to pursue the consumer voice market. We believe Level 3, with its extensive softswitch platform and local network infrastructure, is in a strong position to capitalize on this trend via these new complementary offerings. "Our new residential VoIP offerings are designed to enable new entrants and established broadband and communications companies to cost-effectively accelerate their deployment of carrier-quality VoIP services to millions of U.S. households," said Choksi. (3)VoIP Enhanced Local service essentially provides building blocks for "do-it-yourself" companies that want to manage their own residential telephone service. HomeTone is a complete turnkey solution for companies that prefer the ease and convenience that a "plug-and-play" service provides. HomeTone also gives providers of consumer VoIP services the ability to offer their own innovative and customized value-added features and applications to meet the specialized requirements of their end customers. (3)VoIP Enhanced Local Service (3)VoIP Enhanced Local Service, which Level 3 expects to begin offering during the second quarter of 2004, is ideally suited for cable operators, enhanced service providers, IXCs and others who are seeking to offer residential voice services but prefer to operate their own switching infrastructure. (3)VoIP Enhanced Local service allows companies to develop voice services using Level 3 provided building blocks, including local phone numbers, interconnection with the traditional telephone network for local and long distance services, local number portability and E911 emergency services. The service provides these essential components while enabling the voice service provider to retain the flexibility to manage and control the features offered to the residential market. "(3)VoIP Enhanced Local Service provides customers operating their own switching infrastructure the ability to deploy consumer VoIP services cost effectively with maximum control over the end-user experience and minimal involvement in complex interconnection issues," said Jack Waters, CTO and president of Voice Technologies for Level 3. "Customers are able to accelerate their time to market by leveraging Level 3's CLEC status in 48 states, local calling capability covering more than 93 percent of the U.S. population, and long-distance calling service worldwide." "We're encouraged by the level of interest we're seeing from cable operators, IXCs, and enhanced service providers," said Waters. "Level 3's IP backbone and softswitch platform allow us to offer superior cost and performance advantages with high quality of service." Key Features of (3)VoIP Enhanced Local Service * Local and long distance calling including access to the traditional telephone network * Local phone numbers * Operator assistance * Directory listings and assistance * E911 emergency services * Local number portability HomeTone HomeTone, which Level 3 expects to begin offering during the second quarter of 2004, is a turnkey, hosted VoIP alternative to traditional residential local and long distance phone service. It offers the benefits and functionality of (3)VoIP Enhanced Local service, plus calling features such as voice mail, call waiting, and three-way conferencing. In addition, HomeTone includes advanced calling features such as unified messaging, and a personal locator function that forwards the call until it reaches the designated party. HomeTone service gives channel partners, such as ISPs, cable operators, ILECs and enhanced service providers the ability offer a cost-effective, high-quality local and long distance telephone service to consumers with minimal upfront costs and accelerated time to market. Channel partners can develop unique calling features and functionality with HomeTone to differentiate their voice offerings to consumers. Key Features of HomeTone All of the (3)VoIP Enhanced Local service features noted above, plus many others including: * Voice mail * Call waiting * Three-way conferencing * Caller ID * Call forwarding * Enhanced features including unified messaging and personal locator * End-user, Web-based account management In addition to residential VoIP services, Level 3 offers a full range of wholesale and business voice services. For more information about Level 3's portfolio of VoIP services, please stop by VON booth #615, or visit http://www.Level3.com . About Level 3 Communications Level 3 (Nasdaq: LVLT) is an international communications and information services company. The company operates one of the largest Internet backbones in the world, is one of the largest providers of wholesale dial-up service to ISPs in North America and is the primary provider of Internet connectivity for millions of broadband subscribers, through its cable and DSL partners. The company offers a wide range of communications services over its 22,500 mile broadband fiber optic network including Internet Protocol (IP) services, broadband transport and infrastructure services, colocation services, and patented Softswitch managed modem and voice services. Its Web address is http://www.Level3.com. The company offers information services through its subsidiaries, Software Spectrum and (i)Structure. For additional information, visit their respective Web sites at http://www.softwarespectrum.com and http://www.i-structure.com. The Level 3 logo and (3)Voice are registered service marks and (3)VoIP Enhanced and HomeTone are service marks of Level 3 Communications, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 09:37:52 -0500 Subject: Packet8 and FreeWorld Dialup Now Offer Free Unlimited Calling Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-29-2004/0002136292&EDATE= Packet8 and FreeWorld Dialup Now Offer Free Unlimited Calling Between Subscribers Free Just Got 'More Free' for VoIP Customers VOICE ON THE NET (VON) CONFERENCE AND EXPO, SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 8x8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT), the broadband voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and video communications service provider, and FreeWorld Dialup (FWD), the world's leading free Internet Telephony community, announced today that they have interconnected their VoIP networks. Effective immediately, subscribers to 8x8's Packet8 service can call or be called by FWD subscribers. "The interconnection of voice over IP networks is a trend that will continue as more and more people incorporate VoIP calling into their lives," said Bryan R. Martin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of 8x8, Inc. "We expect to see much more activity in this area in the near-term, as VoIP telecommunications service providers like Packet8 endeavor to lower the call routing costs for their customers even further," continued Mr. Martin. "VoIP interconnects also improve the voice quality over that possible on switched networks, so consumers will finally start to hear what they have been missing on the legacy telephone network," Mr. Martin concluded. "An increasing number of consumers are experiencing the tremendous benefits that VoIP can offer relative to traditional phone service first hand," said Jeff Pulver, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Free World Dialup. "As a result, Internet-based phone calls that do not touch the public switched telephone network -- will translate into lower costs and better services for all consumers," Mr. Pulver concluded. Effective immediately, Free World Dialup subscribers can call Packet8 subscribers by dialing "**898 + 1 + the Packet8 phone number, and the call will be routed directly over the Internet to Packet8's network. Packet8 customers can call any Free World Dialup customer by dialing the prefix 0351 before any 5-digit FWD phone number, and the prefix 0451 before any 6-digit FWD phone number. ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 03:04:47 -0500 Subject: The Future is Calling Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2004/03/29/the_future_is_calling/ The future is calling A huge array of services and features is revolutionizing the concept of 'telephone,' though many businesses remain leery of the technology By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff, 3/29/2004 The promise of big savings on phone calls has helped propel 'voice over Internet protocol' out of the telecommunications lab and into consumer consciousness. For Bill Costello's law firm, switching to a phone system that carries voice calls in the same format -- and on the same wires -- as e-mail and Web pages certainly has helped cut costs, by $3,500 to $4,200 a month. But it has also meant a huge new array of services and features that are revolutionizing the concept of 'telephone.' Recent VOIP converts tell stories like the one about the lawyer who took his laptop computer to Alaska and used it to make and take phone calls on his Chicago phone number. Or the accountants, suddenly flooded out of their office by a busted pipe, who simply unplugged their VOIP phones and computers, reinstalled them to a conference room, and got back to work -- within 60 minutes. "It's an exciting time to be able to replace a phone system," said Costello, the chief information technology manager for Banner & Witcoff Ltd., a 90-lawyer intellectual-property law firm with offices in Boston, Chicago, Washington, and Portland, Ore., that bought its IP phone system from Avaya Inc., the Lucent Technologies Inc. spinoff. "There's no question in our mind that VOIP is proven technology that is ready for mainstream corporate America. I wouldn't have said that two years ago, but we've got a lot of flexibility with this phone system that we didn't have before. It's been very cost-effective, and it's had a huge benefit in productivity for the partners." Full story at: http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2004/03/29/the_future_is_calling/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 09:39:54 -0500 Subject: FTS Wireless Takes Voiceglo Retail Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=64995 FTS Wireless Takes voiceglo Retail Emerging Wireless Retailer Partners With voiceglo to Bring Voice Over IP to Its Retail Customers FT. LAUDERDALE, FL -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/29/2004 -- Expanding its Voice over IP reach from online distribution into the brick and mortar retail sector, voiceglo -- a wholly owned subsidiary of theglobe.com, Inc. (OTC BB: TGLO) -- has engaged emerging wireless retailer FTS Wireless, Inc. (OTC BB: FLIP) to sell voiceglo products and services to its retail customers, it was announced today. FTS, a retailer that markets and sells next generation wireless products and services and operates Wi-Fi HotSpots, will be making the voiceglo GloPhone, the world's first web-based, browser-enabled telephone, available to its growing customer base. In addition, FTS Wireless will be selling voiceglo's home and business products. The voiceglo Unlimited residential plan provides unlimited free local and long distance calling to any phone in the US and Canada for only $29.99 per month. "Voice over IP is revolutionizing the way people connect with one another," said Scott Gallagher, president of FTS Wireless. "We wanted to make certain that our retail customers would be among the first to take advantage of this emerging market sector, and we wanted to do it with a solution that makes the most sense. The quality and price point of voiceglo's product and services are unsurpassed in this sector, and we're looking forward to adding their line to our customer offerings." Full press release at: http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=64995 How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 11:31:12 -0500 Subject: Pingtel Goes Open Source with IP Telephony Platform Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1554652,00.asp By Paula Musich IP telephony veterans on Monday will launch what is perhaps the first serious initiative to create a large open-source community around Voice over IP. As the networking industry moves toward a software model for IP PBXs, tiny Pingtel Corp. is spearheading the initiative by releasing its Session Initiation Protocol software platform into the open-source world and forming a nonprofit organization charged with providing the legal and technical foundation for advancing open-source work. Its mission: to do for IP telephony what Apache and Linux have done for enterprise servers. Full story at: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1554652,00.asp ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 12:00:53 -0500 Subject: Verizon Execs Get 911 Carpet Call Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com From New York City comes this reminder that even enhanced 911 delivered via traditional wireline telephone companies isn't 100% reliable -- something that misguided regulators need to be reminded of sometimes when they make noises about wanting to force VoIP companies to offer enhanced 911 with the same level of service as is offered over traditional phone lines. I'm certainly not suggesting that 911 isn't a desirable thing to have, but cell phone companies don't offer 911 in the same way as traditional wireline companies and nobody seems to be hassling them about it. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/178327p-155083c.html Aides to Mayor Bloomberg will grill Verizon honchos about Friday's 911 blackout at a private meeting this morning. "We're all over Verizon and we're doing everything we can to make sure we find out exactly what happened," Bloomberg said yesterday. "In a world of technology, you're never going to have 100% reliability, but that's our goal." The 911 system in Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island was down nearly two hours Friday. Full story at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/178327p-155083c.html More: Apparently Verizon admits that it was their fault -- "Technicians were making changes to reroute calls that night. One technician made a bad data entry that caused calls to be diverted away from an emergency center." http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=38238&rubrik1=Economy&rubrik1&rubrik2=Company%20News&rubrik1&rubrik2&rubrik3=All&rubrik1&rubrik2&rubrik3&sort=1&rubrik1&rubrik2&rubrik3&sort&sparte=4 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 11:29:18 -0500 Subject: Help! No Incoming Calls, No Support Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/41461 Packet8 customers had calls routed directly to voice mail On Thursday, Packet8 VoIP customers experienced service problems in which they could not receive incoming phone calls for over 14 hours. Full story at: http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/41461 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 14:19:47 -0500 Subject: Free Web Tool Helps Gauge Companies VoIP Ability Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/0329brix.html By Tim Greene Network World Fusion, 03/29/04 Brix Networks tomorrow is turning on a Web site where users can test whether their Internet connection is likely to support good-quality voice over IP. The site, www.TestYourVOIP.com lets users check whether latency, jitter and packet loss fall within the range that will support VoIP well, according to the announcement at the VON 2004 conference in Santa Clara, Calif. Full story at: http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/0329brix.html ------------------------------ From: Tom Betz Subject: Re: A Better Way To Squelch Spam? Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 17:43:25 UTC Organization: Anything Monty Solomon wrote in news:telecom23.145.3@telecom- digest.org: > http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_johansson032604.asp The same old 'hashcash' proposal, which penalizes everyone to try to stop spammers; and of course, when the spammer is abusing a hijacked Windows PC to send spam, which is the typical case these days, it doesn't penalize the spammer at all. |I always wanted to be someone,| Tom Betz, Generalist | |but now I think I should have | Want to send me email? | |been a wee bit more specific. | | ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: GMAC Customers' Data Put At Risk By Laptop Theft Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 15:56:49 -0600 Sammy@nospam.biz wrote: > Well, I guess if anyone of those so notified subsequently becomes a > victim of identity theft they will have a deep pocket from which to > seek redress. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Oh, no! I think if you look at the > terms and conditions for the 'priviledge' of being in debt to GMAC > you'll see one of the conditions you agreed to when you first signed > somewhere on the dotted line was that GMAC did not guarentee you any > privacy at all; that in fact they disclaimed and disavowed any > responsibility for anything at all. PAT] They very likely did, but that won't save them if it was their screwup that caused a problem. JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, Apple Valley, CA PGP: 0xE3AE35ED Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net Domain Names, $9.95/yr, 24x7 service: http://DomainNames.JustThe.net/ "someone once called me a sofa, but i didn't feel compelled to rush out and buy slip covers." -adam brower * Hiroshima '45, Chernobyl '86, Windows 98/2000/2003 ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Sorry -- No a la Carte Cable From: tom.horsley@att.net (Thomas A. Horsley) Organization: AT&T Worldnet Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 22:28:03 GMT > In the dream world of some television viewers, they would pay their > cable or satellite companies only for the channels they want. Channels? We don't need no steenkin channels! In my dream world, TV shows get released to the great VOD archive of everything ever recorded, and I pay for just the individual shows I want to watch, when I want to watch them. We don't even have "channels" or "networks" :-). >>==>> The *Best* political site >>==+ email: Tom.Horsley@worldnet.att.net icbm: Delray Beach, FL | Free Software and Politics <<==+ ------------------------------ From: William Robison Subject: Re: Correcting 411/555-1212 Info; Unlisted Service Organization: Universitry of Iowa Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 22:06:42 GMT On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 05:57:36 GMT, Tony P. wrote: > In article , > hukolau@NOSPAM.att.net says: >> Lisa Hancock wrote: >>> Charles Cryderman wrote >>>> the problem was with hitting the target his response was "I don't >>>> know, they are leaving here 5 by 5. These refer to "Loudness" and "Clarity". Rate each on a scale of 1 to 5. "5 by 5" means, in effect, "Loud and Clear". At time you may hear it shortened to "5 by", again, "Loud and Clear". Consider where we have station on a voice loop (i.e. dedicated copper) that spreads across the country (such as where launch control is in Florida and sapcecraft control is on Houston or up in Greenbelt). As stations are added and removed from the loop, everything needs to be readjusted, and testing of voice loops occurs on a daily/weekly basis. "ACE, station xxx, how do you read?" "station xxx, ACE,we read you 5 by, and me?" "ACE, station xxx, I read you 5 by 5, good day" -Willy ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #148 ******************************