From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri May 21 00:24:41 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i4L4Ofq06959; Fri, 21 May 2004 00:24:41 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 00:24:41 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200405210424.i4L4Ofq06959@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 #251 TELECOM Digest Fri, 21 May 2004 00:23:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 251 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Comcast and Microsoft Announce Licensing Agreement for Microsoft (Solomon) The Fight Against Spam, Part 2 (Monty Solomon) Re: Geico Sues Google, Overture Over Trademarks (John David Galt) Re: Geico Sues Google, Overture Over Trademarks (Barry Margolin) Last Western Electric Conventional Equipment? (Lisa Hancock) Re: Jeff Pulver Statement on New York Public Services Commission (Frank) Re: New York Classifies Vonage as Phone Company (Tony P.) Re: 5.8 G 2-Line (Michael DeMarie) Bye, bye Ma Bell - Internet Phones Give Land Lines a Run (VOIP News) New York Public Service Commission Rules Vonage Is A Phone (VOIP News) States, Feds Headed For VoIP Clash (VOIP News) Re: Last Laugh! Is Google on Drugs? (unplug.nz) 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 13:32:24 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Comcast and Microsoft Announce Licensing Agreement for Microsoft PHILADELPHIA and REDMOND, Wash., May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Comcast Cable and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today announced an agreement that extends their existing relationship and gives Comcast the ability to make Microsoft(R) TV Foundation Edition 1.7 software available to up to 5 million customers, with the option to expand the rollout at a later date. Taking Microsoft TV Foundation to the next level reinforces Comcast and Microsoft's commitment to driving industry innovation and working together to bring advanced digital television services to consumers. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=41571641 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 22:33:49 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Fight Against Spam, Part 2 by Francois Joseph de Kermadec In Part 1, I focused on laying the foundation for an anti-spam strategy and covering how to block most of your unwanted mail. In today's article of this three-part series, I'm going to fine-tune this strategy, plus take a closer look at Mail.app, so that you can more fully unleash its potential. http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/05/18/spam_pt2.html ------------------------------ From: John David Galt Subject: Re: Geico Sues Google, Overture Over Trademarks Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 13:45:11 -0700 Organization: Diogenes the Cynic Hot-Tubbing Society dold@GeicoXSues.usenet.us.com wrote: > I believe that the participants in Google's paid advertising select > their own keywords. You don't "buy" keywords from a search engine. You can, but lately the major search engines are letting you know when some of the links returned by a search are to companies that paid to be included (by labeling them as "sponsored links" or some such). > A Google search for "I hate Geico" shows up 25 listings, and one > "Sponsored Link" on the right side. It goes to geico-comnn.com. I > would think that would be the target of Geico's wrath, a misuse of > their (presumably) trademarked name as part of someone else's domain > name. Since that page is merely a listing of competitive insurance > companies, it would seem like a misuse of "geico" to me. The only > entry for "geico" at dictionary.com is as an acronym for "Government > Employees Insurance Company". GEICO is widely hated by drivers because they have the habit of buying radar guns for the police in any community one of their policyholders lives in. But if you're one of that tiny minority who actually obey most speed limits on boulevards, then go for it! ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: Geico Sues Google, Overture Over Trademarks Organization: Looking for work Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 22:20:24 -0400 In article , dold@GeicoXSues.usenet.us.com wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The weird thing to me is the company > name (or acronym) is phonetically pronounced G-eye-co yet the little > reptile mascot's name is pronounced 'g-ekk-o'? To the biologists > among us: is there such a reptile as a gekko/g-eye-co? The little guy > looks more like a baby frog to me. They have got some very clever > commercials on TV-land in any event, all based on the "I have good > news, I saved money" theme. PAT] The TV commercials pronounce the company name g-eye-co. Yes, there's an animal called a gekko -- it looks alot like a salamander. In Hawaii, gekkos can often be found walking on the walls of homes, and this is considered good luck. Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa Hancock) Subject: Last Western Electric Conventional Equipment? Date: 20 May 2004 11:21:06 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Just out of curiosity, would anyone know when the last pieces of traditional telephone equipment was manufactured new at Western Electric? Things such as the 500/554 basic rotary telephone set, the 2500/2554 basic Touch Tone set, the basic Strowger switch unit, or a 3-slot pay telephone? I suspect reconditioned equipment of the above kept going on for several years after the last truly new originals were built. ------------------------------ From: Frank@nospam.biz Subject: Re: Jeff Pulver Statement on New York Public Services Commission Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 14:38:46 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications VOIP News wrote: > [Comment: I'm guessing that the ILEC's in New York State had something > to do with this, and I'm also assuming that Vonage will probably take > this to court as they did in Minnesota. I hope the precedent set in > Minnesota will be followed by the judges in New York, or that the FCC > or Congress will simply strike down state level regulation. As far as > I know, no VoIP company is headquartered in New York, so it would seem > to me that every VoIP call would be inherently interstate and subject > to FCC regulation (if subject to regulation at all), and not to New > York PSC regulation.] It will be interesting, particularly as the Third World Nation of California tries to sink its tax claws into VoIP. I reside in California and I am a subscriber to Vonage. My primary Vonage telephone number is in Cleveland, Ohio. I sometimes pack up my Vonage adapter and plug it into broadband in Hawaii, or Nevada, or Oklahoma. I sent a note to the California PUC's director of telephones, but he ignored my input. When he climbed aboard, so to speak, he made no bones about it; loss of subsidies for low-income wireline service is his total focus. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The public servants do not like it when some kind of dam appears which plugs up their constant flow of money for their various petty projects. Did anyone ever notice how the more 'peoples-republic-like' our major cities and more populous states become, the more oppressive they also become on things like taxes and government regulation in general? California is one good example, New York and Chicago are two others. All those places overrun with more people than can possibly live there comfortably; three or four times as many public servants as they need, each of whom of course is just one more hungry mouth to feed, and more laws and regulations and taxes than are real. Its almost like those larger cities/states are trying hard to drive people away with their oppressive rules, taxes, etc. They have more taxes, police, rules, regulations, etc in those places than more libertarian communities like Boulder, CO or Independence, KS would ever dream of or dare impose. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: New York Classifies Vonage as Phone Company Organization: ATCC Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 21:42:59 GMT In article , VOIP News says: > http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-5216639.html > By Evan Hansen > CNET News.com > Handing a setback to emerging Internet phone services, the New York > State Public Service Commission on Wednesday ruled that Vonage > Holdings is a telephone company and thus subject to state regulation. > In a statement announcing its decision, the agency sought to soften > the blow, saying that it nevertheless hoped to apply "only minimal > regulations to ensure that it does not interfere with the rapid, > widespread deployment of new technologies." > New York is the latest state to weigh in on regulation of so-called > voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, a hot-button policy > issue that has some local officials worried about potential tax losses > as the technology grows in popularity. > Full story at: > http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-5216639.html I have to wonder how many 'favors' Verizon provided to members of the PSC. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, if Verizon is the typical Bell company, their employees and managers belong to the very same country clubs, churches and other social organizations as the members of the commission. There is a joke around Topeka (our state capitol) which says the Kansas Commissioners 'eat out of the hands' of Southwestern Bell and Sprint (the old United Tel); belong to the same country clubs and the same churches, etc. The Commissioners hate that 'joke' and insist it is not true. They say that in fact they hate Bell with a passion, but you could not prove it by me, except they have been very generous and liberal in the application of the rules where Prairie Stream and Gage are concerned. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Michael DeMarie Subject: Re: 5.8 2-Line Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 17:58:34 -0700 Northwestern Bell has one out! Do a Google search on 5.8 2 line phones. Michael DeMarie VP/Sr. Project Manager HBI, Inc. 949-794-3145 Direct 866-591-5111 Direct Fax 310-567-2111 Mobile email: mdemarie@hbiconst.com ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 13:11:39 -0400 Subject: Bye, bye Ma Bell - Internet Phones Give Land Lines Run for Money Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.madison.com/captimes/business/stories/74581.php By Jeff Richgels Barb Maxwell of the city of Madison water utility uses a VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) system to communicate with customers and keep tabs on accounts. The name - voice over Internet protocol - sounds so geeky. But special VoIP phones operate just like regular phones. Traditional phones can be used with some simple adaptive equipment. And that's a good thing when you're talking about a service used by everyone, even the most tech averse. "When we first did (VoIP) deployments, because Cisco called it IP telephony, people thought it was a foreign language," said Frank Albi, president of Madison-based Inacom Information Systems and a leader of Cisco Systems' VoIP effort during his five years with that tech giant. "But the phone rings and has a dial tone. It works, and has all the reliability and functionality (of traditional phone service) with a lower cost point." Even government bureaucrats -- a stodgy lot, by the stereotype -- can be on the cutting edge of the technology, which some experts predict will account for 40 percent of all U.S. phone calls in five years. While only about 10 percent of U.S. businesses -- and only a few hundred thousand residential customers -- have adopted VoIP, it's already installed for the city of Madison water utility, with other city departments to follow. Full story at: http://www.madison.com/captimes/business/stories/74581.php 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: Thu, 20 May 2004 14:56:08 -0400 Subject: New York Public Service Commission Rules Vonage Is A Phone Company Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2004/May/1042293.htm The New York State Public Service Commission has determined that the Vonage Holdings Corporation (Vonage), which offers competitive telephone services to New Yorkers through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, is a telephone corporation as defined by New York State Law and, therefore, must obtain a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN). In its decision, the Commission emphasized its keen interest in applying only minimal regulations to ensure that it does not interfere with the rapid, widespread deployment of new technologies. At the same time, the Commission must ensure that its core public interest concerns, including public safety and network reliablity, are met. Thus, consistent with its longstanding policy, the Commission determined that Vonage, a competitive service provider, should be subject to, at most, the same limited regulatory regime which is applied to comparable competitive carriers in New York. Therefore, Vonage will not be subject to economic or rate regulation, but, pursuant to Public Service Law, Vonage must obtain Commission authorization to provide telephone service (CPCN) and file a schedule of its rates. [... Comment: Seems I was right about an ILEC being behind this .....] In September 2003, Frontier Telephone of Rochester, Inc. (Frontier) filed a complaint with the Commission alleging that Vonage should be required to obtain a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity under New York State Public Service law as an intrastate provider of telecommunications services. Frontier also asked that Vonage be required to route all "911" calls over dedicated "911" networks and participate fully in "enhanced 911" (E911) services where available. Full story at: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2004/May/1042293.htm [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I would not put it past Bell to completely screw up as much as possible about VOIP's essentially non-regulated status. You, the end users will be paying as much as can possibly be milked out of you a year or two from now if Bell has its way, with 'taxes' and other regulatory fees, etc. In fact, given enough time, Bell is going to make you wonder why you ever decided to leave them in the first place. Watch and see. PAT] ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 21:40:24 -0400 Subject: States, Feds Headed For VoIP Clash Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-5217512.html By Ben Charny CNET News.com Regulators in large U.S. states are moving forward with Net-phoning rules, forcing an inevitable confrontation with federal regulators who believe the industry falls under their jurisdiction. By pushing ahead with regulation now, states are facing long battles in court with Net-phoning -- or VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) -- service providers that believe existing laws don't apply to them; and later with the Federal Communications Commission, which is expected in the next few months to leave states with very little, if any, regulatory power over Net-based phone calls. Though small Net-phoning start-ups like Vonage are moving forward unfazed by the unsettled legal and regulatory picture, larger providers that want to play good corporate citizen might be forced to wait the months or years for the regulatory and legal picture to come into focus, industry sources say. "There will be a collision if the FCC takes a position that's at variance with a state's," said Carl Wood, one of the five commissioners on the California Public Utilities Commission. Full story at: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-5217512.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But of course! Mssrs. Pulver and Citron do not belong to the same country clubs and churches the Bell people and thier pets, the state commissioners belong to. PAT] ------------------------------ From: unplug.nz@gmail.com (unplug.nz) Subject: Re: Last Laugh! Is Google on Drugs? Date: 20 May 2004 18:24:57 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Yeah, I had the same thing happen to me ... but it seems that they have fixed it now ... oh well ... 1gb is enough for me and a small country. jmayson@nyx.net wrote in message news:: > This morning I noticed my Google Mail account said I was using about > 10 MB of my 1000000 MB quota. Apparently they've upped their mail > storage limit from 1 GB to 1 TB. > http://www.scripting.com/images/archiveScriptingCom/2004/05/18/terabyte.gif > At my current rate, if I deleted nothing, I was going to hit my 1 GB > limit in 2014. Now I should make it to 12004 before needing more > space. ------------------------------ 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. 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