From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Aug 3 13:57:48 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i73Hvmc08819; Tue, 3 Aug 2004 13:57:48 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2004 13:57:48 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200408031757.i73Hvmc08819@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 #361 TELECOM Digest Tue, 3 Aug 2004 13:57:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 361 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Update (Canada) #442, August 3, 2004 (Angus TeleManagement) In a Surprising Turn of Events (johndee) Norvergence Bankruptcy Leads to Charges of Scam (David O. Rodriguez) Vonage Hit by Nationwide Calling Disruption (VOIP News) Re: The Convention in 1904, One Hundred Years Ago (Gary Novosielski) Re: The Convention in 1904, One Hundred Years Ago (Hammond of Texas) 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: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 10:38:39 -0400 From: Angus TeleManagement Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #442, August 3, 2004 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 442: August 3, 2004 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** ALLSTREAM: www.allstream.com ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca ** CYGCOM INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES: www.cygcom.com ** GROUP TELECOM: www.360.net ** JUNIPER NETWORKS: www.juniper.net ** PRIMUS CANADA: www.primustel.ca ** SPRINT CANADA: www.sprint.ca ** TELUS: www.telus.com ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Nortel Needs More Cost Cutting ** Videotron Promises VoIP by Mid-2005 ** Bell Offers Secure IP Net to Small Business ** Sirois Replaced as TIW Chair ** CRTC Outlines VoIP Hearing Process ** Telus Union Wins a Round ** CRTC Okays Bell IP Centrex Tariff ** Local Interconnection Simplified ** Wireless Internet Expands in Rural N.B. ** Persona Ups Internet Speed ** CRTC Deregulates SaskTel EMI Services ** Phone Prefix in 819 to Be Reclaimed ** Rutherford to Head Cygnal Network Group ** Call-Net Sales Rise ** Strike Cuts Into Aliant Profits ** Avaya Revenues, Profits Rise ** Keeping Your Network Alive ============================================================ NORTEL NEEDS MORE COST CUTTING: Nortel Networks CEO Bill Owens says he expects the company's revenues to grow faster than the market this year, but that its costs remain too high. He says he will provide information on "the actions that we will be taking to put into place an improved cost structure" by mid-August. ** There are widespread rumours that Nortel will move its headquarters from Brampton to Ottawa this year. VIDEOTRON PROMISES VoIP BY MID-2005: Videotron Ltee and Videotron Telecom Ltd say they will launch VoIP-based residential telephone service in Quebec during the first half of 2005. The company, which expects to spend $80 million to roll the service out over the next four years, plans to bundle phone service with digital TV and high-speed Internet. BELL OFFERS SECURE IP NET TO SMALL BUSINESS: Bell Canada today announced ProConnect, a managed private IP network service for connecting the offices of small and medium businesses. A basic package starts at $150/month, including equipment, connectivity and management. SIROIS REPLACED AS TIW CHAIR: Charles Sirois, founder of Telesystem International Wireless, has resigned as Chairman to "pursue other business interests." CEO Bruno Ducharme assumes the post of TIW Chairman; Al Tolstoy becomes President and COO. ** TIW reports second quarter revenue of $286.5 million and net income of $13.9 million. CRTC OUTLINES VoIP HEARING PROCESS: The CRTC has issued direction on the process to be followed at the VoIP public hearing September 21-23, along with a list of parties who will submit oral views, in order of their appearance. The list will be posted on the CRTC site this week. www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/process/2004/sep21_t.htm TELUS UNION WINS A ROUND: The Federal Court of Appeal has denied Telus's application for a stay of the order that made the Telecommunications Workers Union the bargaining agent for Telus Mobility employees in Ontario and Quebec. (See Telecom Update #434, 439) http://decisions.fca-caf.gc.ca/fca/2004/2004fca268.shtml CRTC OKAYS BELL IP CENTREX TARIFF: CRTC Telecom Order 2004- 256 approves Bell Canada's tariff for Managed Internet Protocol Telephony (MIPT) service. Centrex customers will receive volume discounts based on the total number of their Centrex lines and MIPT ports in service. ** The CRTC turned down the telco's proposal to waive MIPT installation fees until the end of 2004, because such promotions are being reviewed under Public Notice 2003-1-1. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2004/o2004-256.htm LOCAL INTERCONNECTION SIMPLIFIED: In mid-July, the CRTC ruled that local competitors no longer have to interconnect with incumbents' networks in every exchange, but can do so at a single point within larger "local interconnection regions." Competitors have long argued that such a change would significantly reduce their costs. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-46.htm WIRELESS INTERNET EXPANDS IN RURAL N.B.: Wireless Internet provider Aernet Wireless says it now offers 1 Mbps service in 23 rural communities across New Brunswick. www.aernet.ca PERSONA UPS INTERNET SPEED: Persona Communications, which serves 220,000 cable subscribers in seven provinces, has increased Internet download speeds for most Ontario customers to 5 Mbps. ** A deal for Persona's sale to a group of investors headed by TD and CIBC has received CRTC approval. (See Telecom Update #418) CRTC DEREGULATES SASKTEL EMI SERVICES: The CRTC has forborne from regulating SaskTel's electronic messaging and information services (providing transmission, storage, and retrieval of text communications), subject to some conditions. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-51.htm PHONE PREFIX IN 819 TO BE RECLAIMED: CRTC Telecom Decision 2004-52 is too complex to be summarized here, but it should be required reading for anyone who suggests: (a) that managing phone numbers is easy; or (b) that the telecom industry would run smoothly if we just got rid of interfering regulators and subcommittees. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-52.htm RUTHERFORD TO HEAD CYGNAL NETWORK GROUP: Todd Rutherford, head of marketing for Cygnal's Network Solutions Group, has been named the division's President. He earlier served with Norstan, Lucent, and White Radio. CALL-NET SALES RISE: Call-Net sales, which had been flat for two quarters, rose in the second quarter to $200.8 million, 4% higher than a year ago. Call-Net's loss for the quarter was $33.1 million, $6.4 million of which was due to shifts in foreign exchange rates. Call-Net ended the quarter with $27.3 in cash or cash equivalents. STRIKE CUTS INTO ALIANT PROFITS: Aliant reports second quarter revenues of $526 million and net income of $50.1 million, down 18.2% from the same period last year. The telco says costs linked to the strike of 4,300 employees, which began April 23, reduced profits by $13.9 million. AVAYA REVENUES, PROFITS RISE: Avaya had April-June revenues of US$1,016 million, a 9.4% increase from the same period a year ago. Income from continuing operations was $58 million, compared to a $3 million loss a year ago. Net income increased to $61 million from $8 million. KEEPING YOUR NETWORK ALIVE: The July-August issue of Telemanagement features an in-depth report for enterprise network managers on "defining, measuring, and improving availability in your network." It's one of three reports on network survival in 2004: the others look at planning for telecom disaster recovery, and the future of networks based on Frame Relay or ATM. ** Telemanagement is available by subscription only. To become a Telemanagement subscriber--including unlimited access to Telemanagement's extensive online content--visit the Telemanagement website or call 800-263-4415 ext 500. ============================================================ 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 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 www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2004 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. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 11:38:05 -0500 From: johndee Subject: In a Surprising Turn of Events A well-publicized piece of legislation -- sponsored by U.S. Senator John Sununu (R-NH) and backed by IP voice providers -- intended to deregulate VoIP services was radically changed during a mark-up session by the Senate Commerce Committee last week. In a surprising turn of events, the Committee voted 13-9 to amend the bill to require VoIP providers to be subject to intrastate access charges, universal service obligations, E-911 and CALEA responsibilities. The action taken by the senators is an important step toward ensuring the long-term stability of the universal service system and the overall fairness of intercarrier compensation. It also signifies a subtle shift in focus from technology interests to public interests. Prior to the mark-up, Senator Sununu was expected to be successful in passing his bill. The amended version of S. 2281 -- the "VoIP Regulatory Freedom Act of 2004" -- reflects many concessions to rural consumers. Important among these concessions is the amendment by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) preserving state commissions' authority over intrastate universal service and access funding. This amendment helps ensure that all carriers, regardless of the technology they use, will support universal service and pay for their use of other companies' networks to reach their customers. ------------------------------ From: David O. Rodriguez Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 01:52:21 -0500 Subject: Norvergence Bankruptcy Leads to Charges of Scam Pat, Just wanted to make sure you received a copy of this. David ----- Original Message ----- > Novergence bankruptcy leads to charges of scam > Sunday, August 1, 2004 By MARTHA McKAY STAFF WRITER At the center > of a massive New Jersey bankruptcy that dealt a blow to 11,000 small > businesses in more than 20 states is a small box called "The Matrix." > Newark-based NorVergence, a privately held phone-service reseller, > boasted that the box was packed with enough of the very latest > telecommunications technology to deliver cheap, unlimited local and > long-distance phone, cell service, and high-speed Internet access. > In fact, the box was a gimmick. In some cases, it had no practical > use at all. > "It's an unbelievable scam," said Meredith Wood, who runs an > industrial services business in West Milford. "I wish I'd thought > of it," she said with a rueful laugh. "I'd be calling you from my > private island." Wood bought unlimited long-distance and cellphone > service from NorVergence last year and signed a lease for a Matrix > box that NorVergence never even plugged in. > Now, Wood is stuck owing a five-year, $45,000 equipment lease to > U.S. Bancorp for her Matrix, a piece of gear worth about $600. The > story of how Wood and thousands of other small-business owners were > victimized began to unfold last month, when NorVergence flamed out > in a Chapter 7 liquidation in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newark. The > company, which once boasted $200 million in annual revenues, left > 1,300 employees without jobs, large phone companies such as Qwest, > Sprint, and T-Mobile owed at least $30 million, and lawyers > wondering where all the money went. Qwest has received the court's > permission to shut off service to NorVergence's former customers, > leaving Wood and the thousands of other business owners potentially > without phone service but still owing hundreds of millions in > payments to banks and finance companies who paid NorVergence > millions for the leases. > Christopher Menkin, editor of Leasing News, believes the NorVergence > case is "one of the biggest leasing scandals in the last 25 years." > Corporate culture Drawn in by NorVergence's deeply discounted phone > service and slick, reassuring marketing materials, many > small-business owners probably didn't think to delve into the > company's background. > If they had, they might have turned up court records showing the man > who ran NorVergence, Thomas N. Salzano, had piloted another > telecommunications company that ended in bankruptcy, where creditors > accused him of illegally funneling $2.7 million of company funds > into a Swiss bank after filing for Chapter 11 protection. By all > accounts, Salzano, who was NorVergence's chief managing officer and > was listed as a director in a Securities and Exchange Commission > filing, ran the company despite the CEO title of his brother, Peter > J. Salzano. He's described by those who know him as a high-energy > executive with a quirky style who rarely wore ties, instead favoring > white leisure suits and colorful printed shirts. He's got "a lot of > marketing savvy" and "a lot of ego," those people said - an arrogant > charmer with a creative business mind. > Neither of the Salzano brothers responded to requests for an > interview. By mid-2003, just two years after it was founded, > NorVergence was buying millions of dollars worth of phone and > Internet service from some of the nation's largest carriers, > including Qwest, Sprint, and T-Mobile, and reselling at a deep > discount to thousands of small businesses. > The company hired hundreds, packing so many workers onto two floors > at 550 Broad St. in Newark that the building's air conditioning was > overwhelmed and NorVergence had to rent more floors. Salespeople, > many of whom had previously worked in the telecommunications > industry, were attracted by promises of hefty commissions. The > sales teams followed a pitch based on a series of scripts hammered > home during a two-week sales tryout in Newark. Kirk Dennis, a top > salesman in the Chicago area, recalls a boot camp-like atmosphere > where memorizing the script made the difference between getting a > job and getting kicked out. > The NorVergence trainers made you sweat with their intimidating > behavior, said Dennis, describing how they would "catch you in a > hallway and say, 'Give me your script.'Y" Anyone who floundered was > escorted out. Of the 90 people who began with Dennis, only 30 were > offered a job. Described by customers as highly polished and > aggressive, NorVergence salespeople fanned out across the country as > their employer rapidly opened well-appointed offices in 36 cities. > The pitch, the catch Armed with their sales pitch, and backed up by > a flashy Web site, the company went after small-business owners with > good credit records, most of whom did not have a telecommunications > expert on staff. The salespeople, known as screening managers, used > dense, acronym-rich telecommunications jargon in their descriptions > of the cheap, unlimited phone services that the "MATRIX unlimited > calling solution" would deliver. According to a sales script > obtained by The Record, a screening manager would tell a prospective > customer "because we're swamped with so many new requests, my job is > to screen for only qualified applicants down to just the few allowed > for each area." > "They let you know if they were going to accept you > as a customer -- that was their marketing gimmick," said Carol > Marubio, owner of an Illinois roofing company that signed up. But > by far the bigger gimmick was the Matrix box. To sell phone service > to their small-business customers, NorVergence, a reseller, bought > it wholesale from large carriers such as Qwest and Sprint. But when > the sales team pitched the company's "solution" to customers, the > Matrix box was key. What many eager customers apparently missed was > the fact that the "unlimited" phone and Internet service NorVergence > sold them had no direct relation to the box, which performed a > limited function in some customers' cases (it allocated bandwidth > over a T1 line), and no function in others. > Many apparently believed that the box could be used by other phone > providers. Most customers didn't think NorVergence would go out of > business. One former salesman said they were told that if a customer > asked what would happen if the company ran into trouble, to "just > say nothing" and dismiss the possibility. And some customers > interviewed had no idea that NorVergence would sell their Matrix > lease -- for cash -- to banks and finance companies, in much the same > way a bank might sell a mortgage to a third party. Those sales > funneled millions to NorVergence, and locked its customers into > long-term relationships with a bank. > "In my opinion, [NorVergence's] whole setup was designed to sell > equipment leases," said Dan Baldwin, spokesman for TelecomAgent, a > non-profit organization that represents sales agents in the > telecommunications business, who has been looking into NorVergence's > business since early last year. As for the box, David Silverman, a > NorVergence salesman based at the company's Broad Street > headquarters, told the U.S. Bankruptcy Court at a recent hearing > that the Matrix box was useless. "These boxes serve no purpose; > they're worthless," he told the court. Scores of local companies > and organizations -- even the New Jersey Republican State Committee > offices in Trenton -- signed up for NorVergence service, lured by > those promises of deep discounts. It was hard to turn down. The > company installed customers at the rate of 350 a week -- averaging > about $6 million in weekly sales -- practically up to the bankruptcy > filing, said Oscar Delatorre, a former NorVergence employee who > oversaw installations. That's an estimated $132 million in sales > for the first five months of 2004 alone. > According to a former NorVergence vice president who supplied sales > figures to The Record, new customers signed contracts for $409 > million worth of phone systems from January through June 4. Of that, > an estimated 40 percent actually were installed, bringing the total > sales closer to about $164 million. > Last gasp: The whole company was focused on marketing and sales, > former employees said. As its debts rose, NorVergence ratcheted up > its sales effort, and other parts of the business began to > deteriorate, they said. "Customer service and installation was an > afterthought," said Jeff Carlsen, vice president of facilities > engineering. Around January, the company told employees it was > looking for investors, but that effort apparently failed. On the > seven floors at 550 and 570 Broad St., the signs of disorganization > were disturbing. "There were tables stacked with piles of folders; > there was no particular order to customer files," said Carlsen. "It > was unbelievably unorganized." > Technical problems arose with a new 800 service the company tried to > introduce. It had to pay its mounting bills to Qwest and others -- > nearing $2 million a week toward the end -- to cover service for its > existing customer base. So it kept adding more and more new > customers, selling their leases to banks, and collecting the cash. > It pushed its sales staff hard. By some estimates, NorVergence > signed up as many as 4,000 customers over the last six months, > without connecting their phone service. > After it fell behind in its payments to Qwest, the Colorado-based > carrier shut off service for two days in mid-June. Several days > later, NorVergence bounced hundreds of payroll checks, but asked its > employees to keep working. As creditors closed in, the normally > feisty Tom Salzano appeared defeated, according to one person who > met with him then. On June 30, the company was forced into an > involuntary Chapter 11 filing by three banks. > It laid off about 1,000 people that day, owing hundreds back pay and > commissions. As the Salzanos moved to get the word out, the news > spread to other floors and a few angry, now ex-employees tried to > leave the building with office equipment, former employees said. > Two days later, in bankruptcy court again after a failed attempt by > some banks to inject cash to prop up the operation, NorVergence > converted to a Chapter 7, closing for good and liquidating assets. > The aftermath: Qwest received permission from the judge to shut off > service to NorVergence customers, setting off a mad scramble among > customers to find new phone service. A trustee took possession of > NorVergence offices and began the process of selling any assets. (It > remains to be seen if there will be anything left. So far, Qwest is > the largest unsecured creditor, with at least $15 million owed, > followed by Sprint with at least $10 million. But before they get > anything, secured creditors will get paid, along with former > employees who file claims.) About two weeks ago, frustrated > customers began to receive letters from banks and finance companies > holding the Matrix leases that they'd better keep paying. Dozens of > NorVergence customers have formed a legal co-op, hiring a lawyer to > fight the banks and get them out of their leases. There is talk of a > class-action suit. > Meanwhile, it's still not clear whether the banks and finance > companies that bought the Matrix leases understood what they were > getting. One source said it appears that some of the finance > companies were not aware, for example, that the Matrix box could not > be used by another phone provider in the event NorVergence shut > down. One source familiar with the group of 35 banks and finance > companies said they purchased at least $220 million worth of > NorVergence customers' leases. Some banks are trying to line up new > phone-service providers for NorVergence customers. A spokeswoman for > Adtran, which made the boxes and sold them to NorVergence, said her > company was working with the banks to try to fix the problem. > "Transferring telecommunications services from NorVergence to a > different carrier likely requires modification or replacement of > equipment [the Matrix box] owned primarily by equipment leasing > companies," she said. A spokeswoman for Popular Leasing, a finance > company owned by Banco Popular, said the company had no comment on > the NorVergence situation. So did Wells Fargo. And the CIT Group. > Also unclear is the role Robert J. Fine played in the NorVergence > debacle. Fine was NorVergence's director of bank relations, who > apparently made the connections between the banks and > NorVergence. He recently resigned as president of the trade group > Eastern Association of Equipment Lessors (EAEL), according to > Leasing News. Before joining NorVergence, Fine held numerous > positions in the leasing industry. The EAEL did not return repeated > phone calls, and Fine could not be reached for comment. > On the last day of NorVergence's existence last month, Tom Salzano > did not appear in court but his brother Peter, the CEO, did. His > face beaded with perspiration, Salzano left the courtroom to jeers > by former employees who came to the hearing. He kept his head down > and walked away. > * * * NorVergence mastermind no stranger to bankruptcy > Sunday, August 1, 2004 > By MARTHA McKAY STAFF WRITER > Running a phone company into bankruptcy is nothing new for Thomas N. > Salzano. Before his ill-fated venture, Newark-based NorVergence, > folded last month, Salzano headed up a different phone company. In > the early 1990s, after running a freight consulting business, > Salzano founded Minimum Rate Pricing Inc. in Bloomfield, a reseller > of residential long-distance phone service that eventually hired > hundreds of people but ran afoul of federal regulators in 1998 when > customers complained that MRP illegally switched their > long-distance, a technique known as slamming. A settlement was > reached, and MRP agreed to pay a $1.2 million fine to the Federal > Communications Commission. But over the next few months, MRP's > business imploded. The company, which bought its long-distance > service wholesale from WorldCom (now MCI), racked up $67 million in > debt, according to court papers, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy > protection, along with some related companies, in February 1999. > "It was out of control," recalled Brian Engle, a turnaround > specialist brought in by the creditors. "They weren't looking at > their costs; the philosophy was, more revenue will solve the > problem." Months later, creditors battled in court for the > remaining scraps, saying in court papers that Salzano set up "The > Telecom Education Trust," a college trust fund for Salzano's five > children, into which was funneled $250,000 in company funds. Warren > Martin, a New Jersey lawyer who represented the creditors' > committee, said a judge ordered that money returned. Creditors also > accused Salzano of transferring $2.7 million in company funds to a > Swiss bank while the company was in bankruptcy proceedings. But the > creditors decided it wasn't worth the cost and effort to pursue > those charges, Martin recalled. > "Essentially, the business went away and there was nothing left but > a bunch of lawsuits," he said. In the end, the bankruptcy court > allowed WorldCom, the largest creditor, to buy the remaining MRP > customers, using part of its debt as payment, Engle said. MRP > customers became WorldCom customers. And Salzano started to plan > his next venture: NorVergence. > Martha McKay Staff Writer The Record > 150 River St. Hackensack, NJ 07601 201-646-4326 *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance, The Record and other sources. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And everyone, it seems, is living in misery, former employees without a job or a paycheck, banks and leasing companies unable to collect their money because most of the former customers of Norvergence who have probably formed legal coop- eratives to fight them and at the very least have **FROZEN ALL ACCOUNTS PAYABLE** to Norvergence pending decisions by the lawyers and the judges involved, the customers who went without phone service for however long or waited in an endless queue for 'customer service' about the time this bad joke got rolling, etc. Everyone, that is, except the Solzano people who had an extra glass of wine with their steaks for dinner last night and debated where to strike next. If nothing else positive happens as a result of this spectacle, this debacle, I hope people learn more about their phone service and how telephones work. PAT] ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 00:31:54 -0400 Subject: Vonage Hit by Nationwide Calling Disruption Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=5850476 Vonage Hit by Nationwide Calling Disruption LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Subscribers to telephone services over high-speed Internet connections provided by privately held Vonage suffered widespread outages across the United States on Monday due to a routing problem with network carrier Global Crossing, a Vonage spokeswoman said. Edison, New Jersey-based Vonage, which has over 200,000 customer lines, told subscribers on their account Web pages the problem lasted for about 90 minutes and attributed the outage to an error in Global Crossing's network that had data being routed to the wrong places. "We had an issue with Global Crossing, one of our carrier partners," spokeswoman Brooke Schulz told Reuters, adding the problem primarily affected outgoing calls. But Global Crossing denied any problems on their end. Full story at: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=5850476 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: Gary Novosielski Subject: Re: The Convention in 1904, One Hundred Years Ago Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 04:23:57 GMT Lisa Hancock wrote: > Several good books ("The Century" by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster > and "Reds" by Ted Morgan) discussed the 1968 riots. Both books > describe in detail how the protest (riot) organizers worked hard to > train their followers to provoke a police response -- that was their > goal. I'm not sure calling the protesters merely "gentle people" is > accurate. Well, I was pretty plugged in to the movement back then, and I don't recall any such training sessions on how to provoke the cops. That would be idiotic. Oh, and I don't remember seeing Peter Jennings there, either. It's just more revisionist b.s. trying to justify the '68 Police Riots. Give it up. The whole world WAS watching, and saw what happened. The Big Lie isn't gonna work on this one. And speaking of provocation, if we don't get back to telecom stuff soon we all know where this thread is going, right? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 08:35:30 -0700 From: Hammond of Texas Subject: Re: The Convention in 1904, One Hundred Years Ago Lisa Hancock wrote: > TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: >> I've got a hunch -- just a hunch -- that the Republican convention >> this time around will be as much of a 'riot' as the Democratic >> one in 1968 was. > I strongly doubt it. I don't think the interest is there. And suddenly, this has what-all to do with the telecom ... [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Pretty much nothing, except that the 1968 Democratic National Convention *still has not* (now 35 years later) ever paid their phone bill to the Illinois Bell Telephone Company or its successor companies. After the convention ended, they split town leaving several local merchants holding the bag. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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If you donate at least fifty dollars per year we will send you our two-CD set of the entire Telecom Archives; this is every word published in this Digest since our beginning in 1981. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V23 #361 ******************************