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Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #588

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 9 Dec 2004 19:10:00 EST    Volume 23 : Issue 588

Inside This Issue:                            Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    T-Mobile USA Launches CallerTunes - First Nationwide (Monty Solomon)
    Online Research Worries Many Educators (Monty Solomon)
    Motorola Aims For TiVo Crowd/Comcast Customers Get New Cable (M Solomon)
    Avantel Mexico Selects SmartNode VoIP Gateway Routers (Chris)
    Information Needed on Wi-Fi (DVB)
    Senate Passes H.R. 5419 (Telecom dailyLead from USTA)
    Partner Mail (release 3) Simultaneous Ring (underpress)
    Data Mining Conference: Solving Real World Challenges,March 2005 (lisas)
    Re: Dropping SBC For a VoIP Solution - Vonage or Packet8 (Ringo Langly)
    Re: Dropping SBC For a VoIP Solution - Vonage or Packet8 (Isaiah Beard)
    Re: Radar Detectors (Tim@Backhome.org)
    Re: Radar Detectors (jmeissen@aracnet.com)
    Re: Connecting VoIP Device to Home Wiring (Ringo Langly)
    Re: I Want to Block Anonymous/Name Unavailable/Unwanted Calls (Ken)
    Re: Treo650 v Blackberry (Isaiah Beard)
    Re: Calling Card Needed -- Short Interaction Sequence (Edward Gehringer)
    Vonage, VoicePulse Push Forward With Video (Lisa Minter)

Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet.  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, 9 Dec 2004 08:16:28 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: T-Mobile USA Launches CallerTunes - the First Nationwide


     T-Mobile USA Launches CallerTunes -- the First Nationwide
     Ringback Tone Service That Lets Users 'Represent Their Style'

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 2004--

   Initial Trial Offer Gives 30 Days Use of the Innovative Service,
      and Alicia Keys Bonus CallerTune "Karma" At No Extra Charge

T-Mobile USA subscribers across the country now can ditch the dull
switchboard ring that their callers hear, in favor of a tune that
represents their unique style, with the launch today of T-Mobile's
ringback tone service -- CallerTunes(TM). T-Mobile is the first
company to launch a ringback tone service nationwide.

If you use ringtones, your wireless phone 'rings' with your favorite
song or other audio clip when someone is calling. That's great for
you, of course, but the people calling you still hear the old, dull
ring until you answer the phone. Now that has changed. As a
CallerTunes subscriber, you can select audio clips for the people
calling you to hear before you answer the phone -- whether it's for
specific individuals, groups of friends, or at specific times of the
day -- giving you hundreds of ways to represent your style.

     - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=45495352

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 08:31:31 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Online Research Worries Many Educators


By ANICK JESDANUN AP Internet Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Go to Google, search and scroll results, click and 
copy. When students do research online these days, many educators 
worry, those are often about the only steps they take. If they can 
avoid a trip to the library at all, many students gladly will.

Young people may know that just because information is plentiful 
online doesn't mean it's reliable, yet their perceptions of what's 
trustworthy frequently differ from their elders' _ sparking a larger 
debate about what constitutes truth in the Internet age.

Georgia Tech professor Amy Bruckman tried to force students to leave 
their computers by requiring at least one book for a September class 
project.

She wasn't prepared for the response: "Someone raised their hand and 
asked, "Excuse me, where would I get a book?'"

While the answer might just have been a smart aleck's bid for laughs, 
Bruckman and other educators grapple daily with the challenge of 
ensuring their students have good skills for discerning the truth. 
Professors and librarians say many come to college without any such 
skills, and quite a few leave without having acquired them.

      - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=45500939

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The argument about 'computers versus
real books' seems to me to be just a re-hash of the argument a few
years ago about why 'computers are used for invasions of privacy,
instructions for building bombs, pornography, inappropriate inform-
ation for kids, etc' but libraries are where kids should be going.
I *thought* we had resolved that one by pointing out that there is
absolutely *nothing* you can learn from a computer that you could not
learn from a library as well; the entire difference being the speed
and ease of the learning process. We did NOT start suddenly aquiring
the wisdom of the world with the invention of the computer and later
the internet. The computer and internet are simply tools to use in
your learning experience. The 'information explosion' did not begin
with computers; it started in the fifteenth century with the invention
by Guttenberg of a printing machine out of old wine skins. So what are
these people complaining about, that the tools for learning have been
improved?  It is true that computers have hastened the 'information
explosion', but who is to be blamed for that, Bill Gates, or the
parents whose children use computers instead of *at the very least*
know the 'old fashioned' techniques for learning?  PAT]   

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 17:25:44 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Motorola Aims For TiVo Crowd/Comcast Customers Get New Cable Box


Motorola aims for TiVo crowd

Comcast customers get new cable box with VCR powers

By Mike Hughlett
Tribune staff reporter

The television set-top box -- that ungainly contraption needed to
watch cable TV -- will never be a sexy product. But it is getting a
makeover that is helping to boost sales for Motorola Inc.

The new boxes, which are being introduced across the Chicago area for
Comcast cable customers, can record television shows much like a VCR.
The boxes can also store hours and hours of shows on a built-in hard
drive.

The digital video recorder technology, pioneered by TiVo, has caught
the fancy of consumers who want to save a season's worth of episodes
for a favorite TV show or simply record one show while watching
another.

Motorola and Georgia-based Scientific-Atlanta are the dominant
providers of set-top boxes. And their cable customers are starting to
flex their muscles on DVR technology and eat into TiVo's market share.

Satellite television remains a TiVo stronghold. But cable television
is a bigger market. Comcast, Motorola's biggest customer and the
nation's largest cable TV operator, is in the midst of a massive DVR
rollout.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0412080367dec08,1,419411.story

------------------------------

From: Chris <cchrisinfo@patton.com>
Subject: Avantel Mexico Selects SmartNode VoIP Gateway Routers
Date: 9 Dec 2004 08:26:43 -0800


Mexico's Premier IP Carrier Deploys Patton SmartNode(tm) as Their
Chosen Voice-over-IP Gateway for Bundled Voice and Data Services

For Immediate Release

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland - Patton Electronics--an industry leader in
access, connectivity and VoIP--announces today that Avantel has
selected Patton's SmartNode(tm) as the customer-premise VoIP solution
for their PYME Plus IP-based telephone services targeting small and
mid-sized enterprises.

Avantel, "The IP Company" (La Compa=F1=EDa IP), is Mexico's premier
communications service and second-largest long-distance carrier, as
well as providing local phone service. Avantel's new PYME Plus service
package offers dedicated Internet access bundled with local, long
distance, and mobile-cellular minutes plus 800 phone numbers-all for
about 40% less than those combined services would typically cost.

Patton's SmartNode(tm) Modular VoIP Access Router combines a
Voice-over-IP gateway and a secure QoS router in a single low-cost
modular device. The powerful combination enables Avantel to reduce
operating costs while delivering the high-quality integrated voice and
data services their business customers need most-at a price they can
afford.

"Patton offered Avantel the key value proposition of SmartNode(tm)-
namely, the ability to deploy services with a fully-integrated CPE
solution that includes both the Router and the VoIP Gateway" said
Armando Morillo, Patton's Sales Director for Latin America.

"Patton plays well with others," said Antonio Torre, Product Marketing
Manager for Avantel. "Avantel was looking for a reliable and responsive
VoIP vendor. Patton's SmartNode is flexible and reasonably priced. It
connects seamlessly with Avantel's network platforms and protocols.
Plus, the support Patton has provided is one of the best in the market-
before, during and after the sale. Patton has proved to be a true
business partner, ready and able to adapt, quick to customize...making
sure their solutions work well in our network and for our customers."

Avantel has deployed hundreds of Patton's SmartNode Model 2300 VoIP
Gateway Routers at customer sites during the initial roll-out of their
IP-based SOHO services.

"IP has become the new foundation for all communications. It's not just
for web surfing anymore," said Scott Whittle, Patton's Director of
Product Management. "Avantel is an industry innovator with the right
focus on all IP-based services. We count it a privilege to launch this
long-term partnership with such a quality-focused service provider."

"Patton is pleased," Mr. Whittle continued, "to combine our advanced
Voice-over-IP technology with Avantel's high-value services to deliver
integrated voice and data communications for businesses throughout
Mexico."

About the SmartNode(tm) family of VoIP Gateway Routers

The SmartNode(tm) family of VoIP gateways and routers offer
compact-desktop and modular voice/data IAD solutions for service
providers and enterprises. The SmartNode 1000 and 4520 series SOHO and
branch office IADs support one or two ISDN BRI So ports or 2-8 analog
ports as well as a full-featured QoS VPN Router. The modular 19"
SmartNode 2300 series are designed for medium and large enterprise
applications featuring on-board LAN and WAN interfaces and a range of
PMC based voice interface cards/expansion modules. Interface cards
provide flexible port configurations for ISDN, T1, E1, PRI, BRI and
FXS. The SmartNode 2400 series supports up to 96/120 Voice-over-IP
connections in a single 1U 19" chassis.

About Avantel

Avantel "The IP Company" solutions in Mexico, offers a wide portfolio
of telecommunications services especially tailored to meet the diverse
needs of companies of all sizes and sectors, from intelligent voice
and data transmission to virtual private networks (VPNs), integrated
telecommunications packages and managed services. Avantel's network,
the country's second largest, is the best positioned to provide
IP-based solutions. Its Data Centers, directly connected to its
backbone, allow it to provide robust, reliable Internet access and
server hosting as well as network design and management.


About Patton

Patton Electronics Company is a US manufacturer and marketer of data
communications products, including VoIP/ToIP gateways & routers,
Remote Access (V.92, V.90, K56Flex, V.34+, and ISDN dial-in), Last
Mile/Local Loop Access (T1, E1, and xDSL modems, NTUs and CSU/DSUs),
Multi-Service Access (voice, intranet, extranet, and Frame Relay
access), and Connectivity (interface converters, short range modems,
multiplexers, and surge protectors).

For more information or to request a free datacom catalog, please
contact sales@patton.com.

Patton Electronics Company
7622 Rickenbacker Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20879 USA
Tel: +1 301.975.1000
Fax: +1 301.869.9293
Email: marketing@patton.com
Web: http://www.patton.com/

------------------------------

From: mykonosboy@tiscali.it (DVB)
Subject: Information Wanted on WI-FI
Date: 9 Dec 2004 12:47:03 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Hi, 

I have a PC with tecnology Centrino (Intel Pro/Wireless 2100 WLAN
802.11b,11Mbps).

I'm going for holiday in Mexico in an hotel that provides a connection
to internet through a modem called ALAMBRICO.

I've never heard about this router, in Italy nobody knows what it is.
Do you know if I can use my laptop to connect to internet in the
hotel?

Best regards,

MYK

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 13:49:39 EST
From: Telecom dailyLead from USTA <usta@dailylead.com>
Subject: Senate Passes H.R. 5419


http://www.dailylead.com/latestIssue.jsp?i=18012&l=2017006

TODAY'S HEADLINES

NEWS OF THE DAY
* Senate passes H.R. 5419
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* DSL deployment up 39% in first three quarters of 2004
* Qwest expands enterprise VoIP service
* Report: 1.5 billion mobile phone users worldwide
* Cable companies have eye on cellular services
* AT&T, MCI may be acquisition targets
* Nortel revises net income projection as earnings restatement nears
USTA SPOTLIGHT 
* USTA applauds Senate passage of funding bill for schools and libraries
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
* Vonage to launch videophones
REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE
* Franchise requirements an issue for telcos' TV plans

http://www.dailylead.com/latestIssue.jsp?i=18012&l=2017006

   Legal and Privacy information at http://www.dailylead.com/about/privacy_legal.jsp

SmartBrief, Inc.
1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20005

------------------------------

From: underpress <trevangel@gmail.com>
Subject: Partner Mail (Release 3) Simultaneous Ring
Date: 9 Dec 2004 08:02:16 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Hi,

I'm a (computer) sys admin having to deal with the phones for the
first time ... not having fun!

I want incoming calls to ring 5 extensions simultaneously. I've
created a Group List containing the five extensions, but I can't
figure out how to get the incoming lines to ring that group.

Help! And thanks.

Trevor

------------------------------

From: lisas@salford-systems.com
Subject: Data Mining Conference: Solving Real World Challenges, NYC, March
Date: 9 Dec 2004 05:57:33 -0800


Salford Systems Data Mining 2005
New York, March 28-30, 2005
Focusing on the Contributions of Data Mining to Solving Real World
Challenges

Honoring the Real-World Experiences of Data Mining Visionaries
Leo Breiman and Jerome Friedman

CONFERENCE PROGRAM
http://www.salforddatamining.com/program.htm

TELECOMMUNICATION SESSIONS:
An Out-of-Memory Implementation of the PRIM Procedure for Massive
Datasets: Telecommunications Dataset
David Poole, AT&T Labs - Research

Winning With TreeNet: The Duke/NCR Teradata Churn Modeling Tournament,
Telecommunications Dataset
Mikhail Golovnya, Salford Systems


TRACKS:
Data Mining Issues and Implementation
Real World Success Stories: Business
Real World Success Stories: Biomedical
Real World Success Stories: Environmental
Novel Methodologies

POST-CONFERENCE HANDS-ON TRAINING

Network with Data Mining Experts and Pick up Pointers from Companies,
Research Centers and Laboratories Including:

The International Monetary Fund, American Express, Barnes and Noble,
Visa, Pfizer, Union Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Ciphergen, Stanford Linear
Accelerator, Johns Hopkins Medical School and the University of
California at Berkeley.

If you have an interest in attending this conference or the
post-conference training, please contact Lisa Solomon:
Phone: 619-543-8880 x14, Email:  lisas@salforddatamining.com

------------------------------

From: Ringo Langly <rlangly@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Dropping SBC For a VoIP Solution -- Vonage or Packet8 ??
Date: 9 Dec 2004 04:59:54 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Hi Rick,

I guess I don't understand ... the Telephone Adapter (DTA310 in my
case) has one RJ45 connector plus my ISP only allows one public IP
address.  If I connect the Telephone Adapter to my cable modem first
then it will get the public IP address -- not my router, which will
leave my network without Internet access.

I appriciate the suggestion, but either I've missed something or you're
mistaken.  The only way to connect (unless I had two IP addresses from
my ISP) is the way it is currently connected:

Cablemodem >> Router >>  Telephone Adapter / Computers

If I'm mistaken, please enlighten me ...

Ringo


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Depending on the kind of TA you are
using, many of them now have a 'bypass' allowing the TA to go
immediatly behind the cablemodem, then 'bypassing' out to the
router and computers. That is my setup here with my Linksys TA
(which replaced the Motorola TA I was using from Vonage.) So you
probably need to 'register' the TA with your cable internet 
provider (as I had to do) but then the Cable provider just looks
at the TA as 'just one more computer' (or depending on how much
of a firewall it has) as the 'computer' at your IP address.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: Isaiah Beard <sacredpoet@sacredpoet.com>
Subject: Re: Dropping SBC For a VoIP Solution -- Vonage or Packet8 ??
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 15:13:16 -0500


Rick Merrill wrote:

>> One feature I tried that didn't work well was the call forwarding.  I
>> forwarded the line to my work number, called my house, and within a
>> couple of rings my work phone rang.  The delay was (no kidding) 2-3
>> seconds.  Total pipe-organ effect, which makes this feature useless
>> for me.

> You wired it up wrong, and I'll try to say why. It should be
> Modem<>TelephoneAdapter<>Router<>PC

Uhh, that doesn't work for Packet8, I'm afraid.  The Packet8 ATA is 
specifically meant to plug in behind the router.  See page 2 of this 
document to see what I'm talking about:

http://www.packet8.net/support/faqs/docs/quickstartguide_frontback_final_ctm.pdf

If YOU have a DTA310, and have managed to install it in the setup
you've described, I'd like to know how you managed it. :)

FWIW though, I have Packet8 and have not run into the lag problem.
there is a small amount of lag, but it's equivalent to the lag you
experience on a cell phone, about .25 to .5 seconds.  Not enough to be
noticeable in conversation.


E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

------------------------------

From: Tim@Backhome.org
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 05:27:31 -0800
Organization: Cox Communications


Bitu wrote:

> I have tested the spray myself. I triggered one of these nasty cameras
> intentionally one early morning when there was nobody around. I saw the
> flash go off but I have yet to receive any tickets. It is a nice
> feeling to know that I am not driving naked. These cameras are not for
> safety they are all about revenue. I have donated enough money to the
> local police department. They are not going to get me again for driving
> 5 miles over the speed limit.

The automatic devices for slight speed violations are revenue devices
for the most part.  But, the devices that catch red light runners
serve a genuine safety purposes.  In Southern California there just
aren't enough traffic cops.  And, side collisions at intersections
because one car ran the red light is about the leading cause of
traffic deaths in the region these days.

------------------------------

From: jmeissen@aracnet.com
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors
Date: 9 Dec 2004 15:43:29 GMT
Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com


In article <telecom23.586.10@telecom-digest.org>, Bitu
<betele@hotmail.com> wrote:

>> But thank God there is another solution for this. It is
>> called PhotoBlocker Spray.

> I have been using it for two years. Two years ago I was getting
> photo-radar tickets every three months. Then I saw a FOX News report
> that showed how well this PHOTOBLOCKER spray worked.  It showed Denver
> police Department testing it and cops actually called it surprisingly
> effective.

Interesting. I watched a local FOX news report that showed that they
didn't work at all, and during an interview the local distributor
admitted it.

The real solution is to not drive in a manner that precipitates a
ticket in the first place.


John Meissen                  jmeissen@aracnet.com

------------------------------

From: Ringo Langly <rlangly@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Connecting VoIP Device to Home Wiring
Date: 9 Dec 2004 04:29:20 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


William Warren wrote:

> On 7 Dec 2004 11:24:11 -0800, Ringo Langly <rlangly@gmail.com> wrote:

>> Hi all,

>> I'm a subscriber of Packet8, and on their VoIP box it says not to
>> connect it to the home wiring in my home.  I'm assuming they get
>> folks who connect it without unplugging the Ma Bell line and this
>> blows the box.  If I disconnect the outside lines (no voltage on
>> phonelines) is there any reason not to connect the VoIP box to make
>> all my phones hot?  I only have three phones throughout the house,
>> and I've been told such a box like this should put out enough
>> voltage to carry such a load.  Just curious -- Thanks,

>> Ringo

>> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As long as you *disconnect
>> everything* pertaining to Bell first, you should be okay. PAT]

> Ringo,

> Make sure you _really_ disconnect EVERYTHING: there may be old
> transformers on the wires from a Princess phone.

> You'll also need to check if your burglar alarm and/or utility meter
> is hooked to the line: they'll need to be reprogrammed if your
> dialing pattern is different.

> And _please_ take the time to update the E911 records. The life you
> save may be your own!

> FWIW.

> William

> (Filter noise from my address for direct replies)

Hi William,

The house is 20 years old, but AFAIK there's no other connection going
to the line other then the outside phone box.  I'll put a volt meter on
the line just to be sure nothing else is supplying juice to it, but I
don't know of anything else that could be.

As for everything else, I do have E911 activated and updated via
Packet8 (paying extra $3 for it), plus I have no burgler alarm or
anything else that should tap into the phoneline.
Thanks for the info and take care,

Ringo

------------------------------

From: Ken@PrivacyCorps.com
Subject: Re: I Want to Block Anonymous/Name Unavailable/Unwanted Calls
Date: 9 Dec 2004 10:05:36 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Your prayers have been answered.  Recently introduced on
http://www.PrivacyCorps.com is the Caller ID Manager
http://www.privacycorps.com/products/?id=20.

With the single touch of a button, all Anonymous, Out of Area,
Private, 000-000-0000 numbers can be blocked, before they ring your
phone.  And this is all accomplished without the associated monthly
fees from the phone company services like Anonymous Call Rejection or
Call Blocking.  Only Caller ID service is required from your telephone
service provider.

Additionally, up to 175 entries can be saved to either ignore the call
without being answered or ringing the phone, route directly to your
answering device without ringing the phone, ring specific phones or
all phones.  A 'Wildcard' feature is available to block entire area
codes, prefixes or number sets.

For those who desire even more privacy, the Caller ID Manager can be
set to keep all callers from ringing your phone, while allowing
unimpeded access to only welcome callers on your 'Invited' list.

Based on the same platform, the FAX FIREWALL
http://www.privacycorps.com/products/?id=23 is used to stop junk faxes
using the same methods.

For further information, please feel free to contact our customer
service department 9AM-5PM PST, M-F.

Ken
Privacy Corps
www.PrivacyCorps.com
888 633 5777

------------------------------

From: Isaiah Beard <sacredpoet@sacredpoet.com>
Subject: Re: Treo650 v Blackberry
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 14:58:42 -0500


Mark wrote:

> Has anyone done an investigation as to the specific features and
> benefits of each of these devices. Ultimately they seem similar in
> almost every way. One thing that I really don't understand is the
> email. How does the treo work v the blackberry.

Blackberry is more a push-type of interface whereas the Treo is not
(though can emulate quite well).  I will also say that Palm OS has a
much broader userbase and more software has been written for it than
Blackberry.

> I heard rumors that for the treo to work your computer must be on, and
> it must be forwarding your messages to versamail. Is this true.

No.  Your computer needs to be on only if you are using Sprint PCS 
Business Connection, *NOT* VersaMail.  VersaMail is a standalone e-mail 
client that can work independently of your desktop computer.

> How does the blackberry work instead?  Any information will be
> greatly appreciated.

A blackberry can also work in the same way as a Treo.  Either
standalone -- checking your e-mail account independently, or through
the use of an exchange server running on a desktop.

E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

------------------------------

From: Dr. Edward F Gehringer <efg@unity.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Re: Calling Card Needed -- Short Interaction Sequence
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 16:38:57 -0500
Organization: NC State University


> The OfficeMax 1000 minute cards run 0.03/minute on sale, which is
> usually every other week. They are served by IDT and allow dial
> through the recorded prompt/advert messages.

I bought this card and used it on a trip.  Unfortunately, while you
can dial through messages, the message about the charge for calls from
a payphone does not come on until *after* you dial the last digit of
the phone number, so it cannot be bypassed.

And even worse, although the card states, "Payphone surcharge of 13 US
minutes" (which would be 39 cents) the recorded announcement says that
the charge will be 99 cents!

So it seems that we have a case of downright consumer fraud on these
OfficeMax/IDT cards.

And again I ask, Why is it so hard to get information on the real
price of calls made with these cards?  We have expiration dates,
per-month charges, payphone charges, and perhaps other fees in
addition to the advertised rate.  It is hard to learn how much these
fees are, and even when the consumer is told, the information may be
incorrect.  This reminds me of the car-rental industry, where the
actual charge may be up to 40% greater than advertised, preventing
effective price competition.

-Ed

------------------------------

From: Lisa Minter <lisa_minter2001>
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 14:10:07 -0500
Subject: Vonage, VoicePulse Push Forward With Video


http://voxilla.com/voxstory128.html

By PHILLIP BRITT
for VOXILLA.COM

Within the space of a few hours, two separate New Jersey-based Voice
over Internet Protocol providers announced their intention to move
forcefully into relatively uncharted space: the video telephone.

First, Edison, N.J.-based Vonage Holdings Corp announced that the
company had struck an agreement with video telephone manufacturer
Viseon to provide video services, asking that the news be embargoed
until Thursday.

A few hours later, Jamesburg, N.J.-based VoIP provider Voice Pulse
issued a press release announcing it would be incorporating video
service into its offerings in the second half of 2005.

The twin announcements are not coincidental. According to Ravi
Sakaria, CEO of VoicePulse, his company decided to disclose its video
service soon after he received a call from a reporter at the Bergen
Record, a newspaper in northern New Jersey.

"We built our network for video from Day 1 and we'd been getting ready
to announce it for a while," said Sakaria. "So when I got the
call from the reporter, we decided to move ahead with the
announcement."

Full story at:
http://voxilla.com/voxstory128.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, 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
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This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm-
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*   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.                             *
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Copyright 2004 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved.
Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA.

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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #588
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