From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Feb 20 15:49:22 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id i1KKnLE22290; Fri, 20 Feb 2004 15:49:22 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 15:49:22 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200402202049.i1KKnLE22290@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 #83 TELECOM Digest Fri, 20 Feb 2004 15:49:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 83 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Apple's Other Hardware Hit (Monty Solomon) ESPN Ends Ugly Fight With Cox Over Fees (Monty Solomon) U.S. Cable Modem Growth Slows, Opening Door to DSL (Monty Solomon) Charter Cable Posts Narrower 4Q Loss (Monty Solomon) CommScope Reports Fourth Quarter 2003 Results (Monty Solomon) Record Industry Targets 531 More Filesharers (Monty Solomon) Intel Unveils Platform Strategy for Ultra-Wideband Wireless (M. Solomon) Re: Home Intercom System With Cordless Phone (Jonathan E Cowperthwait) Re: Home Intercom System With Cordless Phone (Andrew Bell) Re: Quest to Offer "Naked DSL" (John McHarry) Re: Quest to Offer "Naked DSL" (Steven J Sobol) Re: Quest to Offer "Naked DSL" (epg1@comcast.net) Re: Now Preening on the Coffee Table: The TiVo Remote Control (C. Dold) Re: Now Preening on the Coffee Table: The TiVo Remote Control (Tony P.) Re: Cable Modem Hackers Conquer the Co-ax (Lawrence Jones) Re: Internet Phones, 911 Systems Could Clash (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Re: My SBC Experience (was Re: Phantom DSL Reprised) (Joel M. Hoffman) 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 is 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, 19 Feb 2004 21:27:27 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Apple's Other Hardware Hit BYTE OF THE APPLE By Alex Salkever As with the iPod, the hot Airport line of wireless-networking gear shows that ease of use and an eye for coming trends bring outsize gains. Anyone following Apple Computer ( AAPL ) should be forgiven if they feel that iPod has hogged all the glory lately. The wildly successful digital music player has dominated media coverage and garnered accolades, as well as capturing about one-third of the market for these devices. But that golden halo has overshadowed another big Apple hardware success: Its popular Airport line of wireless networking devices. The Airport Extreme base station acts as a wireless broadband router that can support up to 50 computers, Macs or PCs. Apple also makes wireless broadband cards that allow Macs to pull in signals based on the 802.11 standard, known as Wi-Fi. Apple engineers jumped on the Wi-Fi bandwagon early, building Airport-card slots into iMacs and other Apple computers four years ago. Indeed, Apple had seen the promise of wireless broadband when 802.11 was only emerging from standards bodies (see BW Online, 2/18/04, "Wi-Fi's Growing Pains" ). http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2004/tc20040219_0887_tc056.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 21:38:48 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: ESPN Ends Ugly Fight With Cox Over Fees By GARY GENTILE AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Sports cable network ESPN has reached new agreements with two cable television systems, ending a particularly nasty dispute with Cox Communications that saw the launch of dueling Web sites and ad campaigns. The deal with Cox keeps ESPN and ESPN 2 on the extended basic tier level of cable service _ meaning it will be available to most Cox cable subscribers. Cox, in the face of what it said was unwarranted price increases by ESPN, had threatened to move the cable channels to a premium level of service. Also Thursday, ESPN announced it had a similar long-term deal with Charter Communications. In exchange for lower annual fee increases, Charter agreed to add three new services to its system. Specific terms of the new deals were not released, except that ESPN confirmed the new annual price increases will be less than 20 percent. On its own Web site, Cox said the new deal called for an average rate increase of 7 percent per year. ESPN already charges the highest wholesale rates of any ad-supported cable network. Last year, it said it would seek to negotiate new, longer-term deals with lower rate increases as it expands its services. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40648556 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 21:39:56 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: U.S. Cable Modem Growth Slows, Opening Door to DSL By Michael Learmonth NEW YORK, Feb 19 (Reuters) - As the market for high-speed Internet connections moves into many American homes, telephone companies are finally starting to take market share from once-dominant cable companies. The top U.S. cable operators -- Comcast Corp. , Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX), Cox Communications Inc. , and Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) -- all reported slower growth in the last quarter among new consumers signing up for high-speed Internet service. Meanwhile, the top telephone companies offering high-speed Internet access, SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) and Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), are experiencing growth reminiscent of cable's heyday in 2002 and early 2003. Cable still holds 64 percent of the high-speed data market, but that share may shrink in the coming year as the telcos make inroads among more price-sensitive consumers with their slower, cheaper digital subscriber line, or DSL, offerings. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40647934 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 21:43:15 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Charter Cable Posts Narrower 4Q Loss By JIM SUHR AP Business Writer ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Charter Communications Inc., the nation's third-largest cable TV systems operator, said Thursday its loss narrowed in the fourth quarter versus a year ago as it pressed its bid to restructure and cut debt. The St. Louis-based company, controlled by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen and serving about 6.6 million customers in 40 states, said Thursday it lost $58 million, or 20 cents per share, during the three months ended Dec. 31. That compared with a loss of $1.87 billion, or $6.36 a share, a year ago. Both earnings figures were after payments of $1 million in preferred stock dividends. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call were expecting a loss of 42 cents a share. Fourth-quarter revenues rose 2 percent to $1.22 billion from $1.19 billion, growth the company largely pinned on a 47 percent rise in high-speed data revenues. Operating costs and expenses were flat in the latest period at $733 million, reflecting higher programming costs partly offset by reduced marketing and other expenses. Charter, with about $18.6 billion in debt, launched a restructuring effort in 2002 and pressed it throughout last year. As part of that, Charter posted a $35 million special charge in the fourth quarter of 2002, mostly tied to its work force cutbacks and winnowing operations from three divisions and 10 regions into five operating divisions, eliminating redundancies and streamlining its management. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40647043 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 21:46:34 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: CommScope Reports Fourth Quarter 2003 Results HICKORY, N.C., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CommScope, Inc. (NYSE:CTV) today announced fourth quarter results for the period ended December 31, 2003, which was prior to the acquisition of the Connectivity Solutions business of Avaya Inc. The Company reported sales of $153.8 million and a net loss of $1.0 million, or $0.02 per share, for the fourth quarter. The net loss included after-tax equity in losses of OFS BrightWave, LLC of $0.08 per share related to CommScope's minority ownership interest in this venture. For the fourth quarter of 2002, CommScope reported sales of $135.9 million and a net loss of $3.5 million or $0.06 per share. This net loss reflected after-tax equity in losses of OFS BrightWave of $0.08 per share. CommScope's sales for the fourth quarter rose 13% to $153.8 million, compared to $135.9 million in the year-ago quarter and rose 3% sequentially compared to $148.7 million in the third quarter of 2003. Sales rose year- over-year in all major product groups. Enterprise LAN sales increased more than 50% from the depressed year-ago sales levels. Wireless/Other Telecom sales more than doubled year-over-year. Orders booked in the fourth quarter of 2003 were $149.4 million compared to $132.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2002 and $152.2 million in the preceding quarter. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40646393 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 22:19:49 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EFFector 17.5: Record Industry Targets 531 More Filesharers EFFector Vol. 17, No. 5 February 18, 2004 donna@eff.org A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424 In the 280th Issue of EFFector: * Record Industry Targets 531 More Filesharers * EFF Privacy Coalition Presses Congress for Hearings on Travel Privacy * Update on CAPPS II Passenger Profiling: What's Going On? * Let the Sun Set on PATRIOT - Section 215 * Update on IEEE Electronic Voting Standards - Progress! * Internet Pioneer Gives Over $1.2 Million to EFF to Defend Online Freedom * Deep Links (14): Jim Griffin - "The war is over. The public has won." * Staff Calendar: 02.25.04 - Fred von Lohmann speaks at the Future of Music Coalition's Music Summit West, U.C. Hastings Law School, San Francisco, CA; 03.02.04 - Seth Schoen speaks at OpenBSD Users Group, San Francisco, CA; 03.03.04 - Fred von Lohmann speaks at Digital Piracy Dilemma Panel, London, UK * Administrivia http://www.eff.org/effector/17/5.php ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 22:41:57 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Intel Unveils Platform Strategy for Ultra-Wideband Wireless Intel Unveils Platform Strategy for Ultra-Wideband Wireless Technology; UWB Technology Offers High-Speed Wireless Data Transfer Between Devices - Feb 18, 2004 02:45 PM (BusinessWire) SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 2004--Intel Corporation today outlined its plans to drive the development of a complete, standards- based, common platform for ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology. Future UWB technology-based products built on this platform will enable high-speed transfer of multimedia content between devices in the home or office, at lower costs and without the hassle of wires. UWB is a wireless radio technology for transmitting data between consumer electronics, PC peripherals and mobile devices within short range at very high speeds, while consuming little power. It is ideally suited for wireless transfer of high-quality multimedia content, such as wirelessly streaming family videos from the digital video recorder to a high-definition television in the living room or wirelessly connecting a mobile PC to a projector in a conference room to deliver a presentation. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40635576 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 22:35:28 -0600 Subject: Re: Home Intercom System With Cordless Phone? From: Jonathan E Cowperthwait I imagine I won't be the only reader to recommend the following: The Siemens GigaSet system offers exactly what has been described -- I have an older system (four years old) that supports two CO lines and eight internal extensions; the units are gigahertz cordless handsets resembling oversized cellphones -- I've put one in every room of the house. Depending on need, the system can be configured with pseudo DID, different line access and privacy settings for each extension, and the usual gamut of intercom dialing, transfers, conferencing, and parking. I've been supremely happy with the system. The older generation of GigaSet system equipment is easily obtained online through, e.g., eBay; the newest version of the system, with more bells and whistles, is available via retail, but of course costs a bit more. On 2/19/04 7:03 PM, was written: > In light of the dicussion about a home phone system (2-4 lines, a > half-dozen extensions, perhaps) that offers intercom connections > between any two phones, I'm wondering: > Is there such a system that will work with a cordless phone? The idea > is that the cordless phone could be one of the stations. Best, Jonathan Edward Cowperthwait Schrdinger Partners, LLP San Francisco Chicago AOL Instant Messenger: cplus11 Tel. main: +1 773 752 1048 Tel. direct: +1 312 528 3534 Tel. mobile: +1 312 914 0003 Facsimile: +1 312 528 3501 ------------------------------ From: Andrew Bell Subject: Re: Home Intercom Phone System With Cordless Phone? Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 11:11:08 -0500 joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) wrote about Home Intercom Phone System With Cordless Phone: > In light of the dicussion about a home phone system (2-4 lines, a > half-dozen extensions, perhaps) that offers intercom connections > between any two phones, I'm wondering: > Is there such a system that will work with a cordless phone? The idea > is that the cordless phone could be one of the stations. Siemens makes a 2 line system (the 8825) that handles up to 8 cordless extensions from a single base. The base is a fully functional station as well, with a built in 4 mailbox answering machine and auto-attendant. It has full intercom between all handsets, conference calling, etc. http://www.my-siemens.com Andrew ------------------------------ From: John McHarry Subject: Re: Quest to Offer "Naked DSL" Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 19:34:29 -0500 Tony P. wrote: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: No, Kyler, I think you are confused, >> not Qworst. You don't have to have dialtone on a line, just battery. > Not even battery. See above. > I think the DSLAM provides the voltage necessary. Actually some DSL modems can be run back to back over a dry pair, such as an alarm circuit. This is useful in some applications. ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: Quest to Offer "Naked DSL" Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 20:04:44 -0600 Chris Kantarjiev wrote: >> Qwest is confused. It can't be done. > Oh please. I have a pair dedicated to DSL, no dial tone, right now. > I've had it for years. > "A line for free"? Hardly. I pay handsomely for the privilege of > using that copper pair. Hey, there is such a thing as DSL without dialtone. It's called SDSL. :P JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, Apple Valley, CA Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP: C57E 8B25 F994 D6D0 5F6B B961 EA08 9410 E3AE 35ED ------------------------------ From: epg1@comcast.net Subject: Re: Quest to Offer "Naked DSL" Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 14:00:15 +0000 McWebber (mcwebber@my-deja.com) wrote: > Verizon recently caved and now allows DSL only subscriptions, so I'm > sure Qworst looked at that before making the decision. Can anyone provide details of DSL-only subscriptions through Verizon (in Eastern Massachusetts, if it matters)? I would love to tell Comcast where to shove their overpriced service. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, if you think the telephone company is going to give you a better deal *and* stick to their word, you might need to review your premises. (in other words, think again.) PAT] ------------------------------ From: dold@NowXPreeni.usenet.us.com Subject: Re: Now Preening on the Coffee Table: The TiVo Remote Control Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 02:59:11 UTC Organization: a2i network Monty Solomon wrote: > In 1998, design engineers at TiVo , the Silicon Valley company that > helped introduce the digital video recorder to the world, set out to > produce a distinctive remote control. The result was a textbook blend > of complexity and ease of use. > http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/19/technology/circuits/19remo.html I thought this was an article about some new remote that Tivo was offering. The current Tivo control could use a lot of ergonomic help. It is disparingly called a peanut in the users' groups. There is no distinction of which way is up when it fits in your hand. It's easy to pick it up backwards and start pressing the wrong buttons, since the volume up-down and channel up-down are conveniently close enough to center to be used upside down. It probably won't work, since the infrared is pointed at your chest, but it takes a moment to realize. Obviously the user isn't expected to hit "clear" very often, since it almost requires two hands to hit while still pointed at the Tivo. There are two gigantic buttons that I never use. It doesn't control anything except the Tivo ... The Remote for my DirecTV was a much better design. The Tivo remote strikes me as first and foremost a fanciful design that makes the Tivo experience the mopst prominent feature. And why does a four year old remote get an article in today's NYTimes? Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5 ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: Now Preening on the Coffee Table: The TiVo Remote Control Organization: ATCC Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 03:59:08 GMT In article , monty@roscom.com says: > By KATIE HAFNER > TO most home viewers, remote controls may seem like ancillary > sidekicks to the main attraction that is the television, DVD player or > digital video recorder. Yet in some ways the remote has become the > centerpiece of home entertainment: so many functions have been > relegated to this slip of an object that if it is lost, you may find > yourself unable to do so much as call up a menu for watching the movie > you popped into the DVD player. > But if the remote control is a linchpin, it is also often an > inscrutable one. A typical remote may have some 40 buttons, with > functions that are hard to divine. Often the labels - "toggle," > "planner" and the like - are no help. The device can feel like an > afterthought, thrown together without any planning at all. Some time back I ordered the OmniRemote module from Pacific Neo-Tek. Works rather well with my Visor Prism. Only thing was, it didn't want to hear it with Cox's GI cable boxes. That was just a frequency issue and I resolved it. In any case, I was able to consolidate all the remotes onto this thing and it's great. Best part -- you can put only the buttons you really use on a screen, and then put lesser used buttons on another page. I do that with the VCR and DVD players. For example, the first VCR page has the usual controls, numbers for channel selection, and certain features I use all the time. The other page has programming/timer features. ------------------------------ From: lawrence.jones@ugsplm.com Subject: Re: Cable Modem Hackers Conquer the Co-ax Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 09:16:15 GMT Organization: Road Runner High Speed Online http://www.rr.com Tony P. wrote: > The thing about cable vs. DSL is that the cable coming into your > home is a shared medium. On the cable side it looks like one big > Ethernet LAN even using CDMA/CD. Not quite. Cable modems transmit and receive on completely different frequency bands, so it's not possible for one cable modem to receive another cable modem's transmissions. And it isn't CSMA/CD: The CMTS (the head end) is the only thing that transmits on the downstream channel, so there's no need for access control. The upstream channel is divided into slots that are scheduled by the CMTS (the schedule is broadcast on the downstream channel). Slots are usually assigned to specific modems, so no other access control is needed. CSMA/CD is only used when a slot is specifically assigned for it (mostly just for modems to announce themselves when they first boot, although it's may also be allowed for general transmissions when there's no pending traffic to be scheduled). -Larry Jones Buddy, if you think I'm even going to BE here, you're crazy! -- Calvin ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 15:45:52 GMT From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Subject: Re: Internet Phones, 911 Systems Could Clash Organization: Excelsior Computer Services >> But if more people drop their regular telephone service in favor of >> tax-free Internet calling, the financial underpinnings of 911 will be >> weakened, he said. > But presumably as more and more people get phone lines incapable of > dialing 911, the costs for operating 911 should drop as well, no? Seems to me it's just the opposite. 911 *can* respond to VoIP, but it's (currently) more expensive. Each VoIP phone that uses the 911 network instead of a landline doubly drains 911 funds. While on the topic, though, why do only phone users pay the 911 tax? I'd be curious to know how many 911 calls come the phone where the trouble is, and how many are calls about something else? My guess is that many, maybe even most, 911 calls are to help someone else ("that building is on fire," "I heard gunshots," "there's been an accident," etc.) -Joel ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 15:47:48 GMT From: joel@exc.com (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman) Subject: Re: My SBC Experience (was Re: Phantom DSL Reprised) Organization: Excelsior Computer Services >> It was an Illinois Bell customer service rep who spent about half an >> hour going over available numbers with me when setting up new service >> at my first house -- two cool numbers (xxx-8088 and xx8-0386), no >> extra charge. OK, they don't do this any more (who does?). But they >> did then. Sometimes you can get a rep to cycle through several numbers, at random when you get a new line. It doesn't usually take long to get a number that ends in zero. -Joel ------------------------------ 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. 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