From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Aug 15 15:50:42 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 3B88021D4; Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:50:42 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #301 Message-Id: <20060815195042.3B88021D4@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:50:42 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:52:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 301 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson How Do You Handle Your Inbox Mail? (Jeffrey Zazlow, Wall Street Journal) Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (Larry Dignan) Philips Bundles Skype, Windows Live VoIP & Cordless Phones (Knowing About) Nokia Congratulates Sprint Nextel On Selection Of Wimax (Knowing About) Comcast Looking to Expand its Online Presence (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist (DevilsPGD) Re: Clueless Hollywood (Mr Joseph Singer) Re: Clueless Hollywood (ranck@vt.edu) Re: Clueless Hollywood (Doug Krause) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 14:02:05 -0500 From: Jeffrey Zazlow Subject: How Do You Handle Your Inbox Mail? Hoarders vs. Deleters: How You Handle Your Email Inbox Says a Lot About You You are your inbox. Take a clear-eyed look at how you answer or file each email. Notice what you choose to keep or delete. Consider your anxiety when your inbox is jammed with unanswered messages. The makeup and tidiness of your inbox is a reflection of your habits, your mental health and, yes, even the way Mom and Dad raised you. "If you keep your inbox full rather than empty, it may mean you keep your life cluttered in other ways," says psychologist Dave Greenfield, who founded the Center for Internet Behavior in West Hartford, Conn. "Do you cling to the past? Do you have a lot of unfinished business in your life?" On the other hand, if you obsessively clean your inbox every 10 minutes, you may be so quick to move on that you miss opportunities and ignore nuances. Or your compulsion for order may be sapping your energy from other endeavors, such as your family. Email addiction, of course, is now a cultural given. But a less-noticed byproduct of that is the impulse of the inbox. Some of us are obsessed with moving every email to an appropriate folder while killing junk "spam" on arrival and making sure Mom knows that we got her email and still love her. Meanwhile, others among us are e-procrastinators -- modern-day Scarlett O'Haras who figure we'll deal with old email tomorrow. We're discovering that the disorder in our inboxes mirrors the disorder in our homes, marriages and checkbooks. A few months ago, Scott Stratten was suffering from what he terms "inbox paralysis." A marketing consultant in Oakville, Ontario, he had 500 old messages in his inbox, all needing responses. "I felt so guilty, I couldn't even bring myself to open my email," he says. In desperation, he decided to delete all his messages. He then sent an email blast to 400 people on his contact list, telling them a lie. He made up a story that his Internet service provider had informed him that some emails weren't getting through -- and that was why friends and clients never heard back from him. "People were very empathetic," he says, "and it allowed me to start fresh." Mr. Stratten describes what he did as "pure evil," but he also calls it a turning point. He realized he had to find a better way to ease his guilt over not coming through for people. He is now hiring an assistant who will handle his email. Those who are too nice in other areas of their lives may be more likely to struggle with unwieldy inboxes, says Merlin Mann, creator of 43folders.com, a Web site about personal productivity. Polite people (or those who want to be liked) feel obliged to participate in ping-pong correspondences with chatty friends. They haven't the heart to give anyone the no-response brush-off. But Mr. Mann says such ruthlessness is necessary. He says he uses a few dozen "templates" to answer email -- prewritten form letters in which he inserts a person's name or a personalized comment. He also empties his inbox hourly. "You have to treat your inbox like you treat your mailbox at home," he says. "You wouldn't store your bills inside your mailbox. And leaving spam in your inbox is like leaving garbage in your kitchen." On the work front, you're most at risk for inbox clutter if you're the type who can't say "no," warns Nancy Flynn, executive director of the ePolicy Institute, a consulting firm. When you're quick to respond with offers of help, "people use email to turn their crisis into your emergency," she says. In Greensboro, N.C., Internet consultant Wally Bock keeps his inbox down to a manageable few dozen messages. He credits his sense of order to "having disciplined parents who made that a value." Still, he recognizes the downside. Many "Inbox Zero" zealots interrupt their work every time they hear a ping announcing incoming email. "Multitasking is a misnomer," says Mr. Bock. "What you're really doing is switching rapidly between tasks. And every time you switch, you have to start up again. Over the course of a day, you lose a chunk of efficiency." A saner way to pare down an inbox is to move email into folders -- by subject or need for follow-up -- and once a week set aside time for inbox housekeeping. That's advice from Marilyn Paul, author of "It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys," a book for the chronically disorganized. She also suggests using the inbox alphabetizing feature, which organizes all email by sender. "That allows you to delete 1,000 emails an hour," she says. University of Toronto instructor Christina Cavanagh studied hundreds of office workers for her book "Managing Your Email: Thinking Outside the Inbox." One of her subjects, a finance executive, had 10,000 emails in his inbox. She advised him to simply delete the oldest 9,000. Busy people, drowning in email, may have no choice but to kill old messages and suffer the consequences. (Mr. Mann calls this "euthanasia.") Because "inboxes are metaphors for our lives," Dr. Greenfield says, there's no cure-all solution to inbox management. We're all too different. But he believes an awareness of our inbox behavior can help us better understand other areas of our lives. "If you have 1,000 emails in your inbox, it may mean you don't want to miss an opportunity, but there are things you can't pull the trigger on," Dr. Greenfield says. "If you have only 10 emails in your inbox, you may be pulling the trigger too fast and missing the richness of life." Send me the email count in your inbox, and your strategies for coping with it, to Jeffrey.Zaslow@wsj.com. I'll do a follow-up column with results -- as soon as I can shovel my way out of my own inbox. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 14:04:43 -0500 From: Larry Dignan Subject: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality by Larry Dignan - Baseline The network neutrality debate, which is expected to surface again this fall, is a faux issue that if mandated by Congress is bound to become a mess. Count me in the camp that Congress do nada about net neutrality. "Net neutrality" is a term few can agree on. For Google, Yahoo and eBay, mandating net neutrality means that telecommunications giants will have to treat all Internet traffic equally. For net neutrality's staunchest supporters, the concept has become a quasi censorship issue (as if Verizon would tell its customers they couldn't use Google). For those telecom giants like AT&T and Verizon, net neutrality means they couldn't charge for enhanced services. For Internet users, profiled in eWEEK this week, the end of net neutrality would be downright scary because costs could go up or not. Perhaps startups would be shut out or not. No one knows what will happen, since the debate is really a fracas between Net and telecom behemoths battling over their interests and trying to prod Congress to fix a problem that doesn't exist yet. In other words, the histrionic levels in this debate are high. So why shouldn't Congress get involved? Here are a few reasons: 1. Congress will screw it up. If techies can't agree on a definition of net neutrality, it's highly unlikely that a bunch of pols understand the issue. Let's say Congress does mandate net neutrality. Great news, right? Not so fast. Once net neutrality is mandated, the laws of unintended consequences kick in. Suddenly, we're locked into a Net architecture (the current one that's decades old). Suddenly, there are no fast lanes allowed. Suddenly, entrenched players become more entrenched into the current setup. Is it possible Congress could mandate net neutrality in a way that would allay all these concerns? Sure, but it's unlikely. In fact, the only consensus on the net neutrality issue is that no one thinks Congress has a clue. 2. Fast lanes exist today. Proponents of mandating net neutrality cringe at the concept of tiered services. However, tiered services exist today. Fast lanes exist today. Case in point: Akamai. If you are a big Web content provider such as Google, Yahoo or CNN, you can afford to use Akamai's services, which house content in places near the end users. If you are a startup, you may not be able to use Akamai. Take it one step further: If Congress says there's no fast lane, does that mean Akamai can't exist? Hmm. 3. All traffic isn't created equal. An e-mail doesn't have the same service requirements as a VOIP call. An X-ray of a heart patient should have priority over a Britney Spears video. Corporate networks manage traffic that way, and at some point there has to be some intelligence added to public Internet infrastructure between the end points. Net neutrality requirements mean all traffic is created equal. You can debate over who makes the call over what traffic gets priority, but to pretend all traffic is equal doesn't hold up. 4. Telecom giants are already doomed. So net neutrality disappears and AT&T and Verizon can theoretically do whatever they want. AT&T gets huffy and blocks Google and YouTube because it taxes Ma Bell's infrastructure. Guess what? Customers leave. Sure, AT&T and Verizon wield a lot of power, but it's more tenuous than you'd think. For starters, telecom giants are in no position to censor traffic. Meanwhile, technology is going to pull an end run on the last-mile issue. Sprint is rolling out WiMax and Clearwire has hefty financial backers. Both will succeed. Don't buy that argument? How about this one: If net neutrality ends, the likes of Google and Yahoo could start charging AT&T and Verizon to carry them on their networks. Why couldn't Google charge network operators just like ESPN charges cable companies? 5. Laws exist to thwart net neutrality concerns today. Say AT&T does block Vonage. The Federal Communications Commission can act. Vonage can sue under antitrust law. Maybe these efforts won't do enough. If that turns out to be the case, then Congress can cook up a fix when the problem surfaces. For now, mandating net neutrality is a recipe for disaster. Check out eWEEK.com's Infrastructure Center for the latest news, views and analysis on servers, switches and networking protocols for the enterprise and small businesses. Copyright 2006 Ziff Davis Inc. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more tech news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ From: Knowing About Subject: Philips Bundles Skype & Windows Live VoIP With Cordless Phones Date: 15 Aug 2006 11:28:53 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Philips has launched in Australia two cordless phones selling for less that $160 that operate both as PSTN phones with one model supporting Skype and the other Windows Live Messenger. Both are designed to work with a Windows PC running the respective standard softphone client and Philips claims that, if the PC is set up and working with the softphone, the cordless phones are totally plug and play with no set up required. Full Skype or Windows Live functionality, including conference calling and instant messaging is supported. Both products will be widely available through retail outlets under a distribution deal with Ingram Micro. Mark Franklin, director of Ingram Micro Australia's communications division, said that cordless phone sales in Australia were running at around two million units per year and growing. With the Philips units being within the price range for standard cordless phones, Franklin said they would be an attractive alternative, but acknowledged that there was a challenge in education the retailers to promote the products effectively. He said the products were targeted at mainstream consumers, not the technically savvy section of the market. As such they represent an interesting new option: there are already WiFi cordless phones available that incorporate the Skype softphone and work with Skype without the need for PC. For the potential buyer contemplating the two units they will also have to choose between Skype and Windows Live versions: a choice likely to be determined by whether their contacts are predominantly on Skype or Windows Live. (The phones are visually quite different: The Windows Live version is black, and the Skype version white). The phones' base stations connect to the PC via the USB port and use the international standard DECT technology for the wireless link, not WiFi. Philips claims that because the DECT frequencies are reserved for cordless phone application, the phones are less prone to interference than WiFi and also have better indoor coverage. The Skype model, the Philips VoIP321 sells for $129.95 in a single handset version and $199.95 in a two handset version, both are packaged with 60 minutes of call credits for SkypeOut calls. The DECT standard supports up to five handsets per base station, but Philips says there are no plans for other combinations or for single handset sales -- it cites market research as indicating consumers rarely upgrade after the initial purchase. However as the phones are DECT standard, any DECT handset will be supported for PSTN calling. The unit has a monochrome backlit screen that shows the user's contact list and which contacts are online. It automatically synchronises with the PC contact list. It has an inbuilt speakerphone and remembers the last 20 missed calls and 10 received calls. Up to 50 phone numbers can be stored. You can get more information about this phones on http://www.knowingabout.com/voip Windows XP or 2000 is required. There are no confirmed plans to offer a version that will work with Skype on the Mac. Kelly Poon, market development manager for Skype Asia said the Skype softphone for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X were quite different and any decision to have the phone work with these would be up to Philips. Matt Moran, general manager, Consumer Electronics Philips Australia, said he expected a Mac version would be available, but could give no concrete information. Also, although it was claimed that the product's functioning would not be affected by upgrades to the Skype softphone, the phone comes with a version of the Softphone on CD with instructions that this version should be used for the phone to work correctly The Microsoft Live Messenger version is rather more expensive and $159.95 and $249.95 for the dual version, largely because it has a full colour screen, which maintains the look and feel of Microsoft Live on the PC. It is also able to emulate the multiple account feature of Windows Live, enabling each user to select their own account and view their own contact lists. It is also a speakerphone. For Further Information : http://www.knowingabout.com/voip ------------------------------ From: Knowing About Subject: Nokia Congratulates Sprint Nextel On Selection Of Wimax Date: 15 Aug 2006 11:25:46 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Nokia congratulates Sprint Nextel on its decision to deploy WiMAX networks in the 2.5 GHz spectrum band. The introduction of standardized Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e-2005) networks in the United States will deliver robust broadband wireless applications and services to consumers for personal and professional use. "Nokia believes Sprint Nextel's selection of WiMAX will be a catalyst for the continued growth and implementation of broadband technologies." said Tero Ojanpera, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Nokia. "Broadband wireless creates new opportunities for the consumer and enterprise markets and we are pleased to see the momentum is starting to build." Nokia is experienced to provide an end-to-end WiMAX solution, from infrastructure, to services and applications, to end-user devices. WiMAX is part of Nokia's radio access technology portfolio and a major technology for the company's broadband wireless access group. In the past year, Nokia has announced it is collaborating with Intel in several areas in support of mobile WiMAX, including mobile clients, network infrastructure, and market development. Additionally, Nokia completed an error free data call at its research and development facility in Germany in October 2005. Nokia's WiMAX infrastructure solution will be available in accordance with the WiMAX Forum certification timing. For Further Information : http://www.knowingabout.com/wimax ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 12:46:39 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Comcast Looking to Expand its Online Presence USTelecom dailyLead August 15, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ekakfDtusXaupXbVjH TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Comcast looking to expand its online presence BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Verizon seeks to add TV offering in NYC * How ads track users online * Alcatel ups ADSL density on remote cabinets USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * IMS Strategy for Emerging Services Implementation TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Zimmermann: VoIP needs security layer * Call centers picking up VoIP * New software program rates VoIP quality * Commentary: Japan jumping to fiber REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC looking into 77 broadcasters regarding video news releases DIVERSIONS * Look, Ma! No Hands, and No iPod * Paddling Through a North Woods Refuge * New at Google: Local Coupons * 9/11 on Big Screen, Ambivalence in Audience * Finding the Best Fares for Round-the-World Flights Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ekakfDtusXaupXbVjH ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist Charges Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:20:57 -0500 Organization: Disorganized In message mc wrote: > Associated Press News Wire wrote in message > news:telecom25.298.3@telecom-digest.org: >> [Editor's Note: A slightly different version of the earlier report.] >> 3 Texas men arraigned on terror charges. >> Three Texas men were arraigned Saturday on terrorism-related charges >> after police found about 1,000 cell phones in their minivan. >> Investigators believe the men were targeting the 5-mile-long Mackinac >> Bridge, which connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas. But one >> of the men said they were only trying to buy and sell phones to make >> money. > Ummm ... Is this from The Onion? No? > I don't see what a *large* number of cell phones has to do with > terrorism. Yes, a cell phone can be used as a detonator, but you only > need one, or maybe a few as backups, and having a thousand doesn't > make it any more terrifying. And even on the odd chance you're planning a thousand bombs, you'd need enough other supplies that you could buy them three at a time, you wouldn't walk into a store and buy 80+ . Death is life's way of telling you you're fired. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 07:36:40 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Clueless Hollywood Sun, 13 Aug 2006 17:30:38 -0500 Ron Kritzman wrote: > I was channel surfing the other night and caught a minute or two of a > movie allegedly set in Chicago. In front of Wrigley Field, on the > Addison Street side, with the famous red marquee in the background, one > of the main characters was making a call from a Verizon pay phone! Who > knew? Not subtle either. Big logo with the checkmark and the red Z. > C'mon guys, if you're going to do product placement at least place it > where it lives. Unless the film was supposed to be 20 years ago the possibility that it could be something other than Illinois Bell or Ameritech is very real. I was in MSP (Minneapolis/St. Paul airport) and all throughout the airport the pay phones were Ameritech when the local provider in the twin cities is Qwest. So it is possible that Verizon could be a "COCOT" contracted by Wrigley Field or the property owner. That said many film companies aren't really very good about telephone "authenticity" when you'll see someone depositing money into a single slot "fortress" pay phone and you'll hear "ding-ding" when they insert coins (ding-ding went out when three slot payphones went out.) Or when you see an older film showing a 'candlestick' or old WECO 302 have the ringing sound of a WECO 500 or showing a British series and they use American telephones. The assumption is that people do not notice these inaccuracies (except us telecom nerds of course!) ------------------------------ From: ranck@vt.edu Subject: Re: Clueless Hollywood Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 21:15:20 UTC Organization: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA Ron Kritzman wrote: > I was channel surfing the other night and caught a minute or two of a > movie allegedly set in Chicago. In front of Wrigley Field, on the > Addison Street side, with the famous red marquee in the background, one > of the main characters was making a call from a Verizon pay phone! Who > knew? Not subtle either. Big logo with the checkmark and the red Z. > C'mon guys, if you're going to do product placement at least place it > where it lives. In light of some recent fun I've had with Verizon, I'm not sure they even know where they live. I plan to type it up for the newsgroup/digest as soon as the dust settles in a few days. Bill Ranck Blacksburg, Va. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: When you do type it up, please send it in here so our readers can be enlightened, thanks! PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Clueless Hollywood From: dkrause@ratcage.com (Doug Krause) Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 15:17:09 GMT In article , Ron Kritzman wrote: > I was channel surfing the other night and caught a minute or two of a > movie allegedly set in Chicago. In front of Wrigley Field, on the > Addison Street side, with the famous red marquee in the background, one > of the main characters was making a call from a Verizon pay phone! Who > knew? Not subtle either. Big logo with the checkmark and the red Z. > C'mon guys, if you're going to do product placement at least place it > where it lives. In "Die Hard 2" they showed Pac Bell phones at Dulles Airport in Virginia. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #301 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Aug 16 17:06:34 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id AACB021D4; Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:06:34 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Message-Id: <20060816210634.AACB021D4@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:06:34 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #302 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:08:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 302 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson AOL Decides to Seize Assets From Convicted Spammer (Reuters News Wire) Appeals Court Backs FCC on Fiber Line Sharing (Reuters News Wire) Logitech Dives Into VoIP (Knowing About) FDIC Multimedia Presentation: Protect Against Cybercrime (tedrichardson992) Google Everywhere! (Eric Auchard) Google Not Aiming to Become National Wi-Fi Player (USTelecom dailyLead) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 16, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Are These Phones Live? Second Day Story ... _no_ Terror Charges (Burstein) Re: Clueless Hollywood (Steve Sobol) Re: Clueless Hollywood (Charles Cryderman) Re: Verizon and Other Payphones (re: Clueless Hollywood) (Wesrock@aol.com) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (Lisa Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 15:07:10 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: AOL Decides to Seize Assets From Convicted Spammer AOL to hunt down spammer's gold AOL says a convicted spammer may have hidden half a million dollars in gold and platinum on his parents' property, and the company is going after it. The online division of Time Warner Inc. said on Wednesday it aims to recover assets awarded to it in a judgment against Davis Hawke, who sent at least 130,000 unsolicited junk e-mails to AOL subscribers over three months in 2004. AOL said it is owed $12.8 million from a May 2005 judgment awarded by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. It said it had evidence and reason to believe that $500,000 in gold and platinum bars are located at Hawke's parents' home in Medfield, Massachusetts. "We won't be happy at just winning a judgment, but also to secure those assets and plow them back to safety and security efforts for our members," AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said. AOL has waged a legal and public war against junk e-mail senders, or spammers, who have plagued e-mail services globally. In recent years, AOL has recovered Hummers, Porsche sports cars, gold coins and other property worth millions of dollars from convicted spammers, and reinvested it in a spam-fighting campaign, the company said. Hawke's parents could not be reached for comment. AOL said it had not been able to reach Hawke. The Associated Press quoted Hawke's mother Peggy Greenbaum as saying Hawke's assets were not located on the parents' property, where Hawke's grandparents also live. The parents plan to challenge AOL's plans to search the property, the AP said. AOL's Graham said the search of Hawke's parents home will be assisted by sonar and radar equipment to minimize damage. "We've used every means to get in touch with defendants," Graham said. "Those attempts have been rebuffed." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:34:27 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Appeals Court Backs FCC on Fiber Line Sharing Appeals court backs FCC on fiber line sharing A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday upheld a 2004 decision by telecommunications regulators allowing regional phone companies to deploy new fiber-optic lines without having to share them with competitors. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected a legal challenge by Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. aimed at overturning a decision by the Federal Communications Commission. The court said it was "permissible" for the FCC to absolve the dominant local telephone carriers, known as the Baby Bells, of sharing requirements when it comes to new fiber optic networks. To promote competition, previous rules have required the Bells to lease access to their copper networks since they own the lines into most American homes. But the FCC so far has been reluctant to apply those regulations to new fiber lines. New fiber-optic networks are seen as pivotal for telephone companies because the capacity of those lines enable them to offer high-speed Internet service -- or broadband -- to more customers, as well as launch video and other services. They are facing fierce competition from cable television companies that have already upgraded their networks and offer customers those services. EarthLink's executive vice president for public policy, Chris Putala, said the company would "continue to pursue commercial negotiations for access to fiber just as we have for DSL (digital subscriber line)." "If we see that consumers are being harmed by a lack of competition, we will be revisiting this issue with the FCC and Congress," Putala said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines of interest, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: Knowing About Subject: Logitech Dives Into VoIP Date: 16 Aug 2006 01:43:00 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com VoIP is here -- has been for a while -- and millions of people daily use popular software like Skype which based on it. Still it remains a mystery for the average Joe and Logitech is determined to do something about that. The peripherals specialist has thrown its weight behind the technology with a raft of new devices all designed to makes VoIP operation easier and foremost among them is 'Logitech Cordless Internet Handset'. The Skype orientated device looks rather like an elongated Nokia and its colour LCD displays all Skype contacts, offers access to Skype voicemail and enables users to check incoming and outgoing call logs. Making a phone call is as simple as scrolling to a contact, selecting it and clicking the call button. There's also a hands free speaker phone, illuminated keypad and variety of ring tones while the handset itself is charged via a cradle and connects to the PC and Internet through the included USB Base station. You can start nattering with it in October if you meet the =A369.99 RRP.Have a look at it on www.knowingabout.com/voip Also looking rather interesting is the 'QuickCall USB Speakerphone for Internet Calling' though I do wish Logitech would take the time to actually name its products rather than simply describe them. The QCUSBSPFIC, as I shouldn't have abbreviated it to, is a premium speakerphone that uses a two way microphone display (one on each 'wing' of the device) to capture voices and sounds over a wide area. It is designed to be a conference meeting's best friend though I'll take a hammer to it if it picks up the things I tend to whisper under my breath in most meetings. It features touch controls to pick up, end and mute calls and alert lights to indicate when a VoIP call is connected. A central illuminated volume knob looks really nice but a webcam would've been even cooler. Still it keeps the price down and means I can continue to attend virtual meetings in my underwear, which is always a pleasure. The QCUSBSPFIC is out in October in the US but is clearly on the slow boat to Europe since it doesn't debut here until December. Price is reasonable. Moving on we come to the 'EasyCall Desktop' a bundle of mouse, keyboard, headset and speakerphone for the uninitiated. The latter part acts as the control centre for the whole thing with volume up and down, mute, call pickup and disconnect buttons while the keyboard has been customised for use in Internet calling apps since also provides a range of similar controls as well as one touch dialling and the ability to change your online status. 89.99 for this one and you can pocket it (if you have very large pockets) from mid September. Last on the VoIP list we have the 'Cordless Headset for PC and Mobile Phones' (yes, the branding -- or lack of it -- gets irritating after a while). Not much to say here other than 1. It's Cordless and 2, It's a headset. Because it's Bluetooth it'll also work with your mobile and has some (more) wonderfully literal technology called WindStop which ... yep, reduces wind noise. 69.99 is the going rate and it'll appear in the month which means eight but is actually tenth because of some egomaniacal Roman Emperors. For Further Information : http://www.knowingabout.com/wifi ------------------------------ From: tedrichardson9925@sbcglobal.net Subject: FDIC Multimedia Presentation: How to Protect Yourself from Cybercrime Date: 16 Aug 2006 10:05:19 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com The FDIC has released a great presentation for the average user on how to not become a victim of cybercrime (identity theft). http://fraudwar.blogspot.com/2006/08/fdic-releases-multimedia-presentation.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 15:11:56 -0500 From: Eric Auchard Subject: Google Everywhere! Google is everywhere in headquarters town By Eric Auchard Google Inc. has turned the Silicon Valley town where it is headquartered into a showcase for the advantages of free, citywide wireless Internet access, in what might be called Google everywhere. The Web search leader said on Tuesday that it is now making a Google-supported wireless Internet network generally available to the 72,000 residents of Mountain View, California, along with the town's office workers, daily visitors and the more than 1,000 Microsoft Corp. employees at the Google rival's 24-acre Mountain View campus. Not just local laptop computer owners, but users of any other Wi-Fi device or telephone simply need to seek out nearby wireless networks and pick the "Google Wi-Fi" option. Once the device's browser window opens a Google log-on page appears. Wireless customers with Google e-mail, instant messaging or home page accounts can sign in using with their normal passwords. Those wishing to remain anonymous can create a temporary user name and sign in to a default Google home page featuring local information on Mountain View and the surrounding region. Google says it sees a spike in usage of its search and advertising services wherever broadband usage spreads. By offering wireless access inside homes, offices, schools and around town, Google expects further economic benefits. Chris Sacca, Google's head of special initiatives, said the main purpose of his company backing local Wi-Fi access has been to clear the way for broadband entrepreneurs and overcome legal roadblocks by established telephone and cable TV providers. "We want to inspire these networks to be built," Sacca said of Google's efforts to back the more than 300 Internet service providers and network equipment makers seeking to build high-speed municipal Wi-Fi networks in the United States. With Google's support, the debate over municipal Wi-Fi has been transformed over the past year, as dozens of U.S. cities from Philadelphia to Portland, Oregon have forged ahead with projects. Major telecom carriers such as AT&T Inc. have dropped lawsuits and bid to participate in some projects. "We wanted to throw our hat in the ring and show the promise of these broadband networks," Sacca said of the aim of offering wireless access. "We wanted to make it very unpopular for anyone to oppose the promise of these networks," he said. Google is also part of a bid to offer Wi-Fi access in San Francisco. But Sacca emphasized that lead partner Earthlink Inc. is in charge of negotiating the deal with San Francisco's city government. Google's Wi-Fi ambitions involve only the two cities, the Google official underscored. "Building ISPs is not a very scalable business for us," Sacca said in an interview, adding that Google prefers to focus on search, advertising and creating new Web software and services. "I think Google is going to depend on really healthy relationships with ISPs to succeed." Google is prepared to offer community training courses through San Francisco's 11 political districts. Similar training programs have attracted hundreds of participants in Mountain View, with as many as 750 at one session, he said. Any effort to commercialize the Mountain View Wi-Fi service -- perhaps by placing advertising on Web pages viewed over Google Wi-Fi -- will come later, if at all, Sacca said. "We like to build products that solve users' problems," Sacca said. "There is always an opportunity to go ahead and monetize it later," he said, using the jargon for making Web pages pay for themselves through selling ads or other efforts. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 13:17:57 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Google Not Aiming to Become National Wi-Fi Player USTelecom dailyLead August 16, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ekkEfDtusXazsiRaSs TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Google not aiming to become national Wi-Fi player BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Satcasters lag in airwaves auction * Triple play spurs growth at Comcast * Nortel to help push VoIP USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * IMS Strategy for Emerging Services Implementation TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * More networks opt for all-digital platform * Mobile providers serving ads on the smallest screens REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Senator pushes for Wi-Fi in smaller communities * FCC phone line decision upheld by court * Judge orders Sprint to sell some of its Midwestern wireless assets DIVERSIONS * Going to the Source for Your Meal * Sports' Greatest Hits at One Web Site (but There's a Catch) * A New Film Documents One Town's Automotive Version of Graffiti * Tighter Security Is Jeopardizing Orchestra Tours * With Wagons' Comeback, New Interest in Originals * Dell Will Recall Batteries in PC's Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ekkEfDtusXazsiRaSs ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 16, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 11:40:01 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 16, 2006 ******************************** Vodafone Mulls Converged Fixed-Mobile Services http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19379?11228 Vodafone's Portuguese unit is considering offering fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) services in the country, according to a Diario de Noticias report citing a company spokesman. "Vodafone Portugal is analysing its positioning not just in the mobile sector but also in the total telecommunications market, in the light of ... Court Backs FCC Ruling on FTTx Access http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19376?11228 The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has rejected a legal attempt by Earthlink to overturn Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rules that allow regional incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) to deploy FTTx without being required to share them with competitors. The court said that it was 'permissible' ... A Taste of LG Chocolate http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19374?11228 The LG Chocolate has nearly everything a popular mobile phone should offer: a stylish design, an array of multimedia features and a catchy name. After generating buzz in Europe and Asia over the past several months, the phone is finally available in the U.S. via Verizon. The slider-style LG Chocolate (its official name is the LG ... Leap Forges 3G Pact http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19368?11228 Leap Wireless International is calling on Huawei Technologies to help power its Cricket-branded 3G services in three states. The deal marks the first time Leap and Huawei have partnered on a commercial project. Under the terms of the deal, Huawei will deliver its CDMA2000 network with 1X EV-DO Rev. A-capable base station ... Cable Beats Carriers to Shared Video http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19364?11228 The explosive appeal of shared Internet video has not been lost on service providers. And consumer demand and competitive pressure from cable companies may push the telcos to host and deliver it to the living room. The U.S. RBOCs are moving toward such services, but cautiously, and with some legitimate reservations. One big ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: danny burstein Subject: Are These Phones Live? Second Day story ... _no_ Terror Charges Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 00:05:00 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-08-15-voa62.cfm US Drops Terrorist Charges Linked to Cell Phone Purchase By VOA News 15 August 2006 U.S. prosecutors have dropped terrorist charges against two men arrested after they purchased 600 cellular phones. Officials in the midwestern state of Ohio said they had no evidence of terrorist activity by the men, Osama Abulhassan and Ali Houssaiky. They say the men still face a charge of lying to police. The two men were stopped by police for a traffic violation earlier this month, and later told officers about the cell phone purchases. In a separate case, an FBI official said authorities have found no terrorist links to three other men jailed for buying a large number of cell phones. Police say the Palestinian-American men were found with 1,0000 cell phones in their vehicle and pictures of a major bridge in the northern state of Michigan. Authorities say the men remain in custody in Michigan. Federal law enforcement officials have asked police to watch for people buying large numbers of cell phones, saying the devices can be used in terrorist attacks. _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key =09=09 dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: Steve Sobol Subject: Re: Telecom Re: Clueless Hollywood Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 22:14:32 -0700 Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com Steven Lichter wrote: > It could very well have been a Verizon pay phone. They have phones in a > lot of areas that are not served by them. In California, you can look > outside Albersons Supermarkets, Savon, 7/11 and a lot more. I still remember being rather surprised to see the Walgreens on Cedar Road in South Euclid, Ohio, sporting Cincinnati Bell payphones. South Euclid is a suburb of Cleveland, a good 250-mile drive from Cincinnati. And unlike the nationwide telcos, Cinti Bell doesn't have a presence outside southwest Ohio. Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows Apple Valley, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Clueless Hollywood Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 10:34:00 -0400 From: Charles Cryderman Doug Krause wrote: "In "Die Hard 2" they showed Pac Bell phones at Dulles Airport in Virginia." Yet it was filmed in Northern Michigan at a retired Air force Base. Chip Cryderman ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 19:48:10 EDT Subject: Re: Verizon and Other Payphones (re: Clueless Hollywood) In a message dated Sun, 13 Aug 2006 21:20:42 -0600, Anthony Bellanga writes: > I don't know if at&t (SBC, Pacific Bell, Ameritech, and SNET in > Connecticut) has private payphones outside of their territory > (i.e., in non-at&t ILEC ratecenters in at&t ILEC states; or in > Qwest or BellSouth or Verizon or Cincinnati Bell locations). Many years ago ... it muxt have been just after divestiture ... I stopped to use a pay phone somewhere along the road east of Waco, Texas, in General Telephone territory, and I was surprised to see it was a Southwestern Bell pay phone. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com wleathus@yahoo.com ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality Date: 16 Aug 2006 10:27:44 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Larry Dignan wrote: > 1. Congress will screw it up. If techies can't agree on a definition > of net neutrality, it's highly unlikely that a bunch of pols > understand the issue. Let's say Congress does mandate net > neutrality. Great news, right? Not so fast. Once net neutrality is > mandated, the laws of unintended consequences kick in. Suddenly, we're > locked into a Net architecture (the current one that's decades > old). Suddenly, there are no fast lanes allowed. All good points. > 3. All traffic isn't created equal. An e-mail doesn't have the same > service requirements as a VOIP call. An X-ray of a heart patient > should have priority over a Britney Spears video. Corporate networks > manage traffic that way, and at some point there has to be some > intelligence added to public Internet infrastructure between the end > points. Net neutrality requirements mean all traffic is created > equal. You can debate over who makes the call over what traffic gets > priority, but to pretend all traffic is equal doesn't hold up. Excellent point. There's been some anti-telecom company ads on TV which I find misleading. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes, they are good points, Lisa; but when it comes around to misleading people, Southwestern Bell, using their latest alias, AT&T is one of the biggest misleaders. I have pretty much stsyed neutral on the 'net neutrality' debate, but I have heard telco claiming 'nothing will change' if they are put in charge of it all; I just cannot imagine _nothing_ will change, and I suspect the changes will not be good for most netters. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #302 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Aug 17 14:27:36 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 1C3A521EE; Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:27:35 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Message-Id: <20060817182735.1C3A521EE@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:27:35 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #303 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:29:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 303 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson What to Expect Next in Telcoland (Andrew Schmitt) Outside of Wireless, Everything Else is a Commodity (Andrew Schmitt) SK Telecom Offers New Cell Phone Internet Service (Information Gatekeeper) Cable May Need to Spend Billions to Compete in Broiadband (USTA Daily Lead) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (AES) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (John Levine) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (Scott Dorsey) Re: Verizon and Other Payphones (re: Clueless Hollywood)(DLR) Re: Verizon and Other Payphones (re: Clueless Hollywood)(Wesrock@aol.com) Re: Clueless Hollywood (DLR) Re: Clueless Hollywood (Henry) Good VOIP Info Site (Ruzzer) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:06:19 -0500 From: Andrew Schmitt Subject: What to Expect Next in Telcoland After The AT&T/BellSouth Merger -- What To Expect Next in Telcoland (BLS, T, VZ, CMCSA, S, CVC, TWTC, Q) Predictions made in March, 2007: Andrew Schmitt submits: It's funny to watch the various media groups go through the customary 'Shock and Awe' of a big merger, which in my mind, was as logical as a merger between Oreo Cookies and Milk. The question was not if it would happen, only when and for how much. I am particularly entertained by the consumer groups acting in mock surprise and voicing opposition to the merger. Like it or not, big Telco was already back in style. Nothings changed, it's just that more people are starting to notice. I'll make a few statements that express my opinion of what sort of landscape we will be looking at in 12 months. None of it is new thinking, just additional events that we feel are logical conclusions: * AT&T buys Bellsouth. The merger is approved by the FCC with the same terms applied to the SBC/AT&T merger. Regardless of concerns, the fact is AT&T and Bellsouth don't share a customer base today so it isn't anti-competive in the sense it offers consumers less choice. The merger is driven by one thing only: a need to unify ownership of wireless and wireline assets. Acquisition of additional voice subscribers within Bellsouth and the additional scale is secondary. This gives AT&T complete freedom to market universal wired/wireless voice services to residential customers, something Vonage, Sunrocket, Comcast, Time Warner cannot do. * Verizon buys the 40% share of Verizon Wireless it does not own from Vodaphone. The negotiation is rather odd in the sense that only one real buyer exists for the property, and Vodaphone cannot currently extract any real strategic value from its share. Verizon gets a good deal. * Comcast (CMCSA) buys Sprint/Nextel (S). This gives them the same ability as Verizon and AT&T to offer unified wired/wireless voice to subscribers. AT&T and Verizon both have their own enterprise business units and backbones so the Enterprise connectivity business unit of Sprint is most valuable with a carrier that currently lacks this capability - Comcast. While Sprint/Nextel is the most favored Telco on Wall St, I've heard that the Sprint/Nextel merger is a disaster, with both original companies maintaining separate HQ's. Comcast's CEO Roberts will put their executive teams out of their misery. * Comcast has secured the last remaining wireless property and have an Enterprise business unit, therefore Cablevision (CVC) and Time Warner Telecom (TWTC) are exposed and capitulate to Comcast. Now that Telcos have the will and technology to offer video, no major regulatory barrier exists, and a merger of a single national coax based carrier is born as Comcast, Time Warner, and Cablevision unite in order to acheive the scale to meet the new Telco threat. * Wildcards: Qwest, T-Mobile. Qwest (Q) could go to Comcast to provide an Enterprise service unit, though they might also be acquired by AT&T or Verizon in a defensive move. Deutche Telekom will sell their wireless business before all of the above mergers take place. T-mobile is worth more now than it ever will be as the number of prospective buyers dwindles. If Comcast cannot buy Sprint, they will buy T-Mobile and Qwest. It's also possible Time Warner/Cablevision buy T-Mobile to compete with Comcast/Sprint. That leaves us with three major carriers for Enterprise services, one or no standalone wireless companies (although MVNO's will still exist, and may be more valuable), and residences with a choice of two wireline options. Wireless and wireline as products lose distinction and companes bundle them together. Standalone VoIP companies that charge for service vaporize as wireless voice becomes the prime mover for customer retention. The other area that will finally see dramatic change is the equipment supplier space, as these new behemoths whittle down their equipment supply chain. Om Malik sees this as very good for Optical Ethernet, though I am not sure why. I think it's going to be good for suppliers to the old SBC as well as Sprint. Two equipment companies that fall into this category are Ciena (CIEN) and Adtran (ADTN). Expect to see Huawei to show up in North America at the same time. Bottom line, anyone who was shocked by the Bellsouth announcement just hasn't been paying attention. The next steps are just as logical in my mind. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:09:29 -0500 From: Andrew Schmitt Subject: Outside of Wireless, Everything Else is a Commodity Outside of Wireless, Everything is a Commmodity Posted on Aug 15th, 2006 Andrew Schmitt update: Andrew Schmitt submits: Businessweek writes about T-mobile (DT) and a new service they are rolling out using UMA phones (dual GSM/WiFi). These new mobile phones make use of the WiFi network and broadband connection in a users home to make phone calls off the GSM or cellular network. Contrary to popular opinion, the real threat to the Baby Bells' residential phone business is not the cablecos' VoIP but wireless substitution. Competition from cell phones was eating away at residential lines long before the cablecos began deploying voice services. Most baby Bells already have a wireless infrastructure. None of the cablecos do. This is why the Baby Bells ultimately have the upper hand over the cableco in the battle for residential subscribers. They can migrate their customers (and their phone numbers) to a wireless infrastructure, and Comcast (CMCSA) / Cablevision (CVC) /Time Warner (TWX) cannot. Comcast can migrate customers to Sprint/Nextel (S), but without owning the infrastructure they won't extract maximum value. Wireless is the commanding heights and the most important infrastruc- ture to own and operate in a voice network. Everything else is a commodity. It isn't surprising that T-Mobile is at the vanguard here. They have no baby bell wireline component to worry about cannibalizing, nor cableco partners to upset like Sprint/Nextel. T-mobile also caters to a younger, more cost-sensitive market perfect for a service like this. I expect to see AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) slugging it out 2 years from now, each offering a VoIP WiFi product that offers a wireless phone that roams between a home WiFi hotspot and their cellular network. This service will be nationwide, unlike the video and broadband services that will remain wired. Customers will choose a voice provider using the same criteria they evaluate wireless providers today, and a broadband/video provider based on what service is offered in their local area. The idea of standalone residential voice is dead, regardless of whether sent over copper pair, cable modem, or $19.99 a month Vonage (VG) service. The battle for residential VoIP customers being waged by the cablecos is futile. The cablecos need to and will buy a company with wireless infrastruc- ture. The spate of telecom mergers will spill into the cable and wireless sectors as reality sets in. (see my other article today, 'What To Expect Next in Telcoland'). ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:02:00 -0500 From: Information Gatekeepers Subject: SK Telecom Offers New Cell Phone Internet Service SK Telecom offers new cell phone Internet service The Mobile Internet, April, 2005 SK Telecom Co, South Korea's biggest mobile phone operator, said Wednesday it has launched a new version of cell phone Internet service as part of its efforts to find a new growth area in the nation's saturated market. The new wireless Internet service, which is based on an interactive user interface in the mobile phone's window, include a personalized digital character, short text messaging and personalized programs that let users to know about 10 kinds of information such as news, weather, television programs and movies, SK Telecom said. The new service allows users to talk to or manage their personalized digital characters on the handset screens. "As the mobile phone use environment becomes more sophisticated and diversified, customers increasingly want to quickly and accurately find needed information via mobile phones," said Yoon Song-yee, senior vice president of SK Telecom. The new service requires customers to buy new handsets and pay additional fees, with a monthly subscription charge of 1,200 won. So far, three such handsets made by LG Electronics Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. are available on the market, SK Telecom said. SK Telecom is trying to persuade customers to spend more on wireless Internet to diversify its revenue sources. SK Telecom controls more than half of South Korea's mobile market with 19 million subscribers. Around 39 million people, or 78 percent of the country's population, subscribe to mobile phone services in South Korea as of the end of March. COPYRIGHT 2005 Information Gatekeepers, Inc. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html Also see http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:32:27 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Study: Cable May Need to Spend Billions to Compete in Broadband USTelecom dailyLead August 17, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ekwsfDtusXaCvibyGt TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Study: Cable may need to spend billions to compete in broadband BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AT&T unveils digital living room package * Sprint Nextel experiencing growing pains * Motorola's Multi-Net Mobility receives system upgrades * EarthLink, Circuit City ink deal on VoIP * Giving credit to TV's little-known creator USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Steven Shepard's IMS Crash Course TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Conference: HDTV becoming more mainstream REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Cablevision says prosecutors investigating stock-option grants DIVERSIONS * I Saw What You Did and I Know Who You Are. My Phone Told Me. * In San Francisco and Almost Home * A Food Web Site, Spiced With Attitude * Back to School, With Cellphone and Laptop * Old Records Go In, CD's Come Out * What Can Be Carried On? Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ekwsfDtusXaCvibyGt ------------------------------ From: AES Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:56:46 -0700 Organization: Stanford University Ironically, the same set of messages on my newsgroup that contained the first couple of posts in this thread also had a subsequent post which said A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday upheld a 2004 decision by telecommunications regulators allowing regional phone companies to deploy new fiber-optic lines without having to share them with competitors. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected a legal challenge by Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. aimed at overturning a decision by the Federal Communications Commission. The court said it was "permissible" for the FCC to absolve the dominant local telephone carriers, known as the Baby Bells, of sharing requirements when it comes to new fiber optic networks. Come on, guys! The capacity of even a single optical fiber is so immense that it makes absolutely no sense, economically, socially, or any other way, to have competing information providers repeatedly tear up public streets, sidewalks, and rights of way to provide multiple fibers, cables or wires into my house. If AT&T or Comcast want to negotiate franchise deals with my community to run fibers or cables along public rights of way to reach my house (at, admittedly, very considerable expense to them), I'll be more than happy to pay them a fair price for the continued use of that infrastructure -- provided that once I pay that fair price, I can use this infrastructure to reach any and all the different places on the Information Highway that I want to reach over it, and to access any and all of the different competitive information services that will want to serve me over that infrastructure, with no control or interference by them. Maybe I misunderstand the initial posts, but if AT&T or whoever can use public rights of way to build this infrastructure, and then only let it be used to access electronic services *they* provide, merchants *they* own, entertainment sources *they* are selling -- are you really trying to tell me this is going to promote competition and innovation in any of these areas? Completely open use of that infrastructure by anyone who wants to pay them just the fair transmission costs of sending bits over it (appropriate depreciation costs of course included) is the sine qua non of their being allowed to build it over public rights of way. And secondarily, but far from trivial, once I've paid for the fair use of this infrastructure, I don't want AT&T or whoever monitoring or recording the specific bits I send over it, for any purpose whatsoever (things like court-ordered -- and it better be court ordered -- "wiretapping" excepted). If I go to the the Borders Books site over their fiber and search for books on home finance, I don't want AT&T noting this and selling my name to Joe's Sleazy Home Loan Service (and is there any other kind). If AT&T is the corporate parent of North Face, I don't want them deliberately giving me speedy connections to the North Face web site, but only a slow and deliberately bit-dropping link to Lands End -- or worse, "accidentally" misdirecting me from the latter web site to the former. And if anyone doesn't think these kinds of things, and worse, can and will happen, you must have never in your life used a broadband link. Once we've paid the fair and limited transmission costs to the builder of the local information infrastructure, our use of any physical broadband connections to the worldwide Information Highway should be as absolutely open, free, uncontrolled and anonymous as our use of city streets and State and County roads to reach the U.S. Interstate freeway system, once we've paid our taxes and auto license fees. That's what "network neutrality" means to me -- and it's absolutely nonnegotiable. ------------------------------ Date: 17 Aug 2006 02:07:34 -0000 From: John Levine Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality > "Net neutrality" is a term few can agree on. There is a perfectly good definition of net neutrality: everyone who gets the same service pays the same price for it. Particularly if one of the bodies is a subsidiary of the telco or cableco. A lot of us have well-founded concerns that the telcos will make sweetheart deals with themselves like they did with DSL, with the wholesale price to everyone else somehow being more than the retail price their own affiliate charges. I don't think anyone except perhaps Verizon, AT&T, and Qwest would object to this kind of requirement. Too bad there's such a huge and needless fog around what should be a straightforward pro-competition policy. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies", Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://www.johnlevine.com, Mayor "More Wiener schnitzel, please", said Tom, revealingly. ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality Date: 17 Aug 2006 08:35:17 -0400 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Larry Dignan wrote: > 3. All traffic isn't created equal. An e-mail doesn't have the same > service requirements as a VOIP call. An X-ray of a heart patient > should have priority over a Britney Spears video. Corporate networks > manage traffic that way, and at some point there has to be some > intelligence added to public Internet infrastructure between the end > points. Net neutrality requirements mean all traffic is created > equal. You can debate over who makes the call over what traffic gets > priority, but to pretend all traffic is equal doesn't hold up. When you do this, what you have isn't the internet any more. The beauty and the failing of the net is that everyone is equal and every device is treated like every other device. Unfortunately this is not a good thing to carry realtime data. There have been attempts to do what you describe with QoS management, where some kinds of traffic gets treated differently than other kinds of traffic. In general, these things don't work very well, because the underlying protocol isn't designed for it. If you want a largescale nationwide network to handle realtime data like VOIP, video traffic, and high resolution X-rays at the same time, it ought to be built very differently than the Internet. Because the Internet just isn't built for that. Sorry. --scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 19:37:51 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Verizon and Other Payphones (re: Clueless Hollywood) Wesrock@aol.com wrote: > In a message dated Sun, 13 Aug 2006 21:20:42 -0600, Anthony Bellanga > writes: >> I don't know if at&t (SBC, Pacific Bell, Ameritech, and SNET in >> Connecticut) has private payphones outside of their territory >> (i.e., in non-at&t ILEC ratecenters in at&t ILEC states; or in >> Qwest or BellSouth or Verizon or Cincinnati Bell locations). > Many years ago ... it muxt have been just after divestiture ... I > stopped to use a pay phone somewhere along the road east of Waco, > Texas, in General Telephone territory, and I was surprised to see it > was a Southwestern Bell pay phone. SWBell seemed to try anything related to phones for a while. I remember seeing phones, caller id boxes, etc ... with their logo all over the country. Mostly cheap junk. Amazingly they dropped much or all of this stuff after a while. :) ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 19:11:32 EDT Subject: Re: Verizon and Other Payphones (re: Clueless Hollywood) In a message dated Sun, 13 Aug 2006 21:20:42 -0600, Anthony Bellanga writes: > I don't know if at&t (SBC, Pacific Bell, Ameritech, and SNET in > Connecticut) has private payphones outside of their territory > (i.e., in non-at&t ILEC ratecenters in at&t ILEC states; or in > Qwest or BellSouth or Verizon or Cincinnati Bell locations). Many years ago ... it must have been just after divestiture ... I stopped to use a pay phone somewhere along the road east of Waco, Texas, in General Telephone territory, and I was surprised to see it was a Southwestern Bell pay phone. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com wleathus@yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 19:39:52 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Clueless Hollywood Charles Cryderman wrote: > Doug Krause wrote: > "In "Die Hard 2" they showed Pac Bell phones at Dulles Airport in > Virginia." > Yet it was filmed in Northern Michigan at a retired Air force Base. Yep. Dulles has a very distinctive terminal, inside and out, and apparently they kept all the scenes in the airport very tight so you couldn't see the missing elements. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Clueless Hollywood From: henry999@eircom.net (Henry) Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 09:07:54 +0300 Organization: Saunalahti Customer Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > The assumption is that people do not notice these inaccuracies > (except us ... nerds of course!) And even among those who do notice, how many people are really bothered? There's a great anecdote from London in the 1930s. Remember, those were the days when the cinema was an ornate 'Movie Palace' and people actually got all dressed up to go see a film. (I'm sorry I can't remember the exact details of this, but you'll get the idea.) One night an eminent ornithologist was at the pictures with some friends. Suddenly, a bird singing in the background on the soundtrack caught his attention. The expert looked perplexed, but nothing more. Then, a short while later the bird-call came again -- and that was that. 'What are they trying to do?!?' said the professor, getting to his feet. 'This is preposterous! That's obviously a _____ singing in the background and this story is set in _____. There is of course absolutely no way that there could be a _____ in _____!' -- and out he went, in a huff. Cheers, Henry ------------------------------ From: Ruzzer Subject: Good VOIP Info Site Date: 16 Aug 2006 17:25:57 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Please check out http://www.BestVoip.ws Regards. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #303 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Aug 17 16:25:17 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id D6C8A21E2; Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:25:16 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Message-Id: <20060817202516.D6C8A21E2@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:25:16 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #304 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:27:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 304 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telcos Prepare For Worst as Wiretapo Cases Consolidate (Kevin Fayle) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 17, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Computer "Logic" in 1922 Panel Switching (Lisa Hancock) City Party Line Service (Lisa Hancock) Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force (Lisa Hancock) Re: Sam Spade (William Warren) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (Patrick Townson) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (Garrett Wollman) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 13:53:52 -0500 From: Kevin Fayle Subject: Telcos Prepare For the Worst as Wiretapo Cases Consolidate and Head By Kevin Fayle in San Francisco AT&T and other telcos had better unlock the file cabinets and brace for the backlash because the mother lode of wiretapping cases has just landed in unfriendly territory. Both the Feds and the telcos earlier this month took a hit when the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated the pretrial proceedings of 17 different warrantless wiretapping suits that accuse the telcos of forming uncomfortable ties with the NSA. The Panel placed the cases under the supervision of Judge Vaughn Walker of the District Court for the Northern District of California. Yes, that's right, the same judge who last month denied the government's motion to block discovery in one of the cases on state secret grounds. This move has huge significance, since the pretrial proceedings for the other suits involve many of the same issues that Judge Walker has already ruled upon. For example, Judge Walker has shown a willingness to let discovery of corporate records proceed in a case involving AT&T's alleged complicity in the interception of telephone calls, so he will most likely allow additional plaintiffs to demand documents and other evidence from telcos in similar suits. But don't get too excited, discovery junkies. The government brought the motion for consolidation in order to tighten access to confidential information and prevent leaks. With 17 separate cases, the chances that confidential information will find its way from a judge's chambers into the media are increased by a factor of, well, 17. With only one judge involved, the chances for a nice, juicy leak drop significantly. Still, the government has to be smarting over this move. The Feds had originally looked to place the cases under the auspice of a judge in the District of Columbia. This represented a fine strategic move, since federal decisions coming out of D.C. tend to favor the government. The Panel, sensibly enough, felt that a transfer to a court that had already seen the classified information would better serve the consolidation motion's goal of limiting exposure to sensitive data. They then proceeded to send the cases to a much, much less favorable venue from the government's perspective. The Feds should've been careful what they wished for. And why did the Panel send the cases to the Northern District,? Well, the Panel suggests that the California case has progressed to the most advanced stage. There's also the fact that the California judge has seen more confidential material since his case dealt with both warrantless wiretaps and the release of customer data, while a similar Illinois case dealt only with the latter. Reading the tealeaves, you could argue that the consolidation out West also shows that the general mood among jurists in the country is leaning towards a full airing of the secrets behind the wiretap programs. We like to believe this explanation, if only because it ever-so-slightly renews our faith in the system, along with our belief in truth, justice, beauty and the rest of it. And in these days of domestic spying and militarism, we need all the help we can get. ® Kevin Fayle is an attorney, web editor and writer in San Francisco. He keeps a close eye on IP and International Law issues. Copyright 2006, Kevin Fayle, The Register http://theregister.co.uk . NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 17, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:45:13 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 17, 2006 ******************************** Bidding for U.S. Advanced Services Wireless Licences Tops US$10 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/100/19397?11228 The leading satellite providers have pulled out of the bidding, while cable TV operators and the leading wireless operators remain locked in ... Regulator Warns Deutsche Telekom on Access to VDSL Network http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19395?11228 Germany telecoms regulator Bundesnetzagentur has raised the stakes in the ongoing saga over Deutsche Telekom's new VDSL network, urging the telco to seek an amicable deal with rivals in order to avoid intervention from regulators. In an interview with Financial Times Deutschland, Bundesnetzagentur president Matthias Kurth said ... Yahoo!, go2 Forge Mobile Search Pact http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/110/19390?11228 Yahoo! and go2 Directory Systems are coming together in the world of mobile search to combine go2's user base and mobile local search know-how with Yahoo! sponsored search results. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The agreement allows Yahoo! advertisers to connect with consumers who use their mobile phones to ... Mountain View Gets Free Access http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/100/19385?11228 As of this morning, residents in Mountain View, Calif., no longer need to pay for Internet access. After months of previews and testing, has launched a free wireless network in its hometown, covering almost all of the town's 12 square miles. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley and one of the most prosperous (and ... Is AT&T Eyeing Eyespot? http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/105/19384?11228 The big phone companies may not be as quick to deliver Internet shared video services as the cable MSOs are, but that doesn't mean they're ignoring the trend. Sources say AT&qT Inc. has recently been in discussions with up-and-coming video sharer Eyespot Corp. The carrier and Eyespot began talking, according to one ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Computer "Logic" in 1922 Panel Switching Date: 17 Aug 2006 10:50:15 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com In 1922 the Bell System implemented "panel" dial switching in New York City. The system had to handle a high volume of calls and a wide diversity of central offices throughout New York City. This would've been impossible with Step-by-Step which was limited to a 10x10 point rotary switch. Panel translated the decimal exchange to codes for hundreds of trunks as needed. Panel used common control to do this. That is, it stored the telephone number and translated it as needed for switching needs. The control functions of panel were similar to modern computer CPU instructions and I/O bus commands. An ingenius sequence switch, loaded with numerous cams, controlled the functions. Different parts of the switchgear would be selected, the unit would wait for a ready signal, send out a command, then wait for a response and act accordingly. Everything was run by a pulse train generator exactly the same as a CPU clock today. Signals between devices were self checking to detect errors. All gear had internal error detection as well as test functions. Remember this was all 1922, long before diodes and solid state devices, indeed, tube electronics were brand new and still being developed. It was all done with electro-mechanical relays. All equipment had to be extremely durable and precise to handle a high load volume and last in service a long time. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: City Party Line Service Date: 17 Aug 2006 10:58:36 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com When party lines are discussed, people usually talk about coded ringing and that everyone's phone rang with all calls. However, in city service this did not occur. The panel dial switching system, developed in 1922, included provisions for two and four party line service, which were common in those days. Each party had their own listed phone number and could be anything, not necessarily consecutive. There was no need for party letters. When calling a party line, the switchgear deteced the type of selective ringing and (bias and ground combinations) and sent out the appropriate ringing current. Only the desired telephone rang. This helped privacy since other parties wouldn't know the phone was in use. After WW II party line service declined, but postwar Bell System had a bad shortage of capacity to meet new demand, so party lines were forced to continue more than many users wanted. (Movie "Pillow Talk"). ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force Date: 17 Aug 2006 11:03:56 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com The Bell System is sometimes criticized for converting to dial during the Depression, which caused operators to be laid off at a time when jobs were scarce. However, that is only part of the story. The use of automation saved money which kept phone rates low which enabled more people to keep their phone service. (Many people simply could no longer keep a phone and terminated their service.) Also, automation required hiring of craftsmen to install dials at subscribers, install the dial exchange, and factory workers to make the exchange and new dial telephone sets. I suspect these efforts kept a lot of people at work in the Depression and those jobs were welcomed. The purchase of insulation, steel, copper, and brass for the switchgear also helped the overall economy. Further, there tended to be high turnover in operator jobs; it was something many young women took only until they were married. Of course circumstances were different in those days and single and widowed women had to find work, but in some way that was made up by the increase in Western Electric employment. (Yes, that didn't usually help a laid-off telephone operator.) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Actually, the 'Great Depression' is normally dated as the last three months of 1929, along with 1930-33. I do not think Bell did any central office conversions during that time period, or very few of them. Chicago did not start converting until 1939, after the depression, when our country was well on the way toward recovery (which generally means a war is going on). Many of the conversions occurred in the late 1940's and throughout the 1950's, and as we know, those were much better times financially for almost everyone. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 13:21:01 -0400 From: William Warren Subject: Re: Sam Spade William Warren wrote: > William Warren wrote: >> Don't do it, Pat! If you do, the terrorists have won! >> William Warren >> (Filter noise from my address for direct replies) >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Why would you say something like that? >> The 'terrorists' won long ago, when you started asking people to >> 'filter noise from your address' and when readers started using >> Spam Assassin and when mailing list maintainers started requiring >> their readers to jump through hoops to get on or off mailing lists. >> Why is a simple minded filter -- (either the word '[telecom]' is >> present or it is not present) -- such a sign that the 'terrorists' >> have won? PAT] > > Pat, > That was a joke. I had thought you would laugh. > Sorry. > William > (Filter noise from my address for direct replies. No laughing matter!) > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I _would_ laugh if it were not such a > hypocritcal thing. People talk about how anything but the purest of > email address forms used in email are such a hassle (I quite agree) > but the same people then act like it is so 'politically incorrect' to > attack the problem at its source; i.e. the spammer/scammers who make > it necessary. You'll have to pardon me, but I get very tired of > having to give even a cursory review to several hundred items each > day which are only penis-enlargement advertisements, requests to > re-enter time and again all my personal banking information, etc. The > really evil thing about it all is even when I try my hardest, some > days _good_ messages get dumped by accident. People get one single > phish-item in their mail and think it is such an affront ... well, > I get hundreds of them daily, and even if I culd just type 'delete 1-250' > and be done with it, it would still be a nuisance, but when good > messages get caught in the middle of that mess each day as they _always_ > do, it makes the job much harder. PAT] Pat, OK, I take your point. I had intended to sound humorous, not hypocritical, but I understand that you're the guy in the hot seat. Here's a suggestion: it may sound far-fetched at first, but please believe me when I say that I've used this technique with great effect for my customers and myself, so I'll propose that you try it. Consider: spamming is only profitable when the only people who respond are those who want to buy something. If even a small percentage of calls are from those who don't want the spam, the paradigm changes very quickly. Once per day, please publish the contact info (URL, phone, whatever) for a single spammer, and the email address the spam was sent to, and suggest that c.d.t. readers contact the company and discourage them from using your email address. Spammers are, believe it or not, businessmen, and they tend to act fairly quickly when someone stuffs a rag into their pipeline. (1) I suggest you start with mortgage spammers: they have to sell their leads to local brokers who know the local real estate market, so they're the easiest ones to catch. Be sure to tell the readership that spammers do listwashing: someone who fills out a form on a website will always get a call from the spammer's minions, asking "Was there anything unusual about the email you received?", and it's important to get by that gatekeeper and wait for the local brokers to call. When they do, a complaint about a specific email address works wonders: the mortgage brokers pay as much as $100 per lead, so they'll scream very quickly when they get burned, and your email address will, just as quickly, be placed on the "Do Not Call" lists the spammers share with each other. Now, I'll just touch on the morality issue: some of your readers may be squemish about this kind of proactive approach. For those so inclined, there are other (less effective) ways to take action, such as reports to the FBI's online reporting service. However, if any of your readers think this kind of direct action is improper/not_cricket/ sleezy/whatever, I will simply say that, like spam, it works. William 1. Of course, the contact has to be a web site or phone number that won't demand confidential information, since generating phony MasterCard numbers and tickling drop-boxes are tricks best left to the major-league spamfighters. William Warren (Filter noise from my address for direct replies) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: To know whether or not the web site will or will not require confidential information, then I or someone would have to first examine it, wouldn't we? Your idea sounds good enough, in fact it reminds me of when I used to publish the 'Business Directory' occassionally, giving the 800 numbers of spammers/scammers who were brazen enough to include that number in their junk email. But I am afraid that by publishing one or more of the great offers sent out to the net each day, I would probably be accused of (1) attempting to harass the spammer/scammer or (2) helping to further the spam myself and in any event acting very politically incorrect, given the large number of spam/scam enablers on the net; that is, the number of users who claim all we have to do is 'ignore it' by feebly attempting to filter around it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality Date: 17 Aug 2006 12:19:18 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com John Levine wrote: > There is a perfectly good definition of net neutrality: everyone who > gets the same service pays the same price for it. Particularly if one > of the bodies is a subsidiary of the telco or cableco. A lot of us > have well-founded concerns that the telcos will make sweetheart deals > with themselves like they did with DSL, with the wholesale price to > everyone else somehow being more than the retail price their own > affiliate charges. Sorry, but in today's world, that kind of pricing is all part of the "free market". And a "free market" is what was desired when they took away regulation. If you don't like these kinds of pricing plans, you need to go back to a regulated world. You can't have it both ways. A free market means someone can charge what the market will bear to maximize his profits. In other words, if you want some coast-to-coast airline flights to cost $39, you'll have to accept certain other flights, perhaps even within a single state, will cost $750. Elsewhere (in a discussion of Metroliner telephone service), someone claimed Verizon's stock price has steeply fallen. I presume that's true, and that is what free markets do. The NYT said recently Verizon was installing FIOS like crazy to stem a flow of lost customers. The great and powerful AT&T doesn't even exist anymore except in name. Free markets at work. If the telcos price themselves too high, consumers will find alternatives, either a cheaper vendor or alternative technology. Perhaps not in the short term, but they will in the long term, especially with today's technology which is constantly evolving. Scott Dorsey wrote: > If you want a largescale nationwide network to handle realtime data > like VOIP, video traffic, and high resolution X-rays at the same time, > it ought to be built very differently than the Internet. Because the > Internet just isn't built for that. Sorry. All very true. Sooner or later people must realize the Internet wasn't built for a lot of things, like security and safety. Automobiles and highways weren't built for safety. It took 50 years before they even realized this, and 25 more years to design, build, and implement various safety features to cut down the carnage. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:25:12 -0500 From: Patrick Townson Subject: Re: Why I do not Favor 'Net Neutrality' Larry Dignan wrote: >> 3. All traffic isn't created equal. An e-mail doesn't have the same/ >> service requirements as a VOIP call. An X-ray of a heart patient/ >> should have priority over a Britney Spears video. Corporate networks/ >> manage traffic that way, and at some point there has to be some/ >> intelligence added to public Internet infrastructure between the end/ >> points. Net neutrality requirements mean all traffic is created/ >> equal. You can debate over who makes the call over what traffic gets/ >> priority, but to pretend all traffic is equal doesn't hold up./ > When you do this, what you have isn't the internet any more. > The beauty and the failing of the net is that everyone is equal and > every device is treated like every other device. Unfortunately this > is not a good thing to carry realtime data. Well, you miss the point, IMO ... the Internet, as it was historically developed and as we knew it for the first twenty or so years of its existence reached its death in 1994 more or less, when the invaders moved into our village. _We_ had a good thing going; _we_ had a wonderful system which mostly worked quite well. Along with the first bunch of no-goods to move in and take residence here were the movie and music people, who refused to accept the basic concepts here that what you leave out in the public way is intended for use by the general public. They could not or would not accept that simple concept which governed us quite well for a couple decades. They said the way we will get even with you for rooting through our movies and music scattered everywhere is _not_ by setting permissions on the directories to keep you out, if will be by suing each of you who dare to get into our stuff without permission, since you old-timers here no longer run things; rather we with the money and the (ostensibly) good looks and charm are now in charge. Shortly thereafter, other maruders came along and attempted to redefine what the internet would be about. Now that they have done just that, you want to sit there and act surprised? Why in the hell weren't these people stopped dead in their tracks before they moved in and took over? Now it is going to be impossible to get rid of them. PAT ------------------------------ From: wollman@csail.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:38:42 UTC Organization: MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory In article , Scott Dorsey wrote: > There have been attempts to do what you describe with QoS management, > where some kinds of traffic gets treated differently than other kinds > of traffic. In general, these things don't work very well, because > the underlying protocol isn't designed for it. No, the "underlying protocol" has nothing to do with it. That's the beauty of IP: it's service-model independent. We have a "best-effort" service now, but a guaranteed service could be implemented without any changes to the IP layer. The reason we don't have one now is the lack of a business model that could support it. (The people I used to work for helped to invent all the necessary technology in the early- to mid-nineties, before the boom created a bandwidth glut. It was a serious research effort back when a T1 was more than most people had.) -- Garrett A. Wollman | As the Constitution endures, persons in every wollman@csail.mit.edu | generation can invoke its principles in their own Opinions not those | search for greater freedom. of MIT or CSAIL. | - A. Kennedy, Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003) ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #304 ****************************** From prvs=telecom-owner+M2753=ptownson=massis.lcs.mit.edu=037889dcc9@telecom-digest.org Fri Aug 18 00:13:59 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: from xuxa.iecc.com (xuxa.iecc.com [208.31.42.42]) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix) with SMTP id 51C1421D0 for ; Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:13:56 -0400 (EDT) Received: (qmail 11313 invoked by uid 85); 18 Aug 2006 04:12:39 -0000 Received: (qmail 11227 invoked from network); 18 Aug 2006 04:12:36 -0000 Received: from massis.lcs.mit.edu (128.31.0.14) by mail2.iecc.com with SMTP; 18 Aug 2006 04:12:36 -0000 Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix) id DD7EA21E6; Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:12:34 -0400 (EDT) Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id E6E7E21D1; Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:12:33 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #305 Message-Id: <20060818041233.E6E7E21D1@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:12:33 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Reply-To: telecom@telecom-digest.org List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Unsubscribe: (Use this command to get off the list) List-Subscribe: (Use this command to join the list) List-Post: List-Owner: (Contact Person for Help) List-ID: X-Loop: majordomo Precedence: bulk Sender: telecom-owner@telecom-digest.org Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:14:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 305 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Judge Rules Warentless Spying is Unconstitutional (Sarah Karush, AP) In-Flight Web Surfing Takes a Step Back (Chris Reiter, Reuters News) Cyber Bullying Problem (Lisa Hancock) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (John L) Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force (DLR) Re: Clueless Hollywood (Sam Spade) Re: City Party Line Service (Wesrock@aol.com) Re: Computer "Logic" in 1922 Panel Switching (Jim Haynes) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 15:37:37 -0500 From: Sarah Karush, AP Subject: Judge Rules Warentless Spying is Unconstitutional Judge nixes warrantless surveillance By SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press Writer A federal judge ruled Thursday that the government's warrantless surveillance program is unconstitutional and ordered an immediate halt to it. U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit became the first judge to strike down the National Security Agency's program, which she says violates the rights to free speech and privacy as well as the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution. "Plaintiffs have prevailed, and the public interest is clear, in this matter. It is the upholding of our Constitution," Taylor wrote in her 43-page opinion. The Justice Department appealed the ruling and issued a statement calling the program "an essential tool for the intelligence community in the war on terror." White House press secretary Tony Snow said the Bush administration "couldn't disagree more with this ruling." "United States intelligence officials have confirmed that the program has helped stop terrorist attacks and saved American lives," he said. "The program is carefully administered and only targets international phone calls coming into or out of the United States where one of the parties on the call is a suspected al-Qaida or affiliated terrorist." The ruling won't take immediate effect so Taylor can hear a Justice request for a stay pending its appeal. A hearing on the motion was set for Sept. 7, Snow said. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of journalists, scholars and lawyers who say the program has made it difficult for them to do their jobs. They believe many of their overseas contacts are likely targets of the program, monitoring phone calls and e-mails between people in the U.S. and people in other countries when a link to terrorism is suspected. The government argued that the program is well within the president's authority, but said proving that would require revealing state secrets. The ACLU said the state-secrets argument was irrelevant because the Bush administration already had publicly revealed enough information about the program for Taylor to rule. "At its core, today's ruling addresses the abuse of presidential power and reaffirms the system of checks and balances that's necessary to our democracy," ACLU executive director Anthony Romero told reporters after the ruling. He called the opinion "another nail in the coffin in the Bush administration's legal strategy in the war on terror." While siding with the ACLU on the surveillance issue, Taylor dismissed a separate claim by the group over NSA data-mining of phone records. She said not enough had been publicly revealed about that program to support the claim and further litigation would jeopardize state secrets. The lawsuit alleged that the NSA "uses artificial intelligence aids to search for keywords and analyze patterns in millions of communications at any given time." Multiple lawsuits have been filed related to data-mining against phone companies, accusing them of improperly turning over records to the NSA. However, the data-mining was only a small part of the Detroit suit, said Ann Beeson, the ACLU's associate legal director and the lead attorney on the case. Beeson predicted the government would appeal the wiretapping ruling and request that the order to halt the program be postponed while the case makes its way through the system. She said the ACLU had not yet decided whether it would oppose such a postponement. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:48:03 -0500 From: Chris Reiter, Reuters News Subject: In-Flight Web Surfing Takes a Step Back By Chris Reiter The prospects of surfing the Internet and receiving e-mail at 35,000 feet took a knock on Thursday as Boeing Co. said it will wind down its service for offering Internet access on board planes. Although the market may get a boost with newcomers LiveTV LLC and AirCell Inc. developing offerings, cost pressures on airlines make it unlikely that on-board Internet access will be widely available soon. "We've been looking for ways to connect the cabin, but it has to make sense financially," said Billy Sanez, a spokesman for American Airlines. "It's going to be a bit until we see something feasible." Upgrading an airplane for Internet service is a complex task, and with fuel prices high, airlines are more focused on keeping costs down rather than offering new, expensive perks. "It's kind of like rewiring your office," said airline consultant Robert Mann. "It creates a lot of downtime and it's very expensive." The least disruptive option is to have the technology for providing Internet access built into new planes, but "very few of the large U.S. carriers are in a position to be buying new airplanes," he said. After six years, Boeing said on Thursday it would shut down its loss-making Connexion unit, which allowed airlines to provide high-speed Internet service to passengers. The satellite-based service, for which Boeing failed to find a buyer, was too costly, and few airlines signed on. The company said it would take charges of up to $320 million to wind down the service, which analysts estimate attracted just over 1,000 users a day and cost as much as $150 million a year to run. Boeing becomes the second large company to withdraw from the in-flight communications market in recent months. In June, Verizon Communications Inc. said it was canceling its on-board phone service by the end of the year. CELL SYSTEM Hoping to revive the market, AirCell and LiveTV, a unit of low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways Corp., are planning new in-flight Internet offerings after winning licenses to operate air-to-ground communications services in June. AirCell, which paid $31.3 million for one of the network licenses, plans to launch its service by the end of 2007, Chief Executive Jack Blumenstein said on Thursday. AirCell's service, which would turn planes into flying "hotspots," is based on cellular technology, giving it an edge over satellite-based Connexion because the equipment is cheaper and lighter, Blumenstein said. For example, AirCell's cellular antenna is about the size of a deck of cards and weighs less than half a pound (0.2 kg), while Connexion equipment was bulkier and weighed hundreds of pounds, he said. This makes it possible to offer the service for under $10 per flight. LiveTV, which paid $7 million for a smaller-capacity network, is working on a business plan on how to use the acquired frequency, JetBlue spokesman Bryan Baldwin said. The airline is not committed to taking its unit's service, if and when it does get up and running. "Just because LiveTV would come out with a product doesn't automatically mean that JetBlue would get it," Baldwin said. Stronger demand for such services appears to be from overseas airlines. British carrier Virgin Atlantic Airways said this month it planned to offer an in-flight text service, which will respond to passenger questions. Lufthansa, one of Connexion's staunchest backers, said it was on the lookout for a new partner. "Lufthansa remains hopeful that new providers will emerge in the coming months to provide this valuable service to our customers," the German airline said in a statement. Since May 2004, Lufthansa has been offering FlyNet, an in-flight Internet service provided by Connexion, free of charge for its long-haul business class customers. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Cyber Bullying problem Date: 17 Aug 2006 12:54:36 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/70467.php?contentType=4&contentId=190171 Online bullying has become a major problem that Pennsylvania law enforcement is trying to deal with. A new national survey shows one-third of teenagers and 18 percent of those aged 6 to 11 have been the victim of a cyberbully -- someone who goes online and either demeans or threatens a kid, often anonymously. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:47:07 EDT From: John L Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality >> There is a perfectly good definition of net neutrality: everyone who >> gets the same service pays the same price for it. ... [ particularly >> the telco's own affiliates ]] > Sorry, but in today's world, that kind of pricing is all part of the > "free market". And a "free market" is what was desired when they took > away regulation. If you don't like these kinds of pricing plans, you > need to go back to a regulated world. You can't have it both ways. This must be a new neocon definition of "free market". Selling something below cost to drive out competitors in a competitive market and making up the losses from your profits in a non-competitive market is the very definition of a predatory monopoly. It's what led to the original anti-trust laws being passed over a century ago. > If the telcos price themselves too high, consumers will find > alternatives, either a cheaper vendor or alternative technology. I think you need to read up on natural monopolies. There's a reason that nobody does cable system overbuilds, even though they're legal throughout the country. R's, John ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:44:12 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Actually, the 'Great Depression' is > normally dated as the last three months of 1929, along with 1930-33. While the people working in the late 30s had it much better than in the early parts of the depression, 1/4 to 1/3 of the adult male work force did not have a steady job as of 12/7/41. What ended the depression was the war and the massive government spending on said war. Now what kept it away after the war is the subject of endless political and economical debates to this day. Although there was a fairly severe recession/depression in 46/47 as all those GIs came home with nothing to do until a lot of them decided that college was an option. Go to a college where they have the photos on the wall of the graduating classes. In the KY Engineering college it was amazing to see the huge spike in the early 50s but the rates stay much higher than before the war after that due to folks just getting better educations than the previous generation. ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: Clueless Hollywood Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:53:50 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications Ron Kritzman wrote: > I was channel surfing the other night and caught a minute or two of a > movie allegedly set in Chicago. In front of Wrigley Field, on the > Addison Street side, with the famous red marquee in the background, one > of the main characters was making a call from a Verizon pay phone! Who > knew? Not subtle either. Big logo with the checkmark and the red Z. > C'mon guys, if you're going to do product placement at least place it > where it lives. > - RK > Emoveray ethay Igpay Atinlay otay eplyray Today, I was walking by a 7-11 Store in San Clemente, California. There were two fairly recent Verizon pay phones, complete with Verizon's version of Ma Bell's bell logo. San Clemente has been Pacific Telephone/Pacific Bell/SBC/ and now AT&T since the early days. Verizon is obviously in the pay phone business outside its operating territory. ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 21:01:58 EDT Subject: Re: City Party Line Service In a message dated 17 Aug 2006 10:58:36 -0700, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes: > When party lines are discussed, people usually talk about coded > ringing and that everyone's phone rang with all calls. > However, in city service this did not occur. > The panel dial switching system, developed in 1922, included > provisions for two and four party line service, which were common in > those days. Each party had their own listed phone number and could be > anything, not necessarily consecutive. There was no need for party > letters. When calling a party line, the switchgear deteced the type > of selective ringing and (bias and ground combinations) and sent out > the appropriate ringing current. Only the desired telephone rang. > This helped privacy since other parties wouldn't know the phone was in > use. I'm not sure what the invention of the Panel Type office has to do with coded ringing on party lines. There were millions of SxS connectors that were wired for terminal-per-station ringing, and full-selective four-party ringing was the norm. Two-party lines were almost universally full selective, using tip or ring to ground to cause the property party to ring. Four-party full selective ringing could also be provided in terminal- per-line SxS offices, but there were many drawbacks to terminal-per- line operation. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com wleathus@yahoo.com ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Computer "Logic" in 1922 Panel Switching Reply-To: jhaynes@alumni.uark.edu Organization: University of Arkansas Alumni From: haynes@alumni.uark.edu (Jim Haynes) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 02:03:17 GMT Also I believe it was exposure to telephone switching apparatus that led Claude Shannon to realize that Boolean algebra could be useful for describing and analyzing switching circuits. A book "The Design of Switching Circuits" by some Bell Labs guys Keister, Ritchie and Washburn is something of a cookbook of relay circuits for various purposes. Then at the end of the book they introduce some of Shannon's insights for circuit analysis and design. Shannon's work applied to combinatorial circuits; later it was Huffman who worked out the application to sequential circuits. -- jhhaynes at earthlink dot net ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #305 ****************************** From prvs=telecom-owner+M2754=ptownson=massis.lcs.mit.edu=037868bf10@telecom-digest.org Fri Aug 18 19:08:03 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: from xuxa.iecc.com (xuxa.iecc.com [208.31.42.42]) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix) with SMTP id BA07621B7 for ; Fri, 18 Aug 2006 19:07:48 -0400 (EDT) Received: (qmail 5288 invoked by uid 85); 18 Aug 2006 23:05:44 -0000 Received: (qmail 5251 invoked from network); 18 Aug 2006 23:05:41 -0000 Received: from massis.lcs.mit.edu (128.31.0.14) by mail2.iecc.com with SMTP; 18 Aug 2006 23:05:40 -0000 Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix) id 8DC8221C3; Fri, 18 Aug 2006 19:05:38 -0400 (EDT) Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 8308421B9; Fri, 18 Aug 2006 19:05:37 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #306 Message-Id: <20060818230537.8308421B9@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 19:05:37 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Reply-To: telecom@telecom-digest.org List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Unsubscribe: (Use this command to get off the list) List-Subscribe: (Use this command to join the list) List-Post: List-Owner: (Contact Person for Help) List-ID: X-Loop: majordomo Precedence: bulk Sender: telecom-owner@telecom-digest.org Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 18 Aug 2006 19:07:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 306 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson French Organization Plans Suit Against E-Bay (Nick Antonovics, Reuters) Apple: No Forced Labor at iPod Plant (Elaine Kutenbach, AP) CBS News to Simulcast Online (USTelecom dailyLead) Telecom Update #542, August 18, 2006 (John Riddell) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 18, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (Michael D. Sullivan) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (Sam Spade) Re: City Party Line Service (bv124@aol.com) Re: Computer "Logic" in 1922 Panel Switching (Dennis Ritchie) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist (Herb Oxley) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:59:29 -0500 From: Nick Antonovics, Reuters Subject: French Organization Plans Suit Against E-Bay French firms target eBay in anti-counterfeit drive By Nick Antonovics A French industry group plans to file a complaint with prosecutors seeking damages from eBay Inc. and other Internet auction sites for the sale of counterfeit products on their Web pages, the group's chairman said. Marc Antoine Jamet, chairman of France's Union of Manufacturers (Unifab), told Reuters that the complaint, due to be filed next month, also aims at forcing the sites to clamp down on product pirates. "There is a continent which makes the fakes, which is China, and there is a continent where they are sold, and that is the Internet," he said. Other auction sites in the firing line include those run by privately held iOffer.com, Yahoo Inc. and Japan's Rakuten, Inc. But the main focus is eBay, with which Unifab has held more than a dozen meetings in the last two years, Jamet said. "We think eBay is perfectly capable of policing its site, but they offer to take action only after the fact. They refuse to act pre-emptively," he said. "We think they have the IT to manage their sites, to track bank accounts and ownership." EBay spokesman Hani Duzry said the company operates an anti-counterfeit goods program and constantly monitors auctions for blatantly infringing products and removes them. FOCUS ON EBAY "We don't allow counterfeit items on the site. It is against eBay policy. It is illegal. We are committed to working with copyright owners on this," Duzry said. Ebay "makes it easy," he said, for any copyright owner to contact eBay to report infringing products in order to have eBay remove them. Jamet said, however, that the firm had refused Unifab's request to pro-actively shut down merchants of counterfeit goods in the same way it agreed in 2001 to ban listings of Nazi memorabilia and from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Unifab's complaint will contain concrete examples of counterfeit goods found for sale on the Internet, he said. Leather goods maker Louis Vuitton, a unit of LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods group, last year found 235,000 examples of counterfeit articles on 340 eBay pages. In one case, it tracked more than 100 copies of the same article being sold within one hour, said Jamet, who is also a senior executive at LVMH. Other luxury goods companies are also targets of counterfeiters, while Unifab members in sectors from pharmaceuticals to spare car parts support the action, he said. Unifab had decided to move now, he added, because the problem of counterfeit sales had exploded. Three years ago, none of the French firms affected -- including big-name luxury goods makers such as LVMH, Hermes International and Chanel -- monitored Internet traffic. Now, many have teams who have spent months gathering evidence and assembling a case. "It's a huge phenomenon, which has multiplied by 25 times in the last five years," he said. SEEKING FINES, DAMAGES Jamet said Unifab would be asking prosecutors to seek damages and interest from the auction sites in relation to the alleged losses suffered by the firms. In the case of some luxury goods companies, these ran into millions of euros, he said. Unifab also wants to prosecute the sites for providing the means to resell counterfeit goods, a charge the French luxury goods industry has successfully brought against shop owners in Beijing's silk market and on New York's Canal Street. In addition, it is asking the French government to revise its laws on electronic commerce to make online auctioneers "co-responsible" for the goods that are sold on their sites, Jamet said. Unifab believes its case has been strengthened by a Paris court's decision in June to fine online search engine Google 300,000 euros ($385,000) over advertisements for counterfeit goods generated by its sites. Google had based its defense partly on the existing French e-commerce law. France is home to much of the world's luxury goods industry and the French government has taken steps in the past three years to toughen its laws against counterfeiting. The government tried last month to broker a friendly solution to the row between Unifab and the auctioneers, but it was rejected by the industry group which believed it did not go far enough. Unifab estimates counterfeiting represents 5 to 9 percent of global trade, or 200 billion to 300 billion euros a year in lost earnings for manufacturers. Losses in France alone exceed 6 billion euros, it says. ($1=.7791 Euro) (Additional reporting by Eric Auchard in San Francisco) Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As the writer points out, E-Bay is one of the worst offenders. And they do _NOT_ make it easy to report any problems at their site. If I get one, I get a couple dozen daily 'complaints' from so-called users of E-Bay which allegedly are lodged against me daily. I have done business with E-Bay exactly one time in my life; when I sought out and purchased the Nokia GAIT phone several months ago. Yet, there are dozens of complaints daily saying that I either 'failed to ship' or 'failed to pay for what I purchased' from users there. Now, one of the more common, I guess, tactics by phishers and scammers is to send letters of this sort out, so I could excuse E-Bay for its role in it, except that (taking E-Bay's web site advice) to send the offensive email to 'spoof@ebay.com' does no good at all; in fact, I doubt that is even a working address. I sat here two afternoons ago, using emacs and Note Pad to gather up a huge number of those farces which get sent out to whoever on the net is still enough of an idiot to pay attention to them, and shipped off the whole bunch to 'spoof@ebay.com' . About 10 minutes later it all bounced back at me saying 'spoof' is only used for certain things at E-Bay and my mail would not get delivered or read. Now, their sister company, PayPal uses 'spoof@paypal.com' as an address to forward all that crapola to; but appartently E-Bay does not. I wish a good, reliable honest auction site could be started on the net. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 17:02:15 -0500 From: Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Subject: Apple: No Forced Labor at iPod Plant by ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer Apple Computer Inc.'s investigation into claims of poor conditions at a Chinese iPod factory found no forced labor but revealed that workers were exceeding the company's limits on hours and days to be worked per week, the company said Friday. The company said it was taking immediate steps to resolve that and other issues. The probe by the Cupertino, Calif.-based company was in response to a recent report by a British newspaper, the Mail on Sunday, alleging that workers at the factory were paid as little as $50 a month and forced to work 15-hour shifts making the devices. "The team reviewed personnel files and hiring practices and found no evidence whatsoever of the use of child labor or any form of forced labor," Apple said in a report on its Web site that summarized the findings of its audit of the facility. However, the probe did find that in many cases workers were exceeding the company's limits for overtime, which specify a maximum of 60 hours or six days a week. "We found no instances of forced overtime," the report said. But it said weekly limits were exceeded 35 percent of the time in a seven-month period and that employees worked more than six days in a row 25 percent of the time. The company running the factory, which was not named in the report, was ordered to enforce Apple's overtime limits, it said. Apple's iconic iPod players are made abroad, mainly in China. The company has sold more than 50 million iPods since its debut in 2001. The company responded vehemently to the allegations made by the British newspaper, saying it would not tolerate any violations of its code of conduct. Apple said its inspection found that in at least two instances workers were made to stand at attention for disciplinary reasons. "Apple has a zero tolerance policy for any instance, isolated or not, of any treatment of workers that could be interpreted as harsh," the report said. It said the factory has launched an "aggressive" manager and employee training program to prevent such behavior. The probe found the workers assembling iPods were paid at least the minimum wage, with more than half earning more than minimum wage, excluding bonuses. Minimum wage for Shenzhen in southern China, where the factory is thought to be located, is about 800 yuan ($100) a month. The factory, which supplies electronics components and accessories to other companies as well as Apple, is a small city in its own right, with clinics, recreational facilities, buses and 13 restaurants serving its 200,000 workers. While conditions in the factories, cafeterias and most dormitories were good, the audit found overcrowded or unsuitable conditions at three offsite leased dormitories that were former factories. To address the problem, the contractor acquired more land and was building more dormitories on the factory premises, it said. Apple has hired Verite, an international consultant on workplace standards, to continue monitoring conditions at the factory, it said. "We are committed to ensuring compliance with our Code of Conduct and will complete audits of all final assembly suppliers of Mac and iPod products in 2006," the report said. It added that "in cases where a supplier's efforts in this area do not meet our expectations, their contracts will be terminated." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:12:43 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: CBS News to Simulcast Online USTelecom dailyLead August 18, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/elgwfDtusXaFsQMgCh TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * CBS News to simulcast online BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AOL restates $584M more in ad sales * EarthLink looks beyond dial-up * Qualcomm to snap up Qualphone * DSL growth surpasses cable's USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Phone Facts Plus -- A Must Have TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Commentary: Speed of Internet connection more relevant than access * Analysis: Is TV the next big thing in mobile phones? VOIP DOWNLOAD * VoIP sees worldwide growth DIVERSIONS * Lake Tahoe * Usher in 'Chicago'? Well, He's No Stranger to Razzle-Dazzle and Hocus-Pocus * A Harbor Full of History and Sea Lore on Cape Cod * The Camera for Your Next Family Reunion * Good Ride in the Badlands * Detroit's Answer to $3-$4 Gas: New Muscle Cars * Irish Independence in the 60's, With Affection and Sarcasm, in 'Rocky Roa= d to Dublin' Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/elgwfDtusXaFsQMgCh ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Update #542, August 18, 2006 Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 13:50:23 -0400 From: John Riddell ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 542: August 18, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.com/canada/telecom/ ** MITEL NETWORKS: www.mitel.com/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Internet Use Up but Digital Divides Remain ** Nortel Class Action Settlements Proposed ** MTS Objects to Cabinet's Proposed CRTC Order ** Telus Gives Wireless Service Level Guarantee ** MTS Sells Its Directory Business ** Shaw to Buy Whistler Cable ** Rogers May Appeal 'Comma' Ruling ** Rogers Expands Cablephone Coverage ** Mitec Names New CEO ** Videotron Expands the Broadband Wars ** Boeing Gives Up on Airborne Broadband ** Judge Orders Halt to Bush Wiretaps ** IIC Canada Meeting Set for December INTERNET USE UP BUT DIGITAL DIVIDES REMAIN: Statistics Canada's latest Internet Use Survey concludes that 18.8 million adult Canadians accessed the Internet for personal non-business purposes in 2005, and that two-thirds of home users logged on every day. The study also found significant disparities in Internet usage between specific population groups. ** Urban: 68%. Rural: 58%. ** Household income over $86,000: 88%. Under $86,000: 61%. ** Some secondary education: 88%. High school or less: 49%. ** Adult use in households with children: 81%. Without children: 61%. ** Age 18 to 44: 85%. Age 45 or older: 50%. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/060815/d060815b.htm NORTEL CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENTS PROPOSED: Plaintiffs in U.S. and Canadian class actions, alleging that Nortel misled investors about earnings, have agreed to a settlement totaling US$808 million in cash, and other benefits. The settlement still requires court and regulatory approvals. Details (including claim forms and deadlines) are available at www.nortelsecuritieslitigation.com. ** The proposal affects investors who bought Nortel shares or options during two periods: October 24, 2000, through February 15, 2001, and April 24, 2003, through April 27, 2004. MTS OBJECTS TO CABINET'S PROPOSED CRTC ORDER: MTS Allstream, commenting on Cabinet's proposed policy direction to the CRTC (see Telecom Update #534) says it "agrees wholeheartedly" with the goals expressed, but objects that the section on wholesale services will be anticompetitive if implemented as drafted. http://www.mts.ca/commentsaug16/ TELUS GIVES WIRELESS SERVICE LEVEL GUARANTEE: Telus Mobility says it will provide credits on customer accounts if it fails to provide a dropped-call ratio lower than 1% or "fast" response to customer service calls. MTS SELLS ITS DIRECTORY BUSINESS: Manitoba Telecom has agreed to sell its directories business to Yellow Pages Group for $281 million. SHAW TO BUY WHISTLER CABLE: Shaw Communications has agreed to buy Whistler Cable, which provides TV and Internet access services to the B.C. resort town, for an undisclosed sum. (See Telecom Update #541) ROGERS MAY APPEAL 'COMMA' RULING: The Globe and Mail reports that Rogers Communications is "strongly considering" appealing a CRTC ruling that, based on the placement of a single comma in an Aliant-Rogers contract, allowed Aliant to end the agreement early. The ruling results in Rogers paying significantly higher rates for access to N.B. Power poles. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-45.htm ROGERS EXPANDS CABLEPHONE COVERAGE: Rogers Cable says it is extending residential cablephone service to several small cities in Ontario, including Belleville, Chatham, Milton, Trenton, and Welland. MITEC NAMES NEW CEO: Mitec Telecom has named former Ericsson VP Daniel Piergentili as President and CEO, replacing Keith Findlay. Findlay had held the post since October 2005, when Mitec undertook a review of "strategic alternatives." (See Telecom Update #502) VIDEOTRON EXPANDS THE BROADBAND WARS: On September 7, Videotron will start upgrading its High-Speed Internet Service from 5.1 Mbps to 7 Mbps. (See Telecom Update #541) BOEING GIVES UP ON AIRBORNE BROADBAND: The Boeing Company is abandoning its six-year effort to convince airlines to install a system that provides satellite-based Internet access to passengers during flights. The company will close down Connexion by Boeing this year and take a US$320 million charge. JUDGE ORDERS HALT TO BUSH WIRETAPS: A U.S. court has ruled that the warrantless wiretaps run by the U.S. National Security Agency are unconstitutional, and ordered them halted immediately. Implementation of the injunction has been stayed pending an appeal by the Justice department. ** This ruling may affect a related lawsuit against telephone companies for cooperating with the NSA. (see Telecom Update #540, 541) IIC CANADA MEETING SET FOR DECEMBER: The Canadian Chapter of the International Institute of Communications will hold its annual conference in Ottawa, December 4-5, under the theme "Communications in 2010." For information go to http://www.iic-canada.ca. HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca 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 late Friday afternoon each week at http://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 http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html . COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2006 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. 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. ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 18, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 11:42:37 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 18, 2006 ******************************** U.K. Regulator Proposes New Broadband Switching Rules http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19419?11228 Ofcom has unveiled new proposals aimed at making it easier for customers to switch broadband providers. It proposes to formalise the switching process, by making it mandatory for broadband providers to supply customers with a Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) required for switching. In addition, the regulator plans to create a ... Training Cable's Front Line http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19412?11228 The secret to keeping customers is keeping customers satisfied. That's especially true of the ones who are unhappy, the ones who call with a problem. That means your first line of defense is manned by customer service reps, installers and repair technicians. And that historically has been one suspect front line. Among U.S. ... Auction 66 Tops $10 Billion in Bidding http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19410?11228 WASHINGTON -- Bidders with established wireless or wireline networks are emerging as the dominant players in the FCC's Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) auction. After 20 rounds, total bidding for the spectrum topped $10 billion. T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless were at the top, followed by Sprint's partnership with cable ... Bidders Line Up For Verizon's Leavings http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/105/19407?11228 Reports surfacing this week say several telephone holding companies are interested in purchasing Verizon Communications' landline network assets in some New England and Midwest states, assets the incumbent carrier said in May would be on the block. FairPoint Communications, CenturyTel and Citizens Communications are among ... WiMax's Small Steps to Security http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19404?11228 Sprint Nextel Corp.'s decision last week to spend $3 billion on a new high-speed wireless network gear catapulted WiMax right into the public eye. But what Sprint didn't talk about -- and is less well understood -- is what security measures will protect users who move over to the broadband wireless network. Analysts, ... Wireless Pause Pesters Ericsson, Lucent http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19402?11228 Wireless equipment sales are reaching a pause for Ericsson AB, but it's no cause for long-term concern, analysts say. Ericsson is troubled by GSM and UMTS spending, which in North America 'may be below plan due to some near-term digestion of capacity,' analyst Mark Sue of RBC Capital Markets writes in a report issued ... Draft n Products Debut in 2Q06: WLAN End-Product and Chipset Vendors Off and Running in the Midst of IEEE 802.11n Standard Drama http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19400?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Although the much-heralded IEEE 802.11n WLAN standard is probably a good year away from formal ratification, end-products based on Draft 1.0 of the standard were released from a handful of vendors in 2Q06. Approximately 300 thousand total Draft n routers, clients and access points shipped out from home and SMB ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: Michael D. Sullivan Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 05:53:58 GMT I love the "Net Neutrality" debate. Both sides define the term differently and then talk past each other. Congress has no clue. Senator Stevens' famous speech against "Net Neutrality" actually made a good case for it, as the proponents of NN define it. As the NN proponents define it, I favor it. Of course I don't want Verizon or SBC throttling Google or Amazon traffic in favor of their own competing services. But that's not what the NN opponents are supposedly seeking -- and frankly they'd be slitting their own throats if they tried it. They want the ability to offer new services that require better, more reliable, less latent connections than the standard Internet can offer, citing telemedicine and various emergency services. More likely IPTV and IPTelephony, in my view. For example, if you have a fiber to your home and pay for some ungodly amount of bandwidth, 7, 10, or even 30 Gbps, there is still lots of unused capacity on that fiber. It stands to reason that the fiber owner should be able to take advantage of that extra capacity (beyond what is needed for standard Internet connectivity) to offer access to telephony, HDTV, and gaming services (as well as the telemedicine and emergency services) at higher quality levels than if they had to contend for bandwidth with random Internet downloads, etc. If NN threatens that, as the NN opponents claim, I hate it. And some of the legislation regarding NN goes well beyond Internet access, potentially covering all sorts of broadband services. This exchange illustrates the point, to some degree: On 8/17/2006 8:35 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote: > Larry Dignan wrote: >> 3. All traffic isn't created equal. An e-mail doesn't have the same >> service requirements as a VOIP call. An X-ray of a heart patient >> should have priority over a Britney Spears video. Corporate networks >> manage traffic that way, and at some point there has to be some >> intelligence added to public Internet infrastructure between the end >> points. Net neutrality requirements mean all traffic is created >> equal. You can debate over who makes the call over what traffic gets >> priority, but to pretend all traffic is equal doesn't hold up. > When you do this, what you have isn't the internet any more. And why should all traffic be the Internet? Isn't there a legitimate role for broadband service that isn't Internet access? > The beauty and the failing of the net is that everyone is equal and every > device is treated like every other device. Unfortunately this is not a good > thing to carry realtime data. Absolutely correct. > There have been attempts to do what you describe with QoS management, > where some kinds of traffic gets treated differently than other kinds > of traffic. In general, these things don't work very well, because > the underlying protocol isn't designed for it. If the IP protocol isn't good for some particular service, why should we have to force the provider to use it because everyone on the Internet does? > If you want a largescale nationwide network to handle realtime data > like VOIP, video traffic, and high resolution X-rays at the same time, > it ought to be built very differently than the Internet. Because the > Internet just isn't built for that. Sorry. But the NN bills could very well foreclose building a network "very differently from the Internet." NN would bar, say, SBC from offering instant, no-latency access to video, telephony, and (of course) HD X-rays over the same fiber that offfers Internet access to Google and Amazon without the no-latency frills. Michael D. Sullivan Bethesda, MD (USA) (To reply, change example.invalid to com in the address.) ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 02:31:58 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications Patrick Townson wrote: > Why in the hell weren't these people stopped dead in their tracks > before they moved in and took over? PAT Because they are the ruling class who control politicans and judges. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You are probably correct on that. PAT] ------------------------------ From: bv124@aol.com Subject: Re: City Party Line Service Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:12:10 -0700 Back in the late '60's and early '70's, in Carbondale, IL (GTE), we had what was called "suburban" service as we were fifty (50) feet outside the city limits. This was a ten (10) party line where each line rang uniquely (no coded ringing.) When you dialed a toll call (1+), an operator came on the line and asked for the number you were calling from for billing purposes! I think it was a SxS office. ------------------------------ From: Dennis Ritchie Subject: Re: Computer "Logic" in 1922 Panel Switching Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 05:21:42 -0000 Organization: Bell Labs Jim Haynes wrote in message news:telecom25.305.8@telecom-digest.org: > Also I believe it was exposure to telephone switching apparatus that > led Claude Shannon to realize that Boolean algebra could be useful for > describing and analyzing switching circuits. Shannnon's start with this was his MS thesis in the 1930s, but of course he could have been exposted to phone switching before he was at Bell Labs. > A book "The Design of Switching Circuits" by some Bell Labs guys > Keister, Ritchie and Washburn is something of a cookbook of relay > circuits for various purposes. Then at the end of the book they > introduce some of Shannon's insights for circuit analysis and design. > Shannon's work applied to combinatorial circuits; later it was Huffman > who worked out the application to sequential circuits. Actually, there's tons of stuff about sequential circuits in KR&W, of which I have multiple copies, including Keister's personal copy signed by the authors. I helped empty his house when he moved to Cape Cod and he gave it to me -- and the Ritchie was my father. The book was published in 1951, and the thing it doesn't have much about is transistor (let alone integrated) circuits. About as much space (a few pages) is on cold-cathode tubes. Dennis ------------------------------ From: nospam4me@mytrashmail.com (Herb Oxley) Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist Charges Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 10:18:36 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC DevilsPGD wrote: > And even on the odd chance you're planning a thousand bombs, you'd > need enough other supplies that you could buy them three at a time, > you wouldn't walk into a store and buy 80+ . My guess is the Feds think these guys were part of a conspiracy to acquire Tracfones to use in Iraq. Does anyone know whether Tracfone offers service in Iraq -- or is it fairly easy to load an "image" from an Iraqi cell provider onto them? Now in the case of the 3 guys who got busted Uncle Sam is going to have to prove they knew what the phones were going to be used for. Now something that strikes me odd about this case: It was reported that Wal-mart has a company policy which limits sales of prepaid cellphones to three per customer per day. Wal-mart leaves as little as possible to cashier discretion; for example a cashier is prompted to "verify age" when they scan in an age-restricted product such as alcohol, tobacco or M-rated[1] videogames. Thus I'd expect the Wal-mart POS system to complain if someone was buying more than 3 prepaid phones on the same transaction. Sure this could be worked around, however why would a cashier risk their job to "structure" a big buy of prepaid phones by doing 27 separate transactions? I bet we'll soon see the FCC ban anonymous sales of prepaid phones; that is a government issued ID will be needed to buy phones and top-up cards and records will have to be kept to be provided on request to the FBI. [1] In the USA, videogames are rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board , a voluntary association of game manufacturers. Games rated "M" aren't recommended for players under 17 due to subject matter, vulgar language, graphic violence, drug/alcohol/tobacco references, sex and nudity. Wal-mart company policy requires purchasers of M-rated games to be 17+. -- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Herb Oxley From: address IS Valid. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #306 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Aug 19 21:29:42 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 1E26B21F4; Sat, 19 Aug 2006 21:29:42 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #307 Message-Id: <20060820012942.1E26B21F4@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 21:29:42 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sat, 19 Aug 2006 21:31:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 307 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson What do People Search For on the Web? (Lee Gomes, Wall Street Journal) VoicePulse Setup (cliff@thesolutioncafe.com) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested (Neal McLain) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested (Mr Joseph Singer) Re: City Party Line Service (Mr Joseph Singer) Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force (Lisa Hancock) Re: Computer "Logic" in 1922 Panel Switching (Jim Haynes) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 19:26:26 -0500 From: Lee Gomes Subject: What do People Search For on the Web? PORTALS By LEE GOMES What Are Web Surfers Seeking? Well, It's Just What You'd Think One thing about us Internet users: We like our music, we like our pictures, we like our sex -- and we like them all free. Last week, AOL released a trove of what it thought were anonymous Web-search data from 650,000 of its customers. While intending to help researchers, AOL instead set off a privacy controversy because some of the users could, in fact, be tracked down. But taking up AOL on its original intentions, I got hold of the data set -- 2.27 gigabytes' worth, loaded it into my shiny new SQL Server database software, and started my own research project into how people really use the Web. One learns, for instance, that excepting prepositions and conjunctions, the most commonly used word in the 17.15 million separate searches was "free." If something isn't free, it better at least be "new," as that was the next-most common word. Excluding proper nouns, the next most popular words were "lyrics," "county," "school," "city," "home," "state," "pictures," "music," "sale," "beach," "high," "map," "center" and "sex." Ah, sex. The Web turns out to be every bit the domain of the unbounded id we always thought it was. According to a research paper about the data prepared by an AOL-led team, porn was the third most common activity of Web searchers, behind entertainment and shopping. My study showed that 14% of all users made some form of explicit sexual search. And sex was No. 44 on the list of Greatest Hits words; usually, it's around 2,500 for standard usage, such as in English-language novels. Among the sex searchers, there were 50,549 inquires for nude pictures. Perhaps for the first time in Internet history, the person most requested wasn't Pamela Anderson. In fact, it wasn't even a woman, but Peter Wentz, boyish singer of pop group Fall Out Boy. Ms. Anderson was second, followed by Paris Hilton. How good is the Web with queries not involving naked celebrities? Users seem to think it needs improving, because in 47% of all searches, they didn't click on any of the results presented to them. (Although that could also mean they got the answer they needed just from the information in the list of links they were given.) The AOL researchers noted that 28% of all searches were refinements of earlier searches, as users reshaped their queries to make the results more in sync with what they were looking for. For those searchers who did click on something, in 42% of the time, they clicked on the first link presented to them. That factoid explains why Web sites spend so much money boosting their search-engine rankings. In looking through all of the queries, I found 413,638 that were questions, that is, beginning with one of the five W's. Some 35% of these questioners never clicked on an answer, though I am not sure what even the best search engine could have done with a question like, "How to find your eye color." How good is the Web at actually answering questions? I took a random sample of 50 "question" searches, and then visited the Web page that questioners had clicked on. By my reckoning, 60% of these sites provided reasonable answers to what the user wanted to know, which included, "How to propose to a man," and "How to install more memory in a computer." Unanswered queries included, "How to potty train a new puppy" and "How strong are gymnasts." The first went to a company that sold dog food, the second to a Russian gymnast training school looking to raise money. Returning to the list of most frequently used words -- I need to thank Greg Sadestky of Poly9, fine purveyor of "mash up" map software, for his help -- "Google" was the 17th most common. While some might scoff at the notion of "searching for Google," it's actually efficient Web surfing. You're relying on the friendly, type-fixing search box, rather than the unforgiving URL bar at the top of your browser. In the same vein, don't do what 15% of people in the sample did, and include the full URL, including "http" and "www" and ".com" in the search box. It's a waste of time and keystrokes. The data were collected from March through May. Here are some random searches, and the numbers for each: Britney Spears -- 3,938; God -- 3,279; Madonna -- 1,881; Mother Teresa -- 165; Stephen Hawking -- 41; Kofi Annan -- 12. While clearly celebrities did well, writers seemed to fare badly. Indeed, there were no searches at all for such modern masters as Malcolm Lowry, Martin Amis and Lee Gomes. Data aside, reading these queries is like listening in on random phone calls; even if you don't know who is talking, the experience can be wrenching. Consider the person who, over the course of a few minutes, searched for "What to do when your Christian husband turns away from God," "How to deal with mental abuse in a Christian marriage" and "Do I stay or go when a Christian husband is on drugs and alcohol." One of the recommended sites gave thoughtful answers to important life questions from an evangelical Christian perspective. The other hawked Bible books. Write to Lee Gomes at lee.gomes@wsj.com Copyright 2006 Wall Street Journal NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: cliff@thesolutioncafe.com Subject: VoicePulse Setup Date: 19 Aug 2006 11:49:14 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I have a LinkSys PAP2T-NA which I purchased from voipsupply.com and I'm trying to get it setup to work with VoicePulse. I created a VoicePulse account using the serial number and MAC for the device and verified that there is an IP assigned to the Linksys. I then tried to provision the service on the Linksys with VoicePulse by going to the URL: http://a.b.c.d/admin/resync?http://sipura-profiles.voicepulse.com/migrate.xml as per the VoicePulse instructions. The device rebooted and by going to the device web page admin panel it looks like it picked up the VoicePulse information... BUT I can't get a dial-tone. I've opened up ports 5600 and 5601 on my router. The Linksys phone adapter is running 3.1.9(SLc) firmware. I can get to the Admin screen using the password 12345. Any ideas? I'm using Adelphia cable but I've also tried routing through BellSouth.net (I have both broadband services in-house). VoicePulse tech support says to just buy a device from them but that costs more and I already have an unlocked device which I can't return. Thanks for any help. Thanks again! Cliff ------------------------------ From: Neal McLain Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested ... Reply-To: nmclain@annsgarden.com Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 10:16:10 -0400 nospam4me@mytrashmail.com (Herb Oxley) wrote: > Wal-mart leaves as little as possible to cashier discretion; for > example a cashier is prompted to "verify age" when they scan in an > age-restricted product such as alcohol, tobacco or M-rated [1] > videogames. Or even Liquid Nails! Neal McLain ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 11:28:48 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist Charges (Herb Oxley) Fri, 18 Aug 2006 10:18:36 UTC wrote: > My guess is the Feds think these guys were part of a conspiracy to > acquire Tracfones to use in Iraq. > Does anyone know whether Tracfone offers service in Iraq -- or is it > fairly easy to load an "image" from an Iraqi cell provider onto them? Well, if they did think that either the "terrorists" were stupid or the Feds were stupid since TracFone won't work anywhere other than in North America and only works where there's a compatible network none of which are in Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East, Asia or Europe for that matter. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What you say is true, however the phones could be used to make anonymous calls between 'terrorists' here in the USA easily enough. So if 'sleeper cell A' needs to coordinate its activities with 'sleeper cell B' or if either one of them need to report to or get more instructions from terrorists in Iraq, that would make the TracFones rather ideal, wouldn't it? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 11:22:12 -0700 (PDT) From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: City Party Line Service bv124@aol.com Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:12:10 -0700 wrote: > Back in the late '60's and early '70's, in Carbondale, IL (GTE), we > had what was called "suburban" service as we were fifty (50) feet > outside the city limits. This was a ten (10) party line where each > line rang uniquely (no coded ringing.) When you dialed a toll call > (1+), an operator came on the line and asked for the number you were > calling from for billing purposes! > I think it was a SxS office. ONI (Operator Number Identification) was the norm for anything above a two-party line at least for the Bell System or at least it was ... ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force Date: 19 Aug 2006 12:10:53 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Actually, the 'Great Depression' is > normally dated as the last three months of 1929, along with 1930-33. > I do not think Bell did any central office conversions during that > time period, or very few of them. Chicago did not start converting > until 1939, after the depression, when our country was well on the > way toward recovery (which generally means a war is going on). Many > of the conversions occurred in the late 1940's and throughout the > 1950's, and as we know, those were much better times financially for > almost everyone. PAT] Generally, the Depression is started by be the fall of 1929 until about 1939-40. Although the big stock market crash is generally accepted to the be the start, for some people hard times started much earlier and later for others. Hard times continued until to about 1940 when defense spending perked up. There was some natural economic growth in 1939. There was a slight recovery in 1936-7, but then FDR cut the budget back and the economy fell down again. I believe Newark NJ was a major dial conversion around 1930 as was remaining manual exchanges within New York City and its immediate developed suburbs (ie Yonkers). No 1 crossbar came out and was implemented in the 1930s. Long distance systems continued to be modernized with improved repeaters and carrier systems. "AB" dialing for operators and other processes streamlined the process. While work at Bell obviously slowed down since so little revenue was coming in (the stock dividends were paid out of past surplus), it didn't stop. Someone else mentioned 25% unemployment even in 1941. That is too high. 20-%25% was about the worst the country had (except in some especially hard hit areas like the Dust Bowl), but other places weren't quite as hard hit. By 1939 it was down to about 15%. That's still very high but not quite as bad. It varied quite a bit by region and industry. There were some nasty strikes in the late 1930s that pushed up wages which allowed workers to have more money than mere sustenance. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Computer "Logic" in 1922 Panel Switching Reply-To: jhaynes@alumni.uark.edu Organization: University of Arkansas Alumni From: haynes@alumni.uark.edu (Jim Haynes) Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 23:42:35 GMT In article , Dennis Ritchie wrote: > Actually, there's tons of stuff about sequential circuits in KR&W, of > which I have multiple copies, including Keister's personal copy signed > by the authors. I helped empty his house when he moved to Cape Cod > and he gave it to me -- and the Ritchie was my father. > The book was published in 1951, and the thing it doesn't have much > about is transistor (let alone integrated) circuits. About as much > space (a few pages) is on cold-cathode tubes. I agree there is lots about sequential circuits -- my argument is that the approach used in KR&W is more of a cookbook approach -- circuits that have been worked out to solve specific problems -- and that it was Huffman who worked out the way to analyze sequential circuits using Boolean algebra. jhhaynes at earthlink dot net ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #307 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Aug 20 23:54:45 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id E5F80221E; Sun, 20 Aug 2006 23:54:44 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #308 Message-Id: <20060821035444.E5F80221E@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 23:54:44 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 20 Aug 2006 23:55:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 308 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Court Blocks Order to Turn Off Dish DVRs (Patrick Townson) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested ... (DLR) Re: Three Texas Men ... on Terrorist Charges (DLR) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist (Mark Crispin) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist (Joseph Singer) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (Lisa Hancock) P.S. on Dial Conversion in the Depression (Lisa Hancock) Re: City Party Line Service (Lisa Hancock) Re: City Party Line Service (Anthony Bellanga) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 16:16:10 -0500 From: David Koenig, AP Subject: Court Blocks Order to Turn Off Dish DVRs By DAVID KOENIG, AP Business Writer EchoStar Communications Corp. rushed to a federal appeals court Friday in a successful bid to avoid shutting down more than 3 million digital video recorders used by customers of its Dish satellite-TV service. But the victory could be only temporary. EchoStnar is fighting an uphill battle against TiVo Inc., which convinced a jury in April that EchoStar infringed on its patented TV-viewing technology in making set-top boxes for Dish customers. Late Thursday, the federal district court judge who presided over the trial also sided with TiVo. He issued an injunction ordering EchoStar to stop selling the recorders and to turn off machines already in customers' homes within 30 days. Judge David Folsom also ordered EchoStar to pay TiVo $89.6 million in damages — more than the $74 million the jury awarded. The ruling helped push TiVo shares up more than 8 percent Friday. Investors kept bidding the shares higher even after a federal appeals court in Washington temporarily blocked the order to disable EchoStar's video recorders. The appeals court said that it wasn't ruling on the merits of the case, only that it wanted more time to study whether the injunction should be delayed until appeals can be heard. Meanwhile, EchoStar finds itself under attack in a Florida court on a separate issue that could also force it to curtail services to Dish customers. EchoStar asked the Florida judge to delay until Sept. 11 an order that Dish stop selling signals of distant network stations — for example, a customer in Dallas who wants to receive broadcasts from ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox affiliates in New York or Los Angeles. The judge denied the request. A EchoStar spokeswoman, Kathie Gonzalez, said the company had appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and was negotiating with broadcasters who had sued EchoStar to prevent customers from losing their distant programming. Both cases hold the potential to cost Dish customers, but the TiVo affair is easily the more serious, said analyst Matthew Harrigan of Janco Partners Inc. "There is absolutely no way they can turn off those (recording) boxes without getting blind-sided. They would lose a lot of customers," Harrigan said. "People who use those boxes really like them. They would be furious." That was the argument EchoStar lawyers made in asking the appeals court in Washington to block Judge Folsom's injunction. Forcing Dish to disable those boxes would force customers to give up a treasured service or find new video-recording service from another provider, the lawyers said. EchoStar said it continued to believe it didn't infringe TiVo's patent for "time-warp" technology the ability to record a live television program while playing another. But EchoStar also said it was working on modifications to its recorders to avoid future claims of patent infringement. Gonzalez, the spokeswoman for Englewood, Colo.-based EchoStar, said more than 3 million of Dish's 12.5 million subscribers use an EchoStar recorder that would have been affected by Folsom's ruling. Dish is the nation's second-largest satellite-TV provider, behind DirecTV. If the Texas judge's $89.6 million award stands up on appeal, it would represent about half a year's revenue for TiVo, which hasn't earned a profit since its founding in 1997. The potential boon could be seen Friday in Alviso, Calif., company's stock price. TiVo shares rose 53 cents, or 8.2 percent, to close the day at $7.02 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. EchoStar shares dropped 30 cents, or just under 1 percent, to $32.45. TiVo hopes that a victory against EchoStar will convince other cable and satellite-TV providers that sell digital video recorders, or DVRs, other than TiVo's to agree to pay royalties and licensing fees to the company whose name is synonymous with recording TV on a hard drive. TiVo has a licensing agreement with the nation's largest satellite-TV provider, DirecTV, which has 3 million TiVo users. A deal with Comcast Corp., which has more than 23 million cable-TV subscribers, is set to begin in the fourth quarter. TiVo is still chasing deals with the other leading cable providers. "The company on its own is running OK," said Daniel Ernst, an analyst for Soleil Securities. "Prevailing against EchoStar isn't necessary for their success and growth, but certainly it would be a nice catalyst." The appeals court gave TiVo until next Wednesday to respond to Friday's move blocking the injunction against EchoStar. The case is far from over. Even TiVo could appeal. The Texas judge could have tripled the jury's $74 million award because jurors found that EchoStar willfully infringed TiVo's patent. TiVo is considering seeking a larger award on appeal, said spokesman Elliot Sloane. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 02:00:30 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested ... Neal McLain wrote: > nospam4me@mytrashmail.com (Herb Oxley) wrote: >> Wal-mart leaves as little as possible to cashier discretion; for >> example a cashier is prompted to "verify age" when they scan in an >> age-restricted product such as alcohol, tobacco or M-rated [1] >> videogames. > Or even Liquid Nails! More and more companies will do this. Not doing so and having a cashier make an "illegal" sale opens you up to a lawsuit in this country. If you watch TV after midnight, you'll see multiple ads per hour prompting you to file a lawsuit for money. [Pat, why not leave the [telecom] IN the subject so replies will get it automatically?] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 02:19:23 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Three Texas Men ... on Terrorist Charges > Where will it end? > The US seems well on the way to the old Czarist model, where > _everything_ was _forbidden_ unless explicitly allowed by the authorities. Prior to 1960 or so, you could buy an amazing collection of things from the drug store. Somewhere I have a book from the 50s on the hobby of rocket design. It contains some interesting mixes for fueling rockets. And this was not Estes, this was the real McCoy. And if you paid attention in high school chemistry and did a little experimenting, you could make some really big bangs. Pipe bombs were easy. Then (and I don't know all the reasons for sure) with the radical bombings and such plus a general "is this really a smart things to be selling" they gradually withdrew such things. Plus some laws were passed. Now buying saltpeter, magnesium, mercury, etc ... it a wee bit harder. Where should we set the limits? Jerry Pournelle wrote a series of SciFi books a while back about this very thing. US and USSR made a co-existence pack and basically shut down research into anything that anyone thought might be dangerous. As to my personal experiences, the drug store supply was gone by the time I got to high school chemistry in 1970, but my cousin (10 years older) got to have some fun. The only check was the druggist asked the local teacher if it was ok and the teacher told him to trust my cousin. Personally I think we were in more danger around the holidays than we knew. :) Here's the Estes mentioned above: http://www.estesrockets.com/ ------------------------------ From: Mark Crispin Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist Charges Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 19:50:09 -0700 Organization: University of Washington On Sat, 19 Aug 2006, Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > Well, if they did think that either the "terrorists" were stupid or the > Feds were stupid since TracFone won't work anywhere other than in North > America and only works where there's a compatible network none of which > are in Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East, Asia or Europe for > that matter. Not necessarily. TracFones are GSM, TDMA, or CDMA depending upon the region. Even if the GSM phones are GSM 850/1900, that's still useful elsewhere in the Americas once the phone is unlocked (note that TracFone itself is a subsidiary of America Movil, a Latin America mobile phone company). There are several countries overseas in which CDMA phones will work (including Israel). However, the number one reason for bulk buying TracFones is that the packages can be broken up. The SIM cards (in GSM phones) have airtime that is generally worth the cost of the phone, and the battery and charger sold separately is worth that again. Either the phone is tossed out, or if unlocked is again reusable on the secondary market. Unlike some European countries, it is perfectly legal to unlock a phone; when you buy a phone in the US, title to the physical phone transfers to the purchaser even if the purchase price was heavily subsidized. Without a contract (and since it's prepay there's no contract), there's really no legal recourse for the prepay company if the purchaser unlocks the phone and resells it. TracFone attempted to claim a DMCA violation against one unlocker (Sol Wireless Group), but I don't think that got anywhere. Strange to say, though, unlocking is not a big thing in the US the way it is in Europe. Most unlocked phones sold in the US are from Europe... -- Mark -- http://panda.com/mrc Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 21:42:44 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist Charges TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to a writer: >> Well, if they did think that either the "terrorists" were stupid or >> the Feds were stupid since TracFone won't work anywhere other than >> in North America and only works where there's a compatible network >> none of which are in Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East, Asia >> or Europe for that matter. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What you say is true, however the > phones could be used to make anonymous calls between 'terrorists' here > in the USA easily enough. So if 'sleeper cell A' needs to coordinate > its activities with 'sleeper cell B' or if either one of them need to > report to or get more instructions from terrorists in Iraq, that would > make the TracFones rather ideal, wouldn't it? PAT} Well, that can be said for any prepaid service since you are not required to register any of them. If people wish to do nefarious deeds you may make it more difficult for them, but you're not going to stop them. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality Date: 20 Aug 2006 18:46:15 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com John L wrote: > This must be a new neocon definition of "free market". Selling > something below cost to drive out competitors in a competitive market > and making up the losses from your profits in a non-competitive market > is the very definition of a predatory monopoly. It's what led to the > original anti-trust laws being passed over a century ago. The philosophy behind the passage of anti-trust laws a century ago is very different today. We have mega mergers in all sorts of industries that wouldn't have been tolerated years ago. We do not regulate business as we did 100 years ago. Back then "rebates" on railroad shipments were considered wrong, today it's everyday business on airlines. "Sweetheart deals" are perfectly acceptable. Again, the philosophy today products may be priced at whatever the traffic will bear. I don't like some of the business practices that has resulted from that principle, but that's the way it is. As to "predatory", there are numerous examples of big companies using their better economies of scale and logistics to squeeze out competitors. If a big drugstore chain squeezes out a mom 'n pop pharmacy, so it goes. If a huge retailer forces its suppliers to take a very tiny profit supplying it (as opposed to no profit at all and idle factories), so it goes. This happens everyday now. We've had discount airlines kill old companies because they offered seats at a loss. Companies use "loss leaders" all the time to attract customers. All legal. If a company feels it has been slighted, it may take legal action. I object to pre-conditions, which I feel some "net neutrality" efforts are. In other words, if the old line phone companies use their existing economies of scale and existing customer base to build up subscribers to new businesses, that's perfectly fine. That's what everyone else does. > I think you need to read up on natural monopolies. There's a reason > that nobody does cable system overbuilds, even though they're legal > throughout the country. No, not anymore. Public policy today is that a newcomer can come in, if not, too bad. We've been told for years the big evil Bell Companies have a "natural monopoly" and nobody could cut into their guarnateed business. That's a lie. Cable companies laid their own fibre and now often full service; many people no longer have any connection to the classic Bell Companies (the NYT reported on this). So now the old Bell System companies has a ton of obsolete plant and losing business. Why do we need protection from that? Why did Verizon's stock decline to half? Having a "natural monopoly" didn't stop MCI from coming in and skimming off the cream of the Bell System. Where it was too expensive it demanded -- and received -- cheap interconnection. The old "Ma Bell" died in 1983. The myth -- perpetuated to this day in TV ads -- of the big powerful telcos is nonsense. Whoever is running those false TV ads (they keep their name in too fine print to read) is the ones we consumers need to be protected against. [public replies please] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: P.S. on Dial Conversion in the Depression Date: 20 Aug 2006 18:51:13 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I checked the book "Telephone" by John Brooks. It confirmed that dial conversions indeed went on during the Great Depression. Indeed, it was the only thing keeping Western Electric going, otherwise W/E should have had to shut down -- there was simply no demand. The Bell System lost half its traffic after 1931. (Initially traffic was higher as people adjusted to the effects of the changing economy). One controversy was that the Bell System kept up its full dividend even though it had to come from past corporate earnings (surplus) since no new money was being earned. If the dividend had been reduced slightly the money could've been used to keep some of the operators on who were laid off. Of course, there was no traffic for them to handle and was that the Bell System's role -- to create "leaf raking" jobs? Further, how would've the dividend cut affected public confidence and critical future financing needs? ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: City Party Line Service Date: 20 Aug 2006 19:26:17 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > ONI (Operator Number Identification) was the norm for anything above a > two-party line at least for the Bell System or at least it was ... Correct. They could get it (ANI) from two-party lines, but nothing higher. The earliest "ANI" was in early long distance where a "checking multiple" was used to confirm the subscriber's number. (I think this was with panel). The operated tested a button and heard a confirmation tone. According to the NYT on this, only two instances of many thousands of calls were incorrect. I suspect it was more. In NYC, panel had meters on subscribers lines for message rate service. These were also done under manual service, but apparently the operator had to press a key to register the call and often forget. Operator timing beyond the 5 minute period was also inconsistent. I'm not sure when and how NYC implemented timing and distance on panel meters (message units), I don't think it was present at the beginning. Distant calls were intercepted by the operator who placed it as a toll call with a ticket. Even then they used some push button consoles. A later ANI was in Los Angeles with their early (1940s) automatic ticketing system for short long-distance toll calls. It was some hairy tech stuff involving electronics added to the SxS exchanges (see Bell Eng & Sci history.) When DDD came out. ONI was needed in a great many places since ANI wasn't that easy to do. I wonder if there was any checking. The modern No. 4 ESS included a link to a TSPS for ONI purposes if ANI wasn't received, such as from 4 party lines. Interesting how modern technology still had to provide backward links to old stuff for compatibility purposes. P.S. NYC converted from 3L to 2L PEN to PE-6 around 1931. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 19:57:12 -0600 From: Anthony Bellanga Reply-To: no-spam@no-spam.no-spam Subject: Re: City Party Line Service ******************************************************************** PAT - DO NOT display my email address anywhere in this post! Thanks. ******************************************************************** bv124@aol.com wrote: > Back in the late '60's and early '70's, in Carbondale, IL (GTE), > we had what was called "suburban" service as we were fifty (50) > feet outside the city limits. This was a ten (10) party line > where each line rang uniquely (no coded ringing.) When you dialed > a toll call (1+), an operator came on the line and asked for the > number you were calling from for billing purposes! > I think it was a SxS office. This type of party line ringing was called "frequency selective" or "harmonic" ringing. Most telcos, especially Bell, have used a standard of 20 Hz for ringing a phone line. However, by using up to five different frequencies for ringing each party on the same side of a multi-party line, you could individually ring the desired party without disturbing any of the others. Also, most party line systems split the line set-up in two "halves". One side of the party line customers have their phones wired "tip to ground", while the other side of the parties have their phones wired "ring to ground". Regardless of the switching equipment (manual, SXS, Panel, XB, ESS, even digital), you can have fully selective ringing on a 2-party line since one party is the "ring to ground" while the other party is the "tip to ground". Bell telcos rarely if ever used harmonic or tuned or frequency ringers. Independent telcos have regularly used them, especially on party line systems of more than 2 or 4 parties, since they frequently set up 10 or even 20 parties on a line in rural areas. It was also possible to have fully selective ringing on a 4-party system by adding "biased" ringing -- i.e., positive bias as well as negative bias, in addition to the tip vs. ring to ground. Thus, you could also have an 8-party system where only two parties at a time would ever hear their bells ring, since you'd only double the number of parties on a fully selective 4-party system. There would be coded ringing in addition to the "bias" as well as the "tip vs. ring to ground". The most common ringing code sets were single ling rings and double short rings. But there have been others. Some manual systems had machine controlled ringing. The operator simply plugged into the desired party and the ringing was controlled automatically. But in other manual systems, especially magneto, the operator either pressed a ringing button, or turned a crank (magnet), and thus could produce almost any combination of possible ringing patterns. Most telcos these days have discontinued party line systems, although some might have grandfathered long time customers under the lower party line rate. However, in today's environment, since telco does not own the customer equipment anymore, it is difficult for telco to make certain that the phones are wired the right way for that particular party. Sometimes the phone company can do the special wiring trick at the demarc box outside the house, thus the customer can have several "standard" wired phones in their house. And with today's plasic electronic phones, it might be impossible for telco to open up that piece of sh** to "re-wire" the phone itself for that particular party line customer. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #308 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Aug 21 21:12:59 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id EFEA8220D; Mon, 21 Aug 2006 21:12:58 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #309 Message-Id: <20060822011258.EFEA8220D@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 21:12:58 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 21 Aug 2006 21:14:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 309 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Campaign Targets Web Crimes Against Kids (Jamie Stengle, AP) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 21, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Verizon Considers News Channel For Long Island (USTelecom dailyLead) What's This Telephone Related Item? (Jim Stewart) P.S. on Dial Conversion in the Depression (earle robinson) Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality (John Levine) Re: Three Texas Men ... on Terrorist Charges (David) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist (Matt Simpson) Re: Three Texas Men ... on Terrorist Charges (Lisa Hancock) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist (Joseph Singer) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:27:25 -0500 From: Jamie Stengle, AP Subject: Campaign Targets Web Crimes Against Kids By JAMIE STENGLE, Associated Press Writer Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced a new public service campaign Monday that will warn teenage girls against posting information on the Internet that could put them at risk of attack by child predators. "Every day, these predators are looking for someone to hurt," Gonzales said at the 18th annual Crimes Against Children Conference in Dallas. "Every day, we must educate parents and children about the threat." About 2,700 law enforcement officials from around the world are attending the conference, which runs through Thursday. "We want the front line professionals to be able to go back to their communities to protect the children in their communities," Gonzales said. "This conference brings folks together from all parts of the world and gets them talking with each other." A third of this year's 180 workshops are focusing on Internet crime, said Lynn Davis, president and CEO of the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center, which is hosting the conference with the Dallas Police Department. The ad campaign by the Department of Justice, in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Ad Council, will begin running early next year. "It's all part of the ongoing effort to educate the public about this very serious threat," Gonzales said. According to a Justice Department study, one in seven children using the Internet has been sexually solicited and one in three has been exposed to unwanted sexual material. One in 11 has been harassed. The ad campaign is the latest in a series from the Justice Department. One that warned about the dangers online was developed in 2004, giving advice to parents on how to protect their children from Internet predators. A second series of ads released in 2005 warned teen girls about forming online relationships with people they don't know. On the Net: Dallas Children's Advocacy Center: http://www.dcac.org/ Nat'l Center for Missing & Exploited Children : http://www.missingkids.com/ Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 21, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 10:37:50 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 21, 2006 ******************************** NTL-Virgin Offers Free Broadband for Mobile Users http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19438?11228 NTL-Virgin has become the latest company to offer ld free broadband in the United ... Euro Carriers Maintain M&A Madness http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19425?11228 It may be the dog days of summer, but there's plenty of M&A activity going on across Europe. Speculation abounds over the future of U.K. Cable operator NTL Group LTD, which is being courted by a bunch of private equity firms. (See Reports: Equity Firms Approach NTL.) The fate of the company will have a lot to do with ... Mexico Opens VoIP Floodgates http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/110/19424?11228 Mexico's second-largest cable-TV operator, Cablemas S.A. de C.V., disclosed that, back on July 31, it received fixed-telephony licenses covering 13 of Mexico's largest cities -- a licensing landmark that could open the floodgates of competition between cable providers and phone companies in that country, thus threatening the .. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 12:25:25 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Verizon Considers News Channel For Long Island USTelecom dailyLead August 21, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/elrofDtusXaLkCBJEM TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Verizon considers news channel for Long Island BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Three bidders emerge for Verizon's landlines in New England * Level 3 inks deal with MySpace * Analysis: Bell Labs caught in middle in Alcatel-Lucent merger * Comcast's presence in southern Colorado grows via Adelphia acquisition USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Gbps+ Wireless Local Loop: Transforming Last Mile Economics HOT TOPICS * T-Mobile unveils at-home service * Verizon ramps up rewiring effort in NYC * Study: Cable may need to spend billions to compete in broadband * AT&T unveils digital living room package * Nortel to help push VoIP TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Has digital convergence finally arrived? * New telecom technology uses blimps for high-speed data, voice communications REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * DT must open broadband lines, EU says DIVERSIONS * Going to Napa, but Skipping the Vineyards * PC's That Are a Lot Smaller Than a Breadbox * On the Beach but Still on Guard * 'Snakes on a Plane': That's No Seat Belt Around Your Waist * The St.-Tropez of Turkey * Mascot Madness: VW Pulls a Rabbit Out of Its Past * Rocking the Waters on Music Cruises Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/elrofDtusXaLkCBJEM ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:00:08 -0700 From: Jim Stewart Subject: What's This Telephone Related Item? http://www.grumpyoldgeek.com/PhoneSlug/PhoneSlug.htm I was cleaning out a desk drawer last night and ran across this item. It's about .007" wider and thicker than a US quarter. I can't remember where I got it, but the Princess phone on the back leads me to believe it's payphone related. Anyone want it for their collection (Patrick has first right of refusal)? [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: A long time ago, pay telephones did not accept money as such; they were operated with 'telephone slugs'; at least the ones in Chicago were. I know if you wanted to use the pay phone at Walgreens for example, Walgreens sold the slugs for five cents each; Illinois Bell redeemed the slugs for four cents each, which is how the merchant made his commission on pay phones in the 1920's. You bought one or more slugs, depending on your needs, and used them in the pay phones. When the collector came around each week or two, he would open the box, dump out the slugs and resell them to the Walgreens clerk at the discounted rate. Since that time (in the 1920's) there have been other occassions where merchants sold slugs for the payphones and telco redeemed them to the merchants. Since you say your example has a 'Princess phone' stamped on it and since it is approximatly the size of a 25-cent coin, my hunch is it may have been used for the phones at one of the world's fair's such as New York back in the 1970's. If you are offering to give it away, yes, I will take it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: earle robinson Subject: P.S. on Dial Conversion in the Depression Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 22:01:23 +0200 (Pat, please mask my email address. Thank you.) Regarding AT&T dividends in the 30s, and until the breakup in 1983, the stock was the ultimate 'widows and orphans' holding. The dividend was sacrosanct. For that reason alone it was virtually impossible ever to reduce the dividend paid. Any violation of this 'rule' would have been as if the government stopped paying interest on treasury bonds. -er ------------------------------ Date: 21 Aug 2006 03:54:56 -0000 From: John Levine Subject: Re: Why I am Opposed to Net Neutrality > The old "Ma Bell" died in 1983. The myth -- perpetuated to this day > in TV ads -- of the big powerful telcos is nonsense. Oh, wow. Can I have some of whatever you've been smoking? R's, John ------------------------------ Reply-To: David From: David Subject: Re: Three Texas Men ... on Terrorist Charges Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 14:36:05 GMT DLR wrote in message news:telecom25.308.3@telecom-digest.org: >> Where will it end? >> The US seems well on the way to the old Czarist model, where >> _everything_ was _forbidden_ unless explicitly allowed by the >> authorities. > Prior to 1960 or so, you could buy an amazing collection of things > from the drug store. Somewhere I have a book from the 50s on the hobby > of rocket design. It contains some interesting mixes for fueling > rockets. And this was not Estes, this was the real McCoy. And if you > paid attention in high school chemistry and did a little > experimenting, you could make some really big bangs. Pipe bombs were > easy. Then (and I don't know all the reasons for sure) with the > radical bombings and such plus a general "is this really a smart > things to be selling" they gradually withdrew such things. Plus some > laws were passed. > Now buying saltpeter, magnesium, mercury, etc ... it a wee bit harder. > Where should we set the limits? (snip) I remember those days. You could even buy nitric and sulfuric acid at the drugstore and nearly anything else you wanted from mail order chemical companies. Those days are gone along with chemistry sets. What really disturbs me is the removal of some very useful things from the market because of the litigious society we live in. Today I can not even buy a torsion spring for my garage door as the lawyers have made the liability risk for the seller just too great. David ------------------------------ From: Matt Simpson Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist Charges Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 10:05:01 -0400 In article , nospam4me@mytrashmail.com (Herb Oxley) wrote: > Now in the case of the 3 guys who got busted Uncle Sam is going to > have to prove they knew what the phones were going to be used for. Not necessarily. The Bush Supreme Court seems to be ruling that Uncle Sam doesn't have to prove anything any more. They can declare them "enemy combatants" and lock them up indefinitely, no evidence, no charges, no lawyers, no trials. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And to many of the Brave and Courageous Police Officers of America, those would seem to be ideal conditions. I mean, having to find evidence and truth, when innuendo and lies are much easier to come by and work with is a real nuisance. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Three Texas Men ... on Terrorist Charges Date: 21 Aug 2006 12:31:21 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com DLR wrote: > Prior to 1960 or so, you could buy an amazing collection of things > from the drug store. ... they gradually withdrew such things. Plus some > laws were passed. Often new products came out that were (and are) perfectly legal but after experience in the marketplace we realize they are dangerous and they are pulled. This has been an ongoing process for the last 100 years. Conversely, some products once thought dangerous are now sold everywhere (such as contraceptives). The military had trouble with moralists in WW II in giving out contraceptives but they were critical to control the spread of VD which could ruin an army if unchecked. The sale of alcoholic beverages varies greatly from state to state, some states or localities are very restrictive, others are wide open. I recall an anti-nausea medication, Paregoric, that was OTC years ago but now is a controlled prescription as an example. I think nowadays some raw materials to make "speed" (meth) are restricted. > Where should we set the limits? This is been a long ongoing debate in society about balancing protection against availability about many different products and services. We see that now on the 'net; some ISPs restrict the number of postings to control against spam. Is that fair? A good idea? I find it annoying if I'm in a prolific mood, but I can see the point of it. We will undoubtedly have to deal with more controls. As an aside, keeping to telecom issues: What does the telephone company require today to establish land line phone service? Suppose I refuse to provide a social security number and want to use a name for which no credit record exists -- but am willing to put down a large cash deposit in advance. I can understand their need for credit safety, but I pay them in advance that is not an issue. (Which is how things were done in the old days -- cash deposits for unknowns). Will they still give me service or require verifiable background if I "don't exist"? How does a kid getting his first phone get service -- how does a kid prove who he is? (Kids today must have an SSN after birth and that can prove age. I think today schools give out photo IDs which are required by govt agencies to get a driver's license.) BOTH government and the private sector do not like dealing with anonymity. They want audit trails and verified names of customers even when paying cash. I opened a storage locker and they demanded a lot of official ID even though I paid in advance. Kind of irked me. If you apply for a job today, they'll run a credit check on you. BTW, can you still make toll coin calls from a payphone? They don't seem to accept coins anymore. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Answering the last part first ... many pay telephones no longer accept money; you are required to provide either third-party or some other kind of special billing (i.e. calling card) number. Now one might think telco would at least reduce the cost of those calls to what the coin-deposit-paid-in-advance rate would be under those circumstances (no coins accepted after dark for example) but telco says no, cannot give those types of discounted rates. In the past, if telco's customers were imposed upon for reasosn not their own fault, customers were given the least expensive (i.e. direct dialed) rate. Telco claims they made that adjustment to the pay phone at the request of the phone's owner or by 'community demand' (which generally means the police or some other big-shot politician in the community requested it.) If you inquire further, of the 'community' as to why they had this done, answers will range from 'drug dealers hanging around that phone' (such as parking lot at 7/Eleven, Walmart store, etc) to the more contemporary catch-all 'terrorists'; in any event, where a 25 cent coin is never going to provide an audit trail; third-party or other special billing will _always_ tell you who did what, and when. In Chicago, for example, many payphones in inner-city neighborhoods have been set for 'no coins after dark' for several years, mainly on account of drug dealers, but 'terrorists' has become much more common in the past four or five years. Those same no-coins-after-dark payphones also are blacklisted by telco security against overseas calling with calling cards, depending on your voice accent, color of skin, and destination of your call. Of course, telco won't tell you the real reasons your calling card is not accepted; do you think they are fools standing there waiting to get sued for discriminatory practices? If you _really push hard_ for an answer as to why your telco-issued calling card cannot be used to call from a blacklisted payphone (most all of them) to Nigeria, Iraq, Iran, most any _non-English_ speaking country in the world, then the operator has been trained to lie to you claiming 'our (name of telco) credit card is not accepted by the (name of telco) in that country.' When that happened to me once and I got that lie recited to me by the operator, I told her I was attempting to make a PAID call ... what the other country did or did not wish to do with a USA-issued calling card would have nothing to do with it. Her supervisor told me that not only were coins-after-dark not an acceptable (i.e. traceable) method of payment, but even usually traceable methods of payment (calling card, etc) were unacceptable to 'that country' because of the high incidence of fraud. Nor, it seems were cellular phones acceptable for those international calls. The _only_ way calls to those 'high fraud' and or 'high risk of terrorism' countries could be made was from a _fixed_ landline phone (where the telco pair in use could be firmly identified later as needed.) I resisted the impulse of asking her what about in cases like inner city Chicago where your 'pair' itself is an open-ended multiple in every apartment building up and down the alley behind your house ... she probably would have had another story to tell me in that case. Now regards the other part of your letter, children or other 'first-time users' of telco; how do they get service, etc? Well Lisa, I remember quite well, as you must, in the 1950-60's when you called the business office to get a phone installed, the 'telephone man' came out the same day or the next morning at latest, put it in and turned it on. There were no questions asked; there were no credit limits set; that was your business. And although they appreciated getting payment within a few days of when they mailed your bill, nothing was said until at least two months went by; then an inquiry was made. There were _never_ any inquiries made at the credit bureau, nor were any reports made to the bureaus. Telco worked exclusively from its own internal records. If they had no record, or the record said something negative, then they _might_ ask you for the first month in advance to get service turned on. Or maybe not ... and there certainly was no inquiry ever made about your social security number. But if a child's parents had been telco customers for some period of time, that was considered good enough for telco. Would you believe I have _never_ been asked to pay a deposit (either for first month of service or to keep in escrow) by telco until a few years ago. That is because when my first phone was installed in 1960-61 or thereabouts, the fact that my parents had had phone service for thirty years prior to that was considered 'good enough'. Now the other day, I decided to call AT&T to inquire about some sort of promotional deal I got in the mail; they refused to discuss it at all until they had my street address and social security number which I refused to give them. I guess things are changing a lot. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 17:12:37 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist Charges Mark Crispin Sat, 19 Aug 2006 19:50:09 -0700 wrote: > TracFones are GSM, TDMA, or CDMA depending upon the region. Even if > the GSM phones are GSM 850/1900, that's still useful elsewhere in the > Americas once the phone is unlocked (note that TracFone itself is a > subsidiary of America Movil, a Latin America mobile phone company). TracFones whether GSM, CDMA or IS-136 "TDMA" all have special unique firmware in the handset that debits the account rather than as in traditional prepaid where all the account debiting is done in the operator's billing system. This is why some older TracFones do not debit for incoming text messages while the newer models do. The only way you can use handsets that were for Net10 or TracFone outside of their systems is if you have them reflashed with generic non-Net10 or TracFone specific firmware. Even though TracFone has GSM in many places you cannot take a regular SIM and insert it into a TracFone even if the SIM "subsidy" lock is defeated. In other groups it has been discussed and some think that you cannot even use a Net10 or TracFone handset interchangeably even though they both use the same handset-based debiting/charging system. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #309 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Aug 22 15:52:37 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 3661E21FB; Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:52:37 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #310 Message-Id: <20060822195237.3661E21FB@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:52:37 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:55:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 310 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Verizon Pockets New DSL Fee Instead of Government (Reuters News Wire) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 22, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Cisco Buys Arroyo (USTelecom dailyLead) Cellular Roaming Tariffs (rbc310@gmail.com) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist (Mark Crispin) Re: Three Texas Men ... on Terrorist Charges (Lis Hancock) Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force (DLR) Re: What's This Telephone Related Item? (Lisa Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 13:28:34 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Verizon Pockets New DSL Fee Instead of Government Verizon Communications has decided to pocket most of the savings from the cancellation of a government surcharge on digital subscriber lines, despite calls from consumer groups to pass on the savings on to users. Verizon, one of the biggest U.S. telecoms companies, used to charge DSL customers a monthly fee of $1.25 or $2.83, depending on connection speeds, for a government fund to help bring service to lower-income and rural areas. The government stopped charging that fee on August 14, but Verizon will instead impose a new monthly surcharge of $1.20 or $2.70, beginning August 26, which it said was to help subsidize connection costs. "There's a lot of cost associated with the service and this is a way we've elected to recover a portion of that cost," said Verizon spokeswoman Bobbi Henson on Tuesday. By introducing the new surcharge as the previous fee ended, Verizon hoped to minimize the impact on customers, she said. But consumer groups like the Consumer Federation of America said DSL customers should not have to pay a new fee. "They charge so much for that already. The simple fact is they have market power," said Mark Cooper, an official at the Consumer Federation of America. Verizon's latest earnings report in August showed it had a total 6.1 million broadband customers, although 375,000 were connected to its more advanced fiber-optic network called FiOS. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 22, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 12:04:00 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 22, 2006 ******************************** Comcast Denies Need for Major Upgrade http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19458?11228 Comcast chief financial officer John Alchin has disputed recent industry speculation that it needs to undertake a major network upgrade to keep up with the likes of AT&T and Verizon, both of which are investing billions of U.S. dollars in FTTx roll-out. Alchin said that technologies such as digital simulcast or switched video would ... Billing for Bundles: The Once and Future King http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19456?11228 ONCE UPON A TIME, resellers were singleline businesses, rebilling long-distance, say, or local services. Customer service and price were the differentiators. Now, this market segment has branched out to take on new services, both to mitigate the risk of being a one-trick pony, but also to compete for customers who increasingly want ... Nortel Continues 3G Push http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19453?11228 Nortel is moving full-speed ahead with its involvement in the push for 3G services in the wireless sector. Its most recent contract win is out of Paris with Bouygues Telecom. Bouygues has relied on Nortel through the years, starting with its GSM rollout and through its move to EDGE. The operator is now turning to Nortel to power ... Communications Cops Investigate VoIP E911 Concerns http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19450?11228 Using the somewhat sexy moniker 'Project 41', the Association of Public-Safety Communications officials (APCO) International has launched a project to solve the public-safety problems created by Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. The charter of Project 41, APCO says, is to 'address the impact upon ... RIM's 'Stealth' to Uncloak? http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19447?11228 Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) could be gearing up to unveil its hotly anticipated 'prosumer' smartphone early in September, according to analysts. The Canadian company sent out a note this morning inviting journalists to an 'exclusive BlackBerry press event' in London on September 6 with a number of... Achtung! Regulators Force DT to Share http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19444?11228 Deutsche Telekom AG will be forced to play nice and share its broadband network with competitors, after the European Commission upheld a ruling by German regulator BNetzA that the incumbent holds too dominant a position in the market. The Commission approved BNetzA's decision to require Deutsche Telekom to offer local ... IPTV Will Drive Future of DSL IC Chipset Market http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19441?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- While data and VoIP continue to drive the DSL IC chipset market, and will account for the bulk of port shipments through 2010, the delivery of IPTV capability is the wave of the future, reports In-Stat. Carriers worldwide are using ADSL2+ and VDSL2 as they upgrade their networks to deliver television and video ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 12:59:49 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Cisco Buys Arroyo USTelecom dailyLead August 22, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/emakfDtusXaRavNXUn TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Cisco buys Arroyo BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Lauer to leave Sprint Nextel * Verizon, BellSouth to add new surcharge to DSL bills * PCCW's wireless broadband service struggles in U.K. * Pipex to launch first U.K. WiMAX service in Milton Keynes USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Learn more about Next Generation Wireless Applications TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Analysts: WiMAX making gains, but mass market deployment a ways off REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FTC Chief: No need for Net neutrality laws * T-Mobile leads bidding in spectrum auction DIVERSIONS * Web Surfing in Public Places Is a Way to Court Trouble * In and Around Times Square * Renting Movies With a Box and a Beam * Take My Nest Egg. Please. * Now the Music Industry Wants Guitarists to Stop Sharing * Broadway's Touring Shows Find Seats Harder to Sell Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/emakfDtusXaRavNXUn ------------------------------ From: rbc310@gmail.com Subject: Cellular Roaming Tariffs Date: 22 Aug 2006 09:48:08 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Can anyone direct me to a PUC tariff on inter-carrier cellular roaming charges? I'm looking for a tariff detailing the charges that Carrier A would charge to Carrier B if Carrier A originates a call from a roaming customer of Carrier B. Essentially, the CABS of wireless. Thank you. ------------------------------ From: Mark Crispin Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist Charges Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 18:29:25 -0700 Organization: Networks & Distributed Computing On Mon, 21 Aug 2006, Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > The only way you can use handsets that were for Net10 or TracFone > outside of their systems is if you have them reflashed with generic > non-Net10 or TracFone specific firmware. Why would that be a problem? Is there some reason that makes these phones particularly difficult to reflash? Reflashing is trivial on most other phones. -- Mark -- http://staff.washington.edu/mrc Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate. Si vis pacem, para bellum. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Three Texas Men ... on Terrorist Charges Date: 22 Aug 2006 10:16:00 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: > Now regards the other part of your letter, children or other > 'first-time users' of telco; how do they get service, etc? Well Lisa, > I remember quite well, as you must, in the 1950-60's when you called > the business office to get a phone installed, the 'telephone man' came > out the same day or the next morning at latest, put it in and turned > it on. There were no questions asked; there were no credit limits set; > that was your business. In Philadelphia (and I think NYC) new customers had to put in a deposit for several months. When I got my own phone line in my parents' house, they gave me a choice of being on my parents' bill immediately or giving them a deposit for an account in my name. I wanted to my account and some privacy so I paid a deposit. I got it back after four months. It may have had interest. (As an aside, their check was still in the old Bell System logo and was pretty fancy. I wish I made a photocopy of it.) As an aside, they used the yellow-black wires for my line. These were once used for Trimline lights by the former owner but we didn't have any Trimlines. I got basic black hard wired. Modular came out a few years later. I don't blame them for this policy since utilities get badly burned by deadbeats. The "progressives" feel sorry for the poor and force difficult procedures before service is cut off for any utility. The reality is that many people take full advtg of this and cheat the companies. The Philadelphia Gas Works, being city owned and subject to extensive pressure, had an extremely liberal disconnect policy and as a result a huge deadbeat load. Finally pressure from other quarters--the people who actually paid the bills--forced a change. From time to time there's a fatal house fire from candles or stoves where the electric is cut off for non payment, and the "cruel" electric company is blamed, not the people who failed to pay the bill. For whatever reasons, these pressures seem to be more of a city problem. In the suburbs, the attitude is different. > Now the other day, I decided to call AT&T to inquire about some sort > of promotional deal I got in the mail; they refused to discuss it at > all until they had my street address and social security number which > I refused to give them. I guess things are changing a lot. PAT] Part of this is to protect the company, part of it is to protect us from identity theft. What irks me is that corporate American's never ending battle to sell us more stuff is responsible for identity theft, such as giving instant credit in stores and issuing credit cards like crazy. Further, most businesses are national chains with processing centralized, so there is no local controls or knowing the person. I checked the requirements for a 16 y/o to get their first driver's license. They are required to bring in a variety of documents, but one of which must be a photo ID. A school transcript is not enough, this is in addition to that. I guess all schools issue photo IDs now, my public high school sure as heck didn't have the money for that. Our computer generated class schedule card served as our ID card. 'Course we didn't have metal detectors or cameras in public schools then either. Do all schools give kids photo ID these days? Cops sometimes stop pedestrians for suspicious activities, such as taking pictures. I wonder what would happen if someone didn't have a driver's license or state ID, but had other ID, like an employer's card, library card, etc. I wish I had the resources to test the system, but I don't and lawyers are expensive. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 06:07:58 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Actually, the 'Great Depression' is >> normally dated as the last three months of 1929, along with 1930-33. >> I do not think Bell did any central office conversions during that >> time period, or very few of them. Chicago did not start converting >> until 1939, after the depression, when our country was well on the >> way toward recovery (which generally means a war is going on). Many >> of the conversions occurred in the late 1940's and throughout the >> 1950's, and as we know, those were much better times financially for >> almost everyone. PAT] > Generally, the Depression is started by be the fall of 1929 until about > 1939-40. Although the big stock market crash is generally accepted to > the be the start, for some people hard times started much earlier and > later for others. Hard times continued until to about 1940 when > defense spending perked up. There was some natural economic growth in > 1939. There was a slight recovery in 1936-7, but then FDR cut the > budget back and the economy fell down again. [snip] > Someone else mentioned 25% unemployment even in 1941. That is too > high. 20-%25% was about the worst the country had (except in some > especially hard hit areas like the Dust Bowl), but other places > weren't quite as hard hit. By 1939 it was down to about 15%. That's > still very high but not quite as bad. It varied quite a bit by region > and industry. There were some nasty strikes in the late 1930s that > pushed up wages which allowed workers to have more money than mere > sustenance. It was me. I know I have heard those numbers so I started digging. I guess a lot of these records have never been posted on the internet. :) Did they define unemployment then as they do now? For a long time now you only count if you are looking for work. Surveys are now done by phone. In the 30s I wonder what methods were used. And to be honest I'll bet the rates in NYC and Chicago were different in many ways than where I grew up outside of the small city (remote from almost anywhere) of Paducah. Lots of folks were working in the 30s but not making much money. My dad's high school class was very small due to most of the kids dropping out way before they turned 16 to go to work to help the family out. But here's what I've found so far. A table I found that was supposed to be based on government labor stats had 10,390,000 unemployed in 1938, 9,480,000 in 1939, 8,120,000 in 1940, and 5,560,000 in 1941. This translates into unemployment rates of 19.9%, 17.1%, 14.5%, and 9.%. But these numbers are skewed for due to WWI, the US started ramping up aircraft production about this time. As best I can tell B17 production alone in 38 and 39 accounted for 2000 assembly jobs plus all the indirect supplier jobs, grocery store, clothing stores, etc ... And there were a lot of other plans being produced in larger numbers. On 12/7/41 we had 4 fully equipped carriers in the Pacific plus more under construction. And a deployed carrier, even in 1941, represented a huge number of jobs. Both in crew, support, and just building it and the planes. Plus we were shipping planes to England and France in 1938, 1939, and 1940. (We lost over 100 carrier planes when France fell and they were interred for the duration of the war.) Then add in that nearly 1,000,000 men were drafted (army only?) in 1941. So the question I have is how of the recovery was without war and pre-war spending? Any? I know life was tough for my dad's farm family. He was born in 1925 and says the ONLY reason the had food was that they had a slaughter house operation saw mill and were big enough to be able to supply schools and such and not be dependent on the local farmers markets. And he talks about a life that was closer to little house on the prairie than 1960. Here's the stats I have. Plus now I'm interested enough to try and find out what the increased pre-war spending did for the economy. So I get to dig deeper. Year Pop Labor Force LF % Unemployed Rate 1929 88,010,000 49,440,000 56.18% 1,550,000 3.14 1930 89,550,000 50,080,000 55.92% 4,340,000 8.67 1931 90,710,000 50,680,000 55.87% 8,020,000 15.82 1932 91,810,000 51,250,000 55.82% 12,060,000 23.53 1933 92,950,000 51,840,000 55.77% 12,830,000 24.75 1934 94,190,000 52,490,000 55.73% 11,340,000 21.60 1935 95,460,000 53,140,000 55.67% 10,610,000 19.97 1936 96,700,000 53,740,000 55.57% 9,030,000 16.80 1937 97,870,000 54,320,000 55.50% 7,700,000 14.18 1938 99,120,000 54,950,000 55.44% 10,390,000 18.91 1939 100,360,000 55,600,000 55.40% 9,480,000 17.05 1940 101,560,000 56,180,000 55.32% 8,120,000 14.45 1941 102,700,000 57,530,000 56.02% 5,560,000 9.66 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Regards food to eat during the depression years, my father was born in 1922 and my mother was born in 1924, and they both migrated to Coffeyville, KS in their childhood years. My mother pointed out that in the 1930-40 time period, she could come home from the grocery store with two or three _large_ bags of groceries for five dollars. Of course, many guys did not have the five dollars. One reason there were few -- if any -- 'help wanted' ads in newspapers was because almost instantly upon a job becoming available, 'word' got around and someone would walk in off the street and ask for it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: What's This Telephone Related Item? Date: 22 Aug 2006 10:22:45 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Jim Stewart: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: A long time ago, pay telephones did not > accept money as such; they were operated with 'telephone slugs'; at > least the ones in Chicago were. I'm not sure that's a pay phone token. I thought tokens were discontinued way way back when Gray's 3-slot phones came out that could take any demonination deposit via 5c, 10c, and 25c coins. Anyway, on this item the phone appears to be a Trimline, not a Princess, and it appears the date is 198?. There is no Bell System marking at all. Usually tokens had some marking to indicate their value, ie "good for one city fare" or "good for one phone call". Some systems issued multiple tokens, such as one for local buses and one for expresses or special services. The LIRR used to issue this huge medallion sized token for Belmont Racetrack trains. Phila has adult tokens and school fare tokens. Tokens are being phased out for mag cards. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Walgreens used pay phone slugs until sometime in the 1920's, and the Woolworth and Kresge Five and Ten Cent Stores (today, we know Kresge 5-10 as 'K-Mart') through about the same time, however the one of the two Woolworth stores in downtown Chicago had Gray Pay Station Company phones and phone booths until sometime in the 1960's (although long since taken over by Illinois Bell, via the Chicago Telephone Company), and they were the two-piece instruments with a piece you held up to your ear (brown cloth, not metal and not armored cord) in one hand while you leaned forward to speak into the microphone mouthpiece. I think maybe those were removed by 1960; I cannot honestly remember them after that time, but I remember quite well as an adolescent child going 'downtown' and being fascinated by using those things (1952-54?), but at that time we paid by inserting one dime or two nickles (one nickle alone no longer worked, as the sign on the wall of the phone booth reminded us). Do you remember when nearby the phone booths there would always be a table with phone directories mounted on it, and a seat with a small reading lamp where you could sit to locate the number you were trying to call? And of course the phone booths themselves were made out of rather elegant wood with a nice brown-stained finish; they all had the little domed ceiling lights, the 'accordion doors with glass in the front which would slide open or closed (turning on the overhead light and the little ceiling fan inside, and the sign on the front of each one announcing 'Public Telephone'. When my uncle had his Walgreen Agency Drug Store in Whiting in the middle 1950's the store payphone near the front door was similar to those, but the booth had a Genuine Bell style phone in it rather than a Gray Pay Station instrument. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #310 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Aug 23 16:21:59 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 4360621CF; Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:21:59 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #311 Message-Id: <20060823202159.4360621CF@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:21:59 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:23:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 311 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson AT&T Sues Data Brokers For Stolen Customer Records (Reuters News Wire) NSDI '07 Call For Papers (Lionel Garth Jones) The SIM Card Turns Fifteen (Mr Joseph Singer) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 23, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) BT Places Bet on Broadband Video (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: What's This Telephone Related Item? (Lisa Hancock) Re: What's This Telephone Related Item? (Mr Joseph Singer) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist (Joseph Singer) Re: Cellular Roaming Tariffs (Lisa Hancock) Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force (Lisa Hancock) Re: Verizon Re: Clueless Hollywood (jared) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 14:30:18 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: AT&T Sues Data Brokers For Stolen Customer Records AT&T Inc. on Wednesday sued 25 unnamed data brokers, accusing them of fraudulently gaining access to about 2,500 customers' calling records. The lawsuit, filed in a U.S. District Court division in San Antonio, said the "John Doe" defendants often collected information for use in legal or domestic disputes. AT&T said they used a method known as "pretexting," or setting up online accounts by using identification data such as Social Security numbers. Through the online accounts, the brokers obtained access to customer information, including calling records. No driver's license numbers or sensitive financial data were accessible, the company said. AT&T said the lawsuit was a step toward identifying the perpetrators by using e-mail addresses and Internet Protocol addresses and to seek damages. The company said it had already contacted customers who may have been affected and had taken steps to prevent such violations. "This affects only a tiny fraction of our customers," AT&T Chief Privacy Officer Priscilla Hill-Ardoin said in a statement. "But we will pursue this on behalf of our customers to the end." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This is really a good example of Brass Bedsprings, isn't it? AT&T self-righteously plans to sue for the invasion of 'privacy'; yet the company is being sued by members of the public for the very same thing regards turning over its records to Homeland Security, which _they_ feel is just fine. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 08:49:32 -0700 From: Lionel Garth Jones Subject: NSDI '07 Call For Papers Call For Papers: 4th Symposium on Networked Systems Design and Implementation (NSDI '07) April 11-13, 2007 Cambridge, MA, USA http://www.usenix.org/nsdi07/cfpa Sponsored by USENIX, in cooperation with ACM SIGCOMM and ACM SIGOPS Submissions Deadline: October 2, 2006 The final Call for Papers for the 4th Symposium on Networked Systems Design & Implementation (NSDI '07) is now available. The program committee seeks a broad variety of work that furthers the knowledge and understanding of the networked systems community as a whole, continues a significant research dialog, or pushes the architectural boundaries of large-scale network services. We solicit papers describing original and previously unpublished research. Paper titles and abstracts due October 2, 2006, 11:59 p.m. GMT. NSDI '07 will take place April 11-13, 2007, in Cambridge, MA. For topics of interest and submission guidelines, see http://www.usenix.org/nsdi07/cfpa/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 16:10:38 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: The SIM Card Turns Fifteen No other smart card has taken the world by storm the way the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) has. Since it was introduced on the market 15 years ago, the SIM card has seen its power and performance soar. At first, it "merely" served security and personalization functions in GSM networks. Today, it turns mobile phones into versatile, secure terminals for wireless customers. Munich technology group Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) is celebrating a special anniversary. It was 15 years ago that the first commercial SIM cards were delivered to Finnish mobile communications corporation Elisa, at that time still known as Radiolinja. In its initial stages of development, the SIM card was intended to make mobile telephony in GSM networks as secure as talking on the phone of a fixed-line network. To accomplish that, it was designed to clearly establish the identity of wireless customers in order to prevent mobile networks from being abused. Additionally, it was meant to safeguard the confidentiality of user data. Its second key feature was its flexibility. Whenever customers changed phones, the SIM card could simply be transferred to the new handset. http://www.cellular-news.com/story/18932.php ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 23, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 12:14:20 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 23, 2006 ******************************** Iliad Launches Flat-Rate Broadband, Telephone Service in France http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19486?11228 French consumer broadband provider Iliad has launched a flat-rate product, offering customers a bundle of telephone and broadband internet services for a flat fee of 29.99 euro (US$38.45) per month. Under the service, which will add to growing competition in the French broadband market, customers-whether using Iliad's unbundled local ... Man Overboard!: Five Early Warning Signs that a Telecom Customer May Be About to Jump Ship http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19482?11228 HOW DOES A TELECOM KNOW if a customer is about to leave for the competition? Measure-X, a Phoenix-based company that specializes in helping telephone companies improve their customer service and sales, has identified five early warning signs that indicate a customer is about to jump ship. Squeaky Wheel. The most obvious sign of an ... Vizrea Focuses on Camera Phone Users http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19478?11228 Camera phone photos tend to be fleeting -- snapped today, forgotten tomorrow. But as image quality improves and usage increases, camera phone users are becoming more concerned about saving, sharing and organizing their pictures. Seattle-based startup Vizrea sees an emerging opportunity in the legions of camera phone fans fretting about ... Lenovo Embeds Cingular into ThinkPad http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19473?11228 Cingular Wireless is making further inroads in its effort to promote the use of high-speed wireless services on notebook computers. The latest: the carrier announced Lenovo has embedded its UMTS/HSDPA-based technology into its ThinkPad T60 notebook. The notebook marks the first time Lenovo has built Cingular's high-speed ... NENA Urges FCC To Heed Cyren Call's Spectrum Plan http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19471?11228 The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) this week urged U.S. federal policymakers to start immediate proceedings and to seriously consider a proposal made earlier this year for a national shared commercial/public-safety communications network using 30 megahertz of spectrum currently scheduled to be auctioned by the Federal... Could CDMA Hurt Alcatel Lucent? http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19468?11228 Another analyst has come out swinging against the merger of Alcatel and Lucent Technologies Inc., this time criticizing the companies' combined product lineup and the potential decline of Lucent's CDMA franchise. Analyst Joe Chiasson of Susquehanna Financial Group voiced his concerns in a note issued this morning. ... AT&T: Hold the MoCA http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19466?11228 AT&T today made it official that HomePNA version 3 will be its choice technology for in-home networking to support its fiber-fed U-verse data and television services, and its copper-fed AT&T Yahoo DSL high-speed Internet service. This is noteworthy because AT&T was using MoCA, the technology developed to allow ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 12:39:11 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: BT Places Bet on Broadband Video USTelecom dailyLead August 23, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/emksfDtusXaXusbjSu TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * BT places bet on broadband video BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Analysis: Sprint Nextel faces uphill climb * Sony buys video-sharing site Grouper for $65 million * Lenovo, Cingular announce laptop for Cingular's BroadbandConnect service * Verizon Business implements IP-based system for call center services USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Gbps+ Wireless Local Loop: Transforming Last Mile Economics TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * European carriers to rely on xDSL for triple play REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Supreme Court justice lets EchoStar ruling stand * Pennsylvania House Committee holds video franchising hearing * AT&T lands Hawaii contract worth $250M DIVERSIONS * Fired or Quit, Tom Cruise Parts Ways With Studio * Denver * Logging On for Love, Tuning Out the Realities * College-Town Real Estate: The Next Big Niche? * Joining the Tycoons at a Black Sea Playground in Crimea * Pigskin to Thin Skin to Skin Alive Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/emksfDtusXaXusbjSu ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: What's This Telephone Related Item? Date: 22 Aug 2006 13:35:27 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to writer: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The one of the two Woolworth stores > in downtown Chicago had Gray Pay Station Company phones and phone > booths until sometime in the 1960's (although long since taken over > by Illinois Bell, via the Chicago Telephone Company), and they were > the two-piece instruments with a piece you held up to your ear > (brown cloth, not metal and not armored cord) in one hand while you > leaned forward to speak into the microphone mouthpiece. I think > maybe those were removed by 1960; Many two-piece phones remained in service in the 1950s, especially in coin service. Old B&W TV shows made in the 1950s showed them in regular use. I'm told, however, that the transmitter and receiver elements were actually modern "F" units, not the original types. The sound quality was noticeably better on F units. Someone says the voltage changed as well from early systems. Note too that the 202 type "French Telephone" were replaced with F handsets instead of the E model for the same reason. Pay phones with the mounted transmitter were simpler since sound induction to that transmitter carried the coin drop bell sounds. The later models required a separate tiny microphone near the bells to transmit the signal. "F" units were from the 302 series telephone sets. "G" units were from the 500 sets. I don't know about H, I, or J, but K units were used in modern sets where the handset ends are somewhat squared off instead of circular, including late Western Electric units. K and G are not compatible. > Do you remember when nearby the phone booths there would always be a > table with phone directories mounted on it, and a seat with a small > reading lamp where you could sit to locate the number you were trying > to call? And of course the phone booths themselves were made out of > rather elegant wood with a nice brown-stained finish; they all had > the little domed ceiling lights, the 'accordion doors with glass in > the front which would slide open or closed (turning on the overhead > light and the little ceiling fan inside, and the sign on the front of > each one announcing 'Public Telephone'. And you could turn the vent fan on or off to suit your needs. They almost always had a phone book nearby; large banks had a block of directories. Sadly, most of those old booths are gone, replaced by nothing or wall mounted phones. A very busy place, like a main train station, had a telephone service center with an attendant and switchboard to assist you in person. Some newer 1960ish buildings had modern sit down booths made of circular glass or other designs, newer 1970ish buildings just had wall mounted phones in an enclosure. It varied; even in the old days some phones were simply mounted without any enclosure. Some years ago I visited a former employer and the lobby of the building once held a bank of such phone booths--the chair, table, fan, door, etc. I needed to use a pay phone but the bank was completely gone. The lobby had no pay phone at all! I was directed to another building across the street where I found a wall mounted phone (no enclosure at all) in a narrow back hall. There was another phone and some loud talker was on it. His voice echoed badly throughout the narrow hall and I couldn't hear a thing on my call. What angered me was that phone booths were supplied for a reason! It was to give the caller some privacy and ability to hear (esp in the days when telephones weren't so good. Sadly, even in the 1960s vandalism and sleaze took its toll and new installations tended to be free standing or acoustical surrounding only, not a full booth. Some places had a row of pay phones without any separation whatsoever which was absurb for acoustics. Some train stations have phones subsidized by the carrier so as to provide a 911 emergency service. This is probably cheaper than providing merely an emergency call box, at least the pay phone might generate some revenue to cover its cost even nowadays. > When my uncle had his Walgreen Agency Drug Store in Whiting in the > middle 1950's the store payphone near the front door was similar to > those, but the booth had a Genuine Bell style phone in it rather than > a Gray Pay Station instrument. The Bell 3-slot phone was based on the Gray design and Gray built a great many for Bell under Bell specs. At the rate things are going pay phones will be gone eventually. One factor is everyone having a cell phone. Another factor is that local calls are cheap people will let you use their business lines; years ago that'd be too costly. Years ago employees were forbidden from using employer lines for personal calls, an edict strictly enforced. In those days large workplaces often had payphones on every floor as well as banks in the lobby. Today the lobbies of fancy businesses have house phones offering free local calls. Of course the telcos by charging exhorbitant rates for pay phone toll calls pushed away a lot of this business. A payphone won't take a real long distance coin call but charge a huge amount $25.00 on a credit card. An regional toll call, which they still carry, runs a dollar or more for a 10 mile call for 1 minute. (Some Bell payphones in Pennsylvania Station NYC offer within-state per minute calls). ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:11:34 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: What's This Telephone Related Item? Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:00:08 -0700 Jim Stewart wrote: > http://www.grumpyoldgeek.com/PhoneSlug/PhoneSlug.htm > I was cleaning out a desk drawer last night and ran across this > item. It's about .007" wider and thicker than a US quarter. I > can't remember where I got it, but the Princess phone on the back > leads me to believe it's payphone related. It's not payphone related at least not for the US. I've seen and used such a token when I was at a gym with a pay metered tanning booth. The token looked exactly as the one you have illustrated. That said many countries did use tokens in their public pay telephones. In Israel for years they used tokens. Part of the reason for keeping on using tokens is if your currency is unstable all you have to do is to raise the price of tokens (typically obtained at the "post office" or at kiosks.) During times of inflation it's almost impossible to find tokens since people hord them knowing that because inflation is so rapid it's a "hedge" against inflation since tokens will increase in price as inflation happens. With that system in place it's not even necessary for the telephone company to increase debiting for calls since the cost of tokens has increased. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:19:38 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist Charges Mark Crispin Mon, 21 Aug 2006 18:29:25 -0700 wrote: > The only way you can use handsets that were for Net10 or TracFone > outside of their systems is if you have them reflashed with generic > non-Net10 or TracFone specific firmware. > Why would that be a problem? Is there some reason that makes these > phones particularly difficult to reflash? Reflashing is trivial on > most other phones. You said it yourself. Reflashing is trivial on most *other* phones. From what I understand reflashing Motorola is fairly easy. It's not so for Nokia unless you have invested in the specialized equipment, dongles, clips etc. to do it. Considering the value of the typical phones used for TracFone or Net10 it's a lot of work for little profit. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Cellular Roaming Tariffs Date: 22 Aug 2006 13:40:59 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com rbc310@gmail.com wrote: > Can anyone direct me to a PUC tariff on inter-carrier cellular roaming > charges? Is there even such a thing as PUC "tariffs" anymore on wireless services? I thought they were completely deregulated and charges were based on your personal contract with the carrier. I know my own contract with my carrier (which is old) offers different roaming areas and charges than newer contracts do of the same carrier. The PUC has nothing to do with it. Is there something specific you are looking for? Also, I thought the concept of A/B switching on cell phones is obsolete. Do modern cell phones even have that capability? A/B dates back to the early days when there were only two carriers. There are many today. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force Date: 22 Aug 2006 14:06:02 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com DLR wrote: > Did they define unemployment then as they do now? For a long time now > you only count if you are looking for work. Surveys are now done by > phone. In the 30s I wonder what methods were used. In 1932 a phone survey predicted Hoover would win against FDR. But in 1932 the people who had phones were affluent and supported Hoover. I don't know how they sampled unemployment or the definitions used back then. > I'll bet the rates in NYC and Chicago were different in many ways than > where I grew up outside of the small city (remote from almost > anywhere) of Paducah. Absolutely. Many people left the small towns and rural areas for the big cities in those years to find jobs and escape the boredum of rural life. > Lots of folks were working in the 30s but not making much money. That is not reflected in unemployment stats. But it was a big part of the economic troubles and the deflation of those years. Money was extremely tight. People wouldn't spend it unless they absolutely had to which constrained the economy. People who did have jobs made very little money; most companies had pay cuts. The deflation meant that if you owed money (like for a mortgage on the farm or house), it was harder to pay it since you had to work so much harder to get a dollar than in the past -- the dollar was worth more. We're used to inflation where the dollar declines and that benefits borrowers. > My dad's high school class was very small due to > most of the kids dropping out way before they turned 16 to go to work > to help the family out. Very common in those days. > So the question I have is how of the recovery was without war and > pre-war spending? Any? I know life was tough for my dad's farm family. Farm life was very tough before the Depression and the Depression made it worse. The government started its "alphabet soup" of programs -- NRA, WPA, PWA, TVA, AAA, CCC, to (1) help individuals keep their homes and not starve, (2) pump money into the economy, and (3) give some hope to people. Note that the RFC, which loaned money to railroads, banks and businesses so they'd stay open and keep people working, was instituted by Herbert Hoover, not FDR, and Hoover set a record of increased govt spending. Hoover was a terrible "spin doctor" compared to FDR, though. The government programs helped a little, but conditions remained hard throughout the 1930s. Obviously it varied from person to person and location to location. A few people had comfortable middle class lifestyles (they were still building and selling cars and a few nice new houses), most did not. Most people managed to get along "ok" -- they were working -- though it was hard. Occassionally they'd have a little extra money for a luxury like a movie, eating out, or outing or vacation. A big problem was lack of confidence. If someone did have an extra nickel, they'd really hesitate to spend it, afraid of tomorrow. Things slowly improved beginning in 1938, mostly from defense and foreign military spending. I think the two World's Fairs in 1939 (NYC and SF) perked things up a bit. Times were still quite tough, but slowly easing. As more people got jobs, they spent money which turned the downward cycle around. In Philadelphia a lot of nice new houses were built around 1938 onward and new apartment towers in NYC. Some places or industires never recovered. Like everyone else, the Bell System was picking up business at that time. It was about to finish some new products, like the 555 PBX, but then the war hit and froze all work. The 555 didn't make it out until 1949. However, I think toll long distance benefited from wartime radar experience which used microwaves. A lot of young men learned advanced electronics from their war time jobs and they were eagerly sought by industry after the war where they made major contributions in computers and communications. The Bell System, IBM, RCA and other such companies exploded after the war. (Postwar defense spending helped quite a bit.) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 21:27:45 -0600 From: jared@netspacenospamnet.au (jared) Subject: Re: Verizon Re: Clueless Hollywood > It could very well have been a Verizon pay phone. They have phones in a > lot of areas that are not served by them. In California, you can look > outside Albersons Supermarkets, Savon, 7/11 and a lot more. In the Denver area, which is Qwest territory with the major phone directory being their spinoff Dex, Verizon is the brand name on one of the secondary phone directories. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #311 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Aug 24 14:43:30 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 7B84D21EA; Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:43:30 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #312 Message-Id: <20060824184330.7B84D21EA@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:43:30 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:45:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 312 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson NOLA Phone Book: About Half the Size it Used to Be (Associated Press) Train Station Pay Phones Mostly Removed (Lisa Hancock) VoIP on Cell Phones: Read the Fine Print (John Blau, IDG) ID Security Company Finds Snags in Fraud Alert System (Tom Zeller NY Times) Fasten Your Seatbelts and No Cell Phones Please (Michael Smith, Reuters) AT&T Inks U-Verse Deal (USTelecom Daily Lead) Taxes: Two Out of Three Rule? (Bryan Griffin) Some Things Never Change: 350 Lines Tapped in New York City (Lisa Hancock) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 24, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Re: Cellular Roaming Tariffs (Michael D. Sullivan) Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist (Mark Crispin) Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force (mc) Re: What's This Telephone Related Item? (Wesrock@aol.com) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 15:48:25 -0500 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: NOLA Phone Book: About Half the Size it Used to Be Smaller New Orleans phonebook reflects new city NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- On a recent hot day, the new phonebook landed with a thud on the stoop of a house that one year ago lay under water, a notable sign of normalcy. The phonebook's arrival is a mark of progress here, but it's also a window into how much has changed. With nearly half the city's population gone, two swollen books have shrunk to one, following a decision by the phonebook's editors to fold the white pages into the rest of the book. Meanwhile, the yellow pages now include far larger ads for contractors, electricians, roofers and others crucial to the city's rebuilding. Lay the old and new editions side by side, and the resulting contrast is a microcosm of a transformed metropolis. It's one in which people need help repairing their homes, but don't have time to fuss with their hair -- the 'Contractors - General' section jumped from six to 14 pages and 'Roof Contractors' from 15 to 32, while listings under 'Beauty Salons' declined 42 percent from 541 individual businesses to 316. "Every single thing that people need to rebuild their lives is literally in that book," said BellSouth Corp. district sales manager Gayla Meilleur, who worked on the New Orleans phonebook. Which is exactly the point: In a city in tatters, where a majority of homes still don't have electricity, the focus is on making whole what was destroyed. It's businesses that help people do that which are seeing a spike in sales and are now represented with larger, splashier ads. People need to buy mattresses and couches to replace their soggy ones, but they can't afford to do so with antiques: The 'Furniture' heading leaped from three to over four full pages, while 'Antique Dealers' is thinner, having shed 26 out of 145 businesses. Businesses that offer luxury goods, or else services that are not essential, are struggling and so scaling back their presence in the new book. So are those catering to tourists; the 'Gift Shop' category dropped to 139 listings from a pre-Katrina high of 167. "Everything is housing right now. Nothing else matters," said window installer Sam Criscione, owner of Classic Vue Exteriors Inc., who's installing three times as many windows as he did before the storm. His lean, rectangular ad didn't change size, but instead he added a splash of aquamarine blue to the lettering -- a way to call attention to his 44 years in business and to differentiate himself from out-of-town "storm chasers," he said. Windows are one of the first items to get replaced -- as are roofs. Within a month of the storm, one of New Orleans' oldest roofing businesses was fielding 10,000 calls a month, up from around 1,000 at the same time the year before. "It was overwhelming," said Robin Trupiano, manager of Robertson Roofing & Siding Inc. The call volumes tracked by BellSouth offer a portrait of frantic rebuilding: Businesses under the 'Roofing Contractor' heading saw, on average, an 833 percent increase in calls. Those under the "Contractors-General" were up 333 percent. "Gutters & Downspouts" leaped 483 percent. Analysts had predicted the construction industry would thrive in the wake of the destructive storm. But they had also forecast that nearly all other sections of the economy would shrivel. The spike in calls to other headings in the phonebook reveals they were largely wrong: Calls to businesses under the 'Attorneys' tab jumped 183 percent. 'Chiropractic Physicians' spiked 108 percent, a result of people throwing out their backs as they struggled to repair their homes. And in spite of the burden of rebuilding, families still needed to see the dentist -- calls leaped over 107 percent. Thousands of businesses provided goods and services that are not rebuilding-oriented, yet are still essential to the day-to-day life of the city. Because many of them flooded, those that managed to reopen are now reaping the bounty their competitors left behind. "We have a tremendous amount of new patients because a lot of dentists east of us were flooded," explained Veronica Brown, manager of Elmwood Dental Center. It went from a half-page ad in last year's phonebook to a full-page one this year. The practice is seeing a third more new patients than before Katrina and has hired more employees. Changing business models Those that don't provide essential services changed their business model to cater to the new economy, like high-end landscapers, who pulled out the chain saws and joined the ranks of tree cutters. Calls to businesses under 'Tree Service' ballooned 488 percent. "Who's interested in putting in flowers after the storm? That's more of a luxury," said Ted Anthony, owner of Anthony's Landscaping. The part of the economy that's limping are shops like the one in the French Quarter that sells "chapeaux" dressed in vintage brocades and South African feathers. "Some of our ladies will come in, try on the hat and make plans to buy it after the house is finished. We're struggling to stay open," said Katherine Madere, the head saleswoman at Fleur de Paris, a New Orleans institution. Sales have plunged 50 percent. To stay afloat, the boutique has slashed costs by letting go all but one of its 14 employees. Unlike cashing a check or getting a pair of new glasses, a hat is a frill. So are attempts to pamper oneself -- 'Massage Therapists' has 21 percent fewer businesses listed than last year. And between tearing out wallboard and battling insurance adjusters, many have fallen off the diet bandwagon --'Weight Loss' has 39 percent fewer listings in this edition than in last year's. Yet one can deduce from the new phonebook that large swaths of the economy are doing better than expected. It has 44,579 individual businesses listed -- just 1,046, or 2 percent, less than last year. It's not cheap to advertise in the phonebook -- a quarter-page, full color ad costs over $960 a month, according to BellSouth -- so it stands to reason that businesses making that kind of investment are in operation. New Orleans: Half its former size At the same time, the fact that the white and yellow pages have been consolidated into a single phonebook is a testament to how much this once vibrant city has shrunk: To date, only 235,000 people, or around 45 percent of the city's original population of 485,000, has returned, according to state estimates. It's an estimate which jibes with the rate of utility hookups -- so far only around 47 percent of customers in New Orleans have resumed their electric service. One of the paradoxes of post-Katrina New Orleans is that if just under half its population has returned, how can it support nearly the same number of businesses? The answer can be found in the calls BellSouth tracked for T.J. Lee, the owner of a fancy reception hall in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans. Lee expected his business to wither, but he was barraged with calls -- from brides-to-be wanting to reschedule their weddings, for anniversaries, from groups planning reunions. When he received his call volume report from BellSouth, Lee noticed the calls were no longer preceded by 504 -- the New Orleans-area prefix -- but instead by 713, 404, 214 and others. "What that was telling me is people were taking their books to Houston, to Atlanta, to Dallas," said Lee, who came into BellSouth's New Orleans office to discuss ramping up his presence on http://YellowPages.Com to reach those that left their phonebooks behind. The call volume from out-of-towners was so high, Robin Trupiano called her telephone company to upgrade the Robertson Roofing's calling plan to unlimited long distance. "We just never needed it before," she said. It's, after all, a sign of hope -- yellow pages are now in the hands of a diaspora spread like seeds across the country. The fact they're still calling means, maybe, they're coming home. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. Find this article at: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/23/katrina.phonebook.ap/index.html NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Train Station Pay Phones Mostly Removed Date: 23 Aug 2006 13:15:54 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com NJ Transit will move 22 pay phones from its Trenton RR station. Three phones will remain in a different location. The old phones were located as a battery along the wall of the concourse. They were flush mounted panel style, with no separations between them. The remaining phones are in a different spot. Removal is part of station reconstruction. I'd like to get a picture of the phone bank since that kind of thing will not be scene again, but the cops in the station are very fussy about picture taking. See: http://www.njtransit.com/sa/sa_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=ConstructionAdvisoryTo&AdvisoryId=1780 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:26:43 -0500 From: John Blau, IDG Subject: VoIP on Cell Phones: Read the Fine Print -2 T-Mobile prohibits the use of VoIP services on its mobile phone networks. John Blau, IDG News Service As low-priced Internet phone services for mobile devices emerge, users should first check the fine print in their cell phone contracts to see if they can take advantage of such offerings. There's a chance they can't. T-Mobile International, which has mobile phone operations in Europe and the United States, is among the first companies to ban the use of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol, or Internet-based telephone service) over its networks. Its Web 'n' Walk professional service expressly prohibits such usage, and the company reserves the right to terminate contracts. Like many other mobile phone companies, T-Mobile wants to protect its cash-cow telephone service from new providers of VoIP-over-mobile services, such as Mino Wireless USA. Last week, the Sunnyvale, California, company launched one of the world's first commercial VoIP-over-mobile services, offering fees as low as US$0.02 per minute for international calls. That's cheap -- really cheap -- compared to the $1 per minute or more mobile phone users in many countries currently pay to make international calls. VoIP-Over-Mobile Providers To use Mino, customers need to install the company's mobile VoIP application on a Java-enabled mobile phone. Mino joins other VoIP heavyweights, such as Skype Technologies, a unit of eBay. Earlier this year, Skype announced a VoIP partnership with Hutchison 3 Group, which operates IP-based mobile broadband networks in several European markets. The Skype mobile VoIP application runs on Microsoft's Windows Mobile software. Mobile VoIP startup Iskoot, which is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is also working with Skype to allow users to make or receive Internet calls with their mobile phones. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more tech news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/tech-news.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:01:53 -0500 From: Tom Zeller, Jr. Subject: ID Security Company Finds Snags in Fraud Alert System By TOM ZELLER Jr. Consumer advocates have long complained that the fraud alert system mandated by Congress in 2003 as a consumer's first line of defense against identity theft does not always work properly. So a company seeking to enter the market for identity theft prevention services recently recruited 54 data security and privacy experts to test the system. They claim to have found some kinks, although the credit reporting agencies beg to differ. Julie Fergerson, vice president for emerging technologies at Debix, the company that produced the study, said that in 40 percent of the cases she examined, it appeared that fraud alerts had failed to put all the reporting agencies on notice to prevent new credit accounts, loans and other debts from being opened in a consumer's name without a verifying phone call from the creditor. The implication, Ms. Fergerson said, is that you've got millions of people who think that they have fraud protection in place when actually they don't. But Norm Magnuson, a spokesman for the Consumer Data Industry Association, which represents the major consumer reporting agencies, including Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, suggested that those findings were absurd. The fraud alert response system is working as it should, contrary to what the Debix report indicates, he said. Starting with the 54 consumers they surveyed, I'd question whether that's an adequate number to base their conclusions on. In updating the Fair Credit and Reporting Act in 2003, Congress included rules intended to make it simpler for consumers to place fraud warnings on their credit files, including a basic, 90-day alert designed for identity theft victims, but available to anyone who wants one. Under the law, this alert can be established with a phone call to one of the major consumer reporting companies, which must then refer the information regarding the fraud alert to the others. The Federal Trade Commission is charged with ensuring compliance. The Debix study included privacy and consumer rights advocates, as well as data security executives from Citigroup, Charles Schwab, Expedia, Discover Financial and other companies. Participants were registered for fraud alerts at one credit reporting agency most at TransUnion, Ms. Fergerson said. Of the 54 volunteers, 32 received confirmation letters within a week or so the sign that things worked as they should. But in 22 cases, something went awry. In 18 cases, the fraud alert was set at only two agencies. In four cases, it took hold at only one. Ms. Fergerson surmised that in instances where formatting of data name, date of birth or other essential information differed between agencies, it was more likely that the fraud alert would not propagate properly. Without access to the internal systems of the agencies, it is impossible to know, however. There's not a 40 percent failure rate, Mr. Magnuson asserted, although he said there were no readily available statistics on any breakdowns in the fraud alert system. Mr. Magnuson also pointed out, in an e-mail message prepared in tandem with representatives of the three credit reporting agencies, that Debix has a business model that makes money by alleging that the fraud alert process doesn't work. Indeed, Debix is one of a growing list of companies promising, for a fee, to alleviate the headache of keeping your credit file protected. Ms. Fergerson said her company had shared the results of the study with the trade commission. Betsy Broder, the assistant director of the commission's division of privacy and identity protection, would not comment on the agency's response, but noted that the fraud alert system was still new. Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from NY Times, Christian Science Monitor and National Public Radio, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/nytimes.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:05:39 -0500 From: Michael Smith Subject: Fasten Your Seatbelts and No Cell Phones Please By Michael Smith Overhead "no smoking" signs will be replaced by "no cell phones" signs on some planes next year when technology is introduced to make it safe for passengers to use cell phones mid-flight. Airlines are seeking ways to police potentially annoying on-board phone chat via symbols of a cell phone crossed out, forcing passengers to switch off during take-off and designated "night" periods. The company developing the satellite technology for Airbus (EADS.PA) planes also said cabin crew would be able to remotely switch off phones or disable their voice function, allowing travelers to just use text messaging and email during quiet times. "It is envisaged that airlines will turn the voice capability off, for example on long-haul flight during the plane's night'," a spokesman for communications joint venture OnAir said. "Each airline is likely to develop different protocols for the use of mobile devices, in much the same way that different protocols have developed in different countries for the public use of mobile phones." Airbus said it was pushing ahead with plans for trials of cell phones, blackberries and other devices on planes next year, despite heightened security following a suspected bomb plot in Britain and setbacks for on-board communications in the United States. OnAir is a joint venture with Airbus and information technology systems provider Sita. Air France KLM (AIRF.PA) is expected to lead the way when it takes deliveries of planes trialling the service in 2007, while low-cost carrier Ryanair (RYA.I) is also close to ringing up extra revenue from cell phones. LEVEL OF ANNOYANCE However, other carriers said they might limit the service to text messages or ban it altogether, amid fears it will put passengers off traveling unless it can be policed properly. British Airways (BAY.L) said it was interested in the technology but was surveying its passengers to see what level of cell phone use would be acceptable or "downright annoying." Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) was also cautious, saying it had not decided whether to allow cell phone use on planes yet. "The issue is how you would get around the problem of disturbing other passengers," a Lufthansa spokesman said. An Air France spokesman said the first phase of its trials would only involve data services such as text messages with a second phase covering voice. TAP Portugal and Britain's bmi (BMID.UL) also plan trial the technology. In a consultation paper on the subject in April, UK regulator Ofcom warned: "The potential for increased levels of agitation from passengers is a factor to be noted." But asked about the social cost of mid-air cell phones, the outspoken chief of low-cost carrier Ryanair (RYA.I) Michael O'Leary said: "Why should I care if it is generating some money? "People are in a confined space. People tend to not want to get into long and involved cell phone discussions with people sitting around them. I think it will be more people sending texts," he told reporters. Advancements in airline communications have been slow to take off, particularly in the U.S. Boeing Co said last week it would shut its loss-making Connexion unit, which allowed airlines to provide high-speed Internet service to passengers. The satellite-based service, for which Boeing failed to find a buyer, was too costly and few airlines signed on. In June, Verizon Communications Inc. said it was cancelling its on-board phone service by the end of the year. (Additional reporting by James Regan in Frankfurt and Benoit Van Overstraeten in Paris) Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:33:49 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: AT&T Inks U-Verse Deal in San Antonio USTelecom dailyLead August 24, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/emwQfDtusXbbeBJrHn TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * AT&T inks U-Verse deal in San Antonio BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Consumers benefit from video competition in New York * Intel, Qualcomm square off in battle for wireless broadband dominance * Microsoft dives into communications business * AT&T picks HomePNA 3 over MoCA for home networking USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Is Your Network Secure? TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * CBS promos fall shows via Bluetooth * Yahoo! teams with TV networks in streaming video pact * Report: IPTV penetration to surge REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * AT&T files lawsuit to catch data thieves * Verizon wins another video franchise in N.Y. DIVERSIONS * Fresh, Lively and Easygoing * The (Tinsel) Town That Ate Superman * Home Sales Fall to Unexpectedly Low Rate * Sending Instant Messages to a Cellphone * In Search of the Perfect Parking Spot for Cash Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/emwQfDtusXbbeBJrHn ------------------------------ From: Bryan Griffin Subject: Taxes: Two Out Of Three Rule Reply-To: no_email@trashcan.com Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 17:49:16 GMT Organization: Road Runner High Speed Online http://www.rr.com Hello all, On the subject of taxes, can someone refresh my memory on the "two out of three" rule when determining tax jurisdiction. Thanks ! ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Some Things Never Change: 350 Lines Tapped in NYC Over Two Years Date: 24 Aug 2006 11:15:54 -0700 In the recent controversy over wiretaps of suspected terrorists, I found an article in the New York Times describing the outcry over wiretaps. Seems that 350 phones were tapped by police over two years -- back in May 1916 -- 90 years ago. The article said wiretaps started in 1895 -- 110 years ago. The article dealt with the issues of wiretaps, who paid for them, what they were used for, etc. Other articles of that time frame dealt with charges that phone rates were too high or too low. Politicians claimed too high, the phone company claimed too low to meet service demands. There were constant valuation studies going on with rate reductions ordered. In 1916, it appeared the rate was roughly 5c for each local call, plus line rental. That's worth at least $1.00 today, probably more. Some sections could get unlimited residential service. There was an apartment house rate: "for telephone switchboards of the Monitor type [Monitor was capitalized] which are used extensively in small apartment houses a rate of $132 for a switchboard of two stations and one trunk line for 2,400 local calls per year, yielding about 5.5c a call. There was considerable pressure to drop this particular rate to 5c a call to match other rates. I presume this arrangement was where a tennant used a phone on a pay-as-you-go basis. The New York Times was filled with articles on telephone rates and complaints about them in 1916. ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 24, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 11:44:31 -0400 (EDT) ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 24, 2006 ******************************** Broadband Surges to 72.6% of all British Internet Connections, Regulator Calls for New Rules on VoIP http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19513?11228 Barely a year after displacing dial-up access as the most popular way to connect to the internet in the United Kingdom, broadband now accounts for 72.6% of all connections, thanks to an impressive local loop unbundling (LLU) program and intense competition among providers. According to a report from the United Kingdom's Office of ... Regulator Grants 29 WiMAX Licences in 2006, TeliaSonera Launches 100 Mbps Broadband http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19510?11228 Finland's telecoms regulator, FICORA, has granted wireless broadband licences to 29 companies in Finland over 2006. FICORA said the licences, which would enable the companies to roll out WiMAX networks, were strongly competed for, although the regulator paid particular attention to promoting the efficiency of the communications ... Motorola Files Defamation Case Against RussGPS and Biznes http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19507?11228 U.S. equipment manufacturer Motorola has filed a lawsuit against a Russian satellite navigation technology company and Moscow business newspaper Biznes, reports Prime-Tass. Motorola is seeking 291 million roubles (US$10.88 million) for defamation, following RussGPS's allegations that the American group used its technology in the ... Ericsson Signs Billion-dollar Deal to Expand Mobile Network in India http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19502?11228 STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Wireless equipment maker LM Ericsson said Thursday it has signed a US$1 billion (euro 780 million) deal with Indian mobile operator Bharti Airtel to expand its wireless networks. The three-year contract, which also includes upgrades and technical support, will help Bharti Airtel improve its mobile coverage ... Greece May Sell More of OTE Telecom http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19499?11228 ATHENS, Greece -- Greece's conservative government may sell another stake of telecoms provider OTE next year as part of an ongoing privatization drive, Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis said. The sale would cut the state's stake in the former monopoly from the 38.7 percent it currently controls. Alogoskoufis ... Movida Turns to the Web, Expands Retail Reach http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19497?11228 Pay-as-you-go wireless MVNO Movida Communications aims for ubiquity by now offering its customers the ability to top-up option cards on the Web. The company also is aggressively pursuing new retailer agreements that go beyond its partnership with Wal-Mart Stores. Movida targets Hispanic customers by offering voice and data services ... Russia Eyes Cellular Price Controls http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19495?11228 Russian cellular operators are facing the possibility of more regulation by the government in a backlash against an attempt by three of the largest wireless carriers in the country to raise their rates. Rate regulation would result from a bill just dropped in the hopper in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, ... Hopeful Satellite Signs http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19493?11228 It hasn't been a good week for the satellite industry. Both DirecTV and EchoStar have dropped out of the bidding in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) spectrum auction for Advanced Wireless Services. But a little-noticed news item out of Colombia, of all places, might provide a glimmer of hope for the beleaguered industry. ... Analyst: Cisco Sees VOIP Sales Bump in Q2 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19491?11228 Increased sales of media gateways to carriers helped Cisco Systems Inc. report a big quarter in VOIP equipment, according to Synergy Research Group Inc.  Synergy says Cisco's second-quarter VOIP gear revenues grew 72.3 percent over the first quarter. Cisco sold $67.5 million in VOIP gear, compared with $39.2 million the ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: Michael D. Sullivan Subject: Re: Cellular Roaming Tariffs Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 03:43:58 GMT On 8/22/2006 4:40 PM, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > rbc310@gmail.com wrote: >> Can anyone direct me to a PUC tariff on inter-carrier cellular roaming >> charges? > Is there even such a thing as PUC "tariffs" anymore on wireless > services? I thought they were completely deregulated and charges were > based on your personal contract with the carrier. > I know my own contract with my carrier (which is old) offers different > roaming areas and charges than newer contracts do of the same carrier. > The PUC has nothing to do with it. That is correct. State PUCs are explicitly deprived of jurisdiction to regulate cellular rates by Section 221(b)(3) of the Communications Act, 47 USC 221(b)(3). This is true of both the carrier-consumer rates, such as the ones governed by various contracts that may charge different rates from contract to contract, and of the carrier-to-carrier rates, which are governed by roaming agreements between carriers. > Also, I thought the concept of A/B switching on cell phones is > obsolete. Do modern cell phones even have that capability? A/B dates > back to the early days when there were only two carriers. There are > many today. While A/B switching is largely obsolete, due to the fact that carriers use a wide variety of digital standards and specialized software in the phone, the FCC still requires that analog cellular phones (only 850 MHz phones, not PCS, not iDEN) be manually switchable to the A or B block by the customer. There has never been a similar requirement for PCS band phones. The option to select serving system is typically buried very deep in the menu system. Using it will probably result in your being given greatly impaired service in many cases, as the phone would not be able to be switched to the PCS band or the other 850 MHz band automatically in accordance with the programmed list of host systems (also known as the preferred roaming list). Michael D. Sullivan Bethesda, MD (USA) (To reply, change example.invalid to com in the address.) ------------------------------ From: Mark Crispin Subject: Re: Three Texas Men With Cellphones Arrested on Terrorist Charges Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 14:32:55 -0700 Organization: Networks & Distributed Computing On Tue, 22 Aug 2006, Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > You said it yourself. Reflashing is trivial on most *other* phones. > From what I understand reflashing Motorola is fairly easy. It's not > so for Nokia unless you have invested in the specialized equipment, > dongles, clips etc. to do it. Considering the value of the typical > phones used for TracFone or Net10 it's a lot of work for little > profit. Certainly that is the case for a single phone. But in bulk, I can easily see how the investment could pay off. I took a look at TracFone's website and a fair number of their el cheapo $20 phones are Motorolas. -- Mark -- http://staff.washington.edu/mrc Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate. Si vis pacem, para bellum. ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force Organization: BellSouth Internet Service Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 19:53:10 -0400 wrote in message news:telecom25.311.10@telecom-digest.org... > The deflation meant that if you owed money (like for a mortgage on the > farm or house), it was harder to pay it since you had to work so much > harder to get a dollar than in the past -- the dollar was worth more. > We're used to inflation where the dollar declines and that benefits > borrowers. And that -- together with similar deflationary cycles every few decades in the 19th century -- was one of the source of the notion that it is inherently evil to be in debt, which is still reverberating among some personal money management gurus. The Great Depression was the last deflationary cycle because we fundamentally changed the way the money supply is controlled. Going back to the gold standard, as some people advocate, would bring back the deflationary cycles. ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 20:01:50 EDT Subject: Re: What's This Telephone Related Item? In a message dated 22 Aug 2006 13:35:27 -0700, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes: > At the rate things are going pay phones will be gone eventually. One > factor is everyone having a cell phone. Another factor is that local > calls are cheap people will let you use their business lines; years > ago that'd be too costly. Businesses very commonly allowed customers and passersby to use business phones. Some even had telephones out on the counter or in some other convenient locations for customers to use, even though the telco tariffs prohibited this. Telephone calls were measured rate only in a small part of the United States, and there was little or no incremental cost for a customer to use the phone in the vast part of the U.S.A. that had flat rate service. > Years ago employees were forbidden from using employer lines for > personal calls, an edict strictly enforced. In those days large > workplaces often had payphones on every floor as well as banks in > the lobby. Today the lobbies of fancy businesses have house phones > offering free local calls. The reason for prohibiting employees from using employer lines, then as now, is primarily because the loss of productivity when the employee carries out personal activites when he or she is supposed to be doing the employer's business. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com wleathus@yahoo.com ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #312 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Aug 25 14:41:38 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 5C3F221CA; Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:41:38 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #313 Message-Id: <20060825184138.5C3F221CA@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:41:38 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:44:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 313 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson FCC Questions Verizon, Bell South Regards Internet Fee (Reuters News Wire) US Supercomputer Doubles its Speed (Duncan Mansfield, AP) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 25, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Call for Sessions Proposals: World Congress on Engineering WCE 2007 (imecs) Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force (Lisa Hancock) Re: Train Station Pay Phones Mostly Removed (Anthony Bellanga) Re: What's This Telephone Related Item? (Lisa Hancock) Re: Fasten Your Seatbelts and No Cell Phones Please (jared) Re: Some Things Never Change: 350 Lines Tapped in NYC (2manyheadshotz) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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. 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Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 12:53:25 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: FCC Questions Verizon, Bell South Regards Internet Fee Verizon Communications and BellSouth Corp. will be asked by U.S. regulators to explain a new fee on high-speed Internet customers that replaces a government surcharge that ended this month, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. Verizon and BellSouth, the No. 2 and No. 3 telephone carriers respectively, will be sent "letters of inquiry" to see whether the new charge complies with Federal Communications Commission rules that require "truth in billing," the source said on the condition of anonymity. The companies no longer have to pay a part of their high-speed Internet revenue into the Universal Service Fund (USF), which subsidizes communications services to schools, lower-income households and rural areas, as of August 14. They had passed that USF cost onto their customers. An FCC decision a year ago phased out the USF fee for the telephone companies' high-speed Internet service known as broadband. However, Verizon said it would impose a new monthly surcharge of $1.20 or $2.70, beginning August 26, which it said was to help subsidize connection costs. BellSouth said it has continued charging $2.97 a month, equivalent to the old USF fee. Verizon had charged digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet customers a monthly fee of $1.25 or $2.83 to cover the USF contribution, depending on connection speeds. AT&T Inc., the largest U.S. telephone company, was not expected to receive a letter from the FCC, the source said. Letters of inquiry are typically the first step in an agency investigation into whether enforcement action is warranted. A spokeswoman for the FCC declined to comment. Verizon spokesman Brian Blevins declined to comment while a BellSouth spokesman had no immediate comment. AT&T has agreed to buy BellSouth and needs the FCC to approve the transaction. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am glad the government noticed that Verizon intends to continue sticking it to their customers, but I hope with this 'truth in billing' thing, the feds at least require Verizon to quit claiming 'the government is making us collect it from customers.' But, getting truth out of Verizon; that would be something new and novel, wouldn't it! PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 12:56:19 -0500 From: Duncan Mansfield, AP Subject: US Supercomputer Doubles its Speed By DUNCAN MANSFIELD, Associated Press Writer The most powerful supercomputer available for general scientific research in the United States has doubled its speed, officials said Friday. The 54-cabinet Cray XT3 supercomputer at Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been upgraded from 25 teraflops to 54 teraflops, or 54 trillion mathematical calculations per second, they said. "It is probably the fifth-fastest machine" in the world, said Thomas Zacharia, associate laboratory director. "It is clearly the fastest open science machine in the U.S. today." The supercomputer, dubbed "Jaguar," was ranked 13th fastest before the upgrade. A list of the 500 most powerful computers in the world is compiled by scientists at the University of Mannheim in Germany, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the University of Tennessee. "The list is a very simple measure, and it is a good thing, obviously," Zacharia said. "But the real winner in these things are the scientists who are running these machines. "(They) have been very pleased at the initial performance of this upgraded machine," he said. "It is a terrific scientific instrument." The overhaul was the first step in a multiyear, nearly $200 million contract between Seattle-based Cray Inc. and the U.S. Department of Energy to increase Oak Ridge's supercomputing capability to 1,000 trillion calculations per second, or one petaflop, by 2009. The current world leader is the nearly six-times-faster 280.6 teraflop IBM Blue Gene/L deployed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and used for national defense purposes. The Department of Energy has committed to make Oak Ridge's Jaguar available for unclassified peer-reviewed research at least 80 percent of the time. DreamWorks Animation is interested in using the machine to develop new algorithms for duplicating the effects of light and shade called "ray tracing" in 3-D animation, Zacharia said. The results could show up in the company's animated feature films or in medical and occupational training. Boeing Co. is hoping the supercomputer will lead to lighter, more energy-efficient airplanes, and General Atomics Co. wants to do fusion energy research, duplicating the power of the sun to light homes. Another 68 cabinets will be added around November to double the supercomputer's speed again to around 100 teraflops. A year later, the installation of new processors should push capacity to 250 teraflops. The lab is expected to swap out Jaguar for the next-generation Cray supercomputer, currently code-named "Baker," in late 2008. At 1,000 teraflops, Baker would be roughly three times faster than any existing computer in the world. On the Net: Oak Ridge National Laboratory: http://www.ornl.gov/ Cray Inc.: http://www.cray.com/ Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I had thought the computer at University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana was the fastest anywhere. Did this change? PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 25, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 11:41:13 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 25, 2006 ******************************** Belgacom Pays Vodafone 2 Billion for Full Control of Mobile Arm Proximus http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19530?11228 Belgium's biggest telephone company, Belgacom SA, said Friday that it has agreed to buy Vodafone Group Plc's 25 percent stake in Proximus for 2 billion (US$2.6 billion), giving it full control of the mobile operator. Belgacom said it expected the deal would add 6 to 7 percent to next year's earnings citing ... Norway's Telenor, Britain's The Cloud Team Up on 8,000 Wireless Hotspots in 4 Countries http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19528?11228 Norwegian telecommunications group Telenor ASA and Britain's The Cloud on Friday announced a wireless hotspot partnership for four countries. The deal covers 8,000 wireless hotspots in Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Britain, a joint statement said. The companies said that includes 800 new hotspots to be built in Sweden and 500 in... Survey Shows Mobile Phones Outstrip Fixed Lines Among European Households http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/105/19525?11228 More European households have cell phones than fixed lines, according to a survey released Friday by the EU. Eighty percent of households in the European Union have at least one mobile phone, compared with 78 percent of homes with a fixed telephone line. About 18 percent rely only on their cell phones, having no fixed line. That ... Lucent, Alcatel Seek U.S. Approval http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19523?11228 Lucent Technologies is moving to the next phase in the approval process for it to become part of France's Alcatel. The latest: A request to start the deal's approval process in the United States has been filed with the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS). "We expect the U.S. government agencies to do a ... PT Takeover Update: Regulator May Force Landline Sale http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19520?11228 In what would be a surprise ruling, Portugal's Competition Authority (AdC) could force Sonae to divest Portugal Telecom's (PT) wireline assets if Sonae is successful in its $12.85 billion hostile takeover bid for the Portuguese telecom giant, according to rumors circulating in the country. Such a ruling would leave Sonae ... Case in Point-to-Point http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19517?11228 With the advent of WiMax, municipal mesh networks, and other forms of 'ubiquitous' wireless broadband coverage, it might seem that the 'last mile' problem, for years the bugaboo of enterprises wishing to connect to fiber-optic rings in metro areas, is already a thing of the past. That's not true for ... Ericsson in $1B Bharti Expansion http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19515?11228 With its mobile subscriber base growing at more than 1 million new signups every month, Bharti Airtel Ltd. has awarded Ericsson AB a monster $1 billion network expansion contract. Under the three-year deal, Ericsson will design, deploy, and manage additional network capacity across 15 regions for India's ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: imecs___2007@iaeng.org Subject: Call for Sessions Proposals: World Congress on Engineering WCE 2007 Date: 24 Aug 2006 22:17:24 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Call for Special Sessions Proposals From: IAENG: International Association of Engineers http://www.iaeng.org Engineering Letters http://www.engineeringletters.com World Congress on Engineering 2007 2-4 July, 2007, London, U.K. http://www.iaeng.org/WCE2007 The organizing committee of the WCE 2007 invites proposals for the congress. Or, the researchers are also welcome to join the existing conference committee. The interested scholars are welcome to send their proposal and the brief C.V. to publication{at}iaeng.org. The session organizers will have the discretion of editing selected papers into books or special journal issues. The sessions will be held on the same date and venue as the congress. The WCE 2007 is organized by the International Association of Engineers (IAENG), a non-profit international association for the engineers and the computer scientists. The conference has the focus on the frontier topics in the theoretical and applied engineering and computer science subjects. The WCE 2007 is composed of 15 conferences (all will be held at the same location and date). The WCE conferences serve as good platforms for our members and the entire engineering community to meet with each other and to exchange ideas. THE WCE conferences are formerly parts of the International MultiConference of Engineers and Computer Scientists (IMECS). The last IMECS 2006 has attracted more than four hundred participants from over 30 countries. Our IMECS committees have been formed with over one hundred and sixty workshops co-chairs and committees members who are mainly research center heads, faculty deans, department heads, professors, and research scientists from over 20 countries. The conference proceedings will be published by IAENG (ISBN: 978-988-98671-5-7) in hardcopy. The full-text congress proceeding will be indexed in major database indexes so that it can be assessed easily. The Technology Research Databases (TRD) of CSA (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts), DBLP and Computer Science Bibliographies have promised to index the print proceeding in advance of its publication. And after the publication of the proceeding, print copies will also be sent to databases like IEE INSPEC, Engineering Index (EI) and ISI Thomson Scientific for indexing. The accepted papers will also be considered for publication in the special issues of the journal Engineering Letters. Some participants may also be invited to submit extended version of their conference papers for considering as book chapters (soon after the conference). The following conferences are held as parts of the WCE 2007: ICAEM'07 The 2007 International Conference of Applied and Engineering Mathematics ICCIIS'07 The 2007 International Conference of Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Systems ICCSDE'07 The 2007 International Conference of Computational Statistics and Data Engineering ICCSE'07 The 2007 International Conference of Computer Science and Engineering ICDMKE'07 The 2007 International Conference of Data Mining and Knowledge Engineering ICEEE'07 The 2007 International Conference of Electrical and Electronics Engineering ICFE'07 The 2007 International Conference of Financial Engineering ICIE'07 The 2007 International Conference of Information Engineering ICISIE'07 The 2007 International Conference of Information Security and Internet Engineering ICME'07 The 2007 International Conference of Mechanics Engineering ICMEEM'07 The 2007 International Conference of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management ICPDC'07 The 2007 International Conference of Parallel and Distributed Computing ICSBB'07 The 2007 International Conference of Systems Biology and Bioengineering ICSIE'07 The 2007 International Conference of Signal and Image Engineering ICWN'07 The 2007 International Conference of Wireless Networks ========= Submission: WCE 2007 is now accepting manuscript submissions. Prospective authors are invited to submit their draft paper in full paper (any appropriate style) to WCE{at}iaeng.org by 6 March, 2007. The submitted file can be in MS Word format, PS format, or PDF formats. The first page of the draft paper should include: (1) Title of the paper; (2) Name, affiliation and e-mail address for each author; (3) A maximum of 5 keywords of the paper. Also, the name of the conference that the paper is being submitted to should be stated in the email. ============= Important Dates: Proposals for special conference sessions and tutorials deadline: 30 December, 2006 Draft Paper Submission Deadline: 6 March, 2007 Camera-Ready papers & Pre-registration Due: 30 March, 2007 WCE 2007: 2-4 July, 2007 It is our target that the reviewing process and the result notification for each submitted manuscript can be completed within one month from its submission. More details about the WCE 2007 can be found at: http://www.iaeng.org/WCE2007/index.html More details about the International Association of Engineers, the journal Engineering Letters and the IAENG International Journal of Computer Science can be found at: http://www.iaeng.org/about_IAENG.html http://www.engineeringletters.com http://www.iaeng.org/IJCS/index.html ******** It will be highly appreciated if you can circulate these calls for papers to your colleagues. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force Date: 25 Aug 2006 07:03:48 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com mc wrote: > And that -- together with similar deflationary cycles every few > decades in the 19th century -- was one of the source of the notion > that it is inherently evil to be in debt, which is still reverberating > among some personal money management gurus. The Great Depression was > the last deflationary cycle because we fundamentally changed the way > the money supply is controlled. Going back to the gold standard, as > some people advocate, would bring back the deflationary cycles. What terrifies me is inflationl, esp what we had in the 1980s. Inflation is basically a tax, a very unfair tax. It discourages savings and encourages wasteful consumption. There are many who do like inflation for various selfish reasons because their particular segment of the economy is strengthened; but at the expense of everyone else. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 15:41:28 -0600 From: Anthony Bellanga wrote: > NJ Transit will move 22 pay phones from its Trenton RR station. > Three phones will remain in a different location. The old phones > were located as a battery along the wall of the concourse. They > were flush mounted panel style, with no separations between them. > The remaining phones are in a different spot. Removal is part of > station reconstruction. I'd like to get a picture of the phone > bank since that kind of thing will not be scene (sic) again, but > the cops in the station are very fussy about picture taking. If your cellphone has a camera, use that. "They" can't necessarily prove that you are taking pictures, since you could always claim that you were simply looking at the display screen of your cellphone to scroll down the list of stored phone numbers, or the list of recent incoming/outgoing calls. I take all kinds of pictures that way! ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: What's This Telephone Related Item? Date: 24 Aug 2006 14:02:25 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Wesrock@aol.com wrote: > Businesses very commonly allowed customers and passersby to use > business phones. Some even had telephones out on the counter or in > some other convenient locations for customers to use, even though the > telco tariffs prohibited this. Telephone calls were measured rate > only in a small part of the United States, and there was little or no > incremental cost for a customer to use the phone in the vast part of > the U.S.A. that had flat rate service. I could understand in a small town where people could come in and use the phone, especially when it didn't cost anything. But small town life is different than city life. In the downtown of a large city there were too many people going by and you needed some controls. If you allowed anyone to come in and use the phone it would be always tied up and you'd pay a fortune for it. While I agree that a "vast part of the U.S. had flat rate service", I wonder if that's more a function of land size rather than population. I'm not sure how big a city had to be to get measured services. In other words, I suspect a much larger part of the population of the country, esp postwar, was served by measured rate lines. Smaller towns may have had flat rate service, but they were also party line oriented. I remember seeing old small town directories and almost all lines -- business and residential -- had a party line code on them. That meant sharing the line and the need to keep it open for other parties to use it. Another factor in small towns was that the local area -- your free calling option -- was very small. Anywhere beyond was long distance. The toll might be only a dime or 15c, but still a toll. In contrast, the local zone in a city could encompass a million people. > The reason for prohibiting employees from using employer lines, then > as now, is primarily because the loss of productivity when the > employee carries out personal activites when he or she is supposed to > be doing the employer's business. That was part of it, but the cost and tie-up of a line was a big part of it. It was common for companies to have pay phones in hallways of each floor for employees to use. That meant an employee had to leave their work station to use the phone which was a longer loss of worktime than making a call from their desk. In constant dollars, the cost of a local city call would be about $1.00 today back in the early 1960s and more before. If many employees are making calls frequently, that would add up to some serious money plus tie up lines and trunks which weren't as plentiful as today. (Many companies had internal private intercoms or PABX within the workplace.) In Philadelphia, a separate phone company, Keystone, offered businesses flat rate lines and was popular for that reason. As discussed here, the cost of too many phone calls as late as 1971 warranted a plot line in a TV sitcom where the parents put in a payphone for the gabbing kids. That plot line would be mysterious today since every kid has his own cell phone with hundreds of hours of talk time. But back then message units added up to serious money, and even more so as you go backward. Local phone rates did go up over time, but not as much as inflation. In the early days of manual phones, according to the NYT, there was an moderately enforced 5 minute limit to calls. Somewhere they developed timed message units to go on the meters. Of course toll calls, even short distance ones, were timed. I wonder how long talkers were handled in the older days. I don't know what the tarffis were. Manual operators in small towns would see it quickly. In automated offices, if trunking was a problem they'd be watching and catch it. Trunks were expensive in those days and limited. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 21:58:24 -0600 From: jared@netspacenospamnet.au (jared) Subject: Re: Fasten Your Seatbelts and No Cell Phones Please > "People are in a confined space. People tend to not want to get into > long and involved cell phone discussions with people sitting around > them. I think it will be more people sending texts," he told > reporters. Obviously the loud ones heard in an airport waiting area don't mind. Same behaviour during the periods before the airplane pushes back or after it lands. So there will be a new headache for air travel. ***** Apparently one technology is to have a 'pico cell' on-board. The pico cell can be set by the air crew to enable text, voice or whatever. The theory is that the passenger mobile phones will connect to the pico cell rather than boosting power to reach a ground cell. Must be a risk that, one way or another, there is a ground connection, increasing the potential for on-board RFI and incidentally avoiding what ever the airlines' call charges may be. ------------------------------ From: 2manyheadshotz@gmail.com Subject: Re: Some Things Never Change: 350 Lines Tapped in NYC Over Two Years Date: 24 Aug 2006 21:30:18 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I also suggest you look at: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff179818.htm hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > In the recent controversy over wiretaps of suspected terrorists, I > found an article in the New York Times describing the outcry over > wiretaps. Seems that 350 phones were tapped by police over two > years -- back in May 1916 -- 90 years ago. The article said wiretaps > started in 1895 -- 110 years ago. > The article dealt with the issues of wiretaps, who paid for them, what > they were used for, etc. > Other articles of that time frame dealt with charges that phone rates > were too high or too low. Politicians claimed too high, the phone > company claimed too low to meet service demands. There were constant > valuation studies going on with rate reductions ordered. > In 1916, it appeared the rate was roughly 5c for each local call, plus > line rental. That's worth at least $1.00 today, probably more. Some > sections could get unlimited residential service. > There was an apartment house rate: "for telephone switchboards of the > Monitor type [Monitor was capitalized] which are used extensively in > small apartment houses a rate of $132 for a switchboard of two > stations and one trunk line for 2,400 local calls per year, yielding > about 5.5c a call. There was considerable pressure to drop this > particular rate to 5c a call to match other rates. I presume this > arrangement was where a tennant used a phone on a pay-as-you-go basis. > The New York Times was filled with articles on telephone rates and > complaints about them in 1916. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #313 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Aug 26 17:21:04 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 75B4521D8; Sat, 26 Aug 2006 17:20:25 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #314 Message-Id: <20060826212025.75B4521D8@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 17:20:25 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sat, 26 Aug 2006 17:22:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 314 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Poor Walmart Had Troubles Friday Night (TELECOM Digest Editor) Bell South Agrees to Drop Bogus DSL 'Fee' After FCC Threat (Reuters News) Man Gets Three Years in Prison for 'Botnet' Attack on Computers (AP News) Feds Just Can't Hack It (Daily News Editorial) Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision (Tim Korte, AP) Telecom Update #543 (John Riddell) Re: Fasten Your Seatbelts and No Cell Phones Please (Ron Kritzman) Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force (mc) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Poor Walmart Had Troubles Friday Night Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 16:29:45 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Here in Independence, we had a very badly needed rain storm Friday night, and more rain is expected Saturday night as well. What we did not need however were the excessively strong winds which caused a very major power line to fall down next to the Walmart Supercenter on West Main Street. About half the town remains without power as I write this on Saturday afternoon. Walmart had to do the unthinkable, and close their store, leaving it in darkness. Normally our Walmart is 24/7. All of us, even us on the east side of town were in the dark with no air conditioning or refrigeration for several hours, however about 5 AM this morning, Westar/KGE got _some_ of us back on line, but they were blunt in saying 'residences, hospitals, old people's home, etc will come first, then _business places_ last. It was pretty dire around here over night and I lost close to a hundred dollars worth of refrigerator/freezer food during the eight hours I was without power. (7:30 PM to about 5:00 AM). I guess they re-wired some of us through the Coffeyville Power and Light Company facility, but ... residents on the far west side of town were still out as of this writing, including Walmart and the businesses in that area. Walmart is going to stay closed over the weekend in order to restock all their frozen grocery items, and when Raymond (my household/personal helper these days due to my illness) drove over there about 10 AM his report was that Main Street where it meets the highway is totally blocked off to all except local traffic, police steering people away from the area, and Westar is out there with a crane and other tools, uprighting and reinstalling the downed and dangerous power line. Plus, there are a large number of trees down all over town. So, that's the news from here in Independence this week! PAT ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:20:34 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Bell South Agrees to Drop Bogus DSL 'Fee' After FCC Threat BellSouth Corp., the No. 3 U.S. local telephone company, on Friday said it will immediately drop a $2.97 monthly fee for high-speed Internet service after U.S. communications regulators threatened to investigate the charge, and punish them for imposing it. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission had been poised to send a letter of inquiry to BellSouth asking the carrier to explain the new fee, which replaces a surcharge for a government subsidy program, FCC officials said. Most customers would see the change on their bills within a week, but it could take up to six weeks, BellSouth said. It added that customers charged the fee dating back to August 16 would receive a credit. However, the FCC's enforcement bureau on Friday did send a letter to Verizon Communications, the No. 2 U.S. telephone company, for information on its own new charge instituted to replace the fee for the government program. "The bureau is investigating whether Verizon's practices are consistent with the obligations set forth in the commission's Truth-in-Billing rules," said the letter, which requires a response within 20 days. The FCC could seek enforcement action, including fines, against the company if any regulations have been violated. As of August 14, providers of high-speed Internet service, known as broadband, are no longer required to contribute part of that revenue to the Universal Service Fund (USF), which subsidizes communications services to schools, lower-income households and rural areas. The carriers had passed that USF cost onto their customers, but an FCC decision last year phased out the USF fee for the telephone companies' high-speed Internet service. Still, BellSouth continued charging its nearly 3.3 million high-speed Internet customers $2.97, and Verizon said it would impose a new monthly surcharge of $1.20 or $2.70, beginning August 26, which it claimed was to 'help subsidize connection costs'. Verizon had charged broadband customers a monthly fee of $1.25 or $2.83 to cover its USF contribution, depending on connection speeds. "When the FCC phases out a fee and a major broadband provider rushes in to replace it with a new company surcharge, consumers get burned," said FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat. "Pulling a fast one like this won't fool consumers and I don't think it will fool the commission either." Verizon spokesman Eric Rabe said the company received the FCC letter and would respond. He also said that Verizon informed customers about the fee, the reasons for it and posted a notice on its Web site. A spokeswoman for the FCC declined to comment. AT&T has agreed to buy BellSouth and needs the FCC to approve the transaction. AT&T Inc., the largest U.S. telephone company, did not impose a replacement fee and the FCC did not send the company an inquiry letter. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:23:48 -0500 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Man Gets Three Years in Prison for 'Botnet' Attack on Computers A man was sentenced to three years in prison Friday for launching a computer attack that hit tens of thousands of computers, including some belonging to the Department of Defense, a Seattle hospital and a California school district. Christopher Maxwell, 21, of Vacaville, Calif., was also sentenced to three years of supervised release when his prison sentence is finished. He pleaded guilty in May to federal charges of conspiracy to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer and conspiracy to commit computer fraud. U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman said the crime showed "incredible self-centeredness" with little regard for the impact on others. She said the prison time was needed as "deterrence for all those youth out there who are squirreled away in their basements hacking. " Defense attorney Steve Bauer had sought probation and community service, noting his client had no prior criminal record and saying Maxwell did not intend his robot virus program to spread as far as it did. Maxwell and two juvenile co-conspirators were accused of using "botnet" attacks -- programs that let hackers infect and control a computer network -- to install unwanted Internet advertising software, a job that earned them about $100,000. Three victims testified at Maxwell's sentencing: a representative of Seattle's Northwest Hospital, damaged in February 2005; a representative of the U.S. Defense Department, which reported damage to hundreds of computers worldwide in 2004 and 2005; and a former system administrator for the Colton Unified School District in California, where more than 1,000 computers were damaged over several months in 2005. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines daily from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:26:23 -0500 From: Daily News Editorial Subject: Feds Just Can't Hack It By all indications, our nation's most sensitive data and computer systems have woefully poor protection against hackers, thieves and terrorists. Scandal could turn into national tragedy if the Department of Homeland Security doesn't get its act together pronto. It has been more than a year since Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff promised to name an assistant secretary devoted to cyberspace security but the job remains unfilled. There are few takers for the job -- in fact, three cybersecurity officials resigned -- because the White House decided to put the chief of information security in a low-ranking slot, without daily access to Chertoff. This bureaucratic foolishness and paralysis comes more than three years after the White House published a 60-page National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, which noted that "in the past few years, threats in cyberspace have risen dramatically ... We must act to reduce our vulnerabilities to these threats before they can be exploited." Computers and the Internet are used to control and coordinate airports, radio stations, electric utilities and radio communications between first responders. Imagine how much worse the panic and death toll on 9/11 might have been if New York were left without electric power, without access to computers and without working phones, radio, television or traffic lights. A cyberattack could plunge all or part of the nation into chaos. Still, federal bureaucrats have their heads stuck in the sand. In May, red-faced officials at the Veterans Affairs Department acknowledged that sensitive personal information on more than 26 million veterans -- including names, addresses and Social Security numbers -- had gone missing. The data wasn't lifted by hackers: it was stored, uncoded, on a computer taken home by a government official whose last security background check took place 32 years ago. It gets worse. The head of the VA acknowledged he wasn't even informed of the data theft until two weeks after the fact. And while the computer eventually turned up with no harm done, Pedro Cadenas, the agency's cybersecurity chief, quit -- telling Government Executive magazine that "the department has no interest in doing the right thing," and that he'd only met the Veterans Affairs secretary once, at a social event. The laxity of the Veterans Affairs Department isn't an isolated case; several federal departments - including Defense and Homeland Security - have received a grade of F for the past few years on a Computer Security Report Card issued by Congress. The government's overall grade is D-plus. Every day, according to a recent report in The Washington Post, hackers make more than 2,000 attempts to crack the Department of Agriculture's computers -- and apparently succeeded a few weeks ago, leading the agency to announce that personal data on more than 26,000 contractors and active and retired employees may have been stolen. Last year, an unknown intruder got into a computer at the National Nuclear Security Administration, a division of the Department of Energy that monitors the safety and reliability of military nuclear weapons. Information on more than 1,500 agency workers and outside contractors was stolen. Incredibly, the security breach wasn't reported to senior officials; it was buried with more than 830 other incidents the agency experienced last year. Hiding such breaches is common, according to government auditors. Years before the 9/11 terrorist attack and the destruction of New Orleans, federal officials were warned about grave danger, and did too little to prepare for it. Chertoff has got to do better -- before it gets worse. Originally published on July 25, 2006 All contents copyright 2006 Daily News, L.P. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:29:58 -0500 From: Tim Korte, AP Subject: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision By TIM KORTE, Associated Press Writer The widow of the astronomer who discovered Pluto 76 years ago said Thursday she was frustrated by the decision to strip it of its planetary status, but she added that Clyde Tombaugh would have understood. "I'm not heartbroken. I'm just shook up," Patricia Tombaugh, 93, said in a telephone interview from her home in Las Cruces. Clyde Tombaugh was 24 when he discovered Pluto while working at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., in 1930. He spent months meticulously examining images of the sky, looking for a planet observatory founder Percival Lowell theorized was affecting the orbit of Uranus. Lowell was wrong -- Pluto is too small to affect giant Neptune's orbit -- but Tombaugh found it anyway. Tombaugh, who died in 1997, was the only person in the Western Hemisphere to have discovered a planet in our solar system until Thursday, when the International Astronomical Union separated it from the eight "classical planets" and lumped it in with two similarly sized "dwarf planets." Tombaugh had fought off other attempts to relegate Pluto, but his widow said this time he probably would have endorsed the change, now that other planetary objects have been discovered in the Kuiper Belt, the belt of comets on the edge of the solar system where Pluto resides. "He was a scientist. He would understand they had a real problem when they start finding several of these things flying around the place," Patricia Tombaugh said. She added that her husband had been resigned to the change. "He knew it was on the way," she said. "Before he died, they were going around and around. Of course, he was disappointed. After 75 years of seeing it one way, who wouldn't be?" Planetary astronomers at Lowell Observatory expressed disappointment. Director Bob Millis said he preferred a rejected proposal that would have added three planets to the solar system instead of dropping Pluto. Closing the door to additional planetary discoveries is "not exactly motivational to young planetary scientists and astronomers," Millis said. At New Mexico State University, where Clyde Tombaugh worked from 1955-73 and founded the research astronomy department, the news about Pluto was received somewhat glumly. "To come up with a new classification shows science is not static. It's good to show that to the world," said Jim Murphy, an associate professor and department head. "I suppose our reaction is more emotional. I don't want anyone to think anything less of the discovery by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930." Tombaugh's legacy is visible across Las Cruces, where an observatory, a campus street and an elementary school bear his name. Murphy said Tombaugh's discovery was ahead of its time because it took 60 years for stronger telescopes to locate another object with an unusual orbit like Pluto's, and 73 years before scientists discovered a bigger object in the area. He said the declaration won't change Pluto's importance to science. "Pluto didn't cease to exist," Murphy said. "It didn't lose or gain any atoms. Its physical characteristics haven't changed a bit because of this. It already was perceived to be a member of a larger group of objects." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: When our power came back on Saturday morning, the Independence High School cable TV station had a program on interviewing one of the astronomy teachers who noted that "all the textbooks we have used in my memory have included Pluto as one of 'our' planets. (Flashback showing a classroom scene, with a textbook open to pages discussing Pluto.) I guess new textbooks will revise all that." PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Update #543 Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:32:44 -0400 From: John Riddell ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group=20 http://www.angustel.ca Number 543: August 25, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous=20 financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca/home/Home_Business.page=20 ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/=20 ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.com/canada/telecom/ ** MITEL NETWORKS: www.mitel.com/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions=20 ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** CRTC Asked to Enforce VoIP 9-1-1 Procedures ** Bell Fires Salvo in Broadband Wars ** AOL Privacy Breach Leads to Dismissals ** AT&T Sues Brokers over Customer Information ** Mitel Upgrades Mobility Portfolio ** NEC Adds Managed IP Telephony ** Avaya Upgrades Call Centre, Teleworker Software ** Founder Raises Bid for Inter-Tel ** IBM Buys Security Company ** MTS Offers High-Definition TV ** Telehop Net Income Rises ** Correction--Rogers Home Phone ** Feelings Mixed on Anytime Connectivity CRTC ASKED TO ENFORCE VoIP 9-1-1 PROCEDURES: 9-1-1 call centre providers in eight provinces have told the CRTC that most of the 9-1-1 calls forwarded by VoIP providers reach them over administrative lines not designed for emergency use, creating "a safety risk for the public." ** The 9-1-1 agencies ask the Commission (1) to tell VoIP service providers to adhere to the call routing provisions of Telecom Decision 2006-5 and Telecom Order 2006-168 and (2) to tell Local Exchange Carriers to include this requirement in contracts with VoIP providers. (See Telecom Update #515) http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2006/8663/8663_06.htm#200610312 BELL FIRES SALVO IN BROADBAND WARS: Bell Canada is rolling out its 16 Mbps Sympatico Optimax Internet access service across Toronto. The service debuted in Montreal last month. Price: $100 per month; a 10 Mbps version can be had for $75/month. (See Telecom Update #542) AOL PRIVACY BREACH LEADS TO DISMISSALS: AOL has announced the resignation of its CTO and has fired two other employees in connection with the recent posting on the Internet of three months' worth of search queries by 650,000 customers. The query sequences, which included intimate and sometimes identifiable data, were widely reposted and discussed on the Net. AOL says it is taking action to prevent a recurrence. AT&T SUES BROKERS OVER CUSTOMER INFORMATION: AT&T has sued 25 data brokers for fraudulently setting up thousands of online billing accounts using the identities of the telco's customers. The accounts can be used to obtain and sell the customers' calling histories. MITEL UPGRADES MOBILITY PORTFOLIO: Mitel Networks has announced a "second generation" enterprise mobility portfolio that gives softphones and teleworker devices encrypted access to the PBX's voice, presence, secure IM, and Web collaboration features, without using a Virtual Private Network. ** Mitel also now offers Quick Conferencing, an 8 to 32-port SIP-based audio conferencing bridge. NEC ADDS MANAGED IP TELEPHONY: NEC Unified Solutions now offers Managed IP Telephony, consisting of its Univerge IP-PBX platform plus maintenance and management services, for a monthly fee. "Essential" and "Comprehensive" options provide differing levels of data network support. AVAYA UPGRADES CALL CENTRE, TELEWORKER SOFTWARE: Avaya has released version 7.1 of its Interaction Center product, which adds a new software development kit. ** Version 2.0 of VPNremote for IP Phones adds support for Cisco and Juniper VPN environments. FOUNDER RAISES BID FOR INTER-TEL: An investment group including Steven Mihaylo has raised its offer to buy Inter-Tel to about US$615 million. Mihaylo is founder and former CEO of the Arizona-based business communications systems manufacturer. IBM BUYS SECURITY COMPANY: IBM Corp. has agreed to acquire Atlanta-based Internet Security Systems, which provides enterprises with managed security services, for US$1.3 billion. MTS OFFERS HIGH-DEFINITION TV: Manitoba Telecom's TV subscribers can now receive up to seven High Definition channels for $4.99 a month (forgivable for customers on contract) plus $349 for equipment and an installation fee. TELEHOP NET INCOME RISES: Telehop Communications, a Toronto-based long distance carrier, reports a profit of $483,785 for the six months ended June 30, four times as high as during the same period last year. Revenue edged up 3.9% to $10.2 million. CORRECTION -- ROGERS HOME PHONE: Telecom Update #542 incorrectly reported that Rogers had added residential phone service to several small cities in Ontario using cable telephony. In fact, Rogers is providing the expanded coverage with circuit-switched lines. FEELINGS MIXED ON ANYTIME CONNECTIVITY: A Korn/Ferry International survey of 2,300 global executives found that 81% have their communications devices on all the time. 77% say the devices enhance their work/life balance, but more than a third (38%) believe they spend too much time connected. HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web late Friday afternoon each week at http://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 2006 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. 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: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:11:56 -0500 From: Ron Kritzman Subject: Re: Fasten Your Seatbelts and No Cell Phones Please Michael Smith wrote: > Overhead "no smoking" signs will be replaced by "no cell phones" signs > on some planes next year when technology is introduced to make it safe > for passengers to use cell phones mid-flight.... Great timing. You'll be allowed to use cell phones in flight but you won't be allowed to carry them on board. - Ron Emoveray ethay Igpay Atinlay otay eplyray ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Dial Conversion - Depression Labor Force Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 23:12:26 -0400 wrote in message news:telecom25.313.5@telecom-digest.org: > mc wrote: >> And that -- together with similar deflationary cycles every few >> decades in the 19th century -- was one of the source of the notion >> that it is inherently evil to be in debt, which is still reverberating >> among some personal money management gurus. The Great Depression was >> the last deflationary cycle because we fundamentally changed the way >> the money supply is controlled. Going back to the gold standard, as >> some people advocate, would bring back the deflationary cycles. > What terrifies me is inflationl, esp what we had in the 1980s. > Inflation is basically a tax, a very unfair tax. > It discourages savings and encourages wasteful consumption. > There are many who do like inflation for various selfish reasons > because their particular segment of the economy is strengthened; but > at the expense of everyone else. Right. That, of course, is the case with *unexpected* inflation. If inflation is expected and fairly constant, interest rates and long-term plans will incorporate it and people will be back where they started, mostly. Unexpected inflation makes it easier to buy a house (by paying it off in smaller dollars) and makes it easier to pay off student loans (which is probably going to be a big issue in 10 years, when a lot of the population will be burdened with them). But it is basically a tax on the *middle* class. The upper class has investments that are inflation-proof. The lower class doesn't have savings. Inflation attacks people who are building up savings and are on the threshold of achieving some financial security. See Ben Bernanke's book, _Inflation Targeting_. He argues that (1) there should be measurable goals of monetary policy (so we can tell whether policies are successful), and controlling inflation is the most obvious one; (2) deflation is worse than inflation, but neither is very good; (3) to avoid deflation, and for another reason I'll get to, the CPI inflation rate should be about 2.5%. The other reason is that the Consumer Price Index doesn't take account of shifts in lifestyles. Typically, when some goods become more expensive while others become cheaper, people change what they buy. E.g., we now buy a lot more telecommunications, and less fancy clothing, than people did 50 years ago. The Consumer Price Index does not take these lifestyle shifts into account, at least not very rapidly, so Bernanke argues that 2.5% CPI inflation equals no real rise in cost of living. This is the first time we've had a Fed chief who came with documentation, so to speak. Prior to taking office, Bernanke had already written books saying exactly what he thought out to be done. I wish all politics worked this way. ObTelecom: How about an FCC chief? ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #314 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Aug 27 23:24:08 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id D56DD21C9; Sun, 27 Aug 2006 23:24:07 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #315 Message-Id: <20060828032407.D56DD21C9@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 23:24:07 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 27 Aug 2006 23:25:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 315 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Man in Texas Stops Burglary in UK via Web (Reuters News Wire) Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP, Could This be Kept (Filpo) Re: Cellular Roaming Tariffs (Raqueeb Hassan) Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision (mc) Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision (support@sellcom.com) Re: Feds Just Can't Hack It (Wesrock@aol.com) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 17:31:00 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Man in Texas Stops Burglary in UK via Web An American helped foil a burglary in northern England whilst watching a Beatles-related webcam over the Internet, police said on Friday. The man from Dallas was using a live camera link to look at Mathew Street, an area of Liverpool synonymous with the Beatles and home to the Cavern Club where the band regularly played. He saw intruders apparently breaking into a sports store and alerted local police. "We did get a call from someone in Dallas who was watching on a webcam that looks into the tourist areas, of which Mathew Street is one because of all the Beatles stuff," a Merseyside Police spokeswoman said. "He called directly through to police here." Officers were sent to the scene and three suspects were arrested. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: ivan.filpo@gmail.com Subject: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP, Could This be Kept? Date: 26 Aug 2006 19:51:38 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I am very anxious about transferring my local phone number to Vonage because I am worried that users that can call me for free now, will no longer be able to. I live in the border line of two area codes, 225 and 985, I can call my friends 985 number locally, no long distance charge, with my 225 number. However, since the number that vonage temporatily assigned to me is considered long distance to this town, I am scared that even though my current phone is local it might become a distant number. According to what I have read about LNP, when porting numbers from one telco to another, you should remain in the same physical area; meaning that I should be able to still call my friends without the need to dial 1 and viceversa, as one would for long distance numbers. However, I do not want a mistake like porting my number from local to long distance to happen, and therefore, feel very anxious about this step and I am for confirmation that what I understood is right and that according to FCC rules it should remain local. Currently Vonage gave me a temporary phone line, but since I guess low requests in this area since most people dont have internet, they were not able to give me a local number, and therefore cant receive calls unless callers dial 1. However, something else tells me that by porting my current phone vonage will gain or have access to a phone line in this area and should keep it local, at least that is what common sense tells me, but just need to confirm since I cant afford to make this mistake. I understand that if exchanging local carriers the number should remain as local, but Vonage is over the internet and does not seem it would remain local, but it could with third party exchange carriers. Finally, should I be completely sure that my line will port and that will remain local? Thanks for reading and all your help. Ivan ------------------------------ From: Raqueeb Hassan Subject: Re: Cellular Roaming Tariffs Date: 27 Aug 2006 08:57:30 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Michael D. Sullivan wrote: > On 8/22/2006 4:40 PM, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > > rbc310@gmail.com wrote: >>> Can anyone direct me to a PUC tariff on inter-carrier cellular roaming >>> charges? >> Is there even such a thing as PUC "tariffs" anymore on wireless >> services? I thought they were completely deregulated and charges were >> based on your personal contract with the carrier. >> I know my own contract with my carrier (which is old) offers different >> roaming areas and charges than newer contracts do of the same carrier. >> The PUC has nothing to do with it. > That is correct. State PUCs are explicitly deprived of jurisdiction > to regulate cellular rates by Section 221(b)(3) of the Communications > Act, 47 USC 221(b)(3). This is true of both the carrier-consumer > rates, such as the ones governed by various contracts that may charge > different rates from contract to contract, and of the > carrier-to-carrier rates, which are governed by roaming agreements > between carriers. Well, I guess that applies in US within, what happens in other part of the world? I'm interested on the inter-carrier cellular roaming charges by the regulators in Asia. Raqueeb Hassan Bangladesh ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 18:17:02 -0400 ; "AP" wrote in message news:telecom25.314.5@telecom-digest.org: > By TIM KORTE, Associated Press Writer > The widow of the astronomer who discovered Pluto 76 years ago said > Thursday she was frustrated by the decision to strip it of its > planetary status, but she added that Clyde Tombaugh would have > understood. Yes ... It should have been evident, almost as soon as Pluto was discovered, that it was not the Planet X predicted by Percival Lowell (who left funds to continue the search, leading to Tombaugh's discovery). Pluto is much smaller than a planet in the Jupiter-Saturn-Uranus-Neptune sequence should have been. I wonder if other Kuiper Belt objects could have been discovered from the Lowell Observatory photographic plates if the search had continued. Presumably so. With the change in nomenclature, Tombaugh becomes the discoverer of the first Kuiper Belt object, which is arguably more important than being discoverer of just one more planet. ------------------------------ From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 20:52:07 -0400 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com [Default] Tim Korte, AP said on that big USENET thingie: > The widow of the astronomer who discovered Pluto 76 years ago said > Thursday she was frustrated by the decision to strip it of its > planetary status, but she added that Clyde Tombaugh would have > understood. Some people have too much time on their hands ... Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more Check out http://www.guardian.name ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 19:06:06 EDT Subject: Re: Feds Just Can't Hack It In a message dated Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:26:23 -0500, Daily News Editorial writes: > By all indications, our nation's most sensitive data and computer > systems have woefully poor protection against hackers, thieves and > terrorists. [ ...Remained deleted... ] What "Daily News" is this? There are many papers across the country called "Daily News" and which one it is would appear to be a significant factor in assessing the credibility of the story. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com wleathus@yahoo.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It was the New York Daily News, of July 25 and the author was their columnist Errol Louis. Sorry about that, and I am reprinting it here below. PAT] Feds just can't hack it By all indications, our nation's most sensitive data and computer systems have woefully poor protection against hackers, thieves and terrorists. Scandal could turn into national tragedy if the Department of Homeland Security doesn't get its act together pronto. It has been more than a year since Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff promised to name an assistant secretary devoted to cyberspace security -- but the job remains unfilled. There are few takers for the job -- in fact, three cybersecurity officials resigned -- because the White House decided to put the chief of information security in a low-ranking slot, without daily access to Chertoff. This bureaucratic foolishness and paralysis comes more than three years after the White House published a 60-page National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, which noted that "in the past few years, threats in cyberspace have risen dramatically ... We must act to reduce our vulnerabilities to these threats before they can be exploited." Computers and the Internet are used to control and coordinate airports, radio stations, electric utilities and radio communications between first responders. Imagine how much worse the panic and death toll on 9/11 might have been if New York were left without electric power, without access to computers and without working phones, radio, television or traffic lights. A cyberattack could plunge all or part of the nation into chaos. Still, federal bureaucrats have their heads stuck in the sand. In May, red-faced officials at the Veterans Affairs Department acknowledged that sensitive personal information on more than 26 million veterans - including names, addresses and Social Security numbers - had gone missing. The data wasn't lifted by hackers: it was stored, uncoded, on a computer taken home by a government official whose last security background check took place 32 years ago. It gets worse. The head of the VA acknowledged he wasn't even informed of the data theft until two weeks after the fact. And while the computer eventually turned up with no harm done, Pedro Cadenas, the agency's cybersecurity chief, quit -- telling Government Executive magazine that "the department has no interest in doing the right thing," and that he'd only met the Veterans Affairs secretary once, at a social event. The laxity of the Veterans Affairs Department isn't an isolated case; several federal departments -- including Defense and Homeland Security -- have received a grade of F for the past few years on a Computer Security Report Card issued by Congress. The government's overall grade is D-plus. Every day, according to a recent report in The Washington Post, hackers make more than 2,000 attempts to crack the Department of Agriculture's computers -- and apparently succeeded a few weeks ago, leading the agency to announce that personal data on more than 26,000 contractors and active and retired employees may have been stolen. Last year, an unknown intruder got into a computer at the National Nuclear Security Administration, a division of the Department of Energy that monitors the safety and reliability of military nuclear weapons. Information on more than 1,500 agency workers and outside contractors was stolen. Incredibly, the security breach wasn't reported to senior officials; it was buried with more than 830 other incidents the agency experienced last year. Hiding such breaches is common, according to government auditors. Years before the 9/11 terrorist attack and the destruction of New Orleans, federal officials were warned about grave danger, and did too little to prepare for it. Chertoff has got to do better -- before it gets worse. Originally published in NY Daily News on July 25, 2006. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html *** 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, For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #315 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Aug 28 17:34:28 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 29E2821FA; Mon, 28 Aug 2006 17:34:27 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #316 Message-Id: <20060828213427.29E2821FA@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 17:34:27 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 28 Aug 2006 17:36:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 316 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Google Wins e-Bay non-USA Ads (Eric Auchard) Google Expands From Search and Advertising to Business Software (Auchard) Call for Papers: IAENG International Conference on Bioinformatics (ICB) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 28, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) EchoStar to Pay $100M in Retransmission Dispute (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Cellular Roaming Tariffs (Michael D. Sullivan) Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP (Rick Merrill) Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP (Lisa Hancock) Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNO (John Levine) Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision (Lisa Hancock) Re: Feds Just Can't Hack It (Lisa Hancock) Re: Poor Walmart Had Troubles Friday Night (Lisa Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 14:46:25 -0500 From: Eric Auchard Subject: Google Wins e-Bay non-USA Ads By Eric Auchard Web search leader Google Inc. will supply online auctioneer eBay Inc. with Web search advertising outside the United States, and the two will join forces on "click-to-call" ads that link online shoppers to vendors, the companies said on Monday. Paid search advertising lets marketers bid for ad space next to keyword search results. EBay, whose shares were up 3 percent, said that for international online text advertising, it will rely exclusively on Google instead of Yahoo Inc. which in May struck a parallel deal to handle eBay's U.S. ads. The eBay contract is part of a string of deals for Google this month. It also plans to begin testing an ad-supported Web video syndication system with Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks, and it has struck a deal to supply ads to MySpace users and other Web properties of News Corp. The deal with eBay "is the most important of these areas," Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said in a phone interview. "You can now see Google's strategy in each of these new markets," Schmidt said of MTV Web video, the MySpace community, and eBay e-commerce partnerships. "These are very large businesses for us." Separately, on Sunday, Google said it was moving beyond search and advertising into the business software market, starting with a set of Web programs for e-mail, scheduling and communications. It plans to add additional programs later. The eBay partnership indicates that "Google continues to grow not only through rapid innovation, but also through partnerships with premier online properties," Oppenheimer & Co. analyst A. Sasa Zorovic wrote in a research note. Financial terms for components of the deal involve revenue-sharing, but the companies did not disclose details. EBay said it did not expect the agreement to have a material impact on its financial results in 2006 or 2007. Analysts said the deal was also unlikely to have a material impact on Google during that period. EBay increasingly depends on paid search advertising to drive bidders to its auctions and sales. Its new pacts seek to make it easier for buyers to search for items for sale on eBay, while being careful not to offend sellers with competing ads. Through its deal with Yahoo, eBay has already begun testing ads that appear when U.S. customers fail to locate what they want on an eBay auction search, eBay CEO Meg Whitman said. The Google pact expands this to international sites. If and when eBay sellers become more comfortable seeing ads alongside their listings, eBay plans to expand the number of pages where Yahoo or Google ads may appear, she said. PHONING WEB CUSTOMER SERVICE The companies said they will jointly offer "click-to-call" advertising using the instant message and Web phone-calling services of two companies -- eBay's globally popular Skype and Google's nascent Google Talk service. Click-to-call is where advertising merges into e-commerce. It allows potential buyers to click on Web-phone ad links and talk directly to sellers or their representatives. The technique is seen as a promising way to reach merchants or advertisers who may not have a Web site, or who rely on potential customers using Yellow Pages phone directories. "The vast majority of businesses still serve customers via the phone," Whitman said in a joint interview with Google's CEO. "This is the online equivalent." EBay has signed up more than 100 million users worldwide for its Skype message and Web phone-calling service. EBay said it would soon offer Skype users the option to download the Google Toolbar, which has quick links to Google services, especially Web search. The two will explore making Skype and Google Talk work together for text chats and to help make users aware when users of the other service are online. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 14:51:36 -0500 From: Eric Auchard Subject: Google Expands From Search and Advertising Into Business Software By Eric Auchard Google Inc. is making a concerted move beyond search and advertising into the business software market, starting with a set of Web programs for e-mail, scheduling and communications, it said on Sunday. The online search leader said it has created a software platform to run basic business activities -- based on programs it already offers separately. The move marks a stepped up challenge to rival Microsoft Corp. as the software giant prepares to upgrade its Windows and Office franchises. The free set of Web-based programs for small businesses, universities and nonprofit businesses goes by the mouthful "Google Apps for Your Domain" (http://www.google.com/a). Later this year, Google said it will offer a "paid, premium" version with the option of being ad-free and more administrative control and compliance features to meet the demands of bigger corporations and government agencies. Pricing for this more advanced version is not yet available, it said. Google will host the applications relieving companies of the need to maintain or install software on individual PCs -- support tasks often more costly than software itself. "If we do it right, we get the best of both worlds -- very consumer-friendly software, but also low-cost business applications," said Dave Girouard, general manager of Google's enterprise division, which sells search software to companies. Individual office workers can sign on to Google Apps -- short for applications -- through their Web browsers. Initial apps are Gmail Web e-mail, the Google Talk instant message and Web phone-calling service, group scheduling on Google Calendar, and Google Page Creator for Web page design. "It really is intended to be a platform," Girouard said. "One of the fundamental benefits of the software as service approach is that you can just turn on new features over time." The Writely word processor and Google Spreadsheet are candidates for future inclusion in Google Apps, Girouard said. SOFTWARE CHALLENGE Google's main appeal is to consumers of its popular Web search and advertising systems. By packaging a set of software for businesses, Google is responding to demands by corporate network administrators who prefer to manage a standard set of software inside organizations. Many are cracking down on the spread of individual consumer programs within their networks. Sue Feldman, an analyst with market research firm IDC, said Google Apps moves the company into open competition with Microsoft in the business software market. Anticipating Google's moves, the world's biggest software maker has responded with Windows "Live" -- Web-based software for small business and consumers. But Microsoft's unwillingness to deliver its software until it is "fully baked" gives Google an opening to win adherents to its approach, the analyst said. "There is simplicity and there is s-i-m-p-l-i-c-i-t-y," Feldman said. "If you are used to using Microsoft Outlook, you may need many more features and you will want to use them whether you are connected to the Internet or offline." Martin Pyykkonen, an analyst with Global Crown Capital of San Francisco, says Google's bid to host business software may give pause to companies mulling when to upgrade to new versions of Microsoft Windows, Office and Outlook due in the next year. "For all the complexity of Microsoft software and how long Vista has taken, a lot of corporate executives are going to be wary: Do you update to the complexity of Vista or would you be better off just using something simple like Google Apps?" he said. Vista, the first major upgrade of Windows in five years, is due out later this year or early next. IBM, Oracle Corp. and SAP AG also are racing to offer their software as Web-based services in order to make it easier to use and to cut costs, following the lead of pioneer Salesforce.com. Google's latest move makes them both competitors and potential partners. Girouard underscored that the Google Apps platform is not designed to replace Microsoft's core software. Many businesses are likely to run Windows and Office programs alongside Google Apps on office workers' computers, he said. "This platform isn't by any means an alternative to Windows," Girouard said. "We are not really out there to eliminate any applications. We are looking to introduce new ways to solve problems people have been having for years." "There is a lot of open territory," he said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ From: imecs___2007@iaeng.org Subject: Call for Papers: IAENG International Conference on Bioinformatics Date: 27 Aug 2006 23:19:56 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com CFP: The IAENG International Conference on Bioinformatics ICB 2007 From: International Association of Engineers The 2007 IAENG International Conference on Bioinformatics 21-23 March, 2007, Hong Kong http://www.iaeng.org/IMECS2007/ICB2007.html The conference ICB'07 is held under the International MultiConference of Engineers and Computer Scientists 2007. The IMECS 2007 is organized by the International Association of Engineers (IAENG), and serves as good platforms for the engineering community members to meet with each other and to exchange ideas. The last conference in 2006 has attracted a total of over four hundred participants from over 30 countries. All submitted papers will be under peer review and accepted papers will be published in the conference proceeding (ISBN: 978-988-98671-4-0). The abstracts will be indexed and available at major academic databases. The accepted papers will also be considered for publication in the special issues of the journal Engineering Letters, in IAENG journals and in edited books. Important Dates: Draft Manuscript submission deadline: 12 December, 2006 Camera-Ready papers & Pre-registration due: 2 January, 2007 ICB 2007: 21-23 March, 2007 Submission: ICB 2007 is now accepting manuscript submissions. Prospective authors are invited to submit their draft paper in full paper (any appropriate style) to imecs{at}iaeng.org by 12 December, 2006. The submitted file can be in MS Word format, PS format, or PDF formats. The first page of the draft paper should include: (1) Title of the paper; (2) Name, affiliation and e-mail address for each author; (3) A maximum of 5 keywords of the paper. Also, the name of the conference that the paper is being submitted to should be stated in the email. The topics of the ICB'07 include, but not limited to, the following: Sequence analysis Sequence alignment Sequence database Sequence profiling tools Sequence motif Genome annotation Gene finding Computational evolutionary biology Gene expression analysis Protein expression analysis Analysis of mutations in cancer and other diseases Structure prediction Structural motif Preserving biodiversity Modeling biological systems Software tools And other applications ICB Conference Co-Chairs and Committee Members: Dr. Qingfeng Chen (co-chair) School of Information Technology Deakin University, Australia I-Jen Chiang Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of Medical Informatics, Taipei Medical University Adjunct Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taiwan Wallace Choy (co-chair) Research Ass. Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Jui-chien Hsieh (co-chair) Assistant Professor, Department of Bioinformatics Chung Hua University, Taiwan Hsueh-Fen Juan Assistant Professor, Department of Life science National Taiwan University, Taiwan Xueliang Li Deputy Director and Professor Center for Combinatorics, Nankai University, China Alejandro Murua (co-chair) Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Montreal, Canada Associate Editor, International Journal of Tomography and Statistics Dr. Dat Tran Senior Lecturer in Computing, School of Information Sciences and Engineering, University of Canberra, Australia Lin-Yu Tseng (co-chair) Professor, Department of Computer Science National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan Jer-Shyan Wu (co-chair) Associate Professor, Department of Bioinformatics Chung Hua University, Taiwan Cheng-Hong Yang Professor, Department of Electronics Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Taiwan More details about the IMECS 2007 can be found at: http://www.iaeng.org/IMECS2007/index.html More details about the International Association of Engineers, the journal Engineering Letters and the IAENG International Journal of Computer Science can be found at: http://www.iaeng.org/about_IAENG.html http://www.engineeringletters.com http://www.iaeng.org/IJCS/index.html It will be highly appreciated if you can circulate these calls for papers to your colleagues. ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 28, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:49:23 -0400 (EDT) ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 28, 2006 ******************************** Motorola and Nokia Experience Problems in Russia http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19555?11228 Motorola said last week that it would not seek compensation for the destruction of mobile phones worth US$2 million. In March this year, 167,000 Motorola mobile phones (worth about US$17 million) were impounded by police at a Moscow airport as evidence in a contraband case. In April, police charged that the phones posed a danger to ... One-Touch Keypad Finds a Home http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19551?11228 As everybody knows, most alphanumeric keyboards designed for mobile devices are little more than a cruel joke. Tiny keytops and cramped layouts make any attempt at rapid, long-term typing frustrating and potentially painful. Back in 2002, Lexington, Mass.-based Digit Wireless unveiled its FasTap keypad. The device was designed to ... Sprint Aims to Simplify Business Mobility http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19549?11228 Sprint Nextel introduced Sprint Advanced Wireless Solutions, a program designed to provide business customers with an all-inclusive mobility solution. Sprint intends to act as the single point of contact for its business customers, while handling contract negotiations, and solution configuration and integration for its customers. ... Frontier/Citizens Seek Broadband Deregulation http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19547?11228 The incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) operations of Frontier and its parent Citizens Communications have asked the federal government to free their broadband businesses from rules and regulations the latest chapter of what is becoming a growing trend among major U.S. telcos: Seeking light-touch treatment. Forbearance petitions ... Laptop vs Smartphone: No Contest http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19545?11228 Executives at smartphone manufacturers like Palm Inc. and Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) need only look at their own products to understand why, even as the devices gain popularity across different job functions and levels, the penetration among all mobile workers remains a fraction of the total potential user base ... Nokia Siemens Names More Execs http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19543?11228 Nokia Corp. and Siemens Communications Group have ironed out more details of their carrier infrastructure joint venture, Nokia Siemens Networks, naming the heads of its business and regional divisions. The new company will combine Nokia's Networks Business Group with the carrier-related operations of Siemens ... Mobile Video Industry Will Begin to Shape up in 2008 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19541?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The market for long form mobile/portable video content (video content of greater than 30 minutes) is currently in an experimental phase, and will likely remain at this stage for at least two years, reports In-Stat. By 2008, however, the industry will begin to gain traction and demonstrate its long-term ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 12:40:57 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: EchoStar to Pay $100M in Retransmission Dispute USTelecom dailyLead August 28, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/enpwfDtusXbkdhUVbp TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * EchoStar to pay $100M in retransmission dispute BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Wireless carriers fend off rivals in spectrum auction * Telstra to offer stock deal to current shareholders * XO gets into wireless broadband mix * Analysis: Microsoft's unified communications plan could face hurdles USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * CALEA Compliance, Telco IPTV & ROADM -- Now Free On-Demand HOT TOPICS * Cisco buys Arroyo * AT&T inks U-Verse deal in San Antonio * Analysis: Sprint Nextel faces uphill climb * Verizon, BellSouth to add new surcharge to DSL bills * Supreme Court justice lets EchoStar ruling stand TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Mobile ads look to dial up consumers * Google, eBay in global text-ad deal REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * BellSouth scraps DSL surcharge * Editorial: California PUC vote a solid move * Wireless carriers seek priority treatment to ensure speedy repairs during emergencies DIVERSIONS * In Transylvania, a Count Invites You to His Castle * Read Between All Those For-Sale Signs * Bargains Are Near; Just Keep Waiting * In Paris, a Feast of Art and History, in Bite-Size Pieces * Like Packards? Ask the Man Who Owns 33 of Them ------------------------------ From: Michael D. Sullivan Subject: Re: Cellular Roaming Tariffs Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 07:11:07 GMT On 8/27/2006 11:57 AM, Raqueeb Hassan wrote: > Michael D. Sullivan wrote: >> That is correct. State PUCs are explicitly deprived of jurisdiction >> to regulate cellular rates by Section 221(b)(3) of the Communications >> Act, 47 USC 221(b)(3). This is true of both the carrier-consumer >> rates, such as the ones governed by various contracts that may charge >> different rates from contract to contract, and of the >> carrier-to-carrier rates, which are governed by roaming agreements >> between carriers. > Well, I guess that applies in US within, what happens in other part of > the world? I'm interested on the inter-carrier cellular roaming > charges by the regulators in Asia. This is governed by national and, in some cases, sub-national laws. My response above pertains only to the U.S. Given the generally deregulated nature of wireless services in most countries, the same analysis may apply. But there is no guarantee of that. Only a specialist qualified to analyze your country's laws and regulations can answer your question on a country-specific basis. Michael D. Sullivan Bethesda, MD (USA) (To reply, change example.invalid to com in the address.) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:18 -0400 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP ivan.filpo@gmail.com wrote: > I am very anxious about transferring my local phone number to Vonage > because I am worried that users that can call me for free now, will no > longer be able to. I live in the border line of two area codes, 225 > and 985, I can call my friends 985 number locally, no long distance > charge, with my 225 number. However, since the number that vonage > temporatily assigned to me is considered long distance to this town, I > am scared that even though my current phone is local it might become a > distant number. > According to what I have read about LNP, when porting numbers from one > telco to another, you should remain in the same physical area; meaning > that I should be able to still call my friends without the need to > dial 1 and viceversa, as one would for long distance numbers. However, > I do not want a mistake like porting my number from local to long > distance to happen, and therefore, feel very anxious about this step > and I am for confirmation that what I understood is right and that > according to FCC rules it should remain local. > Currently Vonage gave me a temporary phone line, but since I guess low > requests in this area since most people dont have internet, they were > not able to give me a local number, and therefore cant receive calls > unless callers dial 1. However, something else tells me that by > porting my current phone vonage will gain or have access to a phone > line in this area and should keep it local, at least that is what > common sense tells me, but just need to confirm since I cant afford to > make this mistake. > I understand that if exchanging local carriers the number should > remain as local, but Vonage is over the internet and does not seem it > would remain local, but it could with third party exchange carriers. > Finally, should I be completely sure that my line will port and that > will remain local? > Thanks for reading and all your help. > Ivan YOU will have free LD, but you are correct that your friends calling you might have to dial and pay LD rates. I have heard from other folk to whom this happened. I would call Vonage support for your area and ask for a supervisor to explain exactly how it would work -- give them your friends phone number for an example. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP Date: 28 Aug 2006 09:00:26 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com ivan.filpo@gmail.com wrote: > I am very anxious about transferring my local phone number to Vonage > because I am worried that users that can call me for free now, will no > longer be able to. I live in the border line of two area codes, 225 > and 985, I can call my friends 985 number locally, no long distance > charge, with my 225 number. However, since the number that vonage > temporatily assigned to me is considered long distance to this town, I > am scared that even though my current phone is local it might become a > distant number. Before I answer, you should know I am not a big fan of VOIP. IMHO it is overhyped and there are many technical details (like 911 connectivity) to be worked out. IMHO (and personal experience) many of the sales people often give out incorrect information and do not have adequate resources to serve customers correctly. Thus, you may be promised something that doesn't come to be. I also live in a border area as you describe and I have found outsiders -- like long distance carriers -- do not understand the arrangement. Long distance companies have billed me for local calls over the line and it was a fight to get the charges off. I am afraid VOIP are spread too thin to understand these subtle arrangements and your concerns are completely valid. That is, you will end up with a number that is long distance for others to call you. ------------------------------ Date: 28 Aug 2006 21:18:30 -0000 From: John Levine Subject: Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP In-Reply-To: > I am very anxious about transferring my local phone number to Vonage > because I am worried that users that can call me for free now, will no > longer be able to. The rate that people pay to call your number depends ONLY on the rate center your number's prefix (the first three digits) is assigned to. Vonage may or may not be able to port your number, but if they can, it won't affect who can call if for free. > According to what I have read about LNP, when porting numbers from one > telco to another, you should remain in the same physical area What that really means is that the new telco must offer service in the LATA to which the number is assigned. LATAs are service areas that were created at the time of the Bell breakup. Sometimes they match area code boundares, but more often they don't. R's, John ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision Date: 28 Aug 2006 09:04:03 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com The story in the Newark Star Ledger reported that only a small number of scientists actually voted in the official survey; that is, the majority of scientists at the conference did not participate in the vote. That makes me wonder if the vote was fair. While the scientific evidence to downgrade Pluto is strong, the decision still bothers me none the less. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Feds Just Can't Hack It Date: 28 Aug 2006 11:52:05 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Daily News Editorial wrote: > Computers and the Internet are used to control and coordinate > airports, radio stations, electric utilities and radio communications > between first responders. Imagine how much worse the panic and death > toll on 9/11 might have been if New York were left without electric > power, without access to computers and without working phones, radio, > television or traffic lights. > A cyberattack could plunge all or part of the nation into chaos. There IS cause for concern, but the risk varies greatly from one application to another. Also, "cyberattack" has many different meanings. Much of it simply could be a traditional physical attack on infrastructure, such as putting an explosive down a utility manhole or blowing up a computer room. How much protection does critical power substations have against being bombed? Many networks are very vulnerable to viruses. For example, an email virus could cripple everyone's desk top with a flood of emails. That might have nothing to do with an application, but if one's desktop is down, can one still control an application? For critical control points, such control units should be fully isolated except for their dedicated function. Operators shouldn't be emailing their girlfriends or surfing the net from such computers. Critical applications should not be controlled through the Internet at all. That is way too risky. It's all right for an applicaton to use Internet protocols within itself, but it should be completely isolated from the Internet. That is direct lines between control and the field, with secondary backup lines. > Still, federal bureaucrats have their heads stuck in the sand. In May, > red-faced officials at the Veterans Affairs Department acknowledged that > sensitive personal information on more than 26 million veterans -- > including names, addresses and Social Security numbers -- had gone > missing. This turned out to be much ado about nothing. The laptop was stolen for itself, not for the data on it. I suspect almost all such thefts are for the physical item, not the data. (We do need far better controls on protecting information, though.) In this day and age the existence of sabotage viruses and the like is inexcusable. The sabotage isn't by James Bond type figures climbing down the skylight. A great many people are skilled enough to make viruses, they just choose not to. The Internet should be far more secure. It's like using a bathroom door lock to protect the gold at Fort Knox. We'll probably need a national or international body to control the Internet and eliminate the numerous weakspots in it, kind of like the way the FCC and intl bodies allocate radio frequencies and telephone signal protocols. This business of hijacking unprotected servers is ridiculous. Although this is blasphemous to say so, we'll probably need border controls on Internet traffic entering the United States just as there is on physical goods. Or quarentine borders around countries that create malicious viruses, phishing, etc. I still insist the term "virus" is very misleading. It implies it's something we can't really control very well, like the common cold. But that's false. It's sabotage, not naturally from nature, but specifically created by people. Maybe if the headlines read "ABC BANK HIT BY SABOTAGE, 3RD ATTACK THIS WEEK" people would take notice and demand action. [public replies, please] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Poor Walmart Had Troubles Friday Night Date: 28 Aug 2006 11:59:02 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > I lost close to a hundred dollars worth of > refrigerator/freezer food during the eight hours I was without > power. (7:30 PM to about 5:00 AM). Some say food will last a good number of hours if the doors are not opened. I don't know what the cutoff time is. Obviously it depends on the insulation quality of the fridge and the room temperature. > Walmart is going to stay closed over the weekend in order to restock > all their frozen grocery items My neighborhood power relability is not so good. One local restaurant got a generator and the police have a generator for the traffic light. If storms are predicted, these generators are pulled out to be ready. The local convenience store has to dump all its perishables which is a lot of food (frozen and deli items of which it sells a lot). Seems to me they should get a generator for their frig/freezers to save their stock. Even if the store has to close due to no lights at least they can reopen immediately when the lights come on. However, the generator needed for powering commercial grade and size freezers and refrigerators may be very large and too big to be practical. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Now that the weekend is over and things are back to at least a semblence of normalacy, we here (the Townson household) have found have found that much of what we considered to be 'ruined' in fact unthawed a little but is mostly okay. I kept the refrigerator/freezer doors closed entirely the entire night except once for a jug of icewater and cola to drink. An informal audit taken of some of the restaurant business places around town (such as Dairy Queen where we ate Saturday night) said Friday night was a real bummer, having to clean up/close up in the dark Friday night, but they managed to get by. Microtel and Super Eight (two motels along that West Main Street strip as well as Walmart are still trying to get things back to normal as of today, Monday afternoon. All the businesses along there now have generators, compliments of Westar Energy. They even gave a couple generators to the handful of residences still affected out there, and told them all to _carefully_ ration the power among themslves. Walmart -- not to be outwitted -- has a couple of large, noisy generators sitting in their parking lot, which is otherwise taken over by Westar/KGE trucks and equipment. The main road into Walmart has police cars with officers waving everyone away, so Walmart fixed things up so if you wish to get into their store, there is a little tiny road several yards west which terminates in their parking lot (otherwise occupied by large, heavy, very specialized trucks and other units, but Walmart kept about one row of spaces for their customers, which is being shared with Walmart's own freezer trucks and a mechanical fork lift truck which someone drives around getting things out of the freezer trucks. Most of the store is still dark; the generators cannot light the entire place as Walmart would like, and although they say they are 'open for business' when we went by there this morning, 'business' amounted to perhaps two or three customers around some taped off registers and most of the store sort of a gray color from the skylights which were letting in sun light and the few overhead lights the generators were able to deal with in addition to serving the computers, the phone system and the freezers. Who I really feel sorry for out there is Dr. Epp and his veternary clinic/hospital. The poor animals must have really suffered in the heat over the weekend, although I saw a generator parked in _his_ parking area this morning; but a sign said 'kennel is closed at this time, elective surgery (i.e. getting your dogs and cats 'fixed') is cancelled, please re-schedule; emergencies only at this time. And the local animal shelter is a couple blocks away. They are also categorized as a 'business' which put them sort of low on the totem-pole of the Westar emergency repairs. :( Over here on the east side of town, we sit here in relative ease and comfort today. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #316 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Aug 29 14:50:49 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 307A8220B; Tue, 29 Aug 2006 14:50:48 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #317 Message-Id: <20060829185048.307A8220B@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 14:50:48 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 29 Aug 2006 14:52:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 317 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson FCC Speeds Up Bidding in Wireless Sale (Jeremy Pelofsky, Reuters) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 29, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) EPIC Alert 13.13 (Monty Solomon) EPIC Alert 13.14 (Monty Solomon) EPIC Alert 13.15 (Monty Solomon) EPIC Alert 13.16 (Monty Solomon) EPIC Alert 13.17 (Monty Solomon) Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision (John Hines) May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units From Toll (L Hancock) Developer to Raze Bell Labs Holmdel Facility (Neal McLain) Ever Want to Throw Away Your Mobile Phone? (Anna Ringstrom, Reuters) Verizon Offers Free Online Games (USTA DailyLead) NY Times Reporter Seeks Info on History of SIT Tone (davidk) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:45:30 -0500 From: Jeremy Pelofsky Subject: FCC Speeds Up Bidding in Wireless Sale By Jeremy Pelofsky The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday accelerated the bidding in its auction of licenses for advanced wireless services, which has already raised almost $13.6 billion after 14 days. The agency added two rounds of bidding per day to bring the daily total to six rounds and cut the time of each round in half to 30 minutes, an effort to complete the sale as companies vie for 1,122 licenses around the country. The auction continues until there are no new bids, withdrawals or other activity. After 54 rounds, T-Mobile USA, the No. 4 U.S. wireless carrier and a unit of Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG, provisionally had the highest bids for 121 licenses with offers of $4.2 billion. Analysts predicted the company would be an aggressive bidder because it does not have as many airwaves as its larger competitors. T-Mobile has the highest bids for several large regional licenses as well as ones that cover smaller areas. No. 2 wireless carrier Verizon Wireless is second in the bidding, with provisionally winning bids of $2.8 billion for four licenses. While traditional wireless companies have largely dominated the auction, a group that includes the major cable television providers and No. 3 wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. is in third place based on provisionally winning bids. That group, SpectrumCo LLC, includes Comcast Corp., Time Warner Inc. and Cox Communications and has the highest bids for 133 licenses with offers of almost $2.3 billion, according to FCC data. Analysts have predicted the sale could raise up to $15 billion, which would be a record if there are no successful legal challenges or bidders that failed to pay. The FCC did raise $17.6 billion in a 2001 auction, but that sale was later voided when the Supreme Court ruled the licenses up for auction were wrongfully taken from a company in bankruptcy protection. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 29, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:45:26 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 29, 2006 ******************************** EU Study Reveals Need for More Competition, Finds Mobile Households Exceed Fixed http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/105/19584?11228 The European Commission's efforts at forcing incumbent telecoms operators to open up their infrastructures to competition received a boost last week. A new study released on Friday (25 August) found that greater competition and streamlined European rules encouraged greater investment and ... FCC, Wireless Industry Unhappy with New FAA Directive http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19582?11228 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the wireless industry have criticised a new directive from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to introduce more checks when companies site new antennas or make modifications to existing ones. The FAA had in June proposed plans to modify and expand the scope of its Part 77 rules ... Uncovering Revenue Leakage Problems in Broadband and Data Services http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19577?11228 Given today's tight margins and competitive landscape, most providers now understand that revenue assurance needs to be a proactive element of every service rollout. In this article, we will look at a configuration-based approach to fighting revenue leakage in flat-fee services that are delivered over packet-switched ... Get Real with Wireless Price Points http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19574?11228 Unless they come to the party with deep pockets, the major winners in the AWS auctions that begin next month will have to secure financing for network buildouts. Companies with big plans for WiMAX operations are faced with the same challenge. To be successful, they will need to convince investors with business models that show they ... Tests and Tools Heed the VoIP Call http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19572?11228 While VoIP (voice-over-IP) service reaches deeper into millions of homes and businesses, and its place in the triple play bundle rises to near-must-have proportions, the testing of the service's tricky nuances and complexities is entering the mission-critical stage. For the most part, the status of VoIP testing is at best a work ... MobilePro Helps RCN Make a Quadruple Play http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19568?11228 RCN Corporation and MobilePro forged an agreement to sell wireless services, which will enable RCN to become a quadruple-play provider. The deal marks the first time wireless will be offered to RCN customers. The companies plan to work together to roll out an initial trial in September, offering a range of monthly plans aimed at ... Rumor Du Jour: France Telecom Could Enter PT Fight http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19565?11228 With Portugal's Competition Authority (AdC) now expected to rule by the end of the week favorably -- albeit with major stipulations -- on Sonae's hostile takeover bid for Portugal Telecom (PT), rumors out of Europe say France Telecom is about to step into the fray and will, together with a clutch of Spanish banks, help fund more... WiFi Gets High http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19562?11228 As questions continue to arise about large-scale mesh WiFi deployments in big cities, the technoscenti have begun to ask: Is there a better way? The answer is yes, according to Jerry Dix, chairman and CEO of 5G Wireless Communications Inc., which supplies 'cellular-style' WiFi for outdoor and indoor networks. ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:23:23 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EPIC Alert 13.13 ======================================================================== E P I C A l e r t ======================================================================== Volume 13.13 June 30, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_13.13.html ======================================================================== Table of Contents ======================================================================== [1] Government Program Probes Financial Records [2] EPIC Opposes Photo ID Requirements for Voting [3] Lawmakers, Industry, Call for Federal Privacy Law [4] FTC Calls for Open Access to WHOIS [5] Experts Find Wiretaps Weaken Security [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: Vernor Vinge's "Rainbows End" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_13.13.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:23:23 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EPIC Alert 13.14 ======================================================================== E P I C A l e r t ======================================================================== Volume 13.14 July 13, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_13.14.html ======================================================================== Table of Contents ======================================================================== [1] Georgia State, Federal Courts Halt Photo ID Requirement for Voters [2] EPIC Supports Supreme Court Review of DNA Databases [3] British ID Card Plan Stalls [4] FBI Proposes Wiretap Law Expansion [5] Defense Department Monitored Student Email [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: John Battelle's "The Search" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_13.14.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:23:23 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EPIC Alert 13.15 ======================================================================== E P I C A l e r t ======================================================================== Volume 13.15 July 27, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_13.15.html ======================================================================== Table of Contents ======================================================================== [1] Courts, Congress Ponder NSA Surveillance Issues [2] EPIC Testifies on WHOIS Privacy and Phishing [3] House Committees Hold Joint Hearing on E-voting [4] House Nears Vote on Data Breach Bill [5] D.C. Council Approves Temporary Expansion of Camera Use [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: Yochai Benkler's "The Wealth of Networks" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_13.15.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:23:23 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EPIC Alert 13.16 ======================================================================== E P I C A l e r t ======================================================================== Volume 13.16 August 10, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_13.16.html ======================================================================== Table of Contents ======================================================================== [1] Key Congressman Doubts DHS Privacy Officer's Qualifications [2] Non Commercial Users Urge Privacy for WHOIS before IGF [3] $50 Million Verdict for Violating Drivers' Privacy in FL [4] GAO: Current Laws Don't Protect Info Held by Data Brokers [5] RFID Passport Hacked [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: Steve Posner, "Privacy Law and the USA PATRIOT Act" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_13.16.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:23:23 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EPIC Alert 13.17 ======================================================================== E P I C A l e r t ======================================================================== Volume 13.17 August 25, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_13.17.html ======================================================================== Table of Contents ======================================================================== [1] Federal Court Finds NSA Wiretaps Illegal [2] AOL Releases Users' Search Queries [3] DHS Inspector General: More Security Needed for RFID [4] Government to Require Cars Warn of "Black Box" Recording [5] DHS Seeks Expanded Access to Travelers' Data [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: David Lazer's "DNA and the Criminal Justice System" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_13.17.html ------------------------------ From: John Hines Subject: Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:26:01 -0500 Organization: www.jhines.org Reply-To: john@jhines.org > Editor's Note: When our power came back on Saturday morning, the > Independence High School cable TV station had a program on > interviewing one of the astronomy teachers who noted that "all the > textbooks we have used in my memory have included Pluto as one of > 'our' planets. (Flashback showing a classroom scene, with a textbook > open to pages discussing Pluto.) I guess new textbooks will revise > all that." One of the reasons why IMHO they should have grandfathered Pluto in as a planet. Now if the Walt Disney Co would do a short showing Pluto(c) as the leader of the Knuiper band of objects, we could teach the solar system in 3 to 5 minutes. Silly sig to prevent isp ad ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units From Toll Date: 28 Aug 2006 14:46:14 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com May 1966 -- NYT -- Suffolk County Long Island telephone subscribers were angry at a change in billing practices. NY Telephone switched to a message unit system instead of itemized toll charges for calls outside one's calling area on Long Island. With "message units", the bill only shows a gross number of units rather than individually itemized calls. The units charged per call vary by distance and time. Business people said they needed itemization for tax purposes. Others complained they had large bills but no way to figure them out. The phone company said the switch saved customers 20% in bookkeeping costs. From the phone company's point of view, it is much simpler than listing on a bll a slew of 5c and 10c toll calls. The above refers to Suffolk County on suburban Long Island (still mostly rural in 1966). The rest of NYC and adjacent suburbs went to message units -- along with direct dialing -- around 1950. I don't know how the phone company recorded charges back then. According to the Eng & Sci history, AMA tapes included message unit calls, so detailed records were available even if not shown on the customer's bill. But message units could also be easily recorded on the same meters used to track local calls, just incrementing the counter as needed per call. AMA was developed with No 5 crossbar in 1948 so it was theorectically available for NY. Could anyone elaborate on this process? Message units or measured service is still used today in places. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 20:54:58 -0500 From: Neal McLain Subject: Developer to Raze Bell Labs Holmdel Facility Developer to raze Bell Labs Holmdel facility, birthplace of the cellphone. Engadget July 5, 2006 The facility in question, one time Holmdel, New Jersey home to Bell Labs -- one of the most prolific technology innovators of the 20th century -- was owned by Lucent technologies until a recent round of asset liquidations. Barely 40 miles out of New York City, in its heydey the six-story, two million square foot campus, employed over 5,600 people who toiled away in its bowels; it became home to the work of numerous Nobel laureates, and has long since been cemented in the annals of tech history as the birthplace to some of the most important communications technologies ever conceived. And it'll soon be torn down. Full article: http://tinyurl.com/pm2wo Back in my college days in Ann Arbor in the '60s, I once wrote a term paper about Eero Saarinen, the architect. Here are links to two publicity photos that the Bell Labs PR folks sent to me at the time: http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b85/Cable77422/3.jpg http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b85/Cable77422/2.jpg I've been told that the water tower is supposed to look like a transistor, but I think that's sort of stretching the imagination... Neal McLain ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 22:00:32 -0500 From: Anna Ringstrom, Reuters Subject: Ever Want to Throw Away Your Mobile Phone? Finn takes gold at mobile phone throwing contest By Anna Ringstrom Anyone wanting to throw away their mobile phone can do it in style and may even win a medal -- at the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship, Finland's latest contribution to offbeat athleticism. Originally a local event in this small town close to the Russian border, the seventh annual contest on Saturday, August 26, drew some 100 throwers from as far afield as Canada, Russia and Belgium. Founder Christine Lund describes the event as a good source of light exercise with an environmentally friendly twist. "There are a lot of mobile phones on the second-hand market, and we are recycling them (before they become toxic waste)," she said. The inventive Finns had already given the world the Sauna World Championships and the Wife Carrying Competition before coming up with a new way to make mobile phones even more mobile. This year's gold medal went to Finland's Lassi Etelatalo, who flung a scrapped Nokia unit a forceful 89.00 metres. "I prepared by javelin throwing, I haven't really practised throwing mobile phones," Etelatalo told Reuters. In the freestyle event, Dutchman Elie Rugthoven's phone landed outside the designated area, but he still won silver thanks to a phone juggling performance that impressed the judges. Lund says competitors all have their favorite throwing brand. "People choose by size, by color or by how it fits in the hand ... Some believe a heavy model will ensure a long throw, some want a light one." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:08:15 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Verizon Offers Free Online Games USTelecom dailyLead August 29, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/enzQfDtusXbnaSTfwJ TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Verizon offers free online games BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AOL relaunches music product * Verizon expands Microsoft alliance * Skype a key factor in eBay-Google alliance * Teens may not want their MTV online * Report: IPTV could reach 34M subscribers worldwide by 2010 USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * What you need to know about IPTV TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Wi-Fi Alliance to certify "Draft N" products * The coming mobile Web * Australia's developers sweeten housing deals with fiber-optic offers REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Report: Maine trails U.S. in broadband subscriptions DIVERSIONS * That Final Resting Place, Reimagined * BMW's Custom-Made University * The Original Bali Hai * Kander Without Ebb? Start Spreading the News * Find the Soul of Love and Paris. You Have Five Minutes. Go! Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/enzQfDtusXbnaSTfwJ ------------------------------ From: davidk Subject: NY Times Reporter Seeks Info About History of the SIT Tone Date: 29 Aug 2006 11:25:42 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com My name is David Kocieniewski, I'm a New York Times reporter researching a story about the development and history of the special information tone. If anyone has any info about this topic, please contact me at my office (609) 292-5174 or by email : davidk@nytimes.com (please cc to davidkocieniewski@verizon.net because the Times' voracious spam filter sometimes gobbles up friend as well as foe) Thanks. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #317 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Aug 31 14:49:01 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id A460921B9; Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:49:00 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #318 Message-Id: <20060831184900.A460921B9@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:49:00 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:50:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 318 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson AT&T Inks Wi-Fi Deal With Illinois City (USTelecom dailyLead) California Senate Approves Statewide Franchise Bell (USTelecom dailylead) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 30, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 31, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Research on History of Automated Operator Services (AOS) (Denise C) Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision (support@sellcom.com) Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP (Sam Spade) Re: Ever Want to Throw Away Your Mobile Phone? (Matt Simpson) Re: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Units From Toll (D Burstein) Re: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units (Sam Spade) Re: NY Times Reporter Seeks Info About History of the SIT Tone (L. Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 12:26:11 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: AT&T Inks Wi-Fi Deal With Illinois City USTelecom dailyLead August 30, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eojwfDtusXbqqXAYqt TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * AT&T inks Wi-Fi deal with Illinois city BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * DirecTV venture plans VoIP test * With an eye on future, Samsung plans 4G demonstration * Bids for AOL's German Internet access biz said to top $766M * AT&T reports security breach * ESPN Mobile to show full-length college football games USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Creating International Networks to Support Your ExpansionTuesday, Sept. 1= 2, 1:00 p.m. ET TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Spike TV puts content online * Universal singing new-media tune with free downloads REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC takes steps to accelerate spectrum auction DIVERSIONS * What I Drank on My Summer Vacation * Tripoli: Once a Pariah, Now a Hot Spot * A Watchdog Group Warns Against AOL's Free Software * Forget Legroom. What About More Water? * The Kings of the Cocktail Hour Once Again Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eojwfDtusXbqqXAYqt ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 12:04:14 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: California Senate Approves Statewide Franchise Bill USTelecom dailyLead August 31, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eosUfDtusXbvpdaNoO TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * California Senate approves statewide franchise bill BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Verizon ends DSL surcharge * Clearwire goes live on Hawaiian island of Oahu * Details emerge about Mobile ESPN's college football plan * Google to TV industry: We can be friends USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * USTelecom can help you reach telecom decision-makers TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Startup to allow viewers to get U.S. TV anywhere * Renting movies still easier than downloading them REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Illinois lifts price caps imposed on AT&T * Ireland's Ryanair to allow in-flight mobile phone use * California bill would require Wi-Fi security warnings on products DIVERSIONS * 36 Hours: South Beach, Fla. * The Many Faces of You (Clean Up With a Click) * Turning 60, and Checking Their Calculators * Drivers, Not Golfers, On the 18th Fairway * Just How Popular Is That Baby Name? Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eosUfDtusXbvpdaNoO ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 30, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 12:04:19 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 30, 2006 ******************************** Componentizing Operations: A Critical Precursor for IMS http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19610?11228 For nearly a decade, the OSS value proposition was built on efficiency, cost savings and time to market. But in a world dominated by circuit-switched voice revenue, the idea of integrating OSSs-and going through nightmarish data normalization and modeling exercises-wasn't all that appealing. What's different today, given IMS and ... Sigma to Gain Further 25% in SMARTS http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19609?11228 Regional mobile operator SMARTS has been dealt another blow in its battle with investment company Sigma. Sigma has obtained the right to a further 25% stake in the operator, according to Prime-Tass, citing Kommersant. This situation has arisen because of the failure of SMARTS general director, and major shareholder, Gennady Kiryushin to ... Sonaecom Mulls Revised Portugal Telecom Bid http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19606?11228 Portugal's Sonaecom is lining up France Telecom and Société Générale Bank to finance an improved bid for Portugal Telecom, according to Dow Jones reports citing sources close to the situation. Sonaecom had launched an unsolicited US$12.8-billion bid for Portugal Telecom in February, a company more than ... Verizon Launches Gaming Portal http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19603?11228 Verizon has announced the launch of PlayLinc, a serious effort to get online gamers interactive using Verizon's platforms. PlayLinc is showcased in a new community Web site, games.verizon.com, and according to the company 'consolidates voice, instant messaging, game management, and other tools into one easy-to-use ... On-the-Go Video Surveillance http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19600?11228 Most video surveillance networks are fixed systems, with cameras and network gear permanently mounted to walls, buildings, lampposts and other permanent fixtures. But a new mobile video surveillance system, co-developed by a pair of companies, aims to give SWAT, HAZMAT, fire, emergency rescue teams and other public safety forces the... Major Carriers Lead AWS Auction http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19595?11228 WASHINGTON -- Bidding in the FCC's Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) auction is approaching $13.5 billion, even though bidders have slowed the pace considerably in the last few days. After 52 rounds of bidding, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel's partnership with cable companies still lead in bid ... Wi-Fi Alliance Rushes In With 'Pre' 802.11n Certification http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19593?11228 Faced with the seemingly endless delay in the standardization of 802.11n (the new ultra-fast generation of Wi-Fi targeted at 200 Mb/s and at eventual capability of 540Mb/s), the Wi-Fi Alliance yesterday announced a nearly unheard-of scheme to certify the interoperability of pre-n products long before standards work by ... VSNL Boosts Asia Subsea Capacity http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19587?11228 With demand for telecom services booming across India and other Asian countries, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (VSNL)is investing more than $600 million to upgrade its 20-terabit international submarine network with additional capacity. In a move that will have equipment suppliers like Alcatel and Fujitsu Ltd. ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - August 31, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 11:51:23 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For August 31, 2006 ******************************** VimpelCom Raises Direct Number Tariffs, Urges Connection Fee Dialogue with Minor Operators http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19641?11228 VimpelCom has announced that tariffs for customers in Moscow with 'direct' numbers will rise by US$5 from 8 September 2006. They are seven-digit numbers that can be dialled from local fixed-line phones without the usual, national three-digit prefix. The cheapest direct number tariffs are currently priced at around US$20 per... Private-Equity Firms Eye TeliaSonera http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19637?11228 Nordic telecoms group TeliaSonera is in the sights of private-equity fund Cevian, making it the latest big-name telecoms company in the sights of private-equity firms. Nordic paper Dagens Industri reports that Cevian and its allies have amassed substantial stakes in the company, and could be preparing a swoop. The report adds that Cevian ... Telenor ASA Completes Acquisition of Serbia's Mobi 63 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19626?11228 BELGRADE, Serbia -- Telenor ASA on Thursday formally took over Serbian mobile phone operator Mobi 63 after making the euro 1.5 billion (U$1.9 billion) payment to the government. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said that the arrival of Telenor to Serbia is a proof that we are a stable country for foreign ... Telefonica to Re-brand Fixed Line, Mobile Operations in Czech Republic http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19624?11228 PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- The country's largest telecommunications company Telefonica O2 Czech Republic said Thursday it would begin re-branding its fixed-line and mobile services. As of Friday, the company will begin using the O2 brand for its fixed-line and mobile units, previously known as Cesky Telecom and Eurotel ... Yahoo! Go Arrives on Windows Smartphones http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19621?11228 Yahoo! is trying to up the ante against rival Google in the mobile space by making its Yahoo! Go for Mobile service available for smartphones operating on the Windows Mobile OS. The Yahoo! Go service encompasses several applications, such as Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Search, Yahoo! Photos, Yahoo! Address Book and Calendar and Yahoo! News, ... FCC Prepares For Another Big Spectrum Auction http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19618?11228 Currently in the midst of an advanced wireless services (AWS) spectrum auction whose bids have already approached $13.6 billion, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now gearing up for a 2007 contest on radio frequencies collectively known the 1.4 GHz bands for both fixed and mobile services. The FCC's Wireless... Wireless Piggybackers Put on Notice http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19615?11228 We've all done it: You're using your laptop in a location without hotspot access. You want onto the Internet, so you start scanning for open wireless LANs. You find one and, regardless of who owns it, you piggyback a ride onto the Web. Yesterday, the California legislature passed a law (AB 2415) that takes the first steps ... Alcatel Lucent Merger Under Fire http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19613?11228 As Alcatel and Lucent Technologies Inc. prepare to merger, any hopes of a quiet wedding ceremony have been dashed by opposition from both sides of the Atlantic. The two firms have moved fast since they formally announced their engagement in early April this year, appointing (and re-appointing) senior management, ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: Denise C Subject: Research on History of Automated Operator Services (AOS) Date: 30 Aug 2006 09:05:00 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I am working on a dissertation thesis based on who the founder of automated operator services (AOS) technology was. I'm specifically interested in who developed AOS in customer-premises equipment, such as in hotels or airports. By trade, I am a freelance reporter. While working on a story about the history of billing and collections, I discovered that there is a great deal of debate as to whom founded AOS, and I've decided to prove in my dissertation who that person is. That's why I'm looking for help. If anybody remembers what the first companies were to develop AOS in hotels or airports, I'd be very interested in talking to you. You can reach me by phone or email. Denise Culver 281-655-9998 deniseculver01@sbcglobal.net ------------------------------ From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Re: Widow of Tombaugh 'Shook Up' by Decision Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 15:56:44 -0400 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com It really leaves Pluto little choice now but to attack us, as if we didn't have enough "issues" already ... Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more Check out http://www.guardian.name ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 06:17:41 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Before I answer, you should know I am not a big fan of VOIP. IMHO it > is overhyped and there are many technical details (like 911 > connectivity) to be worked out. IMHO (and personal experience) many > of the sales people often give out incorrect information and do not > have adequate resources to serve customers correctly. Thus, you may > be promised something that doesn't come to be. VOIP is a wonderful alternate method of telephone communications for a lot of people. I have had Vonage since its inception. However, I also maintain one LEC line as well. Telecommunications is a complex marketplace, with all of its choices. Smart consumers almost always fare better than those who cannot, or will not, figure things out by doing some homework. Vonage, for example, doesn't have the best customer service around, but neither do most of the LECs these days. And, unlike the LECs, Vonage has a web site that provides all the options in a clear, quite useful manner. A potential subscriber can see in advance all the NPA and office codes available. If the potential subscriber cannot figure out whether any of those are local calls for his physical area, he isn't very able. ------------------------------ From: Matt Simpson Subject: Re: Ever Want to Throw Away Your Mobile Phone? Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 13:45:20 -0400 But before you do, read this: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/08/30/betrayed.byacellphone.ap/index.h tml or http://tinyurl.com/z5a73 for those who don't like pasting long URLs ------------------------------ From: danny burstein Subject: Re: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units From Toll Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 19:17:31 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes: > I don't know how the phone company recorded charges back then. > According to the Eng & Sci history, AMA tapes included message unit > calls, so detailed records were available even if not shown on the > customer's bill. But message units could also be easily recorded on > the same meters used to track local calls, just incrementing the > counter as needed per call. AMA was developed with No 5 crossbar in > 1948 so it was theorectically available for NY. The counters (one for each phone line) simply clicked off as needed. I have no idea how they got the feedback to "know" whether to just click once for a local, untimed, call -- or whether to click twice on start, once every three minutes (or some other arrangement ...) depending on distance. NY Tel had a camera that literally was pushed against a (dozen at a time?) counters and the numbers were then processed by someone or another and added to the bill. _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 18:46:49 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > May 1966 -- NYT -- Suffolk County Long Island telephone subscribers were > angry at a change in billing practices. NY Telephone switched to a > message unit system instead of itemized toll charges for calls outside > one's calling area on Long Island. > With "message units", the bill only shows a gross number of units > rather than individually itemized calls. The units charged per call > vary by distance and time. > Business people said they needed itemization for tax purposes. > Others complained they had large bills but no way to figure them out. > The phone company said the switch saved customers 20% in bookkeeping > costs. From the phone company's point of view, it is much simpler > than listing on a bll a slew of 5c and 10c toll calls.It The same B.S. was given by Pacific Telephone in the Los Angeles Metro Area about the same time. (probably the San Francisco Metro area as well.) I recall complaining about it, and the rep told me I could have my message units itemized for a charge of 50 cents a month (like $4.00 a month today). I opted for this "nice service." Within a year itemization of message units was free (after the California PUC had to react to a bazillon complaints). It all reminds me of an Al Capp cartoon of the era. Al Capp was the guy who drew the Little Abner cartoon in those days and who would occasionally draw a "commentary" strip unrelated to his Dogpatch characters. One noteworthy strip he drew circa late 1950s or early 1960s, was at the executive offices of AT&T (the old Bell System) in which the senior executives were jumping up and down with joy, and the head guy says, "We made it! Our billings for this month equal the country's gross national product!" ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: NY Times Reporter Seeks Info About History of the SIT Tone Date: 29 Aug 2006 14:26:52 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com davidk wrote: > special information tone. What is this tone? Is this the three tones when you reach a bad number? > My name is David Kocieniewski, I'm a New York Times reporter > researching a story about the development and history of the special > information tone. The following website has some information: http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com/recordedannouncements.html The situation of "intercept" for when someone dials a non-working number was recognized at the very beginning of dial service. In panel switching, calls were routed to an intercept operator who checked into. The dialed number may not be assigned at all or been reassigned. Dial PBX switchboards had separate appearances for intercept calls, distinct from dial 0 attendant calls. The Bell System gradually automated this function. The first was a recording to ask the customer to dial again, but remain on the line for an operator. This would handle most errors in dialing and allow the intercept operator to serve changed numbers. Then computers enabled storage of vocal digits in a natural way to automate the whole process so the entire process was automated. Actually, they attempted to automate recorded and playback voice many years ago using a drum with motion picture sound film (using the sound track). Each track had a digit on it and the proper tracks would be selected. One use was for dial-to-manual exchanges to announce the incoming number, instead of using a lighted panel. Another was to return routing information. I don't think either application got very far with the technology available at the time. We had a Bell recording announcement machine, controlled by a keyset, and it was large. I believe the recording was held on some sort of drum that rotated. Considering the heavy playback and low maintainence, plain recording tape couldn't be used as it would soon wear out. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #318 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Sep 1 15:42:56 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 608002200; Fri, 1 Sep 2006 15:42:56 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #319 Message-Id: <20060901194256.608002200@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 15:42:56 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 1 Sep 2006 15:45:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 319 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson ISP Releases Name in File Sharing Case (Toby Sterling, AP) Tool Generates Fake Searches for Privacy (Anick Jesdanun, AP) Software Program 'Tattles' on Phone Thief (Sara Ledwith, Reuters) California Eases Cable Rules, Welcomes Telephone Companies (Adam Tanner) Western Lamp Cadences (Al Gillis) IRS Announces Telco Excise Tax Refund Amounts, Procedures (Danny Burstein) VOIP Info Site (Ruzzer) Alcatel to Buy Nortel's 3G Assets (USTelecom dailyLead) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 01, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Telecom Update #544, September 1, 2006 (John Riddell) Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP (Lisa Hancock) Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP (DLR) Re: Research on History of Automated Operator Services (Lisa Hancock) Re: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units (Lisa Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 01:17:58 -0500 From: Toby Sterling, AP Subject: ISP Releases Name in File Sharing Case By TOBY STERLING, Associated Press Writer The entertainment industry achieved a key victory Thursday after a Dutch Internet service provider surrendered the name and address of one of its customers suspected of illegal file-sharing. Ronald van der Aart of UPC, the Netherlands' second-largest broadband ISP with 500,000 subscribers, said the company decided not to appeal a summary judgment by Amsterdam's District Court in a suit brought by the Brain Institute, an organization founded to fight digital copyright infringement. Brain spokesman Okke Delfos-Visser said the agency would now contact the UPC customer and would likely sue if a settlement isn't reached first. Similar cases in the United States are usually settled for several thousand dollars. Brain is funded by the U.S.-based Motion Picture Association and Recording Industry Association of America, along with their international and Dutch counterparts. Previous attempts by Brain to force Dutch Internet providers to give up names of clients suspected of illegal file-sharing had foundered on technicalities. Brain and the organizations it represents say have often been powerless to sue for copyright infringement because they only have numeric Internet Protocol addresses assigned by companies like UPC, not the actual identities. UPC argued it cannot be certain which of its clients used a given IP address at any given moment. But in the current case, Brain had gotten a court order to seize the servers of a now-defunct file-sharing network called "Dikke Donder," which used BitTorrent file-sharing software. Stored on the Dikke Donder servers were records of the IP and e-mail addresses that network members had used to sign up for the group. Several addresses were issued by UPC, including one to a user called "muzan." The Amsterdam District Court ruled that, taken together, the e-mail and IP addresses must have been enough for UPC to know the identity of the Dikke Donder user. Any objections, it said, were "so theoretical that there can't be any discussion of a 'reasonable doubt.'" E-mail attempts to reach the client, using an address identified in court documents, bounced. UPC did not disclose the person's identity to The Associated Press. UPC is a subsidiary of Colorado-based Liberty Media Corp. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 01:27:32 -0500 From: Anick Jesdanun, AP Subject: Tool Generates Fake Searches for Privacy By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer A new tool seeks to make your searches more private by hiding them in plain sight. TrackMeNot periodically sends fake, innocuous queries to search engines, making it harder for someone to glean your actual search habits by reviewing the companies' logs that contain your queries. The tool comes as AOL revealed it had released the search histories of more than 650,000 subscribers. Although user names were not included, the company admitted that the search terms themselves could contain sensitive information. Two AOL employees were fired and a third resigned over the disclosure. The tool, developed by two researchers at New York University, sends random searches, such as "boston clock" and "croissant," to the four largest search engines -- Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. Microsoft Corp.'s MSN and AOL. A fake search is made, on average, every 12 seconds under default configurations; the tool can generate millions of unique queries from its list, and users can add their own. TrackMeNot, however, works only with the Firefox browser, which has less than 10 percent market share, according to WebSideStory. It's also not foolproof. Someone knowing the list of terms TrackMeNot uses can simply strip those records out of the databases. Developers say they are working on expanding the list. TrackMeNot is available at: http://mrl.nyu.edu/dhowe/TrackMeNot Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news, headlines and audio news from AP, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 13:33:03 -0500 From: Sara Ledwith Subject: Software Program 'Tattles' on Phone Thief The phone, the thief, his wife and a Chihuahua? By Sara Ledwith If you took the photo of a Chihuahua at www.flickr.com/photos/benvoluto/216323527/, you have caused a Web sensation. The mobile phone used to take that picture was stolen from Web designer Ben Clemens on an Amtrak commuter train in California in mid-August, he says. Days later, thanks to software installed in the phone for Clemens' use, the Chihuahua picture and other snaps of a woman and children were automatically posted to Clemens' photo Web site for the world to see. "Even the thief doesn't have any privacy, right?" said Clemens by telephone from his home in Berkeley, California. His account of the incident, posted on the weblog he keeps up for friends and family, came to the attention of thousands of people and in late August ranked as one of the most popular Offbeat News items this year on "social content" Web site www.digg.com. While some Web "vigilantes" set out to expose wrongdoers -- or other users notoriously circulate sensational fake stories to gain exposure for new products -- Clemens says his discovery of the software's potential to bust this criminal was an accident and the subsequent attention unwanted. In "Pictures of the family of the person who stole my cell phone posted to my flickr account," at http://www.practicalist.com/archives/000183.html, the Yahoo Inc. employee tells how the software he installed on his phone was set to automatically upload pictures to http://www.flickr.com, a site where people post photos for friends, family, or the world to share. The thief -- or whoever bought the phone from the thief -- appears not to have known the software keeps running even with a different user or SIM-card. So their shots were viewed thousands of times by people on the Web. Despite assertions from the independent makers of the software that the tale is not a promotional stunt on their part, some Web users -- who may have fallen for so-called "guerrilla marketing" tactics in the past -- rounded on Clemens, accusing him of making the story up. "This is totally a viral marketing campaign ... It's a nice implementation, with just enough flaws to be found out fairly quickly, but believable enough," says a relatively polite contributor to one of many strings of comment to the story. "I've entered into some surreal world," Clemens told Reuters. "People assume I'm doing it for self-promotion, marketing, a hoax or something like that. I'm talking to you because I want it to be known that it's not a hoax. I'm just too ordinary. I'm just too unclever for that." He says the experience has been a lesson in the way the modern Web works: "(On the Web today), you can no longer have a separate -- private and public -- world. It makes you realize you have to be even more honest and careful." He has now disabled the software and says he is not seeking justice, revenge, or even his mobile phone. He would quite like his life back. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 13:35:43 -0500 From: Adam Tanner Subject: California Eases Cable Rules, Welcomes Telephone Companies By Adam Tanner California's legislature passed a bill on Thursday night aimed at increasing competition among cable television providers and easing the ability of telephone companies to enter the market. The state's Assembly by a vote of 64 to 5 backed an amended bill passed by the California Senate the night before. The Assembly had approved an earlier version of the legislation in May. "California has led the way in the evolution of new technology, and with this bill, our state's policy toward contemporary TV and entertainment technology is catching up to the times," Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who has championed the legislation, said in statement. The measure, passed ahead of a midnight deadline for new bills, still needs the signature of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to become law. The bill eliminatea city-by-city franchises, which Nunez said made it nearly impossible for rivals with new technologies to enter California's market for TV entertainment services. According to an analyses by the state Senate's Rules Committee, 63 percent of California TV-watching households have cable reception, 27 percent subscribe to satellite service and the rest use conventional antennae. TELEPHONE COMPANIES TO GAIN Telephone companies including AT&T Inc. have lobbied to eliminate laws requiring franchise deals with municipalities before they may offer television service. Verizon already offers television service in six California cities. AT&T plans to invest up to $1 billion in California through the end of 2008 to upgrade its telephone network in the state and to launch an Internet-protocol video entertainment service, which would compete with cable-TV companies. The California legislation comes as lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are considering a bill that would make it easier for telephone companies to get licenses for cable television service. Yet, Congress has a short calendar this year and may not act. Other states, including Texas, have passed similar legislation making the licensing process simpler. If Congress does not act, analysts expect other states to follow Texas' and California's lead. Telephone and cable companies are fighting to sign up as many customers as possible for a bundle of services including telephone, cable television and high-speed Internet access, which often cost more than $100 a month. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky in Washington) Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ From: Al Gillis Subject: Western Lamp Cadences Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 19:54:42 -0700 Organization: NewsGuy - Unlimited Usenet $19.95 Back in the "Good Old Days" Western Electric produced a number of products that used different lamp on/off cadences to indicate various circuit conditions. 1A and 1A2, for example had a flash cadence (~500ms on, 500ms off) and a wink cadence (~250ms off, 750ms on). There was another cadence on some products that I recall being called "flutter" which had a very rapid on/off cycle. Does anyone know what the on/off time intervals of this cadence were? Thanks in advance! Al ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: IRS Announces Telco Excise Tax "Refund" Amounts, Procedures Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 23:08:43 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC " The Internal Revenue Service today announced the standard amounts that most long-distance customers can use to figure their telephone tax refund. These amounts, which range from $30 to $60, will enable millions of individual taxpayers to request the telephone tax refund without having to dig through old phone bills. ... " To get the standard amount, eligible taxpayers only need to fill out one additional line on their regular 2006 return. ... rest: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=161504,00.html _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: Ruzzer Subject: VOIP Info Site Date: 1 Sep 2006 05:45:29 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Seems to have some good articles and threads http://www.BestVoip.ws Regards, Ruzzer ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 12:44:39 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Alcatel to Buy Nortel's 3G Assets USTelecom dailyLead September 1, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/epeQfDtusXbzhNQELk TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Alcatel to buy Nortel's 3G assets BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * DT cuts prices, offers new bundled packages * Cable group among top bidders in airwaves auction * Verizon expands FiOS in Massachusetts * Market for broadband gear soars, report says USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Your bookshelf is not complete without these books TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * College sporting events now available on broadband VOIP DOWNLOAD * Philips phone lets Skype users make calls sans computer * Nokia's updated N80 integrates VoIP into interface REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * IRS details rules for phone tax refund EDITOR'S NOTE * The dailyLead will not be published Monday DIVERSIONS * Some Material May Be Inappropriate or Mystifying, and the Rating May Be as Well * Western Grandeur Without the Crowds * Bulky Boxes That Can Take Great Photos * The Noblest Collie of All Bounds Anew in the Glen * Chicago Critic Criticized for an 'Unfair' Review Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/epeQfDtusXbzhNQELk ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 01, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 11:26:34 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 01, 2006 ******************************** Deutsche Telekom Slashes Prices to Stop Customer Flight http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19670?11228 The troubled German fixed-line incumbent announced price cuts of up to 30% and a number of new products at the latest International Consumer Electronics Show, in Berlin (Germany), in efforts to fend off rivals poaching its market share. At the same time, Deutsche Telekom recognises that cutting prices alone will not be ... Vodafone to Launch Flexible Tariff Plan http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19667?11228 Vodafone UK is set to launch an ambitious marketing campaign today to promote a new flexible tariff plan, the Independent reports. The new flexible tariff is aimed at matching offers from its rivals and would be similar to T-Mobile's 'Flext' tariff plan. The new price plan will allow customers to add or remove services such ... Nokia Buys German Navigation Software Firm Gate5 -- To Offer Mobile Map Functions http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19662?11228 HELSINKI, Finland -- Nokia Corp. said Thursday it will buy gate5, a German maker of navigation software, allowing the world's largest cell phone maker to offer maps on its mobile devices. Maps and navigation are natural elements to be offered in mobile devices but this area hasn't developed as fast as expected ... Alcatel Boss Defends Terms of Lucent Tie-Up http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19659?11228 Alcatel SA chief executive Serge Tchuruk defended the terms of his company's planned US$13.4 billion (Euro 10.5 billion) tie-up with U.S. rival Lucent Technologies Inc., in an interview published yesterday by financial daily Les Echos. The proposed share swap is appropriate for a friendly merger of the kind unveiled by the two ... Nokia Introduces Mobile Internet Device http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19655?11228 Nokia revealed details of its new Nokia N80 Internet Edition, which is designed to help drive adoption of the mobile Internet. The company also is preparing to open its fifth Flagship Store. The device offers wireless LAN (WLAN) connectivity, a browser, Internet calls, a 3-megapixel camera, and quad-band GSM W-CDMA. The N80 also ... Verizon Caves In: Disputed DSL Surcharge Dropped http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19651?11228 Less than a week after BellSouth also backed down, Verizon Communications yesterday said it has pulled the plug on a controversial digital subscriber line (DSL) surcharge that sorely disappointed federal regulators and outraged consumer groups. The Verizon and BellSouth moves, undoubtedly made under pressure from an emerging ... New Mobile-to-PC Worm Arrives http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19648?11228 Security software firm F-Secure Corp. has discovered a mobile-to-PC worm that it says could be a harbinger of things to come in the fast-moving world of wireless worms. The 'Mobler' worm, the firm posts, moves between the Symbian and Windows operating systems and vice versa. The worm creates code on the Symbian side that ... Alcatel Snags Nortel 3G Unit http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19644?11228 Alcatel has agreed to buy Nortel Networks Ltd.'s UMTS (3G) access business and assets for $320 million, the two vendors announced this morning. The two companies have been in talks for some time, but the agreed price will surprise some industry observers. Analysts at French outfit Oddo Securities had put a price tag of ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Update #544, September 1, 2006 Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 14:13:28 -0400 From: John Riddell ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 544: September 1, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca/home/Home_Business.page ** BIG PIPE: www.bigpipeinc.com ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.com/canada/telecom/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca IN THIS ISSUE: ** CRTC to Review Regulatory Thresholds ** CRTC Lists Phone Customer Rights ** Nortel to Sell UMTS Access Business ** CRTC Rejects Bid to Block Hate Sites ** BCE Backs Away from Telesat Sale ** Mitel Announces Round of Layoffs ** Globemedia Reorganization Closes ** CATA Names Telecom Associate ** Hackers Access Credit Card Info on AT&T Website ** Google to Offer Skype Calls ** ATB Financial Signs with Telus for VoIP ** Unionists Sign With Telus Quebec ** Videotron Wireless Expands to Gatineau ** Inter-Tel Rejects Buyout Offer ** Save $100 on Enterprise Networks Conference CRTC TO REVIEW REGULATORY THRESHOLDS: Responding to the Federal Government's request for a review of local service regulation (see Telecom Update #529), the CRTC has reaffirmed its Voice over IP regulatory regime while initiating a reassessment of two local service regulatory thresholds. ** CRTC Telecom Decision 2006-53 declines to deregulate VoIP service, as Canada's major telcos had requested, and=20 reaffirms that VoIP is a telephony service. (See Telecom Update #481, 490) ** The Decision states that recent market share data warrant a review of the 25% market-share threshold that incumbent phone companies must lose in order to qualify for regulatory forbearance. Also up for review is the 20% threshold for removing the local service winback rule. (See Telecom Update #524) ** Dissenting opinions were filed by Commissioners Barbara Cram, Stuart Langford, and Andree Noel. ** Telecom Public Notice 2006-12 initiates a proceeding to reassess the two thresholds. To take part, register by September 11. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-53.htm http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2006/pt2006-12.htm CRTC LISTS PHONE CUSTOMER RIGHTS: The CRTC has issued a "Statement of Customer Rights" with respect to local phone service and directed the telcos to publish it on their websites and in their White Pages directories. Customer rights are listed under 16 headings including local service, choice of provider, confidentiality, and refund for billing errors. ** These rights are addressed in telco "terms of service," but the CRTC is concerned these documents "may be difficult for consumers to comprehend." http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-52.htm NORTEL TO SELL UMTS ACCESS BUSINESS: Nortel Networks has agreed to sell the access segment of its UMTS business to Alcatel for US$320 million. UMTS is a "third generation" wireless technology developed as a successor to GSM. Nortel is keeping its GSM, CDMA, and core UMTS divisions. CRTC REJECTS BID TO BLOCK HATE SITES: The CRTC has rejected a request by Richard Warman, an Ottawa lawyer, that it permit carriers to block access to two U.S.-based neo-Nazi websites. Warman said the sites call for "violent action" against him and violate Canadian law against "communicating hate" and "advocating genocide." ** In the Commission's view, permitting the sites to be blocked would be inappropriate without a public process to "allow for consideration of the broader policy and legal issues." http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Letters/2006/lt060824.htm BCE BACKS AWAY FROM TELESAT SALE: According to published reports, BCE has failed to reach agreement with potential buyers of its Telesat unit and has decided instead to sell a minority stake in the satellite company through an Initial Public Offering. (See Telecom Update #534) MITEL ANNOUNCES ROUND OF LAYOFFS: Mitel Networks has eliminated an unspecified number of jobs as part of its "transition to an IP communications company." At the end of April, Mitel had 1,650 employees, 13% fewer than two years earlier. ** Mitel says its IP-based product revenues in fiscal 2006 were 48% higher than in the previous year. GLOBEMEDIA REORGANIZATION CLOSES: Bell Globemedia says its new ownership structure is now in effect, following approval of the deal by the Competition Bureau. The new Board is chaired by Geoffrey Beattie of Woodbridge, now the largest shareholder. BCE has received $1.3 billion from the reduction of its stake in the media company to 20%. (See Telecom Update #538) CATA NAMES TELECOM ASSOCIATE: CATAAlliance has named Jean-Guy Rens, a telecom writer and consultant, as Research Executive and member of its Governing Council. Rens is President of ScienceTech Communications. HACKERS ACCESS CREDIT CARD INFO ON AT&T WEBSITE: AT&T says that hackers have obtained credit card and other personal data on approximately 19,000 customers who had purchased DSL equipment from the telco's online store. AT&T has offered to pay for credit monitoring of affected customers. (See Telecom Update #543) GOOGLE TO OFFER SKYPE CALLS: Google has agreed to post click-to-call buttons enabling users to make calls to its advertisers using EBay's Skype service. ** Google says that it will sell a business version of its email and calendar software by year-end. ATB FINANCIAL SIGNS WITH TELUS FOR VoIP: ATB-Financial has signed a three-year, $8.3 million contract with Telus for provision of IP-based voice and data services. UNIONISTS SIGN WITH TELUS QUEBEC: About 1,000 CUPE members in Quebec have ratified a new contract with Telus. The contract introduces a "variable pay component tied to the company's success," which will provide up to 5% of basic salary by 2009. VIDEOTRON WIRELESS EXPANDS TO GATINEAU: Videotron now offers its cellular service to the 250,000 residents of the Gatineau valley in Quebec. (See Telecom Update #541) INTER-TEL REJECTS BUYOUT OFFER: Inter-Tel, a U.S.-based PBX and key systems maker, has turned down an offer to purchase from a group headed by its founder, Steven Mihaylo, and is continuing a "review of the Company's strategic options." (See Telecom Update #543) SAVE $100 ON ENTERPRISE NETWORKS CONFERENCE: September 8 is the last day to obtain the $100 early-bird discount for registrants to the October 24-25 Enterprise Networks conference in Toronto. ** The conference program, sponsored by Angus Dortmans Associates, aims to enable telecom and IT professionals to understand the chaotic enterprise networks landscape and assemble the insights needed for better decisions. ** For more information, email Mona Polhill at mona@enterprisenetworks.ca . To register online, visit www.enterprisenetworks.ca. HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca 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 late Friday afternoon each week at http://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=20 To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send=20 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 http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2006 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. 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. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP Date: 31 Aug 2006 13:18:03 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Sam Spade wrote: > Smart consumers almost always fare better than those who cannot, or will > not, figure things out by doing some homework. > ... A potential subscriber can see in advance all the NPA and office > codes available. If the potential subscriber cannot figure out > whether any of those are local calls for his physical area, he isn't > very able. Unfortunately, in today's world it's a great deal of homework and everday consumers don't have the time to do it. To make it worse, the situation constantly changes; someone who is knowledgeable today will be obsolete six months from now. (I think the companies do that purposely to keep people confused and benefit from inertia.) The average person doesn't know what an "NPA" or office code even is. A phone number is a phone number. Keep in mind that neighbors that once had one or two exchanges serving them now have a great many. Depending on the service option (low, medium, high), my local calling area covers SEVEN area codes, and minor toll service (5c minute) adds another three area codes to that. That's an awful lot of exchanges to keep in mind. Note how many regulars in this newsgroup need to discuss today's service options and debate clarifications and specifics. If "people in the know" aren't sure of the situation, how can everyday people? In the old days a person could simply ask their neighbor and compare bills since everyone had the same situation. Can't do that today. A lot of people use their cell phones at all times, but such service costs about $50+ a month and is subject to poor quality (last night I was talking to such a person and the reception was horrible, I could barely hear them.) I'd sure hate to need to make an urgent call and discover I'm in a dead spot or the battery is dead. As to customer service, I use Verizon and am very satisfied with them. It's much better now that my LD is with them instead of AT&T. I'm not quite as happy with their wireless service; they buried a notice about holidays no longer counting as offpeak time in text about obscure overseas calls, but they gave me a credit for the calls I made. [TELECOM Digest Eidtor's Note: What Sam Spade does not grasp, and what the telcos grasp all too well, is that most non-telco people do not understand, nor do they care about the workings of the telephone company. Over the past century, telco has made lots of money based on the ignorance of the general public, and they are still at it. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 03:15:50 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP Sam Spade wrote: > hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: >> Before I answer, you should know I am not a big fan of VOIP. IMHO it >> is overhyped and there are many technical details (like 911 >> connectivity) to be worked out. IMHO (and personal experience) many >> of the sales people often give out incorrect information and do not >> have adequate resources to serve customers correctly. Thus, you may >> be promised something that doesn't come to be. > VOIP is a wonderful alternate method of telephone communications for a > lot of people. I have had Vonage since its inception. However, I > also maintain one LEC line as well. > Telecommunications is a complex marketplace, with all of its choices. > Smart consumers almost always fare better than those who cannot, or will > not, figure things out by doing some homework. > Vonage, for example, doesn't have the best customer service around, > but neither do most of the LECs these days. And, unlike the LECs, > Vonage has a web site that provides all the options in a clear, quite > useful manner. A potential subscriber can see in advance all the NPA > and office codes available. If the potential subscriber cannot figure > out whether any of those are local calls for his physical area, he > isn't very able. The biggest difference between Vonage and the ILEC (with folks like Time Warner somewhat in the middle) is that with Vonage if it doesn't work no mater what you'll have to hire a consultant or abandon the service. With the ILECs you can go to WalMart or Staples or whatever and buy a phone for $10 to $20 that can be plugged into the DeMarc. If things work, it's your problem, most likely wiring. If they do not work at this point a nice (usually) person in a truck with a big logo on the side will arrive and fix things. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Research on History of Automated Operator Services Date: 31 Aug 2006 13:33:08 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Denise C wrote: > I am working on a dissertation thesis based on who the founder of > automated operator services (AOS) technology was. I'm specifically > interested in who developed AOS in customer-premises equipment, such > as in hotels or airports. I guess the first question is what is your definition of AOS? The function of the telephone operator on toll calls is two fold: 1) to make the physical connection and 2) handle the billing. Originally operators did it all 100% manually. Gradually automation assisted their effects. In the 1930s, the call set up work was streamlined. After WW II the physical connection part was automated (over time). That is, the operator no longer built up a connection via various toll centers, rather, she simply dialed the area code and number. She continued to handle the billing work. Shortly afterwards customers could dial their own station calls. Operators were needed only on coin and person/collect/card/3rd/special calls. Then customers could even dial those with the operator doing less and less. Further, the billing work itself was automated, operators no longer had to watch the time and write up toll tickets. In more recent years, machines could listen for coin drops or accept a keyed in card number. I don't know how today they handle verifying collect or person or 3rd number. So, as you can see, the "automation" part of operator assistance has been going on since the 1930s. It's nothing new, and not attributable to a single person. The level of automation has varied from one point in time to another as well as from place to place. Indeed, some travel terminals had attended public telephone centers where an attendant in person assisted your call needs . The owner of an hotel can and usually has added a surcharge for making any telephone call from a room. When pay phones were a dime a room call was 50c. Long distance surcharges varied. Nothing new here. The work was usually done by the hotel operator with some assist and automation from Bell. As to airports, that's a more recent change. These days, pay phones may be privately owned and operated, and the payphone owner (through the owner of the property its located on) may charge whatever they want and handle the call any way they want. The call handling itself is an operator call as discussed above. Sometimes the traditional telephone company handles it, sometimes a specialty firm handles it. I hope I didn't confuse the issue, but I think more definition of what you're looking for in terms of historical context is necessary. [public replies, please] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: May 1966 - Customers Angry at Switch to Message Units From Toll Date: 31 Aug 2006 13:44:39 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Danny Burstein wrote: > The counters (one for each phone line) simply clicked off as needed. I > have no idea how they got the feedback to "know" whether to just click > once for a local, untimed, call -- or whether to click twice on start, > once every three minutes (or some other arrangement ...) depending on > distance. The Eng & Sci book and early writeup on panel describes how the counters were incremented for local calls. Under operators, she pressed a key. For automation, certain signals were sent along the sleeve (as opposed to tip and ring) at disconnect time if the call was answered for more than 2 seconds. Indeed, in switching lots of signals were sent that way, from small/high pos/neg currents to AC signals. Automation knew at the start not to increment for "official" calls. It is relatively easy to increment once per call. To increment for suburban calls, the system would need (a) a timer and way to increment per period, and (b) a machine lookup table to know the base increment. From the readings I've gotten so far, it appears the conversion of suburban calls to message units (with direct dialing instead of operator handling) happened after WW II. Before that such short calls were operator handled. NY Telephone was quite emphatic that dial wouldn't reduce operator staff and it didn't since so many calls still requird operator assistance and traffic was growing so rapidly. In NYC, calling between boroughs or a long distance within a borough was toll and an operator was required. Panel routed such calls to intercept. > NY Tel had a camera that literally was pushed against a (dozen at a > time?) counters and the numbers were then processed by someone or > another and added to the bill. That was part of the panel system. In the 1920s and 1930s I can't imagine the tedious job of posting all the camera readings to customer accounts then subtracting last month from this month. There was a sliding scale of message unit cost--the unit cost went down for large consumption. Hopefully in the 1940s they used IBM machines which were ideal for that application. (the "Mark sense" cards used as toll tickets were fed directly into IBM machines). ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #319 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Sep 4 12:01:33 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id E5744222F; Mon, 4 Sep 2006 12:01:32 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #320 Message-Id: <20060904160132.E5744222F@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 12:01:32 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 4 Sep 2006 12:05:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 320 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Call Center Employee Arrested for Credit Card Fraud (AFP News Wire) Voice Recognition Goes Wireless (Jim Finkle, Reuters) We Live in a World of Redundancies (InfoWorld NewsFactor News Wire) Employment Opportunities: Telecommunications Engineer Needed (3z3k3l) Re: California Eases Cable Rules, Welcomes Phone Companies (Rick Merrill) Re: Voicewing (t@auzinger.org) Re: VOIP Info Site (Tester) Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com) Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP (Sam Spade) Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Died! This is Very Sad (3z3k3l) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 03 Sep 2006 17:44:16 -0500 From: Agence France Presse News Wire Subject: Call Center Employee Arrested for Credit Card Fraud Call centre worker in India held over fraud A call centre employee has been arrested in eastern India for allegedly using the credit cards details of US customers to make online purchases. Sulagna Ray, 23, was accused of obtaining the credit card information while selling US customers a television service as part of her job, the Times of India reported Saturday. Ray, an aspiring fashion designer, allegedly spent 4,000 dollars (3,122 euros) using other people's credit cards to buy an air-conditioner, microwave, cosmetics, saris, jewellery and chocolate. The theft was discovered when a California-based firm, Syssoft Corp, complained of fraudulent purchases made through its e-commerce website, the deputy police commissioner in Kolkata, Gyanwant Singh, told the daily. Ray worked for Jaishree Infotech, an Indian company handling work for another US e-commerce website. The police traced the woman through the Indian website from which she had purchased the products. It provided the goods' delivery address. Ray appeared in court Friday. In June, police in the technology hub of Bangalore arrested an employee of global banking giant HSBC for allegedly taking 230,000 pounds (333,000 euros, 418,500 dollars) from 16 bank accounts held by Britons. In recent years, many foreign companies have switched call centre work to India to save costs but there has been growing concern about potential fraud. Copyright 2006 Agence France Presse. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td_extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 03 Sep 2006 17:47:22 -0500 From: Jim Finkle Subject: Voice Recognition Goes Wireless by Jim Finkle Zee Tawasha is an unabashed Blackberry addict, constantly sending urgent e-mails to employees at 30 mobile phone stores he owns across California, Arizona and Nevada. Until recently, he used his fingers to painstakingly type out messages on the wireless device's cramped keyboard. But with a new service launched by his network provider Sprint Nextel Corp. on Friday, Tawasha can press a button and say the recipient's name and dictate a message of up to 20 words into his Blackberry's receiver. Within about a minute, the full message appears on the screen and he can send it off with one keystroke. The technology was developed by privately-held MobileVoiceControl Inc., one of a number of companies developing voice control systems as consumers increasingly use mobile devices to surf the Web, shop and download ring tones. While handsets have long incorporated voice controls, the features have not yet been embraced by many consumers because of limited functionality and accuracy. "It really works," said Tawasha, who has been testing MobileVoiceControl's product for about three months. But he said that the new technology has its limitations: "You have to learn to speak slowly and clearly." The product has been available on Sprint Nextel since late last year, although the carrier only formally launched it to business customers on Friday. Analysts said other mobile networks could begin rolling out next-generation voice control services before the end of the year, hoping the improved functionality will spur demand for high-speed data services. International Business Machines Corp. and Nuance Communications Inc., two developers of voice-control technology, said recently they are working with major wireless carriers on similar products, although they declined to give details. Motorola Inc. has said it plans later this year to start selling a phone with local language voice commands. "Text is about the most difficult and awkward user interface for anything on the cell phone. The best way is to talk to the damn thing," says Roger Entner, an analyst with research firm Ovum. U.S. carriers have spent billions of dollars beefing up their networks for high-speed data services, but are still waiting for the investments to pay off. Usage remains limited partly because it is tough to surf the Web using small screens and keyboards. A Reuters reporter testing the MobileVoiceControl product on a Sprint Treo 700p smart phone found text responses were 100 percent accurate on 10 e-mails entered by voice, although it took the system an average of 53 seconds to generate each email, with response times ranging from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The $6 a month service offers about 15 voice command functions, including email, text messaging, calendar entries, address book searches, Google searches and weather reports. It is now available on high-end Sprint and Nextel smart phones. The carrier plans to start rolling it out on conventional cellphones before the end of the year. Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research, said it will take three to four years before mainstream mobile phone users embrace voice controls. "The technology has come a tremendously long way, but it's not 100 percent," he said earlier this week. "I think people get frustrated." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html (and) http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 03 Sep 2006 18:06:29 -0500 From: Infoworld Newsfactor News Wire Subject: We Live in a World of Redundancies We live in a world of redundancies. Take the telephone. Most of us probably have one sitting right there on our desk, next to our computer. It's used for talking to people. But do we really need a separate device? "No" is the short answer from a growing number of tech heavyweights pushing "unified communications" technology that combines and integrates voice, video conferencing, e-mail and IM on a single IP network. The technology is still in its infancy, with companies lining up to be the "Microsoft of unified communications" -- including Microsoft itself. "There are hundreds of millions of people who will be getting a new communications experience over the next four or five years," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in recent a webcast. Ballmer was celebrating a deal between his company and Nortel to jointly develop new converged IP communications technology. The deal brings Microsoft's operating system and applications strengths together with Nortel's voice and services expertise. Unified communications products from Microsoft and Nortel could be attractive to I.T. managers who are worried about problems integrating products from companies such as Cisco and Avaya with Microsoft wares, said Mike Gotta, an analyst at the Burton Group. One question is how closely Microsoft and Nortel will adhere to standards like those being developed by the Business Process Execution Language group, said Frank Dzubeck, president of consulting company Communications Network Architects. The two companies could embrace standards, or follow Microsoft's "embrace and extend" strategy of tweaking standards to differentiate their products. Copyright 2006 InfoWorld. All rights reserved. Copyright 2006 NewsFactor Network. All rights reserved. ------------------------------ From: 3z3k3l Subject: Telecommunications Engineer Needed Date: 4 Sep 2006 07:18:03 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Analyzes telecommunications functions of organizations. Works to develop, improve, maintain, and implement network. Functions with close supervision. Has knowledge of commonly-used concepts, practices, and procedures. Relies on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures. Must have extensive experience and ability to plan and accomplish goals. http://jobs.pbxinfo.com/index.php?module=phPro&func=display&jid=553&sortby=&order=asc More Telecom and PBX Jobs at http://www.pbxjobs.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 17:00:19 -0400 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: California Eases Cable Rules, Welcomes Telephone Companies Adam Tanner wrote: > California's legislature passed a bill on Thursday night aimed at > increasing competition among cable television providers and easing the > ability of telephone companies to enter the market. And not a mention of the damage this may do to Public Access TV and our 1st Amendment rights to access the media!!!!! ------------------------------ From: t@auzinger.org Subject: Re: Voicewing Date: 2 Sep 2006 05:46:04 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Marco Polo wrote: > I am on a one year gig with Voicewing which is over in September. They > provided me with a Linksys PAP2 Adapter for VOIP. I found a better > deal with Viatalk but I don't know if Verizon locked this to their > setup. Anyone know?? Thanks. I know that VT (see my review at http://www.betterphone.org ) lets you BYOD (bring your own device). You might also look at http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=688. Maybe VT's customer service can give you an unofficial pointer. The difference between BYOD and non-BYOD is about $40. You could also get VT's box and ebay the Verizon box, if you own it outright. ------------------------------ From: Tester Subject: Re: VOIP Info Site Date: 2 Sep 2006 14:13:45 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Yeah, that seems to be a good site. I've one more for you, if you wanna check: http://voiponline.bravehost.com/ Ankit Arora Ruzzer wrote: > Seems to have some good articles and threads > http://www.BestVoip.ws > Regards, > Ruzzer ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP Date: 1 Sep 2006 12:57:00 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What Sam Spade does not grasp, and what > the telcos grasp all too well, is that most non-telco people do not > understand, nor do they care about the workings of the telephone > company. Over the past century, telco has made lots of money based on > the ignorance of the general public, and they are still at it. PAT] There are a lot of guilty parties in this. Some state legislatures and PUCs that purport to be protecting consumers actually end up costing consumers money and adding to confusion. For example, take the conversion from calls being cash toll to message unit, many consumers would end up saving money. Under the cash system, every call was a charge. Under the message unit system, every customer had an allotment of units; if they did not exceed that allotment they got free calls that otherwise would've cost. Further, the cost per msg-unit dropped for high volumes, so high volume callers got an additional discount. The phone company gained efficiency by avoding detail billing of literally nickel and dime calls which was passed on to consumers. Well, the PUCs mandated detail billing which raised the cost and other modifications in the public interest. They made something that was relatively simple rather complex. Fast forward to today's phone bill. My bill is so thick it requires extra weight postage yet I have flat rate service! There are many lines of detailed expenses for literally pennies. Money is broken down into many overlapping categories that make no sense. This confusion isn't from the phone company, it's from government milking the taxes and PUCs trying to "protect" me (and deadbeats who don't pay their bills). The government mandated "competition" so we had an explosion of new exchanges. That meant 10,000 numbers were set aside even though only a few hundred at most would be used. That resulted in numerous new area codes and overlays which add to the confusion. The old line phone companies adopted a "can't beat them, then join them" philosophy. They're getting hammered by cheapo and sleazy competitors so they've had to do the same practices to cut costs and lower prices. Let me emphasize that competition does not mean prices will be as low as possible. Prices will drop to a common shared equilibrium. Cell phones run around $40/month now they were a lot cheaper before. All the companies charge roughly the same. They could lower prices but don't want to. ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 16:25:36 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Sam Spade wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Eidtor's Note: What Sam Spade does not grasp, and what > the telcos grasp all too well, is that most non-telco people do not > understand, nor do they care about the workings of the telephone > company. Over the past century, telco has made lots of money based on > the ignorance of the general public, and they are still at it. PAT] Sam understands it all very well. I agree with both you and Ms. Hancock that the LECs don't want it to be easy. I do disagree that it takes much research, though, to determine one's local calling area, at least in California and a few other states that I am familiar with that have all local office codes that are local clearly listed in the front of the phone book. Then again, some of today's consumers can't find Mexico on a world map. ;-) As to extended calling plans that some folks may have, that is irrelevant when selecting a primary or virtual number for Vonage. Why make it more complicated than it has to be? Vonage makes it easy, really easy. ------------------------------ From: 3z3k3l Subject: Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Died! This is very Sad Date: 4 Sep 2006 07:56:20 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Just found out that Steve Irwin the crocodile hunter has just died in a bizarre accident. I really enjoyed watching his documentries. http://www.pbxinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?p=101735#post101735 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Steve Irwin did do good work on his various documentaries. He will be missed. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #320 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Sep 5 15:37:03 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id DF9F02260; Tue, 5 Sep 2006 15:37:02 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #321 Message-Id: <20060905193702.DF9F02260@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 15:37:02 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 5 Sep 2006 15:37:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 321 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Irwin's Death Clogs Web Sites, Blogs (Paul Tait, Reuters) Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity (Michael Perry) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 05, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Is AT&T Up to Its Tricks Again? (nospam256k@yahoo.com) Phone Numbers I am Interested in (Radium) DT Announces Business Revamp (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: We Live in a World of Redundancies (mc) Re: Western Lamp Cadences (Sam Spade) Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP (Lisa Hancock) Re: Call Center Employee Arrested for Credit Card Fraud (Lisa Hancock) Help Me Telecom Master Proposal (Mohab) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 13:16:34 -0500 From: Paul Tait Subject: Irwin's Death Clogs Web Sites, Blogs Irwin's death clogs Web sites, stuns world fans By Paul Tait In death as in life, iconic TV naturalist Steve Irwin captivated millions worldwide and clogged the Internet as fans from Guam to Glasgow reacted with disbelief to news "The Crocodile Hunter" was dead. Some Web sites groaned to a halt within hours of the first reports on Monday that Irwin had been killed by a stingray's barb through his chest in a freak diving accident off Australia's northeast coast. Web measurement company Hitwise said Irwin's death was the biggest news event read by Australians on the Internet since two Australian miners were trapped by a mine collapse in southern Tasmania state in late April. "We noticed that the Web site http://www.crocodilehunter.com increased in popularity quite substantially. It became the number one entertainment personality Web site in Australia yesterday and in the United States it also became the third most popular," Hitwise Asia-Pacific marketing director James Borg told Reuters. Australian news Web sites struggled to keep up with demand. The Australian Broadcasting Corp.'s site http://www.abc.com.au) had to temporarily shut down, posting a notice on Monday that it was experiencing higher than normal traffic. It resumed soon after in a low-bandwidth format to cope with hundreds of thousands of hits. Newspaper Web sites also wobbled but kept up with demand. A spokesman for The Sydney Morning Herald's site, http://www.smh.com.au said it had experienced a "huge" 40 percent spike in page impressions compared with the previous week's average weekday number of about 500,000. There was also a 70 percent jump in visitors to its pages, the spokesman said. That pattern was mirrored around the world, with Irwin's death leading major news Web sites such as CNN and U.S. and British newspaper Web sites, as well as swamping their most viewed and most emailed categories. Web logs and Internet feedback pages were also awash with postings from shocked readers from around the world, many of them from Americans charmed by Irwin's quirky style and his typically Australian catchphrase of "crikey." Irwin first found fame in the United States before his "Crocodile Hunter" documentaries on U.S.-based television company Discovery Communications' Animal Planet attracted a global audience of 200 million -- 10 times Australia's population. "Crikey, I miss him so much," Tina Treece from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, posted on a CNN feedback page http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/04/australia.irwin.feedback/index.html . The site had contributions from readers in Guam, Romania, Thailand, France, Scotland, India, New Zealand, Canada, Brunei, Britain, Malaysia, Denmark and the Netherlands. Many faced the problem of explaining to their children how one of their favorite TV characters had died. "Why did it have to be Steve Irwin?" 11-year-old Daniel told Australian Associated Press. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 13:22:36 -0500 From: Michael Perry Subject: Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity By Michael Perry Self-regulation in food and beverage marketing is being exploited and is failing to curb childhood obesity, research by a global obesity taskforce presented on Tuesday has found. The International Obesity Taskforce said some Internet sites that attracted children with advertising games were being used to bypass stricter advertising standards in traditional media, the 10th International Congress on Obesity in Sydney heard. The taskforce found that 85 percent of businesses advertising to children on television also had interactive Web sites for them. It said 12.2 million children had visited commercial Web sites promoting food and beverages over a three-month monitoring period in 2005. An analysis of this marketing found that food and beverage advertisers paid lip service to advertising codes of conduct. It said some Web sites pressure children to purchase before they played online games. "Viral marketing downloads and links from 'advergames' to corporate Web sites were against the spirit of the self-regulation system's provisions," researchers at Britain's Middlesex University in said. "While it is relatively easy to control the content of television and print advertising, controlling the content on online advertising and 'advergames' ... is a lot more complex." The taskforce has said an epidemic of obesity, now estimated at 1.5 billion people worldwide, has led to more type 2 diabetes in obese children. "At the moment the need to protect children from commercial exploitation was being largely overlooked by the food and advertising industries," said Boyd Swinburn, president of the Australasian Society for the Study of Obesity. "We need to recognize that everyone in society has a responsibility to ensure we provide healthy environments for children," Swinburn told CITIES AT FAULT The week-long conference also heard that many children were "victims of poor urban designs" that discourage outdoor activity. "Many aspects of the physical environment present barriers to children from being outside and directly contribute to their declining levels of physical activity," said Dr Jo Salmon, Senior Research Fellow in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University in the Australian state of Victoria. "Small changes to urban design such as age-appropriate playground equipment ... could have a significant impact on overall activity levels across the day," she told the conference. Salmon said parental security and safety concerns that kept children at home were also limiting the physical activities of children and contributing to obesity. She said her research found 70 percent of five- to six-year-olds and 80 percent of 10- to 12-year-olds exceeded the recommended two-hour daily limit for Internet and television entertainment. "Children who know their neighbors and have strong social networks within their neighborhood are much more likely to be active," she said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 05, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 11:58:00 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 05, 2006 ******************************** Fast-Growing Private Companies Hint At Changing Business Climate http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19688?11228 CEOs of the nation's fastest-growing private companies may be signaling a change in the business climate. They are increasingly concerned about weak market demand, runaway energy costs, and escalating interest rates. And their optimism about the economy is ... Mobile Navigation Finds its Way http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19687?11228 Location-based services (LBS) for consumers using cell phones have been around for years, but, so far, they haven't generated a great deal of attention. Some analysts think that's changing, though, as networks and phones align with GPS ... Sony Says Mylo http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19684?11228 Readers of a certain age will recall long days and nights spent with their trusty transistor radio. Somewhat younger readers will remember being inseparable from their Walkman. Time marches on, and Sony is now trying to get a today's teens and young adults hooked on a device that's designed to serve as all-in-one communications ... Vodafone Names New Europe CEO http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19682?11228 Mobile giant Vodafone has appointed Vittorio Colao as the new chief executive of Vodafone Europe and new deputy chief executive of Vodafone Group. Colao replaces Bill Morrow, who resigned recently as chief executive for Europe. Colao was formerly chief executive of Vodafone Italy with oversight responsibilities for southern Europe, the ... Operators Submit Bids for 3G Licences in Slovenia, Romania http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19679?11228 Slovenian mobile players Mobitel and Si.mobil and telecoms provider T-2 have entered the race for three 3G licences on offer in Slovenia, creating the potential for a third mobile operator in the country by year-end 2006. Mobitel-the mobile unit of Slovenia's state-owned Telekom Slovenije-is competing against Si.mobile, a Telekom ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: nospam256k@yahoo.com Subject: Is AT&T up to Its Tricks Again? Date: 5 Sep 2006 07:17:33 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I'm one of those people in New York City who make few or no out-of-town calls from my landline phone. I currently have AT&T as my long distance carrier, and I'm on the "One Rate Simple" plan. It has a higher per-minute rate, but NO monthly charge and NO monthly minimum. That means that if I make no out-of-town calls, I get charged absolutely nothing. This past week, I got surprised by an invoice in the mail from them, charging me for $5 plus other surcharges and taxes, plus what they claim to be an unpaid balance of the same from last month, total bill of over $12! When I visit their website, it says that the plan I'm on (the "One Rate Simple" plan) now has a monthly minimum charge of $5 as of July 1st ! First of all, they had never notified me that they would start charging a monthly minimum charge, and they also never sent me any bill for the previous month either! Has anyone else had this happen? Although some people conceivably may have been sent notification, I strongly suspect that AT&T had intentionally neglected to send notification to many others so as to cause charges to incur before the customer has a chance to cancel out. AT&T has a history of abusive practices, including a legal action two years ago where AT&T had to pay refunds to New Yorkers who were improperly billed. Has anyone else had this happen to them recently where they were on the "One Rate Simple" plan and they recently got a bill for a minimum usage fee without prior warning? Are we required to pay these charges if we got no prior notice? Are we required to prove that we never received prior notice? What can be done? ------------------------------ From: Radium Subject: Phone Numbers I am Interested In Date: 5 Sep 2006 07:22:37 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hi: I'm looking for TDD [not TTY] numbers, fax numbers, and dial-up modem numbers in: 1. Stamford, Connecticut 2. Switzerland 3. Holland 4. Canada 5. France 6. Russia 7. Germany 8. London 9. Italy 10. Japan 11. Phillipines 12. Kenya 13. Greece 14. India 16. Belgium Thanks, Radium ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 12:19:05 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: DT Announces Business Revamp USTelecom dailyLead September 5, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/epoMfDtusXbCmDivOl TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * DT announces business revamp BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Vonage continues to fight on despite struggles * Broadband use increases, but millions still use dial-up * Cisco unveils smaller version of CRS-1 * Vodafone brings former executive Colao back into the mix USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Beyond Video: Addressing Strategic Network Transformation HOT TOPICS * Alcatel to buy Nortel's 3G assets * Verizon offers free online games * AT&T inks Wi-Fi deal with Illinois city * DirecTV venture plans VoIP test * California Senate approves statewide franchise bill TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Mobile sounds good to record industry * Cingular outfits cruise ships for mobile phone use REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * US Internet wins Minneapolis Wi-Fi deal DIVERSIONS * The Frugal Traveler Sees the World * Online Game, Made in U.S., Seizes the Globe * Heading Off a Headache: Have Bags Shipped * The Last Stand of the 6-Percenters? * Smoke if You've Got 'Em on This Airline Next Year Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/epoMfDtusXbCmDivOl ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: We Live in a World of Redundancies Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 12:30:08 -0400 From: Infoworld Newsfactor News Wire > We live in a world of redundancies. Take the telephone. Most of us > probably have one sitting right there on our desk, next to our > computer. It's used for talking to people. But do we really need a > separate device? > "No" is the short answer from a growing number of tech heavyweights > pushing "unified communications" technology that combines and > integrates voice, video conferencing, e-mail and IM on a single IP > network. The reason for having the telephone separate from the computer network (and even the electric power connection) is so that it will still work when the others don't. Imagine being completely incommunicado during a computer network failure. ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: Western Lamp Cadences Date: Mon, 04 Sep 2006 16:42:43 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications Al Gillis wrote: > Back in the "Good Old Days" Western Electric produced a number of > products that used different lamp on/off cadences to indicate various > circuit conditions. 1A and 1A2, for example had a flash cadence > (~500ms on, 500ms off) and a wink cadence (~250ms off, 750ms on). > There was another cadence on some products that I recall being called > "flutter" which had a very rapid on/off cycle. Does anyone know what > the on/off time intervals of this cadence were? > Thanks in advance! Don't recall ever seeing the one you refer to. But, wasn't the fast flash called wink hold? I know the other was visual ringing. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Different Area Codes, Same Rate Area, and LNP Date: 5 Sep 2006 08:24:01 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Sam Spade wrote: > I do disagree that it takes much research, though, to determine > one's local calling area, at least in California and a few other > states that I am familiar with that have all local office codes that > are local clearly listed in the front of the phone book. My local telephone directory requires 12 (twelve) pages of charts to describe the various local calling areas. Clear? I don't think so. Helping to muddy the waters is that the exchange named refers to the principal town center where the exchange is physically located. However, in suburban areas the municipality name, post office name, and generally used name are all different. Thus the exchange may be listed as in A-Village, but will also include parts of X township and Y township. The next town, B-Village, will have the other parts of Y Township and Z Township. Again, back in the day when a suburban telephone exchange hosted one or maybe two NNXs this wasn't a problem. My town had ONE exchange, now it has 20 (TWENTY). [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Same thing here. For how many ever centuries, we got along just fine with 620-EDison and its newer variation, 620-331. That was for everything and everyone. And it still _mostly_ is that way. 630-330 and 620-332 were special cases; 330 was a few centrex setups around town, a lot of celllar phones, including my own, etc. 332 was city government and cell phones. Then Mercy Hospital's centrex started making outgoing calls on 620-332-2xxx as well as some other centrexes around town. But now lately I am seeing bunches of cell phones in 620-719 and 620-779 and 630-924. It is getting harder to keep track of all the prefixes used, same as the huge number of area codes. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Call Center Employee Arrested for Credit Card Fraud Date: 5 Sep 2006 10:46:16 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Agence France Presse News Wire wrote: > A call centre employee has been arrested in eastern India for > allegedly using the credit cards details of US customers to make > online purchases. This will continue and be a big problem. I suspect this has happened frequently already but the events are covered up by the companies. At one time, when banks and other institutions were smaller, most employees were very loyal. Generally the jobs were very secure and pleasant. However, today banks have shifted from a family atmosphere to a boiler room. Employees now work in high pressure call centers where every keystroke is monitored and EVERY error counted. Calls are timed. There are strict quotas to be met. These are the equivalent of the old Ford high speed assembly line, only electronic instead of mechanical. Employees are just a "resource", nothing more. They come and they go and no one cares. Such atmospheres are more conducive to bad behavior, sabotage out of spite, etc. I remember a "Wonder Years" where Kevin got a job working at an old fashioned hardware store. The owner was a grouchy old man. But Kevin learned the hardware business well and the owner's wife treated him like a son. Kevin left and became an anoymous mall rat, not staying very long at a food stand, and no one caring. Those small businesses and that kind of boss-worker relationship are very rare today with almost everything run by chains. "Managers" are some young self righteous snit, probably someone who was in the corridor patrol in high school and took pleasure in challenging kids for their hallpasses and kicking out those who didn't have them. The owning corporation looks at some numbers, not at people, despite what their house newsletters and commercials proclaim. Again, these are the atmosphere where employees feel like no one cares -- because no one cares -- and more likely to lash out from the mindless bureacracy and quotas shoved at them. People who lash out steal. What's to stop some bored waiter from taking a friend's black box and secretly reading credit cards presented for payment? ------------------------------ From: mohab Subject: Help Me Telecom Master Proposal Date: 5 Sep 2006 12:06:39 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Dear friends, I'm to state study a master resarch in telecom could anyone helps me propsing a research topic? The topic that I want is to combine software and telecommunication. I already have some proposal as 1- telecome simulator 2- network simulator 3- telecome CAD system Thank you for help. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #321 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Sep 6 14:08:17 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 6B76021EE; Wed, 6 Sep 2006 14:08:17 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #322 Message-Id: <20060906180817.6B76021EE@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 14:08:17 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 6 Sep 2006 14:10:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 322 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Internet Radio Offerings Range From Sex Through Sermons (Adam Tanner) Google Expands Online News Index (Michael Liedtke, AP) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 06, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) M&A Fever Takes Telecom Gear Market by Surprise (USTelecom DailyLead) Re: Is AT&T up to Its Tricks Again? (jared) Re: Is AT&T up to Its Tricks Again? (Lisa Hancock) Re: Is AT&T up to Its Tricks Again? (Matt Simpson) Re: Phone Numbers I am Interested In (DevilsPGD) Re: Western Lamp Cadences (Lisa Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 12:25:51 -0500 From: Adam Tanner Subject: Internet Radio Offerings Range From Sex Through Sermons By Adam Tanner Bill Goldsmith has converted the upstairs floor of his two-story California home into a radio studio that broadcasts his favorite rock, blues and folk tunes over the Internet. What started six years ago as a labor of love has turned into a viable business, and the recent introduction of stand-alone Internet radios could bring even greater success as people change how they receive their radio music and news. "So far it is working out very well for us," the former FM radio disk jockey said, explaining that he lives off listener donations. "People really enjoy our programming enough so they feel its worth paying for." On Radio Paradise, he offers about 59 minutes of music per hour, compared to about 40 to 50 minutes per hour on most conventional commercial FM stations. Even former commercial-free FM areas such as National Public Radio now repeatedly air sponsorship announcements akin to advertising. The flood of ads on traditional radio and the subscription costs of satellite radio are driving listeners to Internet radio, whose stations either rely on government funding (such as the commercial-free BBC), donations (such as Radio Paradise), or advertising (including FM stations that also stream on the Internet). Some companies are also hoping to earn money through Internet radio subscriptions. Enthusiasts with fast connections have been able to tune into Internet radio through their computers for a decade or more. But now the long-delayed arrival of stand-alone Internet radios from equipment makers such as Roku or Philips could greatly expand the market by making it easier to tune in. At its best, Roku's $400 SoundBridge Radio allows users to listen to a station at the touch of a button. "As time goes on, everyone is going to have Internet radio," said Roku head Anthony Wood, 40, who invented the digital video recorder at Tivo-competitor ReplayTV and started Roku four years ago with $9 million of his own money. "It's a huge market but for some reason it is under-recognized." According to a survey by Arbitron and Edison Media Research of 1,925 people earlier this year, more than one in five Americans over the age of 12 listen to Internet radio monthly. NOT PERFECTLY SEAMLESS Even though Wood considers Roku his sixth company (Roku means sixth in Japanese), the place still has the feel of an Internet start-up. He showed off his offices dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, and unpackaged Internet radios lined the office hallway in this Silicon Valley bedroom community. The unfinished process of creation sometimes manifests itself in the firm's music streaming and Internet radio products. As with many software programs, sometimes things go mysteriously wrong, making Internet stations or audio ripped onto your computer unavailable. Still, the products are a hit with hardcore audio enthusiasts and other patient music fans. "It's a lot better than it was two years ago," Wood said. "It's got a little ways to go before it's perfectly seamless." The reward for the occasional snafus are a huge choice of Internet stations, which range from global media corporations to enthusiasts operating from their garages. Some stations focus narrowly on bands such as the Beatles or Grateful Dead. Others offer music from Cuba, Iran, China or even Antarctica, from where Anetstation.com broadcasts guitar blues music. Others focus on talk, from the sacred, to more profane topics such as on YNOT Radio, which focuses on the adult film industry. Some are small hobbyists with few listeners, others are real businesses which pay royalties on the music they play. "We're not coming from a basement at this point," said Sandy Shore of Smoothjazz.com, which has been on air since 2000. "The cream of the crop of Internet radio will rise to the top." The path to finding new stations involves searching Internet sites such as AOL's shoutcast.com, vtuner.com or live365.com. Shore, who broadcasts about five minutes of ads and talk per 55 minutes of music, started in FM radio. "I was growing more and more frustrated by the direction radio was going," she said. At Roku, Wood sees his company's future in licensing its software at the heart of a $25 wireless computer chip to make Internet broadcasts a standard feature on radios and stereos within five years. Such components soon will make possible the $99 Internet radio, he Roku started to turn a profit in the last few months, Wood said. His firm had revenue of $4.2 million in 2005 and expects $5.8 million this year and $10 million next year. Retailer Best Buy is Roku's biggest outlet. One obvious obstacle to growth is limited mobility of Internet radio. But the spread of citywide Wi-Fi networks may one day make car Internet radios and other devices possible. "As the Internet becomes more and more of a mobile medium," Goldsmith of Radio Paradise said, "the increase is going to grow rather more rapidly." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 12:28:12 -0500 From: Michael Liedtke, AP Subject: Google Expands Online News Index By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Business Writer Google Inc. is expanding its online news index to include stories published years ago, continuing the Internet search leader's recent efforts to create new sales channels for long-established media while it strives to make its own Web site even more useful. The news archive to be unveiled Wednesday includes old articles provided by a long list of media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time magazine and The Washington Post. Other leading information storehouses like LexisNexis, Factiva and HighBeam, also have opened up sections of their databases to Google's expanded index. Until now, Google's 4-year-old news search service has focused primarily on stories posted on the Web during the past 30 days. The new archives feature will only share excerpts from stories related to users' requests, which are expected to range from seminal moments in history to minutiae about sports and science. To see the full stories, Google's visitors will be sent to the Web sites that own the content. Those referrals figure to provide media outlets with more opportunities to charge for access to the full stories a common practice when people want to read historical information. "This is going to be a very good thing for us," said Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and general manager of NYTimes.com. "There is a tremendous hunger out there for our archives." Google won't collect any commissions for the sales referrals, hoping instead to make money indirectly from increased usage of its own site -- the hub of a vast advertising network -- that accounted for most of the company's $1.3 billion profit during the first half of this year. The arrangement marks Google's latest attempt to demonstrate the value of its search engine to the traditional media, a segment that has sometimes railed against the Mountain View-based company for profiting from the display of content owned by others. The friction triggered a copyright infringement lawsuit by one major news organization, Agence France-Presse, which is seeking at least $17.5 million in damages. Google has denied the allegations. Signs of a more cordial relationship with major media have emerged during the past month as Google announced separate business deals with The Associated Press and Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks. The search engine also is aggressively promoting a video service that allows television networks and movie studios to sell content. The news archive service represents "a perfect example of how we can work with content providers to realize their business goals," said Jim Gerber, Google's content partnerships director. Patrick Spain, chief executive of HighBeam Research Inc., views Google's new service as a significant breakthrough for his Chicago-based service, which charges for access to most of the 40 million articles in its database. "We would love to have people just come to HighBeam to do all their searches in the first place, but we are not naive enough to believe that is going to happen," he said. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 06, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 12:13:00 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 06, 2006 ******************************** Vonage Hits 2 million Subscribers http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19719?11228 U.S.-based VoIP provider Vonage announced today that it has passed the 2-million subscriber mark. "Activating over 2 million lines is a milestone for both Vonage and the industry," Chairman and Chief Strategist of Vonage Holdings Jeffrey A. Citron said. "As we continue to grow our business, innovation will be a key focus ... Frequencies May Be Allocated for 3G and WiMAX in Russia http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19716?11228 Russian regulators may start allocating radio frequencies for 3G mobile services and broadband wireless networks, Prime-Tass reports, citing the press office of the IT and Telecommunications Ministry. According to the report, the State Radio Frequency Commission decided at a meeting on Monday (4 September) that the frequency band between ... EU Clears Private Equity Firms to Buy Dutch Cable TV Operator Casema http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19707?11228 BRUSSELS, Belgium -- EU antitrust regulators on Wednesday cleared private equity firms Cinven Ltd. and Warburg Pincus LLC to buy the Netherlands third-largest cable television operator Casema BV. The two agreed in July to pay Euro 2.1 billion (US$2.6 billion) for the company from another group of private investors ... Auction Still Going, But Slowing http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19704?11228 WASHINGTON -- Bidding in the FCC's Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) auction is approaching $13.5 billion, even though bidders have slowed the pace considerably in the last few days. After 52 rounds of bidding, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Sprint's partnership with cable companies still lead in bid expenditures ... Canada Examines Looser Incumbent VoIP Rules http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19701?11228 Canadian regulators have opened a proceeding to reassess the conditions for lightening up on rules that ostensibly restrict incumbent telcos in the emerging Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) business. This comes amid new government conclusions that competition in the country's local telephony service marketplace is taking hold more ... Cisco & Pals to Unwire Silicon Valley http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19698?11228 Cisco Systems Inc. and friends have scored one of the biggest contracts in the burgeoning municipal mesh WiFi market -- unwiring 1,500 square miles of America's tech mecca, Silicon Valley. The networking giant said late on Tuesday that it -- along with Azulstar , IBM Corp., and SeaKay -- had won the deal against ... Cisco's Secret Franchise http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19695?11228 It's well known that Cisco Systems Inc. customers are just about forced to buy optics from Cisco, and at hefty markups. The practice is an annoyance to some customers -- and now a report suggests investors should start worrying about it, too. Cisco's practice of reselling optical modules represented 25 percent of the ... Nintendo, Sony Are Only Two Survivors in Handheld Game Market http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19692?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- In the past year, the Nokia N-Gage, Tapwave Zodiac, and Gizmondo have all been taken off the market, leaving only two competitors in the handheld game platform space: Nintendo and Sony. In the current generation of handheld consoles, the Nintendo DS will outship the Sony PSP over the life of the consoles, ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 12:31:09 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: M&A Fever Takes Telecom Gear Market by Storm USTelecom dailyLead September 6, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/epAYfDtusXbIiHxOqR TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * M&A fever takes telecom gear market by storm BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * BT sees green in China * Cisco crafts new image as it chases consumer electronics business * Free Wi-Fi system coming to Silicon Valley * Nortel inks six European deals, focuses on 4G * Apple, Amazon finalizing deals for movie downloads USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Beyond Video: Addressing Strategic Network Transformation TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * BellSouth tests new 411 system * Will viewers want to go "LocationFree" with Sony? * Old media likely to reap benefits from new REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC wireless auction approaches $13.5B DIVERSIONS * For the New Face of CBS News, a Subdued Beginning * An Island Where Even Millions Aren't Enough * Budapest Is Stealing Some of Prague's Spotlight * It May Get Harder to Shun Merlot * How to Become a World Citizen, Before Going to College Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/epAYfDtusXbIiHxOqR ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 22:05:45 -0600 From: jared@netspacenospamnet.au (jared) Subject: Re: Is AT&T up to Its Tricks Again? 1. Decide what you want to do for long distance. When QWEST did this, I switched to using a calling card and don't have a long distance carrier. I programmed my handsets with the 1-800 number so its not too much hassle. Esp as many calling cards will do a calling number id and not require entering the card number, if one wants. The COSTCO via MCI calling cards, when I bought one (or a friend who was a member bought it), were no surcharge, no expiry and relatively inexpensive (3cents/min within the USA), renewable by credit card over the phone. There are heaps of other and maybe cheaper cards out there. 2. Write them (snail mail), saying what you said and ask for your money back. 3. If after a few months, no response, look up a corporate officer's name & address and write her/him. > When I visit their website, it says that the plan I'm on (the "One > Rate Simple" plan) now has a monthly minimum charge of $5 as of July > 1st ! > Are we required to pay these charges if we got no prior notice? ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Is AT&T up to Its Tricks Again? Date: 5 Sep 2006 21:20:43 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com nospam256k@yahoo.com wrote: > First of all, they had never notified me that they would start > charging a monthly minimum charge, and they also never sent me any > bill for the previous month either! > Has anyone else had this happen? Unfortunately today MANY companies include key rate changes in fine print buried in your monthly statement. If you look closely at your checking statement or phone bill, you'll notice lots of fine print, usually about stuff like calling between New Zealand and New Foundland being no longer discounted on Queen's Day, totally irrelevent to you. But buried in such notices are rate changes that are significant to you. I bet if you got a magnifying glass and checked your past AT&T bills or inserts you'll find such notice some months ago. Anyway, I suggest calling them up and complaining strongly. If they don't waive the charges, dump them and get someone else. (Others will probably charge similar to AT&T though). Local companies provide LD now and I'm satisified with mine though my needs are different. ------------------------------ From: Matt Simpson Subject: Re: Is AT&T up to Its Tricks Again? Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:51:03 -0400 In article , nospam256k@yahoo.com wrote: > Has anyone else had this happen to them recently where they were on > the "One Rate Simple" plan and they recently got a bill for a minimum > usage fee without prior warning? I had this happen several years ago. It was a different plan, but it was AT&T. I had a plan that was 5 cents/minute with no minimum. Suddenly they started charging me $5/month. I called and raised hell, and cancelled my service and got the charge reversed. A quick web search will turn up many alternative long distance services with low rates and no minimum. The one I currently use charges 3 cents/minute, with no minimum. Since I use little long distance, my bills are often a few cents or less. They let it go for months until it gets over $1.00, and then bill my credit card. They also provide a toll-free number at no cost (unless somebody calls it .. then you pay the regular 3 cents/minute). I don't really need a toll-free number, but I got it because it was free. It's a "real" number too, not one of those where the caller has to enter another pin or extension number after calling the number. Cancel your AT&T service. ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Phone Numbers I am Interested In Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:44:45 -0500 Organization: Disorganized In message Radium wrote: > Hi: > I'm looking for TDD [not TTY] numbers, fax numbers, and dial-up modem > numbers in: > 1. Stamford, Connecticut > 2. Switzerland > 3. Holland > 4. Canada > 5. France > 6. Russia > 7. Germany > 8. London > 9. Italy > 10. Japan > 11. Phillipines > 12. Kenya > 13. Greece > 14. India > 16. Belgium Why? News: CIVIL SERVANT STAYS AWAKE ALL SHIFT LONG "Man, I've really got to cut back on the caffeine" he says ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Western Lamp Cadences Date: 5 Sep 2006 21:32:25 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Al Gillis wrote: > Back in the "Good Old Days" Western Electric produced a number of > products that used different lamp on/off cadences to indicate various > circuit conditions. 1A and 1A2, for example had a flash cadence > (~500ms on, 500ms off) and a wink cadence (~250ms off, 750ms on). > There was another cadence on some products that I recall being called > "flutter" which had a very rapid on/off cycle. Does anyone know what > the on/off time intervals of this cadence were? I think lamp blinking varied by product. On cordless switchboards, IIRC there was 30, 60, and 120 flashes per minute. One meant incoming call, one meant ringing party, and one meant request for operator service. (I could look this up if desired). The 608 cord board had blinking supervisory signals. IIRC some key systems had a double wink signal. There may be signal for "camp on", that is a line waiting to be connected as soon as someone completes the call. I think toward of the end of key systems, perhaps with Call Directors or the ComKey systems, there were more blinking options as they added service options. I used a ComKey but didn't care for it, modern or not. I don't like tone ringers and the loudspeaker intercom. I think ComKey was the last with a full thick cord with wires for each lamp and function; then they went to electronic sets. I don't recall a flutter. However, our office had a tiny behive type lamp that lit steady when the shared line was in use. When the phone rang, the lamp fluttered. I think it was a neon bulb connected straight to the line without a relay (that employer was pretty cheap and would take only the cheapest solution). Now the later generation "voice terminals" which had the red and green lights could do several things and the ringing signals could be programmed in all sorts of irritating ways. I would so much prefer a classic six button key set over them (Dimension? sets). Fortunately I have my plain old 2500 set, augmented by my 302 set*. Upsets visiting high managers, but no one told me to remove it. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #322 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Sep 7 14:06:23 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id B056621E4; Thu, 7 Sep 2006 14:06:22 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #323 Message-Id: <20060907180622.B056621E4@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 14:06:22 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 7 Sep 2006 14:10:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 323 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson FIOS TV? Not For Me ... (txguy972@aol.com) HR5252 - Lobby For Cloture (Rick Merrill) Need Tap Into Telco Line (news@absamail.co.za) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 07, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) News Corp., Telecom Italia Discuss Content Deal (US Telecom DailyLead) Discovering Where a Number Is (Carl Moore) Re: Phone Numbers I am Interested In (Radium) Re: We Live in a World of Redundancies (Paul) Troubles With Mailing List (TELECOM Digest Editor) Troubles With a Computer (TELECOM Digest Editor) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: txguy972@aol.com Subject: FIOS TV? Not For Me Date: 6 Sep 2006 12:29:58 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com You may want to think twice before signing up FIOS TV. I took time off work today so I could have FIOS TV installed at my home in Sachse, Texas. When the installers arrived they looked around a little and said they would have to get to a wall outlet behind my desk. I said Ok fine let's do it, then he said that I would have to move the desk because they aren't allowed. I can't lift this desk by myself and the two installers were unwilling to help me slide it over a foot so they could do their work. I got the strong feeling that these installers were just looking for a reason to get out of doing the install. C'mon, they can't help me slide the desk over a foot? When I called customer service to complain it was more of the same, excuses about rules and I was even told it was "against the law" for them to help me slide over a desk by one very annoying CSR. When I asked here what law that was she couldn't tell me. They SAY they are all about customer service but their actions speak louder than their lame words. When I got my FIOS Internet installed there were 3 guys here until after 10PM doing the install. You should have seen the wire they ran across my garage ceiling, it was really crooked and unprofessional. I lent him a stapler since he didn't have one. He left a rolled up power cord less than 2.5" away from a bare 300 watt light bulb on my garage ceiling. I think Verizon's installers are mostly a bunch of new hires with very little experience. And since they are hourly employees finding reasons not to do jobs makes life easier for them for sure. They should add a section to their advertisements and tell people on the phone when they sign up that if there is any obstruction in front of the router's wall outlet that they will not even touch it. Instead of having people like me wasting their time and money sitting around waiting for some installer to show up whine about rules and give BS excuses why they can't do their job. People should also be aware that for the $39.95 per month they advertise you are unable to actually view FIOS TV, you also MUST rent a box from them for an additional price PER TV. The $39.95 is misleading, Verizon customer service told me that all the cable companies do that too so its "standard" & therefore OK if someone else is doing it too I suppose. I talked to a friend in Plano that has FIOS TV today, she says her service goes off and on a lot and that Verizon appears to be still working out some bugs with it. As for me, I canceled my order for FIOS TV; glad I didn't cancel my Dish Network ... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 20:25:54 -0400 From: Rick Merrill Subject: HR5252 - Lobby For Cloture Here are two key points on Senator Stevens' cable and telecommunications bill that came out of the NATOA annual conference this past week, in particular from the NLC and other DC municipal representatives who were present discussing the bill, which is HR 5252. Point one -- You need to contact your Senators again, even if you have done so already. This is because we have learned that the phone companies are visiting many Senators offices repeatedly -- such as twice a week -- on the bill. In response, municipalities need to be communicating regularly as well. So send another letter even if your municipality sent one a month ago. Better yet, if you sent a letter last month, make a phone call this month, etc. Point two -- The key message is "Vote against cloture on the bill", don't let it come up for a vote. That is the message that all the national municipal groups are sending, and they want to make sure all municipalities send as well. Don't just say "vote against the bill" or "oppose it". So make sure that "Vote against cloture" is the message that you are sending to your Senators. We have updated the sample letter to Congress on our web site to reflect this message -- go to www.varnumlaw.com/cable then to "Federal legislation" in the right column and then to the August letters under "U.S. Senate, H.R. 5252 (formerly S. 2686)". Reasoning -- It takes 60 votes for cloture, but only 51 votes to approve the bill. Senate Majority Leader Frist is insisting on Stevens having 60 votes in favor before he will bring the bill up, because Frist does not want to waste the small amount of time they have in session in September on a bill where they cannot cut off debate. Senator Stevens could well get the votes to pass the bill, but it is a lot harder for him to get the 60 votes to cut off debate. Please do the preceding now, because the Senate is only back for a short time in September, and things will move very quickly once the Senators are back. Questions, let us know, John Pestle Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett LLP ------------------------------ From: news@absamail.co.za Subject: Need Tap Into Telco Line Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 23:57:08 -0500 My telephone line goes out via the PABX of a party who I believe is listening in. We have a legal dispute, and I want to hear what they are saying too. I have access to the tag-block with their pair and mine. How would I best hear their conversations ? My first thought is to just temporarily connect my pair to theirs, observing the polarity, and while leaving mine on-hook, just tap-off my line into an amplifier, which I can hear while I'm working. A second refinement, would be to use capacitive coupling to their pair. I need to terminate my side with a high impedance, so that the capacitive coupling can also have a high impedance. So that it becomes insignificant when I receive or make a call. If I remove my handset, so that only the audio amplifier terminates my line, during 'listening in', would it work ? And then by just connecting my handset and/or modem could I expect to operate without significant cross-talk to the looters line ? Thanks for any info/feedback, == "James bLond". ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 07, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 11:55:24 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 07, 2006 ******************************** Irish Regulator Launches Cost-Comparison Website http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19732?11228 Irish telecoms market regulator ComReg has launched a cost-comparison website featuring fixed-line and broadband services http://www.callcosts.ie . The website emphasises the high costs charged by national telecoms operator eircom, and encourages Irish consumers to switch to alternative telecoms operators. Significance: According to ... Pipex Beefs Up With Buys http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/110/19725?11228 U.K. competitive operator Pipex Communications plc today announced its intention to stick around and compete with the likes of BT Group plc  by making two acquisitions, together worth 36 million (US$67.5 million) and signing a massive DSL wholesale deal worth up to 250 million ($469 million). (See NetScreen's ... Sprint Makes Deeper Commitment to Video http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19721?11228 Sprint Nextel may have been the first U.S. carrier to adopt mobiTV's mobile television service, but the carrier has decided it needs to try to stay ahead of the pact when it comes to mobile video advances. The latest: the carrier is making full-length pay-per-view movies available for mobile phones. The new service, dubbed ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 12:42:14 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: News Corp., Telecom Italia Discuss Content Deal USTelecom dailyLead September 7, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eqmIfDtusXbLnbGQQw TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * News Corp., Telecom Italia discuss content deal BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Report: Huawei overtakes Alcatel in optical networking * RIM unveils the BlackBerry Pearl * WiMAX contract with Sprint Nextel could boost Moto's bottom line * Verizon, Cingular hungry for more spectrum at FCC auction * Global Crossing unveils VoIP Community Peering service USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * NEW from Steven Shepard - WiMAX Crash Course TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * TI chips to let mobile phone users record TV shows * SanDisk unveils portable device that records video * Sprint offers pay-per-view movie service for handsets REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Lucent could face SEC charges DIVERSIONS * The Risk-Free Pleasures of $10 Bottles * A Room With a Pedicure * In a Sea of Cellphones, a Pearl * Jude Law Is an Actor in Demand * Don't Keep All Your Data in One Stash Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eqmIfDtusXbLnbGQQw ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 11:20:39 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Discovering Where a Number Is I happened to come across a recent MSNBC TV program regarding some newsmakers. As part of that, I saw an item on Scott Peterson (convicted of murder of pregnant wife, Laci, in California). So there was the part about having Amber Frey as a mistress, and Scott P. claimed to be calling her from Europe and supposedly gave a telephone number which Amber found to be in Modesto, California. Does anyone else recall the program I am writing about? ------------------------------ From: Radium Subject: Re: Phone Numbers I am Interested In Date: 6 Sep 2006 13:36:30 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com DevilsPGD wrote: > In message Radium > wrote: > Hi: >> I'm looking for TDD [not TTY] numbers, fax numbers, and dial-up modem >> numbers in: >> 1. Stamford, Connecticut >> 2. Switzerland >> 3. Holland >> 4. Canada >> 5. France >> 6. Russia >> 7. Germany >> 8. London >> 9. Italy >> 10. Japan >> 11. Phillipines >> 12. Kenya >> 13. Greece >> 14. India >> 16. Belgium > Why? Out of curiosity and interest. Thats all. > News: CIVIL SERVANT STAYS AWAKE ALL SHIFT LONG > "Man, I've really got to cut back on the caffeine" he says ------------------------------ From: Paul Subject: Re: We Live in a World of Redundancies Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 14:48:16 UTC Organization: Me mc wrote in news:telecom25.321.7@telecom-digest.org: > The reason for having the telephone separate from the computer > network (and even the electric power connection) is so that it will > still work when the others don't. > Imagine being completely incommunicado during a computer network > failure. This may have been valid 20 years ago, but even POTS is no longer on a reserved pair all the way back to the CO. Even though there is supposed to be standby power all the way, when I have a power outage at home, the POTS line from Verizon fails within about 10 seconds (probably at the SLIC across the street), while the other line, from the cable TV service (not VOIP), keeps working. Logic tells me it should be vice-versa. Paul ------------------------------ Subject: Troubles With Mailing List Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:10:20 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) It came to my attention today (Thu, 9-7) that the Digest mailing list has not been going out for whatever reason since 8-28. I have been sending them faithfully as always to the majordomo setup John Levine maintains but for whatever reason they are not getting there, or at least (if they are getting there, not sure) they are not going out. John Levine is reviewing his logs to see if he can figure it out. All I can suggest at this time is for mailing list readers to instead read us on the web at http://telecom-digest.org or else via Usenet comp.dcom.telecom PAT ------------------------------ Subject: Troubles With a Computer Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:19:26 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) This note is intended for the person who graciously and generously sent me a very old UNISYS Windows laptop several months ago. It worked with a NetGear Wireless card MA-401. It seems to me he lives out west, around Washington State or maybe Oregon. Unfortunatly, my electronic address book got lost, with all its names, addresses, etc and I have no way to get in contact with this person. I need to speak to the person very badly regards the computer. This UNISYS lost a lot of its files in a crash when the power was out, I need those files to make the laptop run. The only evidence I have on him is I _think_ his name is 'Shapiro'. If he ses this, please call me or email me. Thanks. PAT ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #323 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Sep 8 15:43:11 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 6761221E6; Fri, 8 Sep 2006 15:43:11 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #324 Message-Id: <20060908194311.6761221E6@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 15:43:11 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 8 Sep 2006 15:45:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 324 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Facebook Adopts New Privacy Policy (Reuters News Wire) Court Halts Alleged Web Site Billing Scheme (Grant Gross, IDG News) Telecom Update #545, September 8, 2006 (John Riddell) Evaluating Bandwidth Solutions For Your Business (FreedomFireCom) Phone Book: Listing Your Name Only, no Address? (Lisa Hancock) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 08, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Alcatel-Lucent Deal Get Green Light From Shareholders (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: NY Times Reporter Seeks Info About History of the SIT Tone (Joe Singer) Re: Discovering Where a Number Is (Lisa Hancock) Re: Need Tap Into Telco Line (GlowingBlueMist) Re: Need Tap Into Telco Line (support@sellcom.com) Re: We Live in a World of Redundancies (Rick Merrill) Re: We Live in a World of Redundancies (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com) In an Ideal, Perfect World ... (TELECOM Digest Editor) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 13:00:26 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Facebook Adopts New Privacy Policy Fast-growing U.S. social network Web site Facebook said on Friday it has adopted new privacy controls following an unprecedented online backlash over a new feature that let users track their friends online. Facebook, which has about 9.5 million members comprised mostly of students, said it now will let users control what and how much information is shared about their activities on the network. Earlier this week, the site introduced new features called "News Feed" and "Mini-Feed" that instantly notified users of their friends' activities on the network, including who they contacted and how they changed their profiles, which ignited a protest backed by more than 600,000 members. "These additional privacy features put control of who sees what information in News Feed and Mini-Feed directly in the hands of our users, just as they requested," Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of Facebook, said in a statement. The new privacy controls now let users block information on the News Feed and Mini-Feed features, as well as a setting to remove the time-stamp of postings. Facebook, the No. 2 social network behind News Corp.'s MySpace.com, had been lauded for its privacy protections until the new features were announced. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 13:01:56 -0500 From: Grant Gross, IDG Subject: Court Halts Alleged Web Site Billing Scheme by Grant Gross, IDG News Service A U.S. district court has ordered a halt to an operation that allegedly added unauthorized charges to the phone bills of small businesses and nonprofit groups for Web sites services that, in many cases, they didn't know they had and didn't request, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said. Judge Kenneth Hoyt of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas has approved a temporary restraining order halting the activity and freezing the assets of a group of businesses and individuals, the FTC announced yesterday. The FTC's original complaint named defendants WebSource Media, BizSitePro, Eversites, Telsource Solutions, Telsource International, Marc R. Smith, Kathleen A. Smalley, Keith Hendrick, Steven Kennedy, John O. Ring, and James E. McCubbin Jr. The agency filed an amended complaint later, adding defendant WebSource Media LP, a successor to WebSource Media LLC. FTC's Accusations The defendants illegally billed thousands of customers, according to the FTC. The operation was a maze of interrelated companies directed by the people named as defendants, the FTC said. The operation used telemarketers to make cold calls to small businesses and nonprofits, and offered a "free" 15-day trial of a Web site design. The customers were told there was no charge or obligation and that the Web site would be cancelled automatically if it was not approved by them. Whether the customers agreed or not to be billed after the trial, their phone bills were often charged. When consumers called to dispute the charges, the operators told them they had "verification recordings" of an employee authorizing the charges. The FTC said the operation is typical of fraudulent Web cramming operations -- by using sales pitches to employees who frequently lack authority to make commitments for their employers and failing to effectively notify consumers that a Web site has been set up. The operators repeatedly changed the names of their companies to avoid detection by telephone companies they rely on to bill consumers and to evade scrutiny from law enforcers, the FTC said. Copyright 2006 PC World Communications, Inc. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html Also please visit: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Update #545, September 8, 2006 Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 14:12:34 -0400 From: John Riddell ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 545: September 8, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca/home/Home_Business.page ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.com/canada/telecom/ ** MITEL NETWORKS: www.mitel.com/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Telcos File Deferral Account Proposals ** Rogers to Intro Blackberry Pearl in Canada ** Toronto Hydro Launches Civic Wi-Fi ** Carriers Divide on VoIP Ruling ** BCE Further Reduces Globemedia Stake ** Syniverse Gets Canadian WNP Contract ** Shareholders Approve Alcatel-Lucent Merger ** Telus Announces $600M in Broadband Spending ** Wireless Subscriber Growth Slows ** SuperNet Revenue Boosts Axia Results ** RamTelecom Opens Calgary Office ** Rogers Replaces Bell as Maple Leafs Sponsor ** Phonetime Buys Thomas Hook ** More IXPL Routes Deregulated ** Telus Wholesale ADSL Rates Under Scrutiny ** Payphone Competitors Can Get Volume Discounts ** Koles Named to Head CSI ** Fall Telecom Event Lineup TELCOS FILE DEFERRAL ACCOUNT PROPOSALS: As ordered by the CRTC in Telecom Decision 2006-9 (see Telecom Update #517, 536), Canada's major telcos have filed proposals to spend their accumulated deferral account funds to expand rural broadband coverage and to improve access by disabled persons to telecom services. Proposals include: ** Bell Canada and Bell Aliant: $455 million over five years to extend broadband services to 264 remote communities in Ontario and Quebec (54 in the first year). No broadband expansion in the Atlantic provinces. Bell to spend $24 million on services for the disabled, Bell Aliant $410,000. ** Telus: $152 million over five years to extend broadband backbone facilities to 306 remote communities in BC, Alberta, and eastern Quebec. Retail high-speed service rollout deferred for three years to allow other ISPs to enter. Wholesale rates will not undercut SuperNet rates in Alberta. $8 million on services to the disabled. ** SaskTel: No broadband expansion, $1.5 million on services for the disabled. ** MTS: no proposal, citing uncertainties due to outstanding filings and appeals that will affect timing and amounts in the deferral accounts. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2006/8638/c12_200602708.htm ROGERS TO INTRO BLACKBERRY PEARL IN CANADA: Rogers Wireless will start selling Research In Motion's much ballyhooed new smartphone in Canada next month. The Blackberry Pearl, unveiled this week, is described as "one of the world's smallest and lightest smartphones." It includes a phone, email, digital camera, MP3 player, video player, and an expandable memory slot. ** Retail pricing has not been announced, but published reports say that U.S. carrier T-mobile will sell the Pearl for $199 on a two-year contract. TORONTO HYDRO LAUNCHES CIVIC WI-FI: Municipally owned Toronto Hydro Telecom has launched the first phase of its "One Zone" public Wi-Fi service, covering six square kilometres in downtown Toronto. Service at speeds up to 7 Mbps is free until March 6 and will be $29/month thereafter. (See Telecom Update #538) CARRIERS DIVIDE ON VoIP RULING: Predictably, incumbent and competitive telecom carriers had opposite reactions to the CRTC ruling maintaining the VoIP regulatory regime (see Telecom Update #544). Some cablecos also criticized the review of market share thresholds. Among the comments: ** "Helps ensure continued and sustainable competition" - MTS Allstream ** "Promotes real choice and benefits for consumers" - Shaw ** "The government keeps changing those rules in the middle of the process" - Rogers ** "The CRTC is incapable of aligning the regulatory framework to current ... realities" - SaskTel ** "Clearly ignores the government's directive" - Coalition for Competitive Telecom ** "This is now an issue for the government" - BCE BCE FURTHER REDUCES GLOBEMEDIA STAKE: Bell Globemedia has issued new shares to finance part of its $1.4 billion purchase of CHUM Ltd. BCE declined to participate, so its stake in Globemedia has fallen to 15% from 20%. (See Telecom Update #544) SYNIVERSE GETS CANADIAN WNP CONTRACT: Canada's ten largest cellcos have contracted with Syniverse Technologies of Tampa Florida to provide clearinghouse capabilities for the implementation of wireless number portability, scheduled for introduction on March 14, 2007. ** Syniverse, which provides similar services for most U.S. wireless carriers, will act as a centralized service bureau, handling the exchange of porting messages between the carriers and the Number Portability Administration Center. SHAREHOLDERS APPROVE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER: Shareholders of both Alcatel and Lucent have voted to approve the two manufacturers' US$10.7 billion merger, which will create a company called Alcatel Lucent. TELUS ANNOUNCES $600M IN BROADBAND SPENDING: Telus says that by the end of 2009 it will spend $600 million to install advanced Internet gear and bring fibre closer to customer homes in 38 communities in BC, Alberta, and eastern Quebec. This plan is in addition to spending proposed in the telco's deferral account filing. WIRELESS SUBSCRIBER GROWTH SLOWS: Canadian cellcos added a net 337,000 subscribers in the second quarter, 17.7% fewer than a year ago. It was the first quarter of slowed growth since 1Q 2005. http://tinyurl.com/oq83u SUPERNET REVENUE BOOSTS AXIA RESULTS: Axia NetMedia revenues for the year ended June 30 were $52.7 million, 40% higher than the previous year. Axia said the gain was due to the flow of revenues from Alberta SuperNet. Net income doubled to $16.1 million. RAMTELECOM OPENS CALGARY OFFICE: RamTelecom, an Ottawa-based satellite services provider, has opened an office in Calgary and a new network operations centre in Ottawa. ROGERS REPLACES BELL AS MAPLE LEAFS SPONSOR: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which is 15% owned by Bell GlobeMedia, has chosen Rogers Communications as its lead sponsor, replacing Bell Canada. Bell said MLSE had presented a proposal, but Bell decided to take a "different direction." PHONETIME BUYS THOMAS HOOK: Mississauga-based Phonetime Inc. a provider of prepaid phone cards and wholesale long distance services, has acquired the 9,000 customers served by Thomas Hook Communications, a New Westminster company that provides LD services to Canada's Romanian community. ** Hook's call centre, which is located in Romania, will continue to be owned and operated by the existing management team. MORE IXPL ROUTES DEREGULATED: CRTC Telecom Decision 2006-54 forbears from regulating additional private line routes in Bell Aliant, Bell Canada, and Telus territories. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-54.htm TELUS WHOLESALE ADSL RATES UNDER SCRUTINY: CRTC Telecom Decision 2006-55 says Telus' wholesale ADSL Access to Individual Line service is significantly more expensive than Bell's equivalent service, and orders Telus to file new costing information. The Commission makes the current rates interim, so any changes can be retroactive to September 8. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-55.htm PAYPHONE COMPETITORS CAN GET VOLUME DISCOUNTS: CRTC Telecom Decision 2006-55 rejects competitive payphone providers' application to freeze payphone access line rates at 2002 levels, but says incumbent telcos must offer them the same contract terms and volume discounts available to individual business line customers. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-56.htm KOLES NAMED TO HEAD CSI: Steven Koles, formerly with AOL, Group Telecom, and Telus, has been named President and CEO of CSI Wirless, a Calgary-based GPS manufacturer. He replaces interim CEO Michael Lang, who continues as Chairman. FALL TELECOM EVENT LINEUP: Among the major telecom events planned during the next two months: ** Enterprise Networks 2006, October 24-25, Toronto, sponsored by Angus Dortmans Associates, http://www.enterprisenetworks.ca ** CTCA Fall 2006 National Conference, September 29-30, Ottawa, Canadian Telecommunications Consultants Association, http://www.ctca.ca Subject: Evaluating Bandwidth Solutions For Your Business Date: 7 Sep 2006 16:57:22 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Below are a series of articles on evaluating bandwidth solutions for your business. You'll notice some similarities in format and the factors focused on. Otherwise ... each is specific to the bandwidth type noted. A brief overview is as follows: "Looking for bandwidth? That can be a daunting and frustrating task even in the best of situations. There's lots to consider in order to make the right decision for your needs. Below you'll find some help when evaluating XXXXXXXX. Factors covered include Technology, Speed, Description, Application, Pros, Cons, and Cost." * Evaluating Bandwidth Choices-OC3 vs OC12 vs OC48 http://ezinearticles.com/?Evaluating-Bandwidth-Choices-OC3-vs-OC12-vs-OC48&id=100896 * Evaluating Bandwidth Choices-Fractional DS3 vs DS3 http://ezinearticles.com/?Evaluating-Bandwidth-Choices-Fractional-DS3-vs-DS3&id=100893 * Evaluating Bandwidth Choices-Fractional T-1 vs T1 http://ezinearticles.com/?Evaluating-Bandwidth-Choices-Fractional-T-1-vs-T1&id=100892 * Evaluating Bandwidth Choices - Frame Relay vs VPN (Voice Protocol Network) http://ezinearticles.com/?Evaluating-Bandwidth-Choices---Frame-Relay-vs-VPN&id=100464 * Evaluating Bandwidth Choices - ADSL vs SDSL http://ezinearticles.com/?Evaluating-Bandwidth-Choices---ADSL-vs-SDSL&id=100451 I hope you find some useful information for your business decisions. Michael Lemm FreedomFire Communications "Helping YOUR Business....DO Business" http://DS3-Bandwidth.com http://Broadband-Nation.blogspot.com ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Phone Book: Listing Your Name Only, No Address? Date: 8 Sep 2006 08:12:02 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I understand now the phoneco offers reverse information, that is, given a phone number they'll return the person's name and address. For personal security, many people don't want their home address readilly available, but they still want to be listed in the book so people can find and call them. I called the phoneco to ask if addresses could be deleted or made generic (ie street name only, no house number, or town only) and they said no except for very special cases (ie a cop). Apartment dwellers can have the building address shown, not their apartment number. It seems to me the phoneco should allow no addresses freely if that's what the customer wants. ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 08, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 11:39:34 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 08, 2006 ******************************** Mobile Operators Set to Lose US$6.4 bil. VAT Claim on UMTS Licences http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19762?11228 The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has published an opinion that goes against European mobile operators: claim for refunds of up to 5 billion euro (US$6.4 billion) in value-added tax (VAT) on UMTS licences. The operators argue that under EU tax law, they should be allowed to reclaim VAT payments. Significance: The ECJ is ... Amazon.com Launches TV, Movie Service http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19757?11228 SEATTLE -- Amazon.com Inc. launched a digital video downloading service Thursday, ending months of speculation that the Internet retailer would be getting into the online TV and movie business. The service, dubbed Amazon Unbox, will offer thousands of television shows, movies and other videos from more than 30 studios and ... FortuNet Gets OK for Mobile Gambling http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19754?11228 LAS VEGAS -- FortuNet Inc., which makes wireless gaming machines for casinos and other gambling establishments, won approval from the State Gaming Control Board to become an operator of mobile gambling devices, a company spokesman said Thursday. The Las Vegas-based company now faces a vote in the next few weeks at the Nevada ... Nokia Strengthens Ties with Yahoo! http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19748?11228 Nokia is making a deeper commitment to Yahoo! by further integrating Yahoo! Search into its Nokia Mobile Search application. As part of the agreement, Yahoo! will provide Web and image search results in more than 10 languages on a wide variety of Nokia devices, which will give consumers real-time access to information and content,... Verizon Asks FCC to Undo Unbundling http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19745?11228 Verizon Communications Inc. late Wednesday asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to excuse it from sharing its DS1 and DS3 loop and transport facilities with competing voice providers, especially cable companies. Verizon wants relief from its "dominant carrier" responsibilities in six major metro areas ... Winning the Compliance Game http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19742?11228 Looking for tips on how to ace your next regulatory audit? The Compliance Security Council, made up of the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Computer Security Institute, and Symantec, has been tracking what's working and what's not, says James Hurley, executive director of research for the Security Compliance Council and a ... RIM Polishes Its Pearl http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19740?11228 Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) has made its boldest stride into the consumer market yet with the long-anticipated $199 smartphone called 'Pearl'. The firm unveiled the phone this week in downtown New York with cellular partner T-Mobile USA. The operator will start to sell the phone in the U.S. this coming Tuesday ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 12:37:21 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Alcatel-Lucent Deal Gets Green Light From Shareholders USTelecom dailyLead September 8, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eqzgfDtusXbOgXJHbM TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Alcatel-Lucent deal gets green light from shareholders BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Pipex in deals with C&W, IDT * Amazon launches TV show, movie download service * NFL, Yahoo! to stream football games * Telmex to go wireless for last mile * Juniper adds IPTV testing to list of services USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Creating International Networks to Support Your Expansion TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Analysis: Qualcomm's still out front VOIP DOWNLOAD * AOL ramps up VoIP efforts * Report indicates strong VoIP market * Intrado tests location technology for mobile VoIP REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Pretexting a persistent threat as carriers' ramp up protection efforts DIVERSIONS * Dorothy Harmsen, 91, a Creator of the Jolly Rancher Candy Line, Dies * Luggage So Luxe It's Tailor Made * Equal-Opportunity Offender Plays Anti-Semitism for Laughs * 36 Hours in Jackson, Wyo. * The Unsold Warhol Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eqzgfDtusXbOgXJHbM ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 17:57:26 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: NY Times Reporter Seeks Info About History of the SIT Tone davidk wrote: > My name is David Kocieniewski, I'm a New York Times reporter > researching a story about the development and history of the special > information tone. A simple wiki search found this to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_information_tone ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Discovering Where a Number Is Date: 8 Sep 2006 08:06:14 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Carl Moore wrote: > I happened to come across a recent MSNBC TV program regarding some > newsmakers. As part of that, I saw an item on Scott Peterson > (convicted of murder of pregnant wife, Laci, in California). So there > was the part about having Amber Frey as a mistress, and Scott > P. claimed to be calling her from Europe and supposedly gave a > telephone number which Amber found to be in Modesto, California. Does > anyone else recall the program I am writing about? Frankly, I have no idea why this case made national news. I can understand it being local news, but not national and definitely dragged through cable news channels ad nauseum. Anyway, to find the town associated with a given area code and exchange, call your long distance operator or Information. This used to be free, but now they may charge you a $1.00 or so fee. There may be websites to do this, but they might not be accurate. ------------------------------ From: GlowingBlueMist Subject: Re: Need Tap Into Telco Line Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 18:35:50 -0500 Organization: SunSITE.dk - Supporting Open source news@absamail.co.za wrote: > My telephone line goes out via the PABX of a party who I believe is > listening in. We have a legal dispute, and I want to hear what they > are saying too. > I have access to the tag-block with their pair and mine. How would I > best hear their conversations ? > My first thought is to just temporarily connect my pair to theirs, > observing the polarity, and while leaving mine on-hook, just tap-off > my line into an amplifier, which I can hear while I'm working. > A second refinement, would be to use capacitive coupling to their > pair. > I need to terminate my side with a high impedance, so that the > capacitive coupling can also have a high impedance. So that it > becomes insignificant when I receive or make a call. > If I remove my handset, so that only the audio amplifier terminates my > line, during 'listening in', would it work ? > And then by just connecting my handset and/or modem could I expect to > operate without significant cross-talk to the looters line ? > Thanks for any info/feedback, "James bLond". Check with your attorney about the legality of what you want to do before you pursue this but you should be able to get everything you need to accomplish this at http://sandman.com/. ------------------------------ From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Re: Need Tap Into Telco Line Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 22:32:07 -0400 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com news@absamail.co.za said on that big USENET thingie: > My telephone line goes out via the PABX of a party who I believe is > listening in. We have a legal dispute, and I want to hear what they > are saying too. > I have access to the tag-block with their pair and mine. How would I > best hear their conversations ? > My first thought is to just temporarily connect my pair to theirs, > observing the polarity, and while leaving mine on-hook, just tap-off > my line into an amplifier, which I can hear while I'm working. Err ... you might want to check into any local regulations regarding all that. There may be legal issues ... Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more Check out http://www.guardian.name ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 14:21:45 -0400 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: We Live in a World of Redundancies Paul wrote: > mc wrote in > news:telecom25.321.7@telecom-digest.org: >> The reason for having the telephone separate from the computer >> network (and even the electric power connection) is so that it will >> still work when the others don't. Their backup battery must be dead. Let 'em know. > while the other line, from the cable TV service (not VOIP), keeps > working. Sweet! > Logic tells me it should be vice-versa. Paul ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: We Live in a World of Redundancies Date: 8 Sep 2006 10:10:30 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Paul wrote: > Even though there is supposed to be standby power all the way, when I > have a power outage at home, the POTS line from Verizon fails within > about 10 seconds (probably at the SLIC across the street), while the > other line, from the cable TV service (not VOIP), keeps working. How often do you have power failures at home to observe this failrue? Your battery TV works but the phone doesn't? I assume you're using a standard plain phone, not a cordless. I am really surprised that is the case and as far as I know, that should be extremely rare. Have you reported that to the phone company? What is their response? mc wrote: > The reason for having the telephone separate from the computer network (and > even the electric power connection) is so that it will still work when the > others don't. > Imagine being completely incommunicado during a computer network failure. That is very true. The telephone network has 100 years of experience behind it. That means they have made their mistakes over time and learned from them, from dealing with weather and storms to equipment shortages to untrained technicians and fires in C.O.s. In the 1970s they had equipment failures and "blue box phreaks" and learned to deal with that as well by separating control signals from the voice channel. I don't think IP has any protection like that whatsoever, given all the crap that flows through "filters". Short of everyone lifting their handset at once or a critical cable or C.O. being destroyed (which happens), the system is extremely reliable. All components (except the phone sets) are built to very heavy standards. The IP computer network is new and constantly evolving. It is full of malicious attacks and sabatoge that are a long way to being resolved. It is full of bugs. It crashes all the time from numerous software and hardware failures. A few months ago my employer was completely knocked out by sabotage (an email virus). That happens to people all the time. You want me to depend on something like that? To suggest we abandon this network is ludicrous and irresponsible. The IP geeks have a long way to go toward reliability and have their heads in the sand if they believe otherwise. Some proponents of this sort of thing are probably young techies who have little experience in the real world out of the classroom. Others are businesspeople who want to be the first to sell a new service/product at a high markup regardless of its technical merits. ------------------------------ Subject: In an Ideal, Perfect World ... Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 13:47:51 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) I would -- like many other folks around here -- have only the latest, most modern, effecient computer equipment. In real life practice, I have only very old, antiquated, slow-as-molasses machines, running Win 98 in many cases, or Win 2000 for my 'best' machine; also Linux shares a hard drive with Win 2000 on that machine. In real life practice, raising a few hundred extra dollars for such a purchase is beyond my means, living as I do on Uncle Sugar's dole each month, and the money goes direct to the bank, which in turn pays the various creditors -- my monthly mortgage payment, the gas, electric, phone and cable bills -- direct from whatever Uncle Sugar provides for me, and the little bit of leftover comes to my hot little hands around the fourth Wednesday of each month. Allowance is also made for the lady who brings around my food each weekday; the lady who comes twice weekly to clean up the house; my helper Raymond who comes to 'look in' on me every day, etc. I would not have what junky computer stuff I have now had I not already had it (for the most part) prior to my illness setting in back in 1999-2000. That should sort of tell you where I am at. I got the machine which has Win 2000/Linux on it in 2001 as the result of a _mistake_ by Social Security. One day I called to check the balance in my account, and the bank claimed a thousand dollars more that expected: another deposit had been made by Social Security. A deposit made by _mistake_ by SSI. After about six months, SSI discovered the error and needless to say wanted their money back; it was too late, I had already spent the money on the computer and related peripherals. Hmmm, said Uncle ... admitting it was their fault, SSI agreed to accept monthly payments to get the return of the overpayment, so for the next several months, SSI made a monthly deduction from _my_ check to pay for _their_ mistake. What had been at best a tight budget while living on a fixed income became even tighter. To get to the point of this, anyone with older, excessive and unused computer equipment no longer needed is asked to donate it to me, if they wish to do so. Nothing fancy, nothing fast, just a working terminal which can be connected to a router and my internet cable connection. Laptop or desktop PC/terminal needed, Windows or Unix/Linux based preferred. If you can help, please write to me as soon as possible. Ditto my cellphone, which has seen better days. Thanks, PAT ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #324 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Sep 9 17:56:06 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 640F02253; Sat, 9 Sep 2006 17:56:06 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #325 Message-Id: <20060909215606.640F02253@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2006 17:56:06 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sat, 9 Sep 2006 18:00:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 325 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Founder Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion/Fraud (Matt Apuzzo, AP) Ebbers Ordered to Report to Prison (NYSSCPA Staff) Small Bidders Blame FCC Rule Changes For Auction Woes (Reuters News Wire) CBS Concerned About Profanity on the 9/11 Documentary (Jeremy Pelofsky) Internet Prostitution: Women Use Craigslist to Meet 'Dates' (AP News Wire) Cute Cingular Junk Mail (Paul Robinson) Re: Today's Cell Phone Companies? (Paul Robinson) Re: Touch Tone Grocery Shopping - Promise Never Realized? (Paul Robinson) Re: Cybercrime Treaty Hailed as Potential Violation of Privacy (P Robinson) Re: Newest Airport Regulations Cause Considerable Delay (Paul Robinson) Re: Court Halts Alleged Web Site Billing Scheme (Danny Burstein) Re: We Live in a World of Redundancies (Paul) Re: Discovering Where a Number Is (Carl Moore) Re: Discovering Where a Number Is (Gene S. Berkowitz) Re: Color 3 Slot Payphones? (Paul Robinson) Re: Phone Book: Listing Your Name Only, No Address? (Sam Spade) Re: Phone Book: Listing Your Name Only, No Address? (annie) Re: Phone Book: Listing Your Name Only, No Address? (bv124@aol.com) Re: Caution: Unidentified Callers - VoIP (Paul Robinson) Cheapest Verizon Business Line in Massachusetts (Dan Lanciani) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 15:02:35 -0500 From: Matt Apuzzo Subject: Telecom Founder Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion/Fraud by MATT APUZZO Associated Press WASHINGTON - Telecommunications entrepreneur Walter Anderson pleaded guilty to tax evasion and fraud Friday in connection with what authorities said was the nation's largest ever criminal tax case. Anderson was indicted in 2005 on charges he evaded $200 million in federal and local taxes. Prosecutors said Anderson used offshore corporations and bank accounts to hide income from tax collectors. He pleaded guilty to two counts of tax evasion and one count of fraud Friday. He admitted hiding hundreds of millions of dollars in income from the IRS and Washington D.C. tax collectors during 1998 and 1999. Under a plea deal with prosecutors, he faces up to 10 years in prison. Anderson started a long distance telecommunications business in the 1980s as the industry was being deregulated. When his first company, Mid-Atlantic Telecom, merged with another company in 1992, Anderson formed corporations in the British Virgin Islands to hide the income, prosecutors said. Authorities said Anderson used other offshore corporations to disguise his ownership in other telecommunications companies that earned more than $450 million between 1995 and 1999. Anderson, who allegedly didn't file federal income tax returns from 1987 to 1993, has been held without bail since his arrest. Prosecutors say he owes $170 million in federal taxes and $40 million in Washington income taxes. In court documents, the government said Anderson could be linked to at least seven aliases and that officials seized from his apartment forged identification and manuals detailing ways to create fake identification and hide from authorities. Among them were "Poof! How to Disappear and Create a New Identity" and "The ID Forger: Homemade Birth Certificates and Other Documents Explained," the documents said. Among the taxes allegedly owed to Washington are use taxes, equivalent to sales taxes, on art, jewelry and wine. The indictment alleges that Anderson bought a painting by Salvador Dali and several paintings by Rene Magritte, an 18-karat gold bracelet and more than $47,000 in fine wines, then had them shipped to a Virginia address to avoid Washington taxes. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 15:06:25 -0500 From: NYSSCPA Staff Subject: Ebbers Ordered to Report to Prison NEW YORK -- A federal judge ordered the former chief executive of WorldCom, Bernard J. Ebbers, who was convicted of orchestrating an $11 billion accounting fraud, to report to federal prison on Sept. 26 to begin his 25-year sentence, Reuters reported. Ebbers must report to an institution to be designated by the Bureau of Prisons, according to the order dated Tuesday from Judge Barbara S. Jones of Federal District Court in Manhattan, Reuters reported. In March 2005, a jury convicted Ebbers of nine counts of conspiracy, securities fraud and other crimes that led to the telephone company's July 2002 bankruptcy, Reuters reported. He had remained free on bail while appealing his conviction and sentence, but in July a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed both, Reuters reported. -- NYSSCPA.org News Staff NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 15:04:17 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Small Bidders Blame FCC Rule Changes For Auction Woes The results thus far of the FCC's ongoing advanced wireless services (AWS) auction offer 'immediate evidence' that the Commission's new rules for smaller would-be wireless licensees, known as designated entities (DEs), are 'flawed' and have led to a 'collapse' of the 'historic level of small business success' in spectrum auctions, DE interests have told a federal appeals court in a case that, if successful, could nullify the results of the AWS auction, which has garnered more than $13 billion in net high bids to date. In a brief filed yesterday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (Philadelphia), Council Tree Communications, Inc., Bethel Native Corp., and the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council argued that the FCC's 'eleventh-hour revisions' to rules governing DE participation in spectrum auctions prior to the opening of the AWS auction violated the Administrative Procedure Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, section 309(j) (promoting opportunities for DEs) of the 1934 Communications Act, and section 257 (market-entry barriers) of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:33:41 -0500 From: Jeremy Pelofsky Subject: CBS Concerned About Profanity on the 9/11 Documentary So, they will show it on the web By Jeremy Pelofsky CBS Corp. said on Saturday it would broadcast the documentary "9/11" on the Internet as well as the airwaves after several affiliates said they would delay or forgo the award-winning film because it includes profanity. The documentary was produced by French filmmakers Gedeon and Jules Naudet and retired New York firefighter James Hanlon and has aired twice without incurring fines by U.S. regulators charged with enforcing broadcast decency standards. CBS said affiliates that cover about 10 percent of the United States had decided not broadcast the program or would show it late at night, citing concerns they could be fined for airing profanity, primarily by firefighters during the crisis, before 10 p.m. The American Family Association, which describes itself as a Christian organization promoting traditional values, has called on CBS stations to forgo or delay the "9/11" broadcast. "The online streaming of this broadcast will allow viewers in those markets to see the Peabody Award-winning special," CBS said in a statement. The network will air warnings about graphic language. The film is scheduled to air on Sunday evening at 8 p.m. Another major U.S. network, ABC, was making last-minute changes to its two-part September 11-linked miniseries "The Path to 9/11" to air on Sunday and Monday. Former President Bill Clinton, former aides and congressional Democrats have lodged complaints that the film inaccurately suggests Clinton was inattentive to the Islamic militant threat that led to the September 11 attacks. The film to air on CBS, narrated by actor Robert De Niro, was compiled using footage shot inside the north tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan after it was hit by a hijacked airliner. No actual carnage is shown. An FCC spokeswoman has said the agency only acts on complaints it receives and the historical context would likely be considered if any complaints were lodged. The FCC last year ruled that profanity during ABC's 2004 broadcast of the World War Two drama "Saving Private Ryan" did not violate decency rules despite complaints. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:37:42 -0500 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Internet Prostitution: Women Use Craigslist to Meet 'Dates' 12 arrested for prostitution ads on Web Police in Bucks County have charged 12 women after an investigation into prostitutes who allegedly have been advertising on the Web site Craigslist. After police received a tip in August about alleged prostitutes advertising on the site, investigators called cell phone numbers in local listings that advertised "GFEs" (girlfriend experiences) asking for payment in "ro$e$" or "125 donations." The undercover investigators agreed to meet the women at motels, and almost all 12 were arrested within two minutes, he said. Several of the women who were arrested had brought along their boyfriends, and five men were arrested on drug charges, police said. Similar sting operations have led to prostitution charges against women in states including Maryland, New York, Oregon and New Hampshire. Craigslist spokeswoman Sue MacTavish Best said the site cooperates with law enforcement and has a flagging system that allows users to bring prohibited content to the company's attention so it can be removed. She insisted the purpose of Craigslist was not to promote prostitution or anything else illegal. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 04:15:57 -0400 From: Paul Robinson Subject: Cute Cingular Junk Mail Organization: Qwest Communications Corporation My brother recieved an ad in the mail for free delivery of a pair of Cingular cell phones. One of those "you have been pre-qualified because we bought your info from a credit reporting company but we might change our mind after we discover we can charge you more by claiming your credit isn't as good as we thought it was" offers. Currently we have one cell phone -- mine -- and due to my disability I don't go out much, so my sister borrows it from time-to-time. Technically it's a Sprint PCS phone rather than a cell phone, but you get the idea. So when she saw this offer she wrote me a recommendation to take it and get rid of the Sprint PCS phone, since it would give us two phones on a shared minutes plan (or at least I imagine that was the case). Since she basically would be paying for the service, if she wants to get it it's no skin off my nose since it's her money. The ad mentioned that it's a camera phone, which closes up "clamshell" style, which means you don't have the problem of accidentally dialing a number if you forget to lock the phone. This was the feature she most liked. It mentions all the features: 2 free LG CG225 camera phones with free delivery; VGA Camera with 4x digital zoom; Multimedia messaging service; text messaging; net browser; address book; speed dial; ringtones can be MP3s; org tools like alarm clock, calculator, world clock and more. And, of course, the $175 termination fee, if you cancel any time before two years. And that means that even if you cancelled it at 23 months they'd still want the $175 early termination fee! I've had mobile service since about two weeks before the September 11th tragedy so having to take a two-year contract really isn't a problem. If it wasn't for the fact Sprint's service where I live, indoors, sucks so badly I might simply consider asking them to match Cingular's offer to stay with them. But I don't know if Cingular's service is any better indoors here in Arlington, Virginia than Sprint. Service features include caller id, waiting, 3-way, unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes on some plans, voicemail, rollover of unused minutes, and no roaming fees. Having gotten burned a couple of times by stuff I've bought from ads on infomercials where I didn't check the whole price, I noticed something. I found it very cute that in all the advertising copy, with the mentions of prequalification, free delivery, 30-day return privelege, and so on, there is NOT ONE WORD about how much the monthly service is going to cost, not even a rough estimate! I have a theory about pricing of products or services. When a company won't even give you an idea of what the product costs, especially on a monthly service plan, it's a clear admission they *know* they are ripping you off and if you knew what the product was going to cost you, you might not take it. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 04:30:35 -0400 From: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Today's Cell Phone Companies? Organization: Qwest Communications Corporation hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Comments on telephone service quality and customer service would be > appreciated. (I do realize there are regional differences and some > places may do much better than others.) I live in Arlington, Virginia, about 4 miles from the Pentagon. Originally I had one of those plans that had the usual 200 or so minutes and unlimited night and weekend minutes, this was back about two weeks before September 11th occurred. From that point on, I basically could never get a connection during the "free" periods except maybe 1 in 10 tries. During the part where I had metered minutes, I was *always* able to get a call to go through. I couldn't really tell whether this was the usual and customary performance due to classic overselling of capacity, or an unusual condition triggered by overloading, perhaps due to damage to circuits from the terrorist attack, or because people were using the phones a lot more than they were before it happened. Being dissatisfied with that carrier I decided to switch to Sprint. I have a $39.95 plan that is 200/1800 minutes, the 200 being 7am to 7pm Monday thru Friday, the rest being the rest of the month. Or it might be 2800 minutes, I don't remember off the top of my head. Well, technically, if you used up all of the over 1000 minutes then it would use the 200 minute allotment, but it was always the other way around, I'd often use up all of the 200 minute allotment and then some, while still having over 1000 minutes left on the other side. Hell, if it could simply have absorbed the excess minutes on a 10/1 scale, I'd still never have run an overage. What I have found is that Sprint's service is okay outdoors, but sucks when I try to use it indoors. Sometimes if I'm close to a window it might work, and sometimes it doesn't. I want to check on the phone used by a neighbor, because theirs not only works indoors, it even works *in the basement*. I need to find out what network they're using! [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Have you seen that television commercial for Cingular (I think?) where a man is sitting on top of a file cabinet, scrunched down, right next to a window with a cellular phone in his outstretched hand? He says, "It used to be this was the only place in my office where I could use my cell phone; then I switched to Cingular(?) from Brand X and now I can make calls all over the place." Whereupon he jumps down from the file cabinet in the corner by the window, answers an incoming call and walks away. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 05:00:18 -0400 From: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Touch Tone Grocery Shopping - Promise Never Realized? Organization: Qwest Communications Corporation R. T. Wurth wrote: > 6.) Stores were already required to put in electronic card-based > payment systems as part of food stamp conversion from coupons to > electronic cards, (either convert or lose all the business of food > stamp customers) so none of the infrastructure costs are attributable > to credit cards. (Note to non-US readers: food stamps are an > agriculture subsidy/welfare program, whereby the poor receive > coupons/electronic credits that can only be spent at qualified food > merchants for the purchase of qualified foods (no liquor, candy or > soda) processed in US factories from US agricultural products.) About ten or twelve years ago when I was between jobs I qualified for "food stamps" which then -- in Montgomery County, Maryland -- consists basically of a special type of ATM card which could be used at any grocery store or supermarket in the state. Neither the card nor the purchasing rules prohibit you from buying candy or soda. Basically, if you can eat it and it's not cooked, it's legal to buy it using food stamps. The only food you can't buy is anything sold as heated for immediate use. This means you can buy candy, soda, cereal, milk or TV dinners. You could not, however, purchase toothpaste or baking soda. In fact, there was some serious anger a few years ago because some couple in New York City was buying very expensive caviar using food stamps and reselling it for more than the purchase price. (Why anyone would pay more than the cash price in a store is beyond me, but that's what the article said.) It turns out that once you purchase the food, it's yours to do with as you please. It is a criminal offense to sell food stamps or to sell access to one's public benefits, but it is perfectly legal to resell food you've bought with public benefits. In fact, because of federal law regarding purchases using federal funds, if you buy food using a public subsidy program like food stamps, the sale is tax exempt, same as if you were someone with Diplomatic Immunity. So it actually gives someone on food stamps an extra 5% more purchasing power (presuming your state's food tax is 5%). The particular food program that *does* restrict what you can buy is the "Women Infants and Children" or "WIC" program which has certain restrictions, usually to certain types of baby formula and other such things. Now, I only qualified for a month because once I was back working I didn't bother to send in the paperwork to continue to get benefits. Which was fine because all I was interested in was short term assistance. And this was before they instituted the five-year lifetime limit on welfare benefits for people who are not disabled. I'd like to mention to Pat, also, that if you're receiving Social Security Disability, if you do not have a large amount of assets, you may also be elligible for food stamps as well; check with your county Human Services office (or whatever is the Politically Correct word for "Welfare Department" these days). [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for thinking of me. I have tried to get food stamps (both federal and state/county-wide). The federal program depends on state officials detirmining your eligibility, although if eligible, the money for same come from the feds. I am getting Social Security Disability, but under the 'special rule' they have for persons over 60 years of age considered 'permanently disabled'. They pay me my full pension benefits 'as though' I was over 65. When I in fact turn 65 in about a year or so, they will officially retire me 'on paper' as it were ... if I had been _under 60_ and disabled, they would have paid me a lot less money for being disabled. They do not give me very much now (about poverty level, statistically) but if I was younger than 60 it would be even less, believe me, and 'permanently disabled' only applies for seven years, then a physician's recertification (a doctor employed by SSD, not your own doctor!) is required. Montgomery County, Kansas has the same scheme you mentioned: a plastic card good in ATM machines or grocery stores; swipe the card, enter your PIN, etc, and the same restrictions: cold food (candy bars, cola?) is okay, but no 'ready to eat' food (hot microwave sandwiches from the 7-Eleven, etc). No beer, no cigarettes, etc. However if you receive 'General Assistance' (in addition to food stamps) that extra allotment of money goes on the same ATM card, to be cashed out as desired. On the 'food stamp' portion of the money, no cash back of more than one dollar, but spend the 'General Assistance' portion of the money as you desire (cash it out, then see your local dope dealer or whatever.) I am NOT eligible for either 'food stamps' or General Assistance, and the office manager for the state program here in Independence waves a red flag whenever I go around his office. I think he hates me. I will tell you why: When I had my aneurysm in 1999, I was in a coma for about three months, November 26, 1999 through about the middle of January, 2000, plus another month of 'emergency rehabilitation'. 'Emergency' in this instance means therapy to help me recover the simplest use of my body, eating my food, using the toilet, etc. After I got out of the coma, I was taken across the street to the Kansas Rehabilitation Center and stayed there for a month. Finally, in March, 2000 I got to leave. You ever seen a hospital bill for a three month stay; the bottom line was right around three hundred _thousand_ dollars. The hospital (Storemont Vale Medical Center in Topeka) obviously wanted to get paid. I suggested to them collect it from State of Kansas under the rules for indigent patients. There is a federal law which requires hospitals which accept federal grants (and which one doesn't?) to agree to write off a certain amount on indigent patients with a catastrophic situation, or collect it from state welfare funds. Storemont Vale tried, but claimed State of Kansas refused to pay; it went all the way up the line to an Administrative Law Judge who ruled _in my favor_ and ordered SRS (Social and Rehabilitative Services) for Kansas to pay it. Montgomery County SRS said 'we think this is a real kick in our butt -- err -- budget, more than a quarter million dollars for this old man.' Judge tells them he does not care, just pay it, "and also pay for the ambulance which took Mr. Townson from Fort Riley Army Base in Junction City to the nearest brain surgeon in Topeka about 100 miles east on I-70." US Army assigned two base Military Police officers and a nurse to take me over to Topeka in the back of a wagon; they all wanted to get paid as well, plus the local hospital in Junction City who made the referral to Topeka. (I was not in the Army, but no matter, I was on the base on official business with a commercial tenant there when the aneurysm occurred.) All of SRS's protests did no good, they wound up paying something more than three hundred thousand dollars, between Storemont Vale, the US Army base at Fort Riley, the local medic in Junction City, etc. The day I was finally released from the hospital in Topeka and came back here to Independence, I got a letter in the mail from Storemont-Vale which 'crossed in the mail' I guess, saying they had made demand for payment from SRS, based on the judge's orders, etc. I telephoned Ronnie Blaker, the local SRS manager, he agreed they were going to obey the judge's order and pay all my bills, using what they refer to as my 'spend down' allowance. I do not understand that term. Ever since then, on the three or four occassions when I have been in the Arco Building (where our SRS is located) if I happen to see Ronnie he _always_ gives me a very evil eye. I think the case worker here has been told 'about the guy who sued us to make us pay for his hospital stay in Topeka.' _They_ claim (that even with my pitiful federal allowance) I make too much money to receive food stamps, general assistance, LIAPP (utility company allowance money) or any other services they offer. They did agree to not take into consideration Meals on Wheels, the Housekeeper service and that stuff. Anytime I have applied for _anything_ from them, and quote the amount of money paid to me through Social Security, the very first thing they do is call SSA and get them to verify the dollar amount, then they tell me I am making too much money. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 05:11:10 -0400 From: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Cybercrime Treaty Hailed as Potential Violation of Privacy Organization: Qwest Communications Corporation tedrichardson9925@sbcglobal.net wrote: > Time will tell, but the implications are there. Hopefully, Alberto > Gonzales is right when he said: Yeah, right, the same man who said it was legal to torture suspects. Fortunately the courts have decided otherwise. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 09:50:59 -0400 From: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Newest Airport Regulations Cause Considerable Delay, Inconvenience Organization: Qwest Communications Corporation > Former Amk president David Gunn -- who the Bush Adm fired > despite being extremely well respected -- proposed a very > cost efficient upgrading using conventional equipment. This is one of those really wierd scenarios where you don't necessarily know who is worse, the typically incompetent and/or immoral Bush Administration, or Mr. Gunn, who, prior to his so called 'work' for Amtrak, was General Manager -- or should I say mangler -- of Washington D.C.'s WMATA metrorail system. I suspect he snuck out of WMATA and over to Amtrak before it was discovered just how far he had run the place into the ground, a practice which has been reported in the Washington Post as being continued by those who succeeded him. ------------------------------ From: danny burstein Subject: Re: Court Halts Alleged Web Site Billing Scheme Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 19:50:37 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In Grant Gross, IDG writes: [ snip of yet another phone bill scam operation ] > Whether the customers agreed or not to be billed after the trial, > their phone bills were often charged. When consumers called to dispute > the charges, the operators told them they had "verification > recordings" of an employee authorizing the charges. It really is about time the telcos _stopped_ enabling (to use a polite term) this garbage. While there might (and that's a very iffy "might") be some equal access issues preventing the telcos from ending all such third party billing, they could, and should, _today_, not tomorrow, have the follwoing clause in any such billing agreement: " if more than X percent of customers complain about these charges, all such billing courtesies will be immediately frozen". Yet they don't do this, even under pressure and after signing stipulations with Attorneys General. Maybe now that one of the more practical AGs (NYS's Spitzer) is likely to become governor, we'll see some handcuffs brought out. That should hopefully cut this down. _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: Paul Subject: Re: We Live in a World of Redundancies Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 20:28:48 UTC Organization: Me hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote in news:telecom25.324.13@telecom-digest.org: > Paul wrote: >> Even though there is supposed to be standby power all the way, when I >> have a power outage at home, the POTS line from Verizon fails within >> about 10 seconds (probably at the SLIC across the street), while the >> other line, from the cable TV service (not VOIP), keeps working. > How often do you have power failures at home to observe this failure? Quite often, whenever there is a severe lightning storm or enough wind to blow branches across power lines. > Your battery TV works but the phone doesn't? Not TV, but "digital" telephone service provided by the cable service (a second line); the TV cable feed probably does not work, but I do not care at such times. > I assume you're using a standard plain phone, not a cordless. Of course. > I am really surprised that is the case and as far as I know, that > should be extremely rare. Have you reported that to the phone > company? What is their response? At first, I tried calling Verizon from the Comcast line, but I did not have the right number to go from one local provider to another ... when I did get through, I was always told that the problem must be in my AC powered equipment, I would sometimes convince them that I did expect those sets not to work, but that I had plugged a 2500 set into the demarc, and it did not work either, and by the way, I was calling them on my Comcast line, and did they think I should change my primary line to Comcast too? Usually the power would come back on before they had done anything, but once a truck showed up at the SLIC across the street, so I walked over and talked to the tech, who was setting up a portable generator. He told me that the batteries at the SLIC were designed to last 12 hours, but they had been adding subscribers, and the batteries were old and would no longer hold a charge, so they had to supply AC during a power failure. We both agreed that things were not the way things SHOULD be. Lately, I don't bother with the hassles of reporting, since I have the other line and one or more wireless sets, and usually a VFD portable radio available for a REAL emergency. The FD portable will work until the system is changed over to the new and improved digital radio system ... :) Paul ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 16:42:18 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: Discovering Where a Number Is It had come across to me (the point I was making and why I wrote to Telecom Digest) that someone had checked where the phone number was! (Apparently, checking where it was gave an insight which might have been missed otherwise.) I too have wondered why the Scott/Laci Peterson case got that much attention. I don't mean to trivialize the case (there are deaths involved), but I can quickly list two other cases of the death of a pregnant wife, with husband being charged: 1. Jeffrey MacDonald, while he was an Army doctor in North Carolina in 1970. 2. Michael ("Mick") Fletcher, an attorney in the Detroit (Michigan) area, who was having an affair with a judge who as a result became a "judge behaving badly". I do distance myself from "tabloid" treatment of a story, because I think that may be more designed to make money from a story than being concerned with getting it right. I am more interested in the forensics, and you could consider finding the location of a telephone number to be a science of sorts. ------------------------------ From: Gene S. Berkowitz Subject: Re: Discovering Where a Number Is Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2006 01:34:29 -0400 In article , hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com says: > Carl Moore wrote: >> I happened to come across a recent MSNBC TV program regarding some >> newsmakers. As part of that, I saw an item on Scott Peterson >> (convicted of murder of pregnant wife, Laci, in California). So there >> was the part about having Amber Frey as a mistress, and Scott >> P. claimed to be calling her from Europe and supposedly gave a >> telephone number which Amber found to be in Modesto, California. Does >> anyone else recall the program I am writing about? > Frankly, I have no idea why this case made national news. I can > understand it being local news, but not national and definitely > dragged through cable news channels ad nauseum. > Anyway, to find the town associated with a given area code and > exchange, call your long distance operator or Information. This used > to be free, but now they may charge you a $1.00 or so fee. There may > be websites to do this, but they might not be accurate. No, to find the town, type the area code, a hyphen, the exchange, and another hyphen into Google. You will invariably get an address or business in that area returned. Note: the trailing hyphen is required or Google will assume you want to subtract the exchange from the area code. --Gene ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 02:00:03 -0400 From: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Color 3 Slot Payphones? Organization: Qwest Communications Corporation hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > An old "Brady Bunch" episode showed the parents using 3 slot pay > phones in a fancy restaurant. They were beige. It is possible they were GTE. GTE's clone of AT&T's manufacturing arm Western Electric, was called "Automatic Electric" and GTE pay phones were beige; I never saw any other color. This was in Long Beach, California (and possibly Santa Monica and some other beach cities) circa 1973-1987 (when our family left California). ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Phone Book: Listing Your Name Only, No Address? Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 01:31:01 GMT Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > I understand now the phoneco offers reverse information, that is, given > a phone number they'll return the person's name and address. > For personal security, many people don't want their home address > readilly available, but they still want to be listed in the book so > people can find and call them. I called the phoneco to ask if > addresses could be deleted or made generic (ie street name only, no > house number, or town only) and they said no except for very special > cases (ie a cop). Apartment dwellers can have the building address shown, > not their apartment number. > It seems to me the phoneco should allow no addresses freely if that's > what the customer wants. Can only speak about California where name-only listing has been a listing option for many years. ------------------------------ From: annie Subject: Re: Phone Book: Listing Your Name Only, No Address? Date: 8 Sep 2006 14:46:58 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com > It seems to me the phoneco should allow no addresses freely if that's > what the customer wants. That's what I have listed. Surname, first initial only, and phone number. No address. ------------------------------ From: Subject: Phone Book: Listing Your Name Only, No Address? Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 17:01:31 -0700 I have had a Pacific Bell residence line in metropolitan Los Angeles since 1980, and the listing has never included a street address, either in the printed phone book or as Information Only listing. There is/was always an option to be excluded from the Street Address directory, which I believe was automatic exclusion in the case of those subscribers NOT having the traditional listing. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 23:13:39 -0400 From: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Caution: Unidentified Callers - VoIP Organization: Qwest Communications Corporation On 7/19/2006, DLR wrote: > To change the direction of this thread a bit I got a call yesterday on > my Sprint cell phone from 303-720-1234. I had no idea at the time > where area code 303 was so I let it go to voice mail. But they didn't > leave a message. So today I tried to call it back and got a "no such > number exists" type of message. And I can't find anyone with this > number via Google searches and don't really want to pay for more > information. > Now to be honest it looks a bit bogus to me. 1234 and all. > Anyone in the 303 area care to try and call it locally and see what it is? It is not the 1234 at the end that is suspicious, it is the '303-720' that looked suspicious even before I looked it up to confirm what I suspected. 303 and 720 are overlay area codes for the same place, the Denver Colorado metropolitan area. No telephone company would assign as prefixes, codes which are used in the same or an adjacent area simply because the possibility of confusion would be tremendous. I live in Northern Virginia, which has both 703 and 571. Nearby is Washington, DC (202), South and West Maryland (301 and 240), and south virginia (540). There is not going to be a 703-571, a 571-703, a 202-703, a 202-301 or any similar combination because of the potential for confusion. Basically anyone that has their own PBX can program the caller-id number generated for outgoing calls. I routinely get calls from companies that either only display their toll free (800/888 etc.) number, or generate a fake number like 999-999-9999 or 000-000-0000. This can be done with some VOIP providers as well, depending on how they set up their systems. Further, as has probably been mentioned here, you can purchase a calling card for 10c a minute that will allow you to call into an 800 number and set the originating number on calls made using the card, so you can give any number you want as the caller-id value. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2006 15:34:39 EDT From: Dan Lanciani Subject: Cheapest Verizon Business Line in Massachusetts? I thought this would be easy, but Verizon's site isn't too helpful. What is the lowest cost individual business line available in Massachusetts Verizon territory and what is the total monthly cost? This is be for incoming calls only, so the cheapest measured service should be appropriate. I actually want this for an ISDN line, but the ISDN cost is specified as incremental to the basic charges (and I know the increments). The current charges look much too high (I haven't seen the first detailed bill yet) so I need to figure out if they have added extra local services that I don't want or ISDN features that I don't want or some combination of the two ... Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #325 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Sep 10 23:11:35 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 030CC222F; Sun, 10 Sep 2006 23:11:34 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #326 Message-Id: <20060911031134.030CC222F@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 23:11:34 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 10 Sep 2006 23:14:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 326 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Web Site Owner Gets 7 Years in Prison for Piracy (AP News Wire) Cell Phone Makers Fight Resales (Andrew Welsh-Huggins, AP) Re: Cute Cingular Junk Mail (support@sellcom.com) Re: Cute Cingular Junk Mail (mc) Re: Can You Connect 2 Lines in the NIU Together to Make Same Line (support) Overlay NPA-NXX Codes (re: Caution: Unidentified Caller) (Anthony Bellanga) Re: Newest Airport Regulations Cause Considerable Delay (Lisa Hancock) Re: Color 3 Slot Payphones? (Lisa Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 21:29:40 -0500 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Web Site Owner Gets 7 Years in Prison for Piracy The owner of one of the nation's largest Internet software piracy Web sites has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison. Nathan Peterson, 27, of Los Angeles, sold products copyrighted by companies such as Microsoft Corp. and Adobe Systems Inc. at a huge discount on his site, iBackups.net, prosecutors said. The site began operating in 2003 and was shut down by the FBI in February 2005. In addition to Friday's 87-month sentence, U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III ordered Peterson to pay restitution of more than $5.4 million and to forfeit the proceeds of his scheme, which included homes, cars and a boat. Peterson pleaded guilty in December in Alexandria to two counts of copyright infringement. Justice Department and industry officials called the case one of the largest involving Internet software piracy ever prosecuted. Last month, Ellis sentenced a Florida man to six years in prison for selling illegal copies of computer programs on another site, BuysUSA.com. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 21:33:18 -0500 From: Andrew Welsh-Huggins, AP < Subject: Cell Phone Makers Fight Resales By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, Associated Press Writer People moving state to state, armed with cash and tricks to avoid scrutiny, are buying cheap prepaid mobile phones by the thousands with plans to sell them in Latin America and Hong Kong. Cell phone companies say the practice is costing them millions of dollars, and some have hired private investigators to document what they say is illegal tampering with their phones. Wal-Mart, Radio Shack and other retailers are limiting how many phones they will sell at one time. The buying has raised concerns the phones might be used to aid terrorism, though those in the trade say it's nothing but capitalism at its best no different than reselling stock for more than you paid. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security issued nationwide bulletins earlier this year warning police to be on the lookout for bulk purchases of cell phones. Authorities are worried that profits from the trade could end up financing terrorism or that the phones could be used as detonators in attacks. The practice at the center of court cases in Florida, Ohio and Michigan appears widespread and in no danger of subsiding soon. Participants in the trade don't appear very bashful. "Don't leave a phone behind. To make real money buy them all," urged an e-mail by Larry Riedeman of Larry's Cell in Altamonte Springs, Fla., that was included in a lawsuit against that entity by TracFone Wireless Inc. "Thousands a day if you can!" Riedeman and other small companies are considered the middlemen in a system that starts with buyers snapping up phones at retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and ends with resale of the phones overseas. In Ohio, two men acknowledged last month to authorities that they had delivered 600 TracFones to a middleman over three months. Also in August, three Dallas men briefly charged in Michigan with trafficking counterfeited goods told the FBI that several businesses in Texas buy telephones "from hundreds of people like themselves," according to an FBI filing in that case. The phones are then sold to middlemen in California, New York or Miami. Another buyer, Bilal Mustafa, 22, of Minneapolis, told The Associated Press he travels around the Midwest a week at a time in search of phones. He and a buddy will buy four to six at once at small-town department stores, as many as 250 a day. Mustafa sells them to a cell phone business he wouldn't identify. He says he's doing nothing illegal and scoffs at FBI concerns that the practice could aid terrorists. "If it did, I wouldn't do it," said Mustafa, a Palestinian immigrant from the West Bank. "I'm not stupid." Purchasing cell phones in bulk is not illegal and authorities haven't had much luck trying to prosecute the buyers. Earlier this week, a federal judge threw out the charges against the men in the Michigan case, saying there wasn't enough evidence to take the case to trial. The Michigan charges alleged that by removing the cell phones from their original packaging, the men made it easier to repackage the phones with counterfeit trademarks in violation of federal copyright law. The men arrested in Ohio in August face a low-level charge of giving misleading information to police, including changing their story about why they had so many cell phones when they were first stopped. Terrorism charges were leveled in both cases but quickly dropped. The middlemen indicate an apparently insatiable hunger for the phones, with profits in some cases of 100 percent for a handset that retails for as little as $20. The phones are so cheap because TracFone and other providers of prepaid cellular service sell them at a loss to create a market for their real profit maker, selling customers more call time. For example, a Nokia 1100, one of the phones referenced in TracFone's lawsuit against Larry's Cell, was being sold in stores for about $20 a phone. However, it probably cost TracFone about $25 per phone wholesale, said Paul Sagawa, an industry analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. in New York. The Dallas men arrested in Michigan said they had spent $20,000 on phones within just a few days. The Riedeman e-mails promise earnings of $10,000 a month for aggressive buyers. Riedeman offered bonuses to such suppliers, from $120 to anyone bringing in 400 phones a month to $2,000 for someone buying 2,000 a month, according to court documents. Mustafa wouldn't say how much he earns on each $20 phone but said it's a reasonable profit. "I don't think I'll make a million bucks," he said. "Just enough to take care of my car, my gas, a hotel and make a little money." Buyers -- often young men -- pay cash, frequently making purchases in the middle of the night to avoid scrutiny and to skirt store sales limits, according to affidavits and other filings in state and federal court. They make up stories about why they need the phones, move from cashier to cashier or simply buy the limit from a store, wait awhile, then return. "I have many times used other shoppers to help me," said the Riedeman e-mail. "You would be surprised how many folks will lend a helping hand." Riedeman could not be reached to comment. E-mail and phone messages were not immediately returned. No lawyer for him is listed in federal court documents. A phone for his brother, Clint, who is also named in the lawsuit, rang unanswered. After receiving the phones from the buyers, often in bulk shipments, the middlemen deactivate a software lock on the devices so they can be used on other cellular services. The phones are then repackaged and shipped to their next destination, records show. A lawsuit filed in January by Nokia Corp. accuses Pan Ocean Communications of Pompano Beach, Fla., of buying $20 cell phones from Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Target Corp. stores, disabling their software, then reselling them for $39 as legitimate Nokia handsets. The company sold them to distributors, wholesalers, exporters and flea market booth operators, the lawsuit said. A judge ordered Pan Ocean and another company, Sol Wireless Group of Miami, to stop reselling the phones. Messages seeking comment were left with attorneys representing the businesses. Destinations have changed over the years, from Singapore in the past to Mexico today, said John Walls, a spokesman for CTIA, a cellular industry trade association that opposes the practice. "You're able to deliver a pretty good product that will operate on the Mexican network, the black market can deliver a handsome profit on that device, and Mexican consumers have the opportunity to save themselves a few dollars," Walls said. Lawsuits filed by TracFone and Nokia also name markets in Latin America and Hong Kong, where resale prices are higher. Since TracFones that haven't been tampered with can work only in the United States, overseas buyers ought to know they aren't being sold legitimately, said Jim Baldinger, a TracFone attorney in West Palm Beach, Fla. Lawyers for the men arrested in Michigan and Ohio say their clients were conducting legal business and are being targeted only because they are of Middle Eastern descent. "All these individuals were doing was buying and reselling phones," said Detroit attorney Nabih Ayad. "There's nothing illegal about it. They buy cell phones from one retailer and sell them to another retailer who can sell them for more." Retailers, wireless service providers and phone makers don't see it that way. "Resale on the black market is never a good thing," said Wendy Dominguez, a Radio Shack Corp. spokeswoman. At West Broad Cellular near downtown Columbus, owner Abdul Salameh sells prepaid phones starting at $50, far above the price charged by rivals whom he suspects of scooping them up at places such as Wal-Mart. Salameh, 26, says he's being undercut by the practice but isn't sure how to combat it: "If people are selling them for real cheap, we're getting destroyed." On the Net: TracFone: http://tracfone.com Nokia: http://www.nokia.com/index.html CTIA: http://www.ctia.org Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Re: Cute Cingular Junk Mail Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 22:28:12 -0400 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Paul Robinson said on that big USENET thingie: > I have a theory about pricing of products or services. When a company > won't even give you an idea of what the product costs, especially on a > monthly service plan, it's a clear admission Is it one of those "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." thingies? Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more Check out http://www.guardian.name ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Cute Cingular Junk Mail Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 01:00:12 -0400 Paul Robinson wrote in message news:telecom25.325.6@telecom-digest.org... > I have a theory about pricing of products or services. When a company > won't even give you an idea of what the product costs, especially on a > monthly service plan, it's a clear admission they *know* they are > ripping you off and if you knew what the product was going to cost > you, you might not take it. As they say, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it!" ------------------------------ From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Re: Can you Connect 2 Lines in the NIU Together; Make the Same Line Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 22:41:35 -0400 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Ivn C. Filpo said on that big USENET thingie: > In my house, initially there were two phone lines. One was used for > phone and the other for fax. I cancelled the fax line a long time ago, > and this line is conveniently next to the Vonage D-Link VTA Adapter. > Instead of having to connect the adapter with a cable that would go > across the wall, I came up with the idea of joining the two lines > inside the Network Inteface Box. This way, if I join them with a Shouldn't be a problem as long as you know where they are going and there isn't a short anywhere. Phone jacks are wired parallel anyway. Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more Check out http://www.guardian.name ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 20:49:18 -0600 From: Anthony Bellanga Reply-To: no-spam@no-spam.no-spam Subject: Overlay NPA-NXX Codes (re: Caution: Unidentified Callers) ******************************************************************** PAT - DO NOT display my email address anywhere in this post! Thanks. ******************************************************************** Paul Robinson wrote: > 303 and 720 are overlay area codes for the same place, the Denver > Colorado metropolitan area. No telephone company would assign as > prefixes, codes which are used in the same or an adjacent area > simply because the possibility of confusion would be tremendous. > I live in Northern Virginia, which has both 703 and 571. Nearby > is Washington, DC (202), South and West Maryland (301 and 240), > and south virginia (540). There is not going to be a 703-571, a > 571-703, a 202-703, a 202-301 or any similar combination because > of the potential for confusion. NEVER SAY NEVER! Right now, there happens to be no assigned 303-720 nor 720-303 office codes. But read on further down -- I will repost what I originally said back in mid-July when this thread originally appeared. Neustar-NANPA, the assignment body for US-based NPA-NXX office codes does NOT flag either 303-720 nor 720-303 as "NOT to be assigned" in their web-based databased. Afterall, this is an overlay situation, and since ALL TEN DIGITS MUST be dialed, in the long run, there is no conflict or ambiguity with such assignments. And inn some overlay areas, the same digit combination is used for NPA and an NXX within that NPA! You also might want to go through some of the entries in NANPA's NPA-NXX assignment database. In some cases, there are indeed flaggings of 'UA' which means unassignable -- i.e., NOT to be assigned. And this is still the case with certain combinations in overlay areas. But that doesn't mean that in the next ten years or so, when ten-digit dialing and overlays becomes more the norm throughout the US and Canada that such combinations won't still be flagged as not assignable. And as I mentioned, there are such assignment situations in some places already. Even in places where there aren't yet overlays or mandatory ten-digit dialing, there are some cases where the numerics of an adjacent NPA code, even one which is adjacent with local calling arrangments -- those numerics can also be used as an NXX office code in other adjacent local NPA codes. The ambiguity is usually eliminated by the use of a mandatory 1+ before ALL ten-digit calls, regardless of whether the ten-digit number is local or toll. And all "home" NPA calls in such area codes is still permissive as "just" seven-digits, sometimes without differentiation as to local vs. toll for that seven-digit "home" NPA call. And here is the original post and my reply in this thread when it originally appeared back in mid-July: DLR wrote: > I got a call yesterday on my Sprint cell phone from 303-720-1234. > I had no idea at the time where area code 303 was so I let it go > to voice mail. But they didn't leave a message. So today I tried > to call it back and got a "no such number exists" type of message. > And I can't find anyone with this number via Google searches and > don't really want to pay for more information. Now to be honest it > looks a bit bogus to me. 1234 and all. It is bogus. 303 is the area code for the Denver CO Metro area. (At one time, the entire state of Colorado used 303, but that was some time ago). 720 is being used as a central office code within the 303 area code in your situation, but the 720 numerics as an area code also happens to be the overlay area code for the Denver CO Metro area. Since ten-digit local dialing is mandatory within the Denver Co Metro area of area codes 30 303 and 720 in overlay, there isn't anything "wr-ng" with having a 303-720 code, nor a 720-303 code, nor even a 303-303 or 720-720 code. Ten-digit local dialing is mandatory in overlay areas. However, it happens that at this time, there is no such 303-720 code assigned in the Denver CO Metro area. I looked up the central office code reports at NANPA's website, http://www.nanpa.com and 303-720 is unassigned but still available for assignment. So, you probably got a call from a telemarketer sending bogus caller-ID information. Typical. :( ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Newest Airport Regulations Cause Considerable Delay, Inconvenience Date: 10 Sep 2006 17:31:26 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Paul Robinson wrote: > This is one of those really wierd scenarios where you don't necessarily > know who is worse, the typically incompetent and/or immoral Bush > Administration, or Mr. Gunn, who, prior to his so called 'work' for > Amtrak, was General Manager -- or should I say mangler [snip] Mr. Gunn has a highly respected record of achievement throughout his career. As a passenger and activist of several of the systems he managed, I can personally attest to the pragmatic and cost effective improvements he effected. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Color 3 Slot Payphones? Date: 10 Sep 2006 18:00:44 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Paul Robinson wrote: > It is possible they were GTE. GTE's clone of AT&T's manufacturing arm > Western Electric, was called "Automatic Electric" and GTE pay phones > were beige; I never saw any other color. Automatic Electric sold equipment to a variety of "independent" telephone companies, not just GTE. Anyway, Western Electric did make beige and green pay phones. It's pretty easy to spot an AE vs WE telephone set: Western Electric phones have the finger spot at the 3 o'clock position while AE phones have it at the 5 o'clock position. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Plus which, on (at least the older) AE rotary dial phones, the dial would return 'faster' when you removed your finger. WE dials pulsed and clicked their way back. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #326 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Sep 11 18:58:51 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 7CE0D2201; Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:58:51 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #327 Message-Id: <20060911225851.7CE0D2201@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:58:51 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 11 Sep 2006 19:00:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 327 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Amazon.com Launches TV, Movie Service (Monty Solomon) Cell Phones Won't Keep Your Secrets (Monty Solomon) Speed Dials (Lisa Hancock) NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage (Lisa Hancock) Vodafone to Sell Fixed-Line Broadband Services (USTelecom dailyLead) Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Lisa Hancock) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 11, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Re: Can you Connect 2 Lines in the NIU Together; Make the Same Line (mc) Re: Color 3 Slot Payphones? (Scott Dorsey) Re: History of Automated Operator Services (Charles Gray) Re: Cheapest Verizon Business Line in Massachusetts? (Lisa Hancock) Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity (Lisa Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 23:32:20 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Amazon.com Launches TV, Movie Service By Elizabeth M. Gillespie, AP Business Writer SEATTLE --Amazon.com Inc. launched a digital video downloading service Thursday, ending months of speculation that the Internet retailer would be getting into the online TV and movie business. The service, dubbed Amazon Unbox, will offer thousands of television shows, movies and other videos from more than 30 studios and networks, the company said. TV shows will cost $1.99 per episode, and most movies will go for $7.99 to $14.99; movies can also be rented for $3.99. Amazon Unbox will offer shows from CBS, News Corp.'s Fox, MTV, Nickelodeon, PBS, BBC, A&E, Discovery Channel, Comedy Central and The History Channel, among others. General Electric Corp.'s NBC and Walt Disney Co.'s ABC were noticeably absent on the list of participating networks. MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central are owned by Viacom Inc. Seven major studios are participating in Amazon.com's service: Viacom's Paramount, News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox, Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures, GE's Universal Studios, Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., Lionsgate Entertainment Corp. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. Walt Disney Pictures is not participating. Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs is the largest shareholder of Walt Disney Co., and the announcement of Amazon's service comes just days ahead of the expected launch of a movie download service at Apple's iTunes Music Store. Details of the scope of Apple's expected offerings are unclear, but its pioneering success and market dominance with its iTunes music and TV show downloads as well as its iPod media players have already cast Apple as a leading competitor. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/09/08/amazoncom_launches_tv_movie_service/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 02:36:44 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Cell Phones Won't Keep Your Secrets WASHINGTON (AP) -- The married man's girlfriend sent a text message to his cell phone: His wife was getting suspicious. Perhaps they should cool it for a few days. "So," she wrote, "I'll talk to u next week." "You want a break from me? Then fine," he wrote back. Later, the married man bought a new phone. He sold his old one on eBay, at Internet auction, for $290. The guys who bought it now know his secret. The married man had followed the directions in his phone's manual to erase all his information, including lurid exchanges with his lover. But it wasn't enough. Selling your old phone once you upgrade to a fancier model can be like handing over your diaries. All sorts of sensitive information pile up inside our cell phones, and deleting it may be more difficult than you think. A popular practice among sellers, resetting the phone, often means sensitive information appears to have been erased. But it can be resurrected using specialized yet inexpensive software found on the Internet. A company, Trust Digital of McLean, Virginia, bought 10 different phones on eBay this summer to test phone-security tools it sells for businesses. The phones all were fairly sophisticated models capable of working with corporate e-mail systems. Curious software experts at Trust Digital resurrected information on nearly all the used phones, including the racy exchanges between guarded lovers. http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/08/30/betrayed.byacellphone.ap/ ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Speed Dials Date: 11 Sep 2006 07:24:53 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Plus which, on (at least the older) AE > rotary dial phones, the dial would return 'faster' when you removed > your finger. WE dials pulsed and clicked their way back. PAT] The dial speed is about 10 pulses per second. (A good modem manual will tell you exactly the "contact make/break" times and the settings for outside the U.S. as well). Anyway, I believe panel switching and certainly crossbar and ESS could and would accept 20 pulses per second. Way back in HS a kid figured out on his phone dial an adjustment to make it 20 p/s and it worked (on either #1 xbar or panel). PBX switchboards had 20 p/s dials. However, I think they realized this higher speed was rough on equipment and did not provide it to the general public for that reason. I don't know if SxS could handle it but SxS components had wear issues and certain improvements was rough on SxS unless it was carefully spread out among switches within an office. During the early ESS trials at Morris IL subscribers were given high speed dials (and also tone ringers). I wonder how subscribers felt after the trial was over and they went back to their old system -- and had to wait 25 years until such features were available again. Several years ago the Wall Street Journal reported that a good number of phone customers still had rotary service. I suspect that percentage has dropped; I wonder how many people still have only rotary phones in their home today. As discussed, some pay phones were intentionally converted back to rotary to avoid drug trafficking, but with cell phones that's not an issue anymore. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage Date: 11 Sep 2006 07:36:36 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I was in Pennsylvania Station in New York and noticed in the main pay phone alcove (Amtrak area) that nine people were using the pay phones all at once. That's more than I'd expect. In addition to that alcove there were payphones scattered throughout the station though I didn't take note of usage. I did notice people using pay phones in subway stations. Of course, in NYC Verizon pay phones are 25c for a brief local period and also offer coin long distance at 25c a minute. Non Verizon pay phones are 50c but for a longer initial period. I found a convenient Verizon 25c payphone on a corner for my needs (avoiding the 50c ones). (Using my cell phone would be costly with (1) day rate and (2) roaming). In one building a pay phone "closet" actually had a phone book with it. I haven't seen a phone book near a pay phone in years, it used to be standard dangling on a light chain or on a pedestal on or the shelf underneath. Pay phone banks had a series of directories. For some reason, otherwise it's hard to find a pay phone that allows coin long distance calls. My local train station once allowed that but discontinued it. If you try dialing 1+ at a pay phone you just get the fast busy reorder signal. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:30:54 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Vodafone to Sell Fixed-Line Broadband Services USTelecom dailyLead September 11, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/erhEfDtusXbTvBvoIg TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Vodafone to sell fixed-line broadband services BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * EarthLink plans phone, Internet bundle for Chicago * Commonwealth Telephone seeks buyer * Apple may unveil PC-TV solution tomorrow * Qwest Choice TV expands lineup * Telecom Italia might unload wireless business * Columnist: The easy days are over for cable USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Creating International Networks to Support Your Expansion Tomorrow HOT TOPICS * M&A fever takes telecom gear market by storm * RIM unveils the BlackBerry Pearl * DT announces business revamp * Report: Huawei overtakes Alcatel in optical networking * Alcatel-Lucent deal gets green light from shareholders TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Wireless carriers aim to make content easier to find * Motorola, Nokia to collaborate on mobile TV interoperability * CNET profiles top 10 must-have gadgets REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC to impose tougher phone security rules DIVERSIONS * This Hallowed Ground * Battle Lines in Treating Depression * At New Rentals, the Aim Is to Age With Creativity * The Boyish Mr. Damon, Not So Boyish After All * The Magnificent Obsession of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/erhEfDtusXbTvBvoIg ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Date: 11 Sep 2006 12:51:38 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. As a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think is best? a) "Jones & Co." b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how may I direct your call?" d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how may I give you the best customer service ever today?" While waiting in line at the video store, the clerk had to answer the phone with D. To me, that was a waste of time, especially when other customers are waiting. [public replies, please] ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 11, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:14:14 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 11, 2006 ******************************** Vodafone Joins British Broadband Race http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19794?11228 Mobile giant Vodafone is set to enter the British broadband market before the year-end, becoming the latest big-name entrant in the United Kingdom's highly competitive broadband market. Instead of pursuing the acquisition route adopted by rival mobile operator O2, Vodafone is adopting the broadband resale option and has signed a ... Neuf Cegetel Plans October 2006 IPO http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19792?11228 The largest French alternative fixed-line telecoms group has set an October date to list 20% of its shares in an initial public offering (IPO), which is aimed at raising between 500 million euro (US$636.2 million) and 1 billion euro. In a statement, the company said it had filed its IPO documents with French Stock Exchange watchdog ... WiBro May Be Heading for Russia http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19789?11228 South Korea's IT chief Rho Jun-hyong has suggested that WiBro (wireless broadband) technology, pioneered this year in South Korea, may be launched in Russia, according to press reports. Rho has recently returned from a nine-day tour of Russia, Romania, Germany, and Hungary in which he showcased the capabilities of WiBro. He stated ... Iliad Announces Fiber Optic Network, Shares Fall http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19786?11228 PARS -- Iliad SA, a provider of phone, Internet and TV services, announced plans to roll out a Euro1 billion (US$1.3 billion) high-speed fiber-optic network to French households from next year without raising prices. The company's shares plunged as some investors judged the plan too ambitious. The alternative ... DOJ Wants Alltel to Shed Some Assets http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19783?11228 After agreeing to divest some assets, Alltel received the go-ahead from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to acquire Midwest Wireless Holdings. The acquisition was first announced in November 2005. The DOJ said it would not oppose the merger as long as Alltel divested assets in rural Minnesota - assets that include Alltel' ... Nokia N93: So Cool, It's Hot http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19780?11228 So what's the current ultra-cool, must have cell phone? A strong case could be made for the Nokia N93. The Nokia N93 offers multiple coolness factors, including an unusual, innovative design, cutting edge multimedia features and a price tag that will make envious friends emit a sustained, low whistle when you tell them how much ... Unified Communications Drive SMB Converged-Apps Growth http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19778?11228 According to new research, during the next five years, revenue growth from small and medium-sized business (SMB) converged applications will average 47 percent per year, compared to only 16 percent for underlying IP Telephony (IPT) systems. Demand is particularly strong for such Unified Communications (UC) applications as Personal ... Telecom Italia to Revamp http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19775?11228 Trading in Telecom Italia SpA shares was suspended today at the carrier's own request as its board meets to discuss the Italian giant's future. The carrier announced Sunday that its chairman met the head of the Italian bourse, Consob (Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa), to discuss the operator's ... Nokia, RIM & Moto: 'Prosumer' Trinity http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19772?11228 The rules of the game in the smartphone market changed last week. Following Motorola Inc.s lead earlier this year with the Q phone, Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) unveiled the Pearl on Wednesday -- a $200 phone with a feature set that should appeal to both business and consumer users. Nokia Corp. capped the week ... Broadband Powerline Networking to be King in Residential Networking http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19769?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Broadband powerline networking, a wired technology that does not require new cabling to be installed, is poised to emerge as a winner in the residential networking interface race on a worldwide basis, reports In-Stat. Powerline networking has advantages over coax and twisted-pair cabling for in-home deployment ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Can you Connect 2 Lines in the NIU Together; Make the Same Line Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:11:34 -0400 wrote in message news:telecom25.326.5@telecom-digest.org ... > Ivn C. Filpo said on that big > USENET thingie: >> In my house, initially there were two phone lines. One was used for >> phone and the other for fax. I cancelled the fax line a long time ago, >> and this line is conveniently next to the Vonage D-Link VTA Adapter. >> Instead of having to connect the adapter with a cable that would go >> across the wall, I came up with the idea of joining the two lines >> inside the Network Inteface Box. This way, if I join them with a My house is wired this way (it's my doing), so that I can use outlets that were wired to either of the 2 original lines. We used to have line 1 on red and green and line 2 on yellow and black. Now yellow and black are tied to red and green respectively, coming out of the network interface box. Coming into it, red and green go to the house wiring, and yellow and black are disconnected. ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Color 3 Slot Payphones? Date: 11 Sep 2006 11:05:37 -0400 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Paul Robinson wrote: > hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: >> An old "Brady Bunch" episode showed the parents using 3 slot pay >> phones in a fancy restaurant. They were beige. > It is possible they were GTE. GTE's clone of AT&T's manufacturing arm > Western Electric, was called "Automatic Electric" and GTE pay phones > were beige; I never saw any other color. This was in Long Beach, > California (and possibly Santa Monica and some other beach cities) > circa 1973-1987 (when our family left California). I dunno, in the Brady Bunch episode, they actually worked. This would indicate they were probably not GTE. scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ Subject: Re: History of Automated Operator Services Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 10:54:02 -0500 From: Charles Gray I haven't checked all of them lately, but one Ronald A. Katz has about 52 patents relating to "interactive technology". You might check to see if he has one related to automated operator services. His organization routinely sues large companies such as airlines and banks and they wind up paying his fees. One settlement involving Delta Airlines in 2004 covered "customer service provided to consumer and business accounts delivered through automated systems as well as the combination of automated systems and live agents". See http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-330271_ITM Regards, Charles G. Gray Senior Lecturer, Telecommunications Oklahoma State University - Tulsa (918) 594-8433 ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Cheapest Verizon Business Line in Massachusetts? Date: 11 Sep 2006 11:05:20 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Dan Lanciani wrote: > I thought this would be easy, but Verizon's site isn't too helpful. In many cases it is better to talk to the company directly (hopefully to a knowledgeable employee) rather than depend on their website. I would call the Verizon business office for Mass to ask them directly. In many places the telephone and electric rates varies by location; that is, city customers may pay less than suburban customers. Complicating this matter is the "fees" and taxes. Sometimes these are included, sometimes these are charged separately. They're always changing, too. Part of the cost of business service is yellow pages ads or lack thereof. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity Date: 11 Sep 2006 11:18:38 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Michael Perry wrote: > Self-regulation in food and beverage marketing is being exploited and > is failing to curb childhood obesity, research by a global obesity > taskforce presented on Tuesday has found. It's easy to blame the media (and now the Internet) for social problems, but I don't buy it. I find that hard to believe. I question the influence of solely advertising on obesity because: 1) all sorts of junk food has been aggressively advertised on TV and print for 50 years yet this obesity problem is recent and 2) they took cigarette ads off TV years ago but smoking remained popular for a long time afterwards 3) they never advertised hard liquor on TV but it is a growing youth problem and 4) they don't advertise illegal drugs at all on TV but it's a problem. I believe the modern household where both parents work full time or there is only one parent in the house is to blame. Under those circumstances, parents simply do not have the time nor energy to supervise the kids' afterschool snacks or to prepare traditional healthy dinners. They depend far more on restaurant foods which are much fattier. They give in when the kids whine for junk food to shut them up because they're too stressed out and tired to fight with the kids over it. > stricter advertising standards in traditional media, Given the ads for sugar cereals and candy I can't believe there are any "standards" in traditional media. So they add in the tag line "part of a balanced breakfast"? Big deal. > "We need to recognize that everyone in society has a responsibility to > ensure we provide healthy environments for children," Swinburn told Hey, I have no love for junk food manufacturers, but don't blame them for parents who aren't doing their job. Does "everyone" include me? So the next time I see a kid buying junk food at the store, should I chastise him? Yell at the store for selling it to him? Watch how fast I end up in jail. I'll get in trouble just for telling kids to clean up after themselves while snacking in the train station shelter. > "Small changes to urban design such as age-appropriate playground > equipment ... could have a significant impact on overall activity > levels across the day," she told the conference. More garbage. Kids will play anywhere. > Salmon said parental security and safety concerns that kept children > at home were also limiting the physical activities of children and > contributing to obesity. That I do agree with. Parents are very paranoid about where their kids go and play especially unsupervised. Is that fear justified? Actually, the same parents ought to be checking what the heck their kids are doing on line, what pictures they're posting on myspace and what pers info they're sharing. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. 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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #327 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Sep 12 01:07:07 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id C640721F6; Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:07:06 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #328 Message-Id: <20060912050706.C640721F6@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:07:06 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:08:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 328 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson FCC Questions AT&T Role in HP Scandal (Roy Mark) New Jersey Fights Bid to Block Phone Probe (Beth DeFalco, AP) Webloyalty, Fandango Named in Lawsuit (Reuters News Wire) Re: Court Halts Alleged Web Site Billing Scheme (Al Gillis) Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity (Jim Stewart) Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity (Wesrock@aol.com) Re: Dialing Speeds (TELECOM Digest Editor) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Daniel J McDonald) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (DLR) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Jerry) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (mc) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Henry) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: FCC Questions AT&T Role in HP Scandal Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 20:17:59 EDT From: Roy Mark FCC Questions AT&T Role in HP Scandal By Roy Mark The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is launching a formal investigation into AT&T's role in disclosing the personal telephone records of HP board members and selected journalists to HP private investigators. The FCC sent what the agency calls a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) to AT&T late last week seeking information about the company's role in the scandal embroiling the HP board of directors, sources familiar with the situation told internetnews.com. The sources also said the high profile HP case may prompt the FCC to take some action on a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) launched in February over telephone company efforts to protect proprietary customer information. The FCC currently has open meetings scheduled for Sept. 26 and Oct. 12. AT&T and the FCC Monday refused to either confirm or deny the LOI. Both parties cited policies of not commenting on ongoing investigations. "It's straight forward questions about the incident," one source familiar with the inquiry said. Another source noted the FCC has sent "numerous" LOIs to telephone companies since beginning the February NPRM. As part of an investigation into media leaks by the HP board, the company admits its private investigators used a technique known as pretexting to snoop on records of directors' private telephone calls to journalists. Pretexters fool telephone company representatives into revealing a customer's personal data by using bits and pieces of known information about the customer. HP admits its private investigators used pretexting to obtain the calling records of its board members and the journalists. While federal law requires telephone companies protect the calling records of their customers, a cottage industry in data brokering is blossoming on the Internet. The telephone companies maintain data brokers are obtaining the information through pretexting. "AT&T is committed to both protecting the privacy of our customers and to weeding out those who fraudulently obtain access to customer information," AT&T said in an e-mail to internetnews.com Monday. "We are working closely with all law enforcement officials to bring these data thieves to account." On a separate legal front, California law enforcement officials are asking ISP Cox Communications to disclose documents that could help the state learn the identity of those who accessed the phone records of the HP board members and the journalists. "We believe a crime has been committed," Tom Dresslar, spokesman for California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, said Friday. An AT&T spokesman stressed Monday the company is aggressively moving on its own to stop pretexters. Last week, AT&T filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California targeting alleged pretexters who have accessed AT&T customer information without authorization from either AT&T or the customer. Last month, AT&T won approval from a Texas court for expedited authority to issue "John Doe" subpoenas. AT&T hopes the new John Doe legal tactics will aid the company in seeking the identities from ISPs of pretexters who gained access to approximately 2,500 AT&T customers. "We will use every means available to vigorously pursue these individuals who, through fraud, have attempted to obtain unauthorized access to customer information," Priscilla Hill-Ardoin, chief privacy officer for AT&T, said in a statement. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 19:00:20 -0500 From: Beth DeFalco, AP Subject: New Jersey Fights Bid to Block Phone Probe By BETH DeFALCO, Associated Press Writer New Jersey has the right to obtain information about a federal domestic surveillance program because that program is no longer a secret, the state argued in response to federal efforts to quash its investigation. The Justice Department wants to throw "an impenetrable cloak insulating the federal government's domestic surveillance activities from all judicial scrutiny," acting New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram said in a statement Monday. New Jersey prosecutors subpoenaed 10 phone companies in May because of suspicion that state consumer protection laws may have been violated if phone companies were turning over records to the National Security Agency. The federal government sued the New Jersey attorney general's office in federal court June 14, claiming compliance with the state's subpoenas or even acknowledging the existence of such a program would threaten national security. The state in its response, filed late Friday, argued: "There is no secret for the state secret privilege to protect." The program monitors international phone calls and e-mails to or from the United States involving people the government suspects have terrorist links. A secret court has been set up to grant warrants for such surveillance, but the government says it can't always wait for a court to take action. The federal government considers the program vital to fighting terrorism, but critics say it unconstitutionally gathers private information. Federal officials have objected to efforts by several states and civil liberties groups to investigate or shut down the NSA program. Most recently, it filed a lawsuit against a Connecticut state agency last week and against Maine utility regulators last month. The courts have been split on that argument: A judge in Chicago agreed with the government that state secrets would be exposed if a case there went forward there, but another judge in San Francisco said the surveillance is already so well known that there is was no danger of spilling secrets. A judge in Detroit last month ordered an immediate end to the program, saying it violates free speech and privacy rights as well as the separation of powers, but the plaintiffs agreed to keep the ruling on hold until the judge decides whether to issue a stay. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 19:04:10 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Webloyalty, Fandango Named in Lawsuit Webloyalty, Fandango Named in Coupon Lawsuit Online marketing company Webloyalty.com Inc. and online movie ticket seller Fandango Inc. were named in a lawsuit on Monday that accuses them of participating in a scheme where customers' credit cards are billed monthly fees without their knowledge. The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, said when customers bought from one of Webloyalty's partners such as Fandango and clicked on a pop-up window offering a $10 coupon on their next purchase, their credit card information was automatically transferred to Webloyalty and they were unwittingly enrolled in its "Reservation Rewards," program. Once enrolled in Webloyalty's rewards program that promises dining movie ticket and shopping discounts, consumers' credit cards are billed up to $10 each month. The lawsuit is seeking class-action status and unspecified damages. "Hundreds, if not thousands, of consumers have complained to Webloyalty and local, state and federal consumer protection agencies about the deceptive nature of its sales of its "Reservation Rewards" discount club product and its unauthorized access to their credit card information," the complaint said. The plaintiff named in the lawsuit, Joe Kuefler, bought movie tickets from Fandango and was unknowingly enrolled in Webloyalty's rewards program. The lawsuit also claims that the two companies violated consumers' privacy rights by disclosing and using their credit card information. Representatives for Webloyalty and Fandango were not immediately available for comment. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: Al Gillis Subject: Re: Court Halts Alleged Web Site Billing Scheme Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:57:04 -0700 Organization: NewsGuy - Unlimited Usenet $19.95 Well, Danny, I've always thought the reasons our TelCos tolerate the slimy people they bill for is that the practice carries "extreme profits". Not being associated with an operating telephone company I can only guess, but why else would they allow all the complaints from customers, and the likely inquiries from state regulatory commissions and occasional newspaper editorials? Usually they are quite sensitive to what their customers think of them, but maybe the post-Ebbers environment has clouded their thinking? Al danny burstein wrote in message news:telecom25.325.11@telecom-digest.org: > In Grant Gross, IDG > writes: > [ snip of yet another phone bill scam operation ] >> Whether the customers agreed or not to be billed after the trial, >> their phone bills were often charged. When consumers called to dispute >> the charges, the operators told them they had "verification >> recordings" of an employee authorizing the charges. > It really is about time the telcos _stopped_ enabling (to use a polite > term) this garbage. > While there might (and that's a very iffy "might") be some equal > access issues preventing the telcos from ending all such third party > billing, they could, and should, _today_, not tomorrow, have the > following clause in any such billing agreement: > " if more than X percent of customers complain > about these charges, all such billing courtesies > will be immediately frozen". > Yet they don't do this, even under pressure and after signing > stipulations with Attorneys General. > Maybe now that one of the more practical AGs (NYS's Spitzer) is likely > to become governor, we'll see some handcuffs brought out. That should > hopefully cut this down. > _____________________________________________________ > Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key > dannyb@panix.com > [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 16:17:39 -0700 From: Jim Stewart Subject: Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing > Michael Perry wrote: >> Self-regulation in food and beverage marketing is being exploited and >> is failing to curb childhood obesity, research by a global obesity > It's easy to blame the media (and now the Internet) for social > problems, but I don't buy it. > I find that hard to believe. I question the influence of solely > advertising on obesity because: 1) all sorts of junk food has been > aggressively advertised on TV and print for 50 years yet this obesity > problem is recent and 2) they took cigarette ads off TV years ago but > smoking remained popular for a long time afterwards 3) they never > advertised hard liquor on TV but it is a growing youth problem and 4) > they don't advertise illegal drugs at all on TV but it's a problem. I suspect there are other factors involved, specifically the wholesale replacement of sugar with high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. There are a couple of studies that implicate corn syrup as being more addictive and more harmful than cane or beet sugar. I know personally that I can drink a glass of sugar-sweetened lemonade and not want another. OTOH, a glass of corn syrup lemonade will just cause me to crave more. Then there's the whole transfat thing too ... ------------------------------ From: Wesrock@aol.com Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 20:00:08 EDT Subject: Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity In a message dated 11 Sep 2006 11:18:38 -0700, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes: > Michael Perry wrote: >> Self-regulation in food and beverage marketing is being exploited and >> is failing to curb childhood obesity, research by a global obesity >> taskforce presented on Tuesday has found. > It's easy to blame the media (and now the Internet) for social > problems, but I don't buy it. > I find that hard to believe. I question the influence of solely > advertising on obesity because: 1) all sorts of junk food has been > aggressively advertised on TV and print for 50 years yet this obesity > problem is recent and 2) they took cigarette ads off TV years ago but > smoking remained popular for a long time afterwards 3) they never > advertised hard liquor on TV but it is a growing youth problem and 4) > they don't advertise illegal drugs at all on TV but it's a problem. I was born in 1928 and so I grew up in the depression years of the 1930s and then the 1940s. Cooking then was commonly done with lard or solid other animal fats. Hamburger places existed, fried their hamburgers and french fries in lard, and the hamburgers were generally bigger and greasier than you get today in most places frequented by children. Why were't we visited with an epidemic of obesity. > They depend far more on restaurant foods which are > much fattier. They give in when the kids whine for junk food to shut > them up because they're too stressed out and tired to fight with the > kids over it. But fast food places sell much tastier food. And, at 78, I still find them much better tasting than all the so-called health foods, low-fat foods, and trendy products. So much so that when something is advertised or shows on the label that it is "xx% fat free" or "contains only XX grams of fat," I will usually turn away from it. Too bad, too, because some good-tasting products actually have not been changed at all, but there is no way to tell it from the labeling. I'm not sure, however, what this has to do with communications, except that it more or less shows that at least some advertising is not as effective as the advertisers would like. Wes Leatherock wesrock@aol.com wleathus@yahoo.com ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Speed Dials Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 20:13:57 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote on the topic of Speed Dials: TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Lisa Hancock: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Plus which, on (at least the older) AE >> rotary dial phones, the dial would return 'faster' when you removed >> your finger. WE dials pulsed and clicked their way back. PAT] > The dial speed is about 10 pulses per second. (A good modem manual > will tell you exactly the "contact make/break" times and the settings > for outside the U.S. as well). > Anyway, I believe panel switching and certainly crossbar and ESS could > and would accept 20 pulses per second. Way back in HS a kid figured > out on his phone dial an adjustment to make it 20 p/s and it worked > (on either #1 xbar or panel). PBX switchboards had 20 p/s dials. > However, I think they realized this higher speed was rough on > equipment and did not provide it to the general public for that > reason. I don't know if SxS could handle it but SxS components had > wear issues and certain improvements was rough on SxS unless it was > carefully spread out among switches within an office. I tried an experiment once with a Hayes modem and tone dialing. I kept setting the 'dialing speed' faster and faster on the modem so that eventually, instead of getting a faster and faster 'beep, beep, bloop' sound as it was 'dialing' or toning out its signal it got to where the modem was 'toning out' its signal in just two or three seconds total. Central office was still able to keep up with that pace on the touchtone speed, but then I set the modem to get it all out in about one or two seconds -- just an audible blur, no way for the naked ear to make anything out of it -- and then about half the time, my call 'could not be completed as dialed'. If I slowed it down just a pinch, so that ten digits still reached the central office in about three or four seconds, it always heard me and made the right connection. I did _not_ think touch tone signals could be interpreted that fast, but on ESS I guess they can be. PAT ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? From: djmcdona@fnord.io.com (Daniel J McDonald) Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 19:23:06 -0500 In article , wrote: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. > As a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think is > best? > a) "Jones & Co." Too short. There is no preamble that the caller can recognize to clue them in that the company name is coming. I often have to ask the person to repeat the company name in this circumstance. > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." B, for most individuals, is the most appropriate. > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how I direct your call?" Appropriate for a receptionist, not for the general worker. > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" Gag me. > While waiting in line at the video store, the clerk had to answer the > phone with D. To me, that was a waste of time, especially when other > customers are waiting. Daniel J McDonald CCIE # 2495, CNX Visit my website: http://www.austinnetworkdesign.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 20:26:32 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. As > a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think is > best? > a) "Jones & Co." > > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." > > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I direct your call?" > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" > While waiting in line at the video store, the clerk had to answer the > phone with D. To me, that was a waste of time, especially when other > customers are waiting. D is somewhat condescending. C is what most companies will require as it gets the customer to get on with the business of the call and not waste time. My wife works in a call center and getting to the point seems to be an issue with many folks these days. ------------------------------ From: Jerry Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 19:56:20 -0700 hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. As > a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think is > best? > a) "Jones & Co." > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I direct your call?" > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" > While waiting in line at the video store, the clerk had to answer the > phone with D. To me, that was a waste of time, especially when other > customers are waiting. a. ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 19:36:30 -0400 wrote in message news:telecom25.327.6@telecom-digest.org: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. As > a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think is > best? > a) "Jones & Co." > > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." Both good. > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I direct your call?" A bit longwinded. > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" > While waiting in line at the video store, the clerk had to answer the > phone with D. To me, that was a waste of time, especially when other > customers are waiting. In fact, it is management-babble, a sort of Orwellian Newspeak that comes out of the mouths of people who draft "mission statements" that consist mainly of superlative adjectives making claims that, on the face of them, are false. Isn't there a computer program somewhere that makes up vacuous mission statements at random on request? ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? From: henry999@eircom.net (Henry) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 07:05:35 +0300 Organization: Saunalahti Customer wrote: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. As > a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think is > best? > a) "Jones & Co." > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I direct your call?" > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" I think that (d) is a crock, as too is (c) -- along with the equally annoying variant 'blah blah blah ... how may I help you?' ** In general, (b) should be fine although it does depend on who you are. Do you have a direct line, with people calling your number specifically to speak to you? Then a name would be appropriate. Otherwise, if you are a 'front desk' or general dog's-body type person, (b) is perfectly adequate. cheers, Henry ** PS: And what _really_ gets my goat after the pseudo-formality of the 'how may I help you?' routine is when they then immediately shift down to their normal overly-familiar approach: "Thank you for calling Jones & Co; this is John Smith speaking. How may I help you?" [I have never dealt with this John Smith before.] 'Good morning, Mr Smith. This is Henry Larsen calling about the order I placed last week'. "Oh, hi Henry! Yeah, lemme just bring it up on my computer here...." Grrrrrrrr. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #328 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Sep 12 17:17:02 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 92F102269; Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:16:14 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #329 Message-Id: <20060912211614.92F102269@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:16:14 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:17:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 329 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Man Accused of Spamming Campaign Web Site Blames Karl Rove (L Neumeister) AT&T to Offer 20 Channels of TV For Web Viewers (Reuters News Wire) AT&T to Stream TV to Online Users (USTelecom dailyLead) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 12, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (ranck@vt.edu) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Scott Dorsey) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (DevilsPGD) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Mr Joseph Singer) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (mc) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Robert Bonomi) Re: Speed Dials (Sam Spade) Re: Speed Dials (Mr Joseph Singer) Re: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage (Mr Joseph Singer) Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing (DLR) Re: Cheapest Verizon Business Line in Massachusetts? (Dan Lanciani) Is Anyone Using Wikimapia Yet? (Neil McLain) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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. 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Siegal urged U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain on Monday to reject arguments that Rove caused the criminal investigation that led to charges against Robert McAllister. Siegal said lawyers for McAllister made the "patently absurd argument that the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District is a shill for Karl Rove and has arrested and indicted their client in some sort of vindictive retaliation." McAllister's lawyer Gerald L. Shargel said Monday he plans to try to call Rove as a witness, if the court allows it. McAllister, of Jupiter, Fla., is accused of conspiracy to commit wire fraud while he was chief executive officer and president of Millennium National Events Inc., an events promotion company. He was arrested in August 2005. The government says McAllister and Millennium tried to inflate the price of the company's stock by "spreading false and misleading information" about the company via unsolicited e-mails, or spam, to potential investors. McAllister could face up to five years in prison if convicted. Shargel said McAllister's efforts to grow his company were "thwarted by the wrongful conduct of stock promoters," one of whom sent e-mails to a presidential Web site, http://georgewbush.com. That Web address currently connects automatically to the Republican National Committee, http://www.gop.com. "Mr. Rove used his power and influence at the White House to seek quick punishment of Millennium, and therefore also Robert McAllister, for daring to spam the president's personal Web site," Shargel said. The Daily News reported Sunday that e-mails, phone records and transcripts of phone conversations indicate Rove contacted McAllister and at least three stock promoters. The newspaper reported that White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Rove "vaguely remembered" the e-mail onslaught but could not recall whether he or any other White House worker contacted the Department of Justice. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:24:51 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: AT&T to Offer 20 Channels of TV For Web Viewers AT&T Inc. said on Tuesday it will launch a new Internet browser-based television service that will allow subscribers to watch 20 channels, including Fox News and the Weather Channel, on their computers. The live TV service, named AT&T Broadband TV, will be available to high-speed Internet users at $19.99 a month, adding to AT&T's line-up of video products to meet growing demand for mobile and over-the-Web entertainment. Although the service does not work overseas, AT&T said one target customer group would be U.S. travelers, who will be able to watch live TV on their laptops as long as their Internet connection speed is at least 500 kilobits per second. The new service faces competition from all corners of the media and technology world, from free Webcasts of prime-time TV shows such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" that are available on ABC's site, to movie download services like CinemaNow and online video services such as YouTube and Google Video. It would also compete against Sling Media Inc., whose $200 consumer electronics device lets viewers watch all of their cable channels on Internet-connected laptops and handheld devices with no monthly fee. AT&T, the biggest U.S. phone company, said it would work with media streaming services provider MobiTV Inc. to offer the service, which will also offer programs from Food Network, History Channel and Bloomberg TV. Phone companies like AT&T and Verizon Communications Inc. have launched Web and video services over the past year to compete with cable companies that have taken away their customers with combined video, voice and Internet services. AT&T recently launched AT&T Homezone, a television service delivered to customers using high-speed Internet connections. The company said it now has 7.8 million subscribers for its DSL (digital subscriber lines) service. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:32:27 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: AT&T to Stream TV to Online Users USTelecom dailyLead September 12, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ersUfDtusXbWuuzxjA TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * AT&T to stream TV to online users BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Telecom Italia to split wireless, fixed-line businesses * AT&T adds softphone to CallVantage * MTVN to ink mobile-content deal with Universal Music * News Corp. buys 51% stake in ringtone seller * Telecoms become hot target for buyout firms USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * New! Ethernet in the First Mile TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * New Microsoft search tool goes Live * Sprint bows video service * Wireless e-mail to get a push * TiVo to debut HD DVR REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Muni Wi-Fi can leave kids unchaperoned DIVERSIONS * Are You Breaking Up? A Cellphone Original Comedy Is Calling * Bonding on Family Trips (Without the Parents) * From Buell, a Bike to Take Harley in New Directions * The New Season: 2 Lears, 1 Singular Sensation * Ellen DeGeneres Is Chosen as Host of Next Year's Oscars Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ersUfDtusXbWuuzxjA ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 12, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 11:40:26 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 12, 2006 ******************************** Uncertainty Trails Telecom Italia's Plan to Split Mobile and Fixed Units http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19821?11228 The future of Italy's leading telecoms group, Telecom Italia, became unclear yesterday as the company's board approved a plan to reinvent the company as a media-focused player and spin off its mobile and fixed-line units. Although the company said it has not given any mandate nor received any offers for a sale of its assets, ... Telus to Convert to Income Trust http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19818?11228 Telus has announced that its board of directors has approved plans to reorganise Telus as an income trust, which will stand to be the largest in Canada. While this is still subject to regulatory approval and a vote by shareholders requiring 66.6% agreement, this move will allow the company to optimise its tax position and pass on more ... DBD Signs Airspan for WiMAX Roll-out http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19815?11228 Germany's leading WiMAX provider, Deutsche Breitband Dienste (DBD), has signed a contract with Airspan Networks for the roll-out of WiMAX technology in Germany. According to the terms of the deal, Airspan will deploy its AS.MAX family of WiMAX products. DBD has placed orders for 400 base stations under the agreement to date. Airspan ... Creative License: Content Aggregators Ease the Pain of Video Launches, Expansions http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19813?11228 A growing number of outsourcers known as content aggregators are approaching telcos, and others, with packages of video content and related services so service providers don't have to negotiate their own time-intensive licensing deals with studios and other programmers in a one-off fashion. Many content aggregators are targeted ... Cingular to Launch Keyboard Nokia Phone http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19812?11228 NEW YORK -- Cingular Wireless plans to sell a new BlackBerry-like device from Nokia Corp. for as low as $150, perhaps the most aggressive entry yet in an increasingly crowded market of devices with typewriter keypads for wireless e-mail and text messaging. The Nokia E62, a version of which went on sale overseas earlier this ... AT&T Launches Live Broadband TV Service http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19810?11228 NEW YORK -- AT&T Inc. is launching an Internet TV service where subscribers can watch live cable channels such as Fox News on any computer with a broadband connection for $20 per month. The AT&T Broadband TV service announced Tuesday features about 20 channels of live and made-for-broadband content. The channel ... FCC Eyes New Uses For 700 MHz 'Guard Bands' http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19804?11228 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering new uses for so-called 'guard bands' in the 700 MHz frequency range that were auctioned off to licensees in 2000 and 2001. The winners of the licenses have deployed only a handful of systems since that time. In a recently released Notice of Proposed Rule ... Wireless Challenge Remains After 9/11 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19801?11228 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says that it has made 'significant advances' in making emergency service radios interoperable on this fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The DHS, however, adds that true interoperability requires a long term, continuing investment and cannot be solved by a one ... XConnect Takes Out Pulver's IPeerX http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19798?11228 The VOIP peering company XConnect Global Networks Ltd. announced Tuesday its acquisition of VOIP pioneer Jeff Pulver's peering company IPeerX. The terms of the deal were not disclosed; the companies are saying only that both cash and stock changed hands. IPeerX was originally the carrier peering portion of the Pulver.com ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: ranck@vt.edu Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:03:43 +0000 (UTC) Organization: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Which do you think is > best? > a) "Jones & Co." > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." Either of the above is good, possibly adding "John Smith speaking" to a) or substituing "John Smith" for the company name in b) > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I direct your call?" If it's a receptionist, then eliminate the person's name and it's still good. A little long winded, but OK. > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" Gack! This is just begging for smartass answers and comments from customers. Some management school hotshot learned that the language used and phrases spoken by employees can affect tone and professionalism of a transaction, but didn't quite get the real idea. Being polite and professional is good, over-reaching into smarmy is bad. Bill Ranck Blacksburg, Va. ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Date: 12 Sep 2006 10:32:09 -0400 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) wrote: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. As > a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think is > best? > a) "Jones & Co." This is fine. > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." This is fine, if it's actually in the morning, but it takes a little longer. > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > nmay I direct your call?" This is fine for someone who is a receptionist or otherwise directing calls. A better variant for other folks is "Jones and Co., John Smith speaking." > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" Managers that make people do this sort of thing should be shot. When I was a kid, we had a man from the telephone company come to speak with us at school, probably around third grade. He explained that the key to using the phone was to keep your call short and get your business done while being polite about it. Anything that extends the call needlessly is a bad idea, especially if it's possibly offensive and condescending to the customer like this is. > While waiting in line at the video store, the clerk had to answer the > phone with D. To me, that was a waste of time, especially when other > customers are waiting. Yes, it's very popular, because it's easy for managers to do this and get a notion that they're making their employees care about customer service. In fact, this sort of thing makes employees LESS apt to care about really taking care of customers. scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:57:16 -0500 Organization: Disorganized In message hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. As > a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think is > best? > a) "Jones & Co." > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I direct your call?" > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" > e) Company name, Dave speaking. The preceding post may have contained unsuitable materials and should not have been read by small children. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:14:26 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com 11 Sep 2006 12:51:38 -0700 wrote: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. > As a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think > is best? > a) "Jones & Co. > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I direct your call?" > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" > In my opinion b) is the most civil substituting morning, afternoon or > evening. A seems too abrupt to me. I agree with you that C and D are a waste of breath and are somewhat annoying. C would be fine if the call is being answered by a switchboard operator who only directs calls. John Smith speaking is totally unncessary. D is *very* annoying. I don't want an advertisement when I call a business. I want them to just help me with whatever my need is. > While waiting in line at the video store, the clerk had to answer the > phone with D. To me, that was a waste of time, especially when other > customers are waiting. I've made it my policy that if I'm waiting in line to be served and the sales clerk thinks it's *more* important to take a telephone interruption than to serve me I'll put down my purchase and walk out of that store. Telephone customers do not have any more clout than customers who are in front of you. ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 10:09:08 -0400 DLR wrote in message news:telecom25.328.9@telecom-digest.org: > hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I direct your call?" >> d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" > D is somewhat condescending. Bingo! You've put your finger on it. It seems to imply a low opinion of the hearer's intelligence: "We think we can bamboozle you with empty exaggeration." > C is what most companies will require as it gets the customer to get on > with the business of the call and not waste time. My wife works in a > call center and getting to the point seems to be an issue with many > folks these days. Interesting. I guess I'm too old or too shy ... What do callers normally do if you just answer "Good morning, Jones & Co."? I normally answer my phone "This is M... C..., how can I help you?" and telemarketers utterly clam up when they hear it, as if I had been casting spells on them in the Unknown Tongue. ------------------------------ From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:42:26 -0000 Organization: Widgets, Inc. In article , wrote: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. As > a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think is > best? > a) "Jones & Co." > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I direct your call?" I tend to answer _that_ one with: "I don't know what kind of switchboard you have, but generally, you dial the appropriate extension, and press RELEASE" > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" > While waiting in line at the video store, the clerk had to answer the > phone with D. To me, that was a waste of time, especially when other > customers are waiting. In truth, i figure *any* of the above are better than an auto-attendant. ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Re: Speed Dials Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:13:02 GMT Organization: Road Runner High Speed Online http://www.rr.com hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Anyway, I believe panel switching and certainly crossbar and ESS could > and would accept 20 pulses per second. Way back in HS a kid figured > out on his phone dial an adjustment to make it 20 p/s and it worked > (on either #1 xbar or panel). PBX switchboards had 20 p/s dials. As I recall, operators had dials that did 20 pps. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 11:51:57 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Speed Dials hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com 11 Sep 2006 07:24:53 -0700 wrote: > The dial speed is about 10 pulses per second. (A good modem manual > will tell you exactly the "contact make/break" times and the settings > for outside the U.S. as well). > Anyway, I believe panel switching and certainly crossbar and ESS could > and would accept 20 pulses per second. Way back in HS a kid figured > out on his phone dial an adjustment to make it 20 p/s and it worked > (on either #1 xbar or panel). PBX switchboards had 20 p/s dials. > However, I think they realized this higher speed was rough on > equipment and did not provide it to the general public for that > reason. Personally, I don't believe it caused any more wear and tear on equipment than what a 10 pps dial would make on the system. Since panel, #1XB and #5XB all used common control and didn't do anything til the requisite amount of digits had been entered in the receiving registers likely could care less how fast the pulses came into the registers. And I don't think it caused any more wear and tear than receiving MF or DTMF. > I don't know if SxS could handle it but SxS components had > wear issues and certain improvements was rough on SxS unless it was > carefully spread out among switches within an office. Wear issues weren't likely the problem with 20 pps dials o n SXS. The problem is that SXS systems cannot keep up with pulses as fast as 20 pps. It might work *sometimes* but for constant reliable service 20 pps dials would not likely have enough reliability to be used. As for "why subscribers were never given 20 pps dial phones as a usual thing" my guess is that WECO never put that into widespread production so it wasn't made available as a standard dial in a standard 302 or 500 (whichever would have been in use at the time.) When Touch-Tone (DTMF) came out in '64 it was a viable option that was going to eventually be implemented throughout the Bell System eventually. Whether this is the reason or not is only my speculation. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:06:08 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com 11 Sep 2006 07:36:36 -0700 wrote: > Of course, in NYC Verizon pay phones are 25c for a brief local period > and also offer coin long distance at 25c a minute. Non Verizon pay > phones are 50c but for a longer initial period. I found a convenient > Verizon 25c payphone on a corner for my needs (avoiding the 50c ones). > (Using my cell phone would be costly with (1) day rate and (2) > roaming). Here in Seattle pay phones have been 50 cents untimed for several years now. Prior to that they were 35 cents for about a month! Prior to that they were 25 cents. The telcos in their infite wisdom decided that the competition from cellphones was a good reason to double the rate for pay phones. As far as using or not using your cellphone, well at least for me my cellphone is for *my* convenience. Why have a cellphone if you don't use it? It's rather likely that even if you did have any overage from what was allowed to you in your monthly plan it would likely be less than forking out coins for a pay phone. I have a $30/month plan for my cellphone and in the four years that I've had the plan I've never gone over my allotment and I use it as my only phone. > In one building a pay phone "closet" actually had a phone book with > it. I haven't seen a phone book near a pay phone in years, it used > to be standard dangling on a light chain or on a pedestal on or the > shelf underneath. Here in Qwest territory in Washington state it's pretty common to have directories (white and yellow) with pay phones. I think it's required at least when the phone is put in that directories be available. There is no free directory assistance from payphones in the Qwest Washington state area. > For some reason, otherwise it's hard to find a pay phone that allows > coin long distance calls. My local train station once allowed that but > discontinued it. If you try dialing 1+ at a pay phone you just get the > fast busy reorder signal. AT&T was the only carrier that would place coin sent paid calls inter-LATA. AT&T stopped handling sent paid inte-LATA calls several years ago from CO controlled pay phones. Intra-LATA calls (at least in Qwest territory) can still be made sent coin paid. On the "Millennium" smart pay phones you can make sent paid inter-LATA calls. AT&T evidently doesn't want to handle inter-LATA calls if operators are involved at all. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 10:29:41 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing Jim Stewart wrote: >>> Self-regulation in food and beverage marketing is being exploited and >>> is failing to curb childhood obesity, research by a global obesity >> It's easy to blame the media (and now the Internet) for social > problems, but I don't buy it. >> I find that hard to believe. I question the influence of solely > advertising on obesity because: 1) all sorts of junk food has been > aggressively advertised on TV and print for 50 years yet this obesity > problem is recent and 2) they took cigarette ads off TV years ago but > smoking remained popular for a long time afterwards 3) they never > advertised hard liquor on TV but it is a growing youth problem and 4) > they don't advertise illegal drugs at all on TV but it's a problem. > I suspect there are other factors involved, specifically the wholesale > replacement of sugar with high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. > There are a couple of studies that implicate corn syrup as being more > addictive and more harmful than cane or beet sugar. I know personally > that I can drink a glass of sugar-sweetened lemonade and not want > another. OTOH, a glass of corn syrup lemonade will just cause me to > crave more. > Then there's the whole transfat thing too ... > Of course it has nothing at all to do with many parents not letting > wanting kids to "just play". They want it structured, planned, and > coordinated. So when at home with free time the only things to do are > TV and video games. Many parents don't want their kids playing around > the neighborhood. After all aren't 1000s of kids being abducted every > hour? Give me a break. We have a baseball field in a city park 3 blocks from my house in a fairly nice suburban area. It's deserted most of the time except for organized team play. When I was young we moved the cow pasture about the same distance away to have a field to use. My kids tell me the neighbors don't want to play outside. :) I never blame the TV or mass media for what my kids do. If there was an influence it was my fault for allowing it. Period. But many folks are no longer willing to sacrifice their way of life to raise their kids properly. I'm guilty to some degree but I did do two things. We dropped cable while the kids were in elementary school. No video games in the house. (And I'm a confirmed video game addict.) David (Father of 2 teens.) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:17:27 EDT From: Dan Lanciani Subject: Re: Cheapest Verizon Business Line in Massachusetts? hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Dan Lanciani wrote: |> I thought this would be easy, but Verizon's site isn't too helpful. > In many cases it is better to talk to the company directly (hopefully > to a knowledgeable employee) rather than depend on their website. I > would call the Verizon business office for Mass to ask them directly. The problem with this approach is that they lie, especially in response to questions of the form, 'what is the least expensive way to do x?'. It isn't necessarily deliberate -- they may be simply repeating the lies that have been told to them -- but they will defend those lies to the last. The only way to win is to be 100% confident of your facts. This in turn requires either careful study of the tariffs or (much easier) reference to an existing billing arrangement. (Yes, I realize that an existing billing arrangement might be grandfathered or might be a special assembly, but for something this simple I was hoping a few data points would make the answer obvious.) Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 15:25:37 -0500 From: Neal McLain Subject: Is Anybody on This List Using Wikimapia Yet? Wikimapia appears to be a cross between Google maps and Wikipedia. It combines satellite images from Google with a database of Wikipedia-like "places" created by volunteers. Although Wikimapia has only existed for a few weeks, it already contains an enormous number of places scattered all over the planet. To see how Wikimapia works, go to http://www.wikimapia.org/ and click on one of the little white boxes. This will take you a satellite image of a city, where you'll see more white boxes. Each of these boxes highlights a "place" that some volunteer has created and described. Click on any white box to read the description. You can navigate around by dragging the image with your mouse, and you can add your own comments to any description by selecting MENU-->EDIT. You can also create a new place by clicking WIKIMAPIA-->ADD NEW PLACE. A white box will appear in the center of your screen; adjust its location, then save it. The new place will appear as an "upcoming" place, which means Wikimapia won't accept it as final until several other volunteers have voted to approve it (you can't vote for your own places). To view upcoming places, select VIEW-->UPCOMING PLACES. For my part, I've been creating places all over the country. A few of my favorites (some of which are still upcoming): -- Brazoria County (Texas) Historical Museum, where I volunteer cataloging old maps. http://tinyurl.com/p86q6 -- The Spiral Jetty, an earthwork sculpture in the Great Salt Lake. http://tinyurl.com/gtpe7 -- A PCS antenna on a lighting structure at an athletic field. You can't see the antenna, but you can see its shadow on the shadow of the tower. http://tinyurl.com/nuth4 -- The former location of the mouth of the San Bernard River. When this sat photo was taken, the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico; however, it's now completely blocked by a sandbar piled up recent windstorms. http://tinyurl.com/ef4lh -- The San Bernard Oak, the largest Live Oak in Texas. It stands in a dense bottomland forest, so in the satellite view it looks just like its surroundings. I located it by GPS coordinates. http://tinyurl.com/n4eux -- The Kansas/Nebraska Point of Beginning, the starting point for every land survey in Kansas, Nebraska, most of Colorado, most of Wyoming, and a small part of South Dakota. http://tinyurl.com/egem5 -- Independence, Kansas, home of our moderator. The main intersection in downtown Independence (Main and 10th streets) falls on a section corner 96 miles east, and 191 miles south, of the aforementioned Kansas/Nebraska POB (and more properly described as the southeast corner of Section 25 T32S R15E). http://tinyurl.com/zj3r4 Neal McLain ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #329 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Sep 13 00:53:50 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 0FE5D2249; Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:53:49 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #330 Message-Id: <20060913045349.0FE5D2249@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:53:49 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:55:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 330 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Morocco Jails Two For Disrupting U.S. Computers (Reuters News Wire) Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole (Paul F. Roberts) School Children Shrug Off Enmities in Cyberspace (Kevin Smith) Why no Name With Caller ID Number? (njem) Dropping LD Carrier, PICC/Ridiculous Taxes Still Abound? (B. Wright) Re: AT&T to Stream TV to Online Users (Rick Merrill) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (mc) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Pete Romfh) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (DLR) Re: Speed Dials (DLR) Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity (DLR) Re: Speed Dials (DLR) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 20:26:09 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Morocco Jails Two For Disrupting U.S. Computers A Moroccan court on Tuesday jailed two men for one and two years for unleashing computer worms that disrupted networks across the United States, court officials and lawyers said. The court in Sale, twin city to the Moroccan capital Rabat, convicted 19-year old science student Farid Essebar and his friend Achraf Bahloul, 22, for their role in creating and spreading the Zotob worm last year. Moroccan authorities said the two men had one accomplice in Turkey who was named earlier by the FBI as Atilla Ekici. Zotob caused computer outages at more than 100 U.S. companies, including major media outlets like CNN and the New York Times. But it did not create widespread havoc like software programs such as SQL Slammer and MyDoom. "The court convicted the two men for conspiracy, theft, using forged credit cards and illegal access to computer systems," a court official said. It sentenced Essebar and Bahloul to two years and one year in prison respectively. The two men' lawyers said they planned to lodge appeals soon. The FBI said close teamwork with Microsoft Corp. and authorities in Morocco and Turkey helped net Essebar and Ekici 12 days after the attack. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 20:28:39 -0500 From: Paul F. Roberts Subject: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole By Paul F. Roberts Security companies were gearing up for war last week, after Microsoft released its August 'Patch Tuesday' security fixes. And for all the hyperbole around one of those patches, MS06-040, it's a wonder we aren't all hunkered down, Terminator style, warming ourselves by the glowing embers of now-useless computers and trying to figure out how to keep the cyborgs at bay. Alas, dire predictions of massive worm outbreaks from security vendors, and a stern warning from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, proved a bit overblown. The security hole in question was rated 'critical' by Microsoft and is in Windows' Server Service, a Windows component that provides support for RPC and allows Windows users to share resources such as disks and printers on a network. That makes it remarkably similar to the hole the Blaster worm took advantage of and may explain the strong warnings for companies to patch the hole, said Vincent Weafer, senior director at Symantec Security Response. "I think when you look at the nature of the vulnerability, it caused people to be concerned. You can do remote connections [to vulnerable computers] and not validate those connections, then get remote access," Weafer said. Some of those fears were confirmed when reports surfaced, just days after the Aug. 8 patch release, that computers infected with malicious IRC 'bot' programs were scanning the Internet for Windows systems that had the MS06-040 vulnerability and then using publicly available code to exploit that hole and add vulnerable systems to bot networks that are used to carry out denial-of-service attacks and distribute spam. The managed security service provider LURHQ analyzed one of those bot programs, irc.mocbot, and found that it was being used to enlist vulnerable computers for spam campaigns, with command and control coming from servers in China, according to Joe Stewart, senior security researcher at LURHQ. Despite the dire warnings, however, reports of infections from mocbot or other malicious code targeting MS06-040 are few and far between, and there's no indication that a Blaster-style worm is in the offing, experts said. Part of the reason is improved security. Companies that have upgraded to Windows XP SP2 or are using a third-party desktop firewall won't be prey to the scanning IRC bots. Windows 2000 systems, which are particularly vulnerable to exploitation through MS06-040, are harder to find in enterprises, Stewart said. The bigger picture is that worms such as Blaster are oh-so 2003. "The big pandemic worm is not out there because nobody's motivated to do it," Weafer said. "Spammers want to be low-key and low-intensity." Copyright 2006 Yahoo! Inc. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 20:34:08 -0500 From: Kevin Smith Subject: School Children Shrug Off Enmities in Cyberspace By Kevin Smith Cyberspace get-togethers between schoolchildren in British-ruled Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic are helping break down decades of mistrust and could provide a model for young people in conflict zones elsewhere. These are the conclusions of research by education experts on both sides of the Irish border, to be published on Wednesday, which shows how virtual links using low-cost communications technology can change entrenched attitudes among young people. The research is based on findings from the "Dissolving Boundaries" project, which has set up broadband computer collaborations between pupils at more than 170 schools in the north and south of religiously and politically divided Ireland. Pupils communicate with each other through computer and video-conferencing to produce projects on topics such as "Norman Castles in Ireland," "The Irish Famine," and "Myths and Legends" and also have the chance to meet face-to-face during the year. "We know that the right kind of contact between young people reduces prejudice," said Roger Austin from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland suffered more than 30 years of sectarian conflict up until a peace pact in 1998. Some 95 percent of pupils in the province attend schools that are predominantly Roman Catholic or Protestant. Experts say the success of the Irish project could pave the way for educators in the Middle East and elsewhere who are struggling to break down barriers between young people. Closer to home, they say, the project could be applied in England to link young British-Asians to white students in some of the country's more segregated areas. The report, "Dissolving Boundaries: Building Communities of Practice," will be unveiled at an international conference on "The role of ICT in Bridge-building" at the University of Ulster. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ From: njem Subject: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? Date: 12 Sep 2006 16:31:12 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com The phones I've had and those of some friends all just show a number for caller ID but not a name. On my home phone these same callers will show with name and number. Is it certain phones, or certain services, or the whole cell/mobile system that drops the name? And why? Caller ID loses most of its value when the name is dropped. Thanks, Tom ------------------------------ From: B. Wright Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:44:05 UTC Organization: XMission Internet http://www.xmission.com Subject: Dropping LD Carrier, PICC/Ridiculous Taxes Still Abound? It's been some time since I have had any type of analog phone service so maybe someone here can help me out. I'm looking at a family member's phone bill right now and AT&T seems to be robbing them of about $11/month for nothing but horrible long distance rates. Most of these are recurring charges for things like: $2.99/mo for the priveledge of them sending you a bill! To give you an idea of the extortionate (in relation to todays market) rates, a call to Hawaii was charged at .41/minute! To cut it short, they almost never use long distance and if they put the approximately $120-132/year they're being charged for nothing towards a calling card it would yield thousands of minutes of long distance calls. I do remember in past though that there were absurd taxes that the LD carrier collected and to my knowledge passed on to the local carrier, like the PICC. Once you dropped long distance completely from the line the local carrier decided it was still entitled to that money and then tacked it onto your phone bill as additional taxes. Is this still the case or will dropping the LD service completely elimate all charges associated with the LD portion of the bill without adding on to the local charges/taxes? If this is one of the locale specific questions, then the area service in question is Utah. Any info appreciated. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:15:10 -0400 From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: AT&T to Stream TV to Online Users USTelecom dailyLead wrote: > USTelecom dailyLead > September 12, 2006 > http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ersUfDtusXbWuuzxjA > TODAY'S HEADLINES > * AT&T to stream TV to online users What are the bandwidth numbers here? If I'm streaming TV and my neighbors start to do the same thing, where do we run out of capacity? Is this only over ATT fiber optics? ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 18:57:42 -0400 mc wrote in message news:telecom25.329.9@telecom-digest.org ... > I normally answer my phone "This is M... C..., how can I help you?" and > telemarketers utterly clam up when they hear it, as if I had been casting > spells on them in the Unknown Tongue. To be precise, here's how it goes: "This is M... C..., how can I help you?" (long pause) "Uh..." (long pause) "Is this M... C...?" "Just what I said. How can I help you?" "Uh... uh..." I presume telemarketers are only trained to talk, not to comprehend speech. ------------------------------ From: Pete Romfh Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 22:06:40 -0500 Organization: Not Organized hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. > As a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you > think is best? > a) "Jones & Co." > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, > how may I direct your call?" > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, > how may I give you the best customer service ever today?" > While waiting in line at the video store, the clerk had to answer > the phone with D. To me, that was a waste of time, especially when > other customers are waiting. [public replies, please] I concur with the group that D is totally smarmy. The one you missed that annoys me the most is answering the phone with a question. "Thanks for calling the help(less) line, this is Fred. May I have your account number ?" If you give them a number they'll respond with the other 10 data fields on their computer screen then finally ask, "How can I help you?". Then there's the "Green, Pink, Yellow" variation. "The phone goes *Green, Green, Green* ... so I *Pink" up the handset and say ... *Yellow* this is Mujibar!! Pete Romfh, Telecom Geek & Amateur Gourmet. http://www.bigoven.com/~promfh promfh (at) hal-pc (dot) org ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:35:50 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? >> D is somewhat condescending. > Bingo! You've put your finger on it. It seems to imply a low > opinion of the hearer's intelligence: "We think we can bamboozle you > with empty exaggeration." >> C is what most companies will require as it gets the customer to get on >> with the business of the call and not waste time. My wife works in a >> call center and getting to the point seems to be an issue with many >> folks these days. > Interesting. I guess I'm too old or too shy ... What do callers > normally do if you just answer "Good morning, Jones & Co."? At the major airline call center where my wife works in baggage claims, they tend to start with a story and if not cut off can take 5 or 10 minutes telling this story which may or may not, usually not, be germane to the reason for the call. >> c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how >> may I direct your call?" To expand on my wife's job and why they start with something like this. She works for a major airline. At peak times there may be 5,000 people answering the phones. Now some are assigned to handle baggage claims (she is), some domestic sales, some international sales, some "premium" customers, some tours, etc... The rub is that at times many of these specialties may be idle. So the call distribution center will route simpler calls to more experiences agents. PLUS and it's a big PLUS folks get aggravated with the auto-attendant and just punch a button until they get a live voice. So theY almost always ask what you want or how you can be helped or whatever to make sure that 1) they can help your or 2) they know how to route your call to someone who can. Some notes about people working in these centers. Many times they will NOT give out their name and if asked will give out a "fake" name they use on a regular basis. They get enough "sex" and other strange calls that they don't want someone tracking them down. No, they cannot do everything. Booking an international reservation requires a lot of knowledge about how to check out the rules and make sure they aren't selling you a ticket that can't be flown or that will get the passenger immediately sent back on the airline's dime. My wife is a baggage claims supervisor and it take about a year of handling baggage claims to get to the point you know enough to deal with all the possible issues. As to being nice to everyone, they try. But after you've been lied to 5 or 10 calls in a row, your tone can get to be a bit jaded. And as much as everyone hates auto-attendant systems, including us, costs would go through the roof if they staffed for full service answering all the time. Calls come in waves. Somewhat predicable but with lots of day to day variation. As a side note there was only two times in the last 20 years that the phones went totally silent. One was the OJ verdict. I forget the other. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:38:43 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Speed Dials TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote on the topic of Speed Dials: TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Lisa Hancock: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Plus which, on (at least the older) AE >> rotary dial phones, the dial would return 'faster' when you removed >> your finger. WE dials pulsed and clicked their way back. PAT] >> The dial speed is about 10 pulses per second. (A good modem manual >> will tell you exactly the "contact make/break" times and the settings >> for outside the U.S. as well). >> Anyway, I believe panel switching and certainly crossbar and ESS could >> and would accept 20 pulses per second. Way back in HS a kid figured >> out on his phone dial an adjustment to make it 20 p/s and it worked >> (on either #1 xbar or panel). PBX switchboards had 20 p/s dials. >> However, I think they realized this higher speed was rough on >> equipment and did not provide it to the general public for that >> reason. I don't know if SxS could handle it but SxS components had >> wear issues and certain improvements was rough on SxS unless it was >> carefully spread out among switches within an office. > I tried an experiment once with a Hayes modem and tone dialing. I kept > setting the 'dialing speed' faster and faster on the modem so that > eventually, instead of getting a faster and faster 'beep, beep, bloop' > sound as it was 'dialing' or toning out its signal it got to where > the modem was 'toning out' its signal in just two or three seconds > total. Central office was still able to keep up with that pace on the > touchtone speed, but then I set the modem to get it all out in about > one or two seconds -- just an audible blur, no way for the naked ear > to make anything out of it -- and then about half the time, my call > 'could not be completed as dialed'. If I slowed it down just a pinch, > so that ten digits still reached the central office in about three or > four seconds, it always heard me and made the right connection. I did > _not_ think touch tone signals could be interpreted that fast, but on > ESS I guess they can be. > PAT The original ESS circuits very likely couldn't keep up. But newer and newer line cards (or whatever they call them) likely at some point switched to DSP (digital signal processing) chips. This gives each line the equivalent of a filter tied to a computer program to analyze the signals coming in and very quickly pick the 2 tones being generated. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:45:37 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity I've quoted all of this before my comments at the end. Michael Perry wrote: > By Michael Perry > Self-regulation in food and beverage marketing is being exploited and > is failing to curb childhood obesity, research by a global obesity > taskforce presented on Tuesday has found. > The International Obesity Taskforce said some Internet sites that > attracted children with advertising games were being used to bypass > stricter advertising standards in traditional media, the 10th > International Congress on Obesity in Sydney heard. > The taskforce found that 85 percent of businesses advertising to > children on television also had interactive Web sites for them. > It said 12.2 million children had visited commercial Web sites > promoting food and beverages over a three-month monitoring period in > 2005. > An analysis of this marketing found that food and beverage advertisers > paid lip service to advertising codes of conduct. It said some Web > sites pressure children to purchase before they played online games. > "Viral marketing downloads and links from 'advergames' to corporate > Web sites were against the spirit of the self-regulation system's > provisions," researchers at Britain's Middlesex University in said. > "While it is relatively easy to control the content of television and > print advertising, controlling the content on online advertising and > 'advergames' ... is a lot more complex." > The taskforce has said an epidemic of obesity, now estimated at 1.5 > billion people worldwide, has led to more type 2 diabetes in obese > children. > "At the moment the need to protect children from commercial > exploitation was being largely overlooked by the food and advertising > industries," said Boyd Swinburn, president of the Australasian Society > for the Study of Obesity. > "We need to recognize that everyone in society has a responsibility to > ensure we provide healthy environments for children," Swinburn told > CITIES AT FAULT > The week-long conference also heard that many children were "victims > of poor urban designs" that discourage outdoor activity. > "Many aspects of the physical environment present barriers to children > from being outside and directly contribute to their declining levels > of physical activity," said Dr Jo Salmon, Senior Research Fellow in > the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University in > the Australian state of Victoria. > "Small changes to urban design such as age-appropriate playground > equipment ... could have a significant impact on overall activity > levels across the day," she told the conference. > Salmon said parental security and safety concerns that kept children > at home were also limiting the physical activities of children and > contributing to obesity. > She said her research found 70 percent of five- to six-year-olds and > 80 percent of 10- to 12-year-olds exceeded the recommended two-hour > daily limit for Internet and television entertainment. > "Children who know their neighbors and have strong social networks > within their neighborhood are much more likely to be active," she said. > (The following is somewhat of a rant. Not yelling at the top of my voice but strident in my firm belief of my points.) This should not be an issue. Turn off the TV, the computer, the video game, and go out and play. And what is this crock at to age appropriate playground. Why "experts" don't like them, studies have found that kids play more when provide with less "play things". When they have to "make it up" they do better. They more structure and "things" provided the less they play. This is totally about parenting or really the lack there of. (End of rant. But I reserve the right to bring it back in my replies to replies to this. :) ) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:17:06 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Speed Dials Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com 11 Sep 2006 07:24:53 -0700 wrote: >> The dial speed is about 10 pulses per second. (A good modem manual >> will tell you exactly the "contact make/break" times and the settings >> for outside the U.S. as well). >> Anyway, I believe panel switching and certainly crossbar and ESS could >> and would accept 20 pulses per second. Way back in HS a kid figured >> out on his phone dial an adjustment to make it 20 p/s and it worked >> (on either #1 xbar or panel). PBX switchboards had 20 p/s dials. >> However, I think they realized this higher speed was rough on >> equipment and did not provide it to the general public for that >> reason. > Personally, I don't believe it caused any more wear and tear on > equipment than what a 10 pps dial would make on the system. Since > panel, #1XB and #5XB all used common control and didn't do anything > til the requisite amount of digits had been entered in the receiving > registers likely could care less how fast the pulses came into the > registers. And I don't think it caused any more wear and tear than > receiving MF or DTMF. > I don't know if SxS could handle it but SxS components had > wear issues and certain improvements was rough on SxS unless it was > carefully spread out among switches within an office. > Wear issues weren't likely the problem with 20 pps dials o n SXS. The > problem is that SXS systems cannot keep up with pulses as fast as 20 > pps. It might work *sometimes* but for constant reliable service 20 > pps dials would not likely have enough reliability to be used. > As for "why subscribers were never given 20 pps dial phones as a usual > thing" my guess is that WECO never put that into widespread production > so it wasn't made available as a standard dial in a standard 302 or > 500 (whichever would have been in use at the time.) When Touch-Tone > (DTMF) came out in '64 it was a viable option that was going to > eventually be implemented throughout the Bell System eventually. > Whether this is the reason or not is only my speculation. Until the 80s, phone gear was designed to last 30 or 40 years. That faster pulsing could have eaten into THAT time frame on the phone set. But I doubt it mattered much on the CO end. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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. 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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #330 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Sep 13 18:32:40 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 9C1012203; Wed, 13 Sep 2006 18:32:40 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #331 Message-Id: <20060913223240.9C1012203@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 18:32:40 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 13 Sep 2006 18:35:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 331 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Call for Papers: IAENG Intl Conference Computer Science-ICCS 2007 (imecs) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 13, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Apple Unveils Device to Link Online Content TV sets (USTelecom dailyLead) ACN (NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Mike Spencer) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Marc Haber) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Mr Joseph Singer) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Mark Atwood) Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? (Chris Farrar) Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? (Mark Crispin) Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? (Bill Michealson) Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? (Art Kamlet) Re: School Children Shrug Off Enmities in Cyberspace (Lisa Hancock) Re: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole (Lisa Hancock) Re: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage (Lisa Hancock) Re: Speed Dials (Lisa Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: imecs___2007@iaeng.org Subject: Call For Papers: IAENG Intl Conference on Computer Science - ICCS 2007 Date: 13 Sep 2006 01:58:46 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com CFP: IAENG International Conference on Computer Science (ICCS 2007) From: International Association of Engineers The 2007 IAENG International Conference on Computer Science 21-23 March, 2007, Hong Kong http://www.iaeng.org/IMECS2007/ICCS2007.html The conference ICCS'07 is held under the International MultiConference of Engineers and Computer Scientists 2007. The IMECS 2007 is organized by the International Association of Engineers (IAENG), and serves as good platforms for the engineering community members to meet with each other and to exchange ideas. The last conference in 2006 has attracted a total of over four hundred participants from over 30 countries. All submitted papers will be under peer review and accepted papers will be published in the conference proceeding (ISBN: 978-988-98671-4-0). The abstracts will be indexed and available at major academic databases. The accepted papers will also be considered for publication in the special issues of the journal Engineering Letters, in IAENG journals and in edited books. Important Dates: Draft Manuscript submission deadline: 12 December, 2006 Camera-Ready papers & Pre-registration due: 2 January, 2007 ICCS 2007: 21-23 March, 2007 Submission: ICCS 2007 is now accepting manuscript submissions. Prospective authors are invited to submit their draft paper in full paper (any appropriate style) to imecs{at}iaeng.org by 12 December, 2006. The submitted file can be in MS Word format, PS format, or PDF formats. The first page of the draft paper should include: (1) Title of the paper; (2) Name, affiliation and e-mail address for each author; (3) A maximum of 5 keywords of the paper. Also, the name of the conference that the paper is being submitted to should be stated in the email. The topics of the ICCS'07 include, but not limited to, the following: Theoretical computer science: Algorithmic information theory Computability theory Cryptography Formal semantics Theory of computation Analysis of algorithms and problem complexity Logics and meanings of programs Mathematical logic and Formal languages Type theory Hardware: Control structures and Microprogramming Arithmetic and Logic structures Memory structures Input/output and Data communications Logic Design Integrated circuits VLSI design Performance and reliability Computer systems organization: Computer architecture Computer networks Distributed computing Performance of systems Computer system implementation Computing methodologies: Symbolic and Algebraic manipulation Artificial intelligence Computer graphics Image processing and computer vision Pattern recognition Speech recognition Simulation and Modeling Document and text processing Digital signal processing Computer applications: Administrative data processing Enterprise resource planning Customer relationship management Human Resource Management Systems Mathematical software Numerical analysis Automated theorem proving Computer algebra systems Physical science and Engineering Computational chemistry Computational physics Life and medical sciences Bioinformatics Computational biology Medical informatics Social and behavioral sciences Computer-aided engineering Robotics Human-computer interaction Speech synthesis Usability engineering Telecommunications Queueing theory ICCS Conference Co-Chairs and Committee Members: Chin-Chen Chang IEEE Fellow, IEE Fellow Chair Professor in Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, Feng Chia University, Taiwan Ching-Shun Chen Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Da-Yeh University, Taiwan Mei-Ching Chen Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, Tatung University, Taiwan Orville Leverne Clubb (co-chair) Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Chun-I Fan Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan G. Ganesan (co-chair) Associate Professor of Mathematics Jayaprakash Narayan College of Engineering, India I-Shyan Hwang Associate professor in the Department of Computer Engineering & Science Yuan-Ze University, Taiwan Jahwan Koo Research Professor at Intelligent HCI Convergence Research Center, School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea Dr. Tadahiko Kumamoto Senior Researcher, Computational Linguistics Group, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan Ko-Chi Kuo Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan Jiann-Shu Lee (co-chair) Associate Professor, Academic Director of the Biomedical Engineering Society Information and Learning Technology National University of Tainan, Taiwan Xueliang Li (co-chair) Deputy Director and Professor Center for Combinatorics, Nankai University, China Cha-Hwa Lin (co-chair) Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering National Sun-Yat Sen University, Taiwan Dr. Elsa M. Macias Lopez (co-chair) Dept. of Telematic Engineering, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria University, Spain Javier Montero Associate Professor at the Department of Statistics and Operational Research I, Faculty of Mathematics, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain S. Ayse OZALP Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Engineering and Architecture Faculty, Uludag University, Turkey Vrijendra Singh Faculty Associate, Department of Computer Science, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, India Lin-Yu Tseng Professor, Department of Computer Science National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan Toyohide Watanabe (co-chair) Professor of Department of Systems and Social Informatics & Director in Information Technology Center, Nagoya University, Japan Jiunn-Lin Wu Assistant Professor, Dept. of Computer Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan Wei Yen Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering Director of Industrial Cooperation Section Tatung University, Taiwan Kun-Ming Yu (co-chair) Associate Professor and Dean, College of Computer Science and Informatics Chung Hua University, Taiwan Editor in Chief, Journal of Information Technology and Applications More details about the IMECS 2007 can be found at: http://www.iaeng.org/IMECS2007/index.html More details about the International Association of Engineers, the journal Engineering Letters and the IAENG International Journal of Computer Science can be found at: http://www.iaeng.org/about_IAENG.html http://www.engineeringletters.com http://www.iaeng.org/IJCS/index.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 13, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 12:08:14 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 13, 2006 ******************************** UPC Slovakia Launches VoIP, Moves into Triple-Play http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19851?11228 Slovakia's leading cable operator, UPC Slovakia, part of the U.S. cable TV giant Liberty Global, has launched internet telephony services (VoIP). The offering complements its existing cable TV and broadband internet services. The VoIP service is currently only available in the capital, Bratislava; other cities and towns in which the ... British Regs Propose Lower Wholesale Mobile-Termination Fees http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19848?11228 British telecoms regulator Ofcom today proposed plans to cut wholesale mobile termination charges, a move that would lead to a drop in the prices that mobile operators charge for connecting calls made from rival networks or landlines. Ofcom wants the new rules-to include both 2G and 3G calls-to apply once existing regulations expire in ... First True Quantum Cryptographic Network Claimed http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19845?11228 Securing network data is one of the top challenges facing telecom researchers. "The volume and type of sensitive information being transmitted over data networks continues to grow at a remarkable pace," says Prem Kumar, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Northwestern University's Robert R .... ABC, NBC, CBS And Now ... AT&T http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19840?11228 For those who still believe watching TV on the smallest of screens is the consummate waste of time and money, keep reading: Ma Bell has just thrown her support behind the medium. Earlier today, San Antonio-based AT&T and Emeryville, Calif.-based MobiTV Inc., told the world they will partner to offer mobile TV to broadband users ... Cingular, Nokia Introduce Wireless E-Mail Device http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19837?11228 Nokia is rolling out the Nokia E62 wireless e-mail device in an effort to make wireless e-mail more of a mass market application. The device will be available exclusively in the U.S. from Cingular Wireless. The E62 supports a host of personal and business e-mail platforms such as Good Mobile Messaging, BlackBerry Connect, Cingular ... Mobility, Version 2.0 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19834?11228 LOS ANGELES -- CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment 2006 -- Midway through a period of increasing IT investment, enterprises are moving from early wireless deployments focused on increasing efficiency and lowering costs to second-phase programs that will transform business processes, according to a panel of CIOs at CTIA Wireless IT and ... Regulator Orders Deutsche Telekom to Open German High-speed Network http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19831?11228 BERLIN -- Regulators on Wednesday gave Deutsche Telekom AG three months to open its new high-speed communications network to rivals. The company must offer a standard contract at a price agreed on with regulators so that competitors can easily access its VDSL network, the Federal Network Agency said. Deutsche Telekom, the ... Covad Unveils Web-Based Phone System http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/110/19827?11228 NEW YORK -- Broadband provider Covad Communications Group Inc. is launching an inexpensive Internet-based phone system for very small companies that is compatible with conventional telephones. The new service targets a market segment with limited options for affordable office communications technology. Covad ClearEdge ... CTIA: We Want Our MobileTV http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19824?11228 LOS ANGELES -- CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment 2006 -- Ask a dozen folks how delivering IPTV over mobile devices is going to work, and you will get a dozen answers. At least that's the impression left behind here, where so-called mobile TV was perhaps top of the list of buzz and bottom of the list of reality. One company ... Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 12:36:37 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Apple Unveils Device to Link Online Content to TV Sets USTelecom dailyLead September 13, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eucYfDtusXbZnoixrB TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Apple unveils device to link online content to TV sets BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * AT&T beefs up applications services portfolio with USi acquisition * RCN, out of bankruptcy, looks for buyer * Broadwing, XO reportedly discussing merger * NBC Universal launches new unit for online video USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * CALEA Compliance: Obligations, Risks & Strategies Tuesday, Sept. 19, 1:0= 0 p.m. ET TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Report: 3G users to top 1B by 2010 * Yahoo! to offer sports stats on TV via deal with Intel REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC: Vacant TV airwaves could be available for use by 2009 * Broadcasters, tech industry at odds over TV treaty * NYC taps Northrop Grumman for wireless emergency network DIVERSIONS * Apple Plans to Inhabit Living Room * On View: Picassos by the Score * After Conquering 'Chicago,' It's On to Motown * Sydney: Blue Sydney * Would You Like Fries With That Monopoly Game? Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eucYfDtusXbZnoixrB ------------------------------ From: NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us Subject: ACN Date: 13 Sep 2006 11:51:26 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Last mention of the company here in Pat's group seems to be Sun, Jun 5 2005. Anyone have current info? A friend is getting involved with them, and it seems like a pyramid scheme to me. They seem to be more interested in getting reps than in selling product. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? From: Mike Spencer Organization: Bridgewater Institute for Advanced Study - Blacksmith Shop Date: 13 Sep 2006 02:09:12 -0300 wrote: > Many companies today answer their phone with a long winded answer. As > a customer, I find it annoying and distracting. Which do you think is > best? > a) "Jones & Co." > b) "Good morning, Jones & Co." Taking into account the aging population, not to mention younger people with hearing loss from loud music, a) is too short. People hard of hearing need a few words to accommodate to the the speaker's voice and a little redundancy to make sure that what they think they heard is what they heard. So b) is much better. > c) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I direct your call?" Meets the criteria for the hard of hearing but a bit silly to thank me for calling til they know what I have to say. And I don't need John's name if he's just going to pass me on to another number. > d) "Thank you for calling Jones & Co, this is John Smith speaking, how > may I give you the best customer service ever today?" Gak. Hang up now. Call somebody else. Mike Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada ------------------------------ From: Marc Haber Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 12:24:34 +0200 Organization: private site, see http://www.zugschlus.de/ for details mc wrote: > To be precise, here's how it goes: > "This is M... C..., how can I help you?" > (long pause) "Uh..." (long pause) "Is this M... C...?" > "Just what I said. How can I help you?" > "Uh... uh..." > I presume telemarketers are only trained to talk, not to comprehend > speech. Chances are that the telemarketer didn't hear your first sentence because the predictive dialer took too long to connect her. Greetings, Marc Marc Haber | " Questions are the | Mailadresse in Header Mannheim, Germany | Beginning of Wisdom " | http://www.zugschlus.de/ Nordisch by Nature | Lt. Worf, TNG "Rightful Heir" | Fon: *49 621 72739834 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 08:07:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:35:50 -0400 DLR wrote: > At the major airline call center where my wife works in baggage > claims, they tend to start with a story and if not cut off can take > 5 or 10 minutes telling this story which may or may not, usually > not, be germane to the reason for the call. This may be fine for an airline call center, but like all nasty habits it's spread to *everything* without need and no real reason to do it other than they think "commercializing" answering calls makes them more "professional." This is about just as desirable as those stupid popups you now see on TV programs telling us what's going to be on in the next hour, the next week or the next year. Infiinitely annoying and hardly helpful at all. > And as much as everyone hates auto-attendant systems, including us, > costs would go through the roof if they staffed for full service > answering all the time. Calls come in waves. Somewhat predicable but > with lots of day to day variation. It's funny that people got along just fine for *years* without auto attendants and being handled by a real person. Auto attendants and IVRs especially when planned badly as some are that force you to go through countless obstacles when you really need to speak to a real person are crazy. The people who design these auto attendants and IVRs should use some common sense. It shouldn't be not obvious that if you want to speak to a real person you should be able to press 0 or just not say anything and time out to a real person. Countless times I've tried to let it time out and instead of being transferred to someone who can help me the designers of the system think it's better to just drop the call. TS for you! If I'm on an IVR and the IVR cannot understand "operator" there's something really wrong in the design of a system. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? From: Mark Atwood Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy! Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 15:20:31 GMT DLR writes: > As a side note there was only two times in the last 20 years that the > phones went totally silent. One was the OJ verdict. I forget the other. The morning of 9/11 I am betting. Mark Atwood When you do things right, people won't be sure me@mark.atwood.name you've done anything at all. http://mark.atwood.name/ http://fallenpegasus.livejournal.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 07:15:22 -0400 From: Chris Farrar Subject: Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? njem wrote to ask: > Subject: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? > Date: 12 Sep 2006 16:31:12 -0700 > The phones I've had and those of some friends all just show a number > for caller ID but not a name. On my home phone these same callers will > show with name and number. Is it certain phones, or certain services, > or the whole cell/mobile system that drops the name? And why? Caller > ID loses most of its value when the name is dropped. Dumb Question: Are they paying for Caller ID with name? Some phone companies have two levels of caller id, one is number only, the other name and number. Rogers cellular makes the name option extra $$$ over just the number. Also, some of the 1st caller id phones aren't capable of displaying name and number Nortel Maestro leaps to mind. Chris ------------------------------ From: Mark Crispin Subject: Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 09:08:46 -0700 Organization: University of Washington On Tue, 12 Sep 2006, njem wrote: > The phones I've had and those of some friends all just show a number > for caller ID but not a name. On my home phone these same callers will > show with name and number. Is it certain phones, or certain services, > or the whole cell/mobile system that drops the name? And why? Caller > ID loses most of its value when the name is dropped. If you are talking about display of caller ID on a cell phone, the cell phone network does not transmit name. If a name is displayed in caller ID on a cell phone, that is because you have the name and number in your cell phone's phonebook. Also, cell phone subscribers often do not have their names in the database for caller ID names that are transmitted to wireline phones. Often the name in the database is the name of the company, or "wireless caller", or the name of the city where the phone is registered. A few companies will register names. -- Mark -- http://panda.com/mrc Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote. ------------------------------ From: Bill Michaelson Subject: Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:16:29 GMT njem wrote: > The phones I've had and those of some friends all just show a number > for caller ID but not a name. On my home phone these same callers will > show with name and number. Is it certain phones, or certain services, > or the whole cell/mobile system that drops the name? And why? Caller > ID loses most of its value when the name is dropped. Essentially the number is passed from the service provider where the call originates. The receiving service provider must look up the name in a directory. Some do, some don't. ------------------------------ From: kamlet@panix.com (Arthur Kamlet) Subject: Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 22:14:19 +0000 (UTC) Organization: Public Access Networks Corp. In article , njem wrote: > The phones I've had and those of some friends all just show a number > for caller ID but not a name. On my home phone these same callers will > show with name and number. Is it certain phones, or certain services, > or the whole cell/mobile system that drops the name? And why? Caller > ID loses most of its value when the name is dropped. Name is a billable option that can be added to caller id. Your phone company offers a) caller id, or for higher cost, b) caller id with name. You get what you pay for. Art Kamlet ArtKamlet @ AOL.com Columbus OH K2PZH ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: School Children Shrug Off Enmities in Cyberspace Date: 13 Sep 2006 07:09:11 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Kevin Smith wrote: > Cyberspace get-togethers between schoolchildren in British-ruled > Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic are helping break down decades > of mistrust and could provide a model for young people in conflict > zones elsewhere. I'm all for such programs, but I am very wary of their success. There are other issues at play in peaceful group interaction. For years various ethnic groups lived side by side in hotspot countries. The strong govt changes and the groups revert to their old viscious violence, such as in former Yugoslavia and Iraq. I know of increased prejudice and trouble when previously separate youth ethnic groups get mixed together, sadly to say. The theory "if we only got to know each other we'd get along" is by no means the saviour. In WW II Americans the Soviet soldiers got along great to win the war but hostilities arose immediately afterwards, thanks to Stalin. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole Date: 13 Sep 2006 07:16:24 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Paul F. Roberts wrote: > Some of those fears were confirmed when reports surfaced, just days > after the Aug. 8 patch release, that computers infected with malicious > IRC 'bot' programs Some questions about today's technology: What is a "bot" program, as opposed to other kinds of computer programs? What allows and causes a foreign unauthorized program to start execution on a computer where it doesn't belong? In other words, who presses the start button on a supposedly personal computer to run sabotage? I don't understand how some external person can gain control of my computer, as if my neighbor could drive my automobile from his kitchen window. > were scanning the Internet for Windows > systems that had the MS06-040 vulnerability What allows a private computer to be scanned by external means (like Spock using his scanners on a planet far below) so that its internal software may be examined and manipulated? > and then using publicly available code Who wrote such code? Lastly, why do such vulnerabilities exist in the first place? I keep reading how the present Windows operating system is old; shouldn't all the necessary fixes be developed by now? How much does it cost for companies to keep applying these patches every week? ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage Date: 13 Sep 2006 07:28:57 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > Here in Seattle pay phones have been 50 cents untimed for several > years now. Prior to that they were 35 cents for about a month! Prior > to that they were 25 cents. The telcos in their infite wisdom decided > that the competition from cellphones was a good reason to double the > rate for pay phones. Around the time the payphone was 35c they were deregulated by the government, meaning a payphone owner could charge whatever he wanted, from 5c to $1 or more. Some of this resulted from competition from privately owned payphones. The cost of communications equipped overall has reduced the cost of telephone service. Pay phones are an exception. Due to vandalism, the phones require more protective steel and that makes them expensive. The cost of labor to retrieve the coin box is expensive. The greatly increased use of 800 numbers and alternate reduced long distance revenues. Payphones were declining already, the widespread use of cellphones only accelerated that trend. > As far as using or not using your cellphone, well at least for me my > cellphone is for *my* convenience. Why have a cellphone if you don't > use it? For emergencies, particularly while driving, e.g. car break down. My $20/month cell phone is free nights and weekends in my local area (which is rather large). However, NYC is outside my local area ("roaming") and I was there during peak times, so the per minute cost would be rather high compared to a pay phone. If I paid $40/month I could get a cellphone with free day and roam calling, but it's not worth the extra $20 for the limited times I would use it. I considered the pay as you go plans but they are much less convenient and not much of a saving. > I think it's required at least when the phone is put in that > directories be available. I can't speak for that state, but not much is required these days for telephone services. > AT&T was the only carrier that would place coin sent paid calls > inter-LATA. AT&T stopped handling sent paid inte-LATA calls several > years ago from CO controlled pay phones. Intra-LATA calls (at least > in Qwest territory) can still be made sent coin paid. On the > "Millennium" smart pay phones you can make sent paid inter-LATA calls. > AT&T evidently doesn't want to handle inter-LATA calls if operators > are involved at all. Well the Verizon pay phones in NYC offered coin long distance. Who is handling the cross LATA long distance calls? Who is asking for and controlling the coin deposit? P.S. I don't know if I mentioned, but the instruction card said $1/minute, 4 minute minimum. But when I dialed a call, it asked for $1.05. I don't know why it wanted the extra nickel. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Speed Dials Date: 13 Sep 2006 09:29:23 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Sam Spade wrote: > As I recall, operators had dials that did 20 pps. I only saw one PBX switchboard with fast dials (at a large hospital), all other cord boards I've seen had plain dials, very rarely a Touch Tone keypad. Pat, do you recall what kind of dials your hospital job had? Central office operators had push button dials which were developed around the late 1940s, though some were from the 1920s (such as manual to panel). The transmission signal protocols from one central office to another varied over time for both local and long distance and by office type. I believe from the Bell System history that the switchgear for the operator would automatically transmit the appropriate protocol from push button dials; this was handled by the trunk circuit. These buttons were arranged in two rows of five. Central office operators in low use boards might have real dials. As an aside, I understand a supplemental automation for cord boards came out in the 1970s to extend their life. [If anyone knows more details would you share it with us?] Cords were still used, but the dial was replaced by a series of modern keys and digital readout and I suspect they had automatic AMA and routing built in. I saw a photo of a huge C.O. cord board of 1970 and it appeared most operators were making mark-sense notations, not doing connections, and they had only a few cord pairs at each position. Basically those operators were more billing clerks than connectors. If the new system could handle AMA by key recording calling and called number and the times it would be a big saving over writing tickets. Filling in those circles is tedious and slow; it's like taking the SATs all day long every day. Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > Personally, I don't believe it caused any more wear and tear on > equipment than what a 10 pps dial would make on the system. Since > panel, #1XB and #5XB all used common control and didn't do anything > til the requisite amount of digits had been entered in the receiving > registers likely could care less how fast the pulses came into the > registers. And I don't think it caused any more wear and tear than > receiving MF or DTMF. That's correct for common control systems. It required only relay operation, not moving parts. > Wear issues weren't likely the problem with 20 pps dials o n SXS. The > problem is that SXS systems cannot keep up with pulses as fast as 20 > pps. It might work *sometimes* but for constant reliable service 20 > pps dials would not likely have enough reliability to be used. I'm pretty sure from the history that SxS could be sped up to accomodate 20 pps but wear was an issue since the moving parts were moving at a higher speed. SxS switches required periodic servicing and adjustment; the failure to do so led to some of the service crises of the 1970s outside of NYC. IBM had the same speed limiting problem with its electric accounting tab machines. They tried speeding up the machines (customers desperately needed higher speed) but wear became a serious problem and maintenance and downtime got too high. The real solution was electronic computers and a completely redesigned printing using a chain intead of typewheels or typebars. IBM's highly successful 1401 computer was actually a mechanical engineering masterpiece because of its revolutionary high speed yet clear 1403 printer. The 1403 continued onto System/360 and S/370 machines for many years. I never could understand why IBM's competitors would market printers with jagged lines and uneven impressions long after the 1403 set a new standard of high speed print quality. > As for "why subscribers were never given 20 pps dial phones as a usual > thing" my guess is that WECO never put that into widespread production > so it wasn't made available as a standard dial in a standard 302 or > 500 (whichever would have been in use at the time.) When Touch-Tone > (DTMF) came out in '64 it was a viable option that was going to > eventually be implemented throughout the Bell System eventually. > Whether this is the reason or not is only my speculation. I don't know the underlying reasons but I guess that Bell didn't want some customers to have a high speed dial when others would not in the same town. Actually a high speed dial would more efficiently use the expensive common control logic of panel and crossbar and ESS without any expense on their end. (Touch Tone required receivers and initially they were expensive). Maybe they were afraid of more dialing errors or wanted system-wide standardization. Maybe the fast pulses didn't transmit well on long loops from the C.O. As mentioned, a friend jimmied his 500 set to become a 20 pps dial, so it appears it wasn't an issue of production. (How he did it I don't know.) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: All the switchboards I worked on always had the fast (20) dials. And in the two instances where the board had touchtone dialing, the operator's headset muted out the tones so the operator did not go crazy from the bleep, bleep, boop tones all day. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications topics. 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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #331 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Sep 13 23:47:20 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 03F4121FA; Wed, 13 Sep 2006 23:47:19 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #332 Message-Id: <20060914034719.03F4121FA@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 23:47:19 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 13 Sep 2006 23:48:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 332 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson NBC to Offer New Shows on Internet (Reuters News Wire) Skype Introduces Video Calling for Macintosh Users; Cross (Monty Solomon) Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? (DevilsPGD) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (DLR) Re: ACN (FreedomFireCom) Just What Is DSL?? (FreedomFireCom) Re: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage (Anthony Bellanga) Re: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole (DLR) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 22:11:58 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: NBC to Offer New Shows on Internet to Help Build Audiences NBC Universal said on Wednesday it will offer episodes of some of its new prime-time shows for free online viewing on personal computers in a bid to build an audience for its fall schedule. NBC will stream the first four episodes of comedies "30 Rock" and "Twenty Good Years," and the first eight episodes of dramas "Kidnapped," "Friday Night Lights," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and "Heroes" on its ad-supported broadband player at NBC.com. Each episode will appear on the site after it airs on NBC and will be available for a week, said Jeff Gaspin, president of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, Digital Content and Cross-Network Strategy. "We are looking to reach as many people as possible and to get as much sampling (of shows) as possible for the new series," Gaspin said on Wednesday. "This is an experiment with us. We are just committing through November sweeps now." NBC.com also will host live blogs with the creators, producers or cast for every show following its premiere on NBC, which is owned by General Electric Co.. A high-resolution, large-format version of NBC's broadband player, called NBC/24, will relaunch on October 1. Gaspin said the primary goal of the broadband player was to attract new viewers. He said the network could decide to offer more episodes through its new broadband distribution venture, NBC Broadband Co. The network set up NBC Broadband, known as nbbc, to distribute and profit from its content on the Internet by providing video clips for free to Web sites, including those of NBC affiliates, in exchange for a cut of advertising sales. The Walt Disney Co. also announced on Wednesday that it will offer episodes of seven of its fall shows on an ad-supported broadband player that it tested over the summer. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 22:37:51 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Skype Introduces Video Calling for Macintosh Users; Cross Skype Introduces Video Calling for Macintosh Users; Cross Platform Support Lets Mac and Windows Users See Each Other with Free Video Calls - Sep 13, 2006 07:00 AM (BusinessWire) LUXEMBOURG, Sep 13, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Skype, the global Internet communications company, has released the beta version of its popular communications software, Skype for Mac 2.0, which gives any Mac user with an Internet connection the ability to make free video calls to anyone else on Skype(TM) regardless of whether they use the Windows or Mac platform. Skype's new cross platform support allows its extensive international community of more than 113 million users to make free video calls to people across the globe using both Windows and Macintosh computers. Mac users can now enjoy one-on-one video calls, viewed within the Skype window or on the full computer screen. Skype video for Mac also includes a small window for users to view how they appear to the person they are calling. Connecting seamlessly across Windows and Mac operating systems, Skype for Mac with video offers users free, high-quality video calling regardless of platform. This means that, for the first time ever, Mac users can connect with and view friends, family and colleagues using Windows without downloading any additional software. - http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=61099938 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 22:42:24 GMT From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? Organization: Disorganized In message Mark Crispin wrote: > On Tue, 12 Sep 2006, njem wrote: >> The phones I've had and those of some friends all just show a number >> for caller ID but not a name. On my home phone these same callers will >> show with name and number. Is it certain phones, or certain services, >> or the whole cell/mobile system that drops the name? And why? Caller >> ID loses most of its value when the name is dropped. > If you are talking about display of caller ID on a cell phone, the cell > phone network does not transmit name. If a name is displayed in caller ID > on a cell phone, that is because you have the name and number in your cell > phone's phonebook. That depends on your cell phone. My Rogers GSM Motorola Razr receives both names and numbers on inbound calls. If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 21:23:55 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Mark Atwood wrote: > DLR writes: >> As a side note there was only two times in the last 20 years that >> the phones went totally silent. One was the OJ verdict. I forget the other. > The morning of 9/11 I am betting. No. Quite busy that day and much more so the next week or so. When you put a few planes full of people down in the wrong city due to weather or such, calls go up. When you put almost every plane down in the "wrong" place, well things got just a wee bit busy for a while for those on the phone lines. Mandatory overtime as I recall. The other time was something similar to the OJ verdict. Something that obviously was the front page of People and US. :) Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:35:50 -0400 DLR wrote: >> At the major airline call center where my wife works in baggage >> claims, they tend to start with a story and if not cut off can take >> 5 or 10 minutes telling this story which may or may not, usually >> not, be germane to the reason for the call. > This may be fine for an airline call center, but like all nasty habits > it's spread to *everything* without need and no real reason to do it > other than they think "commercializing" answering calls makes them > more "professional." Actually no. I've been involved in several small businesses where things got to the point where the 3 line phones on everyone's desk weren't cutting it anymore. As the business grows they get to a point where everyone is interrupted to answer the phone and it usually isn't for them which means interrupting someone else to see if they can take the call or taking a message and passing it on. At that point the business has a choice. Hire a secretary or buy a phone system with an automated attendant. Secretaries cost real money. Every day. Auto attendants cost once. Most folks who don't need a constant greeter at the door go the AA route. The biggest problem is so many businesses do this very badly. Which I think is your real complaint. Now doing this for a doctors office just doesn't make sense. But for many businesses AA are a no brainer. > This is about just as desirable as those stupid popups you now see on > TV programs telling us what's going to be on in the next hour, the > next week or the next year. Infiinitely annoying and hardly helpful > at all. >> And as much as everyone hates auto-attendant systems, including us, >> costs would go through the roof if they staffed for full service >> answering all the time. Calls come in waves. Somewhat predicable but >> with lots of day to day variation. > It's funny that people got along just fine for *years* without auto > attendants and being handled by a real person. Auto attendants and > IVRs especially when planned badly as some are that force you to go > through countless obstacles when you really need to speak to a real > person are crazy. The people who design these auto attendants and > IVRs should use some common sense. It shouldn't be not obvious that > if you want to speak to a real person you should be able to press 0 or > just not say anything and time out to a real person. Countless times > I've tried to let it time out and instead of being transferred to > someone who can help me the designers of the system think it's better > to just drop the call. TS for you! If I'm on an IVR and the IVR > cannot understand "operator" there's something really wrong in the > design of a system. Well in the airline industry the cost of an airline ticket (in adjusted dollars) was much more back then to deal with all the employee costs of fully staffing. And if you had any idea of how messy it was for them to sell and TRACK tickets and seats on flight back then before call centers and computers, well, today no airline would exist that was bigger than 1/20 of their size today. By the early 60s they were in a crisis of being unable to handle any more growth. The main point being AA systems (and other things) allow them to sell you a ticket coast to coast that a middle class family can afford to buy for a vacation. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: One other time that phones 'quit ringing' for a few hours was the Sunday night in July, 1969 when the three astronauts landed on the moon. _Everyone_ was watching Walter Cronkite sit there in stunned silence trying to describe it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: FreedomFireCom Subject: Re: ACN Date: 13 Sep 2006 18:42:24 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com You're correct. Their emphasis is on "recruiting" and most money earned comes from "recruiting bonuses". They're also about $500 to start plus a bunch of other required recurring fees. A better option is a company called Cognigen. They're focus is selling product and they have zero required costs. You sell product they pay you. No pay to play either. You can see more about them here: http://mscprez.ld.net God Bless, Michael Lemm Freedomfire Communications http://DS3-Bandiwdth.com NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us wrote: > Last mention of the company here in Pat's group seems to be > Sun, Jun 5 2005. > Anyone have current info? > A friend is getting involved with them, and it seems like a pyramid > scheme to me. > They seem to be more interested in getting reps than in selling product. ------------------------------ From: FreedomFireCom Subject: Just What Is DSL?? Date: 13 Sep 2006 18:45:15 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Recently posted this to my blog Broadband Nation. Covers most everything on DSL that anyway may want to know ... or need to. You can read the article here: http://broadband-nation.blogspot.com/2006/09/just-what-is-dsl.html God Bless, Michael Lemm FreedomFire Communications http://DS3-Bandwidth.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 17:51:04 -0600 From: Anthony Bellanga Reply-To: no-spam@no-spam.no-spam Subject: Re: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage ******************************************************************** PAT - DO NOT display my email address anywhere in this post! Thanks. ******************************************************************** Lisa Hancock wrote: > Joseph Singer >> AT&T was the only carrier that would place coin sent paid calls >> inter-LATA. AT&T stopped handling sent paid inter-LATA calls >> several years ago from CO controlled pay phones. Intra-LATA calls >> (at least in Qwest territory) can still be made sent coin paid. >> On the "Millennium" smart pay phones you can make sent paid >> inter-LATA calls. AT&T evidently doesn't want to handle inter-LATA >> calls if operators are involved at all. > Well the Verizon pay phones in NYC offered coin long distance. Who > is handling the cross LATA long distance calls? Who is asking for > and controlling the coin deposit? When was the last time you saw 1+ coin service from those Verizon coin phones in New York City? AT&T Long Distance discontinued 1+ sent-paid coin from traditional telco CO controlled payphones during 2002/03. As Joe mentions, in Qwest (legacy US West, an RBOC) territory out west, the Nortel manufactured "Millennium" smart "super" payphones, with card swipes, touch-a-carrier buttons, LCD displays, etc. allow sent-paid coin toll calls outside of the LATA, but these "smart" or "super" payphones are NOT traditional CO controlled payphones. Instead, they have smart-chips inside, similar to private COCOT payphones. Many RBOCs have been retro-fitting traditional "looking" payphones originally made by AT&T's Western Electric, and many independent LECs have been retro-fitting their traditional "looking" Automatic Electric payphones and Northern Telecom traditional Centurian payphones, with internal "smart-chips". Sometimes these phones act completely as a private "COCOT" payphone. Other times, they can act as a "hybrid", where local and telco-handled intra-LATA toll coin service is handled more or less traditionally, by the telco central office controls as well as the telco's Operator switch, usually a Nortel TOPS, sometimes a Lucent OSPS, but then inter-LATA coin toll calls would be handled strictly by the internal "smart" chips. When internal "smart" chips handle the 1+ and maybe even 011+ IDDD coin sent paid service, it really doesn't "matter" who the LD company carrying that call happens to be. It could even be AT&T, but it isn't being handled by AT&T through their Operator OSPS switches in the way they used to prior to 2002/03. It is rather handled as any "standard non-coin" 1+ call would be handled, only that the internal smart chips quote, count, collect, etc. the coin deposits, just like a private COCOT payphone would do. And those VZ payphones in NYCity -- what are you defining as Long Distance? If the call is multi-zone or intra-LATA toll, VZ could still be handling those calls in the "traditional" sense, by the CO as well as by their Operator TOPS switch, for coin-paid calls to Long Island 516 and 631, Westchester 914 and other upriver counties in 845, Byram and Greenwich CT 203 which has been VZ/NYTel for decades, and even "corridor" intra-LATA calls to VZ/NJBell for a handful of nearby Jersey counties across the Hudson River. The latter is similar to your southwestern New Jersey / southeastern Pennsylvania corridor option that VZ Bell Atlantic (NJBell, Bell of PA) has provided when AT&T and the BOCs were separated with the 1984 divestiture. But for inter-LATA toll 1+ coin calls (outside of that limited NY/NJ corridor), AT&T won't handle those types of long distance calls anymore, at least not in the "traditional" 1+ coin way of doing things. If VZ payphones can still be used to place such calls, then it is being handled by some kind of internal COCOT-like "smart" chips, regardless of who the actual LD carrier happens to be. And its also possible that VZ had completely retrofitted their traditional "looking" payphones to be completely operated as if it were a COCOT, with internal "smart" chips, even for local, multi-zone, intra-LATA toll, NY/NJ "corridor" coin calls, as well as inter-LATA and possibly even 011+ international coin calls. Incidentally, I think that a lot of foreign countries around the world have had their payphones operate by internal "mechanical counters" for decades. This would be a predecessor to the COCOT-like internal "smart chips" that have been used in the US with COCOTs since the early and mid-1980s, and even in Canada with Nortel "Millennium" super payphones, and also Canadian COCOTs since the late-1990s. I don't think that most "other" countries ever really had true CO controlled payphones in the way the US and Canada had known them. And even in the US and Canada, telcos in smaller towns and rural areas used to have "post-pay" coin service even in recent years as well! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 22:13:35 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > Paul F. Roberts wrote: >> Some of those fears were confirmed when reports surfaced, just days >> after the Aug. 8 patch release, that computers infected with malicious >> IRC 'bot' programs. > Some questions about today's technology: > What is a "bot" program, as opposed to other kinds of computer > programs? It is a slang term for a program that runs in the background and take "orders" from somewhere else on the Internet. Short for robot. If you have one, someone else controls your computer. Typically they let you think you still have control and just use it to do their dirty work without (they hope) you knowing what's going on. Like someone taking your car each night from 1 am to 4 am to delivery drugs. > What allows and causes a foreign unauthorized program to start > execution on a computer where it doesn't belong? In other words, who > presses the start button on a supposedly personal computer to run > sabotage? I don't understand how some external person can gain > control of my computer, as if my neighbor could drive my automobile > from his kitchen window. Your neighbor CAN get your keyless entry code from his kitchen window with the right radio scanner widgets and then install things at night that might cause your car to do all sorts of things. Three main ways. 1. You are on the Internet without a router or with one but not behind a NAT setup which means you are exposed to the outside world. There are large number of computers probing EVERY address possible on the Internet to see if you respond. In a perfect world your computer would ignore these probes. But due to bugs in the various operating systems it is possible to find a bug that allows data sent in the probe to overwrite part of the OS and when that section of the OS is used the injected code takes over. Typically at this point it a very small program that calls home and downloads a larger program, hides it in your disk, sets things up to run at startup, then idles in the background waiting for "orders". And does all of this in a way such that you don't notice it happening. 2. You visit a web site or read an email that does basically the same as #1 but is based on bugs in your Internet browsing software. The web site (or AD on the web site) or email contains HTML code that exploits a bug and allows code to be inserted into your system. 3. Social engineering is where a pop up or email says click here and you WIN, GET, etc ... a million, prize, etc... and what you are clicking is a program (often disguised as a graphic) which install a BOT on your computer. >> were scanning the Internet for Windows systems that had the >> MS06-040 vulnerability > What allows a private computer to be scanned by external means (like > Spock using his scanners on a planet far below) so that its internal > software may be examined and manipulated? Alluding to the above, if you are connected to the Internet without a router doing NAT you're exposed. This protects you from the equivalent of folks walking down the street ringing doorbells and seeing which doors are not locked and people not home. The lock is being behind NAT and/or having a fully patched system with no known exploits. But the later is hard as the people looking for exploits to do bad do not advertise them when they find them. If you surf you may be exposed. The only way to stop this is to disable java, activex, javascript, etc ... Which in todays web, makes for a very restricted experience. >> and then using publicly available code > Who wrote such code? Kids who were having fun seeing what they could do at first. But now mostly thieves or folks paid by thieves to find such things. To be blunt, they do it because there's money to be made and they don't have a problem stealing for gain. > Lastly, why do such vulnerabilities exist in the first place? I keep > reading how the present Windows operating system is old; shouldn't all > the necessary fixes be developed by now? Modern OS's have 10s of millions of lines of code. People buy features. They don't buy future security problems. All those systems designed with security as the first gaol fell on the junk heap of computing past and continue to do so. Well except for some very special cases where market share and cost doesn't mater. But even the NSA finds it cheaper to build totally isolated rooms, and I mean totally, to run software on insecure systems than try and develop custom things that are secure from the ground up. And they will likely have holes also, just not as many. Maybe. But the basic issue with Windows (and all OS's after a while) is that it has to support old ancient programs plus new stuff and the code base is a mess. You don't really fix code like this. You do you best to apply what can be charitably called a permanent band aid. Been there. Done that. Got the pay stubs. (Not for windows but this is an issue that will not go away.) > How much does it cost for companies to keep applying these patches > every week? LOT. Keeps me employed. Well not totally but is a PITA for me and I mostly admin macs. But have to deal with enough windows systems that it takes way too much time to deal with them. The windows systems that I support are for very specialized systems and the people running them have specific rules about what they can and cannot do. What people do not realize is that an off the shelf Windows or Mac system with MS Office, Email, web surfing, iTunes, etc... is a more complicated system that their car or even the Apollo moon shots. It's very hard to touch one piece in isolation. And folks will argue that if design "right" this could all be avoided. To some degree they are correct. But it will never be perfect, even when folks try hard. Things are just too complicated for our minds or even our management structures to control it all. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #332 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Sep 14 14:42:09 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id D25DA2246; Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:42:08 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #333 Message-Id: <20060914184208.D25DA2246@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:42:08 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:43:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 333 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson A Cell Phone For 86,000 Dollars! (David Thomas, Dealerscope) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 14, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Report: Bell South Plans VDSL2 Upgrade (US Telecom Daily Lead) Re: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole (Gordon Burditt) Re: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole (Lisa Hancock) Re: ACN (NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Henry) Re: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? (Sam Spade) Re: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage (Danny Burstein) Re: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage (Lisa Hancock) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 22:56:32 -0500 From: David Thomas Subject: A Cell Phone For 86,000 Dollars! 5th Avenue Appeal: Nokia Sells $86,000 Phone (As Well as the Basic Clamshell) at new store in NY. Take a quick stroll along Manhattan's most famous shopping blocks this weekend and you'll see: this ain't your Mama's 5th Avenue ... fashion's gone tech. CE Manufacturers are showcasing their most premium products in highly-designed new retail operations in the same block span as Tiffany's, Louis Vuitton, and Bergdorf Goodman. Last May, Apple opened a one-of-a-kind retail slash tourist site right at the Southeast corner of Central Park, across from the Plaza Hotel. Tomorrow, Nokia follows suit, opening it's fifth retail outlet in the world, the Nokia Store at 5th Ave and 57th Street, just a block away from both Apple and the Madison Avenue SonyStyle store. The latest Nokia store (the company's second in the U.S., as a branch in Chicago opened last June) features some new ideas in retail design: glass walls that change colors, a second-floor lounge, and wall-to-wall screens with product information which appears only when a customer touches a product (vastly reducing the amount of signage in the store). Those screens are programmed to run futuristic but inviting images, from puppies and kittens to paper airplanes. "We didn't want this to feel like just a guy's store," says Cliff Crosbie, who's in charge of Nokia's global retail division. "From the wooden floor to the colors on the walls, this should feel warm and also constantly different every time people come in." Crosbie says doing direct retail is a way for Nokia to make the public aware of products that America's cellphone carriers have not picked up en masse. The phone featured right at the front door is Nokia's 8801 (curently offered by T-Mobile), a shiny $649.00 model with what Nokia calls "laser-cut curves." Also offered at the new store, is Nokia's Vertu line, custom handsetsl ranging from $4000 to near $100,000 that are made with nontraditional cellphone materials like diamonds, white gold, and leather. Those top-of-the-line bar phones come with a special "concierge button" on the side, just what a 5th Avenue shopper could use to summon his/her driver at the end of a spree. -David Thomas ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 14, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 11:33:12 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 14, 2006 ******************************** EarthLink to Expand VoIP Footprint http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19877?11228 EarthLink has offered its VoIP solution in Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose since January EarthLink will now expand to cover Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Washington D.C. EarthLink VoIP uses standard telephone connections in the home and last-mile copper cable to connect to ... Vonage IPO Investors Told by Letter to Pay for Shares http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19871?11228 WASHINGTON -- Vonage Holdings Corp. investors who have balked at paying for IPO shares they bought in the company, now worth less than half of the offering price, began receiving letters this week from brokerage firms telling them to write a check or risk legal action. The exact number of letters that were sent to deadbeat ... Telecommunications Body Summons Telecom Italia to Assess Group Reorganization http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19869?11228 ROME -- Italy's telecommunications watchdog said Thursday it has summoned the management of Telecom Italia SpA to discuss a recently approved plan that would separate the company's mobile telephone unit. The nation's largest telephone company approved the reorganization Monday to separate its fixed and mobile units ... Verizon Wireless Enhances Search http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19866?11228 Verizon Wireless' new Get It Now Search application is designed to make it easier for its customers to find downloadable content. The new offering allows customers to type in a search request or speak it, the carrier says. The Get It Now Search service is available to Get It Now customers free of charge, according to Verizon, ... Deutsche Telekom Given 90 Days To Open Its New Net http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19863?11228 German regulators this morning told Deutsche Telekom (DT) it has 90 days to open its spiffy new VDSL network to competitors. DT has been embroiled in a running battle with the European Commission (EC), which pretty much forced the rules on the Germans. At stake is the continued buildout of DT's $3.8 billion network, a project ... Going Pro(-sumer) http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19860?11228 Are consumers in the United States ready to embrace smartphones with rich feature sets including mobile email, video downloads, MP3 players, and digital cameras? That's the big bet of device makers showing their new wares at CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment this week. A raft of new devices, including the E62 from Nokia Corp. ... Tellabs Sneaks in a Cingular Win http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19858?11228 Tellabs Inc. has notched up a contract win with Cingular Wireless LLC that the vendor hopes will presage a wave of business in wireless backhaul. Cingular is buying a combination of Tellabs 5500 digital cross-connects and Tellabs 8800 routers, according to Tellabs officials. The win was not formally announced but did appear in ... The Cellular Modem Market is Finally Taking Off http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19856?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The cellular modem market has taken many years to develop, but by the end of this year it will reach a notable milestone, with annual shipments to exceed 5 million units, reports In-Stat. This market got a boost from embedded cellular modems in laptop computers, a class of modem only introduced toward the end of ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:44:56 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Report: BellSouth Plans VDSL2 Upgrade USTelecom dailyLead September 14, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eurofDtusXcesheXrK TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Report: BellSouth plans VDSL2 upgrade BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Intel, Siemens collaborate on VoIP * Verizon gets more involved with video software * Google's acquisition strategy * News Corp.'s Chernin touts mobile platform * Covad launches low-cost VoIP system for small businesses USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * New! The Irwin Handbook of Telecommunications, 5E TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Carriers band together to draw wireless broadband road map * Opinion: The digital businessperson * Opening up the audiovisual Web REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Maryland county, Verizon agree on TV pact DIVERSIONS * Philanthropy Google's Way: Not the Usual * What to Do When Bumped From a Flight * The Allure of Italy's Lakes * The New Season * 36 Hours: Chattanooga Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eurofDtusXcesheXrK ------------------------------ From: gordonb.y6w4o@burditt.org (Gordon Burditt) Subject: Re: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 04:25:41 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com > What allows and causes a foreign unauthorized program to start > execution on a computer where it doesn't belong? Users who will click on anything in email or on the web. "This program installs a virus. Only an Idiot would deliberately install a virus on his own computer. Install Virus?" A friend of mine set up a piece of a web site that had prompts like that and little graphics of a checking account balance counting down to zero. Most visitors clicked all the way through the multi-stage warning to install the "virus", which never actually installed anything, just called them idiots for trying. Email programs which will run active content in emails in the "preview pane" without a user being present. Operating systems subject to remote code execution vulnerabilities caused by, often, buffer overflow problems. > In other words, who presses the start button on a supposedly > personal computer to run sabotage? Often, ignorant users, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Windows, not necessarily in that order. Don't take this to mean that non-Microsoft systems are invulnerable: they aren't. I consider the fact that you can double-click on an attachment in an email and cause it to execute to be as serious a problem as having a self-destruct pedal between the gas and the brake of a car, even if it's labelled "Press here to explode entire car". > I don't understand how some external person can gain control of my > computer, as if my neighbor could drive my automobile from his > kitchen window. If he installs a teenager with his head glued to a cell phone (who will obey instructions from him) in your car, he *CAN* do that. It gets even worse when he can persuade YOUR kid or wife to do it for him with YOUR cell phone minutes. The same applies to higher-tech remote controls. There's a lot of remote-access stuff that is on by default and makes life harder if you turn it off (see ports 137, 138, and 139). >> were scanning the Internet for Windows systems that had the >> MS06-040 vulnerability >> What allows a private computer to be scanned by external means (like >> Spock using his scanners on a planet far below) so that its internal >> software may be examined and manipulated? If the vulnerability is in the network stack or in servers listening on network ports, it's possible to probe corner cases by either attempting the exploit or looking at a side effect of a fix (say, it changes the way TCP sequence numbers are generated). The probing is done by treating the software as a "black box" but suspecting its contents, for example, looking at the response to a particular type of malformed packet. Some scanners can operate as simply as connecting to port 25 of some server, look at the banner line that comes back, and checking the version of Sendmail against the known-vulnerable-version list. >> and then using publicly available code > Who wrote such code? I wish they were residing in Club Fed. > Lastly, why do such vulnerabilities exist in the first place? I keep > reading how the present Windows operating system is old; shouldn't all > the necessary fixes be developed by now? Software is complex and anticipating everything that can be thrown at it is hard. For example, suppose that at your house you have a phone and an eight-year-old child who sometimes answers it when others are busy. Are you *ABSOLUTELY SURE* that nothing a stranger says to the kid over the phone could cause your house to burn down? > How much does it cost for companies to keep applying these patches > every week? Microsoft's Patch Tuesday is the second Tuesday of every month. Some people don't like the Microsoft prioritization of patches: a DRM patch that closed a hole allowing stripping protection came out in 3 days. Patches for the hole OPENED by MS06-042 and the silent data corruption caused under certain conditions by MS06-049 didn't get anywhere near that fast a fix. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole Date: 14 Sep 2006 08:54:57 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com DLR wrote: >> What is a "bot" program, as opposed to other kinds of computer >> programs? > It is a slang term for a program that runs in the background and take > "orders" from somewhere else on the Internet. Short for robot. If you > have one, someone else controls your computer. Typically they let you > think you still have control and just use it to do their dirty work > without (they hope) you knowing what's going on. Like someone taking > your car each night from 1 am to 4 am to delivery drugs. Thanks for your explanation. It mades things clearer. I hope you won't mind a few more questions. What is the "background" on your computer? (In S/360-DOS days, we had a background and foreground partitions.) Why can't we, as the owner of the PC, control what is and what is not run in the "background"? I suspect the answer to my question is that PCs today are highly automated which allows for much of this junk to happen in the first place. In its simplest state, a computer would require someone to physically load and then execute each and every program desired. Modern machines are automatic. That is, if you're browsing a website that sends you a .PDF file, your browser program automatically brings up the Adobe program to read it. I presume there's lot of other stuff we lay people don't even know about going on, and the hackers take advantage of that underworld. I heard that M/S's new "Vista" will be _less_ automatic as a safety measure. I sure hope so. >> What allows and causes a foreign unauthorized program to start >> execution on a computer where it doesn't belong? > Three main ways. > 1. You are on the Internet without a router or with one but not behind > a NAT setup which means you are exposed to the outside world. Could you explain what "NAT" is and does? > There are large number of computers probing EVERY address possible > on the Internet to see if you respond. Why is this allowed to even happen? This is one of my big complaints about the Intenet as it's presently set up: It's designed to be so "open" that anyone can do anything. The computer dreamers and idealists want it this way. This was fine in a narrow world of the very early days, but not fine in an anonymous world of today. (Other explanations would be appreciated). > In a perfect world your computer would ignore these probes. But due > to bugs in the various operating systems it is possible to find a > bug that allows data sent in the probe to overwrite part of the OS > and when that section of the OS is used the injected code takes > over. I don't understand why bugs would allow this to happen. To "answer the door" means (1) the computer program has to know when the doorbell is rung and (2) then execute a routine to answer the doorbell, and (3) respond to the doorbell request. In other words, there is software intentionally written and included to respond to outside probes. Since probes are dangerous, why do we allow this? Why don't we disable the entire "door bell" process? Again, I suspect the answer is this process makes for easy automation, but maybe you or others could explain it better. > sets things up to run at startup, I know computers have a start up routine, I have changed mine for DOS purposes. But why should the start up routines be allowed to be modified automatically? Is it that hard to require the human to modify the routine himself (or authorize said modification)? > And does all of this in a way such that you don't notice it > happening. Maybe we need operating systems that make it impossible for the human not to notice things are happening? Or would that create a flurry of warning messages? (I must admit I turned off my browser's warnings about confidential start and confidential stop of data. This comes up when I log on or enter an order on-line.) > 2. You visit a web site or read an email that does basically the same > as #1 but is based on bugs in your Internet browsing software. The web > site (or AD on the web site) or email contains HTML code that exploits > a bug and allows code to be inserted into your system. That really bugs me. As far as I know, Internet browsing software should be READ ONLY with restrictions. It should be extremely limited in what it allows an external site to do on my machine. I dislike the idea of any site's -- even a 'trusted one' -- running their programs on my machine. How do I know their programs are not buggy even from a "trusted" site? > 3. Social engineering is where a pop up or email says click here and > you WIN, GET, etc ... a million, prize, etc... and what you are > clicking is a program (often disguised as a graphic) which install a > BOT on your computer. Why do browser writers create this kind of capability? > If you surf you may be exposed. The only way to stop this is to > disable java, activex, javascript, etc ... Which in todays web, makes > for a very restricted experience. This is very frustrating. When I got my new machine at work I disabled all that stuff. Then I found I couldn't browse anywhere since everyone required it. Why, I don't know, it seemed sites were plenty able to present information in an attractive way before those fancy features. Further, my employer has me use sites that require fancy stuff. At least my browser warned me clearly when I turned that on of the risks. >> Lastly, why do such vulnerabilities exist in the first place? I keep >> reading how the present Windows operating system is old; shouldn't all >> the necessary fixes be developed by now? > Modern OS's have 10s of millions of lines of code. People buy > features. They don't buy future security problems. All those systems > designed with security as the first goal fell on the junk heap of > computing past and continue to do so. Well except for some very > special cases where market share and cost doesn't mater. But even the > NSA finds it cheaper to build totally isolated rooms, and I mean > totally, to run software on insecure systems than try and develop > custom things that are secure from the ground up. And they will likely > have holes also, just not as many. Maybe. I'm still confused, but I think it's as you said -- people want features. Computers do not _have_ to allow external entities to have control at all. The developers have chosen to include this for "service and features" and failed to put in proper controls at the start, IMHO. A PC on a network, for instance, should not accept any networked instructions or upgrades without a security key. What's to stop some well-intentioned but incompetent user from issuing his own upgrades over the network and screwing everyone up? I'll note in contrast that in IBM's System/360, critical functions by the operating system had to be done in 'supervisor state' which was strictly controlled by hardware. You could submit and execute an application program that does damage but you can't touch the operating system. Application programs are subject to various checks and restrictions, including hardware blocks that was included in System/360 from day one. But the result is that the systems maintenance effort of a S/360 is far more considerable than that required for a PC. Presumably few owners would want to bother doing all the work necessary. > What people do not realize is that an off the shelf Windows or Mac > system with MS Office, Email, web surfing, iTunes, etc... is a more > complicated system that their car or even the Apollo moon shots. It's > very hard to touch one piece in isolation. And folks will argue that > if design "right" this could all be avoided. To some degree they are > correct. But it will never be perfect, even when folks try > hard. Things are just too complicated for our minds or even our > management structures to control it all. I agree that it's complex. But I disagree it's insurmountable. I am far from an expert. But IMHO too much sophistication was rushed into the marketplace too fast without adequate protection built in. IMHO the "young turks" didn't know their history and should've. IBM's first real operating system for S/360, known as "OS" turned out to be a disaster. It was extremely slow and a resource hog and totally unsuited for low end machines as intended. They couldn't release it as is. They developed some alternatives (DOS, BOS, BSP, TOS), so people could at least use the new hardware and delayed everything for about a year, almost secretly putting IBM into bankruptcy (lots of costs, no revenues). The point is that they chose to wait. They probably should've waited even longer than they did, I think it took a while for the early production OS to be decent. Modern developers should've learned from that experience: "The birth of a baby takes nine months no matter how many women are involved" and "adding people to a late project only makes it later", said the mgr of OS. In the very early days of computers the users were all programmers presumably with good intentions and skills. But by the 1960s it was clear the user community would be large with a variety of skill levels. Computer designers put in safety checks so program bugs (intentional or accidental) would only hurt the responsible user, not everyone else. Things like file restrictions, time limits, resource limits, kept control on things. Some controls were done by the human operators who simply wouldn't allow certain jobs to run. By the 1980s these controls were sophisticated and automated. A corporate programmer couldn't go into the payroll system and give himself a raise. What I don't understand is why the PC world, especially when used in networking and Internet service, failed to adopt the same controls the mainframe world did. Thanks again for your explanations! [public replies please] ------------------------------ From: NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us Subject: Re: ACN Date: 14 Sep 2006 09:38:43 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com FreedomFireCom wrote: > You're correct. Their emphasis is on "recruiting" and most money > earned comes from "recruiting bonuses". They're also about $500 to > start plus a bunch of other required recurring fees. I had read elswhere about the $500.00 to join, but friend says it would cost him nothing to join. I did see on Ebay someone selling a bunch of ACN promo DVDs that are given to potential recruits. Friend brought one over. No mention of product pricing, only recruitment. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? From: henry999@eircom.net (Henry) Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 07:28:31 +0300 Organization: Saunalahti Customer > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: One other time that phones 'quit > ringing' for a few hours was the Sunday night in July, 1969 > when the three astronauts landed on the moon. If I recall correctly, only two astronauts landed on the moon. The third one had to remain aboard the spaceship that was orbiting the moon while his two comrades went down to the surface. Cheers, Henry [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You are probably correct. And of course there is now the theory which has been making the rounds for a while which claims the entire thing took place either at 'area 51' or some other back lot in Hollywood; that no one got even close to the Moon. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Sam Spade Subject: Why no Name With Caller ID Number? Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 16:49:22 GMT Organization: Road Runner High Speed Online http://www.rr.com njem wrote: > The phones I've had and those of some friends all just show a number > for caller ID but not a name. On my home phone these same callers will > show with name and number. Is it certain phones, or certain services, > or the whole cell/mobile system that drops the name? And why? Caller > ID loses most of its value when the name is dropped. The FCC 1995 decision that mandated Caller ID required that only the number be sent. The name service is an industry enhancement that is strictly optional. There have been unending squabbles within the greedy little minions that run the telcos who should pay for what to have name delivery. Don't ever expect universal delivery of names. ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Re: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 03:53:15 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In Anthony Bellanga writes: > Many RBOCs have been retro-fitting traditional "looking" payphones > originally made by AT&T's Western Electric, and many independent LECs > have been retro-fitting their traditional "looking" Automatic Electric > payphones and Northern Telecom traditional Centurian payphones, with > internal "smart-chips". Part of the extended divestiture broohahahahaha was that the local telcos had to provide the same "equal access" for coin operated payphones to customer-owned equipment as they did to their own house brands. This was way, way, too messy on many levels. At least in NY, and I suspect just about everywhere else, the local telco simply ended that type of access years ago and replaced their own phones (the internal guts, so to speak) with COCOT type "smart" circuitry. _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com Subject: Re: NYC Pennsylvania Station Pay Phone Usage Date: 14 Sep 2006 10:59:27 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Anthony Bellanga wrote: > When was the last time you saw 1+ coin service from those Verizon coin > phones in New York City? Last week. They offered both national and within NY State. Admittedly, while the phones were Verizon, I didn't look at who the LD carrier was. Until about one year ago SEPTA pay phones also offered the same national service, 25c a min/ 4 min minium. > And those VZ payphones in NYCity -- what are you defining as Long > Distance? National service. VZ also had phones in the train stations painted yellow offering 25c/min for within NY State only. I presume NY State has multiple LATAs in it. > But for inter-LATA toll 1+ coin calls (outside of that limited NY/NJ > corridor), AT&T won't handle those types of long distance calls > anymore, at least not in the "traditional" 1+ coin way of doing > things. I don't know who handles this calls. > If VZ payphones can still be used to place such calls, then > it is being handled by some kind of internal COCOT-like "smart" chips, > regardless of who the actual LD carrier happens to be. Your suggestion is entirely possible, but actually involves more expense and hardware than in the past. Pay phones have been able to handle long distance for many years. Automated 1+ calling (to count the coins) has been available for a long time. You act as if this 1+ coin calling is something "new". I hope to go up again and I'll see if I can find out who the carrier is. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #333 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Sep 14 23:02:27 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id B385821F3; Thu, 14 Sep 2006 23:02:26 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #334 Message-Id: <20060915030226.B385821F3@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 23:02:26 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 14 Sep 2006 23:05:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 334 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Hacker Indicates Rise of Online Morocco (John Thorne AP) Yahoo Mail Gets Makeover (Associated Press News Wire) Re: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole (DLR) Software and a Perfect Society (DLR) Re: NYC Pay Phones (Anthony Bellanga) Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity (annie) Re: ACN (Steven Lichter) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:07:00 -0500 From: John Thorne Subject: Hacker Indicates Rise of Online Morocco By JOHN THORNE, Associated Press Writer Morocco's most internationally famous criminal of late is not a terrorist or serial killer, but a teenager with a knack for computers. The conviction this week of a Moroccan science student for unleashing the Zotob worm that ravaged U.S. computer networks last year could even be cast as proof that this agriculture-dependent, unemployment-plagued nation is making its mark on the digital world. In August 2005, Zotob crashed computers across the United States, including those of The Associated Press, The New York Times and other media organizations; companies such as heavy-equipment maker Caterpillar Inc.; and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau. Farid Essebar, then 18, was arrested soon afterward along with accomplices in Morocco and Turkey in a sweep by U.S., Moroccan and Turkish police. On Tuesday a court in Sale, near the capital, Rabat, sentenced him to two years in prison and gave his friend Achraf Bahloul one year. While few Moroccans are willing to defend Essebar's flagrantly criminal hacking feat, many see it as evidence that their country is making the leap to computer literacy. "There's a bit of pride that a local kid was good enough and had the tools" to create Zotob, said Karl Stanzick, managing director of MTDS, a Rabat-based high-speed Internet provider. Moroccans' Internet use has exploded in the last two years, since national telecommunications company Maroc Telecom went private and opened telephone networks for DSL high-speed Internet. Now there are an estimated 300,000 DSL connections in Morocco, Stanzick said. Three years ago, a sluggish dial-up connection cost $500 a month, Stanzick said, while today a broadband link roughly 30 times faster costs just $50. High-speed Internet has yet to reach much of Morocco's countryside, where even telephones are still scarce. Morocco has just 2.35 computers for every 100 inhabitants compared to 76 in the United States, according to the International Telecommunications Union. But in urban centers like Rabat, the Internet is fast becoming a lifestyle. Cybercafes dot the city, from stylish air-conditioned joints offering food and drinks to cramped dens tucked into the old medina, where even the poorest can, for a few cents, bathe for hours in the eerie blue glow of the screen. Schools offering courses in programming and computer use have sprouted. "When I first opened in 1998, 90 percent of my customers were government workers who didn't even have the Internet in their offices," recounted Khalid Limane, the owner of Globalnet, a cybercafe in the upscale neighborhood of Agdal. Now, his customers are mostly students from nearby schools dropping in to check e-mail or use Globalnet's printer, scanner or fax machine. "But even most of them have Internet at home, too," he added. Behind him, teenagers and 20-somethings surfed on computers in handsome wooden booths. A few others sipped cafe au lait and fruit juice at tables in Globalnet's tiled yard. One of them, 25-year-old telemarketing manager Mohamed Ben Moumen, comes to hang out every day. The cheap, fast Internet connection installed in his nearby office makes his job possible, he said. "It's a means of keeping in touch with clients in France and with the call centers here," explained Ben Moumen, whose company sells French life insurance to French customers, one of a growing number of Moroccan call centers French companies are turning to for marketing. But with access to cyberspace comes the inevitable cybercrime, said Ron O'Brien, a security analyst with antivirus manufacturer Sophos who helped combat the Zotob worm. Since cybercrime can be lucrative, it is especially tempting in poor countries like Morocco, where online thieves targeting rich Westerners are often protected from prosecution by national borders and underdeveloped -- or nonexistent -- cybercrime laws. The international police work that quickly bagged the Zotob hackers was unusual. Zotob infected computers so they could be accessed remotely by an unauthorized user. Hackers sometimes use such techniques to steal credit card numbers or passwords. "If you have the will and the means to gain access to a computer," O'Brien said, "you can obtain hacking kits on the Internet that will tell you how to create a virus." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:09:33 -0500 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Yahoo Mail Gets Makeover Yahoo mail is getting a face-lift. The Web portal company says it's made available a new beta version of its online e-mail service Yahoo Mail. Yahoo says the new iteration of its free e-mail service boasts more desktop application-like features, such as drag-and-drop organization. It also offers an integrated calendar and maps, message preview, an integrated RSS reader and new search capabilities, among other features. The beta version works on Internet Explorer browsers on Windows computers, and on Firefox browsers on both Windows and Mac computers. When users sign in or create a new account, they will have the option to try the new interface, and switch between old and new. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:43:49 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Re: Spammers Jump on Latest MS Hole hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > DLR wrote: >>> What is a "bot" program, as opposed to other kinds of computer >>> programs? >> It is a slang term for a program that runs in the background and take >> "orders" from somewhere else on the Internet. Short for robot. If you >> have one, someone else controls your computer. Typically they let you >> think you still have control and just use it to do their dirty work >> without (they hope) you knowing what's going on. Like someone taking >> your car each night from 1 am to 4 am to delivery drugs. > Thanks for your explanation. It mades things clearer. I hope you > won't mind a few more questions. > What is the "background" on your computer? (In S/360-DOS days, we had > a background and foreground partitions.) Why can't we, as the owner > of the PC, control what is and what is not run in the "background"? In the days you refer to everything but the console control program was background. If you root around in some of the deeper recesses of your Start / All Programs menu on Windows you'll find a program that will show you (if you ask) everything going on at one time. There are literallly at least a dozen or so at a minimum just to make things work, allow you to print, surf, etc ... What the "really good" bots do is insert themselves into one of the "standard" background processes so it's not obvious that they are there. And there are other ways of hiding. > I suspect the answer to my question is that PCs today are highly > automated which allows for much of this junk to happen in the first > place. In its simplest state, a computer would require someone to > physically load and then execute each and every program desired. > Modern machines are automatic. That is, if you're browsing a website > that sends you a .PDF file, your browser program automatically brings > up the Adobe program to read it. I presume there's lot of other stuff > we lay people don't even know about going on, and the hackers take > advantage of that underworld. A LOT of other stuff. If you're reading email, the email program doesn't really print. It asks another process to do that. If you send email, it hands off the message to an email sending process which hands it off to a TCP/IP process which hands it off in bits to a driver which ... > I heard that M/S's new "Vista" will be _less_ automatic as a safety > measure. I sure hope so. Yes and no. The core problem with various versions of Windows is that they made a decision 20 years ago to make it easy for a program to access data from across the network and display it on your computer using code from another computer. This is a security flaw that they've been plugging ever since. But to turn it off would break vast amounts of things that consumers use day to day. They're stuck in a hole they dug and now aren't even allowed to fill. >>> What allows and causes a foreign unauthorized program to start >>> execution on a computer where it doesn't belong? >> Three main ways. >> 1. You are on the Internet without a router or with one but not behind >> a NAT setup which means you are exposed to the outside world. > Could you explain what "NAT" is and does? In REAL SIMPLE terms it creates a private network on your side of the router. And if you turn off DMZ (don't ask, just do it) then unsolicited traffic from outside your private network are toss aside. >> There are large number of computers probing EVERY address possible >> on the Internet to see if you respond. > Why is this allowed to even happen? This is one of my big complaints > about the Intenet as it's presently set up: It's designed to be so > "open" that anyone can do anything. The computer dreamers and > idealists want it this way. This was fine in a narrow world of the > very early days, but not fine in an anonymous world of today. (Other > explanations would be appreciated). While I'm typing this I'm also working on two office networks across town. I need to get in via unsolicited traffic. When you surf to a web site, you're sending them unsolicited traffic. You're asking them to send you back a web page. They didn't call you first to ask if it was ok. What I call a probe is when another computer sends you an unsolicited request, say a request for a web page. Depending on the response from your computer if may decide you have a system running with a software bug that can be exploited and it will then try to exploit that code. Stopping all of this would be like asking the phone company to beep out all curse words. It's like looking for needles in needle stacks. What has been done and is being done more and more is to stop allowing residential systems to offer up what are traditionally called server services and block those. But that leads to other problems. Think of the phone company not allowing residential lines to conduct commerce. Well what about yard sales or selling your car? >> In a perfect world your computer would ignore these probes. But due >> to bugs in the various operating systems it is possible to find a >> bug that allows data sent in the probe to overwrite part of the OS >> and when that section of the OS is used the injected code takes >> over. > I don't understand why bugs would allow this to happen. To "answer > the door" means (1) the computer program has to know when the doorbell > is rung and (2) then execute a routine to answer the doorbell, and (3) > respond to the doorbell request. In other words, there is software > intentionally written and included to respond to outside probes. > Since probes are dangerous, why do we allow this? Why don't we > disable the entire "door bell" process? > Again, I suspect the answer is this process makes for easy > automation, but maybe you or others could explain it better. I go to your house. I ring your door bell. I wait a few minutes. If someone answers I ask for Mr. KLLDJSF and apologize for bothering you. If I get no answer and dogs don't start barking I try the door knob. If it's unlocked I wander around to the service utilities and unplug your phone line. Maybe your power. I then walk in the front door and pick up a few things then leave. If I want I replace your computer router with one of mine which has some interesting things hidden in it. Or maybe put a wireless tap on your phone line so I can listen or sell overseas calls on your line at 3 am. The key point of all of this is that each and every house I "hack" takes time and money. To break into 1 computer and install a bot takes time and money. To try for 1,000,000 takes only a trivial bit more time and money. >> sets things up to run at startup, > I know computers have a start up routine, I have changed mine for DOS > purposes. But why should the start up routines be allowed to be > modified automatically? Is it that hard to require the human to > modify the routine himself (or authorize said modification)? It's very hard to design a perfect system. Especially one that does what you want and not what you don't want. DWIM buttons are very very very hard to implement. And a lot of this comes from the early days of computing. In theory you can design a ring of protections. But early PCs didn't do this as it kills performance and memory requirements and so gets left out of early designs. And PCs which require a full time operator like a S360 don't sell very well. >> And does all of this in a way such that you don't notice it >> happening. > Maybe we need operating systems that make it impossible for the human > not to notice things are happening? Or would that create a flurry of > warning messages? (I must admit I turned off my browser's warnings > about confidential start and confidential stop of data. This comes up > when I log on or enter an order on-line.) Bingo. People don't want to be bothered. TNSTAAFL They had to scale back on the warning in Vista due to complaints. >> 2. You visit a web site or read an email that does basically the same >> as #1 but is based on bugs in your Internet browsing software. The web >> site (or AD on the web site) or email contains HTML code that exploits >> a bug and allows code to be inserted into your system. > That really bugs me. As far as I know, Internet browsing software > should be READ ONLY with restrictions. It should be extremely limited > in what it allows an external site to do on my machine. I dislike the > idea of any site's -- even a 'trusted one' -- running their programs on my > machine. How do I know their programs are not buggy even from a > "trusted" site? Turn off all the extended things like Javascript and see how far you get. You can't do online ordering, banking, and none of those fancy dance bear displays will work. Dull loses to dancing bears in the marketplace every time. Sound like you want a Lunix box. :) >> 3. Social engineering is where a pop up or email says click here and >> you WIN, GET, etc ... a million, prize, etc... and what you are >> clicking is a program (often disguised as a graphic) which install a >> BOT on your computer. > Why do browser writers create this kind of capability? So you can click on a link and get taken to a web site. You can turn this off but most folks like the results. >> If you surf you may be exposed. The only way to stop this is to >> disable java, activex, javascript, etc ... Which in todays web, makes >> for a very restricted experience. > This is very frustrating. When I got my new machine at work I disabled > all that stuff. Then I found I couldn't browse anywhere since everyone > required it. Why, I don't know, it seemed sites were plenty able to > present information in an attractive way before those fancy features. > Further, my employer has me use sites that require fancy stuff. At > least my browser warned me clearly when I turned that on of the risks. > The rest I'll continue in another reply. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 16:03:41 -0400 From: DLR Subject: Software and a Perfect Society hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: > DLR wrote: >> If you surf you may be exposed. The only way to stop this is to >> disable java, activex, javascript, etc ... Which in todays web, makes >> for a very restricted experience. > > This is very frustrating. When I got my new machine at work I disabled > all that stuff. Then I found I couldn't browse anywhere since everyone > required it. Why, I don't know, it seemed sites were plenty able to > present information in an attractive way before those fancy features. > Further, my employer has me use sites that require fancy stuff. At > least my browser warned me clearly when I turned that on of the risks. >>> Lastly, why do such vulnerabilities exist in the first place? I keep >>> reading how the present Windows operating system is old; shouldn't all >>> the necessary fixes be developed by now? >> Modern OS's have 10s of millions of lines of code. People buy >> features. They don't buy future security problems. All those systems >> designed with security as the first goal fell on the junk heap of >> computing past and continue to do so. Well except for some very >> special cases where market share and cost doesn't mater. But even the >> NSA finds it cheaper to build totally isolated rooms, and I mean >> totally, to run software on insecure systems than try and develop >> custom things that are secure from the ground up. And they will likely >> have holes also, just not as many. Maybe. > I'm still confused, but I think it's as you said -- people want features. > Computers do not _have_ to allow external entities to have control at > all. The developers have chosen to include this for "service and > features" and failed to put in proper controls at the start, IMHO. A > PC on a network, for instance, should not accept any networked > instructions or upgrades without a security key. What's to stop some > well-intentioned but incompetent user from issuing his own upgrades > over the network and screwing everyone up? >> I'll note in contrast that in IBM's System/360, critical functions by >> the operating system had to be done in 'supervisor state' which was >> strictly controlled by hardware. You could submit and execute an >> application program that does damage but you can't touch the operating >> system. Application programs are subject to various checks and >> all. The developers have chosen to include this for "service and >> restrictions, including hardware blocks that was included in >> System/360 from day one. > But the result is that the systems maintenance effort of a S/360 is > far more considerable than that required for a PC. Presumably few > owners would want to bother doing all the work necessary. >> What people do not realize is that an off the shelf Windows or Mac >> system with MS Office, Email, web surfing, iTunes, etc... is a more >> complicated system that their car or even the Apollo moon shots. It's >> very hard to touch one piece in isolation. And folks will argue that >> if design "right" this could all be avoided. To some degree they are >> correct. But it will never be perfect, even when folks try >> hard. Things are just too complicated for our minds or even our >> management structures to control it all. >> I agree that it's complex. But I disagree it's insurmountable. >> I am far from an expert. But IMHO too much sophistication was rushed >> into the marketplace too fast without adequate protection built in. >> IMHO the "young turks" didn't know their history and should've. > IBM's first real operating system for S/360, known as "OS" turned out > to be a disaster. It was extremely slow and a resource hog and > totally unsuited for low end machines as intended. They couldn't > release it as is. They developed some alternatives (DOS, BOS, BSP, > TOS), so people could at least use the new hardware and delayed > everything for about a year, almost secretly putting IBM into > bankruptcy (lots of costs, no revenues). The point is that they chose > to wait. They probably should've waited even longer than they did, I > think it took a while for the early production OS to be decent. > Modern developers should've learned from that experience: "The birth > of a baby takes nine months no matter how many women are involved" and > "adding people to a late project only makes it later", said the mgr of > OS. If you read the history you'll find out that the biggest issue was that OS/360 was designed around systems with lots of memory. When marketing & R&D decided they could not sell systems with that much memory due to costs a huge effort had to go into ways of running a system initially design for XX amount of memory with only XX/4 or less memory. That issue, in a myriad of ways haunted S/360 for the next 20 to 30 years. > In the very early days of computers the users were all programmers > presumably with good intentions and skills. But by the 1960s it was > clear the user community would be large with a variety of skill > levels. Computer designers put in safety checks so program bugs > (intentional or accidental) would only hurt the responsible user, not > everyone else. Things like file restrictions, time limits, resource > limits, kept control on things. Some controls were done by the human > operators who simply wouldn't allow certain jobs to run. By the 1980s > these controls were sophisticated and automated. A corporate > programmer couldn't go into the payroll system and give himself a > raise. > What I don't understand is why the PC world, especially when used in > networking and Internet service, failed to adopt the same controls the > mainframe world did. > Thanks again for your explanations! People aren't perfect. The systems they design will never be perfect. Oh there are a few wizards who can do really good things, but a wizard can't program Windows Vista, Mac OS X, Linux, or whatever. It would just never get done. Then add on the programs like Quickbooks, Office, CAD software, etc ... and not even 10 or 50 people can do it. And as MS proved to the entire world, features and perceived benefits will outsell safe and dull every day of the week, Sundays included. People want safety and security but they buy price and features. Going back to my wife, she works for a major airline. Folks complain non-stop about security but look what everyone says when it fails. Then everyone, especially the ones who complained about the searches, wants to know how "they" got through. Look at what Y2K cost in terms of programming. All because programmers and managers save money by ignoring the approaching century until it hit them over the head. And then they tried to ignore it. Yes you can engineer things so that most bad things will not happen, but first you have to get people to buy your product. And you'll usually lose to someone with a slipshod implementation that demos and runs good out of the box. This kind of engineering needs rules and laws. But when the industry changes faster than the election cycle, these are hard to come by. Don't even get me started about CAN-SPAM and how it increased SPAM. And yes I have some history here. My first program was enter via front panel switches on an IBM mini-computer in 1972. I wasn't there in the beginning but I've been there for 80% of the relevant history. As a programmer of systems, business applications, and now in systems admin. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:03:13 -0600 From: Anthony Bellanga wrote: > Anthony Bellanga wrote: >> If VZ payphones can still be used to place such calls, then >> it is being handled by some kind of internal COCOT-like "smart" >> chips, regardless of who the actual LD carrier happens to be. > Your suggestion is entirely possible, but actually involves more > expense and hardware than in the past. Pay phones have been able > to handle long distance for many years. Automated 1+ calling (to > count the coins) has been available for a long time. You act as > if this 1+ coin calling is something "new". Toll coin calls never had their coins counted in the central office. The operator handled them for a long time, until AT&T and the locals began to implement ACTS, Automated Coin Toll Service, for customer dialed 1+ coin calls, within the operator service switch, i.e., the TSPS (Traffic Service Position System), or TOPS (Traffic Operator Position Service), or OSPS (Operator Service Position System). AT&T seems to have been the ONLY inter-LATA coin toll carrier in the US, with the few exceptions of "nearby" or "corridor" inter-LATA coin toll calls, such as NYC with northeastern NJ, southwestern NJ with southeastern PA, and some other short-haul inter-LATA arrangements which had received special waivers from the DOJ and FCC, those corridor type inter-LATA 1+ coin calls could probably also be handled by the local telco or AT&T, depending on whether or not you dialed the right 101XXXX prefix first. But AT&T Long Distance discontinued ALL 1+ and 011+ coin toll service back in 2002/03. They reconfigured the trunk groups from the local central offices with their twenty or so regional OSPS switches that handle Operator and Card services, so that traditional AT&T handled 1+ coin toll service was discontinued. The FCC apparantly approved AT&T's withdrawal from this back in 2001. AT&T's withdrawal from traditional 1+ coin also eliminated their traditional provision of coin "person" service dialed as 0+, and 01+ for international coin person calling. Where traditional central office controlled coin phones are still in use by the ILECs, local coin calls are still handled by the local central office, and 1+ intra-LATA coin toll, as well as any possible grandfathered corridor inter-LATA 1+ coin calls, are handled by the ILEC's TOPS switches. Intra-LATA coin person calls would also still be possible as 0+ via the ILEC's TOPS. But private "COCOT" payphones with internal "smart" chips began to appear during the 1980s and have taken over. Several of us (myself, Joseph Singer, Danny Burstein) have already stated that even most of the ILECs have been reconfiguring their payphones so that the central office and the Operator TOPS no longer handle local or 1+ intra-LATA coin calls, but rather new internal "smart chips" will handle this in the same manner that a private "COCOT" payphone does. If an ILEC wants to provide "universal" 1+ coin service, both local, intra-LATA, inter-LATA, and even possibly international, at least for inter-LATA, they have to do it via "smart chips". It really doesn't matter who the LD carrier is, since all the LD carrier is doing is handling a "standard 1+ call" on behalf of the ILEC's line. The "smart chips" in the phone will quote/count/collect/etc. the coins, regardless of who the LD carrier might happen to be. That same ILEC might have "hybrid" phones, where intra-LATA 1+ coin toll is still handled in the "traditional" sense, routing to their TOPS for 1+ coin treatment; and basic local coin calls are handled in the local central office. OR the ILEC might have chosen to COMPLETELY "COCOT-ize" their payphones for ALL coin calls, local, zoned, 1+ intra-LATA, 1+ inter-LATA, etc., maybe even 011+ international. OR ... the ILEC could completely WITHDRAW from owning and providing payphone service altogather, as many rural and small town local telcos have been doing since the mid-1990s, and even BellSouth completely withdrew from payphone service by 2003/04. BellSouth began to totally "COCOT-ize" their payphones starting in the mid-1990s. When the ILEC no longer provides payphone services, then ALL payphones are truly COCOTs, in that ALL of them are PRIVATELY owned. But even when those ILECs were providing payphones in the last several years, it was no different in overall operation than the truly privately owned payphones since all of them had internal "smart chips". Like it or not, the private "COCOT" payphone has taken over, either as a truly privately owned payphone, or else as an ILEC (telco) owned payphone but with COCOT-like "smart chips" inside of the phone, without ANY telephone network switching element having control over the coi, quoting/counting/collecting/returning/etc. Whatsoever. anymore. > I hope to go up again and I'll see if I can find out who the carrier > is. I doubt that you will be able to determine who the carrier is for 1+ coin. Since the phone isn't your own, you are free to use it at the rates posted or quoted, if depositing coins, or else use your calling card or other method of payment (collect, third party, etc), ideally by dialing a toll-free 800/888/877/866 number to access the operator or card provider of your choice. Don't ever dial 0- or 0+ from a payphone and expect to get AT&T or the ILEC operator or service anymore, even if the payphone is AT&T or ILEC branded, or displays such as the '0' carrier on the instruction card. If making a calling card type call from a payphone, use the toll-free 800 type number displayed on your card. And if you think that you might find who the inter-LATA 1+ carrier is by dialing 1-700-555-4141, most payhones do NOT allow that to be dialed. The internal "smart chips" don't have the 700 area code programmed in as a valid area code. Things have been changing since 1984 and even before then too. I'm not happy with the direction of some things in telecom, especially with payphones. But I almost exclusively use my cellphone, rarely even using my residential landline phone anymore, even though I still subscribe to a traditional residential landline phone. ------------------------------ From: annie Subject: Re: Exploitative Internet Marketing Fuels Child Obesity Date: 14 Sep 2006 12:07:30 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com > I was born in 1928 and so I grew up in the depression years of > the 1930s and then the 1940s. Well, I was born in 1953 (getting so I don't want to admit it, but ...) and grew up in the 50s and 60s and ... > Cooking then was commonly done with lard or solid other animal fats. When I learned to cook it was very common to use meat products for shortening and for seasoning. Still is, actually. :) Hey, leftover sausages or bacon can make very tasty green beans! :) Bacon drippings gives eggs that "down home" flavor. People like that kind of cooking. Why? It tastes good! :) > Hamburger places existed, fried their hamburgers and french fries in > lard, and the hamburgers were generally bigger and greasier than you > get today in most places frequented by children. When I think back to my teen years, places like McDonalds, White Castle, and Wetsons were common. They really didn't have the Big Mac or the Whopper back then, just regular burgers, which were not really that large, but nobody ate just one. :) > Why were't we visited with an epidemic of obesity. I don't know. My family is lucky I guess. I'm a few pounds over what I weighed in my teens, but I'm certainly not obese. When I think back, we were toally bombarded with ads for sugar cereal, candy bars, soda (no diet yet except for Diet Rite which was NASTY) and of course we kids just downed humongous portions of Sugar Frosted Flakes, long before those "part of this nutritious breakfast" days. Amazing we didn't all die from sucrose poisioning! :) Of course the school lunch back then was based on the Basic 4, having been demoted from the Basic 7 a while back. Main dish was always meat, hot dogs, hamburgers (well, they had some meat in them, I guess), meat loaf, deepfried fish, and nobody developed a heart condition in the 7th grade back then. :) > But fast food places sell much tastier food. And, at 78, I still find > them much better tasting than all the so-called health foods, low-fat > foods, and trendy products. Fast food outlets will sell what sells. Economics 101. > I'm not sure, however, what this has to do with communications, except > that it more or less shows that at least some advertising is not as > effective as the advertisers would like. I really think that the advertisers are being blamed when it's not (totally) their fault. I also think parents are being blamed when it's not (totally) their fault either. Is childhood obesity really as rampant as "they" say? As I look at kids playing in the neighborhoods, yes, there are some chunky ones, but no more than when I was young. (I guess, though, that the real Mouse Potatoes will not be the ones you see playing in the street, huh?) It's my impression that the current generation is by far healthier than past generations. We can now prevent and treat countless conditions that once plagued us. Obesity can be treated more effectively than back in the 50's, like other conditions. (Diet, exercise, are still quite effective.) I almost cringe at thinking back at the cigarette ads that bombarded us all, adults and kids alike, during the evening TV hours! (Not to mention magazines!) If there's any product that WILL hurt you when used as directed, this is it! These ads have been off the air for 30 years are so, and guess what, they now say that smoking is again on the rise among teenagers. Oh well ... ------------------------------ From: Steven Lichter Organization: I Kill Spammers, Inc. Subject: Re: ACN Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 01:07:16 GMT NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us wrote: > FreedomFireCom wrote: >> You're correct. Their emphasis is on "recruiting" and most money >> earned comes from "recruiting bonuses". They're also about $500 to >> start plus a bunch of other required recurring fees. > I had read elswhere about the $500.00 to join, but friend says it > would cost him nothing to join. > I did see on Ebay someone selling a bunch of ACN promo DVDs that are > given to potential recruits. > Friend brought one over. No mention of product pricing, only > recruitment. That will not last very long, the one offering gas savings with a pill go busted. The Only Good Spammer is a Dead one!! Have you hunted one down today? (c) 2006 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot In Hell Co. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #334 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Sep 15 20:37:12 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 4999921D3; Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:37:12 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #335 Message-Id: <20060916003712.4999921D3@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:37:12 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:38:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 335 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Cyber Crime Getting a Lot More Organized (Matthew Jones) Zotob Virus Writers Go to Prison (BBC News Wire) On the Internet, A Sea of Suckers and Fools (Michelle Singletary) BT to Introduce Fixed-Mobile Service For Businesses (USTelecom dailyLead) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 15, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Telecom Update #546, September 15, 2006 John Riddel) Dish Network Unsolicited Calls (Jim Haynes) Widow Leases Phones for 42 Years (Mr Joseph Singer) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 18:30:35 -0500 From: Matthew Jones Subject: Cyber Crime Getting a Lot More Organized by Matthew Jones Cyber scams are increasingly being committed by organized crime syndicates out to profit from sophisticated ruses rather than hackers keen to make an online name for themselves, according to a top U.S. official. But hackers often times 'graduate' to become criminals. Christopher Painter, deputy chief of the computer crimes and intellectual property section at the Department of Justice, said there had been a distinct shift in recent years in the type of cyber criminals that online detectives now encounter. "There has been a change in the people who attack computer networks, away from the 'bragging hacker' toward those driven by monetary motives," Painter told Reuters in an interview this week. Although media reports often focus on stories about teenage hackers tracked down in their bedroom, the greater danger lies in the more anonymous virtual interlopers. "There are still instances of these 'lone-gunman' hackers but more and more we are seeing organized criminal groups, groups that are often organized online targeting victims via the Internet," said Painter, in London for a cyber crime conference. Typically these groups engage in ID theft, carding (the illegal use of bank cards) and so-called Botnet armies where hundreds sometimes thousands of computers are taken over and used to infect other machines. HARD TO TRACE Precise figures on the global cost of online crimes are hard to pin down, in part because some organizations prefer to keep quiet rather than publicize that their networks have been successfully attacked. In other cases companies and individuals are unaware they have been defrauded. The FBI estimates all types of computer crime in the U.S. costs industry about $400 billion while in Britain the Department of Trade and Industry said computer crime had risen by 50 percent over the last two years. "Because crimes are committed online a lot of people still don't understand what is happening," said Painter. A growing worry is that cyber crooks could target emergency services for extortion purposes or that terrorists may be tempted to attack critical utility networks like water and electricity. Painter said there was a recent case in the U.S. where two young hackers inadvertently switched off all the lights at the local airport. "There is no question the threats are varied and the perpetrators are more sophisticated," he said. "On the upside the response is also getting better." Transborder co-operation on Internet crime was improving with a number of large multi-country raids demonstrating national enforcement agencies can work well together. Painter said better detection and more successful prosecutions also needed to be mirrored by appropriate sentencing. "In the United States certainly sentencing has become more significant in the recognition of the seriousness of Internet crime." He said hackers were being viewed less as "playful villains" while organized cyber criminals were being hunted with the same vigor as physical crooks. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news of interest, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 18:33:34 -0500 From: BBC News Wire Subject: Zotob Worm Writers Sent to Prison The creators of the Zotob Windows worm have been given prison sentences by a Moroccan court. The two men behind the malicious program, Farid Essabar and Achraf Bahloul, were caught soon after the virus struck in August 2005. The pair faced charges of conspiracy, theft, using forged credit cards and illegal access to computers. Zotob caught out high-profile firms such as CNN, the Financial Times and the New York Times. The worm targeted Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system which is widely used by many large companies. About 100 companies, including heavy plant maker Caterpillar, reportedly suffered computer problems as a result of the Zotob worm. At news firm CNN the worm disrupted the station's live reports. Computers infected by the worm fell into a cycle of constant re-starts. The authorities caught up with the pair less than a fortnight after the virus struck and many anti-virus experts were surprised that they were based in Morocco. Mr Essabar now faces up to twenty years in prison and Mr Bahloul up to ten years. Mr Essabar is also thought to be behind a series of other viruses that targeted Windows computers. The pair were thought to have worked closely with an accomplice in Turkey named by the FBI as Atilla Ekici. Lawyers for the two men said they planned to file an appeal against their sentences. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/5345404.stm NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines of interest, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/BBC.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 18:38:01 -0500 From: Michelle Singletary Subject: On the Internet, A Sea of Suckers and Fools By Michelle Singletary P.T. Barnum is often quoted as having said, "There's a sucker born every minute." Turns out there's no evidence that Barnum ever made such a declaration. Interesting, isn't it, that one of the most famous quotes about the gullibility of people is falsely attributed to Barnum? Still, the quote holds true. In this Internet era, there really are as many suckers as there are megabytes. Take for example, a very annoying e-mail making the rounds. The subject line says, "PLEEEEEASE REEEEEAD! IT WAS ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA TODAY SHOW." The "it" the e-mail is referring to is a story that Microsoft and AOL are running a tracking test and if you forward the e-mail, you could get $245 for every person you send it to. The e-mail goes on to claim, "For every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $241. Within two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a check." Oh, and to make it all seem so legit, the writer (you can't really tell who it is) claims he or she got a check for $24,800 two weeks after receiving the e-mail. Then the person urges, "Please forward this to as many people as possible. You are bound to get at least $10,000. We're not going to help them out with their e-mail beta test without getting a little something for our time. My brother's girlfriend got in on this a few months ago. She showed me her check. It was for the sum of $4,324.44." Don't you just love that touch of 44 cents? I've gotten at least half a dozen of these e-mails. You would think I wouldn't have to say this, but here goes: You are a sucker if you believe this is true. What is wrong with you people? Stop forwarding this darn e-mail. It's a hoax, according to a spokesman for Microsoft. Fortunately, the e-mail doesn't contain a virus, so it's not too harmful. But what about others that are forwarded that result in undue worry? Most recently, I received an e-mail with a dire warning. It claimed that the plastic credit-card-looking room keys that hotels often use contain personal information, such as your credit card number and expiration date and home address. Don't just turn the cards in at the end of your stay, the e-mail warns. Anybody, especially an unscrupulous hotel employee, can take the card and -- using a scanning device -- access your information. I was alarmed. After all, identity theft is on the rise. Recent surveys estimate that nearly 10 million consumers are victimized by some form of identity theft each year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Identity theft occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to make purchases or commit crimes. It can cost you a lot of time and money to clear your name if you are a victim of identity theft. I was worried that out there in some trash can was a plastic hotel key I had discarded with my personal information. Turns out this, too, is not true. These cards do not supply guests' personal information such as credit card number, home address or e-mail address, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, which put out a statement to try to dispel this myth. "On most hotel key cards, there is an encoder system with numbers only," explained Victor Glover, senior vice president of safety and security for Accor North America and chair of the association's Loss Prevention Committee. Glover further explained, "The number represents the date and time a guest checks in and out. Once that date and time have passed, the key is no longer active. The magnetic strip on the back of the card carries the encoder numbers that will correspond to the strips in the door itself. The activation of the key card is solely based on how long a guest is staying, not credit card, Social Security and other personal information." Okay, so I was a sucker. But this particular e-mail sounded so plausible. If you are curious about a suspicious e-mail, there is nothing wrong with checking it out. Try this Web site: http://www.snopes.com/ . In fact, the Microsoft/AOL money giveaway is No. 2 on the site's "25 Hottest Urban Legends" list. What you should never do is forward these e-mails. And if you do, don't think it's a harmless action. Here's the note I got along with the e-mail promoting the bogus Microsoft giveaway -- "Sorry about the mail of this sort, but maybe we can benefit from this ... who knows? Try it yourself, what can you lose?" Folks, in the end somebody could lose. Forwarding these e-mails could result in many of your friends, co-workers or family members ending up on spam e-mail lists. That, in turn, could increase the amount of junk mail they get. And that might lead to somebody becoming a sucker who loses some real money. Researcher Tara S. Prasad contributed to this column. -- On the air: Michelle Singletary discusses personal finance Tuesdays on NPR's "Day to Day" program and online athttp://www.npr.org. -- By mail: Readers can write to her at The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. -- By e-mail:singletarym@washpost.com. Copyright 2006 The Washington Post Company NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 12:33:03 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: BT to Introduce Fixed-Mobile Service for Large Businesses USTelecom dailyLead September 15, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/evawfDtusXchfPiFsE TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * BT to introduce fixed-mobile service for large businesses BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Comcast channels to appear on AT&T's U-verse * Murdoch may swap DirecTV stake for Liberty's News Corp. stake * Nortel considering Force10 acquisition * Vodafone inks another fixed-line broadband deal * CBS, Comcast downloads to be ad-driven, not fee-based USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * CALEA Compliance: Obligations, Risks & Strategies TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Microsoft releases Zune details * Today's TV-Net experiment could set tomorrow's standard VOIP DOWNLOAD * Skype software allows PC-Mac video link * Companies form IP quality alliance REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC spectrum auction nears end; T-Mobile leads bidding * Schwarzenegger to sign mobile phone bill DIVERSIONS * Near a Lake, and Away From It All * Music Player From Microsoft Offers Wireless Song-Sharing * Getting a Kick Out of Kickball * 36 Hours: Chicago * Sunshine, Salt and Speed: The Fastest Show on Earth ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 15, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 12:23:26 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 15, 2006 ******************************** FCC Sets Schedule for Unlicensed Use of TV Spectrum http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19906?11228 Having sought comments on methods to identify available unused TV spectrum in specific locations, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced a timetable for developing equipment that will utilise unused TV spectrum, particularly as spectrum will be freed up by the move to digital TV ... Ericsson to Add 500 Engineers as Part of Company Restructure http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19896?11228 STOCKOLM, Sweden -- Swedish telecom giant LM Ericsson said Friday it will recruit 500 new engineers as part of a restructuring the company said will lead to a more customer-oriented organization. The wireless-equipment maker said it will divide the company into three distinct business units, geared toward specific market ... BT to Launch Converged Fixed-Mobile Service for Corporates http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19894?11228 LONDON -- BT this week announced BT Corporate Fusion, a groundbreaking premise based fixed-mobile convergence service for large organizations. The new service will enable organizations to take advantage of fixed-mobile convergence and their increasing deployment of IP Telephony and WiFi coverage to potentially deliver ... Wireless Players Launch Next-Gen Initiative http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19891?11228 Wireless operators from around the globe are joining forces in the name of next-generation wireless advancement. A group of seven operators, including Sprint Nextel, NTT DoCoMo, China Mobile, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange and KPN, have launched the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) initiative to move wireless beyond 3G. The NGMN ... A One Phone World? http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19886?11228 The CTIA - The Wireless Association and the Wi-Fi Alliance are teaming to test dualmode cellular/WiFi devices in a move that could eventually lead to "one phone in your life," according to the Alliance. The industry bodies will work with three labs that are certified to run both CTIA and WiFi tests. They plan to test ... Telcos Edge Cable in Q2 Broadband Battle http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19883?11228 Gathering more momentum in the ongoing broadband wars, U.S. phone companies netted slightly more high-speed data subscribers in the second quarter than did their cable rivals, according to the latest research compiled by Cable Digital News. For at least the seventh time in the past nine quarters, the telcos outgunned the cable guys ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Update #546, September 15, 2006 Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 13:53:33 -0400 From: John Riddell ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 546: September 15, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca/home/Home_Business.page ** BIG PIPE: www.bigpipeinc.com ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.com/canada/telecom/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Telus to Become Income Trust ** Stock Market Voodoo=20 ** 2006 Telecom Hall of Fame Awards Announced ** Wireless-Only Households Jump to 615,000 ** Telus to Run Ontario Government Network ** Bell Opens Montreal Testing Lab ** Rogers Provides Corporate Email Encryption ** Nokia, Nortel Chosen for Telus Broadband Project ** SaskTel to Launch Winnipeg Directory ** Rates for Toll-Free Carrier ID to Be Amended ** U.S. Wireless Auction to Reap $13.7 Billion ** MTS Buys Rural Manitoba Cableco ** Boisvert Steps Down as Telesat CEO ** Top Educators to Address "Enterprise Networks" TELUS TO BECOME INCOME TRUST: If all goes as planned, Telus Corporation will become Canada's largest income trust following a special shareholders' meeting in January 2007. The carrier recently exhausted the tax shield it acquired by buying Clearnet in 2000: converting to an income trust will substantially reduce its future tax liabilities. Telus shares jumped 13.5% following the announcement. STOCK MARKET VOODOO: Earlier this year investors yawned when BCE converted a big part of its assets into an income trust, and the BCE's stock price barely budged. But Telus's announcement this week caused BCE's stock to jump 8.5%. Does anyone really believe that the stock market is rational? 2006 TELECOM HALL OF FAME AWARDS ANNOUNCED: The six telecom pioneer and industry leaders who will be officially inducted into Canada's Telecom Hall of Fame at a gala dinner in Toronto on October 16 were announced this week. The 2006 laureates will be: ** Inventors and Innovators: Edward Rogers Sr (batteryless radio) and Donald Hings (walkie-talkie) ** Icons of Business: Ted Rogers (Rogers Communications) and Leila Wightman (Wightman Telephones in rural Ontario) ** Servants of the Public: Ernie Saunders (senior regulatory lawyer at Bell Canada) ** Advocates and Academics: Francis Dagger (champion of public interest in telecom, driver behind government ownership of western telcos) ** Special Recognition Award: "Digital World" (the SL-1/DMS digital switching technology developed by Bell-Northern Research and Northern Telecom in the 1970s) http://www.telecomhall.ca/awards/2006/index.php WIRELESS-ONLY HOUSEHOLDS JUMP TO 615,000: Statistics Canada reports that 615,000 Canadian households were using only cellphone service at the end of 2005, a jump of 285,000 from the previous year. Incumbent telcos' wireline revenues dropped by 3.8% in the year ending March 31, 2006, while wireless revenues shot up by 17.2%. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/060913/d060913c.htm TELUS TO RUN ONTARIO GOVERNMENT NETWORK: The Government of Ontario has awarded Telus a five-year $140 million contract to supply and manage the data network that links 1,500 government locations across the province. The previous provider was EDS Canada, utilizing network services from Bell Canada and Telus. BELL OPENS MONTREAL TESTING LAB: A new Bell Canada laboratory in Montreal includes $100 million in technology and 125 km of fibre optics. It will test new products developed by Bell and other suppliers. ROGERS PROVIDES CORPORATE EMAIL ENCRYPTION: Rogers Business Solutions has launched "Canada's first subscription-based encryption email service" for business users. The IBM-hosted service is $8.95 per email address per month. NOKIA, NORTEL CHOSEN FOR TELUS BROADBAND PROJECT: Nokia and Nortel Networks will be major suppliers for Telus's $600 million broadband networking project. Nokia has a $150 million contract as integrator and installer of the telco's IP access network; Nortel will provide multimedia integration services. (See Telecom Update #545) SASKTEL TO LAUNCH WINNIPEG DIRECTORY: DirectWest, SaskTel's phone book publishing subsidiary, says it will spend $3 million to launch a competitive directory in Winnipeg. DirectWest already publishes competitive directories in five Alberta cities, including Edmonton and Calgary. RATES FOR TOLL-FREE CARRIER ID TO BE AMENDED: CRTC Telecom Decision 2006-57 notes that the costs of the incumbent telcos' 800/888 Carrier Identification services, charged to competing carriers, have not been reviewed since 2001. The Commission says "costs for this database service have likely declined significantly" and directs Bell Aliant, Bell Canada, MTS Allstream, SaskTel, and Telus to file amended tariff pages and cost studies within 45 days. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-57.htm U.S. WIRELESS AUCTION TO REAP $13.7 BILLION: There were only two bids in the latest round of the U.S. auction of broadband wireless spectrum, indicating that the process is nearly complete. Top bidders to date are T-mobile, Verizon Wireless, and a consortium of cablecos and Sprint Nextel. The bids now total US$13.7 billion. (See Telecom Update #541) http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/default.htm?job=auction_summary&id66 MTS BUYS RURAL MANITOBA CABLECO: MTS Allstream has bought Valley Cable Vision, which provides cable TV and Internet service to about 4,000 customers in southern Manitoba. BOISVERT STEPS DOWN AS TELESAT CEO: Larry Boisvert has retired after 13 years as President and CEO of Telesat Canada. He is replaced by Dan Goldberg, previously CEO of the Netherlands-based satellite company SES New Skies. TOP EDUCATORS TO ADDRESS "ENTERPRISE NETWORKS 2006": Among the speakers and topics at the Enterprise Networks conference, to be held October 24-25 in Toronto: ** Gary Audin, "Convergence Crosses Boundaries: Time for a Reality Check" ** John Riddell, "New Age Enterprise Wireless" ** Michael Dunne, "IP Planning, Migration, and Implementation" ** Henry Dortmans, "What Every Enterprise Needs to Know about This Industry" For more information and to register online, visit http://www.enterprisenetworks.ca. HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There=20 are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web late Friday afternoon each week at http://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=20 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 http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2006 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. 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. ------------------------------ Subject: Dish Network unsolicited calls Reply-To: jhaynes@alumni.uark.edu Organization: University of Arkansas Alumni From: haynes@alumni.uark.edu (Jim Haynes) Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 19:50:26 GMT The phone rang this morning and I heard a recording offering me some kind of free VCR or something. So I punched the button they said to and was connected to someone answering "installations" for Dish Network. Once I knew who it was I hung up and filled out the complaint web page with FTC, since I am on the do-not-call list. Just wondering if anybody else is getting these calls. jhhaynes at earthlink dot net ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 16:00:18 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Widow Leases Phones for 42 Years An Ohio woman spent thousands of dollars leasing two rotary phones over the course of four decades. Ester Strogen and her late husband first got their hands on the rotary-dial devices in 1964, and the Canton couple never saw a reason to cancel the contract, The Repository reports. But now Strogen's granddaughters are buzzing mad, estimating that their 82-year-old granny rang up more than $14,000 in payments on the phones over the years. But Lucent Technologies says they've got the wrong number -- the $29.10 fee was charged quarterly, not monthly, so Strogen paid only about $2,000 over the lease's lifetime, according to the telephone company. Now that the granddaughters are on the case, the black rotary dinosaurs have been replaced by push-button phones. And that makes Strogen sad. "I'd like to have my rotary back," she said. "I like that better." http://blog.wired.com/furthermore/index.blog?entry_id=1557341 ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #335 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Sep 16 16:29:58 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 865652248; Sat, 16 Sep 2006 16:27:35 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #336 Message-Id: <20060916202735.865652248@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 16:27:35 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sat, 16 Sep 2006 16:30:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 336 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Spamhuas Thumbs Nose at Eleven Million Dollar Judgment (Carla K. Johnson) High Tech Shopping Carts Amuse Children But Face Hurdles (Greg Bluestein) Meet the $4-Million Dollar Woman (Robert Davis) California Governor to Sign Hang-Up-and-Drive Bill (Monty Solomon) Number That Won't Hang up (Jack Hamilton) Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? (Curtis R Anderson) Verizon Online DSL to Drop Supplier Surcharge (Curtis R Anderson) Re: Dish Network Unsolicited Calls (Steven Lichter) Re: Dish Network Unsolicited Calls (support@sellcom.com) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 14:39:12 -0500 From: Carla K. Johnson AP Subject: Spamhuas Thumbs Nose at Eleven Million Dollar Judgment Against It Anti-spam group says will not pay; plans to keep company on spam list By CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer The head of an organization that fights unwanted bulk e-mail said Friday that an Illinois company will remain on its block list despite a court order and a steep monetary judgment. A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Spamhaus Project, an international anti-spam organization, to pay $11.7 million in damages to Wheeling-based e360 Insight LLC for blacklisting the company. U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras also ordered Spamhaus to post a notice on its Web site stating that e360 Insight is not a spammer. The judge's order noted that Spamhaus initially defended the case, but then withdrew. Without a challenge from Spamhaus, the judge wrote, "we find that Spamhaus has wrongfully placed Plaintiffs on its blacklist of companies who have sent spam e-mail." Spamhaus suggested it did not defend the case because it did not believe a court in Illinois had jurisdiction over the U.K.-based organization. Steve Linford, the head of the U.K.-based Spamhaus, insisted the company sends spam that is illegal in the United Kingdom and said Spamhaus will continue to list the Illinois company on its block list. Internet service providers use Spamhaus lists to help identify spammers and block e-mail coming from their Internet addresses. The listing hurt the Illinois company's ability to do business as a direct e-mail marketer, the lawsuit claimed. "Spam is a big problem, but the way Spamhaus administers its blocking technology is not a reasonable solution to this problem," said Dave Linhardt, president of e360 Insight. His company signs up people for direct marketing e-mails through its BargainDepot.net Web site, and the people who sign up can control how often they receive e-mails and stop them entirely any time, Linhardt said. "Our client does not send spam e-mails. Our client only sends e-mail messages to persons opting in to a list where they agree to accept e-mail announcements," Bart Loethen, a Chicago attorney representing e360 Insight, said Friday in a written response to The Associated Press. Linford said Spamhaus has no offices, agents or business connections in Illinois. "The Illinois court very simply had no jurisdiction," he wrote in an e-mail to the AP. Loethen said if Spamhaus ignores the ruling "we will seek alternate means of enforcing the judgment through the court system in the U.S. and potentially the U.K." "Spamhaus is thumbing its nose at the U.S. courts by failing to participate in the process, failing to provide information in the court case, and failing to comply with the orders of the court," Loethen said. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 14:43:10 -0500 From: Greg Bluestein AP Subject: High Tech Shopping Carts Amuse Children But Face Hurdles By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer It took a grocer's offer of a cookie to finally tear 4-year-old Trey Malcom away from the small TV screen in his shopping cart. Even then, his eyes shot back to the monitor the moment he accepted the sprinkled treat from the Publix grocery store clerk. "He's in his own world," said his mother, Amy Malcom, who was for once at peace as she filled her cart with veggies and snacks. To parents, the TV Kart and its "Bob the Builder" and "Barney" videos allow a few precious moments while they check off their grocery lists. But to reluctant grocers, it could be nothing more than another expense with little payoff in the notoriously low-margin grocery business. Over the years, high-tech shopping carts in one form or another have been hyped as ways to keep people in stores longer and to spend more money, only to fall short of expectations. Some blurted out recipe tips or displayed video ads. Others spit out coupons while they rolled down the aisles. Each idea might have improved the stores' hip factor, but each also had little immediate effect on bottom lines. And if grocers don't see a bump in sales, high-tech carts quickly become expendable, said Dave Hogan, the chief information officer of the Washington-based National Retail Federation. "There has to be a business rationale," Hogan said. "A customer might think it's kind of cool, but there's got to be a payback. And they're not proving their payback yet." Still, companies are trying where others have failed, banking on technological advances. The Personal Shopping Assistant, developed by IBM Corp. and Cuesol Inc., allows customers to fill out a grocery list on their home computers, then log into the system at the store to organize their trip. A small screen mounted on a cart shows a running tally of what customers buy and also can show where items on the list are located. The system costs between $60,000 and $120,000 per store, and they're being used in more than two dozen supermarkets, mostly in New England. "I don't know that grocers are ready yet. But I believe they are. And I think they are because guys like us have finally found out what makes sense," said Mike Grimes, Cuesol's vice president of sales and business development. "In the next 12 months, we should know whether this thing will catch fire or not." A competing device called Concierge, which is made by Toronto-based Springboard Retail Networks Inc., expects to announce a trial in a major market by year's end, said Sylvain Perrier, the company's vice president of technology. Cabco Group Ltd., the New Zealand-based company that makes the TV Kart, argues that past attempts failed because they offered shoppers no real advantage. "This is all about improving the shopping experience. Unless you're going to do something that's going to give a direct customer benefit, it's never going to catch on," said Doug Bartlett, the company's business development manager. So far, more than 2,000 TV Karts have been deployed at supermarkets in eight states, mostly in the Midwest. Publix and Wal-Mart are among the chains testing their popularity. For $1, shoppers can rent the brightly colored carts, which play an hourlong DVD of whichever children's television show adorns the side "Barney," "Bob the Builder" or "The Wiggles." They each look more like a toy car than a shopping cart, with oversized doors on the sides and a narrow bench on which up to two children can sit, buckle up and watch the TV in the dashboard. (The screens are about the size of a TV dinner, and cart-pushers can hardly hear the audio.) Overhead, there are two storage bins offering rather limited space for parents to pack their groceries, a frequent complaint of the parents. In engineering the $1,500 entertainment system on wheels, the company had to develop a docking station to recharge the carts' batteries when they're not in use. To deter theft, they lodged the monitor deep within a hulking case and designed wheels that lock until they're activated by a parent and skid to a halt when they roll past a checkout line. There's no doubt the carts are popular with toddlers, who point immediately at their favorite characters as they walk through the store's sliding doors. "People are making special trips to the store," said Kevin Kidd, a Publix store manager who said the three carts at his store in the north Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta each log about 60 rides per week. Yet Cabco and other cart builders still have a long way to go to impress the grocery industry's picky decision makers, said Peter Fader, a marketing professor at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. "They're very reluctant to make big investments unless there's a proven payback," he said. "Something that changes behavior over time is often not worth it. It's not just in respect to carts. It's in respect to anything. Grocers just can't risk change." If high-tech carts catch on, expect another side effect: Cart conflicts at a supermarket near you. Two-year-old twins Sam and Lindsay Rothman were babbling happily as they strolled with their grandmother, Ann Kafetz, into the Publix store in the north Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta. But when she passed over the TV Kart for the old-fashioned variety, they broke down into tantrums. "It's the principle of the thing," she said, defending her decision. "They have so much stuff. And they could live without it." Not surprisingly, Sam disagreed. For the next few moments, his cries of "I want Barney" echoed throughout the store. On the Net: TV Kart: http://www.tvkart.com/ Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 14:45:39 -0500 From: Robert Davis Subject: Meet the $4-Million Dollar Woman By Robert Davis, USA TODAY When her doctors first called her "The Bionic Woman," 26-year-old Claudia Mitchell didn't understand the reference to the 1970s TV show about the secret agent who was part woman, part machine. Besides, the first woman to be outfitted with a bionic arm says that when the motors are running in the 10-pound device, it reminds her of another famous cyborg -- Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Terminator. "It's really cool," she says. "This is not just something in the movies. This is really happening." Mitchell, a former U.S. Marine, lost her left arm in 2004 on an Arkansas highway when the friend she was riding with lost control of his motorcycle. As she struggled to cope with the loss of the limb, she read a Popular Science story about Jesse Sullivan, a Tennessee man who received the first bionic arms at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago after losing his in an electrical accident in 2001. "I said, 'I've got to have one of those,' " Mitchell says. Last year she had surgery and received an arm that's even more advanced than Sullivan's. Today, in a Washington, D.C., news conference with National Institutes of Health officials, Mitchell will show off her skills with the arm developed in a $4 million project funded largely by the NIH. Though recent prosthetic research has focused on implanting sensors that link devices to movement commands from the brain, Mitchell was drawn to the less-invasive work in Chicago. "Most people have been looking at trying to tap into the brain, but that has a number of challenges," says Todd Kuiken, who heads neural engineering at the Chicago institute. Implants are "becoming more doable, but if something breaks you have to have surgery to fix it. The exciting thing about this technique is we are not implanting anything into her body." Kuiken found a way to use chest muscles to connect the prosthetic to nerves that once sent signals to the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder. After an amputation, the brain still thinks the arm is there. It feels sensations and sends signals to move. But those signals are too weak for modern mechanics to detect from the surface of the skin, so Kuiken's team amplified them. First, plastic surgeon Greg Dumanian of Northwestern Memorial Hospital moved the targeted nerves into muscles in Mitchell's chest. Then, the nerves that cause the motion of those muscles were disconnected. Mitchell can no longer send a signal to flex her pectoral muscle, but when she wants to close her hand or bend her elbow, the nerve impulse moves her "pec." When that muscle moves, it sends a signal strong enough for a sensor on the skin to detect. After some rewiring by Dumanian, six muscles in Mitchell's chest now move six motors in the bionic arm. And nerve data flow up, too. When Kuiken touches a certain spot on Mitchell's chest, she feels him touch her hand, even though it's no longer there. There is much still to sort out. Though Mitchell can perform a simple task such as folding a pair of pants without first stretching them out on a flat surface, Kuiken calls the arm clumsy. Both he and Mitchell say they are optimistic about making the prosthetic -- hers and future versions -- more sensitive and precise. "We hope to be able to close the loop with Claudia and have the sensation be there so that when she touches something, she feels a touch of her hand," Kuiken says. Mitchell, who hopes to go to college next year to study communications, says she is proud to be part of the team. "I am really excited about the prospects of being able to, hopefully, pave the way to make this something that is more common," says Mitchell, a volunteer at Washington, D.C.-area military hospitals. Until today, her role in the bionic research project has been shrouded in secrecy. But now, the former Marine who served in Kuwait can tell the amputees she counsels about her arm and the research. And some soldiers and Marines can now apply to follow Mitchell's lead. Kuiken is looking for amputees who have lost arms above the elbow in the past year. Mitchell says some of the returnees she meets may be candidates. "I have met these young women and men who are now changed forever," she says. "I see how they are coping with life and how they are learning to deal with their prosthesis. I know how they're feeling." Some day, she says, the bionic arm may make it easier for amputees to strap on a prosthesis and get on with their daily routines. "I can open a spaghetti jar and hold it up at an angle and use a spoon to empty it out," she says. "Small things like that may seem trivial to a two-armed person, but it is very exciting to me." Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news from USA Today please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:44:11 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: California Governor to Sign Hang-Up-and-Drive Bill Gov. to Sign Hang-Up-and-Drive Bill Legislation banning the use of hand-held cellphones while driving goes into effect in 2008. By Nancy Vogel, Times Staff Writer September 15, 2006 SACRAMENTO - California will become the fourth state in the country to ban motorists from holding cellphones while driving under legislation Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he will sign into law today. The governor's office said Thursday that the signing will take place in Oakland, ending a five-year campaign by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) to outlaw one of the most common distractions of California drivers. Under the law, which will take effect in July 2008, Californians risk a minimum $20 fine for driving while yakking into a phone -- unless they are using a headset, speaker phone, ear bud or some other technology that frees both hands while they talk. Drivers in emergency situations would be exempt. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-cell15sep15,0,1147619.story ------------------------------ From: Jack Hamilton Subject: Number That Won't Hang Up? Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 19:22:57 -0700 I couldn't think of a good subject line for this. I'm thinking a buying a new phone, and would like to test its reception in the places I might use it. Is there a number I can call that will stay connected for long periods of time (an hour or more)? I'd like to call it before I start to work, and just listen the whole way. If it loses the signal, I'll know there's an area of poor reception, and I'll call the number back to find the next area of poor reception. I don't want a number that will hang up after a short period, such as the local number for time, because I don't want to have to keep dialing. It doesn't have to be a toll-free number (all the plans I might buy would have long-distance included). Any ideas? Ideally, it would have some mildly entertaining and not irritating program, like a news radio station but not a right-wing talk show. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:26:40 -0400 From: Curtis R Anderson Organization: Gleepy's Chaotic Henhouse Subject: Re: Best Way to Answer a Business Phone? Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > It's funny that people got along just fine for *years* without auto > attendants and being handled by a real person. Auto attendants and > IVRs especially when planned badly as some are that force you to go > through countless obstacles when you really need to speak to a real > person are crazy. The people who design these auto attendants and > IVRs should use some common sense. It shouldn't be not obvious that > if you want to speak to a real person you should be able to press 0 or > just not say anything and time out to a real person. Countless times > I've tried to let it time out and instead of being transferred to > someone who can help me the designers of the system think it's better > to just drop the call. TS for you! If I'm on an IVR and the IVR > cannot understand "operator" there's something really wrong in the > design of a system. Folks like my late father wouldn't get tone dial on their phones because they didn't want to pay (then) Alltel NY the extra $1.25 / month for DTMF support on their line card. He would just sit on the line waiting for the rep to come on, doing something as simple as getting a mail-order prescription filled. I had to tell him that the NY Department of Labor circa 1995, for example, absolutely required one to use a tone-dial phone to claim benefits. In fact, their system would say "Make a selection or be disconnected" if there was no DTMF response. I tried to get him to at least use the tone toggle offered on many landline sets, but he ultimately found the things he would need to call in for and navigate a confusing menu, which is very difficult when one is hard of hearing and misses choices, would be _much easier_ by accessing the appropriate web site and do it that way. Mail-order prescription refills for those maintenance meds requested by the pharmacy's web site gave him the confirmation he absolutely needed. Getting back to the thread: where I work, our receptionist / traffic manager / freight quote and shipping wonderlady answers the phone by waiting for the ring, looking at the key phone to see which line lit, as we are two businesses in one location using FX lines to our new location. She will then say "Thank you for calling (Ace Widgets | Acme Widgets), this is (her name)" and let it go at that. She will direct the call to the appropriate office or to voice mail if she knows the person is out. If it's one of us shop apes or if she knows the office person is on the shop floor, she will press the "External Page" key, we will hear the 440 Hz tone and we wait for her announcement for who it is. If I were to call a business and hear what is choice D in this thread, I would think they are trying to kiss up to certain parts of my anatomy. Curtis R. Anderson, Co-creator of "Gleepy the Hen", still "In Heaven there is no beer / That's why we drink it here ..." http://www.gleepy.net/ ICQ: 50137888 mailto:gleepy@gleepy.net (and others) Yahoo!: gleepythehen ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:47:30 -0400 From: Curtis R Anderson Organization: Gleepy's Chaotic Henhouse Subject: Verizon Online DSL to Drop Supplier Surcharge I don't know if this has been mentioned or not, but last week Verizon sent me an email stating that they would not collect the DSL Supplier Surcharge after all. The email cites "customer concerns" as the reason for the change, but I think it has more to do with the FCC breathing on them a bit. That action should finally lower my phone bill by about $1.50 a month now, instead of that paltry 12 cents they wanted to. Curtis R. Anderson, Co-creator of "Gleepy the Hen", still "In Heaven there is no beer / That's why we drink it here ..." http://www.gleepy.net/ ICQ: 50137888 mailto:gleepy@gleepy.net (and others) Yahoo!: gleepythehen ------------------------------ From: Steven Lichter Organization: I Kill Spammers, inc. Subject: Re: Dish Network Unsolicited Calls Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 17:52:05 GMT Jim Haynes wrote: > The phone rang this morning and I heard a recording offering me some > kind of free VCR or something. So I punched the button they said to > and was connected to someone answering "installations" for Dish Network. > Once I knew who it was I hung up and filled out the complaint web page > with FTC, since I am on the do-not-call list. > Just wondering if anybody else is getting these calls. For the most part these are companies that sell the service for them, or are independent installation companies. I have gotten a few calls and am on the do not call list. My biggest complaint with them is Dish Network offers its customers an option to get credits towards your bill by getting your friends and families to join the service. What it must mean to some people is to get an e-mail spammers list and send it to all 500 million of their friends or post it in every newsgroup on the net. Dish Network does not condone this, but they also will very rarely take any action against the person or company that does it. The only good spammer is a dead one!! Have you hunted one down today? (c) 2006 I Kill Spammers, inc, A Rot in Hell. Co. ------------------------------ From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Re: Dish Network Unsolicited Calls Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 12:47:05 -0400 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com haynes@alumni.uark.edu (Jim Haynes) said on that big USENET thingie: > The phone rang this morning and I heard a recording offering me some > kind of free VCR or something. So I punched the button they said to > and was connected to someone answering "installations" for Dish Network. > Once I knew who it was I hung up and filled out the complaint web page > with FTC, since I am on the do-not-call list. > Just wondering if anybody else is getting these calls. Not those but others ... Here is a useful: https://www.donotcall.gov/Complain/ComplainCheck.aspx Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more Check out http://www.guardian.name ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #336 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Sep 17 21:14:14 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 3BD6F21B9; Sun, 17 Sep 2006 21:14:14 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #337 Message-Id: <20060918011414.3BD6F21B9@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 21:14:14 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sun, 17 Sep 2006 21:15:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 337 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Bishop Tutu's Life to be Digitized on Web Site (Oliver Holmes, Reuters) Security Products Sold Despite Freeware (Anick Jesdanun, AP) Amid Privacy Backlash, Web Publishers Turn Inward (Eric Auchard, Reuters) Textphone - or TDD/TTY - Access Numbers in Holland / Switzerland (Radium) AT&T's Advertised DSL Speed vs Reality? (John Doe) Re: Number That Won't Hang Up? (Gene S. Berkowitz) Re: Widow Leases Phones for 42 Years (support@sellcom.com) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 19:32:16 -0500 From: Oliver Holmes Subject: Bishop Tutu's Life to be Digitzed on Web Site By Oliver Holmes Archbishop Desmond Tutu's alma mater said on Friday it is launching an Internet archive with thousands of documents and audio tapes on the life of the South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The 4.5 million-pound project will provide a free, interactive digital resource about his humanitarian teachings and South Africa's struggle for democracy, King's College said. King's computer experts will collaborate with the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town to digitize up to 200,000 pages of documents and over 1,000 hours of live audio. Hundreds of hours of video as well as films, photos and personal letters will also be included. King's estimates the archive could have 93 million potential users and said it would be delivered free to all schools across South Africa as a teaching resource. "As one of the great leaders of out time -- and, incidentally, a King's College alumnus -- Archbishop Tutu continues to bring messages of hope to a troubled world," said Professor Richard Trainor, King's college London principal. Tutu studied at King's in the 1960s and in 2004 returned to the college as a professor in post-conflict studies. The Desmond Tutu Digital Archive will be launched in Cape Town on September 25 when the human rights veteran celebrates his 75th birthday at a reception hosted by the British High Commissioner, Paul Boateng. "I am humbled to be at the center of such an initiative, but if it can help spread understanding and, dare I say it, love, around the world, then surely it must be a good thing," said Tutu, who turns 75 on October 7. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 19:36:09 -0500 From: Anick Jesdanun, AP Subject: Security Products Sold Despite Freeware By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer Microsoft gives away a security firewall with its latest operating system. Many high-speed Internet service providers offer free anti-virus protection for subscribers. And several Web sites distribute free toolbars to warn of Web scams. AOL even recently made a package of basic security tools -- anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall programs -- available for free to anyone, not just paying subscribers. Despite all the free protection, primarily for Windows computers, leading security vendors are moving forward with plans to start selling their annual slate of security products this fall. Why bother, when so much is available elsewhere at no cost? "I absolutely don't argue that the highly tech-savvy consumer will and can search the Web for freeware and knock out 90, maybe 95 percent of the risk," said Lane Bess, Trend Micro Inc.'s general manager for consumer products. "That's not the largest (base of) consumers out there." Most people, he said, would rather install a package -- for $50 in Trend Micro's case -- that does everything. Free often means cobbling a package together: -- Taking the basic firewall that comes with the Service Pack 2 version of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP, or getting a stronger one like Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.'s Zone Alarm to monitor and block outbound traffic as well; -- Adding anti-virus protection from a high-speed Internet provider like Comcast Corp. or Time Warner Inc.'s Road Runner; -- Obtaining one or more free spyware removal tools like Spybot Search & Destroy; -- Installing a toolbar from EarthLink Inc. or elsewhere to block Web sites known to engage in e-mail "phishing" scams. Even AOL's free all-in-one package, which uses technology from McAfee Inc. and others, is incomplete, said Joel Davidson, an AOL executive vice president for products and technologies. Last week, the Time Warner unit announced that subscribers who pay $26 a month will get additional protections, such as a stronger firewall and alerts when malicious software tries to send out a bank account or credit card number. They'll even get more online storage for backup and free insurance for identity theft and computer damage. The free standalone products have even more limits. Major e-mail providers scan messages for viruses automatically, but they won't address threats that come from instant messaging or a rogue Web site, or a virus already on the computer. Trend Micro's free HouseCall virus scanner covers those situations, but users must remember to periodically perform a check, and they won't be automatically protected in the interim. Same goes for the free scan from Microsoft; automated scanning comes with Windows Live OneCare, which costs $50 a year for up to three computers and includes computer backup and tuneup services. And while Microsoft plans a more robust firewall in its upcoming Windows Vista operating system, it's holding back enough to justify selling OneCare separately. The free Zone Alarm, meanwhile, will generate a pop-up warning when newly installed software attempts to connect to the outside world. The $40 Zone Alarm Pro will have a continually updated database of programs that researchers know as good or bad, so pop-up prompts only come up in rare cases. "I don't think (the free version) reduces protection, but it is definitely less convenient," said Laura Yecies, general manager of Check Point's Zone Labs consumer division. "The user is essentially then putting themselves in the role of making determinations." The free and subscription versions of Grisoft Inc.'s anti-virus and anti-spyware products are nearly identical, but paying customers can get technical help from humans, instead of only the software's help files and Web site documents. And free software won't come with the ability for companies to easily update all their computers remotely, an issue for larger organizations, said Johannes B. Ullrich, chief research officer with the SANS Institute security group. Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) and computer manufacturers distribute free security products as well, but they are trial versions often with features disabled, said Kraig Lane, Symantec Corp.'s manager for consumer security products. The six-month Symantec software bundled with Google, for instance, will block known viruses but won't detect unknown ones, based on behavioral patterns, in the hours before a software update can be developed and distributed for new threats. "We want to have a little extra value" for paying customers, Lane said. Other restrictions are in the free software's license terms. A standalone version of AOL's anti-virus software, from Kaspersky Lab, comes with terms that permit AOL to send e-mail marketing messages, while Sophos Inc. gives free software only if a person's employer or school is already a paying customer. Some security is better than no security, said Bruce Schneier, a computer security expert with Counterpane Internet Security Inc. "I can complain about them (the free products), but going out free to millions and millions of users, you have to like that." Yet it's not entirely clear how many users even know of the free offerings. Bari Abdul, McAfee's vice president for consumer marketing, said Internet users often configure their browsers to bypass home pages that high-speed service providers use to promote free software. AOL subscriber Gail Taylor, a teaching assistant at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said she never knew AOL gave away security software. But even after checking a number of free products at the request of The Associated Press, she said she still couldn't decide which of the free or fee offerings work best for her. She said she'd need to find time for more research, leaving her computer largely unguarded for now. Consumers who do install free products may be left with a false sense of security, added David Luft, a senior vice president for security vendor CA Inc. "Some of those limitations aren't always obvious to the end users until they run into a problem they thought might be addressed," he said. "They think they have something that's fully protecting them, when in reality they don't protect in a way they might need." On the Net: AOL package: http://daol.aol.com/safetycenter Grisoft: http://free.grisoft.com Spybot: http://www.safer-networking.org Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 19:38:16 -0500 From: Eric Auchard, Reuters Subject: Amid Privacy Backlash, Web Publishers Turn Inward By Eric Auchard Technological changes and personal privacy have been at odds ever since modern notions of privacy emerged more than a century ago. "Numerous mechanical devices threaten to make good the prediction that 'what is whispered in the closet shall be proclaimed from the housetops'," wrote two Boston lawyers in 1890 in a seminal paper that articulated the modern "right to be left alone" that is the basis of U.S. privacy law. Lately, it's been dawning on computer users that our machines say a lot more about us than many of us may realize. Once it was the invention of the camera, the high-speed printer, tabloid newspapers, the telephone. Now it's the computer, mobile camera phones, video surveillance, the always-on Internet, blogging and social network dating sites. "If I am a corporate lawyer by day and a Level 10 Elf by night, I am not sure I want everyone to know my different identities," says David Holtzman, author of a forthcoming book "Privacy Lost: How Technology is Endangering your Privacy." Fast-growing U.S. social network Web site Facebook found out the hard way last week when it introduced a new feature to its member profile pages that allowed users to track their friends' online activities. A vast outpouring of protest among college students forced the company to introduce new privacy features as critics parodied the site as "Stalkbook." CELEBRITIES IN THE MAKING The 2004 U.S. presidential election turned in part on a furious online debate over whether George W. Bush or John Kerry lied about their war records. But it's not just politicians that are subject to such scrutiny; increasingly we all are. The impulse of everyone from job recruiters to casual acquaintances and first-time daters is to look online and see what the Web says. "Our whole lives are up for review online," Holtzman says. "We are all now becoming like politicians," he adds. Only recently, a decade after the Web went commercial, have Internet companies begun to come to grips with how they might use tighter privacy controls in order to expand people's willingness to express themselves. "Now we are turning inward and thinking of blogging as more of a private experience," says Mena Trott, who with her husband, Ben, co-founded Six Apart, the company behind TypePad and LiveJournal, some of the most popular blog services. Six Apart is set to formally introduce next month a new Web publishing system it calls Vox that includes strong built-in privacy protections to help users share messages and photos while retaining control over who sees particular items. It's not so much privacy as it is the ability to control one's own publicity. "Obscurity isn't enough," Trott says. "You need to have the features to say, 'I only want these (specific) people to see this'." THAT QUEASY ONLINE FEELING The explosion of self-publishing made possible by easy-to-use blog tools has accentuated the tension between openness and privacy that has existed since the Web was created by academics looking to share research with colleagues online. Web users have been forced to become always-on extroverts, whether or not everyone is prepared for the consequences of instant celebrity. "When the context of personal information shifts, users find out they really don't have the control they thought," says John Poisson, the founder and chief executive of Tiny Pictures Inc., a San Francisco start-up that has introduced an entirely private online site called Radar.net for sharing photos directly from camera phones with one's friends and family. "A fundamental part of social interaction is an assumption that you and I forget little things about one another over time," Holtzman says. "With digitized information you don't forget." Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines of interest, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html (or) http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news/html ------------------------------ From: Radium Subject: Textphone -- or TDD/TTY -- Access Numbers in Holland and Switzerland Date: 16 Sep 2006 18:42:31 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hi: I am looking for textphone access numbers in Holland and Switzerland. I've done an extensive Google search but haven't come up with any. I am posting from the USA. To dial to Holland: 011-31 and then the number; For Switzerland, dial 011-41 and then the number; Textphone is a device for those with deafness. When I dial the number, I should hear the sounds generated by the textphone on the other end. Dial any TDD/TTY/Textphone/Minicom number and you'll hear it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_device_for_the_deaf TDD = Telecommunications Device for the Deaf TTY = Telephone TYpewriter or TeleTYpewriter TDD and TTY are terms used in USA and Canada. In most of Europe is its called "textphone" and in the UK its called "minicom". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baudot TDD/TTY/Textphone/Minicom use the Baudot code. Any assistance on this matter is appreciated. Thanks, Radium ------------------------------ Subject: AT&T's Advertised DSL Speed vs Reality? From: John Doe Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 15:17:46 GMT Does anyone connect at AT&T's advertised DSL speed? According to technicians at AT&T, my phone line is capable of 9 Mb per second. I have had the Pro Package which is supposed to be up to 3 Mb per second "depending on customer location" but I always connected at about 2400 kbs. What does "depending on customer location" mean, if not what the wire is capable of handling? By the way; Since I know I will get 2400 kbps if I go with the Pro Package again, I'm wondering what will I get if I go with the Express Package? Anybody have the Express Package? What is your real connection speed? Thank you. ------------------------------ From: Gene S. Berkowitz Subject: Re: Number That Won't Hang Up? Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 02:03:32 -0400 In article , jfh@acm.org says... > I couldn't think of a good subject line for this. I'm thinking a > buying a new phone, and would like to test its reception in the places > I might use it. > Is there a number I can call that will stay connected for long periods > of time (an hour or more)? I'd like to call it before I start to > work, and just listen the whole way. If it loses the signal, I'll > know there's an area of poor reception, and I'll call the number back > to find the next area of poor reception. I don't want a number that > will hang up after a short period, such as the local number for time, > because I don't want to have to keep dialing. > It doesn't have to be a toll-free number (all the plans I might buy > would have long-distance included). > Any ideas? Ideally, it would have some mildly entertaining and not > irritating program, like a news radio station but not a right-wing > talk show. You could be evil and try a major computer manufacturer or leading software provider's tech support line. Good for 15-60 minutes, and they usually give you a prediction of how long it will be until your call is answered. I'm pretty sure Bill Gate's old company had a "DJ" while you wait. If you actually get a rep on the line, tell them that you can't find the "any" key on your new computer. Gene ------------------------------ From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Re: Widow Leases Phones for 42 Years Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 22:52:07 -0400 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Mr Joseph Singer said on that big USENET thingie: > the black rotary dinosaurs have been replaced by push-button phones. > And that makes Strogen sad. "I'd like to have my rotary back," she > said. "I like that better." They should be able to find her one I would think. Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more Check out http://www.guardian.name ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #337 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Sep 18 19:39:28 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 811112280; Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:39:28 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #338 Message-Id: <20060918233928.811112280@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:39:28 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:40:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 338 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Personalized Service May be Key to Success of Internet-TV (Monty Solomon) How to Spam Cell Phones (NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us) Citizens to Acquire Commonwealth Telephone (USTelecom dailyLead) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 18, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Western Union Begins Investor Road Show for Upcoming (Nigel Allen) Re: AT&T's Advertised DSL Speed vs Reality? (Steven Lichter) Re: Dish Network Unsolicited calls (Scott Dorsey) Re: Widow Leases Phones for 42 Years (Paul W. Schleck) Re: Spamhuas Thumbs Nose at Eleven Million Judgment (Koos van den Hout) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 00:05:20 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Personalized Service May be Key to Success of Internet-TV Links By Scott Kirsner Ever since Steve Jobs began prefacing Apple's product names with a lower-case 'i', with the introduction of the turquoise iMac desktop computer in 1998, the company has been on a tear. The iPod upstaged every digital music player that preceded it, and the accompanying iTunes Music Store made it cool to purchase music legally online. But was Apple's disclosure of iTV last week the first step toward reinventing television? The company's $299 set-top device, designed to wirelessly connect the television with a Mac or PC, won't be available until early next year, but expectations are high that Apple will create a new viewing experience by linking the TV with the digital realm. Plenty of other companies have tried to forge that link, without much success. Microsoft introduced its Windows Media Center Edition in 2002, a version of its operating system designed to turn a PC sitting next to the television into a DVD player, digital video recorder, music library, and gateway to the Internet. Akimbo Systems of San Mateo, Calif., introduced an Internet-connected set-top box in 2004, and TiVo has made video from the Web available on its devices, in part through a partnership with Brightcove, a Cambridge start-up. But consumers may not feel like there's something lacking on the small screen. Apple is proposing to deliver primarily new and old TV shows and movies like NBC's 'The Office' or Disney's 'The English Patient', but that's content readily available at video stores, via Netflix, recorded on a digital video recorder, or purchased from a cable video-on-demand service. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/09/17/personalized_service_may_be_key_to_success_of_internet_tv_links/ ------------------------------ From: NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us Subject: How to Spam Cell Phones Date: 18 Sep 2006 07:56:31 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Ebay item: BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY SMS TEXT MESSAGE MARKETING see http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140028453714&ssPageName=MERCOSI_VI_ROSI_PR4_PCN_BIX&refitem=300024889777&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget or http://snipurl.com/SMSspam Pat: You may wish to simply write a review and eliminate the links. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, I can tell you this much: if it is something E-Bay is selling, I would generally stay away from it. That is, unless you want even more spam as a result. I have purchased _ONE_ item via E-Bay in my lifetime, a cellular phone which was not all that great, and I have been spammed ever since. E-Bay says it is not them doing the spamming, and that is probably correct; it is people who are members there who think nothing of checking through the customer records and then attempting to trick other folks into a response to their 'complaints' etc. The address 'spoof@ebay.com' is absolutely useless. Unlike their sister company PayPal, where you can simply forward whatever crapola shows up and they at least make an effort to close down the site, with E-Bay, letters complaining about that stuff go nowhere. The big thing now, it seems, is to send members of E-Bay's community 'partial' letters of complaint, with a link address to click on to respond. The partial letter says something like "That gizmo you sold me; when are you going to deliver it?" and the partial letter always goes on to say "E-Bay takes this complaint very seriously. Please respond direct to this member if you wish to retain your good standing with E-Bay." etcetera. How big a thing is 'big thing'? Oh, I get anywhere from 50 to 75 of them each time I log on here. I finally relented and answered just one of them the other day; I used the 'f-word' in every form I could think of using it; as a verb, a noun, a preposition, an adjective, an adverb, you name it. And I did not bother to sign it. I sent my reply as an independent email to the site named prior to the cgi-bin which included ebay in the end of it. I did not get a futher reply from the goofus who sent it out to me, but I did conclude by telling him I hoped he felt my 'customer service' had been good. Those people are really beginning to make me get very angry. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:23:25 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Citizens to Acquire Commonwealth Telephone USTelecom dailyLead September 18, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/evmwfDtusXcllDwPKJ TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Citizens to acquire Commonwealth Telephone BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Telecom Italia buys AOL's German business * Analysis: Tough times loom for EchoStar * Is there a viable business model for 4G? * Satellite stock swap driven by differing visions * RIM targets broader consumer market with Pearl device USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * CALEA Compliance: Obligations, Risks & Strategies HOT TOPICS * AT&T to stream TV to online users * Report: BellSouth plans VDSL2 upgrade * Apple unveils device to link online content to TV sets * Telecoms become hot target for buyout firms * Broadwing, XO reportedly discussing merger TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Intel researchers announce chip breakthrough * To keep viewers, networks had to go online * YouTube in video partnership with Warner Music REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Telecom Italia chairman resigns after proposing split of wireless, fixed-line assets DIVERSIONS * It's Dogster, for When Family Pets Network * That $5,000-a-Day Villa? Maybe Next Season. * Nicholson and Scorsese, Partners in Crime at Last * Fortune's Fools: Why the Rich Go Broke * Ethiopia Opens Its Doors, Slowly ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 18, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:06:32 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 18, 2006 ******************************** Vodafone, FastWeb Sign Broadband Deal http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19935?11228 Vodafone Italy and Italian alternative broadband provider FastWeb have signed an agreement to offer a joint broadband service, making Italy the latest market where Vodafone has ditched its mobile-only status. The new service is branded as Vodafone Casa FastWeb and is set to debut shortly. Earlier this month, Vodafone Germany launched a ... Revenue Assurance Takes on a New Name http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19926?11228 Compared with service providers in the United States, it is generally agreed that European service providers have been more than focus solely on revenue and cost, service providers in both Europe and the United States are turning their attention to end-to-end business ... Time Warner to Sell AOL Germany to Telecom Italia FRANKFURT, Germany -- Time Warner Inc. has agreed to sell AOL Germany's Internet access business to Telecom Italia SpA for 675 million (US$856 million), the companies said, giving the Milan company a firm foothold in the German market. The all-cash deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to ... Phone Data Offers Real-time Traffic Routing http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19920?11228 Being stuck in traffic is never fun, but a new technology that transforms cell phone location data into an illuminated traffic map promises to make road congestion at least a little more avoidable. The system takes advantage of the steady stream of positioning cues, the untraced signals that all cell phones produce, whether in use or ... Microsoft's Zune Gets Social with Wireless http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19918?11228 Microsoft is attempting to take in Apple Computer with the launch of its Zune media player, set to debut this holiday season. Unlike Apple's offering, however, Zune will feature wireless technology to make the device more social. Wireless Zune-to-Zune sharing lets consumers spontaneously share full-length sample tracks of ... Telecom Italia CEO Resigns http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19915?11228 In a nearly unprecedented machine-gun-paced series of events during the past 72 hours, Telecom Italia's (TI) embattled CEO has resigned over opposition to his plan to split the company in half, the prime minister of Italy was forced by the opposition to face Parliamentary questioning over his forcing the resignation, it was revealed ... BT Plans Further Global Push http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19910?11228 BT Group plc set out its international stall for analysts and the press at a London briefing Thursday, announcing revenue targets and hinting at further expansion through acquisitions. The carrier says its Global Services division, which provides network and IT services to large corporate customers in sectors such as ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:03:20 -0400 From: Nigel Allen Subject: Western Union Begins Investor Road Show for Upcoming The following press release was issued by Western Union. I do not work for Western Union, but I thought the press release might be be of interest. Attention Business Editors: Western Union Begins Investor Road Show for Upcoming Spin-off; Provides Financial Outlook as Standalone Company DENVER, September 18 /CNW/ - Western Union today announced that it will be making presentations to the equity investment community in preparation for its planned September 29, 2006 spin-off from First Data Corp. (NYSE:FDC). The meetings will be led by Christina Gold, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western Union, David Barnes, Executive Vice President of Finance and Strategic Development, and Scott Scheirman, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. The company's road show presentation is available at http://www.westernunion.com Financial Outlook Western Union will provide financial guidance during the presentations. Assuming completion of its separation from First Data on September 29, 2006, Western Union expects revenue for 2006 of $4.4 billion to $4.5 billion, an increase of between 11% and 12% from 2005 revenue of $4.0 billion. For 2006, the company expects operating income of $1.32 billion to $1.34 billion, excluding expenses related to its spin-off from First Data, which is 4% to 6% higher than 2005. For 2007, Western Union expects revenue growth in the range of 10% to 12%, excluding acquisitions. In addition, the company expects operating income growth of 6% to 9%, excluding the impact of expenses related to its spin-off from First Data. A chart detailing the company's guidance is attached to this release. Western Union's long-term objective beyond 2007 is to deliver revenue and operating profit growth of 10% to 12% on an annual basis and annual EPS growth of 12% to 14%. Ms. Gold said: "Western Union has a compelling long-term growth story, with the proven strategy and track record, global agent network, seasoned management team and financial strength to remain the preeminent provider of money transfer services across the globe. The separation from First Data creates rich new opportunities for the company to invest its strong cash flow in continuing to expand services in key growth regions of the world; in marketing efforts, including our highly successful Gold Card Loyalty program; and in continuing to enhance customer convenience and choice. We see favorable long-term trends in the global money transfer market and, as an independent company, will be better positioned to capture them." Ms. Gold continued: "In the near term, we expect the company will continue to be affected by softness in its U.S. domestic and U.S. to Mexico consumer-to-consumer money transfer businesses. As previously discussed, we believe the slower growth rates in these markets largely reflect the uncertainty caused by the immigration debate and the related activities in the U.S. In addition, our operating profits for 2006 and 2007 will reflect increased investment in the business to address this issue, to secure future growth, as well as the shift in our business mix, reflecting higher growth from our international business, which carries lower profit margins." Ms. Gold concluded: "We believe the slowdown related to the immigration debate is a temporary issue, and our 2007 guidance assumes revenue growth in the U.S. and U.S. to Mexico businesses will begin to improve but will not reach levels experienced in 2005. In addition, we expect that our international consumer-to-consumer money transfer business, which currently represents 60% of our revenues and does not include U.S. to Mexico transactions, will remain strong throughout 2006 and 2007. The geographic diversity of our business, which is a key strength for Western Union, should enable us to generate solid results despite the temporary issues we are addressing in the U.S. and U.S. to Mexico markets." hird Quarter Financial Update During its road show presentation, Western Union will also provide updates on several transaction growth rates excluding Vigo. For the third quarter through September 14, the company's overall consumer-to-consumer transactions grew 15% on a year-over-year basis. International transactions grew 23% for the same period. In addition, for the third quarter through September 14, Western Union-branded transactions from the U.S. to Mexico grew 3% on a year-over-year basis, while domestic transactions declined by 4%. Western Union expects to issue its third quarter 2006 earnings press release after the market close on October 23. The company will also host a conference call. Non-GAAP Measures In certain circumstances results have been presented that are non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) measures and should be viewed in addition to, and not in lieu of, the company's reported results. Reconciliations to comparable GAAP measures are available in the accompanying schedule to this press release. About Western Union Western Union, together with its affiliates Orlandi Valuta and Vigo, are leaders in global money transfer, providing people with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send money around the world, pay bills and purchase money orders through a network of over 270,000 agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com. Guidance Tables << 2006 Financial Guidance 6 Months June 30, 2006 FY 2006 ------------------------------------- Total Revenue $2.2B (A) $4.4B - $4.5B Growth 13% 11% - 12% ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating Income, excluding spin expenses (C): non-recurring and ongoing $641M (B) $1,320M - $1,340M (D) Growth 5% 4% - 6% (A) Includes $68 million of revenue related to the acquisition of Vigo in October 2005. (B) Includes $11 million of stock compensation, SFAS 123R expense. (C) Spin expenses represent estimated incremental expenses associated with operating as a stand-alone company. Ongoing spin expenses relate to staffing additions and related costs to replace First Data support, corporate governance, information technology, corporate branding and global affairs, benefits and payroll administration, procurement, and other expenses related to being a stand-alone company. Non-recurring spin expenses relate to recruiting and relocation expenses associated with hiring key management positions new to our company, other employee compensation expenses and temporary labor used to develop ongoing processes. See reconciliation to Operating Income (GAAP) in Appendix. (D) Growth in Operating Income excluding spin expenses: non-recurring and ongoing in Q3 06 is expected to be below the 4% - 6% range and Operating Income excluding spin expenses in Q4 06 is expected to be above the 4% - 6% range. Expense timing and other factors drive the majority of the expected profit growth differences in Q3 and Q4. 2007 Growth Outlook Total Revenue 10% - 12% Operating Income, excluding spin expenses (A): non-recurring and ongoing 6% - 9% (A) Spin expenses represent estimated incremental expenses associated with operating as a stand-alone company. Ongoing spin expenses relate to staffing additions and related costs to replace First Data support, corporate governance, information technology, corporate branding and global affairs, benefits and payroll administration, procurement, and other expenses related to being a stand-alone company. Non-recurring spin expenses relate to recruiting and relocation expenses associated with hiring key management positions new to our company, other employee compensation expenses and temporary labor used to develop ongoing processes. See reconciliation to Operating Income (GAAP) in Appendix. Note: Revenue and operating income guidance exclude any potential impact from future acquisitions Reg G Reconciliation - Operating Income (in Millions) 6 Months June 30,2006 FY 2006 ------------------------------------- Operating Income, $641 $1,320 to $1,340 excluding spin expenses: 4% 6% non-recurring and ongoing Less spin expenses Non-recurring $2 20 20 Ongoing 20 20 Operating Income (GAAP) $639 $1,280 to $1,300 1% 2% Operating Income excluding spin expenses: non-recurring and ongoing has been displayed to allow the financial reader improved comparability of 2006 financial performance. However, the financial reader should be aware that ongoing spin expenses are part of the company's future cost structure. For further information: The Western Union Company Media Sherry Johnson, 720-332-4750 Sherry.l.Johnson@westernunion.com or Investors Gary Kohn, 720-332-8276 Gary.Kohn@westernunion.com ------------------------------ From: Steven Lichter Organization: I Kill Spammers, Inc. Subject: Re: AT&T's Advertised DSL Speed vs Reality? Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 01:59:57 GMT John Doe wrote: > Does anyone connect at AT&T's advertised DSL speed? > According to technicians at AT&T, my phone line is capable of 9 Mb per > second. > I have had the Pro Package which is supposed to be up to 3 Mb per > second "depending on customer location" but I always connected at > about 2400 kbs. > What does "depending on customer location" mean, if not what the wire > is capable of handling? > By the way; Since I know I will get 2400 kbps if I go with the Pro > Package again, I'm wondering what will I get if I go with the Express > Package? > Anybody have the Express Package? What is your real connection speed? > Thank you. I have had the Pro for 2 years and have yet to get anything below 3008 kbs. I guess maybe it is because I'm less then a mile from the switch, but I'm also on some very old cable. The Only Good Spammer is a Dead one!! Have you hunted one down today? (c) 2006 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot In Hell Co. ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Dish Network unsolicited calls Date: 18 Sep 2006 11:10:35 -0400 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Jim Haynes wrote: > The phone rang this morning and I heard a recording offering me some > kind of free VCR or something. So I punched the button they said to > and was connected to someone answering "installations" for Dish Network. > Once I knew who it was I hung up and filled out the complaint web page > with FTC, since I am on the do-not-call list. >Just wondering if anybody else is getting these calls. No calls, just lots of spam e-mail. The thing is, the Dish Network sells through local affiliates, and they don't seem to exert much control over how those affiliates behave. So what you almost certainly received was an illicit call from a local business selling Dish Network services. If you call the Dish Network guys, even if you have the name of the local affiliate, they will act as if it's not their problem. So when it happens again, get the name of the local company making the offer and go after them. I constantly get barraged with spam mail from various Dish affiliates, and the corporate guys don't care at all that their name is being dragged through the mud. scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ From: Paul W. Schleck Subject: Re: Widow Leases Phones for 42 Years Date: 18 Sep 2006 10:46:01 -0500 Organization: Novia Internetworking, http://www.novia.net/ In support@sellcom.com writes: > Mr Joseph Singer said on that big USENET thingie: >> the black rotary dinosaurs have been replaced by push-button phones. >> And that makes Strogen sad. "I'd like to have my rotary back," she >> said. "I like that better." > They should be able to find her one I would think. > Steve Indeed. Back in the Telecom Digest archives is a 1991 article from me (Message ID <16318@accuvax.nwu.edu>) where I noted that there were several suppliers of refurbished Western-Electric phones. The prices were very modest (about $20 apiece). Today, many such phones sell for similar prices on eBay. Even fully-restored Princess phones in obscure colors can be gotten for less than $100. Circa-1995, I was staying at the house of a elderly friend of the family, since deceased, who was still leasing her phones. This was the same person who had a party line at her vacation cabin in New Hampshire, as I noted in another article in the Digest (Message ID ). At least one model was an old Bakelite version like the one in the Bunker house in the TV show "All in the Family." I suggested that she could either: - Buy out her equipment from the phone company, including the lovely antique, for a modest price and not have to pay leasing fees again. *or* - Let me obtain, at no cost to her, several refurbished Western Electric phones like she had, with modular jacks. I could leave her a "hot spare" she could switch out immediately if any of them ever failed, no hassle. She declined both options, stating that she liked the peace of mind of being able to call the phone company and have "a man" come over and fix it. I'm not sure if the relatively recent development of charging significant fees for home repair visits would have changed her mind. Paul W. Schleck pschleck@novia.net http://www.novia.net/~pschleck/ Finger pschleck@novia.net for PGP Public Key ------------------------------ From: Koos van den Hout Subject: Re: Spamhuas Thumbs Nose at Eleven Million Dollar Judgment Against It Date: 18 Sep 2006 15:58:21 GMT Organization: http://idefix.net/~koos/ Carla K. Johnson AP wrote in : > Loethen said if Spamhaus ignores the ruling "we will seek alternate > means of enforcing the judgment through the court system in the > U.S. and potentially the U.K." > "Spamhaus is thumbing its nose at the U.S. courts by failing to > participate in the process, failing to provide information in the > court case, and failing to comply with the orders of the court," > Loethen said. The views of Spamhaus can be found at http://www.spamhaus.org/legal/answer.lasso?ref=1 with this gem as last paragraph: "A TRO, and indeed any ruling whatsoever issued by a United States County, State or Federal Court has no validity in the United Kingdom unless jurisdiction is proven to a British Court. Therefore Spamhaus correctly ignored the TRO and advises Mr. Linhardt to re-file his case in a British court when he can prove jurisdiction, but advises Mr. Linhardt that British courts do not accept US-style 'SLAPP' suits and impose penalties for lying to the court." koos@kzdoos.xs4all.nl or RSA/1024 0xCA845CB5 -?) Fax +31-30-2817051 Camp Wireless, wireless Internet access /\\ http://idefix.net/~koos/ at campsites http://www.camp-wireless.org/ _\_V ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #338 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Sep 19 15:36:03 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 7C36A2254; Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:36:03 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #339 Message-Id: <20060919193603.7C36A2254@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:36:03 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:38:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 339 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson AOL Gains More New Customers After Going Free (Reuters News Wire) The Rise of Baidu (That's Chinese for Google) (David Barboza, NY Times) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 19, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Avaya D6200 Series Phone (kevin.gordon@gmail.com) Wireless Auction Brings in Record $13.9B (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: How to Spam Cell Phones (harold@hallikainen.com) Re: How to Spam Cell Phones (Joshua Putnam) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:21:03 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: AOL Gains More New Customers After Going Free Time Warner Inc. on Tuesday said a strategy to offer most of online unit AOL's services for free was making faster-than-expected progress in attracting new Internet users and cutting costs. Jeffrey Bewkes, Time Warner's chief operating officer, told investors at a Goldman Sachs media conference that its strategy had attracted new users beyond those who were once paying customers of the online service. Some 40 percent of new users were not former subscribers, Bewkes said. "That means there is demand for AOL beyond the existing base," he said. In addition, subscribers who formerly paid for AOL services were moving to its free services at a quicker rate than originally predicted by AOL management, Bewkes said. Bewkes said advertising sales at AOL were "very robust," without elaborating. Advertising growth would be unlikely to offset a drop in subscription revenue for another year or two but is a more profitable source of revenue, he said. In August, AOL said it aimed to boost its online advertising sales by attracting more users to its services including e-mail, instant messaging and online video by offering most of its services at no charge. It continues to maintain a dial-up Internet access business, but it no longer plans to market the service. AOL, once the reigning king of online services, had lost millions of paying subscribers over the last few years as subscribers defected to providers that offered faster speeds. "People weren't leaving AOL because they didn't like it; they were leaving because they wanted to go to (high-speed) broadband," Bewkes said. By offering it for free, former subscribers who had already relinquished their e-mail accounts are offered an opportunity to come back and reclaim old e-mail addresses. Time Warner shares were up 27 cents, or 1.58 percent, to $17.40 on the New York Stock Exchange in afternoon trading. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:26:42 -0500 From: David Barboza Subject: The Rise of Baidu (That's Chinese for Google) The Rise of Baidu (That's Chinese for Google) By DAVID BARBOZA BEIJING IN the summer of 1998 at a picnic in Silicon Valley, Eric Xu, a 34-year-old biochemist, introduced his shy, reserved friend Robin Li to John Wu, then the head of Yahoo's search engine team. Mr. Li, 30 at the time, was a frustrated staff engineer at Infoseek, an Internet search engine partly owned by Disney, a company whose fading commitment to Infoseek did not mesh with Mr. Li's ongoing passion for search. Like Disney, Mr. Wu and Yahoo were also losing interest in the business prospects of search, and Yahoo 'in a colossal corporate blunder' eventually outsourced all of its search functions to a little startup named Google. Mr. Xu, who had called together some friends for a documentary he was making on Silicon Valley, thought the two search guys would hit it off. Mr. Wu says he exchanged greetings with Robin Li, but what most impressed him was that despite all of the pessimism surrounding search, Mr. Li remained undaunted. "The people at Yahoo didn't think search was all that important, and so neither did I," says Mr. Wu, who is now the chief technology officer at the Chinese Internet company Alibaba.com. "But Robin, he seemed very determined to stick with it. And you have to admire what he accomplished." Indeed. A year after the picnic, in 1999, Mr. Li founded his own search company in China, naming it Baidu (pronounced 'by-DOO'). Today, Baidu has a market value of $3 billion and operates the fourth-most trafficked Web site in the world. And Baidu is doing what no other Internet company has been able to do: clobbering Google and Yahoo in its home market. While Baidu continues to gain market share in China 'and does so with a Web site that the Chinese government heavily censors and that gives priority to advertising rather than relevant search results' some analysts question whether Baidu can withstand competition from Google and Yahoo, which possess superior technology and global work forces. But Baidu's evolution, and Mr. Li's journey as an entrepreneur, offer textbook examples of the payoffs and perils of doing business in China and suggest that Baidu may prove to be far more resilient than some analysts believe. China has a population of 1.3 billion, about 130 million of whom are Internet users, an online market second in size only to the American market. Because China is the world's fastest-growing major economy, analysts consider it the next great Internet battleground, with Baidu uniquely positioned to prosper from that competition. In exchange for letting censors oversee its Web site, Baidu has sealed its dominance with support from the Chinese government, which regularly blocks Google here and imposes strict rules and censorship on other foreign Internet companies. In addition, analysts say, entrepreneurs in China have a knack for pummeling American Internet giants. "The globally dominant U.S. Internet companies have failed to take the No. 1 market share position in any category," says Jason D. Brueschke, a Citigroup analyst, of the Chinese market. "And they came with more money and major brand names. And so there's something fundamentally different about this market." So fundamentally different, Mr. Brueschke believes, that Baidu will retain its hammerlock on the Chinese search industry. "The real battle in the competitive landscape is not about who's No. 1, it's about who's going to be No. 2," he says. Google, of course, will have none of this, stressing the independence of its search results and the international reach it offers users. "People want information and they want global information," says Kaifu Lee, the president of Google in China. "We can't be bought." But Mr. Li says Baidu's model is working supremely well and that the company has built a loyal base of users who value its search capabilities. "At the end of the day, if a user finds relevant information, they'll come back," he says. ON its corporate Web site, Baidu says that it takes its name from a Song Dynasty poem written several centuries ago that "compares the search for a retreating beauty amid chaotic glamour with the search for one's dream while confronted by life's many obstacles." Mr. Li, born Li Yanhong in 1968 in what was then an impoverished city 200 miles southwest of Beijing, is familiar with life's obstacles. The fourth of five children, he grew up during China's brutal Cultural Revolution. Despite the oppression that surrounded him, he said he was always able to focus on stamp collecting, performing traditional opera and other interests, including, eventually, computers. He was bright enough to get into the country's most prestigious school, Beijing University, where he majored in library science and dabbled in computer science. The government infamously cracked down on pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989 when Mr. Li was a sophomore, causing his college campus to be shut down. Mr. Li is mum on the events that followed, saying only that he was apolitical. But he does say that a year later he started thinking of studying abroad and that by the time he graduated in 1991 he was ready to leave his homeland. "China was a depressing place," he says. "I thought there was no hope." He applied to the top three graduate programs in computer science in America, but did not get into any of them (perhaps, he says, because China was considered an also-ran in technology). "I blindly sent out 20 applications," he says. "SUNY Buffalo was the only program willing to give me a fellowship." He enrolled at Buffalo planning to earn a Ph.D. in computer science but grew disillusioned with academia. He completed his master's degree in 1994 and then joined a New Jersey division of Dow Jones & Company, where he helped develop a software program for The Wall Street Journal's online edition. During that time, he also became enamored of the technology boom taking shape in Silicon Valley. He spent much of his time trying to solve one of the Internet industry’s earliest problems: sorting information. A breakthrough came in 1996, he says, when he developed a search mechanism he called 'link analysis', which involved ranking the popularity of a Web site based on how many other Web sites had linked to it. "The moment I created this thing I was very excited," he says. "I told my boss and pushed him. But he wasn't very excited." Soon after, he attended a computer conference in Silicon Valley and set up his own booth to demonstrate his search findings. William I. Chang, then the chief technology officer at Infoseek, met Mr. Li at the conference and recruited him to oversee search engine development. "Robin is possibly the single most brilliant and focused person I know," Mr. Chang says. "And his inventions, now widely adopted, are still the gold standards in Web search relevance." After Disney acquired the small fraction of Infoseek stock it did not already own in 1999, it shifted the company's focus away from search and toward content, leading Mr. Li to form his own Internet company with Eric Xu, who had a Ph.D. in biochemistry and good contacts in Silicon Valley. The partners raised $1.2 million from two Silicon Valley venture capital firms, Integrity Partners and Peninsula Capital, and with their seed money in hand flew to China and founded Baidu in a hotel room overlooking Beijing University's campus. Nine months later, in September 2000, two other venture capital firms, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and IDG Technology Venture, pumped another $10 million into the startup. So it was that on the eve of the Internet bubble bursting in the United States, Baidu took off in China. "When I came back I was prepared for a rough life," Mr. Li says. "It turns out it wasn't so bad." Baidu started out offering search services to other Chinese portals before developing its own stand-alone search engine. Some members of Baidu's board of directors opposed the shift, saying it would turn customers into competitors. But Mr. Li said he sensed a shift in the market after watching the success of Overture, a company in Pasadena, Calif., that sold advertising space correlated with search results (which meant, for example, that ads for dental clinics might pop up next to search results for cavities). "We were skeptical about search," says Scott Walchek, a partner at Integrity Partners and a member of Baidu's board. "But we weren't as smart as Robin. Robin said he had a unique opportunity to build a brand around search. And he was right." In September 2001, Baidu began its own site http://Baidu.com which looked almost exactly like Google's no-frills home page. And even before Google did it, Baidu allowed advertisers to bid for ad space and then pay Baidu every time a customer clicked on an ad. Small and medium-size companies loved it, the site became deluged with traffic and Baidu turned a profit in 2004. By then, Mr. Li was pushing for an initial public offering in the United States, insisting it would be a huge branding event for a company that had come to be called "China's Google." BAIDU went public on Aug. 5, 2005, at $27 a share. When trading ended that day, shares of Baidu closed at $122, up 354 percent, the biggest opening on Nasdaq since the dot-com peak in 2000. Suddenly, Baidu was a $4 billion company and Mr. Li held stock worth more than $900 million. But not everyone cheered. Many analysts said that by almost every measure Baidu’s stock was ridiculously over-valued. It eventually tumbled to as low as $44 before rebounding. On Friday, its shares closed up $3.03 in regular trading, to $87.75, giving the company a market capitalization of about $2.94 billion. At the time of the I.P.O., some critics attacked Baidu's zealousness for ad revenues. They noted, for example, that a Baidu search for the word 'cancer' turned up ads for hospitals that paid for top spots in results rather than returning information on cancer itself. In comparison, Google and Yahoo more clearly separate ads from relevant search results by placing them on the right side of the page. The company's revenue jumped 190 percent in the first half of this year, to $40.9 million; profit soared 550 percent, to $11.7 million. Baidu's Web site is drawing millions of young people eager to download music files, create blogs or search for pictures of China's '10 Most Beautiful Women.' While Baidu is growing fast, its revenue is still anemic compared with Google's, which is expected to top $7 billion this year. Analysts say Baidu is playing to a different audience than Western Internet companies because the Chinese are far more interested in entertainment than news, books or car rental rates. "The fact is 70 percent of China's Internet users are under the age of 30," says Richard Ji, an analyst with Morgan Stanley. "Most of them are single, only children. They're looking for entertainment." That may explain why China's dominant Internet companies are all entertainment focused, like Tencent (which hosts online communities and instant messaging) and Netease and Shanda (which are online gaming sites). Yet no Internet company in China is growing as fast as Baidu, which had more than 50 percent of the pay-per-click market in the first half of year, up from a 37 percent share in the same period a year ago, and according to Analysys, a research firm in Beijing. Google and Yahoo both lost ground, with each company holding 16 percent pay-per-click shares for the first six months of 2006. Still, Baidu faces significant challenges. The company’s stock is in the stratosphere, putting pressure on management to deliver knockout growth every quarter. Google’s shares closed up $5.90 Friday in regular trading, to $409.88, meaning investors pay a hefty $60 for every $1 of profit in the stock, far more than other Internet companies. But Baidu investors pay a whopping $190 for every $1 of profit. Baidu also faces legal challenges, including lawsuits claiming it violates copyright laws on music files. Baidu has been sued over the issue, but continues to provide links to sites that offer music files. The company says it does not believe it should be held responsible for simply offering linking to other sites. In a country rampant with claims of click fraud, a Beijing hospital recently claimed that Baidu orchestrated a scheme in which a Baidu affiliate kept clicking on the hospital's ads to fatten the fees it had to pay Baidu. A Baidu spokeswoman says the company has not reviewed the case, but actively polices click fraud. LOOMING on the horizon are Google and Yahoo. Google says it plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to compete in China, and Yahoo has merged its operations here with Chinese Internet behemoth Alibaba.com. "Google is fierce," Morgan Stanley's Mr. Ji says. "And Alibaba has the best sales force. Baidu could get hurt on the technical side." But the Chinese market is littered with the wreckage of American Internet companies that have failed to dominate here. In 2003, eBay bought the largest Chinese auction company and then lost market share. In 2004, Amazon bought the largest Chinese online merchandiser and then lost market share. Now, the real fight begins. Google, which invested $5 million in Baidu just before its public offering last year, sold that stake for a hefty $60 million in June. And now, Google is building up a huge research team in Beijing, not far from Baidu's headquarters. But analysts say it won't be easy for Google. "The American Internet giants are dominant in the U.S. and dominant in Europe," Mr. Brueschke at Citigroup says. "And then they come to China and fail. And so what I want to know is: What is Google going to do differently?" For his part, Robin Li seems undaunted. "Our traffic keeps increasing," he says confidently. "We're now the No. 1 Web site in China." Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day from New York Times, Christian Science Monitor and National Public Radio, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/nytimes.html ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 19, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:03:01 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 19, 2006 ******************************** Laying the groundwork for change: Managing organisational change http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19963?11228 Organisational culture, often simplistically referred to as "the way things are done," is in fact a complex concept. At the core of the culture lie implicit and explicit perceptions and priorities that influence both overt and covert behavior. Core cultural components are, for example, the way individuals communicate, what is ... FCC AWS Auction Ends at US$13.9 bil. http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19962?11228 The auction of 1,122 licences for spectrum in the 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz bands for the operation of both fixed and mobile services has now closed. Beginning on 10 August, the auction raised a total of US$13.9 billion-US$13.7 billion after discounts -- just shy of the hoped-for US$15.0 billion. With the Federal Communications... BCE Spins Off Telesat with IPO http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19960?11228 Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) today announced that it is to spin off satellite unit Telesat in an IPO of non-voting stock in Canada and the United States. A preliminary prospectus and a registration statement have been filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators filing system (SEDAR) and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.... Motorola to Buy Symbol Technologies for $3.9 Billion http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19954?11228 CHICAGO -- Motorola Inc. said Tuesday it will acquire Symbol Technologies Inc. for about $3.9 billion (E3.08 billion) in a deal that expands the world's second-largest cellphone maker's presence in the market for business-oriented mobile devices. The deal for Symbol, which makes portable bar-code scanners and customized ... Emap to Provide Content for BT's New Internet-based TV Service http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19951?11228 LONDON -- Magazine and radio group Emap PLC signed a deal Tuesday to provide music programs for a new Internet-based TV service from BT Group PLC. BT said that the agreement offers it access to a range of music channels built around Emap's print, radio and press brands including the magazines Q, Kerrang!, FHM and Smash Hits,... Is It Back To The Drawing Board For Pending Telecom Reform? http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19948?11228 The number of senators doubting the passage of telecom legislation this session continues to grow. We only have three weeks, said Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.), featured this past weekend on C-SPAN's "The Communicators" show (which will encore tonight at 8 p.m. on C-SPAN 2.) Noting that some lawmakers are ... Freescale's Silicon Sell-Off http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19945?11228 On a big day for bidding wars in the wireless sector, chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor Inc. could be at the center of one right now, according to a research note from UBS AG . Motorola spinoff Freescale has already agreed to a deal that would see it bought by The Blackstone Group for $17.6 billion. UBS, however, notes that the ... Base Station Sales Will Remain Strong but Decline Looms After 2008 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19938?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- September 18, 2006 - Revenue from sales of cellular base stations will remain strong through 2008, reports In-Stat. But, by 2009, base station revenue will begin a steep decline. Spending on cellular base stations by cellular service providers these last few years has been untypical, as spending on ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: kevin.gordon@gmail.com Subject: Avaya D6200 Series Phone Date: 18 Sep 2006 22:38:02 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hey There, I recently bought a D6208+ Avaya VoIP phone off of EBay. The previous owner of the phone had set a programming password on the phone itself. Without having to SNMP into the phone how can I reset the admin password? Is there a default one? The only option I have available in my Menu Function Key is for Directory. The last owner must have locked out the other features. I'm tinkering with the phone to setup a small VoIP network for educational purposes (I'm majoring in E-Business in College). Does anyone have any suggestions on how to reset the phone ? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:33:22 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead " Subject: Wireless Auction Brings in Record $13.9B USTelecom dailyLead September 19, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/evxofDtusXcOcebVzj TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Wireless auction brings in record $13.9B BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Microsoft launches Web-video service * Motorola buys Symbol * Report: Mobile VoIP revenues to top fixed VoIP's by 2012 USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Deploying a Converged IP Network Thursday, Sept. 21, 1:00 p.m. (ET) TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Report: Worldwide DSL use surges * Conference calling on the rise as companies seek to trim costs REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * DHS names technology lobbyist to cybersecurity post DIVERSIONS * Broadway Weighs Plan to Reward Frequent Theatergoers * BlackBerry Adds Diversions, Counting on Sales * A Pinch of Retro Spices Up Fiat's Classic Italian Recipe * A College Savings Plan With One Less Worry * Footsteps: Wallace Stegner's Mexico Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/evxofDtusXcOcebVzj ------------------------------ From: harold@hallikainen.com Subject: Re: How to Spam Cell Phones Date: 19 Sep 2006 05:35:30 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com TELECOM Digest Editor noted: > that stuff go nowhere. The big thing now, it seems, is to send members > of E-Bay's community 'partial' letters of complaint, with a link > address to click on to respond. The partial letter says something like > "That gizmo you sold me; when are you going to deliver it?" and the > partial letter always goes on to say "E-Bay takes this complaint very > seriously. Please respond direct to this member if you wish to retain > your good standing with E-Bay." etcetera. How big a thing is 'big > thing'? Oh, I get anywhere from 50 to 75 of them each time I log on > here. I finally relented and answered just one of them the other day; > I used the 'f-word' in every form I could think of using it; as a > verb, a noun, a preposition, an adjective, an adverb, you name it. And > I did not bother to sign it. I sent my reply as an independent > email to the site named prior to the cgi-bin which included ebay in > the end of it. I did not get a futher reply from the goofus who sent > it out to me, but I did conclude by telling him I hoped he felt my > 'customer service' had been good. Those people are really beginning to > make me get very angry. PAT] I get those too, along with lots of stock pump and dump image spam. On the ebay stuff, I don't think it's sent by ebay members. Instead, it's just a phishing attack. They use ebay since it's so popular, and it's more likely someone is to have an account there than at some particular bank. I just send ALL spam that gets past my spamcop blacklist and spam assassin filters to spamcop.net . It automatically generates complaints to the appropriate isps (those where the email originated and those hosting referenced sites) and adds the originating email server to the blacklist, which then causes MTAs to reject future emails during the connection phase. Harold ------------------------------ From: Joshua Putnam Subject: Re: How to Spam Cell Phones Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:00:56 -0700 TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, I can tell you this much: if it > is something E-Bay is selling, I would generally stay away from it. > That is, unless you want even more spam as a result. I have purchased > _ONE_ item via E-Bay in my lifetime, a cellular phone which was not > all that great, and I have been spammed ever since. > The big thing now, it seems, is to send members > of E-Bay's community 'partial' letters of complaint, with a link > address to click on to respond. The partial letter says something like > "That gizmo you sold me; when are you going to deliver it?" and the > partial letter always goes on to say "E-Bay takes this complaint very > seriously. Please respond direct to this member if you wish to retain > your good standing with E-Bay." etcetera. For what it's worth, I get those eBay-related spams in equal volume at email addresses that have never been used for eBay as I do at the one address that's eBay-registered. I suspect the spammers just send them to everyone, figuring enough people do use eBay that they might as well try. Same reason I get spoofs claiming to be banks I've never heard of or insurance companies in foreign countries. It's easier to spam everyone than to target the attack. josh@phred.org is Joshua Putnam http://www.phred.org/~josh/ Braze your own bicycle frames. See http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But, to Josh and Harold, what I said in my earlier note was that I _agree_ with both of you and with e-Bay. That company is not the source of the spam (except for their carelessness in leaving their customer list open for people to look at) and that the cheap, shoddy spam being sent out; but where most such establishments (including their own PayPal unit) reserve the email address 'spoof@' as a way to quickly cut-and-paste up that offensive crapola to send to their investigators, E-Bay does not even do that much. They use 'spam@ebay.com' for some other purpose entirely. At least PayPal makes an effort to confront those fools and close them down. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #339 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Sep 21 00:37:08 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id DFAE6224F; Thu, 21 Sep 2006 00:37:07 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #340 Message-Id: <20060921043707.DFAE6224F@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 00:37:07 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 21 Sep 2006 00:35:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 340 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson FCC Says Boston Airport Authorities Cannot Stop Broadband (Jeremy Pelofsky) Firefox Now Allows Anonymous Web Surfing (Jeremy Kirk, IDG) When Public and Private Collide (BBC News Wire) BellSouth Inks Deals to Market Triple-Play (USTelecom dailyLead) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 20, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Needing to Make Contact With Lisa Hancock (TELECOM Digest Editor) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 21:01:22 -0500 From: Jeremy Pelofsky Subject: FCC Says Boston Airport Authorities Cannot Stop Airline's Broadband FCC seen backing airline's broadband at Logan By Jeremy Pelofsky Boston airport authorities cannot stop Continental Airlines from offering wireless Internet service in its frequent flier lounge under a proposed Federal Communications Commission ruling, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. The Massachusetts Port Authority, or Massport, instructed airlines in 2005 to unplug their wireless and wireline high-speed Internet access in frequent flier lounges at Boston-Logan International Airport and use the fee-based system the airport was launching. Continental petitioned the FCC to keep its free service running and was later supported by wireless service providers, other airlines and package delivery service United Parcel Service. Massport contends the rival services would interfere with its network offered at Logan, raise safety concerns, and violate lease agreements. But FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed backing Continental's request, said the sources, who include telecommunications lawyers. The proposed ruling favoring Continental has been sent to the four other FCC commissioners for a vote, the sources said. Martin would have to win the support of at least two commissioners for it to pass. An FCC spokeswoman declined to comment. Massport officials were not immediately available for comment. "We are optimistic that the FCC will confirm Continental's right, consistent with the agency's existing rules, to continue providing free Wi-Fi service to Continental customers at Logan and other airports," said Continental spokesman Dave Messing. If Continental wins, the FCC ruling could serve as a precedent for other airlines and Internet service providers to offer airport Internet access, often sought by business travelers. Wireless communications provider T-Mobile USA withdrew its service from American Airlines' lounge at Boston airport as a result of the Massport demand. Continental offers the Internet access to members of its frequent flier club for free and told the FCC that the cost for using the Massport system was "unknown and potentially higher than what it costs Continental to operate its own antenna." The airlines and wireless providers cited the FCC's Over-the-Air Reception Devices regulations as the justification for allowing them to offer the Wi-Fi service. Massport countered that those regulations do not authorize Continental's service. It told the FCC that the airline's system has already caused interference with other users at the airport. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 21:04:58 -0500 From: Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Subject: Firefox Now Allows Anonymous Web Surfing Tweaked Firefox Lets You Surf Internet Without a Trace Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service A tweaked version of Firefox that makes Web browsing anonymous has been released by a group of privacy-minded coders. Every few minutes, the Torpark browser causes a computer's IP address to appear to change. IP addresses are numeric identifier given to computers on the Internet. The number can be used along with other data to potentially track down a user, as many Web sites keep track of IP addresses. Hackers Promote Privacy Torpark's creators, a group of computer security gurus and privacy experts named Hactivismo, said they want to expand privacy rights on the Internet as new technologies increasingly collect online data. The browser is free to download at torpark.nfshost.com. It's a modified version of Portable Firefox, an optimized version of the browser that can be run off a USB memory stick on a computer. The Torpark browser uses encryption to send data over The Onion Router, a worldwide network of servers nicknamed "Tor" set up to transfer data to one another in a random, obscure fashion. Internet traffic, such as Web site requests, carries information on where it came from and where it's going. But that's muddled using Tor, which has been endorsed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and is hard to trace back to a source. Encryption Still Important One minor downside is that surfing with Torpark is slower than with a typical browser over the same connection. Torpark cautions that data sent from the last Tor server to the Web site is encrypted. Since only the user's connection is anonymous, Torpark advises that sensitive data such as username and passwords should only be used when the browser displays a golden padlock, a sign that a Web site is using encryption. Torpark's user interface appears similar to Firefox with a few changes. It shows the current IP address that would be seen by Web sites in the lower right hand corner, and features a special "Flush Tor" button to reset a new, random server connection. A test of Torpark using a computer in London employed IP addresses of servers registered in Berlin and Madison, Wisconsin. Copyright 2006 PC World Communications, Inc. For more news and headlines please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 22:50:30 -0500 From: Bill Thompson, BBC Subject: When Public and Private Collide By Bill Thompson, BBC World Service News There is a growing need to develop technologies that help us tackle the problem of trust online, says regular commentator Bill Thompson. Most of the discussions about Craigslist, the phenomenally successful classified ad website that started over 10 years ago in the US, A concentrate on the job ads and accommodation listings and how they are challenging existing advertisers. But the site is also used extensively for personal ads of all sorts, including many from people looking for sex with no complications. The ads, some of them very explicit, can be found in the "casual encounters" area of the personals section, behind a warning notice designed to deter children or the easily offended. Hide and seek In early September Jason Fortuny, a web designer and network administrator from Seattle, took an apparently real ad from one Craigslist site and posted it in the Seattle "casual encounters" section. The advert was from a woman looking for a man. Within a day he had 178 responses, many with photos. At which point he posted them all onto a public website, complete with the photos, e-mail and IM addresses and even mobile phone numbers. He has since asked people to help him identify those respondents who were more cautious about revealing themselves in their e-mails, presumably so he can humiliate them further online. In the end the question is one of trust, and of understanding what levels of trust are appropriate in different areas of our lives, on and offline. Some of the men who contacted Fortuny were married. Some used their work e-mail addresses or attached nude photos of themselves. Many of them said things that they would not want friends, family, co-workers or even casual acquaintances to know, and all of that information is now available on a public, and widely publicised, website. Fortuny calls his exploit "The Craigslist Experiment", but of course it is not an "experiment" at all since it has long been clear to anyone who cares to think about it that few net users have any real understanding of the degree to which they expose themselves when they go online. Privacy row The recent furore over AOL's ill-considered release of the search terms entered by its customers, and the ease with which people could be tracked down just by what they were looking for, showed this clearly. All Fortuny has done is show how far things can go, and in the process he has probably ruined the lives of dozens of people. Some of them will probably sue him, since although the US has no real privacy law "publication of non-newsworthy, private facts about an individual that would be highly offensive to a reasonable person" is grounds for legal action. Some may be planning more direct action against him. Wired News blogger Ryan Singel has called him "sociopathic", and although some of those commenting on Fortuny's blog think what he has done is "cool" in some way, the general feeling is that he has gone too far. I agree. He has acted in a despicable manner, and deserves whatever legal action is coming his way. He also deserves to be ostracised by the online communities he was so clearly seeking to impress. We didn't need to know about his experiment to understand that the net creates new possibilities for public exposure. And we certainly don't need to give Fortuny credit for his cheap trick. After all, this was the week in which Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg apologised publicly for messing with his users' privacy and getting it wrong at the massively popular social networking site he created. The problems arose when a recent site overhaul introduced a "news feed" feature which instantly notified users when anything changed in their contacts' profiles, including when they made new friends, joined or left groups or changed relationship status. The user community, mostly US college students, didn't like this at all since while all the information that was visible in the feed had been available to anyone who cared to look for it, bringing it into one place left them feeling exposed. As a result of the protests Facebook has made some changes, giving users more control over what information other people can see in their feeds, and this may be enough to defuse the criticism. And the incident has done a lot more to raise general awareness of online privacy, at far less cost, than Fortuny's exploits. Life lesson Privacy breaches occur all the time, of course. Sometimes it is malice, sometimes it is poor decision making, and sometimes it's incompetence. Over the weekend Linden Lab, creators of the popular and increasingly hip virtual world Second Life, revealed that its account database had been compromised and details of more than 600,000 accounts were exposed. Account names, real names and contact details, but not credit card information, were all visible. And the net's not the only place where personal details can leak out. The board of Hewlett-Packard is still coping with the revelation that old-fashioned surveillance methods were used by chairwoman Patricia Dunn, who used private investigators to get phone records for her fellow board members and a number of journalists after details of internal discussions appeared in the press. In the end the question is one of trust, and of understanding what levels of trust are appropriate in different areas of our lives, on and offline. Sadly, however, the answer seems to be that anyone using the network should trust no one. An e-mail sent to a girlfriend or boyfriend may be circulated widely if the relationship breaks up; a seemingly trustworthy company may have bad internal practices and expose you to identity theft; the person you think you're chatting to on IM could be an impostor or even your colleague's young child -- ask my friend Simon about this one. But we cannot live in such a world and we should not have to. As society developed from small groups where everyone was known to everyone else we found new ways to make connections and establish appropriate levels of trust. We'll need to work hard, and fast, to find ways to make online contacts work too. Otherwise we'll fall for scam after scam and expose ourselves to humiliation or blackmail again and again. And we'll fall for the oldest tricks in the book, like those who wanted to believe in YouTube icon Lonelygirl15, who claimed to be a precociously astute home-schooled sixteen year-old in her posted videos and turns out to be an "art project" with links to Hollywood. While the deceit may get someone a production deal or a show on an obscure cable channel, it shows yet again that you simply can't believe what you read or see online without some real evidence. Bill Thompson is a regular commentator on the BBC World Service programme Digital Planet Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/5335054.stm Copyright 2006 BBC NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/BBC.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:48:52 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: BellSouth Inks Deals to Market Triple-Play USTelecom dailyLead September 20, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ewgUfDtusXcQAWixNX TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * BellSouth inks deals to market triple-play services BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * DirecTV mulls broadband investment * AT&T to provide broadband network to Kansas school district, signs MPLS d= eal with Sur La Table * YouTube gets cash, credibility from Cingular deal * Disney says iTunes movie sales reach $1M in first week USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Deploying a Converged IP Network Tomorrow, Sept. 21, 1:00 p.m. (ET) TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Iowa telecoms eye triple play for rural customers * Skype-compatible products let users roam freely REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Tech manufacturers taking stand against Net neutrality * AG urges tougher data-retention laws for ISPs * Auction over, spectrum use on industry's mind DIVERSIONS * A Spork With an Added Edge * A Journey Through Forests and a Sense of Regret * Life Is Better; It Isn't Better. Which Is It? * A Chip That Can Transfer Data Using Laser Light * A Hedge Fund's Loss Rattles Nerves Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ewgUfDtusXcQAWixNX ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 20, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:02:29 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 20, 2006 ******************************** Vodafone Dials into Ericsson for HSDPA http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19987?11228 Ericsson has confirmed that it is involved in the roll-out of Vodafone U.K.'s HSDPA network, Dow Jones reports. Earlier in the year, Vodafone had announced plans to roll-out an HSDPA network, but failed to name the network supplier. In a statement yesterday, Ericsson said it would provide HSDPA equipment and services for Vodafone ... Moscow Court Again Supports VimpelCom's Far-Eastern Licence Application http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19984?11228 Moscow's Arbitration Court has ruled that Russia's State Radio Frequency Commission must consider VimpelCom's application for frequencies in the country's Far Eastern Federal District. The Commission now has 14 days to consider the operator's application. The decision comes after VimpelCom filed a lawsuit in July ... Cingular to Sponsor Online Battle of Band http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/19981?11228 SAN FRANCISCO -- Cingular Wireless LLC has agreed to sponsor an online battle of the bands on YouTube Inc., providing the Internet's most watched video site with a cash infusion as the rapidly growing startup tries to prove it will be able to parlay its popularity into profits. Financial terms of the deal, scheduled to ... Sprint Aims for More Secure Handsets http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19977?11228 Sprint Nextel introduced Sprint Mobile Security, a service designed to deliver an end-to-end security management for mobile handhelds, as well as laptops. Mobile Armor powers the newly launched service, which is targeted at enterprises. The service was constructed to protect data by enforcing password policies across all devices ... Gov't Lawyers Blast Telecom Bill's State Pre-Emptions http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19975?11228 At least 41 attorneys general have told the U.S. Congress they 'strongly oppose' provisos in pending telecom legislation that would, in their opinions, pre-empt states from enforcing consumer-protection laws applicable to wireless carriers and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers. In a seven-page letter ... Schoolin' Endpoints http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19972?11228 Security startup Network Chemistry Inc. has jazzed up its WiFi endpoint security software so its sensors can deal with more incidents simultaneously. The new release of the firm's RFprotect Distributed system means that Network Chemistry's hardware sensors can now stop dozens of rogue devices from connecting to a user's ... Big Guns Dominate Spectrum Auction http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/19969?11228 Six weeks after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began auctioning off a huge new batch of wireless spectrum, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless, and a consortium of Sprint Nextel Corp. and leading cable operators have emerged as the biggest winners. Cingular Wireless LLC and MetroPCS Inc. also scored highly in the ... Despite its Critics, Muni-Wireless Broadband Systems Growing http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/19966?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Worldwide deployments of municipal wireless networks for public Internet access will continue at a rapid pace over the next few years, with the US leading the way. The total worldwide market will reach 248 deployments by the end of 2006, and will grow to over 1,500 by the end of 2010, according to In-Stat ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Subject: Looking for Lisa Hancock Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 00:24:31 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) It is rather important I get a chance to speak ASAP with Lisa Hancock, at the email address hancock4. Her incoming mail to the Digest has been acting up -- rather severely -- of late, and she apparently does not receieve or read email at the address used to send her things to the Digest (which is the only address I have for her). If she sees this, I would appreciate her either writing me in email or telephoning me about the difficulty. Thanks. PAT ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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. 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End of TELECOM Digest V25 #340 ****************************** From prvs=telecom-owner+M2789=ptownson=massis.lcs.mit.edu=0413da93e4@telecom-digest.org Fri Sep 22 16:31:12 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: from xuxa.iecc.com (xuxa.iecc.com [208.31.42.42]) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix) with SMTP id 1AF6621F6 for ; Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:30:45 -0400 (EDT) Received: (qmail 24251 invoked by uid 85); 22 Sep 2006 20:28:38 -0000 Received: (qmail 24021 invoked from network); 22 Sep 2006 20:28:34 -0000 Received: from massis.lcs.mit.edu (128.31.0.14) by mail2.iecc.com with SMTP; 22 Sep 2006 20:28:33 -0000 Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix) id 4B10D220D; Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:28:32 -0400 (EDT) Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 61D2721F6; Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:28:31 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #341 Message-Id: <20060922202831.61D2721F6@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:28:31 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Reply-To: telecom@telecom-digest.org List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Unsubscribe: (Use this command to get off the list) List-Subscribe: (Use this command to join the list) List-Post: List-Owner: (Contact Person for Help) List-ID: X-Loop: majordomo Precedence: bulk Sender: telecom-owner@telecom-digest.org Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:30:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 341 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Commerce Department Loses 1,137 Laptops (Douglass K. Daniel, AP) Google Loses Appeal on Posting Court Ruling (Reuters News Wire) Telecom Update #547, September 22, 2006 (John Riddell) School Teacher Sues Students Over Bogus MySpace Page (Express-News) Googling For ATM Master Passwords (Monty Solomon) Modem/Fax Keeps Timing Out (captainido@gmail.com) TelecomDirect News Daily Update-September 21, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) TelecomDirect News Daily Update-September 22, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Urgent Advisory: New Malware Attack Exploiting I.E. 6 (TerraWorld Help) AOL France Sold to Neuf Cegetel (USTelecom dailyLead) Verizon to Offer Local Content via FiOS (USTelecom dailyLead) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 22:10:44 -0500 From: Douglass K. Daniel Subject: Commerce Department Loses 1,137 Laptops By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer The Commerce Department has lost 1,137 laptop computers since 2001, most of them assigned to the Census Bureau, officials said Thursday night. The Census Bureau, the main collector of information about Americans, lost 672 computers. Of those, 246 contained some personal data, the department said in a statement. However, no personal information from any of the missing computers has been known to have been improperly used, the department said. The number of people affected by the equipment losses could not be determined, the department said. "All of the equipment that was lost or stolen contained protections to prevent a breach of personal information," said Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez. "The amount of missing computers is high, but fortunately, the vulnerability for data misuse is low." More than 30,000 laptops were used within the department's 15 operating unit since 2001, the department said, and a total of 1,137 were stolen or missing. Fifteen handheld devices used to record survey data for testing processes in preparation for the 2010 Census also were lost, the department said. The department was in the process of contacting the 558 households with data recorded on the missing devices, although because of encryption technology, the risk of data misuse was considered low, it said. A half-dozen other federal agencies or departments have reported data thefts and security breaches involving personal information in the last six months. The Veterans Affairs Department suffered the biggest loss with the theft in May of a laptop and external drive containing information for 26.5 million veterans and active-duty troops. Burglars stole the equipment from the home of a Veterans Affairs employee, but the computer was later recovered and showed no signs of having been accessed for the personal data. Other government departments reporting the loss of computers with personal information include the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services and Transportation. The Federal Trade Commission also has lost laptops with sensitive data. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td_extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:16:13 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 547: September 22, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca/home/Home_Business.page ** BIG PIPE: www.bigpipeinc.com ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.com/canada/telecom/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** VoIP E9-1-1 Plan Approved ** Consumers Object to Bell Rate Increase ** Public Speaks on Govt Telecom Policy Plan ** Search Under Way for New CRTC Chair ** Globalive Buying Yak Communications ** BCE Files Prospectus for Telesat Shares ** B.C. Islands to Get Broadband Link ** Mobile Industry Group to Fight Pollution ** Cablecos' Premium VoIP Service Not for Resale ** Some Small CLECs Excused from Equal Access ** AT&T Insources 2,000 Jobs ** Bell Aliant Bids to Expand TV Licence ** Bell to Move 2,000 Toronto Employees to Mississauga ** Ottawa Startup Acquired by Telco Systems ** 50 Years of Overseas Cable VoIP E9-1-1 PLAN APPROVED: The CRTC has approved a recommendation from the CISC Emergency Services Working Group that VoIP E9-1-1 in Canada be based on the "i2" standard developed by the US-based National Emergency Number Association. (See Telecom Update #511) ** Within six months the EWSG must submit a functional architecture for implementing this solution, including the roles and responsibilities of all emergency services industry participants. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-60.htm http://www.crtc.gc.ca/public/cisc/es/ESRE0042.doc CONSUMERS OBJECT TO BELL RATE INCREASE: The CRTC has so far received nearly 1,000 emails from consumers responding to the proposal by Bell and Bell Aliant to increase local rates by 80 cents while eliminating connection charges for new and moving customers. Most oppose the plan. (See Telecom Update #537, 541) ** Telus has filed a similar proposal, which would result in local rate increases in B.C. and Alberta of up to 5%. The CRTC says it will consider the Telus and Bell proposals together, and will issue revised timelines for PN 2006-11. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2006/8661/c12_200610057.htm#4b http://www.crtc.gc.ca/public/8740/2006/t42/666886.zip ** A national survey commissioned by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in September found that about 2/3 of residential customers believe connection charges should be paid by the person moving, not spread across all customers. PUBLIC SPEAKS ON GOVT TELECOM POLICY PLAN: Over 50 organizations and individuals have submitted comments on Ottawa's proposal to direct the CRTC to "rely on market forces to the maximum extent feasible and regulate ... in a manner that interferes with market forces to the minimum extent necessary." (See Telecom Update #534) ** The submissions are posted on the Web at http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/en/sf08689e.html SEARCH UNDER WAY FOR NEW CRTC CHAIR: Speculation is growing about possible replacements for CRTC Chair Charles Dalfen, whose term expires at the end of 2006. Frequently mentioned candidates include telecom lawyer Hank Intven, ex-CBC president Perrin Beatty, CRTC Vice-Chair Richard French, former CRTC Vice-Chair Fernand Belisle, and Alain Gourd. GLOBALIVE BUYING YAK COMMUNICATIONS: The directors of Yak Communications have approved Toronto-based Globalive Communications' bid to purchase the company for US$67.7 million. The deal requires shareholder and regulatory approval. ** Yak reports a net loss of US$365,000 for the year ended June 30, compared to a $4.8 million profit the previous year. Revenue was unchanged at $92.4 million. BCE FILES PROSPECTUS FOR TELESAT SHARES: BCE has filed documents required to offer US$400 million worth of non-voting stock in Telesat. BCE would retain 100% voting control. (See Telecom Update #544) B.C. ISLANDS TO GET BROADBAND LINK: Telus has signed a contract with the Gwaii Trust Society to build "the world's longest over-water radio Internet transmission" link from Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands). The 115-kilometer link is part of a Telus-B.C. government project to bring high-speed Internet to 119 rural and remote communities. MOBILE INDUSTRY GROUP TO FIGHT POLLUTION: European cellphone makers and carriers have formed a group to improve the environmental performance of mobile phones and to encourage phone recycling. The group includes Nokia, Motorola, Panasonic, France Telecom/Orange, Vodafone, TeliaSonera AB, Intel, Epson, Spansion, and Umicore. CABLECOS' PREMIUM VoIP SERVICE NOT FOR RESALE: Denying an application by Cybersurf, the CRTC says that cablecos do not have to provide competitors with wholesale access to their managed VoIP telephony service. (See Telecom Update #509) ** The Commission also ruled that Shaw Communications does not have to allow competitors to resell its "Quality of Service Enhancement," as there is no evidence that the QSE= service gives Shaw's traffic any preference. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-61.htm SOME SMALL CLECs EXCUSED FROM EQUAL ACCESS: CRTC Telecom Decision 2006-58 says CLECs that offer local VoIP services through a reseller and that have fewer than 10,000 telephone subscribers do not have to provide equal access to long distance carriers. However, they must comply with all other CLEC obligations. (See Telecom Update #497) http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-58.htm AT&T INSOURCES 2,000 JOBS: Bucking a major trend in telecom, AT&T Inc. says that about 2,000 previously outsourced jobs will be brought in-house by the end of 2008. The jobs provide technical support to AT&T DSL customers. BELL ALIANT BIDS TO EXPAND TV LICENCE: Bell Aliant has asked the CRTC to expand its broadcasting distribution licence to include Fredericton and the surrounding area. Deadline for comments: October 24. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2006/pb2006-121.htm BELL TO MOVE 2,000 TORONTO EMPLOYEES TO MISSISSAUGA: Bell Canada plans to move 2,000 of its 12,000 Toronto employees to Mississauga by the end of 2008. The Mississauga facility, with 7,000 employees, will then be Bell's largest. OTTAWA STARTUP ACQUIRED BY TELCO SYSTEMS: Critical Telecom, an Ottawa-based startup that manufactures ADSL2+ equipment for carriers, has been acquired by Telco Systems, a U.S. subsidiary of Israeli data networking developer BATM Advanced Communications. Terms of the acquisition were not announced. 50 YEARS OF OVERSEAS CABLE: 50 years ago, on September 25, 1956, the first transatlantic telephone cable went live. The 2,000-mile link between Scotland and Newfoundland was a joint project between AT&T (50%), the British Post Office (40%), and the Canadian Overseas Telecommunications Corporation (10%). COTC was later privatized and renamed Teleglobe. ** Before TAT1 was installed, overseas calls were carried by radio: it often took hours to set up a call, and sound quality was unreliable. The new cable could handle 36 simultaneous calls with much improved sound quality. Call setup, which still required operator assistance, took about 10 minutes. ** The new cable, which took three years to install, carried close to 300,000 calls in its first year. HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca 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 late Friday afternoon each week at http://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 2006 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. 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: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:26:49 -0500 From: San Antonio Express-News Subject: School Teacher Sues Students Over Bogus MySpace Page A high school assistant principal is suing two students and their parents, alleging the teens set up a Web page on MySpace.com in her name and posted obscene comments and pictures. Anna Draker, an assistant principal at Clark High School, is claiming defamation, libel, negligence and negligent supervision over the page on the popular free-access Web site. Draker claims two 16-year-olds, a junior and a sophomore, created the page using her name and picture and wrote it as through Draker herself had posted the information, according to Draker's attorney, Murphy Klasing. Draker found out in April that someone had created a page on MySpace. It had been up about a month before she discovered it. The site falsely identified Draker as a lesbian. Klasing said Draker, who is married and has small children, was "devastated." MySpace.com removed the page when Draker told them it wasn't hers. One of the students also is facing criminal felony charges. Bexar County Assistant District Attorney Jill Mata would not release information about the case, but confirmed that juvenile charges are pending against a local high school student involving retaliation and fraudulent use of identifying information. Both are third-degree felonies. Draker is suing for an unspecified amount for damages for emotional distress, mental anguish, lost wages and court costs. Information from: San Antonio Express-News, http://www.mysanantonio.com Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 15:01:46 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Googling for ATM Master Passwords Googling for ATM Master Passwords By Ryan Naraine September 21, 2006 Using clues obtained from a YouTube video and a simple four-word Google search engine query, a criminal can find step-by-step instructions for how to hack into and take control of thousands of ATMs scattered around the United States. Following up on a CNN report out of Virginia Beach, Va., here as a YouTube video, that a man reprogrammed an ATM at a gas station to dispense $20 bills instead of $5 bills, a New York-based security researcher did some old-fashioned online sleuthing and discovered that the operator manual for that specific model of ATM could be legally obtained in about 15 minutes. Dave Goldsmith, founder and president of penetration testing outfit Matasano Security, in New York, did not say how he obtained the operator manual-which contains master passwords and other sensitive security information about the cash-dispensing machines-but an eWEEK investigation shows that a simple Google query will return a 102-page PDF file that provides a road map to the hack. Goldsmith, a respected researcher who co-founded @Stake and previously led Symantec's Security Academy, said he traced clues from the video to identify the make and model of the ATM, a Tranax Mini-Bank 1500 Series, and started an experiment to see how easy it would be to legally obtain an operator manual. In an interview with eWEEK, Goldsmith said he first dug around on Tranax Technologies' Web site and found a knowledge base article that mentioned that the ATM is programmed with passwords that can be found in the operator's manual. ... http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2018674,00.asp ------------------------------ From: captainido@gmail.com Subject: Modem/Fax Keeps Timing Out Date: 21 Sep 2006 06:54:05 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com We are experiencing problems with a fax server that we wrote in .NET/C#. The server sends and receive faxes, either through multiple modems or one single modem that is used for both outgoing and incoming. The server works perfectly well with all of our clients -- except one. This one client receives a "Time out during send/receive" error for 25% of all incoming faxes; outgoing faxes work fine. The client uses one modem for both incoming and outgoing faxes. The line they use is a DSL line and has a filter that splits the line to the fax-modem and the DSL modem. So far, we have tried the follwing: 1. replaced the modem 5 times. Currently we are down to U.S Robotics 56k ext fax-modem. 2. checked the local phone company for line noises -- the line is fine. 3. replaced the DSL filters with brand new ones. 4. changed INIT strings on the modem several times. We are now using the same init string which is used by another client with the same modem -- and this other client receives errors only 5% of the time. 5. Replaced the computer that the modem was on. 6. Installed WinFax on the same machine and tried sending faxes to it -- the same problem happened. I must emphasized that we only tried this once, with one specific caller who kept failing to send faxes to this client. ... but alas, the problem still persists. One strange characteristic of this problem, is that the errors come from specific senders: once someone gets an error sending a fax to this client, they can keep trying all they want, but the error will keep happening. Does anyone know of a specific problem with mixing Fax/DSL lines? does anyone know of problems sending faxes from regular fax machines to computerized systems, perhaps specifically under DSL lines? If so, is this something we could resolve with different init strings? ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 21, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 11:54:24 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 21, 2006 ******************************** U.K. Regulator Slams EU Plans for Internet TV http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20019?11228 Ofcom has become the latest critic of the EU plan to regulate video content on the internet, warning that it would have a dire impact on Europe's internet TV, mobile multimedia, and online gaming industries. Earlier in the year, the EU had launched a major review of the 1989 'Television without Frontiers' (TWF) directive, ... Time Warner to Sell AOL France Internet Business to Neuf Cegetel for About $365 Million http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/20008?11228 NEW YORK -- Time Warner Inc. said it agreed to sell AOL France's Internet access business to Neuf Cegetel, a French telecommunications network operator, for about $365 million (E287.95 million) in cash. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, Neuf Cegetel will acquire AOL's Internet access business in France, including ... A Blackberry With a Camera http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20004?11228 Tap-happy BlackBerry users will soon be able to press another button with their overworked fingers -- a shutter button. The new RIM BlackBerry Pearl is the first BlackBerry to offer a 1.3-megapixel camera. The device also supplies music and video playback, expandable memory, a mapping application, EDGE support and Bluetooth ... New Wireless Devices Unveiled http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20003?11228 Several new wireless devices are hitting the market. In the category of new wireless handsets, T-Mobile USA introduced a new ultra-slim offering from Samsung, while Nokia unveiled a new 3G video phone and Motorola debuted a new fixed wireless phone. Meanwhile, Sprint Nextel announced an updated BlackBerry device from Research In Motion ... Verizon GNOSC Monitors, Supports Gov't Managed Services http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20001?11228 Verizon Business cut the ribbon to its new Government Network Operations and Security Center (GNOSC), which the carrier division says is 'dedicated to supporting the unique security and operational requirements of its federal government customers.' The GNOSC, located in Washington, D.C.'s Northern Virginia suburbs, ... Moto's Symbolic Convergence http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19999?11228 Motorola Inc.'s planned $3.9 billion acquisition of Symbol Technologies Inc. will give the firm more pieces to help it complete the enterprise fixed/mobile convergence puzzle. The world's second largest cellphone maker is already working on dualmode handsets to allow end-users to switch between WiFi and cellular ... Carriers: Show Me the (Optical) Startups http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/19995?11228 DALLAS -- Optical Expo 2006 -- Venture capitalists, get your wallets out. Service providers at a panel here today say there is still a need for more innovation in optical networking equipment. In a panel discussion on optical networking trends and tribulations, representatives from DynamicCity Inc. , Level 3 Communications Inc., ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 22, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 11:52:50 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 22, 2006 ******************************** Ericsson Wins Contract for Deutsche Telekom Optical Network Upgrade http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20042?11228 Germany's fixed-line incumbent has selected the Swedish vendor Ericsson to provide its DWDM optical technology for a planned network upgrade. Deutsche Telekom's broadband and fixed-line unit, T-Com, expects to upgrade its metropolitan and regional networks in Germany. Under the terms of the contract, Ericsson will deliver its ... Net Neutrality and Telco TV Telecoms Bill Looks Shaky http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/20038?11228 The Advanced Telecommunications and Opportunities Reform Act currently before legislators looks set to run into more problems as Senator Ted Stevens, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, has announced that it is currently short of the 60 votes required to keep the bill from filibuster. A filibuster could fatally delay its passage ... Motorola to Sell CellPhones Via Machine http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/20035?11228 CHICAGO -- Shoppers craving the latest Motorola Inc. cell phones and accessories will be able to buy them at automated sales machines being installed in nearly two dozen malls and airports nationwide. The vending machine-like 'Instantmoto' stores will sell 12 kinds of phones and 18 accessories, said Bob Many,... Dutch State to Sell Remaining 8 Percent Stake in KPN http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/20033?11228 AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- The Dutch government said Friday it will sell its remaining 8 percent stake in Royal KPN NV to cut the national debt. The phone company agreed to buy back around half of the stake for E800 million (US$1.01 billion), KPN said in a statement. The government is selling a total 167 million shares. ... Listen to This http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20030?11228 One year ago, music on mobile phones reached a milestone with Cingular Wireless' introduction of the Motorola ROKR E1 phone that married Apple's iTunes music store with a phone. Since then, a lot has happened in the mobile music world. There are a lot more music phones available now, and a lot more music services available ... Microsoft, Nokia Team for Mobile Search http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20028?11228 Mobile search capabilities have become a hot topic in the wireless space as of late. The latest: Nokia is teaming with Microsoft to deliver advanced search capabilities to Nokia Nseries and other compatible S60 wireless devices. Although terms of the agreement were not disclosed, Nokia has agreed to integrate Microsoft's Live... Wireless Carriers Seek Stronger FCC Roaming Oversight http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20025?11228 Some 25 U.S. regional and rural wireless operators essentially are asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clamp down on the terms and conditions imposed on them regarding roaming agreements they must sign with larger wireless carriers. At issue are extremely high rates being asked and a tough contract-negotiation ... Sprint Eyes WiMax Backhaul http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/20021?11228 NEW YORK -- When Sprint Nextel Corp. starts to roll out WiMax in Chicago and Washington, D.C., at the end of 2007 it is also considering using the wireless technology as a cost- effective way of providing backhaul for the new broadband networks. At the jam-packed 'Backhaul Strategies for Mobile Operators' Light Reading ... http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/profileLogin.php TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 22:19:07 -0500 From: Patrick Townson Subject: Urgent Advisory: New Malware Attack Exploiting Internet Explorer This came with this month's TerraWorld newsletter. TerraWorld is our local ISP here in much of Kansas. URGENT ADVISORY: EVERYONE VULNERABLE TO NEW INTERNET EXPLORER EXPLOIT A new malware attack that exploits Internet Explorer has been discovered. Terra World Technical Support recommends that you IMMEDIATELY update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software. A patch from Microsoft to correct this problem in Internet Explorer is not expected until October 10th. The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), part of the Department of Homeland Security, has information on their website: http://www.us-cert.gov/current/current_activity.html TERRA WORLD DOES NOT SEND EMAILS TO ITS CUSTOMERS WITH ATTACHMENTS. IF YOU RECEIVE AN EMAIL ALLEDGING TO ELIMINATE VIRUSES OR ANYTHING ELSE FROM YOUR COMPUTER, DELETE IT. We have started receiving reports of customers receiving emails and who opened them, believing they are legitimate and from Terra World Technical Support. THEY ARE FAKE. Do NOT open emails containing attachments from ANYONE -- EVEN IF YOU KNOW THEM -- unless you know if advance that the email is coming and what it contains. Being overly-cautious can save you hours and days of aggravation. It takes only minutes to have someone re-send you an email, if need be. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 13:01:55 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: September 21, 2006 - AOL France Sold to Neuf Cegetel USTelecom dailyLead September 21, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ewvkfDtusXcUxIBWZL TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * AOL France sold to Neuf Cegetel BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * BT scopes out potential acquisitions * Verizon's FiOS TV coming to Indiana * Comcast tops 1M digital phone subscribers * Cablevision has eye on commercial telephone market * Motorola sells phones, accessories via vending machines USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * NEW from Steven Shepard -- WiMAX Crash Course TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * TiVo debuts pricey, feature-rich Series 3 DVR * WiMAX gains some traction * Intel installs WiMAX in remote Brazilian area * Report: Muni Wi-Fi trend to keep growing REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC supports airlines' broadband at Boston's Logan * Smaller bidders' share of airwave auction down significantly DIVERSIONS * Austin, Texas * Costly, Sure, but It's Nirvana for TiVo Fans * With Harrods as Your Neighbor * Some Hot Recorders for Those Cool Podcasts * The Power of an Image Drives Film by Eastwood Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ewvkfDtusXcUxIBWZL ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:01:11 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Verizon to Offer Local Content via FiOS USTelecom dailyLead September 22, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/exeQfDtusXcXsegsoq TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Verizon to offer local content via FiOS BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * What does Malone want with DirecTV? * Charter boosts online speed with 10-mbps service * Yahoo! to offer refunds after tech glitch mars NFL streaming * Private equity firms eye Telecom Italia assets USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * CALEA Compliance: Obligations, Risks & Strategies, Part II HOT TOPICS * Citizens to acquire Commonwealth Telephone * Wireless auction brings in record $13.9B * BellSouth inks deals to market triple-play services * BT to introduce fixed-mobile service for large businesses * Nortel considering Force10 acquisition TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Virgin Trains to offer Wi-Fi VOIP DOWNLOAD * Study: Cable VoIP outperforms other services * Orange to market mobile/Wi-Fi service * Alarm.com inks VoIP deal with SunRocket REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Sources: FCC recommends approval of AT&T-BellSouth deal * Dutch government unloads rest of KPN stake DIVERSIONS * Wal-Mart to Offer $4 Generic Prescriptions * The Little Desert That Grew in Maine * A Parisian Love Story in Forward, and Sideways, Motion * Under Sail, Under Wraps * It's a Good Time to Be a Landlord Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/exeQfDtusXcXsegsoq ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #341 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Sep 25 01:47:03 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 888A3224A; Mon, 25 Sep 2006 01:47:03 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #342 Message-Id: <20060925054703.888A3224A@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 01:47:03 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 25 Sep 2006 01:49:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 342 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Criminals Flocking to the Internet (Reuters News Wire) Pirate Radio Stations Challenge Feds (Martha Mendoza) Wal-Mart Says Not Trying to Fight Movie Downloads (Gina Keating) Google Decides to Publish the Ruling Against It (Reuters News Wire) Headset Hack (BrianEWilliams) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:13:33 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Criminals Flocking to the Internet Criminals are increasingly trying to trick citizens into giving them their bank account details, according to a survey published on Monday which showed such "phishing" attempts almost doubled in the first six months. Over 157,000 unique phishing messages were sent out around the world in the first half of 2006, an increase of 81 percent compared with the six-month period to end-December 2005. Each message can go to thousands or hundreds of thousands of consumers, according to the bi-annual Internet Security Threat Report from security software vendor Symantec. "Organized crime is here and they are very interested in phishing. They target home users who have become the weakest link," said research scientist Ollie Whitehouse. Phishers send around emails, pretending to be a financial institution or other legitimate organization, and ask to verify personal information such as account numbers and passwords. They target their victims much more closely than before, by tracking down full names and personal interests. "They skim social networking sites and personal websites. Most people, by now, have left a digital footprint which can be mined," Whitehouse said. Another trend in the first half of the year is that phishers have become more sophisticated, dodging spam filters and other defense mechanisms designed by service providers and software companies to keep out the criminals. How much financial damage phishers have caused is unclear and usually at an individual level, which is why phishing does not get the same media attention as "denial of service attacks" aimed to take out a specific web site, or email worms which can shut down millions of computers in a digital equivalent of a carpet bombing. The Internet is still under fire from such attacks, taking about 6,110 different denial of service hits every a day, but unlike a few years ago they cause less damage. "A successful 'denial of server' attack or worm can have ramifications far beyond phishing. Worms have taken down electricity grids. That's why critical infrastructure is now much more resilient. Information technology managers are better prepared and networks are more robust," Whitehouse said. Increased focus on security, and a willingness from software companies to own up to their mistakes, has dramatically cut down the time that computers are at risk, Symantec found. Internet Explorer, the world's most popular browser from Microsoft, has cut the number of days in which hackers can exploit a security flaw to nine days from 25 days six months earlier. Security holes in browsers from Opera and Mozilla Firefox are patched within two days and one day respectively. "Vendors are taking this much more seriously," Whitehouse said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:17:22 -0500 From: Martha Mendoza Subject: Pirate Radio Stations Challenge Feds By MARTHA MENDOZA, AP National Writer To Stephen Dunifer, it was yet another revolutionary moment. But to the untrained eye, it looked more like a geek fest. Over four days, a dozen men and women shyly bumped shoulders as they studied schematics and tinkered with romex connectors, resistors, microphone cords, meters, sockets and capacitors -- the stuff of illegal radio stations. In the corner of this cluttered electronics lab, hunched over a computer, sat Dunifer, their teacher, "the patron saint of pirate radio." Part rock star, part Johnny Appleseed and fully the bane of the Federal Communications Commission, Dunifer has long, gray hair, large, clear glasses and a deep commitment to what he calls "Free Radio." "We're not stealing anything. We're claiming something that's rightfully ours," he says. His goal is to create FM radio stations faster than the FCC can shut them down. "It's always been our position that if enough people go on the air with their stations, the FCC will be overwhelmed and unable to respond," he says. Pirate radio is radio without a license, radio without government regulations. It's "america the criminal" at midnight on Human Rights Radio in Springfield, Illinois and pre-dawn erotica on Freak Radio in Santa Cruz, Calif. It's an inordinate amount of Frank Zappa at WFZR in West End, Pa. (a station dedicated to playing his music) and the "Voice of the American Patriot" ("no support for liberals disguised as wannabe Conservatives") at NLNR in Butte, Mont. The rapidly proliferating scofflaws -- and there are now hundreds of them broadcasting at any given moment in this country -- are usually only audible within a few miles of their "home-brewed" transmitters. They find unused sections of the FM dial, fire up their mini-transmitters, raise their antennas and set up their station. Some opt to broadcast on the Internet as well, opening up their audience to the entire globe. Costs typically range from about $250 to $1,500. Pirates, as they call themselves, draw loyal audiences in their communities but complaints from the larger, licensed public and private radio stations who say the microbroadcasters interrupt their signals. And they are a thorn in the side of the FCC, which is tasked with shutting them down. Ten miles away from Dunifer's radio camp, at an undisclosed location in San Francisco, an FCC enforcement team is part of a nationwide campaign to thwart the pirates. A record 185 unlicensed broadcasters received fines, cease and desist letters or had been raided by the by early September, up from 151 enforcement actions in all of 2005 and 92 in 2004, according to John Anderson, an expert on pirate radio who tracks FCC enforcement at University of Illinois' Institute of Communications Research. His data show a steady increase in pirate radio enforcement dating back 10 years. "There are a lot more stations out there these days, thus there are a lot more stations for the FCC to find and bust," said Anderson. Despite federal laws that ban unlicensed radio, efforts to shut down the stations are rarely popular and appear to be ineffectual, at least some of the time. For example: _The neon sign says "ON AIR" at the storefront KNOZ station in Sacramento, Calif., even though broadcaster William Major was fined $10,000 by the FCC in June. Major says he's been wrongly painted as a pirate station, and that the FCC just overlooked his license application which he says is still pending. And the fine? "It's 10 G's," he said. "I don't have 10 G's. But they're being real gentleman about it, you know what I mean? They gave us the fine and they're letting us do our thing." _Residents of Brattleboro, Vt., are also once again listening to free radio. Last summer the FCC raided and shut down their 10-watt Radio Free Brattleboro, prompting an ongoing federal court battle. This summer a new community radio station received permits to open and raised a 30-foot antenna. _When federal agents raided Free Radio Santa Cruz in 2004, a crowd of several hundred protesters soon gathered at the 10-year-old broadcast center -- including the mayor, who was shouting through a bullhorn. The tires on the FCC agents' cars were slashed before they could leave, and then they received parking tickets before they could repair them. A few days later a fundraiser brought in more than $25,000 and Freak Radio, which is still on the air, was launched. The FCC's beef, insisted spokesman David Fiske, is with neither the public dissent nor the abundance of Frank Zappa music. The problem is that pirate radio stations can make it impossible for the public to listen to licensed broadcasting and can cut into air traffic control communications, he said. "We are completely complaint driven," he said. "If there are more enforcement actions, that's because there have been more complaints." The FCC's 2007 budget includes an additional $1,080,000 for Mobile Digital Direction Finding Vehicles which can be used to sniff out pirate radio stations. But that same budget includes no extra staffing for the FCC's 333-person enforcement bureau, which is tasked with policing everything from cable television to telephone services. They're supposed to investigate obscene broadcasts, bust unwanted faxers and regulate the airwaves. Pirate radio in its current form dates back 21 years to Zoom Black Magic Radio in Fresno, Calif., founded by Walter Dunn to bring diversity to the FM dial. The FCC raided his station and fined him $2,000 two years later, but like stations of today, he quickly popped up nearby. At Dunifer's Radio Camp, students are warned about the FCC and taught how to evade the enforcement agents. At the end of four intense days, they walked out holding their own, hand-built, ready-to-use FM radio transmitter, a shiny box slightly larger than a brick. Participants came from as far away as Namibia and as nearby as five blocks away. Their reasons for wanting their own station were equally diverse: a neat, middle-aged woman from Mexico, accompanied by a translator, said she wanted to bring news and political information to her community; two young men from Tucson in flowered shirts and sandals said they wanted to start a new pirate station to replace several that have been shut down by the FCC; a self-described "boring insurance clerk" in a lilac blazer was just "looking for something interesting to do"; a man with red dreadlocks, green earrings and tattooed arms was slated to take over the technology job at his local pirate station. No one is sorrier to hear about these Radio Camp graduates than Dennis Wharton, spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters, who described Dunifer as "the patron saint of pirate radio." And he didn't mean it as praise. He said his members, frustrated by interference on their stations, push the FCC to enforce the rules against pirate operators. "You'd be hard pressed to find a pirate radio station that isn't interfering with another licensed station," he said. But Wharton conceded that the FCC's policing efforts can be futile. "It's like whack a mole," he said. "You knock it out in one place and it pops up somewhere else." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 23:55:16 -0500 From: Gina Keating, Reuters Subject: Wal-Mart Says Not Trying to Fight Movie Downloads By Gina Keating Wal-Mart Stores Inc. disputed a report on Friday saying it was trying to dissuade movie studios from working with other forms of distribution, such as Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes. The New York Post reported that the world's largest retailer had warned Hollywood it may retaliate against studios for selling movies on iTunes amid concerns that Wal-Mart's DVD sales will suffer. Shares of Apple and Walt Disney Co., which this month became the first Hollywood studio to offer full-length movies on iTunes, both fell more than 2 percent on Friday. Some analysts, though, questioned whether concerns about Wal-Mart were the main contributor to the share price declines. Sanders Morris Harris analyst David Miller said Disney more likely dropped in reaction to fears of an economic slowdown, along with the broader market. Wal-Mart disputed the Post report and said it was not pressuring movie studios into shunning online delivery. "Customers want to watch movies and they want to be able to make the choice when and how they want to view them," a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said. "While we recognize there are various current and potential providers of this service, we are not dissuading studios from conducting business with other providers." Apple and Disney announced plans this month to sell movie downloads on iTunes. Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger said on Tuesday the company sold 125,000 downloads, worth $1 million in revenue, from iTunes in the offering's first week. A Disney spokeswoman said she was not familiar with the claims in the Post report. An Apple spokesman could not be reached for comment. A source familiar with the situation said while big retailers like Wal-Mart "freaked out" earlier in the year when Disney and other studios began selling TV shows on iTunes and other Web-based platforms, they showed no particular concern when Disney became the first studio to offer movies on iTunes. The source, who declined to be identified, said the discount retailer learned over the intervening months that customers who download -- primarily young, single males -- are not the same as those customers who buy DVDs. "I don't think Wal-Mart or Target or any of the big box retailers are nervous," the source said, "because we have had almost a year of learning and development, and it has proven not to be that threatening." Iger has repeatedly said digital content delivery platforms such as iTunes have not cut into DVD retail sales or TV viewership. Disney shares fell 2 percent to $30.08 on Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. Apple shed 2.2 percent to $73 on Nasdaq. Wal-Mart shares eased 0.4 percent at $48.29 on the NYSE. (With additional reporting by Nicole Maestri in New York) Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 14:10:30 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Google Decides to Publish the Ruling Against It Google Inc. on Saturday published on its Belgian website a court order which forbids the Internet search engine to reproduce snippets of Belgian press on its news amalgamation service. The move constituted a u-turn as Google had said on Friday that it would not comply with the court order despite facing a fine of 500,000 euros ($640,900) daily if it did not publish the ruling. A spokeswoman for Google declined to elaborate on the reasons that made the company change its mind but said it would seek to cancel the ruling. "We are pleased that a judge has given Google the opportunity to appeal the substance of this case. This will be heard in November," the spokeswoman said. Google News lists headlines and a few sentences of text from news articles around the world and links back to a publication's own Web site for users to read the whole item. Any publisher can opt out by asking Google to remove its content, but publishers argue that by reproducing the material in the first place Google is violating copyright law. The Belgian case was brought by Copiepresse, an organization that manages copyrights for French and German language newspapers. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ From: BrianEWilliams Subject: Headset Hack Date: 24 Sep 2006 13:33:27 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I am addicted to my telephone headset, and I like using a corded phone for the sound quality and privacy. Caller ID is a must, and phones that have all these features (headsets, wired, and Caller ID) tend to be more expensive business models. This is the hack I thought of to let me use a cheap Wal*Mart wired phone with a headset. Simply wire a connection between the coiled handset cord and my headset. There are 4 connectors on the coiled handset cord, one for talking, one for listening, and a ground each. My headset has a 1/8" male stereo jack at the end. The part furtherst from the tip would take both the ground wires, and then I just have to find which is the mike, and which is the earpiece. Then I have to find out what the 4 wires in the coiled handset cord are and connect them correctly. Is there any reason this won't work? Any good ideas on how to best make the connection? Thanks. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #342 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Sep 25 16:18:36 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 41AFD2242; Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:18:36 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #343 Message-Id: <20060925201836.41AFD2242@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:18:36 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:20:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 343 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Mesages That Go 'Poof' After Sending Them (Brian Bergstein, AP) Hackers Now Targeting Home Computer Users (Jay Wrolstad, Newsfactor) Trend Micro Launches Anti-BotNet Service (Paul F. Roberts) VoIP Attracts Small-Business Customers (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Headset Hack (BrianEWilliams) Re: Headset Hack (Ron Kritzman) Re: Pirate Radio Stations Challenge Feds (mc) Re: Modem/Fax Keeps Timing Out (David Quinton) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:22:33 -0500 From: Brian Bergstein, AP Subject: Mesages That Go 'Poof' After Sending Them By BRIAN BERGSTEIN, AP Technology Writer A hallmark of "Mission: Impossible" was the message that would self-destruct after a spy played it. Now a startup communications company promises that same level of secrecy with a Web-based messaging system designed to leave no traces. The VaporStream system from Void Communications LLC is envisioned as a complement to e-mail and instant messaging, both of which leave abundant records. Let's say Alice wants to discuss something privately with Bob. Alice calls up a VaporStream Web page, which is encrypted by the same method that secures Internet commerce and banking. Then she selects Bob on her list of VaporStream chat partners. That brings up a new window, where she can type a message. Neither her name nor Bob's appears anywhere. The individual messages cannot be copied or pasted into other programs. When she sends the message, it no longer is visible on her computer. It goes to a server maintained by VaporStream, where it sits in a sort of holding pattern in a temporary segment of the server's memory. When Bob checks his VaporStream Web page, he can see that he has a message from Alice and clicks to read it. When it is delivered, it leaves the VaporStream server for good. When Bob responds, Alice's original message disappears from his computer. On and on it goes, in a conversation in which both parties have to remember their previous lines, making VaporStream more like a time-shifted phone conversation than an e-mail thread. "Neither the sender nor the recipient has a full copy," said Amit Shah, the co-founder and chief technologist. VaporStream is scheduled to be unveiled at the influential DEMOfall tech show in San Diego on Tuesday and become generally available in October. Shah and co-founder Joseph Collins Jr. hope VaporStream's design and low cost -- $40 per user annually -- will attract companies that are swamped with the challenge of archiving business-critical e-mails and throwing away those of a personal or inconsequential nature. A company could tell its employees to do all of their informal communications in VaporStream, for example. Besides PCs, VaporStream will be available for mobile gadgets such as BlackBerrys. That's not to say that this is a natural for the business world. Financial services firms, for example, are likely to reject VaporStream because of regulatory requirements governing the retention of their electronic communications. Other companies simply might not trust their workers enough to give them a record-less method of communication. "I don't typically have customers come to me and say, `I'm looking for a messaging system where I can hide all traces of what I'm saying,'" said Matt Brown, a senior analyst at Forrester Research. Of VaporStream's overall prospects, he said, "I'm highly skeptical." Companies also can set up "blacklists" and "whitelists" for their employees that dictate who can and cannot send VaporStreams to each other. However, Nancy Flynn, founder of the ePolicy Institute, which trains companies on proper use of e-mail, said she suspects some businesses will welcome VaporStream because it could help them better articulate rules about when employees should and should not use e-mail. Many e-mails have to be kept for audits, regulatory purposes or lawsuits, but personal messages that invariably get swept into that mix are often embarrassing, not to mention costly to store, she noted. VaporStream isn't entirely dependent on businesses. Anyone can sign up for $40 a year. But secrecy-seeking criminals, take note: While the system records no conversation logs, Collins said VaporStream will comply with wiretapping laws. That means the authorities would not be able to review past chats, but they could get warrants giving them the right to put an ear to future ones. On the Net: http://www.vaporstream.com Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:32:55 -0500 From: Jay Wrolstad Subject: Hackers Now Targeting Home Computer Users by Jay Wrolstad, newsfactor.com Home computer users, most of whom don't take even rudimentary measures to protect their PCs, are increasingly finding themselves under attack by phishers and malware miscreants who are getting much better at their nefarious work. That's the conclusion drawn in Symantec's latest security threat report. Symantec found that home users now comprise 86 percent of all targeted attacks against computers, followed by businesses in the financial-services industry. With hackers aiming at desktop applications and developing new, sophisticated tactics to avoid detection, scattershot Internet worms and viruses have given way to more focused assaults whose purpose is largely fraud and identity theft. "Home users face a bigger threat since they do not have security [policies] put upon them," said Natalie Lambert, an analyst at Forrester Research. The security settings on corporate users' PCs are dictated by I.T. workers, she explained. But home users are left to their own devices and typically do a poor job managing their security, she said. "Even after these home users install their software, they still have to keep it updated -- something most still have not mastered," she went on to say. "And since PCs are only as secure as their last update, home users will continue to be at risk." Ignorance Not Bliss Even as security companies are attempting to bolster PC defenses with traditional antivirus strategies, Symantec found that attackers are delivering their malicious code through zero-day security vulnerabilities in e-mail applications and Web browsers. Web browser flaws represented 69 percent of all vulnerabilities documented by Symantec in the first half of 2006, with 47 vulnerabilities documented in Mozilla browsers (up from 17 in the last reporting period), 38 in Microsoft Internet Explorer (compared to 25), and 12 in Apple Safari (compared to six). Additionally, phishers are learning to bypass spam-filtering technologies, the Symantec report noted. Most phishers have gotten wise to new spam- and virus-fighting technologies and now exclude malicious code from their mass mailings to enhance the chances of making it into the inboxes of unsuspecting users. Instead, they now simply include links to Web sites hosting the malicious code. Also of note in the report is the fact that Symantec identified some 4.6 million active zombie computers under the control of hackers and the period. These zombie machines are used not only to level denial-of-service attacks at Web sites who refuse to pony up ransom money, but also to spread malicious code through spam messages. Financial gain remains the motivation behind many of these threats, Symanted reported. Future Bleak Yankee Group analyst Jonathan Singer suggested that the proliferation of spam engines and botnets can be attributed to the successes hackers have experienced thus far. "It's a lot easier to go after an unsuspecting user than try to break into a enterprise network," he said. Even those users with antispyware installed on their machines remain susceptible to phishing attacks that use social-engineering tricks to trick people into providing their sensitive financial information on bogus Web sites, Singer said. Both he and Lambert said common sense can go a long way toward thwarting these attacks. "You should always be wary of suspicious e-mails, and always type in the URL of a bank or other site rather than clicking on a link provided in a message," said Singer. The best way you can protect yourself is to keep your system patched, update your security software, and not open suspicious attachments, Lambert said. She also advised installing a security suite that consists of firewall and antispyware software, in addition to antivirus capabilities. The Symantec report said that, in the future, the present situation is likely to worsen, with more threats designed to exploit personal software and Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Vista operating system. Copyright 2006 NewsFactor Network, Inc. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:37:31 -0500 From: Paul F. Roberts Subject: Trend Micro Lauches Anti-Botnet Service by Paul F. Roberts Trend Micro announced a new service to help large organizations and Internet service providers (ISPs) fight networks of zombie machines, known as "botnets." The new service, dubbed InterCloud, was announced Monday and is intended to help organizations fight botnets, fast-changing networks of rogue computers that are used in denial of service (DOS) attacks, spam campaigns, identity theft, and other malicious acts. The new service uses behavioral analysis technology, developed by Trend, and known as Behavioral Analysis Security Engine (BASE) to spot and isolate bot machines on managed networks, according to Paul Moriarty, director of product development for Internet Content Security at Trend. BASE analyzes application and network infrastructure data, such as DNS queries and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing tables. The engine can spot behavior indicative of bots, such as an abnormal series of DNS queries. The service also uses data from Trend's global network of researchers and customers to provide intelligence on new or evolving bot activity. The company's Bot Identification Team identify and monitor bot activity globally, Trend said. InterCloud relies, in part, on a new, hardened and revamped DNS server that allows Trend to aggregate suspicious data and report on host systems that may be infected with bot programs, Moriarty said. "We can take a day's worth of DNS logs and tell them how many spambots or zombies they have. That's a capability that most ISPs lack," he said. InterCloud customers can remediate infected systems by denying them access to the network, or by quarantining them and pushing out necessary updates or scanning and disinfecting them, said Dave Rand, CTO of Trend's Internet Content Security group. The InterCloud service includes a Web-based management portal for viewing and reporting on bot activity and managing security policies, Trend said. Botnets are one of the fastest growing and most dangerous online threats, said Rand. On any day, Trend tracks millions of infected systems that have been joined to one of a number of global bot networks. But bot infections can also jump up, depending on the availability of easy to exploit security holes, such as the recent VML vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, or the Windows Server Service vulnerability that was disclosed by Microsoft in August. Trend identified more than 250,000 new bots each day for the two days after an exploit was developed for the Server Service hole, which Microsoft patched with MS06-040. Typically, the company might identify 250,000 new bots over the course of a month, Moriarty said. Trend researchers are also spotting many more targeted attacks, in which bots are being written for specific purposes, such as culling sensitive information from the targeted network, then forwarding it back to a command and control server, usually in a foreign country. Many of those appear aimed at identity theft, or espionage against the U.S. government or government contractors. Few enterprise security products can scale to support hundreds of thousands or millions of hosts, which means that ISPs and very large organizations often rely on internal security teams and products to manage security. However, those company-focused teams lack the broad perspective that companies with global research operations and a global customer base can muster, Moriarty said. InterCloud, which will be licensed by the seat, will offer ISPs the prospect of turning security into a profit center, by focusing attention on the relatively small number of infected systems, then targeting their owners with software, such at Trend's Web-based HouseCall antivirus scanner, that can clean their system and keep it from becoming reinfected. ISPs could then get a share of any software sales made through that channel, Moriarty said. Trend Micro will feature InterCloud Security Service and the BASE technology at DEMOfall '06 this week in San Diego. Copyright 2006 Yahoo! Inc. For more tech news from the internet each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 13:14:24 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: VoIP Attracts Small-Business Customers USTelecom dailyLead September 25, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/exrAfDtusXddanMYTl TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * VoIP attracts small-business customers BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Cable subs far outnumber those of satellite, study says * RIM to step up presence in Japan * Cisco, H-P accelerate shift to 10-Giagbit Ethernet with new products * WiMAX generates buzz * Amp'd signs distribution deal with Circuit City USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * CALEA Compliance: Obligations, Risks & Strategies, Part II HOT TOPICS * Citizens to acquire Commonwealth Telephone * Wireless auction brings in record $13.9B * BellSouth inks deals to market triple-play services * Verizon to offer local content via FiOS * Iowa telecoms eye triple play for rural customers TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * More companies using text messaging as advertising tool REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * California's TV market about to get a shake-up DIVERSIONS * A Dog's Life, Upgraded * The Riches of Lucca * 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo: Kinetic Art That Really Moves You * Sofia Coppola's Paris * The Hearing Aid as Fashion Statement Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/exrAfDtusXddanMYTl ------------------------------ From: BrianEWilliams Subject: Re: Headset Hack Date: 25 Sep 2006 06:14:42 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com BrianEWilliams wrote: > I am addicted to my telephone headset, and I like using a corded phone > for the sound quality and privacy. Caller ID is a must, and phones > that have all these features (headsets, wired, and Caller ID) tend to > be more expensive business models. > This is the hack I thought of to let me use a cheap Wal*Mart wired > phone with a headset. Simply wire a connection between the coiled > handset cord and my headset. There are 4 connectors on the coiled > handset cord, one for talking, one for listening, and a ground each. > My headset has a 1/8" male stereo jack at the end. The part furtherst > from the tip would take both the ground wires, and then I just have to > find which is the mike, and which is the earpiece. > Then I have to find out what the 4 wires in the coiled handset cord > are and connect them correctly. Is there any reason this won't work? > Any good ideas on how to best make the connection? Thanks. I tried lots of different combinations connections, but I couldn't get the headset to work. I know phone wiring is pretty funky, so maybe the whole concept is flawed. Radio Shack has a $22 device that lets you add a headset to any phone. It takes batteries, so maybe I am missing a power source when I just hook it up directly, or maybe some modification to the circuit needs to be done. After cutting the coiled cord that goes to the handset, I have a red, yellow, black and green wire. I think the red and green go to the handset speaker and the black and yellow go to the mouthpiece. I think green is ground, and I am guessing black is ground, but I don't have any good reason for that. Googling the subject led me to a lot of information on the wiring between the phone and the central switch, but nothing specific to the wiring between the phone and handset. This is an example of what I found: http://www.homephonewiring.com/clr-code.html It seems to contradict what I found yesterday, so I'll try a different combination. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:26:01 -0500 From: Ron Kritzman Subject: Re: Headset Hack BrianEWilliams wrote: > This is the hack I thought of to let me use a cheap Wal*Mart wired > phone with a headset. Simply wire a connection between the coiled > handset cord and my headset. There are 4 connectors on the coiled > handset cord, one for talking, one for listening, and a ground each. > My headset has a 1/8" male stereo jack at the end. The part furtherst > from the tip would take both the ground wires, and then I just have to > find which is the mike, and which is the earpiece. On a standard 2.1 mm headset jack the tip is the mike and the ring is the ear piece. A standard 4 pin modular handset cord uses the two inner conductions for the ear piece and the outer conductors for the microphone. I have done this on several telephones with varying success. The two big 'ifs' are as follows: 1) The telephone must expect an electret condenser mike, and yes they are polarity sensitive. If the phone is looking for a carbon mike element or an assembly emulating one, you're out of luck. 2) The design of the phone must be such that the mike the ear piece share a common ground. You have 4 wires and 3 pins, so if you can't common the grounds, its not going to happen. You could modify the headset to use a 4 pin connector, but that defeats the purpose of being able to use the headset as is. This all assumes that you are talking about a dial-in-base telephone. If you have the dial-in-handset type, the base is often nothing more than a weighted cradle that passes tip and ring through to the handset, and none of this applies. - Ron Emoveray ethay Igpay Atinlay otay eplyray ------------------------------ From: mc Subject: Re: Pirate Radio Stations Challenge Feds Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 02:45:25 -0400 Martha Mendoza wrote in message news:telecom25.342.2@telecom-digest.org: > By MARTHA MENDOZA, AP National Writer > To Stephen Dunifer, it was yet another revolutionary moment. But to the > untrained eye, it looked more like a geek fest. Over four days, a dozen > men and women shyly bumped shoulders as they studied schematics and > tinkered with romex connectors, resistors, microphone cords, meters, > sockets and capacitors -- the stuff of illegal radio stations. I'd be inclined to favor an easy licensing system for very-low-power stations, subject only to the condition that each one originates its own programming and does not simply relay something else. But I strongly suspect the "pirates" wouldn't get licenses even if licenses were available. From the rest of the story, it sounds like being illegal, and deliberately antagonizing the FCC, is part of the game. There's also the issue of technical standards -- staying on frequency and not having harmonics that take out something else, such as fire departments or air traffic signals. And also the issue of paying for the music that they broadcast, if they broadcast commercially produced music. I'll bet they don't want to do that. > Some opt to broadcast on the Internet as well, opening up their > audience to the entire globe. That, of course, requires no license at all and should be encouraged. It still requires the permission of music copyright holders. > _When federal agents raided Free Radio Santa Cruz in 2004, a crowd of > several hundred protesters soon gathered at the 10-year-old broadcast > center -- including the mayor, who was shouting through a bullhorn. The > tires on the FCC agents' cars were slashed before they could leave, and > then they received parking tickets before they could repair them. Is Santa Cruz trying to secede from the United States, then? And even from the International Telecommunications Union? I don't think any of these "rebels" realize is that the only reason they *have* clear channels to transmit on is that the FCC regulates radio. If there were no regulation, competitors would be free to jam each other and would do so. ------------------------------ From: David Quinton Subject: Re: Modem/Fax Keeps Timing Out Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 07:42:27 +0100 On 21 Sep 2006 06:54:05 -0700, captainido@gmail.com wrote: It's been a few years since I've had to tweak a faxmodem card, but I think the clue may be here VVV > One strange characteristic of this problem, is that the errors come > from specific senders: once someone gets an error sending a fax to > this client, they can keep trying all they want, but the error will > keep happening. I think that the fact it's ADSL may be less relevant than the *sending* number or -- more specifically -- the Chipset of *their* faxmodem and its compatability with yours? I'd be interested to see if the problem is replicated if these senders sent faxes to one of your other (fault-free) clients' numbers ... The only ADSL-related aspect I can think of woudl be if the Microfilter is faulty. But you say you've already replaced it. Very puzzling! Locate your Mobile phone: Great gifts: http://www.ThisBritain.com/ASOS_popup.html ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V25 #343 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Sep 26 15:35:46 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 7F05221EE; Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:35:46 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #344 Message-Id: <20060926193546.7F05221EE@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:35:46 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:38:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 344 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Cuba Fires Telecom, Computing CEOs in Shake-Up (Marc Frank, Reuters) US Panel Wants Answers from Wireless Firms on Privacy (Reuters News Wire) Streaming Video Goes Corporate With Cisco Products (USTelecom dailyLead) Karen Rose Appointed as ISOC'S Director of Education (Peter Godwin) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 25, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Re: Headset Hack (W Howard) Re: Pirate Radio Stations Challenge Feds (Scott Dorsey) Re: Pirate Radio Stations Challenge Feds (Mark Atwood) Re: Pirate Radio Stations Challenge Feds (harold@hallikainen.com) Re: Mesages That Go 'Poof' After Sending Them (Mr Joseph Singer) Re: Mesages That Go 'Poof' After Sending Them (George Mitchell) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 15:34:46 -0500 From: Marc Frank, Reuters Subject: Cuba Fires Telecom, Computing CEOs in Shake-Up By Marc Frank HAVANA, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Cuba has fired the heads of two of the country's most influential companies in a bid to bring the computing and telecommunications enterprises back under firm state control amid a national anti-corruption drive, industry sources said on Monday. Information Technology and Communications Minister Ramiro Valdes, 74, a former revolutionary hero, took over the sensitive sector that controls communist Cuba's communications, computing, Internet and software development late last month. His was acting president Raul Castro's sole ministerial appointment since he took over temporarily from his brother Fidel Castro on July 31 after the latter underwent intestinal surgery. The shake-up at the companies did not appear to be aimed at opening up the sector to foreign capital or to information and entertainment from outside the country, said the foreign and local sources, all of whom wished to remain anonymous. They said Valdes was unhappy with the independence shown by some company directors and their inability to rein in subordinates despite an ongoing drive to increase state control over the economy, improve efficiency and fight corruption. Cuban President Fidel Castro declared war on corruption a year ago, warning it could undo his 1959 revolution. Together with his brother Raul, Castro mobilized youth and Communist Party stalwarts to root out corrupt practices within the state bureaucracy, leading to widespread sackings in recent months. Valdes fired the president of Empresa de Telecomunicacio1nes de Cuba SA (Etecsa), Jose Antonio Fernandez, and the vice minister for information, Nelson Ferrer, for failing to control the fixed-line and mobile services monopoly, the sources said. Etecsa, with revenues of more than $400 million in 2005 and in which Telecom Italia has a 27 percent interest, is one of the most powerful and visible companies in the country. Valdez also fired the president of the powerful state-run Copextel corporation which imports, assembles and distributes advanced communications, computing and other technology, the sources said. Copextel, with annual revenues of more than $200 million, has been caught up in recent corruption scandals involving kickbacks from foreign companies. Etecsa's new president, Maimir Mesa Ramos, and Copextel's new boss, Antonio Orta Rodriguez, were both promoted from within the ranks. International studies have found that Cuba occupies last place in Latin America for both mobile phone and Internet penetration, and is fifth from last in terms of its number of fixed telephone lines. The government blames the four-decade-old U.S. trade embargo for its poor communications infrastructure. But Cuba's 11 million people cannot buy a computer or subscribe to the Internet without a government permit, satellite television is prohibited, and mobile phones are available only for hard currency. (Additional reporting by Anthony Boadle) Copyright Reuters 2006. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 15:39:33 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: US Panel Wants Answers from Wireless Firms on Privacy WASHINGTON - Top executives of Verizon Communications , Sprint Nextel Corp. , Cingular and T-Mobile USA have been 'invited' to testify Friday at a U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing into the use of deceptive measures to obtain personal information, known as pretexting, the panel said on Monday. The same panel will hear on Thursday from Hewlett-Packard Co. chief executive Mark Hurd, former chairman Patricia Dunn, general counsel Ann Baskins and other company officials about HP's use of pretexting to investigate boardroom leaks. The heads of the Federal Communications Commission, Kevin Martin, and Federal Trade Commission, Deborah Majoras, have also been invited to testify at the Friday hearing, which is on the broader issue of pretexting. The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on investigations has spent the past seven months looking into data brokers and their use of pretexting to obtain consumers' call records and other private information. The panel's concern about unauthorized access to telephone records gained new prominence after HP acknowledged its investigators used false identities to obtain the telephone records of directors, employees and journalists. Last week, Hurd said he approved an e-mail ruse to track down boardroom leaks, saying it was important to discover who gave confidential information to news reporters. He was appointed chairman of HP after the board asked Dunn to resign for her role in the scandal. HP is now under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, California's attorney general, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the House panel. Copyright 2006 Reuters News Service. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 13:07:44 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Streaming Video Goes Corporate With New Cisco Products USTelecom dailyLead September 26, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eyaUfDtusXdgiubFNI TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Streaming video goes corporate with new Cisco products BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * T-Mobile plans new Internet phones, drops Zeta-Jones * Moto beefs up VOD portfolio * Q-and-A with Verizon Federal's Jerry Edgerton * Starz expands movie deal with Sony * It's BlackBerry vs. Redberry in China * Cavalier acquires Talk America for $251M * Skype targets enterprise customers with new software USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Learn More about Next Generation Wireless Applications TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * 4G is coming. Will anyone listen? * Mercora unveils streaming music service for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Hearing on pretexting scheduled for this week DIVERSIONS * Brilliant Birds and Bright Monkeys in Brazil * Dealing With Those Alpha Types (and Winning) * For Mel Gibson, a New Movie and More Notoriety * 2006 Volvo V70 R: Speed in a Box, From Sweden * The City That Silver Built ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 16:04:27 +0200 From: Peter Godwin Subject: Karen Rose Appointed as ISOC'S Director of Education and Programs Reston, VA and Geneva, Switzerland - 26th September 2006 - The Internet Society (ISOC) today announced the appointment of Karen Rose as its Director of Education and Programs. This key appointment, which is effective immediately, will further strengthen ISOC's role in providing Internet education and training initiatives aimed at promoting a sustainable, open, and accessible Internet for all. In this newly-created position, Karen will drive ISOC's education and training initiatives in support of the society's strategic objectives in the area of capacity building and Internet education. These include broad outreach and training activities aimed at helping local communities develop sustainable Internet infrastructures and assisting policy makers in understanding the technical underpinnings of contemporary Internet issues. Karen has extensive experience working with the Internet community, including the IETF and the IAB, to promote the open development and evolution of the Internet internationally. Karen began her career at as a policy analyst at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission working on global Internet and e-commerce issues. In 1998, she joined the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce where her work focused on the coordination of Internet naming and addressing functions, including the Internet domain name system, ENUM, and IPv6. In 2002, she left government to join an Internet start-up in Sydney, Australia where her work focused on corporate strategy, product development, and technology training. Most recently, she has been an independent telecommunications and Internet consultant based in Cairo, Egypt and Sydney, Australia. She has been an active participant in Internet discussions in various international governmental and non-governmental organisations including the ITU, OECD, CITEL, APEC, ICANN, and the PTC. Karen will be undertaking her role with ISOC from the Asia-Pacific region. Lynn St. Amour, ISOC's President and CEO, said, "We are very pleased to have Karen joining us as her background in policy and her knowledge of key Internet technical matters is very well suited to helping ISOC expand our educational activities in both policy and technical spheres on a global level." ABOUT ISOC The Internet Society http://www.isoc.org is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. ISOC is the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other Internet-related bodies who together play a critical role in ensuring that the Internet develops in a stable and open manner. For over 14 years ISOC has run international network training programs for developing countries and these have played a vital role in setting up the Internet connections and networks in virtually every country connecting to the Internet during this time. FOR FURTHER DETAILS: Internet Society E-mail: info@isoc.org 1775 Wiehle Ave.,Suite 102 Reston, VA 20190-5108, USA 4 rue des Falaises CH-1205 Geneva Switzerland ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 25, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 12:15:50 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 25, 2006 ******************************** Consolidations Continue as Cavalier Buys Talk America for US$251 mil. http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/20071?11228 Consolidation within the U.S. telecoms industry continues with the acquisition of Talk America by the smaller, privately held company Cavalier Telephone & TV, announced on Friday. At US$8.10 a share, a 23% premium on Thursday's closing price, the deal is valued at US$251 ... Portugal Telecom Unions Back Sonaecom Takeover Bid http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20068?11228 Unions at Portugal Telecom have opted to support Sonaecom's takeover bid rather than back the restructuring plan of the Portuguese incumbent's chief executive Henrique Granadeiro, the Jornal deNegcios reports. Granadeiro plans to reduce the company's workforce by 1,000 a year over the next three years, whereas ... Mercora to Debut Mobile Music Service http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20063?11228 LOS ANGELES -- Mercora Inc., which distributes software for webcasting music, is making a bid for the bourgeoning mobile music market with a new application that enables users of select wireless devices to listen to tracks stored on PCs or other users' computers. The Santa Clara-based firm was to debut the service, dubbed ... Say Hello to New Communication Twists http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20061?11228 SAN JOSE, California -- The world has instant messaging. Text messages. E-mail. Voicemail. Blogs. Online social networks. And the good old cell phone. But, if you thought there were enough ways to communicate with others, think again. At this week's DEMOfall 2006 conference in San Diego, a showcase of some of the most ... A Step Toward Nanotelecom Technology http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20059?11228 Nanotechnology holds the key to developing mobile telecom products, including phones and wireless data devices, that are smaller than a shirt button. Such systems could be easily and inexpensively integrated into an array of items, ranging from clothing to credit cards to supermarket products to computer chips. In a step potentially ... Palm Remains Upbeat on Q1 Profit http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/20058?11228 Palm continues to remain profitable, but CEO and President Ed Colligan says the company's top line isn't good enough, and executives are determined to improve the company's competitive position in the coming months. Colligan's message came as the Sunnyvale, Calif., company yesterday reported revenue of ... $355.8... Sprint Nextel Readies Continued Reseller Court Fight http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20056?11228 The Sprint Nextel combination's legal battles with resellers continues to fester, and the merged company says it will fight an Illinois federal court decision ordering it to divest select Midwest wireless operations within 180 days. The wireless carrier will seek a stay and an appeal of the divestiture ruling by Judge Thomas ... Dutch Treat: Netherlands Gov't Exits Telecom http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/105/20052?11228 The Dutch government has become the latest legislative body to get entirely out of telecommunications, this morning selling off its last 8-percent stake in incumbent carrier Royal KPN NV and pocketing $2.7 billion. The cash is to be used to reduce the national debt. Elimination of the government's ownership of any part of ... Sprint Pushes Dualmode Talk Button http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20050?11228 Sprint Nextel Corp. is gearing up to launch its first dualmode CDMA/iDEN cellphones soon, according to a Sprint VP. The devices could be particularly useful to enterprise users that have long depended on the reliability and range of the walkie-talkie-like push-to-talk (PTT) service on the iDEN network. Sprint Nextel first ... Vendors Unite for IMS Pitch http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20048?11228 Cisco Systems Inc., Nokia Corp., and Siemens Communications Group are working together to bid for a monster IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) engagement at France Telecom SA, according to industry sources. The vendors have formed a consortium to respond to a wide-ranging RFQ (request for quotation) from France Telecom that covers... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: whoward@login3.srv.ualberta.ca (W Howard) Subject: Re: Headset Hack Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 20:27:07 UTC Organization: University of Alberta In article , BrianEWilliams wrote: > I am addicted to my telephone headset, and I like using a corded phone > for the sound quality and privacy. Caller ID is a must, and phones > that have all these features (headsets, wired, and Caller ID) tend to > be more expensive business models. > This is the hack I thought of to let me use a cheap Wal*Mart wired > phone with a headset. Simply wire a connection between the coiled > handset cord and my headset. There are 4 connectors on the coiled > handset cord, one for talking, one for listening, and a ground each. That "ground" is a return current path, but may not be at ground potential. There is a reason, at least sometimes, why the mike and speaker do not share their "ground" wire. > My headset has a 1/8" male stereo jack at the end. The part furtherst > from the tip would take both the ground wires, and then I just have to > find which is the mike, and which is the earpiece. Is there a reason why you don't want to remove the stereo jack and replace it with a 4P4C modular plug like the telephone handset uses? > Then I have to find out what the 4 wires in the coiled handset cord > are and connect them correctly. Is there any reason this won't work? The speaker part will probably work fine. The microphone part may be more troublesome if the mike in the headset is a different type than the one in the original handset. You could wind up losing all the voice quality that was one of your original objectives. >> Walt ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Pirate Radio Stations Challenge Feds Date: 25 Sep 2006 20:22:18 -0400 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) mc wrote: > Martha Mendoza wrote in message: >> _When federal agents raided Free Radio Santa Cruz in 2004, a crowd of >> several hundred protesters soon gathered at the 10-year-old broadcast >> center -- including the mayor, who was shouting through a bullhorn. The >> tires on the FCC agents' cars were slashed before they could leave, and >> then they received parking tickets before they could repair them. > Is Santa Cruz trying to secede from the United States, then? And even > from the International Telecommunications Union? The argument made by the mayor is that since the station is only audible from within a small area that is entirely within the state, the FCC, which holds its power by virtue of the Constitution's clause enabling the government to regulate interstate commerce, cannot have jurisdiction. This argument has been tried before and not found to hold up in court. But it IS interesting to see that enough people are annoyed about the lack of community radio in this country to do something about it. For years there was a 10W class-D allocation for educational stations, which was very popular and widely used. It went away in 1978. More recently the FCC has, due to demand, opened up low power FM allocations. However, because the bands today are so crowded, it's difficult to shoehorn those LPFM stations in-between existing station contours. And for better or for worse, a large proportion of the LPFM licenses have been bought up by Christian broadcasters, most of them members of a small number of networks. > I don't think any of these "rebels" realize is that the only reason > they *have* clear channels to transmit on is that the FCC regulates > radio. If there were no regulation, competitors would be free to jam > each other and would do so. I've seen this in some countries, and it has good and bad points. Tune across the dial in Italy some time ... scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Pirate Radio Stations Challenge Feds From: Mark Atwood Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy! Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 08:09:50 GMT mc writes: > I don't think any of these "rebels" realize is that the only reason > they *have* clear channels to transmit on is that the FCC regulates > radio. If there were no regulation, competitors would be free to jam > each other and would do so. Maybe it's time for digital ultra wide band, and software radios, then. The current modality is like saying the someone has a monopoly on a particuluar color of light in a given city. If eyes were stupid and non-directional, it makes sense. If they are not, it doesn't. It no longer makes sense. Mark Atwood When you do things right, people won't be sure me@mark.atwood.name you've done anything at all. http://mark.atwood.name/ http://fallenpegasus.livejournal.com/ ------------------------------ From: harold@hallikainen.com Subject: Re: Pirate Radio Stations Challenge Feds Date: 26 Sep 2006 05:28:29 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com mc wrote: > I'd be inclined to favor an easy licensing system for very-low-power > stations, subject only to the condition that each one originates its > own programming and does not simply relay something else. For some more thoughts on spectrum usage, including a provision for "public parks," see http://www.hallikainen.org/ijclp . Harold ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 07:07:34 PDT From: Mr Joseph Singer Subject: Re: Mesages That Go 'Poof' After Sending Them Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:22:33 -0500 Brian Bergstein, AP wrote: > By BRIAN BERGSTEIN, AP Technology Writer > A hallmark of "Mission: Impossible" was the message that would > self-destruct after a spy played it. Now a startup communications > company promises that same level of secrecy with a Web-based messaging > system designed to leave no traces. Perfect! This is what spammers have prayed for! ------------------------------ From: George Mitchell Subject: Re: Mesages That Go 'Poof' After Sending Them Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 15:01:43 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Brian Bergstein wrote: > By BRIAN BERGSTEIN, AP Technology Writer [...] The individual > messages cannot be copied or pasted into other programs. Oh, really? I'd like to see some justification for this. Personally, I believe pretty strongly I can copy and paste what's on my computer screen anywhere I choose. But then, I'm not running Windows. George Mitchell ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #344 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Sep 26 17:09:54 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 5973221FD; Tue, 26 Sep 2006 17:09:54 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #345 Message-Id: <20060926210954.5973221FD@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 17:09:54 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Tue, 26 Sep 2006 17:12:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 345 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Ebbers Surrenders to Prison Officials (Andrew Dunn) Not the Happiest Day of His Life (MSNBC News Wire) Did The "System" Work Correctly, or Not? (Doug Simpson, AP) Three Year Old Child 'Buys' a Pink Convertible on E-Bay (Reuters News) Google to Keep Focus on Web Search (Reuters News Wire) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:05:20 -0500 From: Andrew Dunn Subject: Ebbers Surrenders to Prison Officials [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: About the time the last issue of the Digest was being distributed, word came through that Bernie Ebbers had surrendered to prison officials. This was a major item on our various news wires, and I am printing three versions of the event, since they differ slightly in their reports. PAT] WorldCom's Ebbers Reports to Louisiana Prison for 25-Year Term By Andrew Dunn Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Former WorldCom Inc. Chief Executive Officer Bernard Ebbers, convicted of overseeing one of the biggest frauds in U.S. history, reported to a federal prison in Louisiana today to begin serving a 25-year term. Officials at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Ebbers, 65, had reported to the Federal Correctional Institution in Oakdale, Louisiana, this afternoon. Oakdale, a low-security prison housing about 1,400 male inmates, is 230 miles from Ebbers's home in Jackson, Mississippi. Ebbers, who built a small telephone company into the second-largest U.S. long-distance provider, was convicted last year of directing an $11 billion fraud that drove WorldCom into bankruptcy in July 2002. He was ordered by U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones in New York to report to prison by 2 p.m. today. Ebbers was convicted of conspiracy, securities fraud and seven counts of making false filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A federal appeals court in New York upheld his conviction in July. Ebbers has been free on bail and living at his home in Mississippi since he was sentenced in July 2005. At the sentencing, defense lawyers asked Jones to recommend that Ebbers be allowed to serve his time in the federal prison complex in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Yazoo City has a minimum security prison camp and a medium security facility, both for men. Briefed Ebbers The government's star witness at Ebbers's trial, former WorldCom Chief Financial Officer Scott Sullivan, testified that he briefed his boss on efforts to hide costs at WorldCom and inflate revenue. Sullivan pleaded guilty and is serving a five- year prison term at a federal prison complex in Jesup, Georgia. WorldCom filed the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history after Ebbers was ousted as CEO. It emerged from bankruptcy as MCI Inc. and moved from Clinton, Mississippi to Ashburn, Virginia. New York-based Verizon Communications Inc. later acquired MCI. Ebbers last year agreed to pay as much as $45 million -- almost all his assets -- to help settle claims in related civil suits. He and his wife were left with about $50,000 and a 'modest' home in Jackson, Mississippi, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said. The case is U.S. v. Ebbers, 02-CR-1144, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. To contact the reporter on this story: David Glovin in New York at dglovin@bloomberg.net ; Andrew Dunn in New York at adunn8@bloomberg.net Copyright 2006 Bloomberg.net ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:10:10 -0500 From: MSNBC.com NewsWire Subject: Not the Happiest Day of His Life From MSNBC.com Ex-WorldCom CEO checks in for prison term Bernard Ebbers sentenced to 25 years for role in the accounting fraud The Associated Press Updated: 1:51 p.m. CT Sept 26, 2006 JACKSON, Miss. - Former WorldCom chief Bernard Ebbers drove through the gates of a federal prison Tuesday to begin a 25-year sentence for his role in the $11 billion accounting fraud that toppled a company he built from a tiny telecommunications firm to an industry giant. Behind the wheel of a Mercedes he had driven from his home, Ebbers pulled the bill of his cap down, shielding his face from reporters and photographers, as he drove into the prison. Ebbers left his upscale, brick-and-stucco home in a gated community in the Jackson suburb of Ridgeland about 9 a.m. EDT and arrived shortly after 2 p.m. at Oakdale. At his home on Monday, he had refused to answer any questions and told an Associated Press reporter to leave. "You're not even supposed to be on this property," said Ebbers, 65, who answered the door wearing a light blue golf shirt and blue jeans. Ebbers walked outside, with a cigar in his mouth, to watch the reporter leave his property. Ebbers, a former high school basketball coach, took a small telecommunications firm and transformed it into an industry giant before the Clinton, Miss.-based WorldCom collapsed in bankruptcy in 2002. "My overall sense of it is it's just a sad day," said Clinton Mayor Rosemary Aultman, whose city had to deal with the economic fallout of the scandal. "The collapse of WorldCom was a tragic ending to what had been a fabulous story. So I think the overwhelming emotion continues to be great sadness and disappointment." U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones of New York told Ebbers during a sentencing hearing in July 2005 that she would recommend Ebbers be assigned to the Yazoo City Federal Correctional Facility -- about 50 miles northwest of Jackson -- to make it easier for his family to visit him. But the recommendation was not followed. "It's a decision of the (prison) bureau," said Mike Truman, a U.S. Bureau of Prisons spokesman in Washington. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Ebbers' conviction and sentence last month. His attorney has said they will continue to appeal, but he has few options, said Ron Rychlak, associate dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law. "I understand they're going to ask the 2nd Circuit to reconsider the case on whole. Three judges heard the case against him originally and he could ask all the judges on the court to hear the case," Rychlak said. "It's pretty rare. The other thing would be to ask the Supreme Court to hear the case. That also is a very rarely granted situation." Ebbers' attorney, Reid Weingarten, did not immediately respond to a message left at his Washington office on Monday. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:17:12 -0500 From: Doug Simpson, AP Subject: Did The "System" Work Correctly, or Not? Ex-WorldCom CEO Ebbers reports to prison By DOUG SIMPSON Associated Press Writer Copyright 2006 The Associated Press OAKDALE, La. -- Former WorldCom Corp. chief Bernard Ebbers drove through the gates of a federal prison Tuesday to begin a 25-year federal prison sentence on Tuesday for his role in the $11 billion accounting fraud that toppled a company he built from a tiny telecommunications firm to an industry giant. Behind the wheel of a Mercedes he had driven from Mississippi, Ebbers pulled the bill of his cap down, shielding his face from reporters and photographers, as he drove into the prison. Ebbers left his upscale, brick-and-stucco home in a gated community in the Jackson suburb of Ridgeland about 8 a.m. Tuesday. He arrived shortly after 1 p.m. at Oakdale. At his home, he had refused to answer any questions and told an Associated Press reporter to leave. "You're not even supposed to be on this property," said Ebbers, 65, who answered the door wearing a light blue golf shirt and blue jeans. Ebbers walked outside, with a cigar in his mouth, to watch the reporter leave his property. Ebbers, a former high school basketball coach, took a small telecommunications firm and transformed it into an industry giant before the Clinton, Miss.-based WorldCom collapsed in bankruptcy in 2002. "My overall sense of it is it's just a sad day," said Clinton Mayor Rosemary Aultman, whose city dealt with the economic fallout of the scandal. "The collapse of WorldCom was a tragic ending to what had been a fabulous story. So I think the overwhelming emotion continues to be great sadness and disappointment." The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Ebbers' conviction and sentence last month. His attorney has said they will continue to appeal, but he has few options, said Ron Rychlak, associate dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law. "I understand they're going to ask the 2nd Circuit to reconsider the case on whole. Three judges heard the case against him originally and he could ask all the judges on the court to hear the case," Rychlak said. "It's pretty rare. The other thing would be to ask the Supreme Court to hear the case. That also is a very rarely granted situation." HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com Section: Business news This article is: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/4215658.html NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html (and also) http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra.newstoday.html (and also) http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, did the justice system in America work the way it should in this case? If you take his present age of 65, add a 25 year sentence to that, he will get out of prison at the age of 90, if he lives that long, which is quite doubtful. An almost 'untouchable' man five years ago, and quite powerful, Ebbers has now been brought down, although I am not sure it was entirely his fault. Given the dishonest sales tactics of so many people telemarketing MCI service over the years, I imagine a lot of them are today thanking and praising God that _they_ were not selected instead of or in addition to Ebbers. He said several times at his trial that he mostly was a 'rubber stamp' on actions taken by his employees. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 14:52:08 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Three Year Old Child 'Buys' a Pink Convertible on E-Bay Jack Neal briefly became the proud owner of a pink convertible car after he managed to buy it for 9,000 pounds ($17,000) on the Internet despite being only three years old. Jack's mother told the BBC she had left her password for the eBay auction site in her computer and her son used the "buy it now" option to complete the purchase. "Jack's a whiz on the PC and just pressed all the right buttons," Rachel Neal said. The seller of the second-hand car, a dealer from Worcestershire, central England, was amused by the bid and agreed not to force the sale through. "Luckily he saw the funny side and said he would re-advertise," Neal said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 14:53:58 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Google to Keep Focus on Web Search Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG - news) is unlikely to make any major investments in original content, choosing instead to keep its focus on Internet search, a top executive from the Web powerhouse said on Tuesday. Tim Armstrong, vice president of advertising sales, said Google viewed itself "as an operator of the Web" rather than a company that would produce original text, films or images. "We don't really have a ton of serious conversations about creating content," Armstrong said during a panel discussion at an Interactive Advertising Bureau event in New York. Instead, he said, Google would prefer to stick with "getting users where they want to go." Another Web media company, Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news), has shown more interest in moving into original programming, ranging from news to columns. But even Yahoo executives have repeatedly said they do not intend to recreate television on the Web, envisioning instead a new entertainment venue that plays up the interactivity of the Internet. Meanwhile, speaking on the same panel, Yahoo Executive Vice President of Global Media Sales Greg Coleman said concerns about a slowdown in Internet advertising could be overblown. "People can use the word slowdown, but it gets taken out of context," he said, pointing out that many of the largest 200 companies are still increasing their advertising on the Web, often from relatively low "We don't see a slowdown in that activity whatsoever," he said. Yahoo recently warned that financial and auto advertising had eased off. Another executive, Michael Kelly, president of AOL Media Networks (NYSE:TWX - news), said he saw no deceleration in advertising. "I don't think there is an industry slowdown," Kelly said. "Think about how many more sales forces are out on the streets today." In a report this week, research firm eMarketer forecast online ad spending will rise 26.8 percent this year to $15.9 billion, marking a slowdown from rates of 30 percent and above in the past two years. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #345 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Sep 27 15:40:59 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 4008E226C; Wed, 27 Sep 2006 15:40:59 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #346 Message-Id: <20060927194059.4008E226C@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 15:40:59 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 27 Sep 2006 15:45:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 346 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Microsoft Offers Explorer Patch Ahead of Schedule (Reuters News Wire) ING Direct Solves Internet Banking Riddle (Reed Stevenson, Reuters) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 26, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 27, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Telecom-themed Bob Dylan Show on XM Satellite Radio (Paul W. Schleck) Verizon: FiOS to Generate Operating Profit (USTelecom dailyLead) Re: Mesages That Go 'Poof' After Sending Them (Barry Margolin) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 13:59:41 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Microsoft Offers Explorer Patch Ahead of Schedule Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released a security patch to fix a "critical" hole in its Internet Explorer Web browser that the world's biggest software maker said could allow an attacker to take control of a user's computer. The patch was released two weeks ahead of a regularly scheduled monthly security update after Microsoft said it became aware of a "public attack utilizing the vulnerability." The company added that the impact on customers was "limited." Microsoft typically issues security patches at the beginning of the month. The flaw rated at critical -- the highest level -- exists in the coding for Vector Markup Language, or VML. The company defines a flaw as "critical" when the vulnerability could allow a damaging Internet worm to replicate without the user doing anything to the machine. The company has been working for more than three years to improve the security and reliability of its software as more and more malicious attacks target weaknesses in Windows and other Microsoft software. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 14:02:07 -0500 From: Reed Stevenson Subject: ING Direct Solves Internet Banking Riddle By Reed Stevenson As more and more people turn to the Internet to pay bills and shop for goods and services, Dutch financial services group ING has carved out a lead in what was once considered the most elusive of online services: banking. ING Direct, the Internet banking arm of ING that operates in nine countries, is by far the world's largest online bank, boasting nearly 17 million customers and about 200 billion euros ($253.5 billion) of savings deposits. In every country that ING Direct operates -- Canada, Spain, Australia, France, the United States, Italy, Britain and Germany -- it is the No. 1 online bank. "For ING Group, it is one of its main growth engines," Dick Harryvan, the ING executive board member responsible for ING Direct, said in an interview. "Today we are approximately 30 percent of the balance sheet of the bank." ING Direct has become such a key driver of the bank's earnings -- profit grew 41 percent in the first half of 2006 to 359 million euros -- that investors are also beginning to focus more closely on its strategy and direction. Key questions include how quickly ING Direct will expand its product offerings in countries where it operates, and what new markets it may enter. Although ING Direct doesn't operate in its home market to avoid cannibalizing a decades-old retail network, it is eyeing new markets, most notably Japan. "The advantage they have in terms of costs is significant," said Duncan Russell, an analyst at Fox-Pitt, Kelton Ltd. "They're also offering better products than their competitors." According to ING's own data, ING Direct's operational costs excluding marketing are a fifth of that of a traditional bank branch. Investors have bid up ING's shares -- they're up 36 percent his year and are trading at 10.4 times projected 2006 earnings, compared with 9.7 for nearest rival ABN AMRO. Instead of a branch network, ING Direct relies on computers servers humming in data centers to run its online bank, where customers can sign up, authenticate and manage their accounts online. Apart from management and technology staff, ING Direct has call support staff and a few retail "cafes" for promotion. Typically, ING Direct will enter a country by only offering an online savings account with an attractive interest rate. After attracting customers, the online bank then expands it product offerings into areas such as term deposits, mortgages, mutual funds and loans. In select countries, ING Direct also offers insurance, pension and checking account services. Despite ING Direct's impressive growth -- deposits grew a hundred-fold from 2 billion euros in 1999 -- Harryvan said that consultants told ING that its chances of success were slim when it launched its first pilot in Canada in 1997. "McKinsey told us it wouldn't work," Harryvan said. WHERE NEXT? Ironically, few consumers in the Benelux have heard of ING Direct, which has built its brand in the United States, Britain and other markets with its splashy, orange-themed advertising. Despite being headquartered in the Netherlands, Harryvan said that ING Direct had no plans to enter its home market or neighboring Belgium. The main criteria for ING Direct when it enters new markets is a high Internet usage rate, a high savings rate or a willingness to move money between accounts. "We think in a market there should at least be 100 billion euros in savings," Harryvan said. As a result, the most potentially viable new markets are Japan, South Korea, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Sweden, said Fox-Pitts' Russell. "Japan for us is the biggest strategic decision in terms of moving forward," Harryvan said, "We have researched the Japanese market already four years ago and to be frank we have a team on the ground there looking at the whole market." Indeed, most analysts see Japan as an inevitable next step for ING Direct, with its high savings rate, a developed inter-bank payments system and a recovering economy with depositors hungry for returns after a decade of near-zero interest rates. The world's second-largest economy has already experimented with online banking. Largest is eBank with 1.65 million customers and even consumer electronics group Sony has an online bank. Among foreign entrants, Citigroup unit Citibank also offers Internet banking. In a country of 128 million people and nearly 7 trillion euros in deposits -- the opportunities in Japan are huge, even despite the risks. "We know that Japanese consumers are absolutely brutal when it comes to quality. You've got the get it right the first time," Harryvan said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 26, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 11:03:58 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 26, 2006 ******************************** Vivendi Bids US$3.2 bil. for Deutsche Telekom's PTC Stake http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/20100?11228 French media and energy conglomerate Vivendi Universal has made a 2.5 billion-euro bid for Deutsche Telekom's 49% stake in Poland's leading mobile operator. In addition, Vivendi claims its rights to a 48% stake in PTC, though its investment in 51% of Elektrim's telecoms investment vehicle, Elektrim Telekomunikacja (ET) ... Nortel to Provide Vidotron with Cable VoIP Solution http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/20095?11228 Nortel has won another contract in Canada with the announcement that it is to supply the VoIP solution for Quebec cable TV/multi-service operator (MSO) Vidotron. The multi-year contract includes systems, deployment, and implementation, plus ongoing services including technical support, disaster recovery. and repair ... RingCube Software Squeezes PC Onto iPod http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20092?11228 Mobile computing just got more portable. Making even the latest pocketbook-sized ultra-mobile personal computers look more like lumbering giants, RingCube Technologies Inc. unveiled software that can virtually squeeze a PC onto an iPod, USB keychain drive, cell phone or any gizmo with digital storage space. RingCube's MojoPac ... Microsoft Spinoff Wallop Launches Test http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/20090?11228 SEATTLE -- Wallop, a startup spun out of Microsoft Corp.'s research lab, is launching the test version of an online social networking site with the premise that people will want to pay extra to look good. The company, which aims to compete with established brands like MySpace and Facebook, plans to sell graphics and other ... Savvy Marketers Using Text Messaging http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20087?11228 CHICAGO -- Like any normal consumer, Tom Gruss was leery about to his cell phone. Who needs a bombardment of sales pitches in yet another format? But he found one offering a heads-up about changing gasoline prices at Meijer Inc. stores benign enough to sign up, ... FCC Ponders Market Conditions While Congress Chases Pretexting http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20081?11228 Busy, busy in the nation's Capital this week, with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) holding its monthly open meeting and the House of Representatives set to grill the industry on pretexting. Tomorrow, the FCC will consider items regarding competitive market conditions with respect to commercial mobile services, an ... Orange Peels Convergence http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/20078?11228 European mobile giant Orange SA's entry into the fixed/mobile convergence market is the big news in today's technology round-up, while meshed video, Swedish WiFi sniffing tools, and a WiFi pizza patent duke it out for also-ran glory. Orange Converged: Despite sounding like a Philip K. Dick novel, 'Unik' is actually ... Motorola Buys Vertasent http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/20074?11228 Continuing on its year-long acquisition binge, Motorola Inc. checked off another item on its video shopping list Monday, buying switched digital video specialist Vertasent LLC for an undisclosed amount. The purchase of Vertasent, a tiny, privately owned company based in Colmar, Pa., gives Motorola the rights to the software ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 27, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 09:58:02 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 27, 2006 ******************************** Sony Ericsson P990i Pushes the (Pay) Envelope http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20126?11228 A cell phone that sells for about $1K ought to have some pretty impressive features, and the Sony Eriksson P990i certainly does. With goodies like a 2-megapixel camera, a flip-down QWERTY keyboard, a business card scanner and support for both 3G/UMTS and Wi-Fi networks, the smart phone ranks near the top of the coolness -- and ... Telecom Italia Shelves Plan to Sell Mobile Unit, Signs Deal with Sony http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/20121?11228 Embattled Telecom Italia has affirmed that there are no plans to sell any of its assets, including the contentious mobile unit Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM), although the fixed and mobile units would still be split. Speaking at a hearing convened by the Italian market regulator, Consob, new Telecom Italia chairman Guido Rossi said that ... 3 Ireland Gets DVB-H Mobile TV Licence http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20119?11228 Hutchison Whampoa's 3 Ireland unit has won a preliminary licence from Ireland's telecoms regulator, ComReg, to trial mobile TV services using a digital video broadcasting handheld (DVB-H) platform. The trials follow the success of 3 Ireland's range of TV content, including highlights from English Premiership soccer matches ... Music Services and Phones Sing Nokia's Song http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20116?11228 NEW YORK -- Nokia has turned up the volume on its mobile music plans. At its Open Studio press event today, the Finnish handset manufacturer unveiled two new music-focused handsets and several accessories. More importantly, though, it talked about its vision for providing music services. As an outgrowth of its acquisition of ... Insider: Trio Takes DR to Next Level http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20111?11228 A technology trio could revolutionize disaster recovery for enterprise storage managers. According to the latest Byte and Switch Insider, the standard methods of disaster recovery -- replication, mirroring, and archiving -- aren't cutting it anymore. It is simply too costly, time consuming, and complicated to apply these ... Symbol's Dunkin' Devices http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20108?11228 Wireless enterprise device maker Symbol Technologies Inc. was in New York City today to show off a slate of new ruggedized products just a week after the firm said that Motorola Inc. plans to buy it for $3.9 billion in cash. The No. 2 enterprise WiFi player had a new outdoor 802.11 mesh box on show as well as an ... Lucent Stretches 100-GigE http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/20106?11228 Bell Labs, which has made a hobby out of 100-Gbit/s Ethernet lately, has presented lab results that claim serial 100-Gbit/s transmission across a 2,000km distance. Bell Labs parent Lucent Technologies Inc. divulged the results earlier today at the European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communication (ECOC) in a paper ... Asia Pacific Leading Metro Ethernet Services Market http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/20103?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Asia Pacific (APAC) is leading the market adoption of metro Ethernet services, as Japan and South Korea companies are entering the mass adoption stage, reports In-Stat. The APAC market registered 0.632 million business metro Ethernet service subscribers in 2005, the high-tech market research firm says. Most of ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: Paul W. Schleck Subject: Telecom-Themed Bob Dylan Show on XM Satellite Radio Date: 27 Sep 2006 10:24:02 -0500 Organization: Novia Internetworking, http://www.novia.net/ Today's (Wednesday, September 27th) episode of Bob Dylan's "Theme Time Radio Hour" on XM Satellite Radio Channel 40, "Deep Tracks," featured songs with telephone related themes, including "Party Line" by the Kinks, and "Your Wires Have Been Tapped" by Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham. More information about the show, and a schedule of encore presentations for this episode, may be obtained from: http://www.xmradio.com/bobdylan/ (I have no personal or direct financial stake in XM Satellite Radio beyond that of a happy subscriber since 2003.) Paul W. Schleck pschleck@novia.net http://www.novia.net/~pschleck/ Finger pschleck@novia.net for PGP Public Key ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 12:42:23 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Verizon: FiOS to Generate Operating Profit Go to http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eylAfDtusXdjavApRg TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Verizon: FiOS to generate operating profit by '09 BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * IBM launches IP telephony service for businesses * Analysis: Qwest on more solid footing * Vodafone to bow self-branded handset * Palm faces competitive pressure from new rivals * U.K. cable operator NTL rolls out quadruple-play offering USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * Asset Management in the Telecommunications Converged Environment TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * New York Times special report: Networking * MSN teams with Control Room for live concerts REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * FCC approves compromise kids-TV rules DIVERSIONS * What You Get for ... $4 Million * New York Uncorked * Another Way to Screen Calls: Color ID * The Place: Los Angeles * Wireless Networking May Soon Get Faster. Will Anyone Care? ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: Mesages That Go 'Poof' After Sending Them Organization: Symantec Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:17:36 -0400 In article , Mr Joseph Singer wrote: > Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:22:33 -0500 Brian Bergstein, AP > wrote: > By BRIAN BERGSTEIN, AP Technology Writer >> A hallmark of "Mission: Impossible" was the message that would >> self-destruct after a spy played it. Now a startup communications >> company promises that same level of secrecy with a Web-based messaging >> system designed to leave no traces. > Perfect! This is what spammers have prayed for! Did you actually read the rest of the article? It's a chat system that doesn't record the conversation, not an email mechanism. Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** *** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group *** ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #346 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Sep 28 15:32:08 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id CFBA42237; Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:32:07 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #347 Message-Id: <20060928193207.CFBA42237@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:32:07 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 28 Sep 2006 5:35:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 347 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Judge Rules Against Morpheus File Sharing (Reuters News Wire) PayPal Makes Settlement Deal With 28 States (Reuters News Wire) Microsoft Sues Unknown Hacker (Reuters News Wire) Apple Co-Founder Tells His Side of the Story (Eddie Evans) New Tech Toys Displayed at DEMOfall Show (May Wong, AP) Verizon on Track With FiOS Goals (USTelecom dailyLead) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 28, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Re: VoIP Attracts Small-Business Customers (support@sellcom.com) Re: Headset Hack (BrianEWilliams) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:25:10 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Judge Rules Against Morpheus File Sharing In a victory for the entertainment industry, a federal judge has ruled that the Morpheus file-sharing software encourages millions of users to share music, movies and other works without authorization. U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson ruled on Wednesday that StreamCast Networks Inc., the distributor of Morpheus, had contributed to massive copyright infringement because it had constructed a business model that relied on massive copyright infringement and did not attempt to block the trading of copyrighted materials. The case, pitting Hollywood movie studios, record companies and music publishers against StreamCast and similar firms, dated back to 2001. Last year, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision, ruling that some technology firms could be held liable for distributing software used to violate copyrights. StreamCast, based in Woodland Hills, California, said it was considering an appeal and maintained that it did not encourage users to infringe on copyrighted works and never intended to do so. "The court's ruling is disappointing. StreamCast will consider its options, including appealing the decision," the company said in a statement. "Morpheus is an innovative, multiuse program with legal uses that are overwhelming. In the meantime, Morpheus will continue to discourage users from infringing upon copyrighted works," the company said. StreamCast was the only file-sharing company that continued fighting after the Supreme Court ruling. "This is an especially gratifying marker in the continuing transformation of the online music marketplace," said Mitch Bainwol, chairman and chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group for major record companies like Warner Music Group and Vivendi's Universal Music Group. "No single court ruling solves piracy or can make up for several challenging years for the music community, but there's no doubt that this particularly important decision means that the rules of the road for online music are better today than they were yesterday," he said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newdtoday.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You know, if Hollywood and the entertainment industry are going to go after _every possible_ way of copying files simply to protect their precious movies and music from _possibly being copied_ 'illegally', then why have they not yet started hassling the writers of FTP and its later, more modern variations? How much longer will we be 'allowed' to use FTP to copy legitimate files? Really the question should be, how much longer will Hollywood and entertainment/music be allowed to hang around on the net, dictating the terms to the rest of us? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:27:57 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: PayPal Makes Settlement Deal With 28 States EBay Inc.'s (Nasdaq:EBAY - news) online payments unit, PayPal, has signed an agreement with attorneys general from 28 U.S. states to clarify how it notifies consumers of the measures it takes to protect their financial data, the company said on Thursday. Under the deal, PayPal will pay $1.7 million to the states. PayPal said it will, among other things, shorten and streamline its user agreement and communicate more information relating to its protection programs. The company said it has already complied with many of the voluntary deal's terms. PayPal also said it reached a settlement in a proposed class action lawsuit by PayPal customers in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. The company agreed to set up a settlement fund of $3.5 million, less court and attorneys fees. Under the terms of the settlement deals, PayPal is not admitting any liability for any of the allegations in the two cases, PayPal said. The state attorneys general involved in the deal represent Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia. The federal lawsuit was filed in 2005 on behalf of a class alleging that PayPal did not clearly communicate information about its consumer protection programs related to specific types of transactions. The legal settlement will be presented for preliminary approval to the U.S. District Court in the coming months. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 18:26:42 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Microsoft Sues Unknown Hacker Microsoft Corp. has sued an anonymous computer hacker whose free program allows users to copy digital movies and songs by bypassing a software protection built into the company's Media player. The world's biggest software maker charges the hacker known as "Viodentia" has illegally obtained propriety source code to produce the program called FairUse4WM, sparking fears it could enable consumers to illegally copy digital content. The program's name is a reference to legal rulings in which courts recognize "fair use" as the ability for consumers to copy recordings for personal use. Some consumer advocates argue that the digital media industry is ignoring that right in its attempt to stop illegal duplication. The lawsuit marks the company's latest attempt to stop the programmer, who has repeatedly released updates to the program in response to Microsoft patches aimed at stopping the tool that strips away digital management rights code. The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. "This software program enables users to alter or remove Microsoft's DRM from Windows Media files (i.e. it allows users to wrongfully access or copy a copyrighted music or movie file," the company said in its lawsuit filed in U.S. District Use in Seattle. But a person using the identity Viodentia said in a Web posting the program has never involved Microsoft source code. The programmer also said in an online interview with Engadget that the lawsuit was a "fishing expedition to get identity information" in a bid to bring more lawsuits. Microsoft could not immediately be reached for comment, but one legal expert viewed the lawsuit as a way for the company to slow distribution of the program and scare would-be users from taking advantage of it to duplicate copyrighted content. Allonn Levy, an attorney specializing in intellectual property on the Internet, said the program also highlights major problem facing content providers and software makers such as Microsoft as consumer demand grows for Web delivery of content such as movies and music. "It shows that whomever is producing the DRM, even if it is the biggest software maker in the world, they are going to have to continually update and change that DRM because it is going to be cracked," Levy said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 18:30:55 -0500 From: Eddie Evans Subject: Apple Co-Founder Tells His Side of the Story by Eddie Evans There was excited chatter as the revolutionaries met in a nondescript garage in Menlo Park, California, but in the beginning few of them really knew how they would change the world. And yet within a year of that first meeting of the Homebrew Computer Club on March 5, 1975, a computer was in the hands of consumers for just a few hundred dollars and the personal computer revolution was under way. Steve Wozniak says that meeting inspired him to design and build the first Apple computer, but he almost didn't show up. "I was shy and felt that I knew little about the newest developments in computers," he recalls. Shyness is a theme for Wozniak. He is "the other Steve" in the duo behind Apple Computer Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL - news), the self-effacing engineer to Steve Jobs' brash marketing whiz. While Jobs, now presiding over the success of Apple's iPod, is almost a household name, the other Steve has been content to stay out of the limelight, until now. In a book titled "iWoz" published this week, Wozniak seeks to tell the engineer's side of the story and set a few things in the record straight. For him, the day that defined the personal computer was June 29, 1975, the first time he typed a character on a keyboard and saw it show up on the screen right in front of him. "Every computer before the 'Apple I' had that front panel of switches and lights. Every computer since has had a keyboard and a screen," he writes. TELLING HIS STORY Wozniak, variously known as "Woz" and the "Wizard of Woz," put together circuit boards for what would be called the Apple I, and Jobs sold them for $500 each to a new computer store, the Byte Shop in Mountain View, California. "There are stories that Steve (Jobs) and I engineered those first computers together," he writes. "I did them alone." By 1977, the pair had introduced the Apple II, still recognizable as a personal computer even today, and sold 2 million by the time it was superseded by the Macintosh. As Apple grew into a huge company, Wozniak shunned management positions and worked in a cubicle alongside other engineers, even though he was a co-founder. An incident that still grates is the way his departure from Apple in 1985 was reported in the press. The fact that he was unhappy with the way Apple was going was not a factor, he said, and he left solely so he could start his own company. He is still on the payroll of Apple and sometimes represents the company at events. He also still counts Jobs among his friends, and in an interview said that any differences between them were very minor and a "little bit misinterpreted." But his book tells some choice stories from their long friendship, including a controversy over a fee for a game called Breakout in the early days and another incident in which Jobs blocked a design company from working with Wozniak. SHARING THE WEALTH Wozniak also said that Jobs declined to write a foreword for the book. A spokesman for Apple declined to comment. The book's title, "iWoz," invites comparison with Jobs, who has sometimes called himself iCEO since his returned to Apple as interim CEO in 1997. Wozniak, a bear of a man at 55, retains the innocence of the computer nerd who in 1975 was too shy to talk at computer club meetings and who was happy to share his designs for the early Apple with its members. In fact, he never seemed to aspire to massive wealth. Along the way, he has taught at a public school and spent millions of dollars of his own money to fund rock concerts. And he sold stock cheaply to other Apple engineers before the company's successful initial public offering in 1980 so that they could share in the wealth. From his experience, he advises today's would-be inventors to avoid big, structured companies, where there is less leeway to turn clever ideas into revolutionary new products. "Yes, a person who is technical, a little bit nerdy, not so social, can just do some common-sense things and have it work out great," he said. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more tech news of interest, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 18:33:12 -0500 From: May Wong, AP Subject: New Tech Toys Displayed at DEMOfall Show By MAY WONG, AP Technology Writer The best technology is often invisible because it's working efficiently in the background. Fun technology, however, is usually the stuff you can touch and feel. And when it talks and twirls, that's even better. The quirkiest product appearing at this week's DEMOfall 2006 conference, a springboard for tech startups, had rabbit ears and not the kind for televisions. Violet, a small French company, showed off a plastic white bunny named Nabaztag that connects wirelessly to a home's computer network. Its ears can twirl or point up or down to notify you of incoming e-mail or the rise and fall of stocks. It can read e-mails or news headlines aloud, converting the text to speech. It can announce the time or play songs from your digital music collection. Color lights that glow from inside its belly can issue a weather report. All yellow, for instance, can mean sunny; all blue can mean snow. The 9-inch-tall rabbit performs according to preferences set up by the user on Violet's Web site. For instance, you could assign different light signals for e-mails that come from different people or contain certain keywords in the subject line. Nabaztag can even marry another rabbit, and the two can link up over the Internet. The owners of the pair can instigate some bunny love, or "ear play," by getting their bunnies to mimic each other's ear movements. Nabaztag -- the Armenian word for rabbit -- is dubbed as the first wireless rabbit, but it's not the first home information appliance. A handful of other companies have introduced -- with mixed success -- an odd assortment of similar items, from smart clock radios to the spherical Orb lamp by Ambient Devices. The smart bunny is available for $150 from select online retailers. A new version that adds a built-in microphone so the owner can give the rabbit orders will be available in November for $170. Several other cool gadgets hitting the DEMOfall stage, where nearly 70 companies each had six minutes to show off their products, aimed to offer relief for road warriors. Dash Navigation Inc. unveiled the first car navigation device designed to constantly stay connected to the Internet. The always-connected feature lets Dash Express do more than the current crop of satellite-navigation products. "We can't help you get rid of traffic, but we can tell you where it is and how to get around it," said Dash Chief Executive Officer Paul Lego. The gadget taps cellular and public wireless, or Wi-Fi, signals to stay linked to the Web, getting the freshest available data on traffic conditions. It can also do Web searches for locations or products, the cheapest gas around, or movie times — and then direct you to the destination. The device also comes preprogrammed with historical traffic data for major roads for every time and day of the year, arming visitors then with a bit of the knowledge of local residents. But the most powerful feature of Dash Express will happen only if many of them are out there. Each device sends data back to the Internet to report the flow of traffic at that point, allowing Dash to gather, calculate and dispense traffic conditions and alternate routes based on real-time traffic flow. Robert Acker, Dash's senior vice president of marketing, said roughly 3,000 units in a metropolitan region will be enough to provide accurate real-time traffic data for major arteries. Dash Express is slated to ship early next year. Exact pricing has not been disclosed, but Acker said the price will be about $600 for the device with an optional additional monthly service fee for the Internet-based features. Another company, Mvox Technologies Inc., showed off its Mvox Duo, a wearable all-in-one type communicator that is a wireless Bluetooth headset and speakerphone for cell phones or PCs. Dressed in a "Star Trek" outfit, Mvox's vice president of marketing, Sally Li, offered one of the more entertaining presentations at DEMOfall. She clipped the small headset to her uniform and conducted several phone calls to "Spock" to highlight its handsfree features. The gadget, which will be available for $199 in November, allows for voice dialing and can announce the caller, eliminating the need for drivers to peek at their cell phones to see who's calling. At the office, the headset could be plugged into a Bluetooth-enabled computer or a USB port to support Internet-based phone calls. The Mvox Duo also has 8-megabytes of built-in memory to store contacts, so users can retain the information even if they switch to another Bluetooth cell phone. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more headlines and news from Associated Press, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:50:59 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead Subject: Verizon on Track With FiOS Goals USTelecom dailyLead September 28, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eyAcfDtusXdooXgssU TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Verizon on track with FiOS goals BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Mobile ESPN to close down operations * As Web video craze grows, cable industry boosts VOD offerings * Major players still have lock on Net profits, AOL chief says * Neuf Cegetel offers stripped-down PC to lure broadband subscribers * France Telecom details GPON plans, considers relaxing dark fiber policy USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * CALEA and Lawful Intercept Compliance Guide TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Motorola carries mobile WiMAX torch * SDR technology could bring convergence to wireless REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Commentary: Statewide franchises are good for consumers * Denver fields Wi-Fi proposals * Ebbers to appeal fraud conviction to U.S. Supreme Court DIVERSIONS * Your Own Private Africa * He's Got the Salad Covered. Can He Serve You Dinner? * Dressing Smartphones for Success * A Finicky Grape Finds New Glory * Costa Careyes, Mexico: A Pacific Resort Where the Air Kisses Are Understated Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eyAcfDtusXdooXgssU ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 28, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 10:55:43 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 28, 2006 ******************************** NTL Launches First Quadruple-Play Service in U.K. http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20151?11228 Cable operator NTL has, as expected, announced the launch of the United Kingdom's first 'quadruple-play' package. The service will offer digital TV, mobile services, internet access and fixed-line telephony, for a monthly charge of 40 pounds (US$75.7). The move is the latest realisation of the potential of the combined ... Softbank Promises Easy, Free Yahoo! Internet Content on New Mobile Phones http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20144?11228 TOKYO -- Japanese Internet services company Softbank, which bought British carrier Vodafone's mobile business in Japan earlier this year, said Thursday that its new mobile phones will offer an easy link to Yahoo! Internet content. Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son said the carrier will expand the lineup of handsets by ... EU Court Rules Illegal Dutch Government Golden Shares in KPN, Dutch Post http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20141?11228 BRUSSELS, Belgium -- An EU court on Thursday ruled illegal the Dutch government's controlling minority stake in telecom company Royal KPN NV and the Dutch Post Office TNT Postgroep NV. The European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court, said the government's 'golden shares' -- which gave it ... Verizon Touts FiOS Momentum; Spending To Top $18B http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/20137?11228 Verizon this morning delivered what could be called a 'state of the union' briefing on its FiOS fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) project, saying it now expects to spend $18 billion on the program by 2010, at which time it will have passed 18 million premises with its network. In an extensive and mainly upbeat briefing for ... Colubris Gets Secure http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/20135?11228 WiFi vendor Colubris Networks Inc. has released a new access point aimed at the ever-more-crowded enterprise wireless intrusion detection and prevention marketplace. The Waltham, Mass.-based company claims that its MAP-330 Integrated Sensor/AP is different from the rest because it can operate as a normal access point and a security ... Cable VOIP Gains at Telco Expense http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/20133?11228 With the larger cable operators all rolling out VOIP to their markets, a new study predicts that North American MSOs will sign up nearly 28 million residential phone customers by the end of 2009, increasingly at the expense of the telcos. In the study, Convergence Consulting Group predicts that U.S. cable operators will have 24.5 ... User-Generated Web Content Will Grow Rapidly Through 2010 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/20129?11228 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- User-Generated Content (UGC), such as that found on YouTube and MySpace, will continue to grow significantly in popularity and generate increasing revenue over the next several years, reports In-Stat. By 2010, the volume of downloads/views on these sites will surpass 65 billion, and revenues tied to UGC video ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Re: VoIP Attracts Small-Business Customers Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 01:13:32 -0400 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com USTelecom dailyLead said on that big USENET thingie: > * VoIP attracts small-business customers > BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH Has anyone else heard that some of the VOIP hardware is not fully POTS compatible, in that it sometimes won't support a business phone system? I have heard that some of them are only designed to handle one or two "phones". Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more Check out http://www.guardian.name [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Any phone system which can 'grab' or connect to a pair of wires connecting to a VOIP installation works okay. For example, my puny little system: If I dial '9' from any phone, I connect to a landline outside. If I dial '8', I connect to the VOIP adapter and whatever is connected to it. Granted, the VOIP adapter (at least the one I have here) can only serve two lines at one time, but, if it mattered that much to me, I could keep stacking up the VOIP adapter boxes and continue the plug-ins. PAT] ------------------------------ From: BrianEWilliams Subject: Re: Headset Hack Date: 27 Sep 2006 13:42:02 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com W Howard wrote: > In article , > BrianEWilliams wrote: >> I am addicted to my telephone headset, and I like using a corded phone >> for the sound quality and privacy. Caller ID is a must, and phones >> that have all these features (headsets, wired, and Caller ID) tend to >> be more expensive business models. >> This is the hack I thought of to let me use a cheap Wal*Mart wired >> phone with a headset. Simply wire a connection between the coiled >> handset cord and my headset. There are 4 connectors on the coiled >> handset cord, one for talking, one for listening, and a ground each. > That "ground" is a return current path, but may not be at ground > potential. There is a reason, at least sometimes, why the mike and > speaker do not share their "ground" wire. >> My headset has a 1/8" male stereo jack at the end. The part >> furthest from the tip would take both the ground wires, and then I >> just have to find which is the mike, and which is the earpiece. > Is there a reason why you don't want to remove the stereo jack and > replace it with a 4P4C modular plug like the telephone handset uses? That seems like a good idea. I'll try it when I have some time. >> Then I have to find out what the 4 wires in the coiled handset cord >> are and connect them correctly. Is there any reason this won't work? > The speaker part will probably work fine. The microphone part may be > more troublesome if the mike in the headset is a different type than > the one in the original handset. You could wind up losing all the > voice quality that was one of your original objectives. The speaker did work fine, but I wasn't able to get the mic to work. Also, connecting it decreased the sound quality of the speaker, possibly due to combining the "grounds". Thanks for the reply. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #347 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Sep 29 15:02:25 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 08D12224B; Fri, 29 Sep 2006 15:02:24 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #348 Message-Id: <20060929190224.08D12224B@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 15:02:24 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 15:05:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 348 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Verizon Wireless Lauches Broadband Network in Victoria, TX (Verizon News) Cingular Lauches 3G Network in Cleveland (PR News Wire) House May Vote on Phone Data Privacy Bill Soon (Jeremy Pelofsky, Reuters) Windows Bugs Still Not Patched (Robert McMillan, IDG) Nortel Sees Higher Demand For Fiber Optic Gear (US Telecom DailyLead) Telecom Update #548 - Canada (John Riddel) Re: VoIP Attracts Small-Business Customers (support@sellcom.com) Re: VoIP Attracts Small-Business Customers (Carl Navarro) Re: VoIP Attracts Small-Business Customers (Steven J. Sobol) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:40:22 -0500 From: Verizon News Wire Subject: Verizon Wireless Lauches Broadband Network Services in Victoria, Texas (STT Pressi.com 09/29/2006) Customers Can Now Get High-Speed Wireless Internet and E-mail Services, Download Video Clips and Songs to Handsets Jimmy Duvall Jimmy.Duvall@VerizonWireless.com 972-444-5515 Alison McMillon Weber Shandwick for Verizon Wireless amcmillon@webershandwick.com 972-830-2812 09/28/2006 DALLAS, TX -- Verizon Wireless announced today it has launched its wireless broadband network in Victoria, Texas, allowing local customers to utilize the latest high-speed business and entertainment services on their wireless phones, laptop computers and other wireless devices. The expansion -- which entailed installing high-tech wireless hardware and software in wireless transmission sites throughout the region -- extends the Verizon Wireless BroadbandAccess network to Victoria. Hardware and software upgrades are complete, the system has been tested, and Victoria residents can now enjoy wireless broadband service on the state's most reliable network. The coverage area extends approximately from the junction of U.S. Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 77 in the west to the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and Loop 115 in the east. From south to north, the coverage area reaches from the intersection of State Highway 185 and Bois d'Arc Road to the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and Tate Road. "This expansion is part of our continuing focus on providing high-speed data services to our customers across the country and right here in Texas," said Luis M. Cruz, region president for Verizon Wireless. "This launch will offer access to the very latest wireless technology with services such as BroadbandAccess and V CAST Music and video." BroadbandAccess allows customers to connect wirelessly to the Internet, download e-mail and applications, and log into their corporate servers via their laptop at broadband speeds. The technology provides mobile workers full access, productivity and security, just as if they were at their desks and attached via a high-speed wired connection, but with the freedom of true mobility. This wireless broadband experience is made possible by the Verizon Wireless EV-DO (evolution-data optimized) technology, with typical connection speeds of 400-700 kilobits per second (kbps). The technology was first introduced in Texas in Austin, and now also is available in the Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and Beaumont metro areas. The Verizon Wireless V CAST service gives customers access to short video content, downloadable music, and cutting-edge 3D games on their mobile phone. V CAST provides current news, weather, sports and entertainment programming on demand. And with access to more than 1.4 million songs, music lovers with a V CAST Music-enabled phone can download and play their favorite songs -- all while on-the-go. Verizon Wireless has invested $30 billion into its network in the last six years -- $5 billion on average every year since 2000 when the company was formed -- to ensure network reliability and increase coverage and capacity. About Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 54.8 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:50:32 -0500 From: PR NewsWire Subject: Cingular Lauches 3G Network in Cleveland BroadbandConnect service offers ultra-fast connections CLEVELAND, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland residents can now take advantage of Cingular's super-charged wireless network which is capable of providing customers with high-speed access to information in a world that has gone mobile. Customers can use the third-generation (3G) network to access Cingular BroadbandConnect, which is available to nearly 35 million people in 52 communities throughout the United States. "Make no mistake about it: Wireless users want the speed and services they've come to expect from their wired connections. And today Cingular is delivering on its promises to provide both the speed and reliability to our Ohio customers," says Dori Marks, Vice President/General Manager for Ohio. Cingular's 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. HSDPA is the high-speed evolution of GSM/EDGE (Global System for Mobile Communication/Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution), which shares a common core network. GSM is the world's most popular wireless technology, which is used by more than one billion people in 210 countries. In addition to the BroadbandConnect service, 3G phones allow Cingular to provide Cingular Video. Cingular Video(TM) on-demand streaming video service offers a comprehensive library of mobile video content with personalized access to razor-sharp clips on Cingular 3G phones through Cingular's high- speed 3G wireless network. 3G phones like the LG CU 500 are now available in Cleveland for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate card and a two-year service agreement. In 2005, Cingular initially launched the BroadbandConnect service in Austin (TX.), Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland (OR.), Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA.), Seattle, Tacoma (Wash.) and Washington D.C. "We're giving customers the ability to securely access information and applications at broadband speeds in the office, on the road or at home. With our 3G service, almost any spot in a city is a hot spot," said Marks. "BroadbandConnect complements our national high-speed EDGE data service, offering customers the flexibility and ubiquity required to be more productive as the world continues to go wireless." Cingular BroadbandConnect is a super-charged enhancement to the company's nationwide EDGE network, the nation's largest wireless high-speed data network. When coupled with a compatible device and service plan, the service provides average mobile data connections between 400-700Kbps (kilobits per second) on the downlink and bursts to more than a megabit per second. BroadbandConnect combines a laptop modem card, Cingular's Communication Manager software and a Data Connect plan for use on laptops. Customers can use their laptops to access the Internet or e-mail, download large files and attachments, and run corporate business applications at broadband speeds in areas covered by BroadbandConnect. The service also offers additional security features compared to alternative wireless technologies. Additional devices and exclusive services that take advantage of the high-speed HSDPA network, such as transmitting full motion video and providing ultra-fast audio, are currently available. Unlike services offered by some wireless companies, BroadbandConnect stays connected when the user is outside the coverage area. The laptop modem cards are dual-band HSDPA/UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone System) (850/1900Mhz) and backward compatible with EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) in four bands (850/900/1800/1900Mhz), so the session transfers to Cingular's nationwide EDGE network or a data network of one of our roaming partners. The Cingular EDGE network is available in more than 13,000 cities and towns and in areas along 40,000 miles of highways, providing average data speeds between 70-135Kbps. Cingular customers can also access data services in more than 90 countries. Customers can purchase either a Sierra Wireless AC860 or Option GT Max laptop modem card for $99.99, after rebate card, when they sign up for a qualifying voice plan and introductory two-year $59.99/month Unlimited Data Connect plan. A variety of monthly data plans are available starting at $19.99 for 5 MB. An updated version of Cingular Communication Manager is included with the laptop modem cards. The software gives customers the flexibility to connect to BroadbandConnect, EDGE, GPRS or public and private Wi-Fi hotspots. BroadbandConnect uses HSDPA/UMTS technology -- the global standard and natural 3G evolutionary path for GSM providers. Wireless carriers offering UMTS, EDGE or GPRS can upgrade their networks to HSDPA and be assured there is a continued evolutionary path to faster speeds and more advanced services. About Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 57.3 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corporation , has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/. Cingular Wireless Web site: http://www.cingular.com/ http://cingular.mediaroom.com/ Copyright 2006, PRNewswire Copyright 2006, InterestAlert NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more tech news each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:30:12 -0500 From: Jeremy Pelofsky, Reuters Subject: House May Vote on Phone Data Privacy Bill Soon By Jeremy Pelofsky Legislation that would make it illegal to obtain and sell consumers' telephone records could come to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, said Rep. Joe Barton, one of the measure's authors. Momentum to vote on the bill has been building since Hewlett-Packard Co. admitted that its investigators obtained telephone records of board members, employees and journalists without their permission as the company tried to find out who was leaking sensitive information. "There's a good chance it might pop up today. We may actually get to vote on it. It may be midnight tonight," Barton said at a hearing on pretexting, the practice of someone impersonating an individual to get the information without permission. Barton, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said "the bill is alive and healthy." The committee in March unanimously approved the measure, which also mandates tougher Federal Communications Commission rules for phone companies that maintain such records as well as higher fines for phone companies that fail to adhere to the standards. The bill would also require telephone carriers to get a customer's permission before sharing some specific call information with others for activities like marketing. Democrats brought a "Gone with the Wind" movie poster to the hearing and painted the bill number for the legislation, H.R. 4943, on the poster because the measure had not been seen since May, when it was pulled from the schedule for House floor votes, without explanation. "We really do need to pass legislation, and in particular we need to pass H.R. 4943," said Rep. Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat. The full House has already passed a narrower bill to make pretexting illegal and impose criminal penalties. The Senate is also considering similar legislation, but it was unclear if the lawmakers there would vote before leaving to campaign for the November elections. "The committees are still working and finalizing language which might not be finished this week," said Carolyn Weyforth, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who controls the Senate schedule. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:33:17 -0500 From: Robert McMillan, IDG Subject: Windows Bugs Still Not Patched by Robert McMillan, IDG News Service It has become a familiar pattern: A hacker posts exploit code to a security Web site; Microsoft follows soon after with a warning to customers. The pattern was repeated again Thursday, only this time Microsoft's warning that it is investigating "new public reports" of a critical bug in Windows comes more than two months after sample code showing how to take advantage of the flaw was posted to the Web. Microsoft's advisory can be found here. The flaw that Microsoft warned about is in an ActiveX control (called WebViewFolderIcon) used by the Windows' graphical user interface software. It was first disclosed on July 18 as part of a month-long project by hacker HD Moore to expose problems in browser software. Moore's blog post on the flaw can be found here. Bugs Not Yet Investigated Moore called his project the "Month of Browser Bugs" and ended up disclosing a total of 22 Microsoft vulnerabilities during the period. A few days ago, Moore quietly added exploit code for this latest flaw to his Metasploit hacking tool. The exploit caught Microsoft's attention after it was posted to the milw0rm.com Web site, Moore said. But the security researcher believes that any competent hacker could have developed an exploit based on his July blog posting. So far, Microsoft has patched only two of Moore's flaws. In fact, Microsoft engineers haven't even been able to investigate close to a third of the vulnerabilities, Moore said. Patches Coming Soon Microsoft executives could not immediately be reached for comment, but the company's security advisory said this latest WebViewFolderIcon bug will be patched on Oct. 10. "We have been in contact with HD Moore and at this time our investigations have revealed that most issues relating to Internet Explorer in particular will result in the browser closing unexpectedly," Microsoft's public relations agency said Thursday in a statement. "Because of their nature, most of these issues will more likely be resolved through a service pack release rather than a security update." Microsoft has been busy this month, rushing out an emergency, "out-of-cycle" fix for a flaw in Internet Explorer's Vector Markup Language rendering engine that was being widely exploited by attackers. Exploitable Bugs Unreported Microsoft has even more work ahead of it, according to Moore. In early August, he handed Microsoft another 70 bugs that he had not publicly disclosed. Still, he believes that more of his flaws should have been fixed by now. "I was kind of amused that they would do an out-of-cycle patch for the VML bug, but would let all of these lapse," he said. Microsoft has told him that at least four of his bugs are "exploitable issues," meaning that an attacker could take advantage of them to run unauthorized software on a victim's computer, Moore said. Microsoft Response Slow Earlier this week, Symantec said that Microsoft was the slowest of the major browser-makers at patching its bugs during the first half of this year. But according to Symantec's numbers, Microsoft patched IE bugs, on average, nine days after the public disclosure of a flaw. Most of the 22 Month of Browser Bugs flaws have been in public for two months now. Copyright 2006 PC World Communications, Inc. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:54:09 CDT From: USTelecom dailyLead To: ptownson@telecom-digest.org Subject: Nortel Sees Higher Demand For Fiber-Optic Gear USTelecom dailyLead September 29, 2006 http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ezjIfDtusXdrqdgrzy TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Nortel sees higher demand for fiber-optic gear BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Analysts: Verizon's $22.9B FiOS project the right move * Analysis: U.S. wireless carriers should embrace Wi-Fi * RIM's Q2 profit up 27% * Time Warner debuts Quick Clips USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT * CALEA Compliance: Obligations, Risks & Strategies 3, 1:00 p.m. ET TECHNOLOGY TRENDS * Study: 107 million users viewed online video in July VOIP DOWNLOAD * Call quality still a hang-up for VoIP * Hotel chain to deploy VoIP REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Verizon Wireless sues pretexters in HP case * Judge dismisses Texas cable group's lawsuit DIVERSIONS * Making Her Dream House Pay for Itself * Some Phones Are Just, Well, Phones * Honolulu * Kazakhs Shrug at 'Borat' While the State Fumes * The Ascent of Wind Power Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ezjIfDtusXdrqdgrzy ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Update #548, September 29, 2006 Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 14:19:11 -0400 From: John Riddell ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 548: September 29, 2006 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca/home/Home_Business.page ** BIG PIPE: www.bigpipeinc.com ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.ca/communications/ ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com ** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions ** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca IN THIS ISSUE: ** Number Shortages Loom in B.C., Alberta ** Court to Hear Challenges of Deferral Account Ruling ** RIM Reviewing Stock Options Practices ** Teleglobe Shifts Jobs to India ** City of Ottawa to Help Fund Broadband Access ** Fido Accepts Dialaround LD ** Peterson Steps Down as Avaya Chair ** "Dotmobi" Domain Names Go on Sale ** Primus Opens Vancouver Data Centre ** Mitel Provides Hospitals with Bedside Data Access ** Procedures Set for Price Cap Hearing ** Telus Managers Shift to Shift ** Couch Potato Report Updated ** 9-1-1 Experts Meet in Toronto ** Bell VoIP 9-1-1 Routing to Be Available to All Carriers ** CTCA Readies Western Conference ** Conference to Show Path Through Network Jungle NUMBER SHORTAGES LOOM IN B.C., ALBERTA: The latest Numbering Resources Utilization survey finds that Area Code 250 (southwestern B.C.) will run out of phone number prefixes (CO Codes) in January 2008, and Area 403 (southern Alberta) will run out in October 2009, both much earlier than previously forecast. ** The Canadian Numbering Administrator will hold industry meetings next week in Nanaimo and Edmonton to discuss plans for introducing new Area Codes. No relief plan is in place for either area. ** The sudden increased demand seems to reflect primarily the additional CO Codes needed to implement wireless number portability in March 2007, and to a lesser extent the cablecos' push into the local phone market. COURT TO HEAR CHALLENGES OF DEFERRAL ACCOUNT RULING: The Federal Court has agreed to hear two diametrically opposed appeals against the CRTC's ruling on how funds in the telcos' deferral accounts should be spent. (See Telecom Update #517, 522) ** The Consumers Association of Canada and the National Anti-Poverty Organization argue that all of the money in the account should be returned to customers, not just the remainder after broadband spending. ** Bell Canada argues that none of the money should be returned to customers, because the CRTC has previously found the telco's rates to be "just and reasonable." RIM REVIEWING STOCK OPTIONS PRACTICES: Research in Motion has opened a investigation of stock option practices since 1997. RIM predicts that past profits will be written down by up to US$45 million, but present and future results will be unaffected. ** RIM's "preliminary results" showed a higher-than-expected quarterly profit of $141 million, which sparked a 20% increase in its stock price. Revenue of $658.5 million for the three months ended September 2 was up 7.4% on the quarter and 34% on the year. ** RIM has launched BlackBerry in Japan, with English-language input, and plans to add a Japanese-language version next April. TELEGLOBE SHIFTS JOBS TO INDIA: Teleglobe, once Canada's flagship international carrier, is moving half of its 550 Montreal staff positions to India. Teleglobe was bought by Indian carrier VSNL in February and now uses the brand VSNL International. (See Telecom Update #519) CITY OF OTTAWA TO HELP FUND BROADBAND ACCESS: Ottawa City Council has agreed to contribute $1-million to a private-public partnership that will extend broadband access to all rural areas of the city by fall 2007. The project is expected to cost $3 million in total. ** About 60% of rural Ottawa has broadband access today, up from 2% in 2003. FIDO ACCEPTS DIALAROUND LD: Rogers' Fido cellular service now has its first dialaround long distance provider. Montreal-based Buzz Telecom (10-11-555) offers Fido customers Canada-U.S. calls for 4.5 cents/minute. PETERSON STEPS DOWN AS AVAYA CHAIR: Don Peterson, who resigned as Avaya CEO in July, has now also relinquished the post of Chairman. He is replaced by board member Philip Odeen. "DOTMOBI" DOMAIN NAMES GO ON SALE: A new ICANN-approved top-level Internet domain, .mobi, is now available for mobile devices and for sites that serve them. PRIMUS OPENS VANCOUVER DATA CENTRE: Primus Telecommunications Canada has opened an Internet data centre in Vancouver, its third in Canada. The centre supports hosted IT infrastructure and applications. MITEL PROVIDES HOSPITALS WITH BEDSIDE DATA ACCESS: Mitel Networks' Tele-Call system provides hospitals with bedside touch-screen terminals through which staff can access patient information and patients can order hospital services. PROCEDURES SET FOR PRICE CAP HEARING: The CRTC has set the agenda and procedures for the oral hearing on Price Caps, which will be held in Gatineau, Quebec, beginning October 10 and ending on or before October 20. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Letters/2006/lt060927.htm=20 TELUS MANAGERS SHIFT TO SHIFT: Three Telus managers have accepted senior positions with Shift Networks, a Calgary-based provider of VoIP services for small and medium businesses. Keith Bradley is now Shift's VP sales; David Kozicz is VP client services; Wes Semeniuk is VP network operations. COUCH POTATO REPORT UPDATED: The latest edition of Convergence Consulting's report on "The Battle for the North American Couch Potato," dealing with the market for bundled Internet, TV, and telephone services, is now available. The Table of Contents and Introduction are available online at http://www.convergenceonline.com 9-1-1 EXPERTS MEET IN TORONTO: The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Canada and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Ontario are hosting a trade show and conference on 9-1-1 services from September 30 to October 4 in Toronto. Delegates are expected from across Canada, as well as the U.S., India, Nepal, the UK, and Australia. http://www.apco.ca/conference/ BELL VOIP 9-1-1 ROUTING TO BE AVAILABLE TO ALL CARRIERS: CRTC Telecom Order 2006-254 orders Bell Canada to make its VoiP Call Routing Service available to both VoIP and non-VoIP service providers in order to route end-customer emergency calls to the correct PSAP. ** Bell charges more for VoIP CRS than for its alternative zero-dialed emergency routing service, but with VoIP CRS competitors don't need to maintain their own routing databases or train operators to route emergency calls. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2006/o2006-254.htm CTCA READIES WESTERN CONFERENCE: The Canadian Telecommunications Consultants Association will hold a one-day conference in Calgary October 17 on "Avoding the Trips and Traps of IP Communications." Telus CTO Ibrahim Gedeon will give the keynote. http://www.ctca.ca CONFERENCE TO SHOW PATH THROUGH NETWORK JUNGLE: The proliferation of wireless networks, devices, and applications can create a management headache and a planning nightmare. At Enterprise Networks 2006, John Riddell will discuss management principles for navigating New Age Wireless. ** Other top industry speakers will include: Gary Audin, Michael Dunn, Greg Macdonald, Deepak Chopra and Henry Dortmans. ** Enterprise Networks 2006 will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre October 24-25. Register online at http://www.enterprisenetworks.ca HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca 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 late Friday afternoon each week at http://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=20 To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send=20 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 2006 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca. 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. ------------------------------ From: support@sellcom.com Subject: Re: VoIP Attracts Small-Business Customers Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 22:59:28 -0400 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com support@sellcom.com said on that big USENET thingie: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Any phone system which can 'grab' or > connect to a pair of wires connecting to a VOIP installation works > okay. For example, my puny little system: If I dial '9' from any > phone, I connect to a landline outside. If I dial '8', I connect to > the VOIP adapter and whatever is connected to it. Granted, the VOIP > a dapter (at least the one I have here) can only serve two lines at > one time, but, if it mattered that much to me, I could keep stacking > up the VOIP adapter boxes and continue the plug-ins. PAT] Yes, but what if you had 5 or 6 POTS phones plugged into the same line, would it work, or 10 phones? I believe that is what is separating the "men from the boys" in VOIP adapters. Regards, Steve www.sellcom.com for firewood splitters, ergonomic chairs, office phone systems, "non-mov" surge protection, Exabyte, CA, Minuteman, Brave Products, Fisch, TMC, Panasonic and more Check out http://www.guardian.name [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That I do not know. I think the only way to insure that it will work is by keeping the phone instruments and the VOIP adapter separate from each other; have the phone system do its own thing and the VOIP adapter do its own thing for one or two phone linesm as per my earlier example, dial some code to have the affected phone seize one of the VOIP circuits. Anyway, more than one (or maybe, with luck) two VOIP connections at the same time via the same broadband connection really slows things down a lot on the computer does it not? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Carl Navarro Subject: Re: VoIP Attracts Small-Business Customers Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 17:18:58 -0400 On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 01:13:32 -0400, support@sellcom.com wrote: > USTelecom dailyLead said on > that big USENET thingie: >> * VoIP attracts small-business customers >> BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH >> Has anyone else heard that some of the VOIP hardware is not fully POTS >> compatible, in that it sometimes won't support a business phone >> system? I have heard that some of them are only designed to handle >> one or two "phones". Of the 4 VOIP ATA's I've used, they all support key system trunks with a REN of 0.4B or whatever. It seems that somewhere I read an ATA is good for 2 REN's. Even that would be 5 0.4 devices bridged on the line, but the key would be that you don't even attempt to do that. I guess that means it's fully POTS compatible, but not more than a couple of POTS devices. Just pretend you live in the sticks. As far as number of lines, we stacked up 4 Vonage lines in a poor man's hunt group using CF-Busy feature on lines AB and C. The nicest part of that is we could build it and tear it down via the web. Eventually, we did a CF-Busy/No answer to the customer's main land line since we didn't give those number out to the general public and the outbound access was via a group CO key. Carl Navarro ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: VoIP Attracts Small-Business Customers Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 22:47:46 UTC Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com In article , support@sellcom.com wrote: > USTelecom dailyLead said on > that big USENET thingie: >> * VoIP attracts small-business customers >> BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH > Has anyone else heard that some of the VOIP hardware is not fully POTS > compatible, in that it sometimes won't support a business phone > system? I have heard that some of them are only designed to handle > one or two "phones". Depends. You'd really have to give an example of VOIP hardware that supposedly will only support a couple lines. **SJS, whose boss just purchased hardware for me to put in a shiny new Asterisk PBX! :) Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows Apple Valley, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #348 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Sep 30 00:01:20 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id 2D9BB2248; Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:01:20 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #349 Message-Id: <20060930040120.2D9BB2248@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:01:20 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:00:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 349 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Government Keeps Control of ICANN (Reuters News Wire) Internet Gambling Bill Gets Last Minute Push (Reuters News Wire) ICANN Agreement Paves Way For DNS Transition (Peter Godwin) TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 29, 2006 (telecomdirect_daily) Does Anyone Know of a Cheap VOIP 'Bridge'? (Jim Stewart) Re: Cingular Lauches 3G Network in Cleveland (Steven J. Sobol) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 22:26:56 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Government Keeps Control of ICANN The U.S. Commerce Department said on Friday it would retain oversight for three more years of the company that manages Internet domain names, renewing an agreement that was scheduled to expire this weekend. The government said it signed a new agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which controls addresses such as ".com" and country domain names such as ".cn" for China. The U.S. government has previously said it plans to eventually turn over complete control of ICANN, a nonprofit group, to the private sector. The new agreement calls for a review in 2008 of ICANN's progress toward becoming more accountable, the Commerce Department said. "We are committed to working with ICANN to ensure that they have the established transparency and accountability mechanisms necessary to be a stable, lasting and independent institution," said John Kneur, acting assistant secretary for communications. The current three-year agreement between the U.S. government and ICANN was scheduled to expire on September 30. ICANN officials said they were pleased with the plan. "This is a major step forward for the Internet community," said Paul Levins, an ICANN vice president. "This is about the U.S. government saying that ICANN should be very clearly put on a path toward autonomy." For example, under the new agreement, ICANN will no longer have to file reports with the Commerce Department every six months, Levins said. "We as an organization will no longer have our work prescribed by the Department of Commerce," he said, adding it was a key step in weaning ICANN from U.S. government oversight. The Commerce Department said it consulted with more than 700 companies, trade groups, foreign governments and individuals before deciding to renew the agreement. Some critics say the U.S. government has too much control over ICANN, which has evolved into a crucial engine for global commerce, communications and culture. The government posted its new three-year agreement on the Internet at http://www.ntia.doc.gov. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 22:29:33 -0500 From: Reuters News Wire Subject: Internet Gambling Bill Gets Last Minute Push By Peter Kaplan Most forms of Internet gambling would be banned under a tentative agreement reached on Friday by U.S. congressional negotiators. Pending a review by other lawmakers, the measure could be brought up within hours for passage by the House of Representatives and Senate and then forwarded to President George W. Bush to sign into law. The measure would be attached to an unrelated measure to bolster port security. Democrats had accused Republicans of pushing the bill to placate its conservative base, particularly the religious right, in advance of the November 7 elections. "It's been over 10 years in the making. The enforcement provisions provided by this bill will go a long way to stop these illegal online operations," one of the bill's key backers, Sen. Jon Kyl (news, bio, voting record), a Republican of Arizona, said in a statement. The agreement, a blend of earlier measures passed by the House and Senate, would make it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make payments to online gambling sites. Efforts to win support for the House version had been opposed by lobbyists representing casino owners and other gambling interests. The bill would leave out an additional provision of the House bill that would have clarified that a 1961 federal law banning interstate telephone betting also covers an array of online gambling. Investors in British-based gaming companies such as BETonSPORTS Plc, Partygaming Plc and 888 Holdings Plc are closely watching the U.S. legislation. Democrats have criticized the Republican-backed measure as an election-year appeal to the party's conservative base, particularly the religious right. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, recently appeared at a hearing in Iowa -- the state that holds the first presidential nominating contest in 2008 -- to listen to concerns about Internet gambling. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky) Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html ------------------------------ From: Peter Godwin Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 21:03:32 +0200 Subject: ICANN Agreement Paves Way for DNS Transition Reston, VA and Geneva, Switzerland - 29th September 2006 - ISOC welcomes the agreement announced today between the United States Department of Commerce (USDoC) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The agreement ensures continued stability of the Internet by setting the foundation for an orderly transition of the Domain Name System (DNS) to the private sector. It also demonstrates clear support for ICANN and the role it plays in coordinating those activities related to the Internet's system of unique identifiers. The agreement moves beyond the milestone-driven "oversight" model to one in which ICANN has greater flexibility and the United States Government takes a more discrete role, echoing ISOC's recommendations during the USDoC NTIA's recent public hearing on the transition of the DNS. "This is a constructive step in the direction of private sector management of the DNS," said ISOC's President and CEO Lynn St.Amour. "We believe this agreement contributes to the continued stability of the Internet while allowing for additional operational freedom for ICANN. The new agreement is also a positive indication that the US Government is truly supportive of moving the management of the DNS to a private sector model and we are very pleased to see this. And of course, we believe ICANN is ready for this next step." As its dramatic growth continues, the Internet will be faced by new and more complex challenges. The Internet Society is working to ensure that the Internet's successful and unique self-regulation models continue to evolve in such a way that people everywhere can participate in its development as well as continue to benefit from open access to this "network of networks". Today's announcement supports this evolution by further legitimizing the processes that determine how the Internet works. ISOC's statement at the NTIA's public hearing on the transition of the DNS is available here: http://www.isoc.org/pubpolpillar/ISOC_NTIA_statement_060726.pdf ISOC's response to the NTIA's Notice of Inquiry is available here: http://www.isoc.org/pubpolpillar/ISOC_NTIA_response_060707.pdf ABOUT ISOC The Internet Society is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. ISOC is the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other Internet-related bodies who together play a critical role in ensuring that the Internet develops in a stable and open manner. For over 14 years ISOC has run international network training programs for developing countries and these have played a vital role in setting up the Internet connections and networks in virtually every country connecting to the Internet during this time. FOR FURTHER DETAILS Peter Godwin Communications Manager, Internet Society E-mail: godwin@isoc.org 4, rue des Falaises 1205 Geneva Switzerland ------------------------------ Subject: TelecomDirect News Daily Update - September 29, 2006 From: telecomdirect_daily Reply-To: telecomdirect_daily-owner@telecomdirectnews.com Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:06:49 EDT ******************************** PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents The TelecomDirect News Daily Update For September 29, 2006 ******************************** French Fixed-Line Telecoms Market at a Crossroads http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20186?11228 The intense competition in the French fixed-line telecoms market took a sharp turn earlier this week, as the key players announced optimistic but divergent views on the future of the market. The leading alternative residential broadband provider, Iliad, threw down the gauntlet earlier in the month-announcing plans to invest 1 billion ... Microsoft's Zune Player to Cost $249.99 http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20176?11228 SEATTLE -- Microsoft Corp.'s Zune music player looks a lot like an iPod, acts a lot like an iPod and will cost about the same as an iPod. The software giant said Thursday that it will charge $249.99 for the device, signaling that it isn't planning to spark a major price war to gain market share. It's not ... ESPN Pulls Plug on Cell Phone Operation http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/140/20174?11228 NEW YORK -- The planned shutdown of the Mobile ESPN cell phone service marks the first major bust in a rush of specialized wireless ventures targeting niche audiences they contend are underserved by the Cingulars and Verizons of the world. Mobile ESPN had made the same argument since its launch less than a year ago. But in ... BenQ's German Mobile Unit Files for Insolvency http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20171?11228 MUNICH, Germany -- BenQ Corp.'s German mobile phone unit filed for insolvency Friday, endangering 3,000 jobs and drawing a suggestion from former owner Siemens AG of legal action against the Taiwanese firm. An administrative court in Munich, where the BenQ unit is based, said it received the application for insolvency ... Verizon Delivers Motorola KRZR http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20168?11228 Hoping to build on the momentum of its popular RAZR handset, Motorola announced the commercial debut the phone's skinnier cousin, the KRZR. Verizon Wireless is the first wireless carrier to offer the ultra-thin device. The MOTOKRZR K1m is17 millimeters thin, 44 mm wide and sports a reflective, metallic gloss finish. The handset ... New Coalition Pushes IP-Based Wireless Issues http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20165?11228 A new wireless coalition has been formed to press for changes and for what it considers 'enhancements' in spectrum-management policies to help promote Internet Protocol-based technologies, services, applications and other advancements via RF use. The Wireless Broadband Coalition (WBC) includes as its initial members ... Alcatel/Lucent Wait on W OK http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/20162?11228 Approval for the merger of Alcatel and Lucent Technologies Inc. looks set to be granted, or denied, by U.S. President George W. Bush. That's because the final regulatory clearance the two vendors need, from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), is heading for the office of the President ... BT & T-Mobile: No Convergence http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/20159?11228 T-Mobile USA has denied reports that it will enter into a partnership with BT Global Services to offer fixed/mobile services in the U.S. Reports out of the U.K. this week claimed BT and T-Mobile USA would partner to launch a converged service in the U.S. enterprise market. "Information about T-Mobile and BT has been ... TelecomDirect Editor Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:23:50 -0700 From: Jim Stewart Subject: Does Anyone Know of a Cheap VOIP 'Bridge'? Does anyone know of a cheap VoIP "bridge"? I'd like a pair of boxes that would serve as a bridge across TCP/IP allowing me to connect a POTS phone at one end and a POTS line at the other. Ideally the phone would operate exactly as it would if it were connected to the CO line with copper. Anyone know of such a device? [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You might ask Mike Sandman about this via his web site http://sandman.com or in email mike@sandman.com A few months ago, Mike and I were experimenting with a device which hooked a phone line (incoming) on one end to a VOIP line (outgoing) on the other side. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: Cingular Lauches 3G Network in Cleveland Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:07:58 UTC Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com In article , PR NewsWire wrote: > BroadbandConnect service offers ultra-fast connections >> CLEVELAND, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland residents can now take Why is Cleveland significant? San Diego and DC were significant for Verizon's launch of EV-DO. DC is, obviously, our capital city. :) San Diego is home to the company that owns CDMA and EV-DO technology. Is Cleveland the first city in which Cingular is launching? > advantage of Cingular's super-charged wireless network which is > capable of providing customers with high-speed access to information > in a world that has gone mobile. Customers can use the > third-generation (3G) network to access Cingular BroadbandConnect, > which is available to nearly 35 million people in 52 communities > throughout the United States. OK, it's not. :) Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows Apple Valley, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #349 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Sep 30 17:48:26 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ptownson Delivered-To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (Postfix, from userid 11648) id EC1C221D0; Sat, 30 Sep 2006 17:48:25 -0400 (EDT) To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V25 #350 Message-Id: <20060930214825.EC1C221D0@massis.lcs.mit.edu> Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 17:48:25 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org (TELECOM Digest Editor) Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sat, 30 Sep 2006 17:50:00 EDT Volume 25 : Issue 350 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Manhattan Telecom Company Pleads Guilty to Big-Rigging Charges (DOJ News) Catholic Bishops Concerned About no Safeguards on Web Access (M Pattison) Wireless Providers Ask For Anti-Pretexting Law (AP News Wire) When "Full Disclosure" Equals Collusion, Users Are in Danger (M Solomon) Re: Did The "System" Work Correctly, or Not? (David Wolff) ====== 25 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== 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, and why not support Net Freedom Now http://www.freepress.net/netfreedom . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 23:16:54 -0500 From: Department of Justice Press Release Subject: Manhattan Telecom Company Pleads Guilty to Big-Rigging Charges FORMER NEW YORK HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE AND A MANHATTAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY PLEAD GUILTY TO BID RIGGING AND RELATED CHARGES WASHINGTON -- A former New York hospital employee and a telecommunications company pleaded guilty Friday to charges relating to their roles in a conspiracy involving kickbacks, bid rigging, bribery, contract allocation, and related charges for the supply of telecommunications equipment and services to Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Mount Sinai Hospital (Mount Sinai), the Department of Justice announced. Anthony Spadola of Morganville, N.J., a former information technology manager at Mount Sinai, pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to a three-count information. Spadola pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to rig bids and allocate contracts for the supply of telecommunications equipment and services to Mount Sinai from approximately January 2001 through October 2004. Spadola also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit commercial bribery, mail fraud, and to making false and fraudulent statements on corporate U.S. income tax returns from approximately January 2001 until September 2003. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to one count of income tax evasion for failing to report as income kickbacks that he received, and for improperly claiming business deductions on his U.S. individual income tax returns for the years 2001 through 2003. Broadcom Voice & Data Inc. (Broadcom) of New York City, a telecommunications installation company, also pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Broadcom pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to rig bids and allocate contracts for the sale of telecommunications equipment and services to Mount Sinai from approximately January 2001 through October 2004. "The Antitrust Division will hold accountable those who attempt to undermine open and competitive bidding processes," said Thomas O. Barnett, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department's Antitrust Division. "Today's sentences demonstrate that commitment." The Mount Sinai Hospital is a 1,171-bed tertiary care teaching hospital that serves the New York metropolitan area with a medical staff of nearly 1,800. In addition to its medical education efforts, Mount Sinai's School of Medicine performs clinical and basic-science research. Both the hospital and the school jointly operate an information technology department, located within the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan, that assists various departments and facilities in creating and maintaining their telecommunications infrastructures. This assistance includes selecting and contracting with third party telecommunications vendors in order to install equipment such as voice and data cables in Mount Sinai facilities. Spadola's co-conspirator, Stephen Cogliano, also a former Mount Sinai employee, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to rig bids and allocate contracts for the supply of telecommunications equipment and services to Mount Sinai from January 2001 through October 2004. Spadola and Cogliano were responsible for obtaining bids from vendors of telecommunications equipment and services on behalf of Mount Sinai. They were also responsible for supervising vendors and reviewing and authorizing their invoices for payment. According to the Department, Spadola and Cogliano received payments from individuals associated with Broadcom and another telecommunications vendor in exchange for steering contracts to those companies. Spadola and Cogliano opened bank accounts under the name of consulting companies in April 2001 and May 2003, respectively, that were primarily used to conceal illegal payments received from Broadcom. Court papers also state that Spadola failed to report his receipt of all of the kickbacks and that he took illegitimate business deductions on his income tax returns. Between January 2001 and September 2003, Broadcom paid Spadola and Cogliano a total of approximately $154,000 in kickbacks in order to ensure that Broadcom would be allocated a portion of Mount Sinai's total contracts for purchasing telecommunications equipment and services and that no alternative vendors would be chosen for those contracts. The kickback money was paid through checks issued by Broadcom to the sham consulting companies created by Spadola and Cogliano. Spadola is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge McKenna on Jan. 8, 2007, and Cogliano is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Rakoff on Jan. 25, 2007. Broadcom is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Swain on Dec. 28, 2006. The bid rigging charge, a violation of the Sherman Act, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine for an individual, and a maximum penalty of a fine of $100 million and a term of probation of five years for a corporation. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for an individual. The count of income tax evasion carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $100,000 fine, together with the costs of prosecution. The maximum fine on each count may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victim of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine. In addition, the defendants could be ordered to pay restitution to the victim for the full amount of that victim's loss. These charges arose from an ongoing federal antitrust investigation of bid rigging, bribery, fraud, and tax-related offenses in the telecommunications equipment and services industry. The investigation is being conducted by the Antitrust Division's New York Field Office, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Anyone with information concerning bid rigging, bribery, tax offenses, or fraud in the telecommunications equipment and services industry should contact the New York Field Office of the Antitrust Division at 212-264-9308 or the New York Division of the FBI at 212-384-3252. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 23:20:19 -0500 From: Mark Pattison, Catholic News Service Subject: Catholic Bishops Concerned About no Safeguards on Web Access Catholic bishops among concerned about no safeguards for equal Web access in new telecom bills By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) In the era of regulated utilities, residents and businesses alike knew what the charges would be for electricity, natural gas and telephone service. With an unregulated Internet, though, individuals seeking Internet content and businesses and organizations hoping that users will click on their sites may wind up paying huge fees to Internet service providers before much longer. Current telecommunications bills working their way through Congress have no safeguards for "net neutrality," which allows any user equal access to any Web site. Net neutrality short for 'network neutrality' is the policy of keeping the Internet open to all lawful traffic by requiring that cable and telephone companies operate their Internet networks in a nondiscriminatory manner. It bars those companies from prioritizing Internet traffic to benefit their own content. With no safeguards for net neutrality, religious groups, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, fear that Internet service providers will discriminate against them and charge them if they want to get the same level and speed of service they now receive for their online sites when someone types in their Web address. Since the Federal Communications Commission deregulated the broadcast airwaves about 20 years ago, the amount of religious content on those airwaves has shrunk dramatically as radio and television broadcasters have used the time once set aside for "public service" programming -- including televised Masses -- for profit-making endeavors, including infomercials. The fear is that recent FCC actions allowing large phone companies to offer Internet services in a deregulated environment will have the same effect on religious content on the Web. If the Internet evolves into a "pay-to-play" situation, religious and other noncommercial Web sites would have to pay fees to have their Web sites open to users as easily as those of large commercial entities – if they could afford to pay such fees. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said he would try to get a telecommunications bill passed when Congress reconvenes after the November elections for a "lame duck" session. The Senate version of the bill currently has no provision mandating net neutrality. He told National Journal's Technology Daily that the net neutrality issue was "destroying this bill." He added, "No one can tell me what net neutrality is other than something that a few big companies want," adding that if the bill fails over this issue "the people who blocked it will pay a terrible (political) price." The man credited with being the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, told The New York Times in a telephone interview that net neutrality deserves to be protected. "Net neutrality is one of those principles, social principles, certainly now much more than a technical principle, which is very fundamental," he said. "The neutrality of the Net is a medium essential for democracy, yes if there is democracy and the way people inform themselves is to go onto the Web." A group called Save the Internet says on its Web site it has collected the names of nearly 1.15 million people who want net neutrality preserved. The organization also says its coalition has 783 organizations, including the Christian Coalition of America, the Interfaith Center for Social Justice, the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, and Spirit Restoration Ministries. Also allied with the coalition are nonprofit organizations, small businesses, Internet service providers and individual Web sites. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 23:24:40 -0500 From: Associated Press News Wire Subject: Wireless Providers Ask For Anti-Pretexting Law Plea comes in second day of testimony in Congressional HP spying hearings The Associated Press WASHINGTON - Executives from the nation's largest wireless telephone companies told lawmakers Friday they should outlaw the practice of lying to get access to someone else's phone records, also known as pretexting. On the second day of testimony over the spying scandal that has embroiled the Hewlett-Packard Co., a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee asked the six executives to defend how they safeguard their customers' private billing information. The nearly three-hour hearing followed Thursday's session at which Hewlett-Packard's top executives were grilled about their roles in the scandal. Most invoked their Fifth Amendment rights against self incrimination, time after time. At Friday's hearing only one witness, Doug Atkin, owner of Anglo-American Investigations Inc., invoked his right to refuse to testify. The most impassioned testimony came from a reporter, Christopher Byron, whose phone records were obtained by a company about which he had written an unfavorable story. Lawmakers asked what happened to a bill their panel had approved that would ban pretexting, underscoring the point by putting up a mock vintage movie poster in the hearing room that read, 'H.R. 4943, Gone with the Wind.' All six of the telephone company executives said they would support a bill criminalizing the practice of pretexting. Thomas Meiss, associate general counsel at Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest cell phone provider, said his company can sue a firm that obtains customer records from his company under false pretenses, but that is not enough of a penalty. "I don't trust these people at all," he said of data brokerage firms that sell private phone records. "They need to be in jail." Last spring, the House passed a different bill by a vote of 409-0 that would put pretexters in prison for as long as 10 years and provide for stiff fines. A broader bill supported by the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has not made it to the floor, provides for civil fines against pretexters, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. Current law lets the FTC pursue those accused of obtaining financial records through fraudulent means, but the agency is limited in what it can do with pretexters. Joel Winston, who heads the agency's privacy section, said under current law the agency can only issue an injunction to make the pretexter stop doing business, and sue for ill-gotten profits. Legislation that allowed for specific fines against pretexting would be helpful, he said. Kris Anne Monteith, chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau, said her agency has been trying to deter pretexters, including enforcing a requirement on carriers to certify that they have data protections in place. The FCC has issued $650,000 in fines against carriers for failure to comply with existing FCC rules on private customer information. Monteith also acknowledged that the agency had issued 'letters of inquiry,' the first step in an FCC investigation, to a number of carriers asking whether customer information was disclosed 'without authorization in connection with Hewlett-Packard's activities.' The Senate is working on a compromise bill on pretexting that has become the victim of a turf war between two committees. Congress is scheduled to adjourn this weekend, but will likely be back after the election for a 'lame duck' session. Meanwhile, the states appear to be having more success getting legislation passed. On Friday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an anti-pretexting bill into law. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html For more news and headlines from the media each day, please go to: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 16:55:32 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: When "Full Disclosure" Equals Collusion, Users Are in Danger By: Joe Barr Gone are the days when "full disclosure" meant the immediate public release of information about vulnerabilities or exploits uncovered by security researchers. Whatever it means today is the result of a collaboration -- some might call it collusion -- between the researcher or firm finding the flaw and the vendor or project responsible for the code. Recent patches from Apple illustrate the dangers of this practice when proprietary software is involved. Last week, Apple announced three security patches for its wireless component across virtually its entire platform line. The first patch (CVE-2006-3507) is for two stack overflow vulnerabilities in Airport, Apple's wireless driver. The second patch (CVE-2006-3508) fixes a heap buffer overflow in Airport. The third patch (CVE-2006-3509) addresses an integer overflow in Airport code which handles third-party wireless card connections. All are ranked as "high" severity in the National Vulnerability Database. According to Apple, there are no known exploits for any of these vulnerabilities. Of course, this is the same firm that denied its customers were at risk from wireless vulnerabilities last month. One bad Apple spoils the barrel The problem is that Apple's claims that there are no known exploits are false. Not only have exploits been found, they've been demonstrated, explained, and widely publicized. http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/09/26/1828244 ------------------------------ From: dwolffxx@panix.com (David Wolff) Subject: Re: Did The "System" Work Correctly, or Not? Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 16:10:31 +0000 (UTC) Organization: Public Access Networks Corp. In article , Doug Simpson, AP wrote: > Ex-WorldCom CEO Ebbers reports to prison > By DOUG SIMPSON Associated Press Writer > Copyright 2006 The Associated Press > OAKDALE, La. -- Former WorldCom Corp. chief Bernard Ebbers drove through > the gates of a federal prison Tuesday to begin a 25-year federal prison > sentence on Tuesday for his role in the $11 billion accounting fraud > that toppled a company he built from a tiny telecommunications firm to > an industry giant. [big snip] > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, did the justice system in America > work the way it should in this case? If you take his present age of > 65, add a 25 year sentence to that, he will get out of prison at the > age of 90, if he lives that long, which is quite doubtful. An almost > 'untouchable' man five years ago, and quite powerful, Ebbers has now > been brought down, although I am not sure it was entirely his fault. > Given the dishonest sales tactics of so many people telemarketing MCI > service over the years, I imagine a lot of them are today thanking > and praising God that _they_ were not selected instead of or in > addition to Ebbers. He said several times at his trial that he mostly > was a 'rubber stamp' on actions taken by his employees. PAT] To me this sounds like a Kafka-esque reversal of "I was just following orders". This guy had the authority, the responsibility, and the paycheck to be in charge. At least we can now say that the Feds weren't just picking on Martha Stewart. Thanks -- David (Remove "xx" to reply.) ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm- unications 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! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308 and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest ************************************************************************* * 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. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2006 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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 V25 #350 ******************************