---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20190110060957.GA3620@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2019 01:09:57 -0500 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: Here's why Centurylink customers received a pop-up that briefly blocked the internet SALT LAKE CITY - If you're a CenturyLink customer, you may have had trouble getting online this week. Here's why the internet service provider says the reason is due to Utah law - and why state legislators say it should never have happened. A few days ago, CenturyLink customers in Utah received a pop-up message that briefly prevented them from getting online. https://www.ksl.com/article/46448700/heres-why-centurylink-customers-received-a-pop-up-that-briefly-blocked-the-internet -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <F845C2DA-B905-426B-B091-ED0F1F788C47@roscom.com> Date: 8 Jan 2019 21:51:46 -0500 From: "Monty Solomon" <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Frontier letting its phone network fall apart, state investigation finds State: Frontier has refused to issue refunds despite frequent, lengthy outages. By Jon Brodkin Frontier Communications has failed to properly maintain its telecom network in Minnesota, leading to "frequent and lengthy" phone and Internet outages, an investigation by the Minnesota Commerce Department found. Despite that, Frontier has failed to provide refunds or bill credits to customers affected by outages that have sometimes lasted for months, the government report said. Frontier is also guilty of frequent billing errors that caused customers to pay for services they didn't order and has failed to promptly provide telephone service to all customers who request it, the report said. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/01/frontier-letting-its-phone-network-fall-apart-state-investigation-finds/ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <5D9B73CD-6C55-4F75-8811-A135C2B3D603@roscom.com> Date: 9 Jan 2019 22:29:49 -0500 From: "Monty Solomon" <monty@roscom.com> Subject: I Gave a Bounty Hunter $300. Then He Located Our Phone I Gave a Bounty Hunter $300. Then He Located Our Phone T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T are selling access to their customers' location data, and that data is ending up in the hands of bounty hunters and others not authorized to possess it, letting them track most phones in the country. https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/nepxbz/i-gave-a-bounty-hunter-300-dollars-located-phone-microbilt-zumigo-tmobile ------------------------------ Message-ID: <dc5e6fa0-86cd-4c1b-8e0c-31156c43ed3e@googlegroups.com> Date: 9 Jan 2019 13:04:23 -0800 From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> Subject: Re: Editorial: Telecom giants need to answer this wake-up call On Monday, January 7, 2019 at 11:21:04 PM UTC-5, Bill Horne wrote: > By the Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board > Albuquerque, NM > > Imagine your flight is canceled because of a winter storm. You try to > use the app on your cellphone to summon an Uber or a Lyft, but there's > no internet. Ditto for trying to call, text or email someone to pick > you up or to let someone at your destination know you will be a > no-show. > > Imagine trying to pay for dinner or return that sweater you had the > bad luck of receiving on Christmas Day. With no internet or phone > line, there's no way to process your purchase or refund. > > https://www.abqjournal.com/1265205/telecom-giants-need-to-answer-this-wakeup-call.html This is an excellent editorial that asks very important questions. Unfortunately, in today's regulatory climate (or lack thereof), I don't think we'll ever get answers. Maybe not even lip service. Today, communications carriers are out solely to make a buck, and a quick buck at that. Despite that big advertising campaigns claiming high reliability and excellent customer service, the truth is that behind the scenes they're zealous cost-cutters and could care less if service is bad. They know the competition offers just as bad service, so customers won't defect. They know they have a full or near monopoly. ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Thu, 10 Jan 2019