31 Years of the Digest ... founded August 21, 1981
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The Telecom Digest for June 30, 2013
Volume 32 : Issue 142 : "text" Format
====== 31 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
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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, and other stuff of interest.
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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 04:16:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: Neal McLain <nmclain.remove-this@and-this-too.annsgarden.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: It's vacation time again
Message-ID: <bb2422d4-5412-4d7b-9b68-f7795d05106d@googlegroups.com>
On Friday, June 28, 2013 3:45:52 PM UTC-5, Thad Floryan wrote:
> D'oh! Headslap and facepalm -- I didn't know comp.dcom.telecom
> was also being distributed via a mailing list.
> Learn something new every day! :-)
T-D is also available as a Google Group. If you have a Google account
attached to the same email address that you use for T-D, log in to Google with
that address. From the Google home page, click More -> Even more -> Groups ->
My Groups, and you should see a link to T-D.
You can read every one of 68,960 messages currently in the archive, search by
name or topic, comment on any message, or start a new topic.
You can also discover other interesting factoids, such as the Most Active
Posters of all time: Monty Solomon, Lisa Hancock, and John Levine.
Neal McLain
***** Moderator's Note *****
What Neal is pointing out is that Google will, with some prodding, let
its users see the Usenet archives. These are not, however, "Google"
groups: I reserved a group for the digest some time ago, but it's not
in use. It's just a placeholder, to keep the name.
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 19:47:06 -0400
From: tlvp <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Walmart cellphone plans?
Message-ID: <1c6wh4qt1jgxk.blvl8borb2ob.dlg@40tude.net>
On 27 Jun 2013 00:14:54 -0400, Brian Gordon wrote:
> So the plethora of Walmart ads say you can keep your phone(s) and number(s) and
> switch to their off-brand carriers for the same networks and a lot less money.
>
> Anyone try that? Experiences? Is one better than others? We use cellphones as
> phones, with a little texting, nothing exotic. Sprint prices aren't that
> great. Any recommendations?
Another "off-brand carrier" (actually, MVNO) is Page Plus Cellular,
https://www.pagepluscellular.com/
,
through whom you can get service for many (if not all) Verizon handsets, at
tariffs ranging from $10 every 120 days (rolling over if renewed by day
120), good for about 80 minutes, to plans for really heavy users (like
unlimited calling, unlimited texting, and 5GB data for ~$70/month).
Mexico's Carlos Slim is said to be buying them out, but their web site
seems virtually unchanged ... . Walmart doesn't sell Page Plus refills,
AFAICT; but an outfit called Calling Mart does, often at 5% off:
https://www.callingmart.com/
.
Cheers, -- tlvp (a satisfied, el cheapo, PP/CM customer)
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 15:01:10 -0400
From: T <kd1s.nospam@cox.nospam.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Access Recovery Charge
Message-ID: <MPG.2c38f9028097c98e989e10@news.eternal-september.org>
In article <kptsfu$25g$1@dont-email.me>, dave.garland@wizinfo.com
says...
>
> Having just received a bill in which CenturyLink (motto: "proving
> Qwest wasn't so bad after all") raises my Access Recovery Charge, I
> started to wonder. The bill says the charges are "to recover costs
> of providing access to the telephone network". Since I do not receive
> any telephone service from CenturyLink (only DSL, a non-regulated
> service), or the "telephone network" (aside from the copper from my
> house back to the pedestal 2 blocks away) should I be subject to this
> charge?
>
> Google finds FCC filings and rulings regarding the Access Recovery
> Charge, so is this actually a federally regulated thing (and not just
> another BS "extra charge for being alive")? And if so, should I be
> charged it, since I'm not using the switched telephone network?
Like most of the fees and other 'taxes' on our phone bills this is just
a money grab by the incumbent telco.
It's why I ditched even Vonage - they were getting ridiculous on the
fees. And I'm still getting email from them asking me to come back.
Yeah, right.
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecom-
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