---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20200122183332.GA19628@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2020 18:33:32 +0000 From: Moderator <telecomdigestsubmissions@remove-this.telecom-digest.org> Subject: 9th Circ. Won't Rethink Voiding AT&T Arbitration Agreement 9th Circ. Won't Rethink Voiding AT&T Arbitration Agreement The full Ninth Circuit won't review a panel's ruling that voided an arbitration agreement AT&T had a customer sign, forcing the mobile behemoth to face a decade-old class action accusing it of misleading customers about overseas roaming fees. https://www.law360.com/corporate/articles/1235788/9th-circ-won-t-rethink-voiding-at-t-arbitration-agreement- -- Bill Horne Telecom Digest Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20200122184205.GA19651@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2020 18:42:05 +0000 From: Moderator <telecomdigestsubmissions@remove-this.telecom-digest.org> Subject: Balloon Test Notice Town of Mendon AT&T / FirstNet Wireless Communications Facility and Tower: Balloon Test Notice New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC ("AT&T"), for itself and the federal First Responder Network Authority ("FirstNet") proposes to install a 140' monopole telecommunications tower at property located on property located off of U.S. Route 4 in Mendon owned by CVMENDON, LLC, Tax Map 06-02011.006, in the Ridgeline Overlay District. The Project will allow capabilities for FirstNet, a national statewide interoperable network for first responders, as well as improving AT&T coverage in Mendon and Chittenden. More information concerning the project can be found in the 248a Advance Notice dated November 8, 2019, which can be reviewed and downloaded at the following website link: https://drmpllc.sharefile.com/d-sa88dbe2c1e149ce8 The Town of Mendon has asked AT&T to conduct a balloon test for the new facility in late January / early February 2020, when weather conditions are suitable. A balloon will be flown at a height of 140' in order to produce photographic simulations documenting the project's visibility. The balloon will be flown from roughly 9am until 1pm, and photographed from roads, highways, and locations requested by the Town. Once prepared, the photographic simulations will be available for viewing by the general public. https://www.rutlandherald.com/legals/ballon-test-notice/article_b0e2afeb-cd16-56d8-9ae6-7ad33537fa45.html -- Bill Horne Telecom Digest Moderator P.S. This is one of those stories that I just had to run, if only to show what a PITA it can be to put up a new tower. ;-) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <2020012120453425151-nobody@example.com> Date: 21 Jan 2020 20:45:34 -0800 From: "Jay Hennigan" <nobody@example.com> Subject: Re: Does anyone remember this payphone trick? [Telecom] On 2020-01-20 21:37:39 +0000, Moderator said: > I never saw anyone using a bobby pin to get dial tone, but it was > technically possible, at least for very early types of "3 slot" > payphones. There's a scene in the movie "War Games" where the > protagonist removes the microphone cover on the handset and uses a > soft-drink-can tab to ground one of the leads, thus getting dial > tone. As with most Hollywood portrayals of phone hacks, I doubt that > was possible in any actual payphone: when I started working on them > about five years ago, all the mouthpiece covers were glued on. Indeed it worked, pre-9-1-1 time. Pay phones were basically ground-start lines with the ground completed via the coin relay and a switch that closed when a coin was deposited. No ground on the coin relay, no dial tone, no free calls. This arrangement also allowed the C.O. to apply a voltage of alternate polarity to ground in order to collect or return coins. The "War Games" trick worked before they glued the handset caps on. Similarly, a pin through the handset cord to ground would accomplish the same thing. After armored cords and glued caps became a thing, one could insert a pin through one of the holes in the transmitter cover of the handset. The T1 transmitter elements contained a metal diaphragm that was electrically connected to the carbon cup. Grounding this got you dial tone. It also eventually damaged the transmitter. The last battle in that war of which I'm aware was a special pay phone transmitter that had an armored steel cover insulated from the circuit instead of the plastic perforated cover on the T1. The metal cover was crimped in such a way that it had perforations perpendicular to the cover. Sound would pass but you couldn't get a pin through. To the best of my knowledge a ground would allow free calls on either three-slot or one-slot pay phones as long as the central office was configured for traditional ground-start payphone lines. Somewhat later there was a mandate to allow emergency calls without coins. In addition, Bell wanted 800-number calls to be dialable without coins as they were a cash cow. The CO equipment was modified for loop-start, so dial-tone-first. Emergency calls, service numbers (including 4-1-1 which was a free call back then) and 800 numbers would complete automatically. A coin in the hopper would still provide a ground through the coin relay, so no modifications were needed in the paystations. If no ground was present, CO equipment would intercept local calls and play a recording, "The call you are making requires a coin deposit. Please hang up, insert coin, and place your call again." Toll calls would route to operator. Later, after the three-slot phones with the bells and gong were all replaced with single-slot, toll calls could be automated by counting the tones from the oscillator. Enter the red box that would emulate the tones of the coin totalizer. After dial-tone-first, high school kids short of lunch money would find the ground connection on the campus pay phone and lift it. Victims would hear dial tone, put their dime in, and try their call which would fail. Because of the lack of ground, the coins would remain in the hopper as there would be no connection to the coin relay. Later, the kids would re-connect the ground, pick up the handset, yell "Jackpot!" and hang up. The CO would detect an incomplete call and return all the coins. ***** Moderator's Note ***** The coin-collect and coin-return battery voltages were applied between tip and ground AFAIK: +130 for coin collect, and -130 for coin return. The current crop of COCOT phones have computers in them, with ~4 volt batteries that are trickle-charged from the CO line voltage. The onboard computer does all the tasks which used to be performed by the CO's equipment: rating calls, collecting or returning coins, etc., thus allowing customer-owned payphones to be used with standard 1MB dialtone. Bill Horne Moderator ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Thu, 23 Jan 2020