---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20190910200620.GA6386@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2019 20:06:20 +0000 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: AT&T's secret prepaid plan is actually... good? For $25 per month, you can get an 8GB plan with mobile hotspot and rollover data. The catch: You have to prepay for a full year. By Rick Broida For the last couple of years, Mint Mobile has courted new customers by offering extremely low rates -- but with the stipulation that you have to buy service in bulk, prepaying for anywhere from 3 to 12 months. For example, a $240 payment will buy you 12 months of the carrier's 8GB plan. Now, if you're willing to pay just a bit more, you can get a similar deal from AT&T: The online-only AT&T Prepaid 8GB Promo Plan costs $300 and buys you 12 months of service. (Taxes and fees are extra.) That's literally half the price of the same plan charged monthly. https://www.cnet.com/news/at-ts-secret-prepaid-plan-is-actually-good/ -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <9a7c71df-80d8-4717-ab2c-e6efed37cb88@googlegroups.com> Date: 9 Sep 2019 11:26:17 -0700 From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> Subject: Re: History--1957 telegraph supply paper On Sunday, September 8, 2019 at 4:49:48 PM UTC-4, HAncock4 wrote: > Most of us who used punched cards or paper tape probably > never gave much thought to where the raw stock came from. > But back in the days of widespread telegraph use, paper > tape was a key product and papermakers advertised their > quality. > > Below is a link to a 1957 ad from Railway Signaling > & Communications for "laboratory tested" high grade paper tape. > > https://books.google.com/books?id=bjkjAQAAMAAJ&dq=railway%20signaling%20and%20communications&pg=RA2-PA49#v=onepage&q&f=false > > Here is another ad for their product: > https://books.google.com/books?id=bjkjAQAAMAAJ&dq=railway%20signaling%20and%20communications&pg=RA9-PA17#v=onepage&q&f=false > > Note on the following page is an ad for line-pole glass insulators > by Owens-Corning. This is another product we'd take for granted > but was important, and advertisers touted their quality. > (One problem with such insulators was that hunters liked > to use them for target practice, resulting in high maintenance > expenses. "Open wire" lines by communication carriers remained > in service for many years.) P.S. Right after my post I saw a Verizon truck with a fresh wooden pole on it being hauled someplace. The linemen are still out there. Open wire lines required design to prevent crosstalk and current leakage. Wires were often transposed at certain distances to reduce leakage (inductance and capacitance). The design of insulators was important to prevent leakage, especially if the insulators got wet or dirty. As to paper tape, before inexpensive and reliable computer memories came along, punched cards and paper tape had to suffice. In communications applications, punched tape often acted as a store-and-forward medium. The tape had to be physically durable to not break while going through the punches, readers, and winders. ------------------------------ Message-ID: <c6631418-ee1d-454f-b47a-e12184789449@googlegroups.com> Date: 9 Sep 2019 11:39:28 -0700 From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> Subject: Activist investor pushes major changes in AT&T CNN reported that Elliott Management, an activist shareholder firm, disclosed Monday that it has taken a $3.2 billion stake in AT&T. Elliott Management wrote that AT&T's stock could surge if the company "increased strategic focus, improved operational efficiency" and "enhanced leadership and oversight." full detailed article at: https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/09/media/att-elliott-management/index.html another article, from the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/09/business/dealbook/att-activist-investor.html * * * Personal observation: While I have no love for at&t, I have no love for hedge funds or 'activist investors'. I can't help but suspect they're more interested in quick short term profits at the expense of long term growth. I also can't help but suspect they seek profits by squeezing customers, vendors, and employees. The 1950s movie, "Executive Suite" just aired on TCM. (It may still be available 'on demand'.) It deals with a debate among the Board about short term profits vs. long term growth and health. While a fictional work and 65 years old, I think it represents some corporate thinking. It's also a good entertaining film. (The movie opens with the CEO sending a Western Union telegram and it being received by his secretary). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Suite ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20190910222831.GA7513@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2019 22:28:31 +0000 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: Sunday night: phone service fully restored in Lewis County LOWVILLE, N.Y. (WWNY) - Five days after a lightning strike took out phone service to much of Lewis County, all the phones were back on Sunday night. In a statement, Javier Mendoza, a Frontier Communications official, said "Telephone service to Frontier customers in Lewis County is fully restored and technicians will continue to address any isolated customer or system issues that may result from the lightning strike's disruptive effect. https://www.wwnytv.com/2019/09/09/sunday-night-phone-service-fully-restored-lewis-county/ -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Wed, 11 Sep 2019