33 Years of the Digest ... founded August 21, 1981
Copyright © 2014 E. William Horne. All Rights Reserved.

The Telecom Digest for Nov 17, 2014
Volume 33 : Issue 210 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Verizon settles charges that it never gave "free TVs" to FiOS customers (Bill Horne)
New Blackberry coming - but only for GSM carrier (Bill Horne)
Lost Key? Copies From the Cloud (Monty Solomon)
Lost Key? Copies From the Cloud (Wes Leatherock)
Mesh-networked mobile phone connections coming to Hong Kong (Monty Solomon)
81% of Tor users can be de-anonymised by analysing router information, research indicates (Monty Solomon)

Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.  - George Washington

See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details.

Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 10:16:37 -0500 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Verizon settles charges that it never gave "free TVs" to FiOS customers Message-ID: <20141116151637.GA7058@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Verizon has to pay $1.375 million back to Maryland residents. Verizon has agreed to pay $1.375 million to Maryland customers to settle charges that it misled them about the price of its FiOS fiber-to-the-home service and failed to deliver promised promotional items including free televisions, Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler announced Wednesday. "The settlement follows a wide-ranging investigation of Verizon, including its alleged failure to deliver promised promotional items to new FiOS customers, such as free televisions and gift cards; its offer of bundled prices that did not include the cost to lease equipment necessary to receive the services; its alleged practice of assessing early termination fees when customers cancelled after they did not receive what they had been promised; and other issues, including billing complaints, contract disputes, and poor customer service," the announcement said. "Although Verizon denied that it violated any Maryland laws, it agreed to a settlement that addresses the Division's concerns." http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/11/verizon-settles-charges-that-it-never-gave-free-tvs-to-fios-customers/ -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) Yes, as through this world I've wandered I've seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen. - Woody Guthrie
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 10:41:24 -0500 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: New Blackberry coming - but only for GSM carrier Message-ID: <20141116154124.GA8734@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Surprise! If you're one of the few people left who wants a physical keyboard on your smartphone, you can now preorder a BlackBerry Classic. The Waterloo, Ontario, mobile firm began taking preorders on Friday for the mobile handset, which is based on older BlackBerry designs but includes an updated software suite. The Classic is priced at $449 and is expected to ship in mid-December. But the model available only supports GSM carriers, leaving out Verizon, Sprint and U.S. Cellular customers. Details about the BlackBerry Classic's specs have yet to be disclosed, though its preorder information mentions a square touch screen and support for BlackBerry and Android apps downloaded through the Amazon Appstore. The company plans to officially launch the Classic on Dec. 17 in New York, according to The Next Web. http://www.ibtimes.com/blackberry-classic-preorders-begin-verizon-sprint-users-are-left-out-1724061 -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) Sometimes someone controls everything about you And when they tell you that they just can't live without you They ain't lyin', they'll take pieces of you - Jack White
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 01:56:36 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Lost Key? Copies From the Cloud Message-ID: <E3E610D1-1B58-4CFB-A072-0F9864E1618E@roscom.com> Lost Key? Copies from the Cloud A company is placing kiosks in New York-area 7-Eleven stores that will allow people to make car keys without having to go to a car dealer. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/automobiles/lost-key-copies-from-the-cloud.html ***** Moderator's Note ***** This has little to do with telecom, but I've been making do with a single car key for years, and I sometimes think it's the best way to prevent locking my key in the car. I make it a habit to look at the key in my hand before I close the door! I could get a copy made, but I can't stand the thought of paying over $200 to do it. So, and if anyone finds a car key attached to a car remote control ... Bill Horne Moderator
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 19:31:20 +0000 (UTC) From: Wes Leatherock <wleathus@yahoo.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Lost Key? Copies From the Cloud Message-ID: <1598609751.815911.1416166280772.JavaMail.yahoo@jws100156.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> > Monty Soloman wrote: > Lost Key? Copies from the Cloud > A company is placing kiosks in New York-area 7-Eleven stores that will > allow people to make car keys without having to go to a car dealer. > ***** Moderator's Note ***** > This has little to do with telecom, but I've been making do with a > single car key for years, and I sometimes think it's the best way to > prevent locking my key in the car. I make it a habit to look at the > key in my hand before I close the door! > I could get a copy made, but I can't stand the thought of paying > over $200 to do it. So, and if anyone finds a car key attached to a > car remote control ... > Bill Horne > Moderator The TV stations here in Oklahoma City have been running warnings in the last day or two to make sure you never have your keys where they can be photographed by anyone else because crooks can have your keys duplicated this way and use them to break into your house or steal your car. Wes Leatherock wleathus@yahoo.com wesrock@aol.com ***** Moderator's Note ***** TV stations love to hype one-chance-in-a-million bugaboos: the average thief will just break a window and be gone before the police can respond. As my dad used to say: "Locks are to keep honest people honest". Bill Horne Moderator
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 10:49:58 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Mesh-networked mobile phone connections coming to Hong Kong Message-ID: <6D9F57E8-F518-4742-803A-0079FC8B7A1C@roscom.com> Mesh-networked mobile phone connections coming to Hong Kong http://thestack.com/21vianet-m87-mesh-network-cell-hong-kong-141114 ***** Moderator's Note ***** "Mesh" networks have been deployed in the U.S. for a while now: does anyone know who came up with the idea? Bill Horne Moderator
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 10:52:08 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: 81% of Tor users can be de-anonymised by analysing router information, research indicates Message-ID: <C4F89893-066E-4E77-BF9D-9C140AEF91D9@roscom.com> 81% of Tor users can be de-anonymised by analysing router information, research indicates http://thestack.com/chakravarty-tor-traffic-analysis-141114

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