---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <9FF81256-9243-4252-B0C9-EFF4A94E9659@jt-mj.net> Date: 21 Dec 2019 14:43:11 -0500 From: "Julian Thomas" <jt@jt-mj.net> Subject: Re: History data communications > On Dec 19, 2019, at 13:26, HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> wrote: > Here are 1962 ads for data communications by both General > Telephone and the Bell System. back around 1958 or so IBM had a 'data transceiver' device consisting of: - a modified keypunch and a rack of gear on each end - a dedicated conditioned line [this was before the datasets]. +--------------------------------------------------------------+ Julian Thomas - http://jt-mj.net ------------------------------ Message-ID: <B8C1B6E7-0758-48DF-BF8A-B83E2EB4910C@roscom.com> Date: 23 Dec 2019 01:09:36 -0500 From: "Monty Solomon" <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Verizon Outages Reported Nationwide Verizon Outages Reported Nationwide Users reported widespread disruptions as they tried to make outgoing calls and text. The company said it had fixed a problem involving long-distance calls to landlines. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/business/verizon-outages.html ***** Moderator's Note ***** The network that used to be the world-standard of reliability seems to be getting more brittle by the day. We could guess about the technical reasons for such failures, but ISTM that there is a more obvious one: the executives at the former Bell System companies now feel that ordinary customers don't deserve a reliable network. Bill Horne Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <8c1032a9-7b8f-649f-096b-53483b9b1d4c@ionary.com> Date: 22 Dec 2019 23:26:17 -0500 From: "Fred Goldstein" <invalid@see.sig.telecom-digest.org> Subject: Re: FCC advances plans for 988, a national suicide- prevention hotline On 12/19/2019 2:20 PM, HAncock4 wrote: > On Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 2:41:18 PM UTC-5, Monty Solomon wrote: > > FCC advances plans for 988, a national suicide-prevention hotline > I'm all for trying to prevent suicide, but I'm not sure if this > is the best way to go. First, it is wrong to disrupt existing > subscribers and the network by using an existing exchange code. > > Second, we already have an emergency code, staffed by trained > operators, and that is 911. A 911 operator could help someone > or transfer the call to a counselor, and also get other help > as appropriate. 911 is widely known and universal. Correct on both counts. 911 PSAPs could be instructed where to forward suicide prevention calls, as quickly as they forward police, fire, and EMS calls. Or the multi-service number 211 could add suicide prevention to its missions. More importantly, the North American Numbering Plan uses N11 for 3-digit codes, and NXX (like 988) as part of a 7-digit or 10-digit number. While suicide prevention sounds like something you don't want to come out against, it sounds a bit like a stalking horse for an otherwise half baked change in the NANP. It requires all local dialing to be 10 digits, with 988 (and I suppose a tassel of other codes, for other virtues) to be reserved as a SAC instead of an NPA. I know the folks in some small states take their 7-digit dialing seriously, so this would take that away. Timeouts would be worse, as even a small percentage of calls to prefix 988, dialed too slowly, would flood the suicide hotlines. Or a long timeout would remove the whole point of a 3-digit code. A nice easy 800 number would make more sense. Even if Uncle had to seize it back from whatever 800 pirate had a desirable number in their collection of millions of numbers that they grab in order to get misdialed calls. Changing the NANP is not trivial. The PSTN uses lots of 5ESS and DMS switches that are no longer getting software updates. Lucent and Nortel have been out of business for a long time; the latest owners of their residuaries do minimal work for maximum money. So this could really be an excuse for ILECs to simply shut down their good quality landlines, which they don't think are very profitable. And smaller carriers may not be able to update their gear either, since a lot of vendors have gone away, putting them out of business. -- Fred R. Goldstein k1io fred "at" ionary.com +1 617 795 2701 ------------------------------ Message-ID: <7757C320-BBFD-40B4-B9B4-CD156C15EA8D@roscom.com> Date: 22 Dec 2019 21:57:40 -0500 From: "Monty Solomon" <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Trolls turned 911 into a weapon. Now cops are fighting back Trolls turned 911 into a weapon. Now cops are fighting back Once viewed as a prank, police are now treating 'swatting' as a serious crime that wastes city resources and puts targets' lives at risk. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/trolls-turned-911-weapon-now-cops-are-fighting-back-n1105991 ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Tue, 24 Dec 2019