Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id AAA25498; Fri, 16 Aug 1996 00:14:09 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 00:14:09 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608160414.AAA25498@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #413 TELECOM Digest Fri, 16 Aug 96 00:14:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 413 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Pacific Bell Spins A More User-Friendly, Customer-Focused Website (M. King) New California Area Codes Unveiled (Tad Cook) USAir Orders Gag On Phones (Mike Pollock) Re: Rural Internet Access (Joel Upchurch) Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut in? (Wes Leatherock) Re: InterLATA Connectivity in 609? (Bill Sohl) Re: AT&T Wants to Buy My Calling Card? (John R. Grout) Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users (Stanley Cline) Employment Opportunity - Voice Network Service Eng / Admin (B. Gallatin) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike King Subject: Pacific Bell Spins A More User-Friendly, Customer-Focused Website Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 12:29:04 PDT Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 17:13:50 -0700 From: sqlgate@list.pactel.com Subject: Pacific Bell Spins A More User-Friendly, Customer-Focused Website FOR MORE INFORMATION: David A. Dickstein (213) 975-4074 dadicks@legal.pactel.com Pacific Bell Spins A More User-Friendly, Customer-Focused Website SAN FRANCISCO -- New sites appear everyday on the World Wide Web, from personal home pages to large corporations just establishing an Internet presence. But for companies like Pacific Bell, host of one of the original corporate websites, it's time for the second generation. So now it's out with the old and in with the new for visitors to www.pacbell.com . The Pacific Bell website, first launched in February 1994 and thus ancient by Internet standards, has been completely redesigned to be more user-friendly, while reflecting the needs and priorities of its on-line guests. The new look was unveiled today. "We've learned a lot about what is and isn't effective in a website since we first launched, and this new site reflects that," said Jona Roomian, Pacific Bell webmaster. "Our site has been redesigned to respond to our visitors' needs, rather than being focused exclusively on products. Visitors to the site can not only find information on the company, they can do practical things, like ordering services on-line any time of the day or night. We're making it easier for them to do business with us at their convenience. "In short, the new-look website provides solutions to customers rather than acting as just an information repository." The 24-hour on-line ordering feature will be of particular benefit to Pacific Bell customers, as more than 60 percent of e-mails requesting services from Pacific Bell are received after normal business hours. Besides offering tremendous convenience to customers, the around-the-clock ordering service shifts calls away from peak business hours, allowing Pacific Bell to serve its customers more efficiently and cost-effectively. In keeping with the people-orientation of the redesign, everyday Californians are profiled on the site, each talking about the specific ways they use the Pacific Bell Network of products and services in their homes and businesses. The profiles, which can be reached by clicking on an icon titled "How Do Other People Use It?" on the home page, add a human element to the site, while providing visitors with insights into the many ways Pacific Bell can benefit them. Profiles will grow in number and constantly evolve, encouraging continuing visits to the site. Other home page icons include "Help Me Find A Solution," "Good Ideas and Special Offers" and "About Pacific Bell." In addition, a branded, robust search center icon allows visitors to search all of the site's pages by keywords, pull-down menus, customer need and a site map. Among the other unique tools that will be up at launch are a calling simulator, which allows visitors to preview a variety of calling features prior to purchase, and a bandwidth simulator that enables consumers to compare the speed of Internet connections at 14.4, 28.8, ISDN and ACN. Even more enhanced sections are scheduled for winter when video clips and other features will be added. As a special service to parents, the Pacific Bell website also will eventually offer software that can be downloaded into visitors' home computers. The software will be designed to teach children how to use the telephone in emergencies, including instructions on dialing 911. Pacific Bell is a subsidiary of Pacific Telesis Group, a diversified telecommunications corporation based in San Francisco. ----------------- Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: New California Area Codes Unveiled Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 15:39:02 PDT New Area Codes Unveiled For Large Portions Of 415, 916 Regions; 650 New Area Code for San Francisco Region; 530 To Be Added In Northern California SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 15, 1996--The California Area Code Administrator announced today that the 650 area code will be assigned to the geographical area south of San Francisco being split off from the 415 area code. He also announced that 530 will be the new area code for a very large portion of the existing 916 area code, generally to the east, north, and west of Sacramento County. The numbers represent California's 17th and 18th area codes, assigned to areas whose boundaries were approved by the California Public Utilities Commission earlier this month. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the CPUC has ordered the 650 area code to go into effect on August 1, 1997. It will cover most of San Mateo county, and the northern portion of Santa Clara county, plus a very small portion of Santa Cruz county (see map). This area was split off from the remainder of the current 415 area code, including Marin County and the city and county of San Francisco. Under the 916 geographic split, most of Sacramento County, south Placer County, including the cities of Roseville, Loomis and Rocklin, and the city of West Sacramento in Yolo County will keep the existing 916 area code. The remainder of the 916 region, which includes all or portions of 23 Northern California counties with more than one million residents and businesses, will receive the new 530 area code and must change that portion of their phone number. This area includes all of Nevada, Yuba, Sutter, Colusa, Sierra, Butte, Glenn, Plumas, Tehama, Lassen, Shasta, Trinity, Modoc and Siskiyou counties and the rest of Placer County, the majority of Yolo County (excluding West Sacramento), the 916 portions of El Dorado and Alpine counties and small portions of Solano, Mendocino, Lake and Humboldt counties as well as the Mono County community of Coleville. The 530 area code is expected to take effect for these areas on November 1, 1997. `One of the most difficult challenges in developing these relief plans was to keep as many communities of common interest as possible in the same area code, but at the same time obtain the longest life span for both the existing and the new area codes,` said Bruce Bennett, California area code relief coordinator. `It's a delicate balancing act. We need to minimize inconvenience to the largest possible number of people, while making sure these area codes last as long as possible,` Bennett added. Industry estimates indicate that the new 530 area code should last about 18 years while the remainder of the existing 916 area code will have enough numbers to accommodate growth through the year 2002, Bennett said. Similarly, the new 650 area code for the southern San Francisco peninsula is expected to last about 11 years while the remaining portion of the old 415 area code should last until mid-2002. While customers in the new 650 and 530 area codes will have to change the first three-digit portion of their telephone number, the new area codes will not affect the price of telephone calls in any of these areas, Bennett said. Call distance determines the price and is not impacted by the creation of a new area code, he explained. `It's also important for customers to know that PBX's, auto-dialers and other telecommunications equipment will have to be re-programmed to recognize the new area codes,` said Bennett. `Historically, area codes always had either a `1' or a `0' as the middle digit for identification purposes, but all of those codes have been used up and are gone.` These new number combinations will allow area codes to be any three digits from 220 to 999, creating an additional five billion telephone numbers, Bennett said. The estimated three million residents and businesses who will need to change to the new 650 or 530 area codes will get to keep their existing seven-digit telephone numbers. When the new area codes are introduced next year, there will be a permissive dialing period of at least six months where callers can dial existing numbers in either the old area code or the new one. Plans for the two area code splits were collectively developed by a telecommunications industry group representing more than 30 companies. They included Pacific Bell, GTE, Contel, Roseville Telephone Co., Evans Telephone Co., Citizens Utilities, Foresthill Telephone Co., AT&T, MCI, SPRINT, AirTouch, Pagenet, AT&T Wireless, MFS Communications Co., Teleport Communications Group (TCG), the California Cable Television Association and others. CONTACT: Pacific Bell John Lucas, 415/542-9509 Dave Miller, 916/972-2811 Dick Fitzmaurice, 415/394-3764 Bill Kenney, 916/972-6604 Business Wire's full file on the Internet with Hyperlinks to your home page. URL: http://www.businesswire.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 17:30:40 -0700 From: Mike Pollock Organization: SJS Entertainment Subject: USAir Orders Gag On Phones NEW YORK (AP) -- If you were on a plane and it suddenly was in trouble, would you want to phone a relative -- or even alert the news media? Two weeks after the crash of TWA Flight 800, USAir pilots were advised to disable their in-flight telephones during potential disasters, The New York Times reported today. The memo seemed to say it was for the airline's image, but USAir says the rule is really for safety's sake. "There may be occasions where an in-flight anomaly could occur where it is desirable to disable the phone system," the memorandum read. "USAir prefers to furnish press releases for in-flight anomalies instead of having the information reported live via telephone from the aircraft!" Richard M. Weintraub, a spokesman for USAir, the nation's sixth-largest carrier, told the newspaper that senior management had been unaware of the memo's wording. "The language has been rescinded," Weintraub said, adding that the memo was intended "to prevent a situation where a phone call from a passenger on an aircraft could have interfered with the safety or security of the aircraft." The memorandum was written by Capt. Paul Sturpe, manager of flight operation procedures for USAir, and circulated on Aug. 2, two weeks after the New York-to-Paris flight exploded off the coast of Long Island. USAir just retained G.T.E. Airfone to install the in-flight telephones earlier this month. The phones have become increasingly popular, allowing passengers to conduct business during flights or call ahead to their destinations. G.T.E. Airfone spokeswoman Laura Littel said she could see a need to disconnect the phones in certain disasters. "The only thing I could think of would be a hijacking," she said. "Someone could use this phone to say, 'I want this plane to go to XYZ, or I'm going to do something.' That is a potential." ------------------------------ From: joel@oo.com (Joel Upchurch) Subject: Re: Rural Internet Access Date: Fri, 16 Aug 96 01:58:18 GMT Organization: Upchurch Computer Consulting In article , bsharp@cris.com (Brian M. Sharp) wrote: > Is there any way people living outside a metropolitan area can get > internet access without having to pay per hour? With all the interest > in the internet, isn't there some service that can see the huge number > of people in this uncomfortable position? I remember reading an announcement several months ago, that Southern Bell was going to offer Internet service. I hope this something different from their recent announcement of offering ISPs the ability to have the same local number accross the Southern Bell region. It seems to me that if Southern Bell does offer Internet access it will cover their whole region and not just the major metro areas. Joel Upchurch @ Upchurch Computer Consulting joel@oo.com 28 27 23 N 718 Galsworthy Ave. Orlando, FL 32809-6429 phone (407) 859-0982 81 23 11 W ------------------------------ From: wes.leatherock@hotelcal.com (Wes Leatherock) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 01:46:43 GMT Subject: Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? Mark J. Cuccia wrote: [ ... text deleted ... ] > ... The originating #5XB local > office in Englewood NJ could only "three-digit" translate in 1951/52, > using internal relays, as the electromechanical Card-Translator box > hadn't been introduced. The Card-Translator box was introduced in > 1952/53 and was located at #4XB Toll offices (and probably later at > XB-Tandem) could "six-digit" translate a much larger block of NPA-NNX > codes and establish complex routing and alternate routing arrangements > and switching, something an individual local #5XB office wasn't > expected to do. Six-digit translation later became a common feature of 5XB offices, but required additional hardware. When Waxahachie, Texas, originally got DDD (the third office in Southwestern Bell to do so, as I recall), Italy, Texas, was specifically deleted from the list of dialable points furnished to customers. The reason was because Italy was a class 5 office homing on Waxahachie, and if a customer dialed 214+the Italy 7D number the call would go into the Dallas 4A machine, then back through Waxahachie to Italy. Waxahachie had only three-digit translation, as you noted, and remember that in those days channels were precious. Later, as similar cases proliferated all over the country, and 5XBs offering DDD became very common, six-digit translation was added to many, if not most, 5XBs. [ ... text deleted ... ] > Now, as for the phasing in of customer long distance dialing, it all > depended on how fast Bell and the independents were introducing > Crossbar equipment into the network, at least #4(A)XB Toll and > XB-Tandem, as well as improvements in the transmission portion of the > network, and also *numbering* plan standardization. One of the biggest factors delaying the points which authorized for customer dialing were the channel capacity. A point would not be made customer-dialable unless it had a final group with a capacity of P.01, and comparable routes between higher class offices. (Generally, by this time, the capacity of the final group was controlling.) Presumably there would have been too many failed attempts, too much load on trunks resulting from these failed attempts, and too many calls for operator assistance if the busy hour probability of reaching all-trunks-busy was greater than .01 (1 per cent). [ ... text deleted ... ] > But non-senderized step originating DDD locations had to dial an > *access prefix* to gain direct access to incoming dialpulse registers > of a #4(A)XB or XB-Tandem office, which could handle the > (NPA)-NNX-XXXX dialed digits. In the 1950's, most 'step' areas which > did have originating customer DDD used '112', which was one of the > usualy 'step-style' local service codes, 11X. In some areas, the > customer might have even had to wait for a second dialtone from the XB > toll/tandem office before dialing (NPA)-NNX-XXXX. This '112' step > access prefix was changed over to '1+' in most step areas about 1960, > as well most step areas changed their service centers from 11X codes > to N11 codes, or local seven-digit numbers. For standardization, many > crossbar/panel areas also adopted the use of '1+', if there were some > local step offices in the area which used '1+'. Sherman and Denison, Texas, are similar sized and competitive cities in North Texas. When Southwestern Bell introduced DDD in Denison, GTE apparently had so much pressure in Sherman that they had to introduce DDD in Sherman, too (I believe Sherman was SxS). Their access code was 70+. (I believe Denison, a 5XB office, was using 1+ by then, although as you noted no access code is actually required operationally in a 5XB office ... or wasn't until interchangeable office and area codes came into existence.) Wes Leatherock wes.leatherock@hotelcal.com wes.leatherock@origins.bbs.uoknor.edu ------------------------------ From: billsohl@planet.net (Bill Sohl) Subject: Re: InterLATA Connectivity in 609? Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 03:06:01 GMT Organization: BL Enterprises billsohl@planet.net (Bill Sohl) wrote: > Andrew White wrote: >> Hello, fellow telecom enthusiasts. >> I am working on a project that requires that I run a T1 circuit >> between the two LATAs in South Jersey, the Atlantic LATA and the >> Delaware LATA. These two LATAs comprise the 609 area code. > Are you sure that you are dealing with an inter-lata situation? The > 609 area code is ONE (1) lata and any two sites in the 609 area code > can be served by Bell Atlantic also. When the LATAs were created in > 1984m NJ was split into two. One was the 201 area and the other was > the 609. Since then the 201 has split into 201 and 908. Boy was I wrong ... several people have sent me email detailing the exact information about the two LATAs in southern NJ. But even with two LATAs, isn't it possible for Bell Atlantic to provide the interLATA intrastate service also because of the recently based telecom bill? Bill Sohl (K2UNK) billsohl@planet.net Internet & Telecommunications Consultant/Instructor Budd Lake, New Jersey ------------------------------ From: grout@polestar.csrd.uiuc.edu (John R. Grout) Subject: Re: AT&T Wants to Buy My Calling Card? Date: 15 Aug 1996 16:46:16 -0700 Organization: Center for Supercomputing R and D, UIUC In article Andrew C. Green writes: > So AT&T computers handled a call from an AT&T home using an enemy calling > card, and this triggered a letter to that address on the theory that the > enemy calling card resides there? Quite possibly. > Perhaps someone here might offer some insight into what AT&T is thinking? Between the new telecom act and the last round of divestiture at AT&T (done in anticipation of it), AT&T's goal is for their subscribers to have AT&T local service, AT&T long distance service, AT&T calling cards and AT&T credit cards. It surprises me that AT&T has honored Baby Bell LEC calling cards and Baby Bell LECs have honored AT&T calling cards for this long ... one reason (beyond the tradition of dear old departed Ma Bell) is that calling cards are a traditional way of paying for calls at payphones, and, since AT&T has been the only IXC outside New Jersey to handle coin-paid inter-LATA calls at non-COCOT telephones, they have continued to provide inter-LATA service at these non-COCOT telephones. Ironically, in AT&T's home state of New Jersey, Bell Atlantic's New Jersey Bell has limited IXC privileges into New York City and Philadelphia from nearby counties, and their ads encourage people to dial 10NJB before calls made at payphones, including those paid for with coins. It would not surprise me to see the Baby Bells provide coin-paid inter-LATA long distance service (and IXC payphones) as they (and the IXCs) ramp up to compete with each other on all fronts. As far as I know, MCI and Sprint never generally honored LEC calling cards (and vice versa), but, since Sprint now owns some LECs, and was in the same corporate family with GTE's LECs before that, I suppose it is possible that they might have (or might have had) arrangements with those LECs. Within the last few years, those state public utility commissions around the country which didn't do it earlier have mostly acted to allow competition (and, at least here in IL, "dial 1" pre-subscription) for intra-LATA calls, which used to be the province of the LECs (I believe Judge Greene's decree allowed state PUC's to totally reserve intra-LATA calls to the LEC at the PUC's option, but the model of local phone service competition established in New York requires LECs to allow, or even subcontract, competition for both local and intra-LATA service, and I expect that this will become general in the wake of the new telecom act). In Illinois, the competition for intra-LATA phone service has already seen some ugly incidents. Earlier this year, Ameritech's notice to their customers about selecting an intra-LATA carrier (printed on their local phone bills) was so slanted against IXCs (playing on people's fears about being slammed to get in the way of IXCs soliciting their _own_ inter-LATA customers to change to their intra-LATA service) that Ameritech was required by Illinois regulators to issue a clarifying statement to their customers on a subsequent bill and give them another opportunity to choose an intra-LATA carrier. In recent months, in response to AT&T's plans to stop allowing AT&T calling cards to be used when someone dials "0" at enemy (i.e., Ameritech) payphones, Ameritech has run a ad campaign warning AT&T customers that they will now _have_ to dial 1-800-CALL-ATT at payphones to use an AT&T calling card (ironically, neither ad campaign mentions the existence of the much more convenient to use 10ATT prefix code). For the last several years, AT&T has been issuing dual-purpose calling/major credit cards, but they have begun to push them much harder since the most recent divestiture. In a recent well-documented case, AT&T "slammed" some of their traditional calling card customers by replacing their AT&T calling cards with dual purpose calling/major credit cards _without permission_ (they gave people a chance to refuse by calling a special 800 number) ... an action worthy of the kind of shady competitors AT&T ads warn people against. John R. Grout Center for Supercomputing R & D j-grout@uiuc.edu Coordinated Science Laboratory University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ------------------------------ From: scline@usit.net (Stanley Cline) Subject: Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 22:55:55 GMT Organization: Catoosa Computing Services In comp.dcom.telecom, kamlet@infinet.com (Art Kamlet) wrote: >> Is this also true for 1-800-CALL-ATT? > They have been encouraging people to use 800 CALL ATT instead of > 10(10)288, and since that probably involves using an AT&T calling > card, the calling card use aleady has a charge built in. Besides, > they don't have any other charge today for 800 CALL ATT so it seems > like the answer to your question is no. In the Atlanta paper today, there was yet another "Notice to AT&T Long Distance Customers" -- it said that as of August 16, that the surcharge would be added to *some* (they didn't say exactly which ones) "Operator Handled" calls as well. I am not sure if they are referring to: a) someone at their home uses 10(10)288+0(0) and has the AT&T operator place a call (to a remote location, does number verify/interrupt, etc. AT&T is still the only carrier that can do some of these things,) b) calling card/collect calls billed to a customer who is not PICed to AT&T (AT&T has raised their charges for use of LEC calling cards again, to $1.20,) or c) both. If b) or c) is true, then AT&T will be joining the ranks of "AOSlime" that heavily surcharge calls in addition to high calling card charges. BTW: *MCI*'s surcharge does NOT apply to 900 numbers or 0+ calls (my phone bill this month is proof positive) ... I am not sure if AT&T applies the surcharge to 900 calls or not. (I believe the FCC would not allow AT&T to do so, given the already notorious nature of 900 numbers.) Stanley Cline (Roamer1 on IRC) ** GO BRAVES! GO VOLS! mailto:scline@usit.net ** http://www.public.usit.net/scline/ CompuServe 74212,44 ** MSN WSCline1 ------------------------------ From: Bryan Gallatin Subject: Employment Opportunity - Voice Network Service Eng / Switch Admin Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 15:14:55 -0500 Organization: DynetX Reply-To: gallatin@onramp.net email resumes to: gallatin@onramp.net Voice Network Service Engineers Project Management experience needed; Voice Network Service Evaluation; PBX traffic study analysis and routing evaluation; Initiate requests for optimization orders / track optimization savings; Understand Nodal services (SDN, Megacom, Megacom 800, TSAA, SDDN, LESA); Working knowledge of BC services databases (TIRKS, DOCITS, TSP, WATS/SOP); Familiar w/ PBX hardware. Switch Administrators: Responsible for ARS Patterns updates for networks; Knowledge of SDN, MEGA, MEGA 8, TSAA, LESA, DLD/DOD, IDA, ISDN; Knowledge of Call Routing Patterns and Load Balance. All are long term positions in Orland, FL area. Rates determined by position and experience levels. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #413 ******************************