Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id JAA29231; Sat, 12 Apr 1997 09:02:48 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 12 Apr 1997 09:02:48 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199704121302.JAA29231@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V17 #89 TELECOM Digest Sat, 12 Apr 97 09:02:00 EDT Volume 17 : Issue 89 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Book Review: "Designing TCP/IP Internetworks" by Bennett (Rob Slade) AOL/Compuserve Merger: Agencies Asked to Take Email Comments (M. Solomon) The Internet Address Scheme to Grow (John Cropper) New NPA 228 for MS to Split NPA 601 (Mark J. Cuccia) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. 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Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 10:51:01 EST From: Rob Slade Subject: Book Review: "Designing TCP/IP Internetworks" by Bennett BKDTCPIP.RVW 961203 "Designing TCP/IP Internetworks", Geoff Bennett, 1995, 0-442-01880-0 %A Geoff Bennett %C 115 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003 %D 1995 %G 0-442-01880-0 %I Van Nostrand Reinhold (VNR) %O +1-800-842-3636 +1-212-254-3232 fax: +1-212-254-9499 aburt-murray@vnr.com %P 601 %T "Designing TCP/IP Internetworks" A very good, thorough, and practical overview of designing, documenting, and managing TCP/IP LANs. Background material includes such topics as an overview of networking, LAN technologies, bridging, network management, and even such esoteric areas as uninterruptable power supplies. The chapter on security is easily one of the best I have seen in general works, although the section on viruses is the usual poor standard. Bennett states at the outset that documentation should be as readable as a Tom Clancy novel. This isn't quite, but it is definitely not terminally boring. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996 BKDTCPIP.RVW 961203 roberts@decus.ca rslade@vcn.bc.ca rslade@vanisl.decus.ca ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 02:55:46 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: AOL/Compuserve Merger: Agencies Asked to Take Email Comments Reply-To: monty@roscom.COM Begin forwarded message: Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 17:18:53 -0400 (EDT) From: James Love Subject: AOL/Compuserve Merger: Agencies asked to take email comments Info-Policy-Notes - A newsletter available from listproc@tap.org INFORMATION POLICY NOTES April 9, 1997 The following is a letter from CPT to the FTC and the Department of Justice asking that the antitrust agencies solicit comment by electronic mail on the merger between AOL and Compuserve, if such a merger is in fact proposed. In March the FTC accepted comments by electronic mail on the proposed Staples merger. The FTC received about 2,000 comments by electronic mail. The FTC subsequently rejected a settlement proposal by Staples, and is seeking to block the Staples/Office Depot merger in court. Here is the brief letter regarding the possible merger between AOL and compuserve. CPT has not taken a position on this merger. jamie Consumer Project on Technology P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036 http://www.cptech.org Robert Pitofsky Chairman Federal Trade Commission Washington, DC Joel I. Klein Assistant Attorney General Antitrust Division U.S. Department of Justice Washington, DC April 8, 1997 Re: CompuServe Merger Dear Sirs: From reading press accounts, it seems as though Compuserve is being sold by H&R Block. One company that may buy Compuserve is American Online (AOL). In the United States AOL is the largest and Compuserve is the second largest seller of value-added online services. In foreign markets Compuserve is the largest, and AOL is a recent entrant. We do not know what position we would take on the Compuserve/AOL merger, should it take place. However, we do have an opinion on an important process issue. CPT strongly urges the antitrust agency that reviews this merger to facilitate communication on the merger by electronic mail. Every customer of AOL and Compuserve can send electronic mail, as it is one of the core services they sell. We further suggest the antitrust agency request communications on specific issues related to the merger, such as: 1. Who are the important competitors with AOL and Compuserve? How should the market be defined? 2. Do AOL or Compuserve provide services that are not available from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that provide access to Internet email, the World Wide Web and other open platform Internet services? 3. Will the merger reduce competition or harm consumers? 4. What will be the impact of the merger on firms that supply value added services to AOL or Compuserve? 5. What other factors should the agency consider? These are just a few suggestions. Thank you for considering this issue. Sincerely, James Love Director Consumer Project on Technology cc: Commissioner Mary L. Azcuenaga Commissioner Janet D. Steiger Commissioner Roscoe B. Starek, III Commissioner Christine A. Varney ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INFORMATION POLICY NOTES is a newsletter sponsored by the Consumer Project on Technology (CPT), a project of Ralph Nader's Center for Study of Responsive Law. The LISTPROC services are provide by Essential Information. Archives of Info-Policy-Notes are available from http://www.essential.org/listproc/info-policy-notes/ CPT's Web page is http://www.cptech.org Send subscription requests to listproc@tap.org with the message: subscribe info-policy-notes Jane Doe CPT can both be reached off the net at P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036, Voice: 202/387-8030; Fax: 202/234-5176 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ From: John Cropper Subject: The Internet Address Scheme to Grow Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 16:38:08 -0400 Organization: lincs.net Reply-To: jcropper@NOSPAM.lincs.net Internet addresses get new tags THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - To keep up with a growing demand for Internet addresses, a new set of on-line tags was approved Tuesday by a group of organizations that help oversee functions on the Net. All Internet addresses in the United States now end with one of six domain names: .com for commercial businesses, .org for non-profit organizations, .net for networks, .edu for educational institutions, .gov for governmental bodies or .mil for the military. Under changes approved Tuesday, seven endings will be added: .store for businesses offering goods, .info for information services, .nom for individuals who want personal sites, .firm for businesses or firms, .web for entities emphasizing the World Wide Web, .arts for cultural groups and .rec for recreational or entertainment activities. The change won't affect existing names, only those applied for in the future. The endings were proposed by the International Ad Hoc Committee, a group of 11 representatives of Internet, legal and other international standards groups. They were approved by five organizations that help oversee the Internet functions: the Internet Society and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Telecommunication Union and the International Trademark Association. --------------------------------------- John Cropper, Webmaster voice: 888.NPA.NFO2 Legacy IS, Networking & Comm. Solutions 609.637.9434 P.O. Box 277 fax: 609.637.9430 Pennington, NJ 08534-0277 Unsolicited commercial e-mail is subject mailto:jcropper@lincs.net to a fee as outlined in the agreement at http://www.lincs.net/ http://www.lincs.net/spamoff.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 15:00:04 -0500 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: New NPA 228 for MS to Split NPA 601 Bellcore-NANPA's webpage now announces the new NPA 228 to split NPA 601 in Mississippi. It has been expected that Mississippi (NPA 601) would soon need area code 'relief'. This split of Mississippi (601) will be its first for the state since the North American Numbering Plan's Area Code format began in October 1947. New NPA 228 will be the Gulfcoast area LATA, while 601 will remain for the Jackson MS LATA (and a handful of other 601-NXX exchanges in Miss., served by LATA's extending from other border states). Some of the communities to be served by the new 228 NPA include: Pearlington, Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Gautier, Pascagoula, Moss Point. This is the string of communities, from west-to-east, from the Louisiana stateline to the Alabama stateline, along US-Hwy.Route-90 (and I-10). I anticipated that the split would be along the LATA line, but IMO, it was going to be a toss-up as to which LATA/region would keep NPA 601 and which would change to a new NPA. The Jackson LATA is the geographical bulk of the state, which is mostly small-to-midsize towns and rural areas, but Jackson is the largest city and state capital. Also, Jackson was the "principal city" for 601 routing in the AT&T-Long-Lines (Bell-System) switching/network/routing hierarchy for decades. New Orleans doesn't have an AT&T #5ESS "OSPS" Operator switch anymore (it used to be 504-0T), but now switches through Jackson's OSPS, 601-0T. However, AT&T-handled non-coin 1+ DDD toll traffic for the New Orleans area still routes through the New Orleans based #4ESS Toll Switch, which had been identified as 504-2T but is now id'd as "060". However the Gulfcoast LATA region is closer to New Orleans, both geographically and economically. It has also been a major tourist / vacation / resort beachfront area for DECADES. In the past five years, the Gulfcoast area has also become FILLED with CASINOS, since Mississippi now has legalized gambling! :) Economic and real estate development in the Gulfcoast area has grown much more over these past few years, and I don't know how the residents and hotel/casino/resorts are going to like having to change their area code from 601 to 228. Permissive dialing for 228 begins 15-Sept-1997. Mandatory dialing begins 14-Sept-1998. Test Number still TBA. Reference URL's for 601/228 split: http://www.bellcore.com/NANP/newarea.html http://www.bellcore.com/NANP/228.html MARK_J._CUCCIA__PHONE/WRITE/WIRE/CABLE:__HOME:__(USA)__Tel:_CHestnut-1-2497 WORK:__mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu|4710-Wright-Road|__(+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity-5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New-Orleans-28__|fwds-on-no-answr-to Fax:UNiversity-5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail- ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V17 #89 *****************************