Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id AAA05410; Tue, 3 Mar 1998 00:45:26 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 00:45:26 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <199803030545.AAA05410@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V18 #33 TELECOM Digest Tue, 3 Mar 98 00:45:00 EST Volume 18 : Issue 33 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson FTC to Review 1,200 Web Sites for Privacy Policy Disclosures (M. Solomon) Re: Book Review: "Netizens", Michael Hauben/Ronda Hauben (Ronda Hauben) Book Review: "Genealogy Online: Researching Your Roots" (Rob Slade) Deregulated Utilities Duke it Out (oldbear@arctos.com) New Area Code Being Considered for Philadelphia Region (Jeff Vinocur) 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: * telecom-request@telecom-digest.org * 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: 847-727-5427 Fax: 773-539-4630 ** Article submission address: editor@telecom-digest.org ** Our archives are available for your review/research. The URL is: http://telecom-digest.org They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to archives@telecom-digest.org 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. * ************************************************************************* In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- 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. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 09:08:26 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: FTC to Review 1,200 Web Sites for Privacy Policy Disclosures FTC STAFF TO SURVEY CONSUMER PRIVACY ON THE INTERNET Beginning in March, the Federal Trade Commission staff will survey 1,200 commercial Web sites to determine the extent to which these sites, including sites directed to children, are disclosing how they collect and use personal information online. The staff also will analyze how many sites offer consumers choice regarding how their personal information is used. The Commission is currently preparing a report to Congress on the effectiveness of self-regulatory approaches to protecting consumers' privacy online. The survey results will be included in this report. Over the past three years, the Federal Trade Commission has been examining the personal privacy and consumer protection issues raised by the collection and use of information about consumers as they use the Internet. A number of public workshops have been held by the agency's Bureau of Consumer Protection. Throughout the workshops, the online industry has advocated self-regulation as the most efficient and effective means of creating online privacy protections. In addition, trade association representatives have made commitments to develop privacy policies as guidance for their members, and to encourage their members to disclose their own information practices on their Web sites. As part of the report to Congress, the Commission also will assess existing industry guidelines and principles. The Commission requests that interested trade associations and industry groups submit their guidelines and principles for consideration. The notice requesting industry guidelines and principles on online collection and use of consumers' personal information will be published in the Federal Register shortly. Submission is requested by March 31. All of the guidelines and principles submitted in response will be available for public inspection at the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, Sixth Street & Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20580 and to the extent technically possible on the FTC's web site at: http://www.ftc.gov (no period). The Commission's vote to approve the Federal Register notice was 4-0, with Commissioner Mary L. Azcuenaga not participating. ------------------------------------------- Copies of the notice, the transcripts of the workshops, a FTC staff report titled, "Consumer Privacy on the Global Information Infrastructure," as well as public commentary submitted for the workshops are available on the FTC's web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center; 202-326-3128; TDD for the hearing impaired 202-326-2502. To find out the latest news as it is announced, call the FTC NewsPhone recording at 202-326-2710. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/privacy2/index.html MEDIA CONTACT: Victoria Streitfeld Office of Public Affairs 202-326-2718 STAFF CONTACT: David Medine Bureau of Consumer Protection 202-326-3224 (FTC File No. 954 807) ------------------------------ From: rh120@columbia.edu (Ronda Hauben) Subject: Re: Book Review: "Netizens", Michael Hauben/Ronda Hauben Date: 02 Mar 1998 13:59:20 GMT Organization: Columbia University Dear Pat: Welcome back!!! We missed you and the Digest. Usenet was not the same without you. It was a relief this morning to see you back online and to see posts on comp.dcom.telecom once again. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ronda Hauben has been a correspondent > here for several years, and has shared portions of her book with us > as it was being written. I am rather disappointed in the poor review > given her work by Rob Slade, and if Ms. Hauben wishes to respond I'll > be glad to publish her comments here. PAT Karin Geiselhart sent me a copy of the review she has submitted to Internet Research and said it was ok to post it on Usenet. Thanks for welcoming a response to Mr. Slade's review of Netizens. Michael and I had hoped that the book would encourage a debate over the vision for the future of the Net and in this spirit want to add Karin's review as a response to Mr. Slade. We welcome other voices in this important discussion. Ronda ronda@panix.com http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/netbook/ ------------------------------- Review for Internet Research: Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet by Michael and Ronda Hauben IEEE Computer Society, 1997, ISBN 0-8186-7706-6. 345 pages reviewed by Karin Geiselhart k.geiselhart@student.canberra.edu.au Netizens delivers on its title. It provides a chronicle of the development of the Internet, and particularly the venerable part called Usenet. It is almost an ethnographic study, as the authors are also long term participants on Usenet. Not surprisingly, the book reflects some of the character and contains some of the benefits and drawbacks of Usenet itself, as many of the chapters were first posted on the Internet. There are repetitions, homely but sincere writing, overlapping themes and a good dose of acronymic jargon in some places which might deter the uninitiated. Some sections, replete with copies of postings or appended with detailed notes, almost look like what we have become so used to scanning through on our screens. But beyond these idiosyncrasies, Netizens is a book which champions grass roots democracy. It speaks for and through the on-line citizens who helped shape the Net in its early days. The unfolding of ARPANET and unix is much more than a story of problem solving and the scientific method applied to new realms of computing. Like a fairy tale or myth we can enjoy hearing in many different versions, the birth of the Internet goes deep into our cultural psyche. It embodies what we want to believe about technological change: that it has loftier intent along with entrepreneurial energy. Of course, this is a very American story, so it is appropriate that it be told from the Haubens' American, yet gently challenging perspective. This is where Netizens is most interesting and highlights a theme which is today much muted: the role of blue sky research and government funding. Their history assembles detailed quotes from many of the pioneers. Back in 1968 Licklider and Taylor, of the Advanced Research Projects Agency, envisaged a network of computers which would move communication capabilities far beyond the linear transportation model of sender to receiver which prevailed at the time. They understood the potential for users being "active participants in an ongoing process", and foresaw the development of communities based on affinity and common interests. These were not visions with immediate commercial payback, and perhaps they never will be. The technical difficulties in establishing such a global network could only be handled through substantial amounts of non-profit funding, which is what ARPANET was given. One of the twists in the Internet story which lifts it to the level of near myth is the irony that the project had a military goal, but this required linking civilians so they could share information. The founding of unix had almost religious, and certainly philosophical undertones. The Haubens refer to descriptions of its development as "a system around which a fellowship would form." Here they touch on another grand theme of the Internet, reflexive progression. They ask, with innocent and irrefutable logic: "How else should one go about designing communications programs but on an operating system designed with the basic principle of encouraging communication?" Thus emerged a system which put power in citizens' fingertips and minds and eyes, provided a many to many capability, and raised the possibility of a read and write media as a counter to global leviathans. In their chapter on the effect of the net on professional news media, they again present real people's views and experiences to document their theoretical position. I must admit to a tiny thrill of recognition and pride, when I saw a quote from an Australian journalist of my acquaintance. And the pleasure of reading their book was enhanced by having met the Haubens at a conference or two. Probably nothing can replace face to face friendliness over a shared meal. But they could not be further from an academic elite. Although Ronda in particular draws on seventeenth and eighteenth century economic works and philosophers, the book never loses sight of its democratic intent. A further theme of universal access penetrates each part of this history: past, present, future, and theoretical framework. While the comparison between the Internet and the invention of the printing press is now commonplace, they flesh it out with succinct and pertinent quotes from Elizabeth Eisenstein's seminal book on the printing press in early modern Europe. And always highlighting the role of both technologies in opening new domains of learning, sharing, participating. Unfortunately, one of their own examples shows the naivete in hoping for empowerment through technology alone. In late 1994, the National Telecommunications Information Administration held a virtual conference to consider future directions for the US infrastructure. There was an outpouring of support for the social benefits of the Internet from all corners of the country. Eloquent arguments were made for universal access. However, the public's input to NTIA was not acted on, and the US backbone of the Internet was privatised in May 1995. Another sad coda to that episode is that, according to the Haubens, only 80 public access sites to the on line conference were made available in libraries or other public places. Correctly, they note that "One of the most difficult dilemmas of our times is how to deal with the discrepancy between the need for more public input into policy development and the actions of government officials who ignore that input." These tensions, like the theme of universal access, remain critical, even as electronic commerce spreads, supposedly in response to "market forces." By offering us detailed insights into the early days of these still unresolved issues, Netizens reminds us that technology should serve the people. They include part of a poem by Vint Cerf, another founding father of ARPANET. Written in the late 60s, it reveals his recognition of the intimate play between art and science, linked by a common thirst for knowledge. I could not help but remember his words as a keynote speaker at the Internet Conference in Montreal, nearly 30 years later, in response to a question from Scott Aiken, one of the founders of the Minnesota e-democracy project: "Democracy doesn't scale." Netizens is an affirmation by the authors on behalf of all their fellow Usenet contributors, and all of us who have benefitted in some way from the altruism and free information which flows across the Internet. Theirs is an optimistic mantra: democracy can scale. Karin Geiselhart PhD student Faculty of Communication University of Canberra http://student.canberra.edu.au/~u833885/home.htm ------------------------------ From: Rob Slade Organization: Vancouver Institute for Research into User Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 08:13:36 -0800 Subject: Book Review: "Genealogy Online: Researching Your Roots" Reply-To: rslade@sprint.ca BKGENONL.RVW 971129 "Genealogy Online: Researching Your Roots", Elizabeth Powell Crowe, 1998, 0-07-014722-1, U$24.95 %A Elizabeth Powell Crowe %C 300 Water Street, Whitby, Ontario L1N 9B6 %D 1998 %G 0-07-014722-1 %I McGraw-Hill Ryerson/Osborne %O U$24.95 905-430-5000 fax: 905-430-5020 louisea@McGrawHill.ca %P 293 p. %T "Genealogy Online: Researching Your Roots" It is rather amazing how, when you get a network connecting several million people and a few simple tools, you can find out interesting things about your family. Through misdirected email, idle curiosity, Web search engines, and selective Usenet mail forwarding, about a half dozen of us have formed the eponymous "Robert Slade Internet Club." The net is a natural for genealogical research. Crowe provides an initial chapter discussing how to get set up. Usually I don't look forward to such sections. Internet connection is a subject worthy of a book in its own right, so it can't be dealt with really properly in a brief once over. Too many authors simply use this part of the text to impress, throwing around unnecessary, and at the same time insufficient, technical information and jargon. Crowe takes a rock bottom, basic, practical approach. Those who are familiar with modem communications will find little detail, but nothing wrong, either. The book outlines what you need to get started: a modem, an ISP (Internet Service Provider), some Internet client software, a starter kit (becoming much more common these days), and maybe a little help. There is a warning about viruses, but while providing little information it is neither sensational nor alarmist. Chapter two looks at Usenet news, and covers not only newsreaders, access, and the newsgroups themselves, but also netiquette. The discussion of mailing lists, in chapter three, provides annotations as well as full directions on both posting and list administrative requests. (Mail clients are not covered, since Crowe considered them important enough to mention at the beginning.) Chapter four, on the Web and Web browsers, also contains quick information on telnet (actually pretty much exclusively on Hytelnet) and ftp. Although brief, the section on file transfers manages to touch on file types and the necessary archivers. Chapters nine and ten cover online library catalogues, and the Library of Congress Online. The Mormons (or, more properly, the Church of the Latter Day Saints, usually abbreviated LDS) are widely known for both their genealogical research experience and databases. As chapter eleven notes, these resources are not yet available online, but information is provided about what they have to offer. Although there is no specific mention of an earlier edition (the cover proclaims this to be the "Web Edition"), the book has the feel of being originally written when local bulletin boards systems (BBSs) were more important to the online community than there are today. Chapters five to eight look at BBSs, FidoNet, the National Genealogical Society BBS, and the Everton Publishers BBS. Chapters twelve to fifteen then overview the resources of the AOL (America OnLine), CompuServe, Prodigy, and MSN (Microsoft Network) commercial services. There are, though, definite gaps. Crowe concentrates on resources which return specifically genealogical information. There are a number of Internet tools that can help research family information. "People finding" Web sites are mentioned, but not strategies to find relatives. Some Web search engines are listed, but not AltaVista, which would allow you to search a very large portion of the full text of the Web, looking for names in conjunction with places, and so forth. Many similar tactics can be used to find potential family members and branches. Despite the shortcomings, this book does provide information to serious genealogical researchers on the resources available to them on the Internet. It also gives those who are already connected and have a vague interest some pointers on getting started in family research. Crowe's writing is brief, but clear, readable, and easily accessible. Perhaps a future edition can address the more subtle stratagems in online searching. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1997 BKGENONL.RVW 971129 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 12:34:17 -0500 From: The Old Bear Subject: Deregulated Utilities Duke it Out In theory, deregulation was supposed to have competing utilities duking it out for consumer dollars in the marketplace. But the venue of choice appears to be the hearing room. When Boston Edison, an electric utility, constructed a fiber optic communications network for the purposes of managing its own facilities, it knew full well that there could be future opportunities to sell capacity on that network to others. And, among those others, is the upstart RCN, a retail venture of MFS and others, whose strategy is to provide bundled telecom packages -- local telephone, LD, net, cable TV, etc. -- to residential users as an alternative to the established local phone and cable companies. Meanwhile, Boston Edison has been reduced to an "electric distribution company" under electric utility deregulation requirements which have forced Edison to sell off its generating capacity. Revenue from that sale, along with the sale of other non-"electric distribution" assets, is supposed to be used to reduce prices charged to end users. Enter Cablevision of Boston and Brookline (not to be confused with the former Cablevision now known as MediaOne.) In a move to slow down the entry of RCN as a competitive provider, Cablevision of Boston and Brookline has intervened to cry "foul" concerning Boston Edison's leasing of fiber capacity to RCN. One may ask why the local telephone company, BellAtlantic, seems to be sitting this out and has not entered the fray. After all, RCN also intends to compete with BellAtlantic in providing local loop PSTN services. But Bell Atlantic would love to have competition in its local loop business -- one of its least profitable segments -- and one which the regulators have ruled will prevent BellAtlantic (and the other RBOCs) from entering the much more lucrative Long Distance Services market until such time as there is demonstrable competition in providing local loop. So, as it has been said in many different contexts: You don't always know who your friends are; you don't always know who your enemies are; and frequently the best strategy is just to keep your mouth shut. See excerpted news story below. Cheers, The Old Bear ---------- begin included text ----------- {The Boston Globe} - Business Section Friday, February 27, 1998 Cablevision: Edison cheating customers Says company leasing assets to RCN at fraction of true value By Bruce Mohl, Globe Staff A cable television company and Attorney General Scott Harshbarger yesterday accused Boston Edison of shortchanging its customers by close to $100 million by leasing assets to a cable TV venture in which it is a stockholder at a fraction of their true value. Citing the testimony of three experts, Cablevision Systems Corp. said Edison illegally transferred valuable assets to the fledgling Residential Communications Network ("RCN") and then undervalued those assets by nearly $100 million. If true, it means Edison's electric customers will be forced to pay higher electric rates than they should. Under the state's new electric deregulation law, utilities are supposed to use the profits from any sale or lease of assets to help reduce rates. "Boston Edison's customers are entitled to that money and we want it to come back to them as quickly as possible," said George Dean, Harshbarger's top utility regulator. Harshbarger cited the testimony submitted by Cablevision in asking the Department of Telecommunications and Energy (formerly called the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities) to delay any decision on Edison's request to set up a holding company. Dean said the creation of a holding company would make it nearly impossible for state regulators to track the transfer of assets between the electric company and its for-profit ventures. Edison officials dismissed the charges. "There's nothing new here," said spokesman Michael Monahan. "It's simply Cablevision throwing another trash can in the street trying to stop competition." Edison vice president Dick Hahn said the utility previously offered use of its fiber-optic network to Cablevision and other cable companies and they showed no interest. He said a number of telecommunications companies, including MCI, are currently renting capacity from the network. The dispute puts the Department of Telecommunications and Energy in an awkward position. Acting Governor Paul Cellucci, who appoints the commissioners, has hailed the emergence of RCN as a competitor to existing cable monopolies, including Cablevision in Boston and Brookline. A ruling against RCN could put the brakes on that competition. The dispute is also full of irony. RCN has mounted a massive advertising campaign geared around its bid to tear down the existing cable and telephone monopolies in Massachusetts communities. But the charges raised by Cablevision suggest RCN may be getting some monopoly help itself. The issue dates back to 1993, when Boston Edison won approval from state regulators to invest $45 million in an unregulated subsidiary. Cablevision says the subsidiary was restricted to investments in three specific areas and was not allowed to invest in RCN. Thomas May, Edison's current chief executive, acknowledged in 1993 that Edison would have to get state approval to invest in any other venture. But Hahn said May misspoke in 1993 and that Edison was legally allowed to enter into a joint venture with RCN in 1997. He also said Edison at all times has sold access to its fiber-optic network to RCN and other companies at market value. But affidavits filed yesterday with the Department of Telecommuni- cations and Energy suggest Edison has invested more than $45 million in its unregulated subsidiary and substantially undervalued some of those investments. According to Gary Harpster, a consultant hired by Cablevision, Edison has made contributions of cash, assets, and guarantees to the unregulated subsidiary that, if priced at full market value, would be $140.8 million. "By transferring its fiber-optic network to the joint venture at far below full market value, Edison has shifted a substantial portion of the economic value associated with these assets from its ratepayers to its shareholders," added consultant Richard Silkman in his own affidavit for Cablevision. Peter Bradford, the third consultant hired by Cablevision, said Edison's actions "establish beyond a shadow of doubt that Boston Edison is harming electric customers.... Edison is making its electric customers the victims of a stranded-asset shell game." ------------------------------ From: chip76@ix.netcom.com (Jeff Vinocur) Subject: New Area Code Being Considered for Philadelphia Region Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 21:59:35 GMT Organization: Netcom I heard on the news over the weekend that they are considering a new area code to be overlayed on the Philadelphia region. A few years ago, the suburbs were taken from 215 and assigned a new area code (610). Opinion: Personally, I think that mixing geographically split area codes and overlays is a mess. Whatever they start with (in this case a split) should be kept up. The general view according to the people the local news talked to is that people think this is stupid and we shouldn't get a new area code at all. Somehow I doubt they're doing this for fun, we must be (amazingly enough) out of exchanges again. Jeff Vinocur chip76@ix.netcom.com http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/3768/ ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V18 #33 ***************************** Issue 34 mailed out of sequence, and appears following issue 35 in this archive ... TELECOM Digest Tue, 3 Mar 98 03:06:00 EST Volume 18 : Issue 35 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Nevada's 702/775 NPA Split (Mark J. Cuccia) 3000.00 Phone Bill HELP!!! (Kim Shaffer) Internet Fax Standards (oldbear@arctos.com) Trans-Oceanic Fiber Capacity (oldbear@arctos.com) Book Review: "Intranet Security: Stories from the Trenches" (Rob Slade) ATT Faces T-1 Line Shortage (Adam Gaffin) Take a Number, Any Number (Donald M. Heiberg) Telecom Update (Canada) #120, February 16, 1998 (Telecom Update) 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: * telecom-request@telecom-digest.org * 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: 847-727-5427 Fax: 773-539-4630 ** Article submission address: editor@telecom-digest.org ** Our archives are available for your review/research. The URL is: http://telecom-digest.org They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to archives@telecom-digest.org 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. * ************************************************************************* In addition, a gift from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert has enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- 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. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 12:34:01 -0600 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: Nevada's 702/775 NPA Split It was announced on Thursday 12 Feb. 1998, that Nevada's new NPA code will be 775, to split from 702. Permissive dialing will take effect on 12 December 1998. Mandatory dialing will begin on 15 May 1999. (Test number TBA) Nevada has two LATAs: 720 Reno NV (most all of Nevada - northern/central) 721 Pahrump NV (southern tip of Nevada) (and of course, some small extensions of LATA from neighboring adjacent states: CA, OR, ID, UT, AZ) The 721 Pahrump NV LATA contains the Las Vegas Metro Area (Clark County) which is traditionally the _independent_ (Sprint)-CENTEL LEC, but also contains some Bell in the Pahrump area, West-NW of Las Vegas. The NPA split will be where the shrunken NPA 702 will be most all of Clark County (Las Vegas Metro) _ONLY_. NPA 775 will contain the rest of the state. Therefore, shrunken NPA 702 will _not_ contain the Bell territory of Pahrump in the (southern Nevada) Pahrump LATA 721, but contain only the Sprint-Centel territory in LATA 721. Split-off NPA 775 will contain the (northern Nevada) Reno LATA 720, as well as the Bell territory of Pahrump in the (southern NV) Pahrump LATA 721. I _think_ that the shrunken 702 NPA will contain some extensions from a California LATA (PacBell territory), just southwest from Las Vegas. 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- ------------------------------ From: Kim Shaffer Subject: 3000.00 Phone Bill HELP!!! Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 12:39:10 -0800 Organization: gte.net My mother, bless her computer ignorant soul, just purchased a computer for Christmas and managed to sign up with ATT WorldNet Services for her ISP. Unfortunately, she chose a long-distance access number thinking all she had to choose was a number in her state. I know, I know ... god, I have been on the phone with her all night. I work in the computer industry and I was proud of her for doing this by herself I didn't even think to check what number she was using, I feel so guilty. She said that after she almost dropped dead of the shock, (she thought she was being scammed by someone who had stolen her phone card, that is how naive she is ...) she called her phone provider -- who referred her to ATT. The person at ATT said she probably would not have to pay -- but I am so worried!!! ATT is her long distance provider -- US West is her local something and she goes through a small rural telephone company -- PTI out of Forks, Washington. I swear I have always thought that these were bad horror stories that only happened in suburbia jokes ... has anyone heard of this before? HELP! I am in total shock over this whole thing myself. PLEASE RESPOND BACK! Kimberly Shaffer http://www.bellydance.net http://home1.gte.net/~pcbunny http://www.geocities.com/paris/4373 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Kimberly actually sent this a couple weeks ago, while I was in a state of shock myself ... and I am sorry it did not get published earlier. Actually yes, I have heard of it before, and I suspect many readers here have heard of it before. The prevalence of this problem -- of people signing up with an ISP then not paying attention to what number they use for dial-up purposes -- is such that many ISPs on their sign up package include a disclaimer saying that they (the ISP) are not responsible for telephone charges incurred by the user, and that it is the full responsibility of the user to verify the local nature of the number being dialed. I suspect at least a few people have tried to hold the ISP responsible for huge phone bills they were not expecting as a result of many hours of connectivity with their new toy ... (sad smile) ... I can imagine your mother must be sick about it; this is a horrible experience for anyone, let alone a newcomer to the net, an older person who wants to 'get with it' and be part of the new millenium and all that. She meant well, and as you point out did a good job of getting her equipment purchased and set up only to have this happen. I do not know if the LD carrier will write it off, or even if they really should write it off, at least entirely. It isn't the fault of the rest of the ratepayers either. But surely they'll show some consideration and possibly give her some period of time to work out the payments. Very possibly you could intervene and ask telco to accept your own good (I assume) credit as sufficient payment arrangements for some part of the bill. Since she is using a division of AT&T as her ISP, that might carry some weight in her favor also. Then too, perhaps some generous netters might decide to send little bits of money directly to the telco serving your mother and ask that her account be credited; possibly as a way of saying welcome from an old-timer to a new user. I dunno, Kimberly, it is a difficult problem. If I put myself in telco's shoes it is hard to justify a write-off for any reason other than purely goodwill. But still, I *can* picture your mother and how discouraged she must be by all this. I've been around for years here and I still get discouraged lots of times by things I see on the net. With all my experience, things still blow up in my face and cause me setbacks. And the heck of it is, I am the moderator here, yet I look at a long list of exchanges for my local area codes and can seldom say for sure where most of the newer ones are located. I can easily see a newcomer and non-telecom saavy person getting in over their head. By now a couple weeks have passed since you first wrote me; I hope you have some positive news to report and that on seeing this printed you will respond with an update. And to readers in general: would you agree the technology is plunging ahead so rapidly now that even those of us who have been around a long time are starting to feel sort of helpless and left behind? I know I feel that way quite often any more. Does anyone around here keep up with more than five or ten percent of the action any longer if that much? One last thing Kimberly: whatever you do, talk to your mother soon about being EXTREMELY careful about giving out personal information or joining chat rooms, etc. Tell her not to put her name on the America OnLine Buddy Lists unless she feels like getting propositioned every thirty seconds by strange men from all over the world. Seriously, AOL has a real problem with that 'buddy' thing they operate, allowing instant messages to flow all over the net. Some users are reporting obscene messages at the rate of several per hour, especially if they are listed with a female name. Cheer up, mom will live through it and be wiser because of it. Good luck getting it cleared or adjudicated in your favor. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 23:33:36 -0500 From: The Old Bear Subject: Internet Fax Standards The following is excerpted from Gordon Cook's content summary and announcement of the release of his March 1998 {COOK Report on the Internet}. Further information on this publication and other publications which Gordon produces may be obtained from his web site at . --- Forwarded message follows --- From: Gordon Cook Subject: March 1998 COOK Report on Internet published Date: 15 Feb 1998 15:19:40 -0800 INTERNET FAX STANDARDS COMPLETED Richard Shockey takes us on a tour of the likely fallout from the completion of joint ITU - IETF Internet fax standards. He points out that Internet fax should deploy even faster than Internet telephony since it is simpler to deploy and far more forgiving of network congestion and delay. Internet Fax is coming in two parts. The first is a store and forward model that is essentially based on the MIME attachment of TIFF files to standard E-Mail messages delivered by SMTP. The standards for this model are found in the IETF - ITU agreements of January 1998. The second part is an Internet draft that extends SMTP itself. The draft turns a fax machine into a virtual SMTP server so that transmission of the fax from point-to-point happens in real time. The protocol would extend SMPT beyond its function of a simple mail transport protocol to the point where, when a transport session is established, the user can exchange capabilities between devices - something that cannot be done with store and forward mail. Implementing these will be a series of hybrid "stupid-smart" devices that bridge faxes between the PSTN and the Internet. The Panasonic FO-770I, which is already on the market, is one such device with almost all the capabilities of the new standard . Load your fax, toggle "send" in one direction to transmit via the PSTN, toggle "send" in the other direction to go via the Internet. Shockey and others are working on the introduction of inexpensive "black boxes" to connect standard G3 faxes in small-office, home- office (SOHO) environments directly to one's PC and from there to the Internet. Where is this headed? Ultimately the intelligence will be in the keysets on everyone's desk and not in some centralized gateway device. If telephones, fax, printers, copiers and other standard office devices become more intelligent, as predicted by Moore's law, no intermediation between the Internet and the PSTN will be necessary. The gateways will become superfluous and the Internet will have completed its cannibalization of the PSTN. Surveys show that every Fortune 500 company is spending an aggregate of around $15 million a year on fax. 40% of all trans- Atlantic and trans-Pacific telephone calls are fax related. The early adapters of Internet FAX have realized that they would not need PSTN fax any more. 5% of the 25 billion dollar annual North American fax bill is likely to move rather quickly to the Internet. When it does, the screams from the PSTN side will be enormous. Fortune 1000 CIOs have just spent a fortune with Cisco or Bay Networks or Newbridge. They are soon going to realize that they can leverage their investment by getting rid of their PSTN connected fax machines as they become aware that they can start running voice and fax traffic over their IP networks for a very very small incremental cost. Some folk, like Robert Metcalfe and Charles Ferguson, are coming to believe that the Telco's are well aware of what is happening in the market place and are using every means necessary to preserve and defend their business models and monopolies. And that, rather than actually compete in the market place, they have chosen the courts and political process to defend their positions. Charles Ferguson's piece on the economics of the LEC environment is found at http://www-eecs.mit.edu:80/people/ferguson/telecom/ We urge readers to read it from cover to cover. Its analysis of the drag placed by the LECs on US economic growth is extremely powerful. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 00:00:01 -0500 From: The Old Bear Subject: Trans-Oceanic Fiber Capacity The following is excerpted from Gordon Cook's content summary and announcement of the release of his March 1998 {COOK Report on the Internet}. Further information on this publication and other publications which Gordon produces may be obtained from his web site at . --- Forwarded message follows --- From: Gordon Cook Subject: March 1998 COOK Report on Internet published Date: 15 Feb 1998 15:19:40 -0800 UNDERSEA FIBER CARTEL We publish an anonymous interview with an authority who agreed to talk about the marketing and pricing practices of the transoceanic carrier consortia which allegedly dribble enough capacity onto the markets to keep prices high and act to set annual price ranges for availability of new leases. This is an area we first became aware of after our October 1996 interview with Teleglobe. We have since found a small number of people who would talk about the carrier consortia practices in private. Up to now we have never found someone who would talk in front of a tape recorder. If these practices continue outside the view of public knowledge, the era of the availability of virtually unlimited cheap telecommun- ications bandwidth envisioned by George Gilder, may never arrive. New blood represented by Qwest, Level 3 and Project Oxygen is coming into the market. No matter what happens in the US, without serious changes in trans-oceanic cable pricing, there will be Atlantic and Pacific choke points. A little recognized factor in the current continued high cost of DS3 circuits and long lead time for delivery is the need for carriers to calculate the load these circuits will place on trans-Atlantic and Pacific choke points and ensure that the bandwidth provisioned through their respective cable consortia is adequate. We asked two sources whom we consider authoritative to review this article. One, a bandwidth purchaser, responded that it is right on the money. The second, a bandwidth seller claimed that prices are dropping. The first countered that declines are tiny. Both were surprised that we had gotten anyone to comment - even off record. ------------------------------ From: Rob Slade Organization: Vancouver Institute for Research into User Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 08:39:27 -0800 Subject: Book Review: "Intranet Security: Stories from the Trenches" BKINTRSC.RVW 971122 "Intranet Security: Stories from the Trenches", Linda McCarthy, 1998, 0-13-894759-7, U$29.95/C$41.95 %A Linda McCarthy %C One Lake St., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 %D 1998 %G 0-13-894759-7 %I Prentice Hall %O U$29.95/C$41.95 800-576-3800 201-236-7139 fax: +1-201-236-7131 %O betsy_carey@prenhall.com %P 260 p. %T "Intranet Security: Stories from the Trenches" Data security is more than somewhat akin to the weather. Many people talk a good line about how important it is to their company, but few invest the time, money, vigour, and rigour to make it really effective. There are some very good, practical, computer security books on the market. Leaving aside the really bad ones, though, there are also a great number of works that take a rather pompous academic approach to the concepts only, leaving the actual details of real dangers and protection as an exercise to the reader. McCarthy takes a different tack. Each chapter in this book is an authentic case study, with the names changed to protect the unfortunate. While this means that the text can't be easily used as a reference, with quick indexing of specific tasks, the content is firmly based in the real world, and informed with the author's insights into how people actually do react in an emergency. Techies may be unhappy with the lack of technical details in the inquiries. Too bad. Security is much more of a management issue than a technical one, and the stories show that clearly. The result is, therefore, much closer to "Digital Woes" (cf. BKDGTLWO.RVW) or "Computer-Related Risks" (cf. BKCMRLRS.RVW) than, say, "Practical UNIX and Internet Security" (cf. BKPRUISC.RVW). The book is also very readable. The chapters follow a format that includes a fictional worst case scenario, then presents the incident itself, gives a summary of the problems that led to the predicament, and finally suggestions for avoiding the trouble. The text is almost light, and loaded with personal entries both as observations of company situations and lively trivia. (I, too, have a sister much younger than I am.) Each investigation is chosen with a view to emphasizing a particular security problem or issue. Chapter one shows that without an incident response procedure, and exception report communications, even detection of attacks can fail to protect the enterprise. The danger of shrink-wrapped, out-of-the-box solutions is demonstrated in chapter two. As I noted at the beginning, data security gets a lot of lip service, particularly from management. Chapter three reveals the wrong way for executives to promote security--and also tells you how to do it right. Security requires a cooperative effort, as chapter four points out, and failure to specify areas of responsibility can result in loopholes and vulnerabilities. Chapter five looks at another area that gets more speeches than spending--training. Risk assessment, and the risk of not assessing risks, is the theme of chapter six. Where chapter four looks at the negligence in determining roles with respect to security, chapter seven finds that drawing the lines too finely can also result in gaps in coverage and protection. Over the years I have railed against antivirus procedures that are not effective because they are too draconian for people to actually use if they want to get work done. Chapter eight discloses the problem with unrealistic policies in any field of security. As chapters four and seven point out the potential difficulties where individual partners each leave security to the other, so chapter nine demonstrates the same problem between companies doing business together. Chapter ten points out the importance of encryption--the backbone of all data security--in every area of corporate activity. Finally, the techies can be happy with chapter eleven. It gives a detailed log of a system penetration. I will forgive McCarthy her use of the term "hacker" (she does mention the hacker/cracker controversy) for someone bent on security breaking, since she so forcefully derides the image of the invader as an "evil genius." An appendix provides contact information for tools, products, incident response teams, and security organizations. I was rather disappointed to find that Internet references for a number of the tools do not specify full location information, that relatively few security organizations are listed, that the antiviral systems mentioned are not of the top rank, and, most important of all, none of the international emergency response teams are from Canada. This book belongs on every security and management bookshelf. For the non-specialist manager, it provides enough background to prompt the right questions and concerns. For the head down data security specialist ... when was it you needed to make that pitch to the executive committee? copyright Robert M. Slade, 1997 BKINTRSC.RVW 971122 rslade@vcn.bc.ca rslade@sprint.ca slade@freenet.victoria.bc.ca BCVAXLUG Admin Chair http://peavine.com/bcvaxlug/ DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security groups ------------------------------ From: Adam Gaffin Subject: ATT Faces T-1 Line Shortage Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 15:17:49 GMT Reply-To: agaffin@nww.com Organization: Network World Fusion The following's from Network World, 2/16/98. You can can read the entire article at http://www.nwfusion.com/news/0216t1.html (registration required, but it's free). By David Rohde Network World Users beware: The seams on AT&T's overtaxed network are ready to burst. AT&T officials last week confirmed that high traffic demands have used up the capacity on some of the company's switches and transport routes, and the carrier is now delaying orders for T-1 access lines in many parts of the country. The carrier has ordered account representatives to delay processing T-1 orders in designated "hot spots" until AT&T can provision enough new ports and circuits to carry the traffic. The shortages affect access to high-volume outbound and inbound voice services, as well as core data services that require a dedicated access line, such as private lines and frame relay. ------------------------------ From: Donald M. Heiberg Subject: Take a Number, Any Number Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 08:36:56 -0700 Rocky Mountain News, Denver http://insidedenver.com/amole/0215gene.html Gene Amole Take a number, any number A-2310. Were you surprised at plans to institute 10-digit telephone dialing in Denver? I wasn't. There is no stopping what I call creeping numeralism in our lives. We are not people anymore. We are just numbers. When I was a little kid I had terrible nightmares of being overwhelmed by numbers. They were pouring down on me so fast I couldn't keep my head above them. I couldn't breathe. Maybe that's why I was always lousy at math. Creeping numeralism started with Social Security. I have had a Social Security number since we've had Social Security. I have it on the original card in my billfold right next to the good-luck, four-leaf clover my mother gave me when I went off to war. It must have worked, because I am still here. Any old soldier who saw the A-2310 at the top of this column knows what it means. It was my number used to mark my possessions to keep them from being confused with someone else's. This ID number was made of the first letter in my last name and the last four numbers of my ASN (Army Serial Number.) Creeping numeralism's greatest victory came when the phone companies switched to all-digit dialing instead of using the friendly old prefixes like MAine, TAbor, SPruce, GRand, KEystone, PEarl and others. The great general semanticist, S.I. Hayakawa, conducted an unsuccessful national campaign against all-digit dialing. Somehow, with no prefixes, the telephone became less linguistic and more impersonal. It was really personal before the dial came into use. You'd pick up the phone and a woman, whose name was Central, would say, "Number puleeze." She was a real living and breathing person, nothing like the recorded ladies who answer business telephones these days with complex menus, instructing you to push certain buttons to get other recorded ladies who tell you that all their representatives are busy, but that your call is important to them. You may have also noticed the Postal Service has added four more numbers to ZIP codes. I am at near capacity and may soon just explode from numerical overload. I am beginning to feel like a character in George Lucas' 1971 futuristic film, THX 1138, with only numbers separating us from everyone else. I have been buying flowers from the same florist for more than 30 years. The other day I called to place an order and the operator asked me for my account number. "ACCOUNT NUMBER?'' I thundered. "My God, I have to remember my personal identification number (PIN) to get $20 out of my account from an automated teller machine (ATM). At work, I have a mail box number and password number for voice mail messages and another password to get into my computer at work and another to get on the Internet. "I have another number for the burglar alarm at my house. There are account numbers on all my insurance policies and charge cards. There is another number on my safe deposit box at the bank, and now, you want me to remember my account number at the florist?" How come. Just how many Gene Amoles are there in Lakewood, or Colorado, or even the United States. I have never heard of another Gene Amole anywhere. Do I need a name and a number to order flowers for Valentine's Day? End of column, or as Carl Akers used to say at the end of his TV newscast: "That's 30." Gene Amole's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. (gamole@aol.com) February 15, 1998 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 11:30:08 -0500 From: Telecom Update Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #120, February 16, 1998 ************************************************************ * * * TELECOM UPDATE * * Angus TeleManagement's Weekly Telecom Newsbulletin * * http://www.angustel.ca * * Number 120: February 16, 1997 * * * * Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by * * generous financial support from: * * * * Bell Canada ................. http://www.bell.ca/ * * City Dial Network Services .. http://www.citydial.com/ * * Computer Talk Technology .... http://icescape.com/ * * fONOROLA .................... http://www.fonorola.com/ * * Lucent Technologies ......... http://www.lucent.com/ * * * ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Bell Executive Office Reorganized Again ** LD Competition in the North -- But Not Yet ** BC Tel Seeks Business Local Rate Changes ** Royal Bank, AT&T Intro Internet Service ** Long Distance Price War BC Tel MTS WinTel ** BC Rail Plans Westel Spin-Off ** Mitel Buys UK Chip Maker ** Microcell Launches Venture Fund ** Iridium and Mobility Sign Roaming Pact ** Ottawa U Opens Telecom Lab ** BT to Buy MCI's Share in Concert ** PSINet Completes Istar Acquisition ** 250,000 Use Rogers Cantel PCS ** 12,000 Use Shaw Wave ** Quarterly Reports Bruncor fONOROLA Microcell Telus ** Motorola Correction ** Telecom Acronym Guide ============================================================ BELL EXECUTIVE OFFICE REORGANIZED AGAIN: After only five months on the job, Bell Canada President Ron Osborne has resigned to head Ontario Hydro. Effective February 28, John MacDonald will become Bell's President and COO; Jean Monty, who is President and CEO of the telco's parent, BCE, will be Bell's Chairman and CEO. LD COMPETITION IN THE NORTH -- BUT NOT YET: CRTC Telecom Decision 98-1, released February 11, sets July 1, 2000, as the start date for Long Distance competition in Northwestel's territory. The Commission wants to complete its review of service to high-cost serving areas before making the change. In the meantime, local rates will rise by $4/month this year, and by $6 in 1999. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/telecom/decision/1998/d981_0.txt BC TEL SEEKS BUSINESS LOCAL RATE CHANGES: BC Tel has asked the CRTC to approve lower business local rates in urban areas and higher rates elsewhere. Proposed changes to multiline business rates range from a $16.85 decrease to an $8.25 increase. ROYAL BANK, AT&T INTRO INTERNET SERVICE: The Royal Bank and AT&T Canada have unveiled their long-anticipated Internet service for small businesses. Royal Bank connect@work packages provide Internet access, secure on-line banking and Web site hosting; prices range from $29.95 to $69.95/month. LONG DISTANCE PRICE WAR: More dispatches from the battlefront: ** BC Tel's new "Affinity Evenings and Weekends" plan offers 10 cents/minute in Canada on weekends; 12 cents/minute in Canada on weekday evenings; and 24 cents/minute in Canada and the U.S. on weekdays. ** MTS: The "First Rate" plan of Manitoba's MTS offers 10 cents/minute in Canada, evenings and weekends; 9 cents/minute in Canada on Saturdays; 20 cents/minute to the U.S. evenings and weekends; and 25% off regular rates on weekdays. ** WinTel Communications, a subsidiary of London Telecom Group, has extended its 7 cents/minute weekend rate for calls in Canada to cover evenings as well. (See Telecom Update #103) BC RAIL PLANS WESTEL SPIN-OFF: Provincially owned British Columbia Railway has retained Nesbitt Burns to oversee the spin-off of its long distance carrier subsidiary, Westel Telecommunications. MITEL BUYS UK CHIP MAKER: Mitel has acquired Plessey Semiconductors Ltd. from General Electric for US$225 Million. Plessey makes chips for telecom and personal computer applications. MICROCELL LAUNCHES VENTURE FUND: Microcell Telecommunications, joined by eight other wireless carriers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, has launched a venture capital firm to invest in companies which develop GSM-based products and services. GSM Capital begins operations with US$137 Million, of which $15 Million was committed by Microcell. IRIDIUM AND MOBILITY SIGN ROAMING PACT: Under an agreement signed February 12, subscribers to Iridium's planned satellite-based network will be able to use Mobility Canada's cellular network, using the satellites only when terrestrial facilities are not available. OTTAWA U OPENS TELECOM LAB: Bell Canada is funding a new research laboratory at the University of Ottawa, which will develop high-speed Internet services. BT TO BUY MCI'S SHARE IN CONCERT: The CEO of British Telecom says BT will soon buy out MCI's share in Concert, a joint venture which provides international telecom services. No word on how this will affect Stentor, which is a member of Concert but allied with MCI. PSINET COMPLETES ISTAR ACQUISITION: PSINet has completed its acquisition of Istar Internet Inc. The company will retain the Istar name for consumer services, while migrating business customers to PSINet service. 250,000 USE ROGERS CANTEL PCS: Rogers Cantel says that 250,000 customers are now using its Digital PCS service. 12,000 USE SHAW WAVE: Shaw Communications says it now has 12,000 customers for Wave high-speed Internet access service. All Shaw customers in Calgary can now receive Wave; it is also offered in parts of Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Saskatoon, and Toronto. QUARTERLY REPORTS: ** Bruncor, parent of NB Tel, had net income of $49.9 Million in 1997, before a one-time charge of $69.5 Million. ** fONOROLA Inc's 1997 revenues were $400 Million, up from $276 Million in 1996. Net earnings were $10 Million, compared to a loss of $2.8 Million the previous year. ** Microcell Telecommunications, which is spending heavily on network expansion, lost $231.5 Million on total revenue of $27.3 Million. The company is forecasting positive cash flow in 2000. ** Telus has joined most other Stentor makers in writing off major assets. A $285 Million one-time charge contributed to the company losing $3.2 Million in 1997, compared to a profit of $243 Million in 1996. MOTOROLA CORRECTION: The name of Motorola Canada's new CEO and President is Micheline Bouchard. TELECOM ACRONYM GUIDE: Bewildered by telecom's propensity for abbreviations? Check out "Acronymity '98: A Manager's Guide to Telecom's Alphabet Soup" in the February issue of Telemanagement. The five-page glossary covers most of the acronyms which Canadian telecom professionals are likely to hear or read in the course of normal work. ** To subscribe to Telemanagement, call 1-800-263-4415 ext 225 or use our Online Subscription Form at http://www.angustel.ca/teleman/tm-sub.html ** Subscribe by February 27 and receive a free bonus: "Front Line Telecom Management in the 1990s: Practical Advice From a Telecom Consultant's Notebook." ============================================================ HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-MAIL: editors@angustel.ca FAX: 905-686-2655 MAIL: TELECOM UPDATE Angus TeleManagement Group 8 Old Kingston Road Ajax, Ontario Canada L1T 2Z7 =========================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web on the first business day of the week. Point your browser to www.angustel.ca and then select TELECOM UPDATE from the Main Menu. 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to majordomo@angustel.ca. The text of the message should contain only the two words: subscribe update To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to majordomo@angustel.ca. The text of the message should say only: unsubscribe update [Your e-mail address] =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER: All contents copyright 1997 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail rosita@angustel.ca or phone 905-686-5050 ext 228. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V18 #35 *****************************