Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id JAA03541; Mon, 16 Dec 1996 09:13:12 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 09:13:12 -0500 (EST) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199612161413.JAA03541@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #663 TELECOM Digest Mon, 16 Dec 96 09:13:00 EST Volume 16 : Issue 663 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telephone Switchboard Electronics Web Site (Ricardo Cedar Springs) Indian Satellite Data Now in Europe (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh) Sprint Ordered to Pay $60 Million to One of Their Marketers (D. Burstein) GTE Suit Against Sate PUC (Monty Solomon) Pacific Bell Responds To MCI Allegations (Mike King) Re: N11 Codes (Linc Madison) Re: N11 Codes (Nils Andersson) Re: Canadian Use Of N11 Codes (D. Banks) Information Wanted on Destiny Telecom (Josef J. Finsel) Los Nettos as ISP (was: WebTV: Pricing and Access Issues) (Robert McMillin) Baby Bell Complaints about Internet Usage (Scott Bushey) AT&T True Connections 500 Observations (Stanley Cline) Unethical Sprint Marketing to College Students (Paul A. Houle) 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ricardo@netcom.com (Ricardo Cedar Springs) Subject: Telephone Switchboard Electronics Web Site Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 11:50:13 GMT A PHONE SYSTEM FOR HOME OR OFFICE. SCHEMATICS AND SOURCE CODE INCLUDED. DELIVERED TO YOU *- WORKING -* RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. New Features! Controlable from PC serial port with AT command set and Calls can now go from Trunk to Trunk (this would allow you to call into the system and then call out another connected telephone line or have another call conferenced onto the line your calling in on). Refer to Firmware 1.3. http://www.PhoneSwitch.com sales@PhoneSwitch.com If you have been given the responsibility to design a hardware product which interfaces to a telephone set or a telephone line or you are just interested in the intricacies of telephone call processing based on a state machine then the Small Telephone Switch Evaluation Kit is for you. The EVKIT includes a working PCB, schematics and source code written in C. You can make calls between extentions or to the outside lines. Incomming calls can also be transfered between extentions. Its a complete PBX that you can change the software on! Even add new hardware features... Begin of EVKIT overview: ------------------------------------------------------------- The sx38 product is a complete small modularly expandable open architecture private branch exchange on a 12" by 12" circuit board and is delivered partially assembled with a PC compatible 65W power supply. The sx38 switch can provide complete standalone service in remote applications. Complete schematics and source code (8051 written in C, compatible with popular compilers) are provided to facilitate development of industry standard peripherals, interfaces, software and companion switching modules. The basic printed circuit board has 8 subscriber line interfaces and 3 central office line interfaces. 2 of the slics and 1 of the co interfaces are delivered pre-assembled, working and tested. 12 speech paths are provided to support non-blocked operation and support multiple conference calls in progress at the same time. All of the ports have the same terminating impedance when measured from the switch matrix allowing any port to be connected to any other port. One board provides a complete system, all the necessary common control and signaling components to set up multiple conversations at one time are included. Basic and flexible, the software is modular by nature allowing complete software control to create sophisticated communications products. The evaluation kit is $375 and is provided with a power supply which is UL registered. Two of the eight slics and one of the three co interfaces are already assembled. When you receive the board you will be able to lift either extension phone and receive dial tone, be able to make intercom calls which ring standard phones, make calls external to the system by dialing 9, receive calls from the outside and transfer the calls to another extension and answer any ringing phone by dialing 9. The evaluation kit works when you receive it. You can also expand the evaluation kit by adding easy to purchase components and simply soldering them to the board following the pattern of the already assembled circuits. Feature Overview: 8 station 3 trunk, expandable to 16 station 6 trunk. (expansion board is $160 partially assembled). 2 DTMF Senders (one is provided in the EVKIT) 2 DTMF Receivers (one is provided in the EVKIT) 2 imprecise call progress receivers (one is provided in the EVKIT) 2 dial tone generators 90vac 20hz Bell Ringing Invertor SLIC Supervision Generator (forces answering machines to hang up) SLIC Ring trip detect (detects offhook during application of ringing signal) All ports can add gain to the call. SLIC can transmit audio during on-hook. (Slic can send audio, like caller id, to extensions) CO can receive audio on-hook (caller id can be decoded by a central, shared, CID decoder) 2 expansion connectors with CPU bus and audio channels. Full Duplex Serial Port (300,1200,9600 bps 8-N-1) Conference Matrix for conference calls. (Any time three ports need to be on the same call.) 8051 CPU, 64KROM, 8KRAM Suggested Applications with provided software: +Small Telephone System for Home or Small Business. +Personalized Ringing Pattern Decoder for fax machine or modem. +Modem Pool controller. You cant barge in on a conversation in progress. +Anyplace one phone needs to call another. +Anyplace one, two or three telephone lines need to be shared in a convenient non intrusive manner. Applications you might develop by modifying the software and interfacing to the hardware: +SEAMLESS integration of internet phone software/sound blaster card to home or office phone system. Imagine picking up a standard phone and dialing a intercom call around the world over the internet phone and reaching another standard phone at the other end. Might even be able to receive calls from the switched network and go back to the switched network. +Automated and transparent (to the user) intercept and rerouting of voice calls to private networks or common carriers. (1+ to 10XXX+ as an example). Remember the schematics and source code are included which makes modification, expansion and integration easier. Important note: This system is based on technology I presented in a article in Circuit Cellar-The Computer Applications Journal. The EVKIT is MUCH IMPROVED over the circuits presented in the article. If you are looking for something which is COST EFFECTIVE and CHEAP then the EVKIT is probably not for you. The EVKIT is comparable to what other companies are offering except the SCHEMATICS and SOURCE CODE are provided with each unit. No other telephone switch manufacturer does this. ------------------------------ Subject: Indian Satellite Data Now in Europe Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 10:52:09 PST From: rishab@dxm.org (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh) Reply-To: rishab@dxm.org The Indian Techonomist: bulletin, December 13, 1996 Copyright (C) 1996 Rishab Aiyer Ghosh. All rights reserved Indian remote-sensing data now in Europe December 13, 1996: GAF-Euromap of Germany has tied up with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for European rights to maket remote-sensing data from the Indian IRS-1C satellite. IRS-1C data is already distributed in the US and elsewhere by EOSAT - bought from Lockheed- Martin last month by Space Imaging Inc (SII). IRS-1C acquires the highest spatial resolution remote sensing data commercially available in the world today. Indeed, Space Imaging president Jeff Harris said last month that "with the Indian satellites [IRS and P- series], we are entering a new era of earth information products." Since its launch on December 28 last year, IRS-1C has been, says ISRO, the most sophisticated civilian remote sensing satellite in orbit. Space industry sources point out that although data is commercially available from Russian satellites originally built for military use, at somewhat higher resolutions than IRS-1C's 5-metre panchromatic (photographic) range, only IRS-1C provides full access to raw digital scanning data, rather than basic analogue photographs. In addition, IRS-1C provides many services other than photography: 25-metre multispectral data, which is essential for vegetation and natural resource planning; and 180- metre wide-field data with a repeated coverage as the satellite completes its orbit every five days - this, says SII/EOSAT, is excellent for large-area resource monitoring. IRS-1C data is currently acquired at three ground stations. At Shadnagar, India, an ISRO facility receives data for South Asia and portions of South- East and West Asia. SII/EOSAT's Norman, Oklahoma ground station receives data for almost all of North America including southern Canada and Mexico, as well as most of Central America. At Neustrelitz, Germany, GAF in cooporation with the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR) gathers remote sensing data covering Europe, northern Africa and parts of West Asia. The GAF facility has been operational since February this year, and its data will now, with the latest agreement, be marketed throughout Europe by GAF-Euromap. SII/EOSAT is also working on ground stations in cooperation with the National Space Development Agency, Japan; the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research of South Africa, the Australian Center for Remote Sensing, and the National Research Council of Thailand. It has an arrangement with Antrix Corp Ltd, the marketing arm of India's Department of Space, to make Indian satellite data available worldwide for at least the next decade. India is among the few countries to build and launch its own satellites. The IRS-1C is third in a line of advanced civilian remote-sensing satellites, and ISRO has also developed several geostationary satellites in the INSAT series, which are used for telecommunications and broadcasting. The agency has successfully tested its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and expects a geostationary launcher (GSLV) to be ready by the end of the decade. ISRO is negotiating with several global ventures, such as Iridium - in which the Indian government has an equity stake - for the development and launch of low- earth orbit satellites. The Indian Techonomist: http://dxm.org/techonomist/news/ Copyright (C) 1996 Rishab Aiyer Ghosh (rishab@techonomist.dxm.org) A4/204 Ekta Vihar 9 Indraprastha Extension New Delhi 110092 INDIA May be distributed electronically provided that this notice is attached ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 20:52:29 EST From: danny burstein Subject: Sprint Ordered to Pay $60 Million to One of Their Marketers Arbitrators order Sprint to pay $60 million The Associated Press 12/14/96 2:48 PM Eastern KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Arbitrators have ordered Sprint Communications Corp. to pay $60.9 million in commissions to a marketing company and its sales agents. The article continues with an explanation that the "Network 200 marketing repersentatives", felt they had been shortchanged on commisions, and had filed suit back in 1992. The reps, per the story, filed against both Sprint and Network 2000. Friday's ruling by a three-member panel requires Sprint to pay half the money to Network 2000 Communications Corp. of Independence and half to the firm's sales representatives. Network 2000 still has a contract with Sprint to sell its long-distance service, said Network 2000 Chairman Larry Stewart. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 01:03:08 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: GTE suit Reply-To: monty@roscom.COM Excerpt from Full Closing Bell for Friday, Dec 13, 1996 * GTE filed suit to overturn a decision by Pennsylvania regulators governing the terms by which AT&T can hook up to GTE's local phone network under the new communications law. The suit is the first of its kind by a local phone company against state regulators. The suit also represents a further escalation in the legal battel GTE is waging over the terms it must use to open its local network to new competitors under the communications law. (Reuters 07:07 PM ET 12/12/96) For the full text story, see http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=747171-624 ------------------------------ From: Mike King Subject: NEWS: Pacific Bell Responds To MCI Allegations (fwd) Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 22:39:51 PST ----- Forwarded Message ----- Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 09:50:29 -0800 From: sqlgate@sf-ptg-fw.pactel.com Subject: NEWS: Pacific Bell Responds To MCI Allegations FOR MORE INFORMATION: Craig Watts (415) 394-3739 Pacific Bell Responds To MCI Allegations SAN FRANCISCO -- Pacific Bell today said a complaint filed by MCI with the California Public Utilities Commission is a transparent, self-serving attempt to manipulate regulators and unfairly influence the outcome of telephone competition. At the heart of the matter is MCI's determination to hasten its entry into the local phone market while creating regulatory stall tactics to delay Pacific Bell's entry into California's high profitable long distance market. "This complaint from MCI is just one more brazen attempt to stampede California regulators," said Lee Bauman, Pacific Bell's vice president for local competition. "MCI's action is carefully timed. Next week, the CPUC will act on the arbitrated interconnection agreement between MCI and Pacific Bell. That agreement is vital to MCI's interests in providing local service, and equally important to Pacific Bell as one more prerequisite to its entry into the long distance business. "Although we haven't seen their complaint yet, MCI is hardly in a position to accuse another company of inefficiency in its approach to local competition," Bauman continued. "For example, MCI refuses to use the electronic order system that Pacific Bell designed to the specifications of local competitors. AT&T and others are using it today to speed along their customer service. Instead, MCI insists on using "snail-mail" to ship Pacific Bell thousands of orders in cartons. We have to dedicate hundreds of people to process MCI's orders by hand, fix a myriad of MCI errors, and input those orders into our electronic system." Bauman reiterated that Pacific Bell is highly motivated to make sure local competition proceeds quickly and effectively, and will work with MCI and any other competitive local carrier to address problems as they arise. Pacific Bell is a subsidiary of Pacific Telesis Group, a diversified telecommunications company based in San Francisco. ------------ Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ From: Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Re: N11 Codes Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 13:49:50 -0800 In article , bpurcell@centuryinter.net (Brian Purcell) wrote: > I'm pretty sure that N11 codes *can't* be used as CO codes since it > would difficult to program equipment to recognize only a few of the > N11s as special service numbers and the others as CO codes. Actually, that's not the case. There are a couple of N11 POTS prefixes in New York City, to be specific. (212-211 and 212-311, IIRC) Basically, the switches determine from the prefix how many additional digits to anticipate, the options being zero or four. In some Pacific Bell areas, the ANI readback number is just 760. In other areas, they tack on a four-digit extension after the prefix. (In fact, they may now do that in all areas, since they seem to be rotating the -XXXX periodically to keep the kids out.) Also, I don't know if the upcoming introduction of 760 as an area code in southern California will affect the use of 760 as a test code. Linc Madison * San Francisco, Calif. * Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com ------------------------------ From: nilsphone@aol.com (Nils Andersson) Subject: Re: N11 Codes Date: 13 Dec 1996 00:31:35 GMT Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com In article , Mark J. Cuccia writes: > That would allow a *FAR* bigger numbering space for reaching the > departments of the Washington DC (District of Criminals?) central > government, than would taking up any few other N11 codes! I respectully disagree. I subscibe to the theory that N11 are national treasures, to be doled out very carefully. The 311 for "non-emergency" 911 may be a good start (clogged 911 is a major problem, at least in the LA area). OTOH, I have no problem with re-using the N11 (except probably 911) as AREA CODES. There should be no ambiguities, as area codes are always preceded by a one (except from some cellphones, but the cellswich gets all the digits and can obviously determine by the presence or absence of more digits whether an area code N11 or a special access N11 is dialled). Regards, Nils Andersson ------------------------------ From: D Banks Subject: Re: Canadian Use Of N11 Codes Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 11:53:45 -0800 Organization: Online at Wimsey Craig, Michael S. wrote: > FYI, in Canada, there has been a consistent, albeit far from universal, > use of N11 codes for a variety of deemed-to-be *public* services: > 211 Not used > 311 Not used > 411 Directory Assistance (mirrors 1-NXX-555-12-12 ... used to be > local-only, now covers NPA) > 511 Not used* *has been used for separation of TDD and TTY Relay Services > 611 Telco Repair Service > 711 Relay Service (primary number: see 511 above) > 811 Telco Business Office (customer service) > 911 Emergency FWIW, in British Columbia, dialing 211 will tell you your own phone number (ANI?) We used to be quite strange until 1985. Feature Pre 85 Post 85 LD 112 1 Direct Ass. 113 411 Repair 114 611 ANI? 116 211 Dialling 115 (IIRC), used to 'cut' your line for two minutes. Was BC the only place in North America to use 112+Number for LD instead of 1+Number? ------------------------------ From: Josef J. Finsel Subject: Information Needed on Destiny Telecom Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 17:52:06 -0500 Pat: I have an urgent need to know if there is any info in the archives about Destiny Telecom. I just found out that our company ceo needs to explain this to the head of CBI and I am looking for help. Thanks Josef Finsel IS Mgr, CBLD 513.369.2155 ------------------------------ From: rlm@netcom.com (Robert McMillin) Subject: Los Nettos as ISP (was: WebTV: Pricing and Access Issues) Reply-To: rlm@helen.surfcty.com Organization: Charlie Don't CERF Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 06:19:06 GMT On 10 Dec 1996 03:18:09 PDT, Davew@cris.com (Dave Harrison) said: > David Scott Lewis (thewebguy@acm.org) wrote: > Just a note about ISI, or "Los Nettos". They have a T3 to MCI, and > a pipe to Mae-West, but, as of a month ago, weren't peering with > anyone at the Mae. > Los Nettos sells T3s, T1s, 56k, etc. and shared and dedicated ethernet > connections to ISP's and anyone else who wants a connection. There are > a LOT of ISP's in the same building as ISI ... they save on the leased > line and they get cheap service from ISI ... while other access > providers sell T3's for up to 27 grand a month, you can get one from > ISI for $8,250/month. ISI's T1's are $920 a month, while elsewhere, > they range from 1000 to almost 3 grand. One thing the above does NOT mention is that Los Nettos requires leased lines -- they do not support frame relay, ATM, ISDN, or anything else. All the above were contributing technical reasons we decided not to use Los Nettos (or any of the companies sharing space at their Admiralty Way facility) at my company. Service was offered with 'take-it-or-leave-it' indifference. It's all quite surprising, since ISI/Los Nettos is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, ISP in the Los Angeles area. Robert L. McMillin | rlm@helen.surfcty.com | Netcom: rlm@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: ozzyfudd@mindspring.com (Scott Bushey) Subject: Baby Bell Complaints About Internet Usage Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 01:26:47 GMT Organization: MindSpring Enterprises, Inc. Reply-To: ozzyfudd@mindspring.com I am a writer for the online periodical "American Computing Magazine" (www.mindspring.com/~ozzyfudd/amercomp.htm). I am currently working on an article to appear in our February Issue regarding the Baby Bells claims that Internet usage is crippling the nations telephone network, and that raising rates, eliminating flat-rate calling, and forcing ISPs to bill on a time basis is the only solution. To date I have seen a lot of information contrary to this opinion in several newsgroups and also from MCI. We want to make sure that our information is as technically accurate as possible, and so I hope that any of you who are knowledgeable on this subject could e-mail information on this subject to ozzyfudd@mindspring.com. I have heard several ideas which center around the way in which the bells configure their switches, and am especially interested in this. All contributors will be credited in the article, J. Scott Bushey ozzyfudd@mindspring.com ------------------------------ From: roamer1@.pobox.com (Stanley Cline) Subject: AT&T True Connections 500 Observations Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 02:03:00 GMT Organization: Catoosa Computing Services Reply-To: roamer1@pobox.com I just acquired a 500 number from AT&T (the "True Connections" service.) Here's what I've found in the past few days: Caller ID If a caller uses 1-800-Call-ATT/1-800-321-0288 to reach AT&T (from COCOTs, etc.) and use one of my PINs, I get caller ID. If they dial either *1*+500 or *0*+500 (without using one of the 800 access numbers), I do NOT get Caller ID. (Never mind that if I dial 10288 + 1 or 0 + any other number [non-500], I DO get caller ID!) Phones Not PICed to AT&T If someone dials 0+500 from a phone *not* PICed to AT&T, they *always* get the message "Please hold for operator assistance", followed by an operator, instead of the prompt to enter a PIN. I checked with AT&T on this, and said this should *not* be happening. Does anyone know what's up with this? If someone not subscribed to AT&T calls 1+500 (billing it to their phone), the 80c/call "casual calling" Nonsubscriber Service Charge does NOT apply. (Verified with my bills back when I had LCI, as well as AT&T rep.) Cellular 1+500 does not work (expected, and *fully disclosed* in the 500 service manual.) Here, BellSouth allows 0+500 and CellOne does *not* (they appear to like MCI.) The American Roaming Network credit card roaming service *does* allow calls to 0+500 numbers (although not free by any means, even with a PIN. In this case, the caller would have to pay for the airtime/roaming with a credit or LEC calling card, and I would pay for long distance from [Dallas?] to here.) COCOTs Most do not allow 0+500 to be dialed; if they are *not* presubscribed to AT&T they try to send the call through *their AOS* which does NOT work! (How can USLD, Oncor, etc. bill for calls going through AT&T's network? They CAN'T!) I've found that dialing 10288+0+500 works at least on #5E switches in the Chattanooga area, but presents the problem of the operator if the phone's 1+ provider is not AT&T (see Phones Not PICed to AT&T, above.) Since most COCOTs I'm aware of use either AMNEX or LCI as their 1+ carrier, I land up getting the operator. LEC phones (even BellSouth's COCOT-ized phones) do work correctly, of course, as AT&T handles all 1+ (but not necessarily 0+) from them. I have contacted the FCC about the AOS dilemma; IMHO since only the carrier who ISSUED a 500 number can process or bill calls to that number, COCOTs should be REQUIRED to send 0+500 calls out DIRECT, withOUT AOSlime interference. (If COCOTs are allowed to charge for 800/888, they probably will for 500 too.) Fake Ringing The ringing given on all numbers until the last one (aka Final Stop) is reached is fake. (How do I know this? I have my home number, then my other home number, then my cellular number set as sequence numbers; if I call to my 500 number from my home line, or if the line is busy, it is set to forward to my cellular line. I can tell the ringing AT&T gives me is *NOT* the same as from the cellular switch. Ringing from Hughes GMH2000 switches -- the switch BellSouth Mobility here uses -- is LOUD compared to #5E/DMS ringing.) Using Master PIN and Calling "Home" The Master PIN can't be used by the 500 number holder to bill calls to the 500 number. If I enter my Master PIN, I am given the choice to "place a call"; then I can press one button to "call home" or enter another number of my choice. If I use this feature, I am billed the "Place-A-Call" rates (including 80c/call "calling card" charge) rather than only the toll.) I would prefer that I could use the Master PIN to bill calls to "myself", rather than having to keep a normal PIN for that purpose. Further, the rates for calls placed through a 500 number do *not* match the rates for calling card calls for One Rate customers. This may be a tariff issue, but I'd rather be able to use the Place-A-Call feature and get billed my One Rate card rate rather than the 500 "basic" rate. (But then again, I have other calling cards -- that charge less, such as VoiceNet, CompuServe, etc. -- which I use for most calls!) All in all, I have found the 500 service to be worthwhile (instead of having call forwarding all over the place, I can give out one number, and let either the caller or myself pay for the calls) but it's still a bit quirky. Stanley Cline (Roamer1 on IRC) ** GO BRAVES! GO VOLS! mailto:roamer1@pobox.com ** http://pobox.com/~roamer1/ CompuServe 74212,44 ** MSN WSCline1 ------------------------------ From: Paul A. Houle Subject: Unethical Sprint Marketing to College Students Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 11:27:45 -0500 Organization: Cornell University, Department of Physics I'm a graduate student and I recently had an unpleasant experience with Sprint's marketing arm aimed at college students. A telemarketer called up Olivia a few weeks ago asking if I was in and she said I wasn't -- they asked if I'd like a "free foncard" and she said no and hung up. She didn't think anything of it. Well, yesterday I got not one but two foncards with my name and phone number on them. When I called the customer service number listed on the card, I was directed into a voice-response comptuer maze. After wasting ten minutes I decided to push the panic button and "press 2 to report a lost or stolen card." This got me through to an operator who gave me a lot of grief. For instance, she wanted my social security number. I told here that it wasn't her business since Sprint shouldn't even know what my social security number is since I haven't given it to them. She ended up having to call me back to verify that I was really calling from home and then she canceled the cards. I wrote a letter to the customer service address given on the junk mail complaining about the sleazy tactics. Is there anybody I can write to to help Sprint catch hell for this? ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #663 ******************************