Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id IAA06556; Wed, 18 Dec 1996 08:57:15 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 08:57:15 -0500 (EST) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199612181357.IAA06556@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #668 TELECOM Digest Wed, 18 Dec 96 08:57:00 EST Volume 16 : Issue 668 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Indian Government May Rule Out Foreign Broadcasters (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh) Parollees and the Net (Tad Cook) Analog Call Cut-Offs on ISDN BRI Line (Mac Aldente) www.webcom.com Site Down Most of Weekend (Mark J. Cuccia) Finally: a Map of the 908->732 Area Code Split (Col. G.L. Sicherman) Unheralded Deaths of 1996 - George Oslin (Mike Pollock) Re: The Opposition Point of View: FRC on Supreme Court News (Gary Fancher) Re: The Opposition Point of View: FRC on Supreme Court News (C. Macbride) Connecticut DPUC Gets Slammed (Alan Lange) 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Indian Government May Rule Out Foreign Broadcasters Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 11:39:46 PST From: rishab@dxm.org (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh) Reply-To: rishab@dxm.org The Indian Techonomist: bulletin, December 18, 1996 Copyright (C) 1996 Rishab Aiyer Ghosh. All rights reserved Indian government may rule out foreign broadcasters December 18: "Foreign media tries back door" screamed headlines in New Delhi's normally sober business dailies last week. Following the headlines were a stream of articles over the next several days, on the "problem" of the entry of foreign media into India - particularly broadcasting - and what the government could do about it: legislate, perhaps? All India Radio (AIR), which like Doordarshan TV is a government monopoly, has been issuing franchises for FM radio airspace for the past couple of years to private broadcasters. Last week it surfaced that in the latest auction for franchises, two bidders, TNE Asia and UDD Systems, bid the highest (about $800 per hour of airtime). They are both believed to be indirectly controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Mr Murdoch was already in trouble in India. The ultimate symbol of foreign media, News Corp was granted permission by India's Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to start a wholly-owned Indian subsidiary last month. This company, to be called INDCO, would invest in programming and cable networks. However, earlier this month, Minister for Information and Broadcasting C M Ibrahim objected, and the venture is once again delayed - all though another News Corp subsidiary for programming, cleared in August, is going ahead. In this context, rumours about News Corp control of the FM franchisees naturally led to an outcry over a "back door" entry. India has to open up its huge media market quickly; Indians love TV, yet the Bombay slum-dwellers with no proper sewage but dish antennas clearly don't care for Doordarshan. At the moment, the Indian cable business is like American Internet Service Providers - totally disorganised and unregulated. Some 50,000 cable networks will rake in about $1 billion in subscriber revenues this year, but none of that goes to the satellite channels themselves, who are forced by current Indian law to broadcast from abroad - even if owned and operated by Indians. Till now a new law was needed to open up the market - and revenue streams, such as Direct-to-Home (DTH) subscriptions. After last week's Murdoch-filled headlines, MPs (members of parliament) want the new law to control foreigners. The government has been sluggish about finalising legislation cutting down regulations - despite a Supreme Court ruling egging it on - but now that any new law could include new restrictions against foreigners, it appears more keen on getting something done. The government is now thinking of issuing an order - perhaps as early as next week - allowing limited private broadcasting, thereby ending the monopoly of AIR and Doordarshan, but imposing further controls on foreign ownership. This order will be a stop-gap measure until comprehensive legislation can pass in Parliament. Some of the ideas the government has, such as issuing franchises to DTH operators, may be unworkable, as they would probably go against last year's Supreme Court ruling granting all Indians what is in effect a right to broadcast, natural resources such as frequencies permitting. In any case, Indians don't let inconvenient rules get in their way: when cable TV was illegal, it was growing at 50% a year. For more information, follow the links in the hypertext version of this document at http://dxm.org/techonomist/news/ 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 ------------------------------ Subject: Parollees and the Net Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 14:33:12 PST From: tad@ssc.com (Tad Cook) Rising computer crime prompts parole rules WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. Parole Commission has approved restrictions on the use of computers by certain high-risk parolees. The Justice Department announced Monday that the panel voted this month to authorize such restrictions as requiring certain parolees to get prior written approval from the commission before using an Internet service provider, computerized bulletin board system or any public or private computer network. Other restrictions would: prohibit particular parolees from possessing or using data encryption programs, require some parolees to agree to unannounced inspection of computers by probation officers, require some parolees to compile daily logs of computer use or to pay for equipment to monitor their computer use. "Unrestricted access to the Internet and other computer online services can provide sophisticated offenders with new opportunities for crime and criminal associations," said Edward F. Reilly Jr., commission chairman. "We cannot ignore the possibility that such offenders may be tempted to use computer services to repeat their crimes." The commission noted a surge in "how-to" information on child molestation, hate crime and the illegal use of explosives available on the Internet and on computer online services. ------------------------------ From: macaroni@ingress.com (Mac Aldente) Subject: Analog Call Cut-Offs on ISDN BRI Line Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 22:10:01 -0500 Organization: IngressNet (info@ingress.net) I have an ISDN BRI line that disconnects all analog (voice, data, fax) calls every 16 minutes. NOT 16 minutes into the call, but on a NYNEX 16 minute schedule. The D channel traces are as follows: 00:02:58.97 4 bytes LAPD D NT C SAPI=0 TEI=97 RR P/F=1 NR=6 00:02:58.98 4 bytes LAPD D TE R SAPI=0 TEI=97 RR P/F=1 NR=9 00:02:59.15 4 bytes LAPD D NT C SAPI=0 TEI=72 RR P/F=1 NR=1 00:02:59.16 4 bytes LAPD D TE R SAPI=0 TEI=72 RR P/F=1 NR=4 00:03:27.28 4 bytes LAPD D NT C SAPI=0 TEI=97 RR P/F=1 NR=6 00:03:27.29 4 bytes LAPD D TE R SAPI=0 TEI=97 RR P/F=1 NR=9 00:03:27.47 4 bytes LAPD D NT C SAPI=0 TEI=72 RR P/F=1 NR=1 00:03:27.48 4 bytes LAPD D TE R SAPI=0 TEI=72 RR P/F=1 NR=4 This causes the cut-off: 00:03:39.56 14 bytes LAPD D NT C SAPI=0 TEI=97 INFO P=0 NR=6 NS=9 10 bytes Northern American ---- CR = Dummy PD=Q.931 INFOrmation 1 1001---- INFORMATION ELEMENT : SHIFT ----0--- Shift type : locking -----101 Codeset ident. : codeset 5 1 00101010 INFORMATION ELEMENT : Set(05)/Code(2A) 2 00000100 IE length : 4 octets 3 ******** IE Contents : 80 80 01 50 00:03:39.58 4 bytes LAPD D TE R SAPI=0 TEI=97 RR P/F=0 NR=10 00:03:39.62 14 bytes LAPD D NT C SAPI=0 TEI=72 INFO P=0 NR=1 NS=4 10 bytes Northern American ---- CR = Dummy PD=Q.931 INFOrmation 1 1001---- INFORMATION ELEMENT : SHIFT ----0--- Shift type : locking -----101 Codeset ident. : codeset 5 1 00101010 INFORMATION ELEMENT : Set(05)/Code(2A) 2 00000100 IE length : 4 octets 3 ******** IE Contents : 80 80 01 50 Any explanations or suggestions would be appreciated. TIA. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 09:27:46 -0800 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: www.webcom.com Site Down Most of Weekend I heard on the 8:00 am (Eastern Time) hourly Westwood/Mutual/NBC-Radio news this morning that www.webcom.com was down for about forty hours this past weekend, due to computer hackers. The news report mentioned that many commercial and business customers are users of Webcom, and their pages couldn't be accessed this weekend. The report did mention that email was able to be sent and received without many problems, however. I was wondering why I couldn't access Judith Oppenheimer's ICB/Callbrand page nor Long Distance Digest this past Saturday. Both are at the Webcom site. I had thought that either the 'routers' on my end (or in transit) were having trouble accessing the site, or the site was brought down temporarily for maintenance. But then I heard the news report on the radio this morning. The news report also mentioned that it will be 'virtually impossible' to determine who 'hacked' into the site and took it out of service. I would hope that some additional security and tracking measures will be able to prevent or reduce such activities in the future. As for the tragedy in New Orleans over the weekend, I was no where *near* the "Riverwalk" shopping facility, and I heard about it about an hour later over the hourly national news on CBS Radio. At first, it was thought that about six people fell into the Mississippi River and were presumed dead, however later news reports on radio and television mentioned that about six department store manequins had fallen into the river from one of the shops in the Riverwalk. So far, there haven't been any confirmed reports of deaths due to the ship (which lost all of its power including steering) crashed into the "Riverwalk" shopping mall. And as of the last local news report I've heard or read, no known tourists (nor locals) have been reported missing. 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: sicherman@lucent.com (Col. G.L. Sicherman) Subject: Finally: a Map of the 908->732 Area Code Split Date: 17 Dec 1996 15:23:40 GMT Organization: Lucent Technologies In a two-page ad in the Asbury Park Press for 1996-12-17, Bell Atlantic identifies the exchanges in the area-code splits 201->973 and 908->732. John Cropper has already published the list for 201->973 here. I don't think that an authoritative version of the 908->732 split has appeared in the Digest yet. MOVING FROM 908 (Central New Jersey) TO 732 (East-Central New Jersey): 202 288 364 442 531 634 747 834 902 203 290 365 445 532 636 748 836 905 205 291 366 446 536 639 750 837 906 206 292 367 447 541 641 751 838 907 207 293 368 448 542 646 752 839 909 208 294 370 449 544 650 758 840 910 214 295 380 450 545 651 760 842 913 216 296 381 457 548 652 764 843 914 217 297 382 458 549 656 767 844 915 219 299 385 460 560 657 770 845 916 220 302 386 461 562 660 773 846 918 222 303 387 462 563 661 774 847 919 223 304 388 463 566 663 775 849 920 224 307 389 469 567 664 776 853 922 225 308 390 471 570 667 777 854 928 227 309 392 472 571 670 779 855 929 228 312 393 473 572 671 780 857 930 229 315 394 476 573 679 783 861 932 235 316 396 477 574 680 785 863 933 237 318 398 478 576 681 786 864 934 238 320 402 487 577 683 787 865 935 239 321 404 488 583 692 792 866 937 240 323 405 489 585 694 793 867 938 243 324 406 492 586 695 794 868 939 244 326 407 493 590 697 796 869 940 246 327 408 494 591 698 797 870 942 247 329 409 495 592 699 798 871 943 248 330 413 499 594 701 799 872 944 249 331 414 501 599 702 804 873 945 251 332 415 502 600 706 805 875 946 254 335 416 503 601 714 807 878 949 255 336 417 504 602 715 808 880 952 257 339 418 505 603 716 812 881 954 258 340 420 506 605 721 814 882 955 262 341 421 509 606 723 815 883 957 263 342 422 510 607 726 816 884 968 264 343 424 513 610 727 817 885 969 269 345 427 514 613 728 818 886 970 270 346 428 517 614 737 819 888 972 271 348 431 519 615 738 821 890 974 274 349 432 521 616 739 826 892 975 275 350 433 524 617 741 827 893 980 278 356 434 525 618 742 828 896 981 280 357 435 528 627 743 830 897 985 283 358 438 529 628 744 831 899 988 286 360 440 530 632 745 833 901 989 287 363 441 The centrals for these exchanges are: Asbury Park Freehold Monmouth Junction Atlantic Highlands Holmdel New Brunswick Belmar Jamesburg Perth Amboy Bound Brook Keansburg Point Pleasant Carteret Keyport Rahway Deal Lakehurst Red Bank Dunellen Lakewood Seaside Park East Millstone Long Branch South Amboy Eatontown Manasquan South River Englishtown Matawan Spring Lake Farmingdale Metuchen Toms River Franklin Park Middletown Woodbridge According to my Bell Atlantic phone directory, 405 is Unionville. No other Unionville exchanges are listed in 732. I cannot tell whether this is a minor office on the fringe of Unionville, or just an error. I was surprised to find on the list almost 100 exchanges that I did not know about. Can anybody point me to an online mapping of exchanges to central offices? Col. G. L. Sicherman sicherman@lucent.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 11:40:42 -0800 From: Mike Pollock Organization: SJS Entertainment Subject: Unheralded Deaths of 1996 - George Oslin By The Associated Press When George Burns died, a century of mirth-making was rewarded with f ront-page obituaries and public lamentations. When George Oslin died, few marked his passing. Oslin was not well-known. But long ago, in a moment of genius, he invented the singing telegram, and the world became a bit more tuneful. GEORGE OSLIN Delivery Hymn of the Singing Telegram (sung to the tune of ``Battle Hymn of the Republic'') Mine ears have heard the glory of some singing on the way. It's that boy from Western Union, and he's got some things to say, But like Samuel Morse and Edison, it's disappeared today. Still, the memory lives on. CHORUS: Western Union at the door, ma'am. Bringing you a singing tel'gram. It'll give you information; it'll brighten up your day. George Oslin led the way. He was Western Union's czar of the obscure and the old ways. He recorded comp'ny history; took down all each had to say. Then it dawned on him that singing just might help to cheer the day. Now his memory lives on. CHORUS: Western Union at the door, sir. Our aged hero's met his maker. He died at 97 down in Florida, they say. George Oslin led the way. Today we have the telephone, the Internet, the fax We communicate so quickly that the telegram seems lax. But for just one fleeting moment, please, nostalgic let us wax. For a memory now gone. CHORUS: Western Union's almost gone now Cyberspace has got the know-how. But remember, long ago, that there was something more fun, ma'am. The singing telegram. -- By Ted Anthony ------------------------------ From: Gary Fancher Subject: Re: The Opposition Point of View: My Response Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 14:30:19 -0600 Organization: DSC Communications Corporation, Plano, Texas USA Pat, I would like to extend my appreciation for your well-written essay concerning the freedom of speech on the Internet, etc. You started out with the same premise that we have heard from everyone, and that is that parents have the ultimate responsibility for what they allow their children to see and hear. I have no argument with that statement since it is obviously correct, but I do think that a little more support from the community would be very helpful. I am in the process of raising four children, and I can tell you from experience that parenting is not an easy task. I often find myself wondering if those who cry out so loudly for the freedom of expression are themselves trying to raise any children. When I was a child (in the 50's and 60's), virtually everyone in society agreed on what was good for us children. We all knew what was right from what was wrong, and our teachers, leaders, pastors, politicians and judges as well as our parents all at least paid lip service to wanting to point us in the right direction. I really believe that the vast majority were sincere in their desires to do that. (One might argue that they did not succeed very well, but that's another story.) We had TV shows like _My_Three_Sons_ and _Father_ Knows_Best_ (to name just a couple) which reinforced "family values." Movies like _The Last Picture Show_ were shockers because they went AGAINST the grain. Such is no longer the case. Much of today's TV, movies and the Internet are still trying to tear down the conscience that our parents and society instilled in us. It seems that in these days, the judges, teachers, sometimes the politicians, and even sometimes the pastors and parents are trying to show how much freedom we have by declaring everything to be permissable. As a result, we parents who are still trying to raise our children to be good and decent citizens find that WE are the ones who are going against the grain. Society no longer upholds what used to be good high standards. In fact, there almost seem to be no standards. We've thrown out the Ten Commandments, closed the Good Book, declared God to be dead or at least so ill that He has become impotent, and even decided in some cases that we are gods ourselves. (Oops, here I am preaching when I'm really a programmer.) I am not asking that society raise my children for me - I do not want to shirk my responsibility, but a little help would be appreciated, and if I cannot get that, then I beg of society to not fight against me in my efforts. Do not think that we (society in general) will be absolved of any and all responsibility for what will happen if we do not change course as a society just simply by saying that "it is the parent's responsibility to raise their children properly." Do not forget the saying (before it became a political slur), "It takes a village to raise a child." We all have a responsibility to one another's children if the next generation is going to exceed the grasp of the current one. Now I'll get back to programming. Have a Merry Christmas. Gary D. Fancher E-mail: gfancher@spd.dsccc.com DSC Communications Corporation voice: 972-519-5268 1000 Coit Road, MS 121, Plano, Texas 75075 fax: 972-519-3563 ------------------------------ From: craig@rmit.EDU.AU (Craig Macbride) Subject: Re: The Opposition Point of View: FRC on Supreme Court News Date: 17 Dec 1996 20:36:25 GMT Organization: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. Clayton E. Cramer writes: > There are a lot of people out there who have no idea the damage that > exposure to a group like alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.pre-teens would > do to a child. The average child will not be interested or even go far enough to download and decode what's there, but that's not even the point. The net is a large, easy to access part of the world. You can post defamatory items and end up in jail, book airline or hotel tickets that must be paid for, etc. This is not a kiddies' playground. Do you let a 10 year old borrow the car and do a cross-country trip in it? If not, you shouldn't be letting them on the net either. The extremist viewpoint here is that somehow everyone else should be looking out for the wellbeing of children of inexcuseably stupid parents, no matter how inconvenient that may be for us all. Craig Macbride URL: http://www.bf.rmit.edu.au/~craigm ------------------------------ Subject: Connecticut DPUC Gets Slammed From: Lange@snet.net (Alan Lange) Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 08:00:00 EST The page 1 headline in the 12/17/96 {Hartford Courant} is: "States's telephone watchdog finds its own lines crossed." A couple of nice quotes from the article: "The latest telephone-line caper under investigation by the state is either a gutsy crime or a wild mixup. 'It's sort of like pulling an armed robbery at the police station,' said Thomas Benedict, one of the state's top telephone regulators. Benedict ought to know. The victim in this case was the state Department of Public Utility Control, which polices the telephone industry in Connecticut. That would make Benedict the desk sergeant; he's the commissioner most familiar with telephone issues." "Beryl Lyons, a department spokeswoman, described the feeling among employees at agency headquarters in New Britain: 'They did WHAT??? ... Excuse me, we're the DPUC, and we got slammed?' " It seems that 6 of the department's 14 lines got moved from MCI to Wiltel. SNET confirmed that the lines had been moved last week after Wiltel made the request. For the time being the whole article is at: http://news.courant.com/article/biz1.stm Alan Lange Lange@snet.net ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #668 ******************************