Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id JAA27998; Thu, 12 Jun 1997 09:03:44 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 09:03:44 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <199706121303.JAA27998@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V17 #150 TELECOM Digest Thu, 12 Jun 97 09:03:00 EDT Volume 17 : Issue 150 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Why I Like Murkowski Not Smith (Joe J. Harrison) Spam Class Action Lawsuit (Bruce Pennypacker) Microcell (Fido) Comments in Canada (jfmezei) UCLA Short Course: Integrated Circuit Design (Bill Goodin) NYNEX Replacing Busy Signal With Repeat Dialing Solicitation (Tim Barmann) US West "Pulls" Dry-Copper (DSL) Tariffs (Pete Kruckenberg) Book Review: "Creating Dynamic Web Sites" by Fisher (Rob Slade) Fargo Man Gets Ten Years in Phone Sabotage Case (Scot Wilcoxon) Special RF IC Course: Apply Now, Deadline June 26 (Wireless Group) Job Opportunity: Bi-Lingual PBX Administrator (Dan Gauthier) Job Opportunith: Manager of IT Job in Denver (Jerry Witt) 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: * subscriptions@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 (WWW/http only!) 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. * ************************************************************************* 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: Joe.J.Harrison@bra0130.wins.icl.co.uk (Joe Harrison) Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 10:45:54 +0100 Subject: Why I Like Murkowski Not Smith There has been much discussion for and against the two separate anti-spam bills, with .net opinion appearing so far to prefer the idea of the Smith bill (making spam illegal with penalties in the same way as US junk fax laws) over the Murkowski option of legalising spam but with compulsory identifying tags to allow ISP filtering or recipient's ease of deletion. This is assuming I understood these bills correctly, apologies in advance if not. As a Brit resident outside of the United States it might seem presumptive of me to hold an opinion on internal American laws but I'd like to tell you why you should go for the Murkowski option. Here in Bracknell, UK, I get the same junk e-mail from savetrees.com (and others) that you do. Over ninety percent of my junk e-mail originates in the United States. I guess it's the same in other countries. If you pass a law that makes spamming illegal in the US (like junk fax) then I doubt very much that will offer any protection to spam recipients in the rest of the world. To whom could I complain when I open my mailbox one day and find it stuffed with UCE? Conversely however, if you force spammers to identify spam with a tag it would make it that much easier for me to filter it out. Joe ------------------------------ From: Bruce Pennypacker Subject: Spam Class Action Lawsuit Date: 10 Jun 1997 14:11:06 GMT Organization: Applied Language Technologies TELECOM Digest Editor wrote in article : > 2) Spam *everywhere* ... about three hundred pieces of email > of a commercial nature; some of them sent two or three times > each, no doubt by spammers who could not understand why the > messages they sent did not immediatly get posted in c.d.t. You might be glad to hear that an ISP down in Texas has not only received a temporary restraining order against Cyber Promotions, but that they are also preparing to file a class action suit against Cyber Promo and specifically Scamford Wallace on behalf of all registered owners of internet domains. The crux of the class action suit is that Cyber Promo inflicts damage upon ISP's by forging return addresses of spam and that they only stop when individual ISP's take them to court. The purpose of the class action suit is to prevent them from ever forging any internet address of any domain, known or unknown. You can read the text of the request of the TRO and the class action suit at: http://www.webs.com/w/webs001.nsf/Names/Pleading.htm An article in the Houston Chronicle regarding the reason for this suit can be found at: http://www.chron.com/cgi-bin/auth/story/content/chronicle/business/97/06/07/ spamsuit.2-0.html It's a pretty good story that explains how a forged e-mail address on some Cyber Promo spam caused an internet site catering to the handicapped to effectively shut down. Scamford claims that it was sent by a Cyber Promo customer that he had no control over. With a bit of luck, the class action suit will put a huge crimp on Scamfords actions, especially since more and more courts are agreeing that spam constitutes tresspass. Anybody who owns a domain that has been used as a dumping ground for Cyber Promo spam might want to contact the folks at webs.com and offer documentation to include with their request for a class action suit. Bruce [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ah, so Scamford is going to now rely on the sysadmin excuse of the ages: "I have no control over my users and what they do ..." Since it has served sysadmins well over the years as a way to let users wreck the net, maybe it will work for him also. I suggest burning him at the stake. Let him serve as a sacrifice and an example for spammers everywhere. I hope the court hangs him. PAT] ------------------------------ From: jfmezei Subject: Microcell (Fido) Comments in Canada Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 22:53:25 -0500 Organization: SPC Reply-To: "jfmezei"@videotron.ca.[no.spam] I have recently signed up to the Microcell GSM offering in Canada marketed as Fido. They started in Montreal last year, opened up Quebec City and Ottawa in April and this week, started marketing in Toronto. Vancouver is scheduled to go on-line later this summer. Fido has the advantage of not tying you to a contract. You can cancel anytime without cancellation fees. (Cantel wants three years contracts, with a $20 per unpaid month penalty). Fido concentrates on its "superstores" for sales as it easier to train (and keep control over training) the employees. It does make a rather big difference compared to franchises selling Cantel stuff for instance. Those franchises are not anywhere near as knowledgeable about the intricacies of the services as would a Fido/Microcell employee. Nevertheless, the staff cannot be expected to know everything. Fido is expected to provide roaming agreement with either Bell or Cantel eventually. (Perhaps later this year). At that point, Fido will start to sell bi-phones (GMS-AMPS). Rumour has it that Fido will have a buy-back programme in place to allow existing customers to "upgrade" to the bi phones. The one BIG disapointment I have is that FIDO does not yet support the use of a GSM phone for modem/data/fax transmission (eg: plug laptop into GSM phone). They cannot tell me a fixed date where such a support would be given. Considering that this is one of the big advantages of GSM over other systems with lots of existing hardware (NOKIA does have a PC-CARD modem adapter for its GSM 2190 (North America) phone. FIDO does not yet have a "send SMS message from your computer" service. You can send one from your phone, or go though a voice operator at an 800 number. But I am told that they should have that service out "soon". Cantel has a way to send the equivalent of an SMS message through the web as well as the option of having your phone numeber become and internet address ( 5551212@cantel.ca ) with the first x characters of a message sent to the TDMA telephone. (TDMA only allows 150 characters I beleive). Also, Fido only sells three phones right now: The Nokia 2190 (In the Toronto market, they have an updated 2190 with the better ERF codec, but are getting rid of older stock in Montreal, so you can't get the new one yet); the Ericsson 388; and now the Nortel 175 (I think). (Recent arrival). It will be interesting to see how the rather small GMS-1900 market in North America develops compared to the TDMA and CDMA markets. Three different protocols, three different markets, three different phones, instead of the original one AMPS market. Fido has per second billing for calls in its own network. Cantel also advertises per second "exact" billing but doesn't trumpet the fact that there is a minimum 60 second charge for each call. Is it true that at the 1900mhz band, land stations are spaced about 1.5km apart? Do they look differently from those of the AMPS system? ------------------------------ From: Bill Goodin Subject: UCLA Short Course: Integrated Circuit Design Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 14:47:32 -0700 On September 8-10, 1997, UCLA Extension will present the short course, "Integrated Circuit Design for Wireless Transceivers", on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles. The instructors are Prof. Asad Abidi and Prof. Behzad Razavi, Electrical Engineering Department, UCLA. The field of RF and wireless electronics is growing rapidly. From cellular phones to satellite television, RF design has become an active field for research and development after lying dormant for many years. This course provides a systematic treatment of RF electronics with emphasis on monolithic implementation in VLSI technologies. Beginning with basic concepts and background knowledge from communication and microwave disciplines, the course deals with the design of transceiver architectures and their building blocks: low-noise amplifiers and mixers, oscillators and synthesizers, power amplifiers, and filters. In addition to a methodical study of design issues and techniques, the course presents numerous examples of state-of-the-art work in the field. The material is complemented by several case studies of complete transceiver systems. The course fee is $1195, which includes extensive course materials. These materials are for participants only, and are not sold separately. For more information and a complete course description, please contact Marcus Hennessy at: (310) 825-1047 (310) 206-2815 fax mhenness@unex.ucla.edu http://www.unex.ucla.edu/shortcourses/ This course may also be presented on-site at company locations. ------------------------------ From: tim@cybertalk.com (Timothy Barmann) Subject: NYNEX Replacing Busy Signal With Repeat Dialing Solicitation Date: 10 Jun 1997 22:08:55 GMT Organization: The Providence Journal Company In March, one poster from Mass. told of his experience with a new NYNEX service that replaces the repeating tone of a busy signal with a recorded message pitching NYNEX's repeat dialing service. NYNEX wants to bring that service to Rhode Island too and I am writing an article about the service, and about the end of the busy signal as we know it. I'm wondering if anyone is aware of this service being offered in lieu of a busy signal in any other Baby Bell areas. Has anyone else run into trouble using modems or getting NYNEX to block the new service? Thanks for any help. Tim Barmann telecom writer Providence Journal-Bulletin tim@cybertalk.com 401-277-7369 ------------------------------ From: pete@inquo.inquo.net (Pete Kruckenberg) Subject: US West "Pulls" Dry-Copper (DSL) Tariffs Date: 10 Jun 1997 15:50:24 GMT Organization: inQuo Internet (801) 530-7160 Interactive Week is carrying an article (http://www4.zdnet.com/intweek/daily/970606f.html) regarding US West's recent pulling of their dry copper tariff in all but one of the states that they service. A more recent article (http://www4.zdnet.com/intweek/daily/970609d.html), apparently unrelated, discusses US West's solicitation of wireless local loop (WLL), and their intention to move to wireless in order to free up copper for xDSL. This is incredible. Now that the law requires competition, US West is trying to all but eliminate competition in the DSL market, as well as any other service that requires copper to the home. Even other carriers considering WLL to get to residences will run up against competition from US West, but they'll be effectively out of the market between ISDN and T1 speeds, especially in the residential market. I have a few questions about this, that I'm hoping someone can help answer. First, can US West arbitrarily "pull" a tariff like this? I find it especially odd that some customers (existing dry copper clients) will be able to continue ordering/using dry copper, but nobody else can. Second, what exactly are the provisions of the '96 Telecom Act relating to dry copper, as far as CLECs and others are concerned? I've heard several CLECs complain that they cannot get access to dry copper, and I'm wondering why that is the case? Third, as an ISP (who is effectively unable to gain access to co-locate space at the CO, because we're not a CLEC), what is the best course of action to try to resolve this issue? My guess is that as long as US West doesn't offer the service, the PUC/PSC cannot force them to. Is this true? Is my only recourse through legislation? I have suspected that US West would try to pull this kind of thing eventually. Utah is their pet state for DSL service, and I suspect that as soon as they saw how simple and cost-effective it can be, they started figuring out how to monopolize it. They're doing well at that, for sure. Any insight would be much appreciated. Pete Kruckenberg pete@inquo.net ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 10:32:46 EST From: Rob Slade Subject: Book Review: "Creating Dynamic Web Sites" by Fisher BKCRDWBS.RVW 970227 "Creating Dynamic Web Sites", Scott Fisher, 1997, 0-201-44207-8, U$24.95/C$34.00 %A Scott Fisher %C P.O. Box 520, 26 Prince Andrew Place, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 2T8 %D 1997 %G 0-201-44207-8 %I Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. %O U$24.95/C$34.00 416-447-5101 fax: 416-443-0948 bkexpress@aw.com %P 368 %T "Creating Dynamic Web Sites" Fisher's book is extremely practical and useful, and I recommend it to anyone using graphics or multimedia on a web site. That said, I do not want to create any misunderstandings. Fisher does *not* deal with the "how to" of producing graphics, sound, video, or animation. There are plenty of books that cover the details. He looks more at the "what": will your media be understood and effective. Will your page be easy to use, useful, and not frustrating for the person behind the browser. Of course, any number of books try to do that, too. But Fisher has an excellent grasp of what web surfers will look at -- and what they won't look at twice. A number of exercises help you to get inside the heads of potential viewers. Even established web masters will find themselves challenged by this book. (And there are a number that I dearly wish would read it.) copyright Robert M. Slade, 1997 BKCRDWBS.RVW 970227 roberts@decus.ca rslade@vcn.bc.ca rslade@vanisl.decus.ca Ceterum censeo CNA Financial Services delendam esse Please note the Peterson story - http://www.netmind.com/~padgett/trial.htm ------------------------------ Subject: Fargo Man Gets Ten Years in Phone Sabotage Case Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 22:29:34 CDT From: sewilco@fieldday.mn.org (Scot Wilcoxon) In an AP story on page B5, the {Minneapolis Star Tribune} reported on May 30 that Michael Damron, 33, was sentenced to ten years in prison for sabotaging phone lines. On Jan 21, 1995, he cut U.S. West communicatons cables at five sites around Fargo in order to disable burglar alarms at an electronics store he then robbed. He disrupted service for thousands of people in North Dakota and Minnesota. He also must pay U.S. West $250,000. Scot E. Wilcoxon sewilco@fieldday.mn.org ------------------------------ From: wireless@ece.orst.edu (Wireless Group) Subject: Special RF IC Course: Apply Now, Deadline June 26 Date: 10 Jun 1997 08:54:25 -0700 Organization: Network for Education and Research in Oregon RF IC Design For Wireless Communication Systems July 7-11, 1997 Portland, Oregon http://www.ocate.edu/wireless Five day Intensive short course on Practical aspects of RF IC's for Wireless Communication. This course is intended to give engineers and system designers a wider perspective and practical understanding of RF IC design, testing, measurement, and implementation for wireless systems. The topics covered are RF Transceiver design, front-end RF & IF circuits, Mixers, LNAs, and Frequency Synthesizers. Circuits in CMOS, Bi-CMOS, and GaAs RF technologies are discussed. Speakers: Cynthia Baringer, Hughes Research Labs Ken Hansen, Motorola Lawrence E. Larson, UC San Diego Vijay Nair, Motorola S. Rappaport, Virginia Tech Behzad Razavi, UCLA Doug Rytting, Hewlett-Packard Stewart Taylor, TriQuint Semiconductor Frederick Weiss, Analog Devices Organizer: Sayfe Kiaei, Oregon State University Sponsered by:Oregon Center for Advanced Technology Education ============================================================= SPACE IS LIMITED -- PLEASE REGISTER EARLY -- REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS NEAR ============================================================= MONDAY, JULY 7 WIRELESS SYSTEM ISSUES 8:30-10:00 Mobile Radio Propagation and Fading Ted Rappaport, Virginia Tech 10:30-Noon Modulation and Multiple Access Ted. Rappaport, Virginia Tech 1:30-3:00 RF Transceiver Overview Ken Hansen, Motorola 3:30-5:00 Transceiver Circuits Ken Hansen, Motorola TUESDAY, JULY 8 TRANSCEIVER AND FREQUENCY SYNTHESIZERS 8:30-10:00 RF Transceiver Architectures - Part I Behzad Razavi, UCLA 10:30-Noon RF Transceiver Architectures - Part II Behzad Razavi, UCLA 1:30-3:00 Frequency Synthesizers Lawrence E. Larson, UC San Diego 3:30-5:00 VCO Design Lawrence E. Larson, UC San Diego WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 AGC, MIXERS & LNAS 8:30-10:00 Phase Noise in Oscillators Behzad Razavi, UCLA 10:30-Noon AGC Design Lawrence E. Larson, UC San Diego 1:30-3:00 Design of CMOS and Bipolar LNAs Behzad Razavi, UCLA 3:30-5:00 Design of CMOS and Bipolar Mixers Behzad Razavi, UCLA THURSDAY, JULY 10 HIGH-FREQUENCY GaAs CIRCUITS & POWER AMPLIFIERS 8:30-10:00 High Frequency RF Circuit Design Vijay Nair, Motorola 10:30-Noon GaAs RF IC Designs for Wireless Applications Vijay Nair, Motorola 1:30-3:00 Power Amplifiers I: Overview of PA Topologies Stewart Taylor, TriQuint Semiconductor 3:30-5:00 Power Amplifiers II: GaAs MESFET PA Circuits Stewart Taylor, TriQuint Semiconductor FRIDAY, JULY 11 RF TESTING & TECHNOLOGIES 8:30-10:00 Practical Aspects of Designing Manufacturable RFICs Cynthia Baringer, Hughes Research Labs 10:30-Noon RF Measurement Doug Rytting, Hewlett-Packard 1:30-3:00 Technology Options, Modeling and Testing for RFICs - Part I Frederick Weiss, Analog Devices 3:30-5:00 Technology Options, Modeling and Testing for RFICs - Part II Frederick Weiss, Analog Devices ================================================================== REGISTRATION FORM: PLEASE FAX OR EMAIL THIS PAGE TO: Oregon Center for Advanced Technology Education 18640 NW Walker Road, Suite 1010w Beaverton, OR 97006 Tel: (503) 725-2200 Fax: (503) 725-2201 Email: info@ocate.edu Name: __________________________________________________________ Company: _______________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________ City/State/Zip: ________________________________________________ Email: _________________________________________________________ Work Phone: ____________________________________________________ Payment: $1695 [ ]Check [ ]Visa [ ]Mastercard Account#____________________________ Exp. Date___________________________ Signature __________________________ All registration materials must be received by June 26 SPACE IS LMILTED -- PLEASE REGISTER EARLY TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN ATTEND THE COURSE. ------------------------------ From: Dan Gauthier Subject: Job Opportunity: Bi-Lingual PBX Administrator Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 14:57:25 -0500 Organization: Tellus Technologies BI-LINGUAL PBX ADMINISTRATOR (Turkish/English) BRIEF DESCRIPTION / RESPONSIBILITIES This is an excellent opportunity for a Turkish/English speaking technician familiar with PBX administration. (Major domestic or International manufacturer). High pay plus expenses. Project in Istanbul, Turkey. 1-3 month assignment. Large Fortune 100 company. - Needed immediately!! REQUIRED SKILLS Initial database creation, initial MAC creation, trunk and line configuration, station configuration, trouble shooting, training capabilities a plus. Familiarity with Microsoft NT Server and Client software a big plus! Must be fluent in Turkish and in English. CONTACT: For more information contact: Mr. Dan Gauthier, Tellus Technologies, 4919 Valerie, Bellaire, TX 77401, Tel (713)661-0841, Fax (713) 661-8129 or email dan@telluscom.com. An Equal Opportunity Employer. ------------------------------ From: Jerry Witt <75522.2760@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Job Opportunity: Manager of IT Job in Denver Date: 11 Jun 1997 03:57:52 GMT Organization: Staff Options, Denver, Colorado Leading cellular phone company in Denver seeks Manager of Information Technology to oversee all IT issues and responsibilities supporting the customer service center in Denver. Required skills: CNA or CNE, or strong Novell Netware background, including managing and supervising Network Admin and technicians, telephony responsibilities for voice/data and PBX needs, preferrably AT&T Definity G3 systems. 2 or more years managing IT for over 50 employee customer service center, prefer someone from cellular phone industry. Budgeting, new technology issues, year2000, hardware and software, help desk, configuration management, vendor relations, interdepartmental relations. B.S. required or equivalent experience in Cellular industry. M.S. or MBA preferred. Target salary $70K, more or less depending on experience. Contact JERRY WITT, Technical Recruiter, STAFF OPTIONS, a division of Careers, LTD, 1700 Lincoln St., Ste. 2550, Denver, Colorado, 80203. (303) 832-5200 voice (303) 832-9365 fax. infocltd@careersltd.com or jerrywitt@compuserve.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V17 #150 ******************************