
From telecom-request@delta.eecs.nwu.edu  Tue Sep 12 19:39:50 1995
by
1995
19:39:50 -0400
telecomlist-outbound; Tue, 12 Sep 1995 14:20:07 -0500
1995
14:20:05 -0500
To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu


TELECOM Digest     Tue, 12 Sep 95 14:20:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 376

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    FCC Warning on International Dial-a-Porn (Bob Keller)
    Cell One/NY Discontinues ATT 500 Service When ATT Takes Over! (Doug
Reuben)
    Book Review: "MH & xmh: Email for Users and Programmers" (Rob Slade) 
    Writers Wanted For PCSense Magazine (Roy Chartier)
    Bell Canada Calling Cards in the USA (Terry Flanagan)
    A Very Taxing Situation: TAX-1040 (Washington Post via Carl Moore)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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----------------------------------------------------------------------



Here is the text of a recent FCC Consumer Alert regarding international
dial-a-porn:

 FCC CONSUMER ALERT 

 Office of Public Affairs
 Public Service Division
 Federal Communications Commission
 1919 M Street NW
 Washington, D.C., 20554
 202-418-0200/TT 202-418-2555

 International Dial-a-Porn 
 August 1995

Q. What is meant by "International Dial-a-Porn?"

A. The term "International Dial-a-Porn" refers to indecent or obscene, 
recorded or live, conversations that are offered over the telephone on a 
commercial basis by information providers located in foreign countries. 
International Dial-a-Porn is one of a growing number of "information 
services." Other types of international information services include 
horoscopes, "psychic hotlines," work-at-home schemes and chat groups. 
The 
charges for such services appear on the customers' monthly local 
telephone 
bill as international long distance calls. 

There has been an increase in the number of such international calls,
stemming in part to Congressional regulations tightening up on abuses
in these services in the United States. Due to consumer complaints
about fraudulent billing and the unauthorized use of their telephones
to place such calls, Congress, in 1992, restricted the ability of
information-service providers to use domestic pay-per-call ("900" or
"976") telephone numbers in the provision of their services. As a
result, many providers of such services moved their operations to
points outside the United States.

Q. Why is International Dial-a-Porn a problem? 

A. Because the blocks applied to prevent the use of domestic 900 and
976 calls for information services do not block international long
distance calls, minors and other unauthorized users can use a
subscriber's telephone line for access to an International Dial-a-Porn
or other information service without the subscriber's knowledge or
permission.  Furthermore, because the charges for international
information services are simply added to a telephone subscriber's
bill, without a prior credit arrangement, and because they are based
on substantial per-minute charges that are generally not disclosed in
advance, a telephone subscriber can receive a bill for calls to
information services that is unexpectedly large.

Q. Are 800 telephone numbers used for access to international Dial-a-
Porn 
services? 

A. Because calls to 800 numbers are widely understood by telephone users 
to be toll free, it is a violation of federal law for providers of 
Dial-a-Porn or other information services to offer service over an 800 
number and then to charge a caller for service (unless the provider has 
entered into a prior arrangement with the caller to bill him or her 
separately for the service or to charge the service to the caller's 
credit 
card). 

An information provider is allowed to use 800 numbers to advertise its
services. It is also allowed to advertise an 800 number and, when a
caller dials the 800 number, direct the caller to hang up and place an
international call that will be billed at international per-minute
rates.

Telephone subscribers should, when calling information services,
beware of an unlawful practice engaged in by some information-service
providers.  That is, when a caller dials an advertised 800 number, the
information-service provider will direct the customer, without hanging
up, to dial additional numbers, often described as an "access code."
Dialing such numbers often converts the call into an international,
direct-dial long distance call that will be billed at relatively high
international rates.

Q. How do I recognize an international telephone number? 

A. It's not always easy to tell. Most international telephone numbers
are preceded by the numbers 011. Telephone numbers in Canada and the
Caribbean region, however, have area codes that make them look like
U.S. telephone numbers. For example, calls to British Columbia, Canada
start with the area code 604 and calls to the Caribbean begin with
area code 809.

Moreover, advertisements for Dial-a-Porn and other information services 
sometimes direct customers to dial a string of numbers that contains the 
011 international call designator, disguised so as to hide the fact that 
the call is in fact an international call. For example, the number in 
the 
advertisement might be 1-0xxx-011-xx-xx- xxx-xxxx (where x is any 
digit). 
In this example, the first five digits,1-0xxx, are the access code of a 
U.S. international carrier and the 011 is the prefix to an international 
telephone number. Similarly, as more fully explained in the previous 
question, the use of an 800 telephone number to arrange access to an 
international

Dial-a-Porn service could mislead customers into thinking that they are 
dialing a domestic telephone number. If you are unfamiliar with an area 
code advertised, we suggest that you look it up in your telephone book 
or 
ask a telephone operator whether the telephone number is an 
international 
one. 

Q. What should I do if I disagree with a telephone bill listing charges 
to 
international Dial-a-Porn numbers?

A. You should first try to resolve your complaint with the local
telephone company on whose bill the charge appears. In some cases,
however, your local telephone company may refer you directly to the
long distance company or to the company that provided the Dial-a-Porn
or other information service. This is because the local company merely
acts as a billing agent for the long distance company or the
information-service provider and does not resolve their billing
disputes.

All of the major U.S. local telephone companies have agreed to work
with subscribers, long distance companies and information-service
providers during the first billing cycle (that is, the first billing
period for which information-service charges appear on the local bill)
to resolve subscriber complaints that they did not make the calls or
that the calls were not authorized. They will seek to ensure that the
Dial-a-Porn provider, rather than the subscriber, bears the cost of
the disputed calls. Be aware, however, that not every local telephone
company has agreed to this policy. If your local telephone company
does not agree to participate, your refusal to pay disputed charges
could result in its terminating your telephone service.

If you are unable to persuade one of these companies to adjust the
charges, and you feel that such refusal was unreasonable, you can file
a written complaint with the FCC. Although the FCC cannot adjust your
telephone bill, the FCC will investigate your complaint and determine
whether any of the companies have violated the Communications Act or
FCC regulations and whether to initiate an enforcement action.

To file a complaint, simply send a letter describing your complaint, in 
your own words, to: 

  Federal Communications Commission
  Common Carrier Bureau
  Informal Complaints and Inquiries Branch
  Enforcement Division
  Stop Code 1600A2
  Washington, D.C. 20554

Your complaint letter should include your name and address, the
telephone number or numbers involved with your complaint, the
telephone number where you can be reached during the business day, the
names of all companies involved with your complaint, and a copy of the
bill(s) listing the charges that you are disputing. It will expedite
processing of your complaint if you circle on the copy of the bill(s)
all call charges that you are disputing.

Q. What should I do if I believe that an advertisement for an
international Dial- a-Porn or other information service was false or
deceptive?

A. The Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") is responsible for preventing
the distribution of false or deceptive advertisements in consumer
products. If you feel that a company's advertisement was false or
misleading, you should call your regional FTC office or write to:
Federal Trade Commission Correspondence Branch Washington, D.C. 20580

While the FTC does not resolve individual disputes, your comments help
in its law enforcement efforts. Additionally, you may wish to contact
your state's consumer protection office, the consumer-protection
division of your state's Attorney- General's office, or the office of
your local District Attorney. You also may wish to contact the
National Fraud Information Center at 1-800-876-7060. The National
Fraud Information Center is a private, non-profit national consumer
organization that will report your complaints to the appropriate
federal or state governmental agency.

Q. What can consumers do to protect against unauthorized access by
minors to International Dial-a-Porn services?

A. As a first step, you can, of course, instruct your children to
refrain from making calls to International Dial-a-Porn or other
information services that encourage long, expensive telephone calls.
At present there is no way selectively to block the use of your
telephone from being used to call International Dial-a-Porn or other
international information services. You can, however, request your
presubscribed long distance telephone company to block your telephone
line so that it cannot be used to make calls directly to any
international telephone number. Your presubscribed long distance
company should generally make blocking of international calls
available at no charge, but you should be aware that such a block will
affect only international calls made using that presubscribed long
distance company. It is possible for you or someone using your
telephone to evade a blanket international call block by dialing the
access code for one of the U.S. international long distance telephone
companies and then using that company to dial the international
telephone number.

Q. What steps is the Commission taking to prevent unauthorized minors
and other users from gaining access to international Dial-a-Porn or
other information services?

A. The FCC cannot prevent unauthorized use of a subscriber's telephone. 
It is the responsibility of telephone subscribers to control access to
their own telephones. The FCC, however, has taken actions to deal with
abuses by providers of international Dial-a-Porn.  As a result of the
recent increase in complaints about abuses by international
Dial-a-Porn providers, the FCC is taking several steps to protect
telephone subscribers who have been billed for international
Dial-a-Porn calls they did not authorize. First, the FCC is working
with local, long distance and foreign telephone companies to put in
place procedures to resolve consumer billing disputes promptly and
fairly. The FCC also has adopted rules to ensure that telephone
companies comply with federal law in this area and will vigorously
enforce them. Second, the FCC is writing to foreign countries that
attract the highest number of Dial-a-Porn calls from the United States
to ask for assistance in addressing abuses committed by providers
located within their countries. Third, the FCC is educating consumers
about international Dial-a-Porn and other information services so that
they can take steps to prevent unauthorized use of their telephones by
minors or others to gain access to such services. The FCC has also
asked U.S. local and long distance telephone companies to do the same
for their customers.

- FCC -


Bob Keller (KY3R)                      mailto:rjk@telcomlaw.com
Law Office of Robert J. Keller, P.C.   http://www.his.com/~rjk
Federal Telecommunications Law         Telephone 202.416.1670

------------------------------



After recently abandoning the widely recognized "Cellular One" name
and calling themselves "AT&T Wireless Services", Cell One/NY completed
a number of dialing procedure changes which currently do not allow
anyone on the CO/NY (00025) system to place 0-500 calls to AT&T's 500
service.  ("B" Side NYNEX customers have no problem in completing
0-500 calls.)

When AT&T introduced 500 service, most of the McCaw properties
immediately accepted 0-500 calls, and in some cases, since AT&T
*wisely* chose not to supervise (start "billing", sort of) 0-500 calls
until the called party answered, no airtime charges where incurred.
This had a number of benefits:

-Those who called me on my 500 number from their carphones would NOT
have to pay any airtime charges if I did not answer. Most 0+ calls on
AT&T, including the older 0-700 service, DO immediately supervise, and
thus, even if you never get connected to anyone, you pay an airtime
charge. It is precisely because of this that I never use my AT&T card
from my cellphone, and why I dropped my 700 number. (And let's not
hear how "correct" this is or why we should all be billed airtime for
calls to the AT&T "bong" tone; almost every other LD co's calling card
service does NOT supervise until the called party answers. If AT&T
doesn't want to help lower my airtime charges, why should I use their
overpriced calling card service at $1 per shot when there are 17.5
cent per minute, 6-second billing, no surcharge calling cards out
there which do NOT supervise until the call is answered?)

-I could program my 500 number from my carphone for no charge, thus
directing calls to my cellphone when I was in the car, and making it
more likely that someone would call me. CO/NY benefited from this as
my airtime usage went up as I was able to be easily reachable by the
single number - my 500 number - that many people try to reach me on.

As a result of "AT&T Wireless'" dialing changes, it seems that there is 
no way to dial 0-500 calls, and thus AT&T's 500 service is becomming 
increasingly useless. 

I contacted CO/NY, and they have been much less responsive on this
issue than they normally are on others. This may be attributed to
their lack of knowledge regarding the 500 service, but they even told
me that OTHER CO/NY customers have been complaining about no longer
being able to access AT&T's 500 service, and so far, nothing has been
done, and they do not seem to consider it to even be a problem.

It seems in many ways indicative of how AT&T's "right hand" doesn't
know what it's "left hand" is doing. The premier McCaw/AT&T Wireless
market on the eastern seaboard, which USED to readily accept 0-500
calls, for some reason, after the "conversion" to "AT&T Wireless", can
no longer accept calls to AT&T's primary personal number service.

This pathetic illustration of how a service *specifically* dsesigned
for a highly mobile and telecom-literate subscriber base is not only
unsupported, but also unavailable, is telling of the (seemingly poor)
state of affairs at AT&T these days, and an issue which they should
rapidly remedy. The mere fact that 0-500 dialing worked BEFORE they
assumed control of CO/NY, and that right after they did 0-500 dialing
stopped simply adds insult to injury.

I hope that CO/NY's unresponsiveness in this situation is constrained
to this instant case, and that in general, the AT&T takeover did not
in any way reduce their spirit of service and responsiveness which has
resulted in some (generally) positive posts by myself and other Digest
readers in the past.

If any other CO/NY subscribers or roamers on CO/NY's system have
experienced similar difficlties, please let me know.


      Doug Reuben  *  dreuben@interpage.net   *  +1 (203) 499 - 5221
Interpage Network Services -- http://www.interpage.net, telnet 
interpage.net
E-Mail Alpha/Numeric Local/Nationwide Paging, LinkAlert, EMail <-> Fax 
Svcs 

------------------------------

Peek


BKMH_XMH.RVW  950803
 
"MH & xmh: Email for Users & Programmers", Peek, 1995, 1-56592-093-7, 
U$34.95
%A   Jerry Peek
%C   103 Morris Street, Suite A Sebastopol, CA   95472
%D   1995


                             

%G   1-56592-093-7
%I   O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
%O   U$34.95 800-528-9994 800-998-9938 707-829-0515 fax: 707-829-0104
%O   nuts@ora.com rick.brown@onlinesys.com
%P   738
%T   "MH & xmh: Email for Users & Programmers"
 
Other than being terse, the UNIX mail command is not very UNIX-like.
It combines a large number of functions into one program and, while it
is possible to shell out between operations, the ability to perform
specific tasks relies upon lengthy command line switch sequences,
rather than being the default.  MH is much more akin to the UNIX
culture, with a variety of logical commands for specific operations
which can be combined, as necessary, into shell script or programming
routines.
 
Thus, it would be understandable to see MH as, primarily, a
programmer's toolkit.  With the explosion in UNIX-based Internet
providers, the MH commands would provide quick tie-ins to BBS
front-end menus, or even such ambitious tasks as a fully tutorial, but
fully functional, email "lesson".
 
The perception of MH as only a development tool would, however, be
unfortunate.  As Peek's book very clearly shows, MH is fully viable
alongside mail, though probably more demanding than elm or PINE.  The
tutorial section manages to give a clear picture of a basic mail
system, in very short order.
 
Peek has done an admirable job with this book.  It manages to be not
only a tutorial, but a solid technical reference as well.  The
material is approachable without ever becoming sappy; accurate without
being pedantic; and, complete without being verbose.  The content is
*very* thoughtful: at one point a command is given which would invoke
an editor, and the editor's exit command is given for those who might
be unfamiliar with it.  The UNIX system is assumed but knowledge is
not, and any rational reader would be able to understand this work in
full.  This third edition adds material on MIME (Multipurpose Internet
Mail Extensions) and multimedia.
 
This book is recommended for those developing mail "front ends", for
UNIX users wanting another (very functional) mail operation, or for
technical writers wanting an excellent example of documentation.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994, 1995   BKMH_XMH.RVW  950803. 
Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's
book reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 
RSlade@cyberstore.ca
Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" 0-387-94311-0/3-540-
94311-0

------------------------------



PCSense Magazine is looking for writers.

Writers wanted for articles and possibly a regular column to discuss
topics relevant in this newsgroup. A technology background, strong
writing skills and a strong knowledge of this field is required.

If interested, please e-mail your resume and one writing sample in
text format to the email address listed in the above header.

Deadline for submissions is midnight, September 24th.

Thank you for your interest.


Roy Chartier
Editor-in-Chief, PCSense Magazine

------------------------------



A recent post to this newsgroup stated that Bell Canada Calling Cards
will not be validated by AT&T for calls to Canada from the US.  This
is not true.  From most locations in the United States customers can
reach Canada by dialing 302 plus the number they want to reach.

In recent times, calling long distance from the US has been complicated 
by the many small telephone companies springing up in many states.
Many of these smaller companies do not accept the Bell Canada Calling
Card.

Due to this, Bell has now instituted Canada Direct from the US.  By
dialing 1-800-555-1111 in circumstances such as this customers will be
able to use their Bell Canada Calling Card to place their calls.

There is no service charge for using Canada Direct.  Calls are charged
at Canadian rates on customers' Bell Canada Calling Card.  Canada
Direct can be accessed from most home, office or pay phones and,
because the service is offered toll free to hotels internationally,
expensive hotel surcharges can be avoided.

We just wanted to set the record straight.

------------------------------



8 April 1995 {Washington Post}, page H5 column 3 had this:

IRS has toll-free number 1-800-TAX-1040, and some people in Washington
DC have been misinterpreting the instruction (provided in the income-tax 
return booklet) "Do not dial 1-800 when dialing a local number." 

Specifically, they have been omitting the 1-800; this reaches
202-TAX-1040, which is being used by a tax service NOT AFFILIATED WITH
I.R.S., and its owner was being driven crazy by such misdirected
calls.  The IRS, according to the article, insists its instruction is
clear.  The article does not say this, but 202-TAX-1040 is not being
reached in this manner from Maryland and Virginia suburbs, because
they have to use area code 202 to call DC even though it is local.

I looked in an income-tax return booklet myself.  I remembered
(correctly) that the local numbers given for the IRS are given without
an area code.  For the Chicago area, it gives a seven digit number for
Chicago and "1-312" plus the same number for the suburbs.  What is the
problem with this: Print all local numbers with an area code.  Is
there a problem with people figuring out it is a local call for them?


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The 'local' IRS number here in the 
Chicago
area is 312-435-1040. The reason I say 'local' in this way is because I
called it once and the person who I spoke with was located in Kansas 
City,
which is where tax documents for this area are processed. She said that
yes, there were IRS people in Chicago, but 'sometimes we take calls here
also from that area.'  Most of 312-435 -- all of it for quite a few 
years --
was devoted to the Federal Court in Chicago. Although located on the
upper floors of the federal building here (where most phones are 312-
353),
the courts always had their own centrex on 312-435. 

And yes Carl, there is a problem for some people figuring out anything
where phones are concerned.  Just a couple days ago I heard yet another
ignorant raving by someone on a radio talk show claiming that the new 
area
code for our region (847) effective in January is 'just a plot by telco'
to decrease the local toll-free calling area and increase the number of
'long distance calls' people have to make. I mean, they could have 
discussed
the affect this will have on switchboards that are programmed 
incorrectly
and the problems people may have getting through to one of the newer and
unfamiliar area codes, but instead they were on that other tired, worn-
out
tangent. 

And now we have been advised that the deep-pockets on LaSalle Street
downtown will not tolerate any new area codes for themselves. I reported
here recently that the inner-city itself was to have the new area code 
773
while outlying areas of the city would retain 312. But oh no ... it 
would
be too much of an imposition to ask the Board of Trade, First National
Bank, the Federal Reserve and the downtown department stores to change
their code, so the other two million nine hundred thousand residents of
Chicago will have to change theirs instead. They will get 773, so that
American Express, et al don't have to risk getting any wrong numbers or
possibly not getting calls intended for them. 

What makes this get really kinky, telephonically speaking, is that while
on the south end of 'downtown' there is a fairly even breaking point 
from
one central office to the next and you can more or less cross from one 
side
of the street to the other and be in different area codes if you wish, 
the
north side offices affected by the 312/773 split are not carved up quite
as nicely. The boundaries go up and down little side streets with 
'fingers'
of the downtown exchanges extending northward to Fullerton Avenue (2400 
north)
in a couple cases and only to North Avenue (1600 north) in other cases. 
Here
and there it stops at the river when working westward, while other times
stopping its westward outreach at Halsted Street (800 west). So like it
or not, the folks on the near north side of Chicago will have an overlay
arrangement between 312/773 by default; by virtue of the geography 
involved.
They are already howling, and the cut is not due for more than a year.  
PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #376
******************************

           
