From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jul 19 15:10:26 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i6JJAQW20400; Mon, 19 Jul 2004 15:10:26 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 15:10:26 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200407191910.i6JJAQW20400@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #340 TELECOM Digest Mon, 19 Jul 2004 15:10:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 340 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Companies Brace for Microsoft Update (Monty Solomon) Verizon Fios - Fiber-to-the-Premises Network (Monty Solomon) Physicist May Shoot Holes in Black Hole Theory (Monty Solomon) How Public Opinion Polls Define and Circumscribe Privacy (Monty Solomon) California Man Charged With Hacking Government Web Sites (Lisa Minter) Lingo v. Packet8 (Sean Darcy) Re: The Convention in 1904, One Hundred Years Ago (Frank@nospam.biz) Re: The Convention in 1904, One Hundred Years Ago (Ed Clarke) Re: Power of the Net in Next Election (Dave Close) Re: Power of the Net in Next Election (Daniel W. Johnson) Thoughts About Vonage e-Coupon (Fahad Khan) Re: Curly Telephone Receiver Cords Untangled (Phil McKerracher) Re: Congressional Panel to Vote on Bill to Ban VoIP Taxes (Dave Close) Re: Norvergence Question (Tom Hudson) Re: Getting out of Norvergence Contracts (Isaiah Beard) Re: Norvergence Contract (Fred Goldstein) Former ISOC Board Member Tarek Kamel Named as Egypt's (Internet Society) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 16:00:13 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Companies Brace for Microsoft Update By ALLISON LINN AP Business Writer SEATTLE (AP) -- As a vice president at security software leader Symantec Corp., Matthew Moynahan applauds Microsoft Corp.'s effort to make its Windows operating system safer from attack. But Moynahan is not so excited about the flood of help-desk calls almost certain to come when Microsoft releases a comprehensive security overhaul of Windows XP next month. His company's Norton antivirus software runs on about 100 million desktop computers. To make the new Microsoft system work smoothly with Norton, customers will need to download a Norton update. The company is already bracing for the change, working with its customer support staff and making plans to increase phone support. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42565412 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 11:01:16 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Verizon Fios - Fiber-to-the-Premises Network Verizon Poised to Deliver First Set of Services to Customers Over Its Fiber-to-the-Premises Network 'Verizon Fios' Initially Will Offer Three High-Speed Data Options Including Speeds 10 Times Faster Than Current Consumer Broadband Services and Prices as Low as $34.95 Additional Fiber Deployments Under Way in California and Florida NEW YORK, July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon customers in Keller, Texas, soon will be the first to receive groundbreaking high-speed Internet services over Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. The company is raising the bar on consumer broadband today by introducing data speeds of up to 30 megabits-per-second (Mbps) in Keller later this summer and in other markets later this year. Prices start at $34.95 per month. The company also announced additional fiber deployments that are under way in California and Florida. The new suite of fiber-optic services will be called Verizon Fios(sm) (FYE-ose). FTTP technology utilizes fiber-optic connections -- instead of copper wire -- directly into homes and businesses to enable a broad array of voice, data and video applications. Fios consists of three consumer Internet access services. At 30 Mbps, the fastest data service is ten times faster than consumer broadband speeds typically available today. Entry and mid-level services at speeds of 5 Mbps and 15 Mbps also beat the speeds and prices of today's consumer broadband. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42575405 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 23:57:46 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Physicist May Shoot Holes in Own Black Hole Theory Hawking set to speak at Ireland conference By Carolyn Johnson, Globe Correspondent | July 17, 2004 The world of physics is abuzz with news that celebrity physicist Stephen Hawking -- widely regarded as this generation's Einstein -- will appear at a conference next week to offer a solution to a longstanding paradox about black holes, possibly refuting his own three-decades-old theory. His presentation next week at a conference in Ireland could have repercussions for scientists' understanding of the most basic physical laws that govern the universe. It may also settle a bet, sending a set of encyclopedias to a rival physicist. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/07/17/physicist_may_shoot_holes_in_own_black_hole_theory/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 01:16:47 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: How Public Opinion Polls Define and Circumscribe Online Privacy by Kim Bartel Sheehan Abstract The advent of new communications technologies and the integration of such technologies into individuals' lives have resulted in major changes to society. Responding to such privacy concerns is of key interest to legislators, policy-makers, and business leaders as these groups seek to balance consumer privacy needs with the realities of this new society. These groups, and others, use public opinion polls and surveys to measure the current climate of opinion among citizens. This study examines the language of 43 opinion polls and surveys dealing with privacy and the Internet to understand how these polls define and assess online privacy. Results suggest that polls treat the complex construction of privacy in an overly simplistic way. Additionally, pollsters present many poll questions in a way that may lead survey respondents to express stronger negative feelings about privacy than really exist. Contents Introduction The role of privacy and privacy polls in society Results of analysis Assessment of privacy polls Conclusions http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_7/sheehan/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 21:10:28 EDT From: Lisa Minter Subject: California Man Charged with Hacking Government Web Sites SAN FRANCISCO - A 20-year-old California man has been charged with hacking government computers, including two agencies within the Defense Department, and defacing government Web sites, the U.S. attorney's office said on Friday. Robert Lyttle, of Pleasant Hill, California, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury for hacking government computers in April 2002, the United States Attorney's Office in Northern California said. Lyttle is accused of unlawfully accessing computer systems of the Department of Defense Logistic Information Service and Office of Health Affairs and NASA Ames Research Center. The charges against Lyttle carry penalties that include prison time of up 10 years and fines of up to $250,000, the U.S. attorney's office said. Lyttle is scheduled to appear before a United States Magistrate Judge in Oakland on July 19 to be arraigned on the charges. Lyttle could not be reached for comment. The prosecution is being overseen by the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property unit of the United States Attorney's Office and is the result of an investigation by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and NASA's Office of Inspector General. ------------------------------ From: seandarcy@hotmail.com (sean darcy) Subject: Lingo v. Packet8 Date: 18 Jul 2004 18:19:10 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I'm trying to decide between Packet8 and Lingo. My criteria are 1. voice quality. 2. voice quality and 3. small adapter I can take with me in briefcase. I'd appreciate any comments on your experience with either. Sean ------------------------------ From: Frank@nospam.biz Subject: Re: The Convention in 1904, One Hundred Years Ago Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 18:19:47 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications I realize you dislike Bush a lot, and so do I. Nonetheless, this is a far more passive country than 30-35 years ago. I don't see any anti-war movement doing much of anything in NYC during the Duba Convention. ------------------------------ From: Ed Clarke Subject: Re: The Convention in 1904, One Hundred Years Ago Date: 18 Jul 2004 11:54:45 GMT Organization: Ciliophora Associates, Inc. Reply-To: clarke@cilia.org In article , TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > I've got a hunch -- just a hunch -- that the Republican convention > this time around will be as much of a 'riot' as the Democratic > one in 1968 was. War protestors and people dissatisfied in general > with Mr. Bush will hold their own 'convention' around Madison > Square Garden just as happened in Chicago downtown that hot > Wednesday night in August in 1968. And more than likely, police > will write them all off as 'terrorists' just as Chicago police > considered everyone an 'anti-war protestor' in 1968 as they > cracked heads open assembly line style as they gassed them and > dragged them off to Cook County Jail. I have a suspicion that it's going to be worse than that. Madison Square Garden (round by the way) is directly on top of Penn Station -- the terminus for the Long Island Raiload. They are planning to close ALL THE DAMN EXITS EXCEPT FOR TWO on a building the size of a midtown city block. It's the commuters that the police should fear. Seventh and eighth avenues go by there -- major north-south routes -- which will be tied up tight. Add truckers to the terrorist list ... and the biggest post office I've ever seen is right across the street on Eighth Avenue. The big Macy's is on the other side across Seventh. Smart protest organizers should gather at the train stations on Long Island to hand out flyers, rude tee-shirts and anti-Bush signs. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I did not think until now that anything could have worse than the riot at the Democratic convention in 1968, with open warfare; open hand to hand combat, weapons, gas attacks, etc on the streets of downtown Chicago (Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard) but you may be right about 2004 Republicans. I was trying to have dinner with three friends at the Conrad Hilton Hotel dining room that Wednesday night when several large chunks of concrete went through the plate glass window over looking Grant Park and the next thing I knew, police were swinging their clubs at everyone and every- thing. We barely got out of the way; the tear gas fumes were really overpowering. By coincidence just before the concrete came sailing though the window, my one friend had commented on how 'at our office today, the supervisors sent everyone home at noon. Suggested that everyone get out of the downtown area promptly.' Almost all the offices and stores closed up early that day; sent all the clerks and workers home early, expecting there was going to be an awful mess before it was over. All the television stations had been covering the convention of course, but then Walter Cronkite asked the camera people to focus on downtown Chicago; the people running through the streets trying to get away from tear gas and police batons and the helicopters flying overhead as police dropped more tear gas, etc. Cronkite said, "what you see now is a better commentary on how the people feel about this convention than anything I could say." Television covered the 'war on Michigan Avenue' quite extensively that evening, but paused to go back to the convention still in progress when Cronkite announced that "Mayor Daley is making an announcement," whereupon Mayor Daley made his famous pronouncement about Senator Ribicoff, referring to Ribicoff as 'that Jew Bastard' and how the disorder in the streets downtown 'is the fault of the Jews; they started it, our police officers will finish it.' Most of the people in the convention hall were shocked at Daley's outburst, and too embarassed for him to say much. That was the first Mayor Daley, his son would not ascend to the office for another twenty years more or less. People went back to work on Thursday (those who were able to get through the mobs of rioters and not too afraid to be there). I remember going out to lunch Thursday with a black lady who was afraid to go by herself, seeing all the police lining the streets below, still swinging their batons and chanting 'kill, kill, kill' as people walked (actually hurried) past where the main riot scene had been the night before. In an official report issued by Governor Dan Walker's office few months later, the governor called it 'a riot caused by Chicago Police', and Mayor Daley promptly pronounced Governor Walker a "trouble maker" also. Do you think this summer in New York will be as bad? PAT] ------------------------------ From: dave@compata.com (Dave Close) Subject: Re: Power of the Net in Next Election Date: 18 Jul 2004 18:36:19 -0700 Organization: Compata, Costa Mesa, California Wesrock@aol.com writes: > As someone noted on another list, the Congress sets the dates for > elections, not the Constitution, which says in Article II, Section 1: > "The Congress may determine the time of > chusing [sic] the Electors, and the Day > on which they shall give their Votes; > which Day shall be the same throughout > the United States." > Note that both the date of the election, and the date on which the > Electoral College will meet, are designated by Congress. A quibble. In most or all States, electors are not directly chosen. The State legislature must actually elect the electors at some time after the election, and it may be that date to which the above sentence refers. If that interpretation held, it might be possible to hold elections on different dates in various States, so long as the official confirmation of the results occurred at the same time everywhere. No where that I know actually lists the electors on the ballot. That lists the persons those electors are committed to support, leading many to believe erroneously that there is such a thing as a popular vote. Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA +1 714 434 7359 dave@compata.com dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu "Political campaigns are the graveyard of real ideas and the birthplace of empty promises." -- Teresa Heinz Kerry Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA "Politics is the business of getting dave@compata.com, +1 714 434 7359 power and privilege without dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu possessing merit." - P. J. O'Rourke ------------------------------ From: panoptes@iquest.net (Daniel W. Johnson) Subject: Re: Power of the Net in Next Election Date: 17 Jul 2004 22:12:27 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Linc Madison wrote in message news:: > However, theoretically, Bill Clinton could be elected VP and then > become President. I think that in this particular case, the last sentence of the twelfth amendment might come into play. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 06:08:41 -0500 From: Withheld Subject: Vonage e-Coupon [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The letter which follows is one I got from a reader asking for a Vonage e-coupon recently. PAT] Hey can I get a coupon to use with Vonage for a free month. I think they're giving me the first month for free anyway ... I was wondering if I can get another one ... thanks ... [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I sent the man an e-coupon but I do not think Vonage will honor it. Here is why: you can go to various stores and get a Vonage adapter these days and part of the deal is Vonage gives you a rebate coupon which amounts to a month of free service after you bought the box. Basically, you buy a Vonage box and a month of service, then you get a free month. Either I (and/or other recommenders) get the commission, or Vonage keeps the commission for itself (like an in-house sale). To get the sale credited to *me* you have to click on the link I include in the email I send (which commits you to getting a Vonage box from me.) I do not think they will give two months free. If you want *me* to get the credit, then use *my* e-coupon unless you want two boxes (one bought in a store and one via my e-coupon) and you then get *two* months free. Most people do not want two boxes however. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Phil McKerracher Subject: Re: Curly Telephone Receiver Cords Untangled Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 13:10:22 GMT Organization: blueyonder (post doesn't reflect views of blueyonder) Charles Patterson wrote in message news:telecom23.337.12@telecom-digest.org: > ... what causes that lone phantom twist, and can it ever be restored > to the original curl? The "lone phantom twist" is the point where anticlockwise twists in the cord meet clockwise twists. It gradually works its way up the cord as the proportion of twists changes, by one turn each time the phone is used. The cord can be restored by rotating the handset as many times as the phone has been used, in the opposite direction. If it's a fairly new cord that hasn't lost much elasticity (due to evaporation of the plasticiser) the restoral will be pretty good. Phil McKerracher www.mckerracher.org ------------------------------ From: dave@compata.com (Dave Close) Subject: Re: Congressional Panel to Vote on Bill to Ban VoIP Taxes Date: 18 Jul 2004 18:39:23 -0700 Organization: Compata, Costa Mesa, California VOIP News writes: > A U.S. Senate bill that would ban states from taxing and regulating > Internet phone calls will face its first hurdle in a committee vote > next week. If something similar is not adopted, we could be left with the worst of both situations. VoIP could be taxed as a phone service to support "universal" phone service, AND phone service could be taxed partly to support cheaper Internet access for some customers. Ah, the messy web we weave when we try to make social policy with subsidies. Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA "Politics is the business of getting dave@compata.com, +1 714 434 7359 power and privilege without dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu possessing merit." - P. J. O'Rourke ------------------------------ From: Tom Hudson Subject: Re: Norvergence Question Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 00:47:11 -0500 (please withhold address) First of all, I'd like to say how much I appreciate this forum. I found this group after receiving a heavy call from Norvergence this spring. Since then, I had the opportunity to laugh them off the phone two more times. The banks and leasing companies I have had the pleasure to deal with insist on both a verbal and written statement from me that I have recieved the services/equipment, that I am satisfied and that I authorize the funds to be released before the bank will ever cut a check to the vendor. Of course, I've always used independent financial services that did not have ties to the vendor. Tom Hudson > My thought process is that if we never accept the technology, we > cannot rent it per the terms of the contract. Since we have not > received any of the technology, are we "safer" than most companies > already into the term? I am not a lawyer. I suspect never have received the equipment puts you in a somewhat better position. But if your bank already paid Norv. even if you hadn't received anything yet, your bank still wants to be repaid for its loan/lease to you. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Good luck to them in getting the money back from Norvergence. People keep talkign about the 'loan' from the bank, as if I had asked the bank for anything at all. Keep a freeze on your accounts payable regards Norvergence until your lawyer or a judge tell you otherwise. And thanks for your kind words regards the value of this forum to you in your work. If you wish to do so, a gift to the Digest in the amount of one month's savings on the bogus Norvergence lease would be appreciated. Send to Patrick Townson/Telecom PO Box 50, Independence, KS 67301. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Isaiah Beard Subject: Re: Getting Out of Norvergence Contracts Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 12:23:34 -0400 Organization: Posted via Forte APN, http://www.forteinc.com/apn/index.php Lisa Hancock wrote: >> Further, I'm surprised that no one has yet pursued fraud charges >> against Norvergence. Norvergence, as far as anyone can tell, led >> customers (and possibly the banks, no one is sure) to believe that >> this "matrix" they were peddling was worth many thousands of dollars, >> when in fact it could be bought elsewhere for $500. > I don't think the actual value of any box has any relevance. I strongly disagree. If the bank and/or the lessee were led to believe that the value of the box was $14,500 more than its true value, then the terms of the lease were misrepresented. > It's the total package that matters. If that were true, then one could argue that the lease cannot be fulfilled, since you're no longer getting the "total package," don't you think? > At work, I can buy a bottle of water for > $1, or go to the drinking fountain and get the same thing (IMHO) for > free. I can go to a fancy restaurant and get a little spaghetti for > $22 or a plain place and get a heaping plate for $4. There is no > fraud in either case. True, but the situation is still different. You do not go to a vending machine and sign a contract that says "this plastic water bottle has a value of $1.00, for which you must pay us over time," and then one-third of the way through your drinking the water, someone comes by and says "sorry, that water company went bankrupt," empties the remaining contents of the bottle, and then seeks to collect the full value of the contract, even though the true cost of the plastic bottle is maybe 10 cents. In a sophisticated eating establishment, the markup of the food is justified in the service and ambiance offered to you, and a promise (in some cases) the the chef will improve upon plain old food using special culinary techniques. This you pay for in full (plus tip) only after the product and services have been rendered. You do not sign a contract with the restaurant stating the the cost of the spaghetti is $22.00 for which you must pay in installments, and then halfway through preparing your meal the lights are shut off, the cooks are all let go, and you're left in the dark with half-cooked spaghetti in cold water ... the true value of which you discover later was maybe $2.00 at best, assuming they bought gourmet food items. Nor do you have a bank calling you later demanding their $22.00 for that half-cooked, inedible spaghetti you bought. > Businesses DO go broke. Yes, they do. And the more amicable ones usually leave you with a product that was reasonably priced and still has some value to you. In Norvergence's case, it's been documented here time and time again that customers were lied to, told they needed this magic expensive box when in fact they didn't necessarily need it, and are now on the hook for something they could have bought for much cheaper assuming they would EVER have a need for using it. > Every customer and vendor takes a chance when > dealing with any business, most hopefully will honor their committ- > ments, but bankruptcies and sudden shutdowns do occur. Bad or foolish > business decisions are not fraud. No, they're not. But when you are not permitted to make a WISE decision because you were fed misleading information, you being to have a case for fraud. >> The difference is that these customers bought a machine that they were >> led to believe DID something for them, and cost a huge amount. > I bought a new car. Unlike the ads, I do not hot young folks fawning > around me, nor am I driving alone on beautiful roads (unless the NJ > Tpk in a jammup counts). But, you still have a car. It transports you to a number of places, which is the reasonably intended purpose of a car. Did you sign a written contract that says "Ford/GM/Toyota/Etc guarantees that this car is a babe magnet and has a unique instant traffic elimination feature?" No, you didn't. The ad you saw was a suggestion that people who hang out with beautiful people and drive on uncongested, beautiful roads are the people who will buy this beautiful car, and if you're that type of person, then you should get one too. Were you told that you would be taking delivery of a Lexus, and instead got a Kia Rio which requires only a special type of gas that is no longer available? If Norvergence had an automotive division, I would bet that is what would happen. >> YES! There's no denying it. If someone walked into your office >> promising grandiose things from this $15,000+ magic box that would >> revolutionize your office communications, and made such a good sell >> that you signed the papers, and then a week later someone dropped by, >> said "here's the big magic box!" and dropped a $40 linksys broadband >> router on your lap (and on top of that, NEVER HOOKED IT UP to >> anything), wouldn't you consider that a swindle? > I consider any contract without an exit clause to be a swindle. I > consider anything grossly overpriced to be a swindle. Then by your own standards, this was a swindle. So why are we arguing? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2004 22:51:06 -0400 From: Fred Goldstein Subject: Re: Norvergence Contract martial-longarm noted in V23:337: > One of my many complaints was my Rental Agreement with Norvergence, > that overnight turned into a five year lease with a company called > Information Leasing Corp. > Lastly, the only thing I can find out about the leasing > company, (Information Leasing Corp) is that they have been involved in > law-suites for the same type as we now will have when we don't pay our > lease payments, and yes, they have won. From Information Leasing Corp's (ilcinc.com) web site: Information Leasing Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Provident Bank. The Provident Bank is the main subsidiary of Provident Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: PFGI), a bank holding company located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Provident provides a diverse line of banking and financial products and services regionally; selected business activities are also conducted nationally. Okay, there's your deep-pocketed publicly-traded bank. They were mentioned in the first case that Google picked up, where indeed ILC won. In that case and no doubt many others like it, ILC held the paper on ATMs that were placed in stores by a company that went defunct after basically lying to the storekeepers about the deal. ILC's own paper, however, contained the terms in plain language, and passed the court's muster. > At the bottom is place for the person who signed the front to put > his initials, thus confirming he has read the fine print. I never > saw this side of the agreement, but someone put my initials there > for me, and it's as plane as day that it is not my hand-writing. I Am Not A Lawyer, but I have a sneaking suspicion that having somebody else sign for you, to paraphrase Chrysler, changes everything. Check with a lawyer. But if you didn't sign the paper and Norvergence forged your name to it, then it's possible that your liability transfers elsewhere. This could get interesting. And I wonder what PFGI's directors and stockholders will think of their involvement in the Norvergence scheme, which is likely to hurt their bottom line. "You factored what leases for how much?!" ------------------------------ From: Internet Society Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 11:04:23 +0200 Subject: Former ISOC Board Member Tarek Kamel Named Named as Minister of Communications and Technology Geneva, Switzerland - July 19th, 2004 - The Internet Society (ISOC) is pleased to congratulate Dr. Tarek Kamel on his recent appointment as Minister of Communications and Information Technology in the cabinet of the new Egyptian government. Dr. Kamel is a former member of the Internet Society Board of Trustees, a former ISOC Vice President of Chapters, and a co-founder of the Internet Society of Egypt (the Egyptian ISOC chapter). "Tarek Kamel is one of the Internet Society's most dedicated and talented members. During his long-standing involvement with ISOC he has been extremely active in encouraging the development of the Internet in his country and throughout the African continent. We are delighted with his latest appointment and are certain that Egypt will continue to benefit greatly from his vision and commitment to extending the Internet's reach -- we wish him much success in this new position," said Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society. As an early graduate of ISOC's Network Training Workshops, Dr. Kamel went on to organise technical training workshops in Africa. His extensive experience includes membership of the AfriNIC board and the management of the main Egyptian Internet gateway, servicing over 40 commercial ISPs and hundreds of government organisations. He also worked on liberalisation issues such as obtaining a tax reduction for ISPs as well as setting up a government/private sector partnership to serve the Egyptian Internet community. His work in developing countries has also included participation in the establishment of community centers to bring the Internet to remote areas of Egypt as well as the organisation of African symposia during the Internet Society's annual INET conferences. Dr. Kamel is an Associate Professor at Egypt's Electronics Research Institute (ERI). He holds a PhD in Computer Networks from the Technical University of Munich. ABOUT ISOC The Internet Society (http://www.isoc.org) is a not-for-profit membership organisation founded in 1991 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. ISOC is the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other Internet-related bodies who together play a critical role in ensuring that the Internet develops in a stable and open manner. For over 12 years ISOC has run international network training programs for developing countries and these have played a vital role in setting up the Internet connections and networks in virtually every country connecting to the Internet during this time. FOR FURTHER DETAILS Internet Society: http://www.isoc.org Peter Godwin Senior Program Manager E-mail: godwin@isoc.org Internet Society 4, rue des Falaises 1205 Geneva Switzerland ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. 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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #340 ******************************