Pat, the Editor

For your convenience in reading: Subject lines are printed in RED and Moderator replies when issued appear in BROWN.
Previous Issue (just one)
TD Extra News
Add this Digest to your personal   or  

 

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 8 Nov 2005 14:27:00 EST    Volume 24 : Issue 508

Inside This Issue:                            Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    US FCC Says No Cutoff for Internet Phone Customers (Jeremy Pelofsky)
    FCC Clarifies VOIP Disconnect Order (Associated Press Newswire)
    Good News, Linux Users! A Worm Just for You (Nancy Weil)
    Security Firm: Sony CDs Secretly Install Spyware (Monty Solomon)
    US Mandates More Security in Online Banking (Monty Solomon)
    AT&T Among 'Winners' For Worst Software Bugs (mkuras)
    Cellular-News For Tuesday 8th November 2005 (Cellular-News)
    Grokster Agrees to Close Down (USTA Daily Lead)
    Re: Looking for 1A2 Phone System Parts [Amphenol Splitters](Scott Dorsey)
    Re: Replacement for Siemens Gigaset (Michael D. Sullivan)
    Re: Replacement for Siemens Gigaset (Thor Lancelot Simon)
    Re: Verizon POTS (Michael D. Sullivan)
    Re: Grokster Downloading Service to Shut Down (GlowingBlueMist)
    Re: NN0 Central Office Codes (Mark Roberts)

Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet.  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.  

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

From: Jeremy Pelofsky  <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: US FCC Says No Cutoff for Internet Phone Customers	
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 12:01:53 -0600


By Jeremy Pelofsky

Internet telephone providers do not have to cut off U.S. subscribers
even if they are not provided enhanced 911 emergency service which
gives dispatchers their location and phone number, U.S. communications
regulators said on Monday.

Internet telephone providers like Nuvio Corp. had worried that the
Federal Communications Commission rules adopted in May had required
them to suspend by November 28 service for subscribers who cannot
receive enhanced 911 (E911) service.

Existing customers did not have to be disconnected, but the FCC said
Internet telephone providers would have to cease marketing and
accepting new customers in areas where they are not connecting 911
calls with the person's location and phone number, according to
guidance issued on Monday.

Nuvio and other providers of Internet phone service, known as Voice
over Internet Protocol (VOIP), last week filed challenges with the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit seeking to stay the
November 28 date pending their challenge.

VOIP providers have complained that they face numerous hurdles to
offering enhanced 911 service, including accessing the necessary
databases operated by other telecommunications providers.

"Our concern is that this marketing restriction will slow down our
deployment of E911 because it gives clear incentives to some of our
competitors, who control access to the 911 systems, to delay every way
possible," said Chris Murray, vice president for government affairs at
Vonage Holdings Corp., the biggest U.S. VOIP provider.

The FCC adopted several E911 rules for VOIP in May, including
requiring 911 calls be routed to live dispatchers and the caller's
location and number be identified. The move followed instances in
which customers had trouble reaching help when they dialed 911.

The FCC had eased an earlier requirement that VOIP providers suspend
service for those customers who failed to acknowledge the limitations
of 911 capability with it.

The Voice On the Net Coalition, which represents many VOIP providers,
said that roughly 750,000 customers could be affected if they had to
suspend service to those who did not have enhanced 911 service
available.

Less than half of the dozen VOIP providers surveyed by the coalition,
42 percent, said they would be able to provide enhanced 911 service to
100 percent of their customers with a primary fixed location by
November 28.

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

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

From: Associated Press News Wire <ap@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: FCC Clarifies VOIP Disconnection Deadline
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 12:03:15 -0600


The Federal Communications Commission won't require Internet phone
service providers to cut off customers who don't have reliable 911
emergency call service.

The agency in a notice issued late Monday said providers that have not
achieved full 911 compliance by Nov. 28, will not be forced to
discontinue such service to any existing customers.

At the same time, the FCC said it expected providers to discontinue
marketing Internet call service and accepting new customers in areas
where the companies are not routing 911 calls to emergency response
centers.

In May, the FCC ordered providers of Internet-based phone calls to
certify that their customers will be able to reach an emergency
dispatcher when they call 911. Dispatchers also must be able to
identify the caller's phone number and location.

The companies were given until late November to comply, and many
providers worried that they would be forced to disconnect customers
who didn't have full 911 service.

The FCC issued the order after a series of highly publicized incidents
in which Internet phone users were unable to connect with a live
emergency dispatch operator when calling 911.

On the Net:
Federal Communications Commission: http://www.fcc.gov

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. 

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

For other news headlines from Associated Press please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/TDNewsradio.html

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

From: Nancy Weil <idg@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Good News, Linux Users! A Worm Just for You
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 12:04:31 -0600


Lupper Worm Targets Linux
by Nancy Weil, IDG News Service

A worm that affects Linux systems and spreads by exploiting Web
server-related vulnerabilities has been reported by antivirus
companies, but so far Linux.Plupii, which is also known as Lupper,
hasn't spread much and isn't seen as much of a threat.

Linux users should update antivirus software and patches to protect
against the worm, say representatives of the major antivirus product
vendors said.  Both McAfee and Symantec have updated their software to
identify and stop the worm.

Information about the worm can be found at McAfee's Web site and also
from Symantec.

How Worm Works

The worm spreads by exploiting Web servers hosting vulnerable PHP/CGI
programming language scripts, according to McAfee. The worm is a
derivative of the Linux/Slapper and BSD/Scalper worms from which it
has taken its propagation strategy, McAfee said in information
provided on its Web site about the worm, which was discovered Sunday.

The worm attacks Web servers by sending malicious Hypertext Transfer
Protocol (HTTP) requests on port 80, McAfee said. If the server being
targeted is running a vulnerable script at certain URLs and is
configured to permit external shell commands and remote file download
in PHP/CGI the worm could be downloaded and executed, McAfee said. It
can also harvest e-mail addresses stored in Web server files.

The worm opens a back door on a compromised computer and then
generates URLs to scan for other computers to infect and that can
affect network performance, according to Symantec.

Symantec rates the worm as having a medium damage and distribution
threat.  As of Tuesday morning, it hadn't spread much and Symantec
said it is easy both to contain and remove. McAfee assessed it as a
low threat for both corporate and home users.

Copyright 2005 PC World Communications, Inc.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

*** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the
use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without
profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the
understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic
issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I
believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the U.S.  Copyright Law. If you wish
to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go
beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner, in this instance, PC World Communications, Inc. 

For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

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

Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 08:37:32 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Security Firm: Sony CDs Secretly Install Spyware


Company denies allegations, saying program aims to foil music piracy
By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff  

Sony is spying on thousands of listeners who buy and play its music
CDs on their computers, a leading computer security firm said
yesterday.

Computer Associates International Inc. said that new anticopying
software Sony is using to discourage pirating of its music also
secretly collects information from any computer that plays the discs.

One of the world's largest software and information technology
companies, Computer Associates is the latest to wade into the growing
controversy over Sony's efforts to curb theft and illegal pirating of
its music.

The software works only on computers running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows
operating system. It limits listeners' ability to copy the music onto
their computers, and locks copied files so they cannot be freely
distributed over the Internet.

But Computer Associates said the antipirating software also secretly
communicates with Sony over the Internet when listeners play the discs
on computers that have an Internet connection. The software uses this
connection to transmit the name of the CD being played to an office of
Sony's music division in Cary, N.C. The software also transmits the IP
address of the listener's computer, Computer Associates said, but not
the name of the listener. But Sony can still use the data to create a
profile of a listener's music collection, according to Computer
Associates.

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2005/11/08/security_firm_sony_cds_secretly_install_spyware/


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Another article in this issue of the
Digest tells about Grokster going out of business (as it is) and
planning to reopen in a new format; one user says that will be spying
also.   PAT]

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

Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 08:38:38 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: US Mandates More Security in Online Banking


Complex ID verification designed to combat fraud
By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff  

Online banking, advertised by banks as nearly effortless, is about to
become more cumbersome.

Federal regulators, alarmed by the threat of online financial fraud,
are requiring banks by the end of 2006 to provide several layers of
identify verification before customers can access their accounts and
conduct other banking over the Internet.

In addition to standard passwords, customers may soon need a unique 
digital 'fingerprint' that will identify their computer for the 
bank, or may scan a copy of their real fingerprints to identify 
themselves to the bank's network. Another, more cumbersome method 
would have customers carrying keyfob-sized electronic 'tokens' that 
authenticate their identity.

With some 53 million Americans paying bills, checking account
balances, and doing other banking online, Internet fraud has become a
growing threat to the popularity of Internet business transactions.
Research firm Gartner Inc. estimated in a June report that 2.5 million
people lost money in so-called 'phishing' attacks last year.

Phishing involves thieves who try to dupe customers into providing
account numbers and other sensitive information by directing them to
phony websites that resemble a legitimate business -- frequently a
bank.

Federal financial regulators say these threats are scaring away many
potential customers.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/11/07/us_mandates_more_security_in_online_banking/

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

Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 12:12:01 -0500
From: mkuras <mkuras@ccs.neu.edu>
Subject: AT&T Among 'Winners' For Worst Software Bugs


snipped from _Wired_ magazine:

Here, in chronological order, is the Wired News list of the 10 worst
software bugs of all time ... so far.

January 15, 1990 -- AT&T Network Outage: A bug in a new release of the
software that controls AT&T's #4ESS long distance switches causes
these mammoth computers to crash when they receive a specific message
from one of their neighboring machines -- a message that the neighbors
send out when they recover from a crash.

One day a switch in New York crashes and reboots, causing its
neighboring switches to crash, then their neighbors' neighbors, and so
on. Soon, 114 switches are crashing and rebooting every six seconds,
leaving an estimated 60 thousand people without long distance service
for nine hours. The fix: engineers load the previous software release.

http://wired.com/news/technology/bugs/0,2924,69355,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1

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

Subject: Cellular-News for Tuesday 8th November 2005
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 07:41:32 -0600
From: Cellular-News <dailydigest@cellular-news-mail.com>


Cellular-News - http://www.cellular-news.com

HSDPA Deployments Face Performance Roadblocks Indoors
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14731.php

While the wireless world readies for broad scale deployment of HSDPA
(High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), 3G technology being deployed by
GSM Operators ideally capable of up to 1 Mb per second data
throughput, Spotwave Wireless asserts that a glaring...

Picture Service Added to iDEN Network
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14730.php

The USA based, Sprint has announced the availability of Nextel Direct
Send Picture, a service that allows Nextel subscribers with capable
Nextel phones the ability to send and review a picture quickly and
easily, all while on a Nextel Walkie-Talkie c...

Nigerian Operator Taps Consultants for Training Needs
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14729.php

The most rapidly growing cell phone market in the world is on a
continent where just having access to a plain old telephone is a
rarity in many villages. Now, millions of people from farmers and
fishermen to healthcare and factory workers are buying ...

Testing GSM in South Korea
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14728.php

Spain's Centro de Tecnologde las Comunicaciones, (CETECOM) says that
it has supplied MINT (Mobile Communications Integrated Tester) to TTA
(Telecommunications Technology Association), the first GSM laboratory
in Korea. This will allow TTA to offer...

Pantech Signs Indian CDMA Handset Contract
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14727.php

South Korea's Pantech has signed a direct supplier agreement with
India's Tata Teleservices (TTSL) to provide 300,000 CDMA handsets in
India, starting with the compact, slim PA-711 phone, which will be
sold under the Pantech brand. Pantech says that ...

Motorola Releases Three Findings from Outdoor HSDPA Trials
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14726.php

Motorola has released three latest findings from its HSDPA trial
results in Europe. The findings will help operators determine how to
best deploy HSDPA and are taken from the first known global study
which includes both multiple users and outdoor per...

New Boss for Egyptian Operator
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14725.php

Egypt's GSM network operator, Mobinil has elected Mr. Iskander Naguib
Shalaby as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The Board
says that it has reached this decision after the mutual agreement
between the two major shareholders of Egyptia...

A Single-Chip, Quad-Band EDGE Transceiver
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14724.php

Analog Devices has unveiled its single-chip radio transceiver for the
EDGE cellular standard. Based on Analog Devices' award-winning direct
conversion Othello radio architecture, the new Othello-E transceiver
integrates virtually all the necessary co...

Ukraine's CDMA Operator subscriber base up to 24,000
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14723.php

The subscriber base of Ukraine's CDMA operator Intertelecom, based in
the Odessa Region, increased to 24,000 users as of November 1 from
about 11,000 in October 2004, the company said Monday. ...

Russia's Sky Link, Japan's Kyocera to jointly promote CDMA450 
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14722.php

Russia's Sky Link mobile operator and Japan's Kyocera Corporation have
signed a memorandum of intent aimed at developing and promoting
IMT-MC-450 standard for mobile handsets on the Russian market, Sky
Link's press office reported Monday. ...

PM says Kazakh govt to auction GSM 1800 frequency license 2006 
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14721.php

The Kazakh government plans to hold a tender for a GSM 1800 frequency
license in 2006, Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov said at a
joint meeting of the country's two houses of parliament Monday. ...

MVNOs Capture Nearly 10% Of New French Mobile Subscribers
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14720.php

[Premium] The French telecom regulator said Monday that nearly 10% of
all new mobile phone subscribers in the third quarter signed up with
alternative carriers known as MVNOs. ...

Google, Yahoo Dial Into Cell Phone Business
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14719.php

Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. are rolling out new wireless services to
provide features similar to computers on cell phones. ...

Ukraine's Kyivstar user base rises 6.8% on month as of Nov 1 
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14718.php

The subscriber base of Ukraine's mobile operator Kyivstar rose 6.8% on
the month to 11.687 million users as of November 1, the company said
Monday. ...

Polish TPSA Sees Centertel Unit As Market Leader By 2007
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14717.php

Centertel, a mobile unit of telephone operator Telekomunikacja Polska
SA, will be Poland's number one mobile phone operator by 2007, TPSA
representatives said Monday. ...

Source says MTS' mobile license in Turkmenistan extended
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14716.php

Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov has signed a decree
allowing the Telecommunications Ministry to extend the mobile license
of Barash Communications Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Russia's
largest mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems (M...

Qualcomm Files Patent Infringement Suit Vs Nokia
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14715.php

Qualcomm has filed a lawsuit against cell phone maker Nokia
Corp. alleging the infringement of a dozen patents. ...

Disney Buys Mobile Games Developer
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14714.php

LONDON (AP)--The Walt Disney Co. signaled its expansion in the
European cell phone games market Monday, announcing the acquisition of
German game developer and publisher Living Mobile. ...

Japans DoCoMo Invests in Mobile Music
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14713.php

Japanese mobile phone giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Monday it will buy a
42% stake in Tower Records Japan Inc. later this month to offer
broader mobile phone services. ...

Ericsson, Mobtel Launch Mobile Softswitch In Serbia
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14712.php

Telefon AB LM Ericsson said Monday it and operator Mobtel successfully
launched Ericsson Mobile Softswich in Serbia. ...

Nokia, CSL Launch Video Sharing Service In Hong Kong
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14711.php

Finnish mobile phone producer Nokia Oyj and Hong-Kong-based mobile
operator Hong Kong CSL Ltd. Monday announced the commercial launch of
Asia's first video-sharing service enabled by Nokia IP Multimedia
Subsystem, or IMS, and systems integration serv...

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

Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 12:49:44 EST
From: USTelecom dailyLead  <ustelecom@dailylead.com>


USTelecom dailyLead
November 8, 2005
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/xFqkatagCwsLipMRtE

		TODAY'S HEADLINES
	
NEWS OF THE DAY
* Grokster agrees to close down
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* Covad signs Redback
* Juniper hires security expert who exposed Cisco flaw
* Cincinnati Bell reports earnings
USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT
* dailyLead and Membership USTelecom prepare you for what's NEXT
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
* Accton unveils Skype-enabled mobile phone
REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE
* New York county targets unsecured Wi-Fi networks
* FCC gives VoIP providers a break on 911 rules
* Analysis: Lessons learned from New Orleans' 911 failures

Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/xFqkatagCwsLipMRtE

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

From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey)
Subject: Re: Looking for 1A2 Phone System Parts [Amphenol Splitters]
Date: 8 Nov 2005 13:20:04 -0500
Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000)


m3deshmukh@verizon.net wrote:

> Hello,

> Item: Splitting device that takes in Amphenol and puts out 6 or more
> Amphenols

> My company is looking to find a [or several] bridging adapters,
> bunching blocks, splitters for a 1A2 telephone system that would take
> in one Amphenol jack and Output 6 or more Amphenol Sockets.

> My boss likes having the 1A2 phone system in place, but we're trying
> to find an alternative to daisy-chaining the feed with 2 and 3 way
> splitters right in-front of each phone/fax.  We'd like to find a piece
> of equipment that would allow us to localize all the splitting, right
> after the KSU.

Why not just take some ribbon cables and swage on some Amphenol jacks
and go with it?  Anybody that can make SCSI cables can do this for
you.

Of course, all the things plugged into it are the same, so stuff like
intercom functions and selective ringing won't work.  But that does
not seem like an issue for you.

scott

"C'est un Nagra.  C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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

From: Michael D. Sullivan <userid@camsul.example.invalid>
Subject: Re: Replacement for Siemens Gigaset
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 02:36:19 GMT


davidesan@gmail.com wrote:

> Cellphones are available in 900 mhz, 2.4 Ghz, and 5.8 Ghz.  I have
> read that the 2.4 Ghz phones can interfere with 802.11.x wireless
> routers.  And I have read that there is no problem.  Your thoughts or
> experiences?  The 2.4 Ghz phones are about 1/2 the price of the 5.8
> and I don't really want to pay for technology I don't need.

They're cordless phones, not cellphones.  I haven't used the 5.8 GHz
phones, so I can't opine on them.  The 2.4 GHz phones seem to me to be
less susceptible to interference than the 900 MHz phones, but that may
be a matter of how many users there are in a given band.  I have been
using 2.4 GHz phones in my home for many years, coexisting without
incident with wireless networks using the same band (initially HomeRF,
now 802.11B/G).  Currently I have three Wi-Fi access points running,
along with 8 AT&T/Vtech 2-line spread spectrum handsets and three
Wi-Fi computers (more when my son's friends come over with their
laptops to play games).  Also a microwave oven.  There is a small
amount of occasional interference on the phones, mostly location-based
(i.e., in a bad reception area), and no wireless issues to mention
with regard to Wi-Fi.

> 2. Any recommendations on brand?

I had bad luck with Siemens Gigasets (lots of interference and very
very poor battery life), better luck with AT&T/Vtech.  I had a
wonderful Uniden many years ago, but it was discontinued.


Michael D. Sullivan
Bethesda, MD (USA)
(Replace "example.invalid" with "com" in my address.)

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

From: tls@panix.com (Thor Lancelot Simon)
Subject: Re: Replacement for Siemens Gigaset
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 06:25:47 UTC
Organization: Public Access Networks Corp.
Reply-To: tls@rek.tjls.com


In article <telecom24.507.5@telecom-digest.org>,  <davidesan@gmail.com> wrote:

> 2. Vtech seems to get generally high marks.  

> 3. AT&T also seems to get high marks.  

I believe that at least some of the AT&T phones are actually made by
Vtech.

> 1. Cellphones are available in 900 mhz, 2.4 Ghz, and 5.8 Ghz.  I have
> read that the 2.4 Ghz phones can interfere with 802.11.x wireless
> routers.  And I have read that there is no problem.  Your thoughts or
> experiences?  The 2.4 Ghz phones are about 1/2 the price of the 5.8
> and I don't really want to pay for technology I don't need.

I would stay away from the 900Mhz phones for a few reasons.  First,
the only multi-line phones available in 900Mhz are notoriously
unreliable.  Second, eavesdropping on many 900Mhz phones, even modern
ones, is trivial.

In the 2.4Ghz band you will in fact see some interference with 802.11b
or g networks (and probably with 802.11n when it's available).  How
much depends on how efficient your phone is and how busy your network
is.  The Gigasets were actually pretty good this way, but the
incredibly poor quality control on the later handsets made them almost
worthless as has been mentioned earlier in this thread.

Another option is to use an 802.11a network -- which operates in the
5.8Ghz band -- if you want to use 2.4Ghz devices such as phones.
However, 5.8Ghz is even more directional than 2.4GHz and if your house
has lots of thick walls and complicated angles in its layout you may
not get good results with an 11a network.  Phones need so much less
bandwidth they don't seem to care much.

The 5.8Ghz phones are a nice solution if you have an interference
problem with a 2.4GHz wireless network, which many people do.  The
real problem is that as far as I can tell, no vendor sells even a
2-line 5.8Ghz base station -- as compared to 2.4Ghz where 2 and even 4
line sets are common.  If, like me, you live in a building with a door
intercom that's delivered to you on a phone line, being limited to one
line on your fancy expandable cordless phone can be a real pain.

Avoid analog phones no matter what band they're operating in.  It is
just too easy (and too popular) to eavesdrop on them.  Unfortunately,
though the Gigasets were intentionally designed to be difficult to
eavesdrop on most of the newer stuff isn't; if this is a concern for
you I'm not quite sure what advice to give -- except to stay away from
analog cordless phones (now showing up on the market even in 5.8Ghz!)
even if you don't think it's a concern.  Sigh.

Thor Lancelot Simon	                                      tls@rek.tjls.com

"The inconsistency is startling, though admittedly, if consistency is
 to be abandoned or transcended, there is no problem."  - Noam Chomsky

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

From: Michael D. Sullivan <userid@camsul.example.invalid>
Subject: Re: Verizon POTS
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 02:26:07 GMT


Joe wrote:

> I get a dial tone. However, when I dial a number, I get a message
> saying to call Verizon if I want telephone service.

That's known as soft dial tone.  You can call 911 (and maybe the
telco's business office), but nothing else.  It's required in many
places, for emergency situations.  It also lets you know that the
phone line is electrically connected to the CO.

Michael D. Sullivan
Bethesda, MD (USA)
(Replace "example.invalid" with "com" in my address.)

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

From: GlowingBlueMist <nobody@invalid.com>
Subject: Re: Grokster Downloading Service to Shut Down
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2005 20:39:18 -0600
Organization: Octanews


Ted Bridis <ap@telecom-digest.org> wrote in message 
news:telecom24.507.3@telecom-digest.org:

> By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer

> Grokster Ltd., which lost a Supreme Court fight over file-sharing
> software used for stealing songs and movies online, agreed Monday to
> shut down and pay $50 million to settle piracy complaints by Hollywood
> and the music industry.

> The surprise settlement permanently bans Grokster from participating,
> directly or indirectly, in the theft of copyrighted files and requires
> the company to stop giving away its software, according to court
> papers.

> Executives indicated plans to launch a legal, fee-based "Grokster 3G"
> service before year's end under a new parent company, believed to be
> Mashboxx of Virginia Beach, Va. Mashboxx, headed in part by former
> Grokster president Wayne Rosso, already has signed a licensing
> agreement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

> "It is time for a new beginning," Grokster said in a statement issued
> from its corporate headquarters in the West Indies.

> Grokster's Web site was changed Monday to say its existing file-
> sharing service was illegal and no longer available. "There are legal
> services for downloading music and movies," the message said. "This
> service is not one of them."

> The head of the Recording Industry Association of America, Mitch
> Bainwol, described the settlement as "a chapter that ends on a high
> note for the recording industry, the tech community and music fans and
> consumers everywhere."

> It was unclear whether Grokster can afford to pay the $50 million in
> damages required under the agreement. The head of the Motion Picture
> Association of America, Dan Glickman, said the entertainment industry
> will demand full payment unless Grokster satisfies all its obligations
> under the settlement.

> Grokster's brand will survive. The new fee-based version of its
> software will be available within 60 days, according to one executive
> involved in the deal. This executive spoke only on condition of
> anonymity because the sale of Grokster's assets is pending.

> Grokster's decision was not expected to affect Internet users who
> already run the company's file-sharing software to download music and
> movies online, nor was it expected to affect users of rival
> downloading services, such as eDonkey, Kazaa, BitTorrent and others.

> Glickman said Grokster will send anti-piracy messages to existing
> users, and the company is forbidden from maintaining its software or
> network. "Without those services, the system will degrade over time,"
> Glickman said.

> Grokster lost an important Supreme Court ruling in June. Justices
> ruled that the entertainment industry can file piracy lawsuits against
> technology companies caught encouraging customers to steal music and
> movies over the Internet.

> The decision, which gave a green light for the federal case to advance
> in Los Angeles, significantly weakened lawsuit protections for
> companies that had blamed illegal behavior on their own customers
> rather than the technology that made such behavior possible.

> The court said Grokster and another firm, Streamcast Networks Inc.,
> can be sued because they deliberately encouraged customers to download
> copyrighted files illegally so they could build a larger audience and
> sell more advertising. Writing for the court, Justice David H. Souter
> said the companies' "unlawful objective is unmistakable."

> "They're out of business," said Charles Baker, a lawyer for
> Streamcast.  "It's over for them. There was a lack of desire to
> continue to fight this thing going forward." Baker said the settlement
> does not affect Streamcast, the co-defendant in the entertainment
> industry's lawsuit.

> The Supreme Court noted as evidence of bad conduct that Grokster and
> Streamcast made no effort to block illegal downloads, which the
> companies maintained wasn't possible.

> On the Net:
> Grokster Ltd.: http://www.grokster.com
> Recording Industry Association of America: http://www.riaa.org
> Motion Picture Association of America: http://www.mpaa.org

> Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

Did I read it right?  The crooks at Grokster seeking a license to deal
Sony BMG products.

The mind boggles at what the two organizations working together will
try to hide in the code for others to stumble over.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: See another article in this issue about
Sony, (by Monty Solomon) and how there are allegations of that company
spying on users by making note of their listening habits and using the
net to send that information to a Sony office somewhere. Sony denies
these allegations and says all they are doing is trying to prevent
'piracy'.  PAT]

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

From: markrobt@myrealbox.com (Mark Roberts)
Subject: Re: NN0 Central Office Codes
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 03:14:35 -0000
Organization: 1.94 meters


Neal McLain <nmclain@annsgarden.com> had written:

>
 It didn't work out that way ...

> Many NN0 codes were assigned as central office codes whenever and
> wherever they were needed, without regard to their positions on Chart 5.

>   Examples that come to mind:

>    702-870 (#3  on the list)  ca. 1989   Las Vegas
>    312-990 (#32 on the list)  ca. 1988   Hinsdale
>    201-460 (#36 on the list)  ca. 1982   Lyndhurst
>    414-730 (#52 on the list)  ca. 1986   Appleton
>    214-680 (#54 on the list)  ca. 1983   Dallas
  
I can add, all circa 1984 from Houston:
     713-520 
     713-630
     713-840
     713-850

The first two were in the JAckson switch (Montrose, River Oaks, 
the Museum District) and the 520 prefix is an obvious candidate for
"lookalike" status. At the time, Southwestern Bell had been so
regular in grouping exchanges by the first two digits that Key
Maps, a local company, was able to publish maps identifying
exchanges by the first two digits only in most cases.

I can personally attest to 713-630 because that was used for the PBX
at KTRH radio, where I worked at the time. While most of the "public"
numbers for KTRH were standard JAckson numbers -- I'm pretty sure the
main call-in number was 526-5874 (KTRH) -- our internal extensions
were of the form 630-3xxx.

The second two were in the NAtional office (Greenway Plaza and the
Galleria area). They, of course, looked nothing like the usual
62x-xxxx numbers in that area.

> Curiously (as Mark Roberts noted in TD 24:482), 530 (#1 on the list)
> was in service -- at least briefly -- in California in 1965, a decade
> before Chart 5 was published.  

As an interim measure, until I can write up some better-looking pages,
I have put the 1964 and 1965 exchange maps online from the Pacific
Bell Oakland ("East Bay") directory.

I should note that there was a *series* of maps, designed to indicate
the message-unit charges from the East Bay "exchange" (Berkeley,
Main-Piedmont, Alameda, Fruitvale, Trinidad) to other rate centers in
the region. Each East Bay rate center had its own map. I've scanned
the ones for Main-Piedmont to provide a comparison, and to more
clearly show the "530" prefix in the Fruitvale area in the 1965 map.

On the map:
  A = Berkeley
  B = Main-Piedmont
  C = Alameda
  D = Fruitvale
  E = Trinidad

Sometime in 1965 -- I have not yet nailed down when -- there was a
spinoff into a new switch, affecting primarily the Fruitvale rate
center, but also the eastern part of Main-Piedmont. Approximately the
eastern half of the Fruitvale rate center plus the little corner of
Main-Piedmont went into the switch now known as OKLDCA13DS0. This
split accounts for the new 339 and 531 prefixes.  As I previously
mentioned, 530 popped up only for that year. Later, however, 530
"joined" 531 in eastern Fruitvale and is an active prefix today
(several of my neighbors have it including one who moved to this area
in the 1970s).

Another thing I need to nail down is how extensive the cutover was at
first. Today, the Fruitvale OKLACA13DS0 area extends all the way to
Interstate 580 and over to the junction of 580 and Highway 13.  It may
be that the original cutover area was smaller, and areas were added
later (e.g. along MacArthur Boulevard).

This distinction, of course, is NOT shown on the maps that I scanned,
and consequently will have to be inferred from listings, newspaper
ads, etc.

Anyhow, here are the maps. There were several prefixes added between
1964 and 1965, not just in Oakland:

http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/etc/phones/eastbay-1964-piedmont.jpeg
http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/etc/phones/eastbay-1965-piedmont.jpeg


Mark Roberts | "I know you know the situation is past critical."
Oakland, Cal.|  -- FEMA staff member Marty Bahamonde, in New Orleans 
NO HTML MAIL | "Anything specific I need to do or tweak?"
	     |  -- FEMA director Michael Brown replies to that e-mail

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


TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm-
unications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in
addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as
Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums.  It is
also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup
'comp.dcom.telecom'.

TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational
service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents
of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in
some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work
and that of the original author.

Contact information:    Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest
                        Post Office Box 50
                        Independence, KS 67301
                        Phone: 620-402-0134
                        Fax 1: 775-255-9970
                        Fax 2: 530-309-7234
                        Fax 3: 208-692-5145         
                        Email: editor@telecom-digest.org

Subscribe:  telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org
Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org

This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm-
unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and
published continuously since then.  Our archives are available for
your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list
on the internet in any category!

URL information:        http://telecom-digest.org

Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/
  (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives)

RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html
  For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308
    and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from                  *
*   Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate  *
*   800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting.         *
*   http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com                    *
*   Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing      *
*   views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc.                             *
*************************************************************************

ICB Toll Free News.  Contact information is not sold, rented or leased.

One click a day feeds a person a meal.  Go to http://www.thehungersite.com

Copyright 2004 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved.
Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA.

              ************************

DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO
YOUR CREDIT CARD!  REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST
AND EASY411.COM   SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest !

              ************************

Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your
career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management
(MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35
credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the
skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including
data, video, and voice networks.

The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College
of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the
College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has
state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus
offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum.  Classes
are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning.

Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at
405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at
http://www.mstm.okstate.edu

              ************************

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

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 fifty dollars
per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.
Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing
your name to the mailing list. 

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.

End of TELECOM Digest V24 #508
******************************

Return to Archives**Older Issues