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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. 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