TELECOM Digest     Tue, 8 Nov 2005 21:28:00 EST    Volume 24 : Issue 509

Inside This Issue:                            Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Internet ID Theft Worsens, Scares Away Bank Customers (Jonathan Stempel)
    Verizon Reduces Prices For Telephone Service (Bruce Myerson)
    U.S. Wireless Carriers Take Aim at Adult Content (Reuters News Wire)
    CBS, NBC Offering TV Shows for 99 Cents (Associated Press News Wire)
    Re: Internet Phone Customers May Get Cut Off (zeez)
    Re: NN0 Central Office Codes (jsw@ivgate.omahug.org)
    Re: NN0 Central Office Codes (Garrett Wollman)
    Re: NN0 Central Office Codes (Joseph)

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From: Jonathan Stempel <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Internet ID Theft Worsens, Scares Away Bank Customers
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 18:42:01 -0600


By Jonathan Stempel

Even as banks and regulators step up efforts to thwart identity theft
over the Internet, the worry that fraudsters remain one step ahead is
convincing many Americans that banking online is too risky.

At an identity theft forum in New York on Tuesday, security and policy
experts said banks are taking appropriate steps to stop online
criminals, but that their best efforts -- and consumers' own vigilance
 -- may not be enough.

"Consumers can do everything right -- not give out passwords or
financial information -- and still become victims," said Susanna
Montezemolo, a policy analyst at Consumers Union, in an interview.

An October survey commissioned by Internet security company Entrust
Inc. and released at the forum found that 18 percent of Americans who
have banked online now do so less, or not at all, because of security
concerns.  Ninety-four percent say they're willing to accept extra
online security protections.

The survey was conducted around the time the Federal Financial
Institutions Examination Council ordered banks to tighten online
access by late 2006.

The council, composed of U.S. regulators including the Federal Reserve
and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., expects banks to require at least
two forms of authentication when the risks of online breaches are too
high. The second form can include smart cards, tokens that generate
random passwords, or biometrics that identify fingerprints or
handwriting.

Some 10 million Americans are ID theft victims each year, the Federal Trade
Commission estimates.

Congress is considering national standards to fight ID theft. Michael
Oxley (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee,
said victims of ID theft spend an average 90 hours and $1,700
resolving the problem.

ID THEFT METHODS PROLIFERATE

Perhaps the best known form of online theft is "phishing." This is
where criminals send e-mails asking prospective victims to verify
personal information through links to real-looking Web sites. There
were 13,776 distinct phishing attacks in August, according to the
Anti-Phishing Working Group. "Not only do they ask you to 'confirm'
your identity, but they also offer you bogus, fake 'banks' to use if
you do fall for their deception."

Fraudsters soon graduated to spyware and keylogging, where they
monitor prospective victims' Web use and keystrokes.

This year, security experts have seen a surge in "pharming." This is
where criminals redirect user traffic at legitimate Web sites to
fraudulent sites or proxy servers, without any overt indication they
are doing so.

"Spyware, keyloggers and pharming are really growing," said Michael Jackson,
associate director of technology supervision at the FDIC, in an interview.
"Banks could step it up a notch in terms of security, which is why we have
the guidance."

Still, in banking, traditional forms of theft such as check fraud
remain more prevalent than online theft.

Consumers, moreover, complain about cumbersome security procedures.
Tuesday's survey showed 81 percent don't want to pay for extra online
banking protection.

Consumers Union's Montezemolo said computer users should make sure
their online connections are secure, vary the identifying information
they use on accounts, and not work with their accounts on shared
computers.

She also urged banks not to share client information among affiliates,
and not assign such obvious data as Social Security numbers as default
log-ins.

"They'll never have 100 percent control," she said. "But we need to
empower consumers to opt out on whether information is used, and give
them tools to take more control."

InfoSurv Inc. conducted the online survey of 710 people for Addison,
Texas-based Entrust during the week of October 17. The margin of error
is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

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.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: One of the major banks, Bank of
America, has considered having a picture (a .jpg perhaps?) of the
customer on line to help 'prove his identity', so that if a phisherman
comes along asking you to do something allegedly for BOA, _your_
picture will have to be part of whatever _authentic_ request is made
by the bank. All well and good, I suppose, but what prevents the
phisherman from adding the same .jpg files to his pitch letters?  PAT]

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

From: Bruce Meyerson  <ap@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Verizon Reduces Prices for Phone Service
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 18:43:19 -0600


By BRUCE MEYERSON, AP Business Writer

Verizon Communications Inc. sharply cut its prices for unlimited
telephone service across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Tuesday,
including markets where Cablevision Inc. has just boosted broadband
Internet speeds.

The latest jockeying augurs an ever fiercer struggle ahead between the
phone and cable TV industries, with consumers getting lower prices and
advanced services.

The new Verizon plans range from $35 to $40 for unlimited local and
domestic long-distance plus call waiting, caller ID and voice mail, or
from $30 to $35 for unlimited calling with no extra features. Taxes
and surcharges typically add $10 to $20 to the monthly bill.

Those rates are at least $15 cheaper than any of Verizon's existing
packages with unlimited calling, although many of those plans include
a larger selection of features and calls to Canada.

The aggressive offers mark another tactical maneuver in the developing
showdown between phone and cable companies. The two industries are
increasingly venturing into one another's traditional markets in a bid
to win new customers with a one-stop-shop for calling, Internet, TV
and wireless services.

Verizon and fellow regional phone provider SBC Communications Inc. are
spending billions to replace their copper phone lines with fiber-optic
cables that can deliver cable TV, far-speedier Internet connections
and new multimedia and interactive services.

Using those new lines, Verizon recently introduced TV in its first
market, a suburb of Dallas, and now offers broadband download speeds
from 5 to 30 megabits per second in 800 communities in 15 states.

At the same time, Verizon is also competing aggressively on price with
its slower DSL service, introducing a $15 a month plan last month, and
now offering unlimited calling at rates almost competitive with the
$20 to $30 a month charged by providers of voice over Internet phone
services.

SBC has made similar moves in cutting its phone and DSL rates in a bid
to keep subscribers from leaving and to attract news ones while it
prepares for next year's launch of TV and speedier broadband
connections.

Cable companies, which have already lured away more than 5 million
customers for their new phone services, are responding by boosting
their broadband speeds and venturing into cellular service.

Cablevision, which competes with Verizon in New York City and its
suburbs, on Monday announced it was increasing the maximum download
speed of its lowest-price broadband service to 15 megabits per second,
up from a maximum of 10 -- which was already several times faster than
most consumer DSL services. The company also introduced new 30 and 50
Mbps options to compete with Verizon's new FiOS fiber optic offerings.

And last week, four of the nation's biggest cable providers announced
a deal with Sprint Nextel Corp. to introduce co-branded cell phone
service by the middle of 2006.

The lower-priced Verizon calling plans, first introduced last month at
slightly higher rates in California, Texas and Florida, are being
offered in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

There's no timetable for when Verizon might introduce the new plans in
its remaining local phone territories in North Carolina, South
Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin,
Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.


Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: How odd ... so even SBC is in on this
new pricing structure. I can recall when our local CLEC 'Prairie
Stream Communications' first opened for business in 2002, they were
offering flat rate, open-ended packages of _everything_ for $25.00
per month, and SBC complained to the Kansas Commission that 'Prairie
Stream is being predatory'; although the Commission left Prairie
Stream alone on it, SBC continually complained that 'Prairie Stream
will not stay in business very long at that pricing'. So now, Verizon
and SBC are gradually lowering their prices as well.   PAT]

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

From: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: U.S. Wireless Carriers Take Aim at Adult Content
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 18:47:49 -0600


With Internet and video more readily available on wireless phones, and
much of the Internet being used for pornographic stuff, major
U.S. carriers on Tuesday unveiled guidelines aimed at limiting
children's access to adult content and services.

Those under the age of 18 would need parental or a guardian's
permission to receive content that carriers offer that may be sexually
explicit, excessively violent, or involve gambling, according to
voluntary guidelines issued by the wireless industry's biggest trade
group, CTIA.

Carriers also plan to make filters and other tools available to
restrict Internet access on wireless devices.

"Parents must ultimately decide what materials are most suitable for
their children, and wireless carriers participating in this important
measure are committed to providing parents with the necessary tools to
do so," said Steve Largent, CTIA president and chief executive
officer.

The top three wireless carriers are among the participants: Cingular
Wireless, a joint venture of BellSouth Corp. and SBC Communications
Inc., Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and
Vodafone Group Plc, and Sprint Nextel Corp.

About 21 million 5- to 19-year-olds had wireless phones by the end of
2004, according to the technology research firm IDC. The Federal
Communications Commission in February urged the industry to act on the
issue of adult content.

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: CBS, NBC Offering TV Shows for 99 Cents
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 19:37:53 -0600


CBS and NBC have announced deals to offer replays of prime-time
programs for 99 cents per episode, shifting television toward a sales
model that gained popularity with downloaded music.

CBS is teaming up with Comcast Corp. and NBC with satellite operator
DirecTV to offer the on-demand replays.

NBC Universal will offer commercial-free episodes of "Law & Order:
SVU" and other shows to subscribers of DirecTV Group Inc. who use the
satellite company's new digital video recorder.

Comcast's on-demand customers in some markets will be able to view
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "NCIS," "Survivor" and "The Amazing
Race" at their convenience.

Terms of the deals, which were announced Monday, were not disclosed.

"This is an incredibly exciting evolution for CBS and network
television -- video on demand is the next frontier for our industry,"
CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves said of the deal with Philadelphia-based
Comcast, the nation's largest cable systems operator. CBS, which is
owned by Viacom Inc., announced last week it would stream episodes of
its show "Threshold" over CBS.com.

The Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network offers downloads of several
programs, including "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," for $1.99 each
via iTunes software from Apple Computer Inc.

Less than three years ago, Apple helped spur the explosion of legally
downloaded music with its iTunes Music Store and iPod portable players
 -- the latest versions of which now play video.

Comcast's service will be available starting in January to customers
in markets with a CBS owned-and-operated television station, which
includes the nation's seven largest media markets. The episodes will
be available as early as midnight following a broadcast and will
include commercials.

The DirecTV agreement includes shows that air on NBC, USA, Bravo and
the Sci-Fi Channel, including "The Office" and "Monk." Episodes of the
shows will remain available for one week after their broadcast. NBC
Universal is a unit of General Electric Co.

DirecTV, which is based in El Segundo, Calif., and controlled by the
media conglomerate News Corp., began shipping its new DVR this
week. The device uses interactive software from NDS Group Ltd.,
another News Corp. unit, and is designed to transition the company
from dependence on similar devices made by TiVo Inc.

"We are talking to the other networks and hope to reach similar
agreements soon," DirecTV spokesman Robert Marsocci said Monday.

The new DirecTV DVR comes with a hard drive that holds 160 hours of
programming. One hundred hours are available for subscribers to record
and store programs. The remaining 60 hours will be used by DirecTV to
download programs that can be viewed on demand for an extra fee.

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 more headline news from Associated Press please to to:
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------------------------------

From: zeez <UltimaUW@excite.com>
Subject: Re: Internet Phone Customers May Get Cut Off
Date: 8 Nov 2005 12:38:04 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


That's brilliant! Now instead of marginal or no 911 service, customers
will have NO service whatsoever! Your tax dollars, and the "brains"
they bought at work.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: If I read the story correctly, a more
recent clarification from FCC says those users will _not_ be cut off.
PAT]

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

Subject: Re: NN0 Central Office Codes
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 16:06:00 CST
From: jsw@ivgate.omahug.org
Reply-To: jsw@ivgate.omahug.org


> AT&T's publication "Notes on Distance Dialing" (1975) [1] includes a
> list of 63 NN0 codes that could be assigned either as area codes or as
> central office codes.  This list, identified as "Chart 5," includes all

Hmmmmm ... I distinctly remember 212-440 (Manhattan), in the first
part of that list and 212-680 (Brooklyn, then in AC 212) which is
toward the end of the list as both being in service in the early
1970s. If that list was around in those days they didn't appear to be
following the order. ;-)

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

From: wollman@khavrinen.csail.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman)
Subject: Re: NN0 Central Office Codes
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 22:47:41 UTC
Organization: MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory


In article <telecom24.508.14@telecom-digest.org>, Mark Roberts
<markrobt@myrealbox.com> wrote:

> 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.

Not uncommon.  At Boston's WBZ, the main call-in number was originally
ALgonquin 4-5678 (617-254-5678), which still works but has been
superseded by 254-1030 to reinforce the branding.  But the contest
line is in what was the Boston "choke" exchange, 617-931-1030.  The
main switchboard number is 617-787-7000, which would have been STadium
7-7000 in 2L+5D days, but I don't know if that number was in use back
then.  Those three exchanges historically belonged to three separate
COs: 617-254 is Allston, 617-787 is Brighton (both now in the same
ratecenter IIRC), and 617-931 is a downtown Boston exchange which I
think was historically located at the NET&T headquarters.  WBZ-TV
(channel 4) used to have 617-782-4444, but I doubt that is as old as
the number would imply.  (WBZ-TV has been at the same location since
1948, when that number would have been STAdium 4444.)

-GAWollman

Garrett A. Wollman    | As the Constitution endures, persons in every
wollman@csail.mit.edu | generation can invoke its principles in their own
Opinions not those    | search for greater freedom.
of MIT or CSAIL.      | - A. Kennedy, Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003)

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

From: Joseph <JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: NN0 Central Office Codes
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 17:06:48 -0800
Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com


On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 03:14:35 -0000, markrobt@myrealbox.com (Mark
Roberts) wrote:

> 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 was in Falmouth, Massachusetts in 1972 and they had a CO prefix
617-540 (KImball) now of course 508-540.

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


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End of TELECOM Digest V24 #509
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