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TELECOM Digest     Wed, 23 Nov 2005 01:41:00 EST    Volume 24 : Issue 530

Inside This Issue:                             Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Hollywood and BitTorrent Reach Agreement (Gary Gentile)
    CBS and Google in Talks About Video Search (Kenneth Li)
    Moving Up the Phone Chain (Dan Tynan)
    Ten to Avoid - The Worst Products of 2005 (Jim Louderbach)
    Disability Groups Call for Telecom Legislation (Nigel Allen)
    Media Services Registration With PBX (Hemal Shah)
    Re: Grandpa Gets Sued Over Grandson's Downloads From Net (Seth Breidbart)
    Re: Showdown with USA Over Internet Control (Seth Breidbart)
    Re: Tis (Almost) the Season to be Jolly (Lisa Hancock)
    Re: Spyware Maker Sues Detection Firm (Seth Breidbart)

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: Gary Gentile <ap@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Hollywood and BitTorrent Reach Agreement
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 23:06:36 -0600


By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer

In a deal aimed at reducing illegal Internet traffic in pirated films,
Hollywood reached an agreement Tuesday with the creator of the popular
file-sharing software BitTorrent.

The agreement requires 30-year-old software designer Bram Cohen to prevent
his Web site, bittorrent.com, from locating pirated versions of popular
movies, effectively frustrating people who search for illegal copies of
films.

BitTorrent must remove Web links leading to illegal content owned by
the seven studios that are members of the Motion Picture Association
of America.

"BitTorrent Inc. discourages the use of its technology for
distributing films without a license to do so," Cohen said in the
statement. "As such, we are pleased to work with the film industry to
remove unauthorized content from bittorrent.com's search engine."

MPAA Chief Executive Dan Glickman declared, "They're leading the way
for other companies by their example."

The agreement represents the latest effort by the entertainment
industry to discourage illegal Internet downloads. It also
demonstrates Cohen's sensitivity toward Hollywood's piracy problems,
making him potentially more attractive to studios for future deals
related to movie downloads.

Cohen disclosed in September his company had raised $8.75 million in
venture funding to develop commercial distribution tools for media
companies.

The BitTorrent technology pioneered by Cohen -- and used by an
estimated 45 million people -- assembles digital movies and other
computer files from separate bits of data downloaded from other
computer users across the Internet. Its decentralized nature makes
downloading more efficient but also frustrates the entertainment
industry's efforts to find and identify movie pirates.

The agreement with Cohen would not prevent determined Internet users
from finding movies or other materials using tools or Web sites other
than Cohen's, but it removes one of the most convenient methods people
have used.

On the Net:

BitTorrent: http://bittorrent.com
Motion Picture Association: http://mpaa.org

Associated Press Writer Ted Bridis in Washington contributed to this report.

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.

More AP news headlines at http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html

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

From: Kenneth Li & Michele Gershberg 
Subject: CBS in Talks With Google For Video Search
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 22:59:53 -0600


By Kenneth Li and Michele GershbergTue Nov 22, 2:36 PM ET

U.S. television network CBS is in discussions with Internet media
company Google Inc. for video search and on-demand video, CBS chairman
Leslie Moonves said on Tuesday.

Viacom-owned CBS, which is in the process of splitting itself apart
from the faster growing MTV cable networks and Paramount film studios,
is seeking other distribution outlets for its top ranked shows
including the CSI franchise.

"We're talking to them about a whole slew of things including
video-on-demand, including video search," Moonves told Reuters in an
interview regarding Google, ahead of Reuters's Media and Advertising
Summit next week.

Such talks are occurring across the media industry at a time when
entertainment companies are wary of new technologies like the Internet
and video games that appear to siphon off consumers of traditional
media.

Moonves, however, said he saw more opportunities on the Internet to
boost CBS's reach and bottom line.

CBS's discussions have not been restricted to Google and have also
included talks with Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news), although no deals
have yet been struck.

"They need our content, we need their technology," he said, referring
to broader discussions with Internet companies. "We argue about which
is more important. I think ultimately my content, no matter how you
get it, content is still the most important thing."

In September, Viacom's UPN television network struck a deal with
Google to offer exclusive video streams of its "Everybody Hates Chris"
comedy show.  The premier show was offered for four days at Google
Video service.

Google is just one of a handful of big Internet companies that seek to
offer video programming on the Web. Yahoo is seeking to license more
video for its service.

But finding a way for media and Internet companies to work together
has not been without snafus. Shortly after Google debuted its video
search in June, copyrighted videos from random users crept onto the
service, drawing the ire of the very media companies Google aimed to
attract.

Google removed the videos after a few days.

Then there's digital video recording technology company TiVo Inc.,
whose early plans to let some of its customers send recorded videos
directly to Apple Computer Inc.'s new iPod digital media player could
set the stage for the next copyright fight.

"There's some intellectual property questions about the situation,"
Moonves said about TiVo's plans.

What's certain is big media needs to offer legitimate
alternatives. "Video on the Internet is taking off like mad," said
Josh Bernoff, an analyst at Forrester Research, which has reported
that about 46 percent of online households were already watching
videos.

Eyeing how the music industry's slow reaction to new technology
ravaged sales, U.S. television networks have been busier experimenting
online, Moonves said.

"They'd be better off moving as quickly as possible to embrace these
technologies," Bernoff added about television networks.

MORE VOD WITH LES

More shows are expected to be offered to cable, satellite television
and wireless services as well, Moonves said.

CBS announced a one-year deal to let Comcast Corp. cable customers
view episodes of some of its shows at the click of their remote for 99
cents earlier this month.

Moonves, who is also co-chief operating officer of Viacom, said the
company was in talks with satellite television operator DirecTV Group
Inc. for similar deals, although he did not specify when, or if, any
deal would be struck.

"We've spoken with DirecTV, sure," he said. "I think you'll see more
and more of those deals happening along the way, as well as you'll see
more and more deals like ABC did with the iPod."

Although Moonves did not address discussions with Apple's iTunes
service, which began selling episodes of ABC's "Lost" and "Desperate
Housewives" in October, sources have said the two are in discussions.

Viacom's widely held class b shares rose 3 cents to $33.67 on the New
York Stock Exchange in afternoon trading. Google shares rose $6.03, or
1.47 percent to $415.39 on Nasdaq.

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: Dan Tynan  <techtuesday@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Moving Up the Phone Chain
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 23:02:49 -0600


By Dan Tynan

Once upon a time, you carried a cell phone because you wanted to talk
to other people without being tethered to a land line. Now the notion
of merely talking while you're walking seems almost quaint. Today's
top cell phones are more like pocket-size computers -- you can send
e-mail, surf the Web, manage your schedule, snap photos, play games,
and a whole lot more for just a few pennies a minute.

As a result, cell phones are no longer one-size-fits-all. They vary
widely in features, functionality, and cost. So if you're thinking of
swapping out your tired old mobile phone for a slick new cell, you've
got to figure out exactly what type of phone user you really are.


To help you choose, we've divided the world into five types of mobile
mavens, each of whom needs a slightly different kind of phone. But
before you dive in, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Nearly all phones are exclusive to a particular carrier. For example,
if you want the Blackberry 7520, you'll have to be a Nextel
subscriber; Motorola Razr fans need to sign up with Cingular. (Notable
exceptions: Aficionados of the Palm Treo 650 and Nokia N-Gage can
order them from multiple carriers.)

In addition, prices for the same phone can vary wildly depending on
where you buy it and what kind of plan you get, says Allan Keiter,
president of MyRatePlan.com. Getting a phone with a two-year plan can
knock 50 percent or more off the unit's retail price, but also locks
you into technology that will quickly feel outdated. On the other
hand, if you're upgrading your phone without also upgrading your plan,
don't expect any discounts.

Prices for the same phone also vary depending on whether you buy
directly from the wireless carrier, an independent dealer, or an
online retailer. Sites like MyRatePlan.com, Phone Scoop, and Wirefly
offer interactive guides that let you sort phones by features and find
the cheapest sources for them.

Keiter advises consumers to find a carrier that offers good coverage
in the areas where they're likely to use the phone, pick the phone
they want, and then choose from the plans available for each phone.

Now, on to a healthy dose of self-reflection. What kind of phone user
are you?

The Family Guy (or Gal)

Profile: You don't travel much, but you need to be reachable when
you're away from the house. More important, you want to keep track of
other family members -- like your spouse, kids, or aging parents -- so
you will probably want multiple phones. In short, you're looking for a
model that's like you: maybe not the most stylish or hippest thing on
the block, but rock-solid, dependable, and affordable.

The features you want: You probably don't need a Web-enabled phone or
one that checks e-mail, but if you've got teenage kids you'll want one
that at least offers text messaging (virtually all phones do these
days). A press-to-talk (walkie-talkie) feature comes in handy if you
need to reach the kids when they're playing down the street or you
want to find them in a crowded mall without using up your minutes.

If you're buying a phone for your parents -- or you're getting on in
years yourself -- you may actually want a bigger model like the Nokia
6019i (through U.S. Cellular) or Audiovox SMT5600 (Cingular) with a
screen that's easier to read and buttons that are easier to push. That
argues against the more-expensive, though sexier, flip and slider
models. Larger phones also tend to have slightly better reception,
though your mileage may vary.

Price range: $50 to $150

The plan for you: Look for a mobile-to-mobile plan that lets you call
others on the same network for free. If you just want to use the phone
in town, a local calling plan will probably give you more minutes for
your money, but you can really rack up the charges if you use it on
the road.

The Restless Commuter

Profile: You spend big chunks of each day waiting--for buses, cabs,
trains; in grocery stores, hair salons, traffic. You're easily bored,
but you don't want to carry six different devices in your pocket. What
you want is a phone that doubles as an entertainment device.

The features you want: The kind of phone you get depends on how you
like to waste -- er, spend -- your free time. If you want to surf
while you wait, a full Web browser is essential--and fairly easy to
find on most phones. Java-based phones typically come with a handful
of games and the ability to download more, but serious players will
want to take a gander at Nokia's N-Gage (Cingular, T-Mobile), which is
essentially a handheld game machine with a phone inside. You can even
play against other nearby N-Gage users via a Bluetooth connection.

Like to rock out? Motoro

Cingular, comes with a miniature IPod able to store 100 tunes. Generic
MP3 players and FM radios are starting to show up in a wide range of
mobile phones, and there's a slew of cells such as the LG Electronics
VX9800 and Audiovox 8940 (both from Verizon) coming down the pike that
feature multiple channels of TV content (see "Moving Pictures").

Price range: $150 and up

The plan for you: Look for a high-speed data plan for downloading
games and Web surfing. Adding TV will generally run you another $10 a
month.

The Raving Fashionista

Your profile: For you, style is substance. It doesn't matter what you
say, as long as you look good saying it. And not only does your phone need
to be sleek, small, and able to enhance your outfit, it also has to be fun
to use. So when you're out at a rave, you want a phone that lets you send a
text message, snap a picture, then e-mail it to a friend or post it to your
mobile blog.

The features you want: There's probably no cooler gadget anywhere than
the Motorola Razr V3 (Cingular). Just a half-inch thick, the Razr's
top flips up to reveal a crisp, 2.2-inch color screen and a flat
keypad outlined in neon blue. With LG's MM535 multimedia phone,
available from Sprint, the screen slides up to reveal the keypad,
while the Sony Ericsson S710a (Cingular) offers a unique swivel
design. All offer relatively high-res 1.3-megapixel cameras that can
capture still images or video, as well as messaging and e-mail
programs.

Price range: $200 and up

The plan for you: Look for a low-cost media plan that lets you send a
fixed number of text and picture messages for a flat monthly rate.

The Road Warrior

Your profile: You're a busy executive who needs to stay in constant
touch. You spend your life going from meeting to meeting and airport
to airport, but the world will stop turning if you're away from your
cell phone or e-mail for more than half an hour. You need a phone that
lets you be all thumbs -- but in a good way.

The features you want: For you, e-mail and messaging are more
important than voice, so you've got to have a QWERTY keypad. This
phone will do double duty as your personal data assistant, which means
you'll need a sophisticated scheduler, a copious address book, a to-do
list manager, full browser capabilities, and the ability to view and
edit documents.

You won't need a camera, but you will need to sync with your PC via a
USB or Bluetooth connection, and because such phones are awkward to
talk into, you'll probably want a wireless Bluetooth headset. Style?
Forget about it. These devices are really more like laptop
substitutes. In short, you're looking for units like the Treo 650
(available from Cingular, Sprint, or Verizon), Audiovox 6600 (Sprint
or Verizon), BlackBerry 7100g (Cingular), Samsung i730 (Verizon), or
the T-Mobile Sidekick II.

Price range: $200 to $600

The plan for you: In addition to voice minutes, you'll want a
heavy-duty high-speed data plan. They generally start at around $40 a
month.

Your profile: You don't just go on trips, you go on expeditions. For
you, "crossing the pond" is like taking a puddle jumper. Even if you
remain largely in the continental United States, you spend more time
in hotels than your average bellhop. You need a phone designed for the
long haul.

The features you want: If you travel outside the United States, look
for a GSM phone that switches between multiple frequencies, such as
the 850-MHz band used in the United States and Canada, and the 900-,
1800-, and 1900-MHz bands used virtually everywhere else. T-Mobile's
Motorola V330 and Cingular's HP iPaq 6510 both operate on all four
frequencies.

You'll likely go a long time before seeing an AC outlet, so you'll
want a phone with longer battery life; for example, the Sony Ericsson
S710a (Cingular) is rated at 420 minutes of talk time and 300 hours of
standby. If you're constantly visiting new cities, or want people to
be able to find you easily, consider a unit with a Global Positioning
System transponder built in, such as the BlackBerry 7520 (Nextel),
which can pinpoint your location on a map and provide driving
directions.

Price range: $200 to $600

The plan for you: GPS services generally add $10 to $15 to your
monthly bill. And take a good long look at those overseas
long-distance charges -- you could end up paying more than a buck a
minute in some places.

Award-winning journalist Dan Tynan writes the Gadget Freak column for
PC World and TechSmart for Attache magazine. His new book,Computer
Privacy Annoyances(O'Reilly Media 2005), may someday be available on
your cell phone (but probably not).

Copyright 2005 Yahoo Tech Tuesday

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, Yahoo.com

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

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

From: Jim Louderback <pcmagazine@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Ten to Avoid -- The Worst Products of 2005
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 23:04:19 -0600


by Jim Louderback

It's the holiday season, time to pick up gifts for family and
friends. We bring you the best stuff year-round, but often quality is
in short supply this time of year. For you last-minute shoppers,
here's my annual list of the ten worst products of the year-as scored
and reviewed by PC Magazine Labs. These may all look shiny and sharp
on the shelves, but each one is fundamentally flawed. You've been
warned!

10. Oakley Thump: If you've overdone it with the eggnog, a $500 pair
of sunglasses with a built-in MP3 player might seem a divine
combination. It's not. The poorly fitting earbuds chafe, the glasses
feel flimsy, and the style is dated. And what happens if you want to
rock out at night? Unless you're buying for Bono, pick up an iPod
shuffle and a pair of Revos for half the price.

9. Voodoo Doll D210: If you give someone this zippy breadbox-sized PC,
they'll be sticking pins in your effigy all year-and you'll be out
more than 3,000 smackeroos, too. Voodoo crammed two CPUs and two hard
drives inside, but left out the keyboard, mouse, and monitor. If you
buy one anyway, get a pair of industrial-strength ear protectors too,
as it whines like a 747 taxiing for takeoff.

8. H2i SimplyTouch OpticalBar: Turn any monitor into a touch screen!
That's the promise; the reality is different. The OpticalBar sits atop
your monitor and tracks your finger as you touch special parts of the
screen. Alas, it works more slowly than the midnight shift at an
all-night diner, and often gets your order wrong, too. Opt for a
tablet notebook instead.

7. ROKR E1: The Oakley Thump of the mobile phone set; at least it's a
decent phone. The hype around "The First iTunes Phone" created
unfulfillable expectations. It's not as polished as an iPod, and its
oddly limited music storage makes a mediocre player even
worse. Glacially slow music-transfer speeds put the final nail in this
coffin. Sony Ericsson sells a much better MP3-phone combo, but I
suggest a shuffle and a RAZR phone: Cheaper-and better, too.

6. Cinego D-1000: It slices! It dices! It projects your DVDs onto the
wall!  You might be tempted by this combination front-projector and
DVD player, but stay away. Marred by a minuscule remote, nasty
interface, and terrible video quality, it'll be quickly relegated to
the garage or eBay. For budget home theater, hold out for HP's ep9010
combo, or pick up a cheaper projector and a DVD player for less.

5. PQI mPack P800 Media Player: Looking for a portable music and video
player? The mPack looks attractive-you can record video and FM radio
directly, and it even includes a CompactFlash slot. But playback is a
problem. Even with the most recent flash update, fast-forward and
rewind simply do not work, despite the manual's direction. The screen
is terrible, the interface abysmal, and the physical buttons
erratic. Apple's video iPod, the Creative Zen Vision, and anything
from Archos deliver a better experience for less.

4. Dual XNAV3500P: Even alpha males can use a little GPS assistance
now and then. This hybrid car and portable mapping system seems
solid-until you start using it. Marred by an awful interface and a
poor data-entry keypad, it failed our tests. Pick up a TomTom GO, or
give an IOU for Garmin's amazing Nuvi, debuting here in January.

3. PepperPad: Following in the footsteps of the Audrey, Netpliance,
and NIC, this is an Internet bubble failure five years too late. More
expensive than a laptop, with a battery life measured in minutes, and
a tiny 8- by 6-inch touch screen, this home Internet tablet has few
redeeming features. Unless you're a fan of freaky keyboards, opt for a
cheap tablet PC instead.

2. Sony S2 Sports Network Walkman NW-S23: Pity poor Sony. It invented
the Walkman and then squabbled as Apple stole its lunch. This player
finally supports MP3 files, yet it lacks so much else that it's hardly
worth the price. With ergonomics straight from a Klingon warship,
balky software, and a poor display, this one deserves a place in the
remainder rack. Again, you're better off with a shuffle.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for ... the worst product
of the year-and from a surprising source.

1. Samsung Digimax V700: Samsung can seemingly do no wrong these
days. The company has supplanted Sony as the top electronics brand,
exuding both quality and cool. We hope this terrible digital camera is
an aberration, not a sign of things to come. With slow performance,
lousy auto-exposure, and some shutter lag, this 7.1-megapixel camera
never should have been released.  Compact cameras from Canon, Sony and
Nikon are far better-even if they do cost a bit more.


Copyright 2005 Ziff Davis 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, Ziff-Davis.

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

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

Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 17:46:11 -0500
From: Nigel Allen <ndallen@interlog.com>
Subject: Disability Groups Call for Telecom Legislation


The following press release was issued by the National Association of
the Deaf (NAD) at http://www.nad.org I thought that the press release
might be of interest to Telecom Digest's readers.

Disability Groups Call for Telecom Legislation

SILVER SPRING, Md., Nov. 22 -- The National Association of the Deaf
(NAD), joined by other disability organizations listed at the end of
this press release, called upon Congress to enact legislation
mandating disability access to Internet-based products and services by
the end of this Congress. The nation needs broadband, everywhere, now,
and at affordable rates -- this is true for no one more than people
with disabilities.

Following up on testimony presented at last week's hearing before the
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, given by NAD
governmental affairs consultant Frank Bowe and delivered on behalf of
16 national, state and local organizations of, by, and for people with
disabilities, Kelby Brick, NAD Director of Law and Advocacy, said:

"People with disabilities use communications technologies every day
that were not even in existence at the time our nation's
communications laws were last amended. The 1996 Telecommunications Act
did not contemplate instant messaging, email, video relay,
peer-to-peer video or such handheld devices as the Firefly and the
Tictalk.

Although the 1996 Act contained disability provisions for access to
telecommunications products and services, it was mainly limited to
those used with the public switched telephone network, not the
Internet. As a result, people with disabilities will only gain equal
access to today's communications infrastructure and services if
Congress acts to extend these protections to Internet-enabled products
and services."

Individuals are urged to contact their representatives in Congress by
taking action at: http://www.nad.org/BroadbandBillAction

Dr. Bowe testified on behalf of the Alliance for Public Technology,
the American Association of People with Disabilities, the American
Council of the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, the
Association of Late-Deafened Adults, the California Coalition of
Agencies Serving the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Inc., Communication
Services for the Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy
Network, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center Inc., Inclusive
Technologies, the National Association of the Deaf, the Northern
Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons, Self
Help for Hard of Hearing People, TDI/Telecommunications for the Deaf
Inc., WGBH National Center for Accessible Media, and the World
Institute on Disability.

In his November 9, 2005 testimony, and in response to questions posed
by Subcommittee Chair Fred Upton (Republican - MI), Dr. Bowe said that
the disability community wants legislation sooner rather than later:
"The Nation urgently needs a coherent broadband policy. Critical to
these improvements are the disability consumer protections contained
in the staff draft."

Dr. Bowe further noted that communications manufacturers and service
providers have had ten years to become familiar with the accessibility
needs of Americans with disabilities. The House staff discussion draft
would extend the same accessibility requirements to new
Internet-enabled products and services. Because today's communications
products and services make extensive use of software, and are rapidly
upgraded, he said, the disability community believes that making these
accessible to and useable by people with disabilities will be neither
costly nor technologically demanding if done during the design stage.

Dr. Bowe concluded his testimony by stating: "Critically important
disability access provisions will come about only if Congress enacts
an updated framework for telecommunications."

Today, our organizations reiterate his words and call for immediate
Congressional action to guarantee access to all of the exciting and
innovative Internet-enabled products and services that are entering
the marketplace, as well as many sure to follow in the coming years.

The disability organizations below have joined in the request to the
U.S. Congress:

    Alliance for Public Technology
    American Association of People with Disabilities
    American Foundation for the Blind
    Association of Late-Deafened Adults
    California Coalition of Agencies Serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
    Communication Services for the Deaf
    National Association of the Deaf
    National Council on Independent Living
    Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons
    Self Help for Hard of Hearing People
    TDI
    WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
    World Institute on Disability

About the NAD

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD), founded in 1880,
safeguards the civil rights of deaf and hard of hearing Americans.  As
a national federation of state association, organizational and
corporate affiliates, the advocacy work of the NAD encompasses a broad
spectrum of areas including, but not limited to, accessibility,
education, employment, healthcare, mental health, rehabilitation,
technology, telecommunications, and transportation.  The NAD website
http://www.nad.org has a wealth of advocacy information and resources.

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

From: Hemal.Shah@MatrixTeleSol.com
Subject: Media Services Registration with PBX
Date: 22 Nov 2005 21:24:16 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Hello everyone,

  I have a following query.

 (1) Is there any protocol available by which third party vendor's
Media Server can Register with PBX/Switch?

 (2)How Media server inform PBX about the type of Media Services it
uses? 

Thanking you in advance ...

Hemal Shah

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

From: sethb@panix.com (Seth Breidbart)
Subject: Re: Grandpa Gets Sued Over Grandson's Downloads From Net
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 01:20:23 UTC
Organization: Society for the Promulgation of Cruelty to the Clueless


In article <telecom24.502.2@telecom-digest.org>, David Clayton
<dcstar@myrealbox.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 02 Nov 2005 20:02:21 -0600, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal wrote:

>> Illegal downloading costs the movie industry an estimated $5.4 billion a
>> year, she said.

> Yep, you can guarantee that every illegally downloaded movie/song etc.
> directly results in lost revenue, because those naughty people would have
> paid for it anyway  ... not!

And at full list price, disregarding the fact that they already had
the DVD which they bought at a huge discount (because all DVDs sell
well below list).

Seth

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

From: sethb@panix.com (Seth Breidbart)
Subject: Re: Showdown with USA Over Internet Control
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 02:11:41 UTC
Organization: Society for the Promulgation of Cruelty to the Clueless


> "This is such a sideshow debate," said Oxford University professor
> Jonathan Zittrain. "If you couldn't find IBM at ibm.com, what would
> you do? You would Google it, and there you'd be."

And you would find Google how?

> Some countries worry that the United States could use this system to
> effectively "unplug" a nation from the Internet by redirecting its
> country code.

And some countries (or, more likely, the reporter) are idiots, because
removing my domain's registration wouldn't unplug me at all.  It would
just make my stuff a little harder to find.  (But anybody can register
a .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz and many countries don't care who
registers in their domains, either (e.g. .tv).)

> Experts say that would be difficult to pull off because
> it would require thousands of computer administrators across the globe
> to cooperate.

For a value of "thousands" closer to a dozen.  Or, perhaps, one.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It seems to me that the USA is being
> sort of high and mighty on this matter. Just as the USA pays little or
> no attention to what other countries want or do with their two-letter
> TLDs such as .uk, .gr, and others, why would they now start worrying
> about what a UN-controlled body said regards (for example) China being
> the controller or Germany or UK? Wouldn't we still continue to do as
> we pleased anyway?  PAT]

With .us we would.  But what happens when such an international body
decides to globalize censorship?  Say, it decides you lose your domain
if you host reporting that didn't come from a "licensed reporter"?

Right now, such a country can possibly act against domains in its tld,
and sites within its borders.  Someone trying to remove a foreign .com
domain for that will just get laughed at.

Seth


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, to me it is sort of a toss-up. 
Which to you is more opressive? Tons of spam and scam and phishing
each day via a coordinator (ICANN) who essentially turns a blind eye
to the mess that the internet has become in the past decade, or some
_other_ coordinator who *might or might not* attempt to exercise some
censorship on a few web sites here and there. Might or might not ...
but would most assuredly instruct registrars and ISPs under them to
clamp down HARD on spammers, etc. I always laugh when I hear people
complain that some other administrator would (gasp!) probably censor
users and sites, all the while going ho-hum and shrugging their
shoulders while scammers, scammers and phishermen have almost shut
us down now, so fearful are many users to sign their real email
addresses or participate in any real, meaningful way. I mean, even
if it is true that ICANN is sort of backed into a corner with the
contracts they have out on the net now, even asking them to give
favorable consideration to eventually phase out their existing
contracts in favor of differnet ones just gets a blank stare in
return. Some of us would just as soon take our chances with someone
else running things. That is why I feel the arguments about how
'some other organization in charge might be censors, etc' are so
bogus.  PAT] 

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

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Re: Tis (Almost) the Season to be Jolly
Date: 22 Nov 2005 13:47:34 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Neither Amoco Credit Card nor
> Diners's Club (at least in those days) were union shops. ...
> Typically, Amoco's procedure was to pay and treat the office workers
> _as though they belonged to a union_ even though they did not. Wages
> and benefits at the credit card office were quite good.

Working conditions have changed a lot for such workers between 1970
and today; these include telco employees.

Back in 1970 jobs such as a corporate credit card center, back office
for a major bank or corporation, or the Bell System had the following
advantages and disadvantages compared to other jobs in that era:

Advantage:
  1) Better working conditions:  Often those jobs were downtown which
was deemed a more presitigous and pleasant place to work.  Often those
jobs were in modern or modernized office buildings in air conditioned
offices in pleasant surroundings with the latest tools.
  In contrast other clerical white collar jobs would be in industry,
such as in a factory or warehouse.  Often the office was not air
conditioned (except for the big boss), and while perhaps the office was
nicer than the shop floor, it still was an industrial atmosphere in an
industrial neighborhood.  That meant noise, dust, dirt, smells, and a
'tougher' atmosphere.  Work hours and office life was more regimented,
such as punching a time clock.

 2) Stable employment:  The large corporations and the phone company
generally were rather stable and layoffs for back office employees were
not as common as for industrial workers.  The phone company
particularly was known for stability (other than Western Electric which
did have layoffs).  An industrial employer could suddenly shut down for
a while for a variety of reasons and office staff were out as well.

 3) Better benefits:  The large corps tended to give better benefits,
such as an hour for lunch instead of a half hour, etc compared to a
factory which might be strictly hourly.

Disadvantage:
 1) Boring work:  The large corp back offices had highly repetitive
work with little change.  Not much chance for promotion.  In contrast,
working in an industrial site might have much more variety--you'd post
checks in the morning but send out letters in the afternoon.
 2) Low pay:  Factories tended to pay more.  This was offset by job
insecurity and less benefits.  For some people in the short term the
higher factory pay won out.

With the demise of the old Bell System and growth of powerful
computers and phone lines, the traditional back office has been
greatly changed.  Much of that work is greatly centralized.  For
instance Bell in Phila had several neighborhood centers just within
the city to handle service rep work.  Now, all that work, not only for
Phila but the whole state has been consolidated and moved out far away
(WVa?).  The back office is consolidated into massive call centers,
highly regimented and less pleasant than in the past.  Computers count
your keystrokes, errors, and bathroom breaks and people are watched
very closely.  The old call centers expected production, but were
resonably pleasant places.  The new ones are much tougher.  You sit at
your cube and stare at your terminal and that's it.  You do what the
terminal says you do.

Unions got too much power in the 1970s and priced themselves -- and
the workers they represented -- out of job.  But now the companies
have too much power and the pendulum has swung the other way.  I think
these centralized "boiler rooms" need union representation -- modern
unions looking out for modern issues.  Sadly many of the old unions,
while realizing they have to move into new industries, are still
fighting the battles of the 1930s and they turn prospective members
off with their rhetoric.  (A union organizer came to us (white collar
workers) and talked to us like we were still in 1875 coal mines like
the Molly Maguires.  Our working conditions were greatly improved
beyond that.)

In the old days there were companies like the old Bell System where a
person could go and have a job for life and a pension without killing
themselves in the process.  They wouldn't get rich, but they'd have
security.  That's very important to some people.  Sadly, today few
such jobs exist.  In the old days there were riskier jobs, such as in
industry or in high tech start up companies.  Workers in such places
could get a lot more money but have no security.  Today, we have the
worst of both worlds -- no security with low pay and lousy benefits.

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

From: sethb@panix.com 
(Seth Breidbart)
Subject: Re: Spyware Maker Sues Detection Firm
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 02:21:46 UTC
Organization: Society for the Promulgation of Cruelty to the Clueless


In article <telecom24.515.3@telecom-digest.org>, Jim Haynes
<jhaynes@alumni.uark.edu> wrote:

> From slashdot today, says RetroCoder, a spyware maker, is suing
> Sunbelt Software, makers of an anti-spyware program.  RetroCoder
> claims that their end user license agreement forbids using the program
> in "anti-spyware research" and therefore detecting it violates the
> agreement.

> Once again, the inmates are running the asylum.

Only if RetroCoder _wins_ the lawsuit.

Seth

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


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