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TELECOM Digest Thu, 15 Dec 2005 16:43:00 EST Volume 24 : Issue 564
Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson
Microsft Files 10 Suits Over Software Pirating (Reuters News Wire)
Microsft Gets Sued Over Patent Infringements (Matthew Fordahl)
Google, Microsft Join Forces in New Internet Laboratory (Matthew Liedtke)
Google Adds Music Search and Purchase Features (Eric Auchard)
AT&T Lauches News Channel on Internet Security (Reuters News Wire)
HBO Aims Sopranos Clips at Cingular Phones (Reuters News Wire)
Feds Urged to Improve Cybersecurity (Grant Gross)
Cellular-News for Thursday 15th December 2005 (Cellular-News)
Spirent Sells Network Products Division (USTelecom dailyLead)
Re: Spamming the Wrong Message (John Levine)
Re: Spamming the Wrong Message (NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us)
Re: FTC Do Not Call List (Mark Crispin)
Re: Bell System Service 'Green Books'- What is Used Now? (Steven Lichter)
Re: Bell System Service 'Green Books'- What is Used Now? (AES)
Re: Wikipedia Becomes Internet Force, But Faces Crisis (Scott Dorsey)
11 Million American Adults are Illiterate (Ben Feller)
The Flimsiest Clock in the World (Agence France Presse News Wire)
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: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Microsft Files 10 Lawsuits Over Software Pirating
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:25:13 -0600
Software giant Microsoft Corp. on Thursday said it filed 10 lawsuits
against companies and people, charging that they sold not-for-resale
software to unsuspecting customers.
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, said the actions seek to protect
Microsoft technology from being pirated.
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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html
------------------------------
From: Matthew Fordahl <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Microsft Gets Sued Over Patent Infringements
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:26:06 -0600
By MATTHEW FORDAHL, AP Technology Writer 50 minutes ago
Mobile e-mail startup Visto Corp. has sued Microsoft Corp. for
allegedly infringing on three of its patents related to how
information is handled between servers and handheld devices such as
cellular phones.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages and an
injunction barring the sale of products, was filed late Wednesday -
the same day Visto announced that NTP Inc. had acquired an equity
stake in the startup and signed a patent licensing deal.
Visto's allegations against Microsoft are similar to NTP's against
Research In Motion Ltd., which now faces the possible shutdown of its
popular BlackBerry messaging service in the United States.
"For their foray into mobile e-mail and data access, Microsoft simply
decided to misappropriate Visto's well known and documented patented
technology," Visto CEO Brian Bogosian said in a statement.
Jack Evans, a Microsoft spokesman, said the company had not been
served with the lawsuit as of Thursday morning.
"Until we have an opportunity to see and review this complaint, we're
not in a position to comment on it," he said. "Microsoft stands behind
its products and respects intellectual property rights."
Visto claims Microsoft, as portable devices handle more e-mail, is
making matters worse by bundling its Windows Mobile operating system
with its market-leading Exchange e-mail server.
"This method of bundling software has led Microsoft to be prosecuted
by competition authorities in the past, and in this case, potentially
increases the rate and manner in which their infringement on Visto's
patents occurs," the company said.
NTP's deal with Visto also could help it bolster its case against RIM
as it can now say it is more than a company that just holds patents
and litigates to enforce them. Under the agreement, Visto will have
access NTP's patent portfolio for the life of the patents.
"This is a clear win for mobile email users everywhere as it provides
them with a viable alternative to RIM that protects them from any NTP
litigation risk," Donald E. Stout, NTP's co-founder.
Visto, based in Redwood Shores, Calif., said its clients include
Cingular, Sprint-Nextel, the Vodafone Group and Rogers Wireless. It
has more than 300 employees and holds 25 patents.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Marshall, Texas.
Shares of Microsoft lost 18 cents, to $26.91, in Thursday trading on
the Nasdaq Stock Market.
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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html
For more news from Associated Press, listen to AP NewsRadio and
read news summaries: http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html
------------------------------
From: Michael Liedtke <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Google, Microsoft to Fund New Internet Lab
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:28:15 -0600
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Business Writer
Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are setting aside their bitter
animosity to back a new Internet research laboratory aimed at helping
entrepreneurs introduce more groundbreaking ideas to a mass audience.
Sun Microsystems Inc. also is joining the $7.5 million project at the
University of California, Berkeley. The Reliable, Adaptive and
Distributed Systems, or RAD, lab was scheduled to open Thursday and
will dole out $1.5 million annually over five years, with each company
contributing equally.
Staffed initially by six UC Berkeley faculty members and 10 computer
science graduates, the lab plans to develop an array of Web-based
software services that will be given away to anyone who wants it.
Conceivably, the lab's services could help launch another
revolutionary company like online auctioneer eBay Inc. or even Google,
which has emerged as one of the world's most valuable companies just
seven years after its inception in a Silicon Valley garage.
"It's interesting to have Google as one of the founding investors
because one of the big questions (the RAD lab is trying to address)
is, 'How do you get the next Google out there?'" said Greg
Papadopoulos, Sun's chief technology officer.
The lab already has created something highly unusual -- a bond between
Google, the maker of the Internet's most popular search engine, and
Microsoft, the world's largest software maker.
The two are fierce rivals in search, and their behind-the-scenes
rancor has been publicly aired in a recent Washington state court
battle triggered by Google's recent raids on Microsoft's work force.
David Patterson, a UC Berkeley professor who will be the lab's
director, said he was initially was worried about the friction, but
"everybody was pretty mature about it."
Microsoft senior researcher James Larus said the collaboration on RAD
shouldn't be seen as a truce.
"We are not going into this with the idea that we are going to be
collaborating with Google or that they will be collaborating with us,"
said Larus, who will be Microsoft's primary liaison with the RAD lab.
In a statement, Google said it's excited to be involved in the lab and
looks "forward to the exciting ideas and technology that will be
developed there."
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Sun Microsystems also has had a prickly
relationship with Microsoft, although they have been getting along
better since Microsoft last year paid Sun $1.6 billion to settle
antitrust and patent infringement lawsuits.
Sun and Google are highly collegial. In October, they formed a
partnership to develop more software tools that might pose a threat to
Microsoft's dominant Office suite of word processing and spreadsheet
applications.
UC Berkeley and other universities increasingly are turning to the
private sector to help offset declines in spending by the federal
government. Earlier this year, UC Berkeley stuck a deal with Internet
powerhouse Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) to open a research
laboratory devoted to online search.
High-tech companies have a huge incentive to help make up for lost
government funding, said Larus, who got his doctorate from UC
Berkeley.
"We realize if research isn't being done in university laboratories,"
he said, "then the pipeline of ideas and computer science graduates
coming into our companies eventually is going to dry up."
On the Net:
RAD lab: http://rads.cs.berkeley.edu
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The
information contained in the AP News report may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written
authority of 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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html
For more Associated Press headlines and stories, go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html
------------------------------
From: Eric Auchard <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Google Adds Music Search and Purchase Features
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:18:30 -0600
By Eric Auchard
Google Inc. is introducing a music search feature that details the
work of certain featured artists, the company said late on Wednesday.
"In analyzing our traffic, we found that a huge number of users
conduct music-related searches," Google said in a statement.
The music search feature is prominently placed above the main search
results in what Google calls its "one box" area -- where information
such as weather, movies or books may also be highlighted.
When a user enters a music-related search in Google search box, the
resulting search returns information about the artist, a few albums
and a picture, when available, above the standard search results.
A link to "more" music results leads to user reviews, song titles and
a choice of online retailers where the music can be purchased.
Online sources include Apple Computer Inc., RealNetworks Inc. and
eMusic, and retailers selling compact discs, including Amazon Inc.,
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and others, the editors of Web search analysis
site SearchEngineWatch.com wrote after a briefing by Google.
For the CD retailers, Google receives data feeds of the inventory and
only returns a link to a store if the item is available,
SearchEngineWatch said.
While the music search feature holds out the possibility of Google
taking a cut of any music sale resulting from directing the user to an
online music store, a spokeswoman said there was no plans to charge
anyone for the service.
Google is late to the game with music search results, the analysts
noted. IAC/InterActiveCorp's Ask Jeeves, Microsoft Corp.'s MSN and
Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) all have offered music search for
some time.
These music links will show up in limited cases tied to specific music
artists initially. But Google plans to expand the range of searches
that trigger the music feature over time, Google spokeswoman Megan
Quinn said.
The music search feature was developed as a side project by a Google
engineer, she said. Google encourages its employees to spend a portion
of their work week pursuing innovative projects that may not be
related to their core job assignments. These are known as "20 percent
time projects." Examples of projects created in this way include
Google's e-mail service, Gmail and Google News.
SearchEngineWatch.com
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3571066/ said that
placement in search results is determined by a combination of the
retailer's general Google search rank and other relevance factors, and
an element of "randomness" to ensure "fairness."
Some of the music information comes from undisclosed information
suppliers to Google and some from Google's own crawling of Web sites,
SearchEngineWatch said.
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
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http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html
More headlines and stories also at:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/internet-news.html
------------------------------
From: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: AT&T Launches News Channel for Internet Security
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:19:45 -0600
AT&T Inc. on Wednesday said it had launched a news channel that would
focus on Internet security issues for its business and government
customers.
The largest U.S. telephone company, formed by SBC Communications Inc.'s
purchase of AT&T Corp., said its 24-hour video Webcast, AT&T Internet
Security News Network, would issue news updates twice a day on the
latest Internet security and network issues.
The channel launched on Wednesday.
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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
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For more tech news from the newswires, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html
------------------------------
From: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: HBO Aims Sopranos Clips at Cingular Phones
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:16:31 -0600
Cingular Wireless plans on Thursday to reveal a multiyear exclusive
deal with HBO to send video clips of hit television shows including
the Sopranos to mobile phones, Ovum analyst Roger Entner said.
Cingular, a venture of AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp., will use the
clips to encourage customers to use a high-speed wireless network that
it plans to expand from 16 markets to about 100 of the country's top
markets next year.
Cingular and HBO were not immediately available to comment but
Cingular has said it was holding a press event at HBO's offices on
Thursday afternoon.
HBO, a popular premium cable TV network owned by Time Warner Inc, has
agreed to send Cingular customers exclusive clips of future hit shows
as well as current programs, Entner said.
Given HBO's popularity among cable subscribers Entner said that the
agreement was a key win for Cingular over cable providers and Sprint
Nextel Corp. , which is setting up a wireless venture with four of the
top U.S. cable providers.
"Suddenly the best show on cable is not working with its traditional
partners," he said. "Its certainly a body blow for the cable
consortium and Sprint."
Large wireless providers the world over are developing services such
as music and video downloads for mobile phones in an effort to extend
revenue sources beyond voice services.
The agreement with HBO could help boost Cingular's image as a provider
of such advanced services.
While Cingular, the biggest U.S. wireless firm, was first in the
United States to sell popular phones such as Motorola Inc.'s Razr, it
is behind rivals in its plans to build its high-speed network.
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
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articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
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------------------------------
From: Grant Gross <IDG@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Feds Urged to Improve Cybersecurity
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:21:42 -0600
Grant Gross, IDG News Service
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government has made little progress in most
cybersecurity areas in the past year, despite warnings from several
groups, a trade group representing cybersecurity vendors says.
The Department of Homeland Security has failed to hire an assistant
secretary for cybersecurity even though DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff
announced an elevated position in July, and cybersecurity research and
development within the U.S. government is "at a crisis," said Paul
Kurtz, executive director of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance
(CSIA).
Leadership Urged
The U.S. government has a "special role" to play in promoting and
modeling cybersecurity, he said.
"The bottom line is there continues to be a lack of leadership, hard
work, and execution when it comes to securing the information
infrastructure," Kurtz said. "Let me be clear: We are not seeking to
condemn the government or those currently involved in cybersecurity.
They have good intentions. However, execution is what counts in the end."
CSIA has also released a survey showing significant consumer concerns
about online safety and graded the U.S. government on 12 cybersecurity
priorities that the group released in December 2004. The group gave
the U.S. government six "D" grades and one "F" on seven of the 12
priorities. Only one priority received a grade higher than a "C."
A DHS representative wasn't immediately available for comment on the
CSIA report.
One high-ranking Democrat used the CSIA report to criticize DHS in a
statement. Where is the government's leadership on cybersecurity?"
said Representative Bennie Thompson (news, bio, voting record) of
Mississippi, the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Committee on
Homeland Security. "How long will the nation have to wait? I, for one,
hope Mr. Chertoff doesn't wait until a cyberattack causes billions
of dollars in damages or results in lost lives before he decides to
appoint an assistant secretary to take charge of our nation's cyber
crisis.
Survey Highlights
CSIA gave the government a "B" for making progress toward ratifying
the Council of Europe's Convention on Cybercrime. In July, the
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the document, which
would allow greater international cooperation in cybercrime
investigations, but the full Senate has not taken a vote.
Europe's cybercrime laws are "light years ahead" of those in the U.S.,
said Phillip Dunkelberger, president and chief executive officer of
CSIA member PGP. "Neither does Europe tolerate the massive amount of
spam, scam and phishing so prevelant in the United States," he noted.
Among those CSIA priorities earning "D's": direct a federal agency to
track costs of cyberattacks; promote cybersecurity corporate
governance in the private sector; and strengthen information sharing
between the government and private sector. There's been "little
action" in the federal government on those priorities in the past
year, CSIA said.
In the survey, done in November by CSIA and Pineda Consulting,
respondents were asked to rate the safety of networks and services on
a scale from one to ten, with ten the safest. The average safety score
for the Internet was 4.9, and consumer data also scored at 4.9. Health
data and financial networks scored slightly better, both at 5.2.
The survey of 1151 U.S. adults found 48 percent of Internet users
avoid making purchases online because of concerns about information
security. Sixty-five percent of respondents agreed that the
U.S. government needs to give information security a higher priority,
CSIA said.
CSIA members said they're worried about a lack of consumer confidence
in the Internet. "Assume that 48 percent of consumers were afraid to
go to the mall because they could potentially be hijacked," said Steve
Solomon, chairman and chief executive officer of Citadel Security
Software. "What would Congress do then?"
Recommendations for Action
CSIA released 13 cybersecurity recommendations for the U.S. government
going forward. The list, with many items repeated from CSIA's 2004
list, includes:
Pass a national data breach notification bill.Pass a national spyware
protection bill. Increase research and development funding for
cybersecurity. Promote telework options for government employees, thus
creating a backup network of computers for government agencies.Include
cybersecurity planning as the U.S. government moves toward Internet Protocol
version 6 (IPv6), a more full-featured replacement for the current IPv4.
Copyright 2005 PC World Communications, Inc.
NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
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------------------------------
Subject: Cellular-News for Thursday 15th December 2005
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 08:49:13 -0600
From: Cellular-News <dailydigest@cellular-news-mail.com>
Cellular-News - http://www.cellular-news.com
[[ 3G ]]
Ukraine's Ukrtelecom pays 151.39 mln hryvnas for 3G license
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15240.php
Ukraine's fixed-line telecommunication provider Ukrtelecom has paid a
total of 151.39 million hryvnas for a UMTS/WCDMA third generation (3G)
standard license, the company said in a press release Wednesday. ...
[[ Financial ]]
DoCoMo In Talks With KT Freetel On Business Tie-Up
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15234.php
NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Wednesday that it's in talks with KT Freetel
Ltd. on a possible business tie-up in mobile phone services. ...
[[ Handsets ]]
NEC To Cut Cellphone Range, Number Of Outlets In China
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15233.php
Japan's NEC Corp. said Wednesday it will cut the number of mobile
phone models it markets in China and reduce the number of its outlets
on the mainland in the face of stiff price competition. ...
[[ Interviews ]]
INTERVIEW: Telenor To Try To Reverse VimpelCom's URS Buy
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15239.php
Norway's Telenor said Wednesday that it will try to reverse the
purchase of Ukrainian RadioSystems by its Russian venture,
VimpelCom. ...
[[ Legal ]]
EU Starts Probe Over State Share In Portugal Telecom
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15237.php
The European Commission Wednesday began legal proceedings against
Portugal to end its special shareholding in Portugal Telecom. ...
Kyrgyz court upholds Russia's Rezervspetsmet right on Bitel
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15238.php
The economic division of Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek City Court has upheld
Bishkek Interdictrict Court's ruling, finding Russia's Rezervspetsmet
the rightful owner of Kyrgyzstan's largest mobile operator Bitel,
Rezervspetsmet said in a statement Wednesday. ...
[[ Messaging ]]
Mobile MSN Expands in India
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15247.php
MSN has extended its mobile service offering in India to five more
networks though a partnership with Mobile 365. These five mobile
operators include Reliance Infocomm entities - Reliance IndiaMobile
(RIM) and Reliance GSM, with a total of over 15 mi...
[[ Network Contracts ]]
Russia's MTS launches Wi-Fi Internet access network in Moscow
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15242.php
Russia's largest mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has launched
its Wi-Fi wireless Internet access network into commercial operation,
the company said Wednesday. ...
GPRS Billing Platform for Albanian Operator
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15244.php
Albania Mobile Communications (AMC) has installed the LHS supplied
BSCS 8 billing and customer care solution. The newly installed billing
system will allow AMC to effectively support recently launched GPRS
services. Atos Origin Hellas, a partner of L...
New Mediation Platform for Suriname Operator
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15245.php
Comptel says that it has agreed on the delivery of its mediation
solution, Comptel EventLink, to Telecommunicatie Bedrijf Suriname
(Telesur), a full service provider of fixed, mobile and data
communications in Suriname. According to the agreement, Co...
Cingular Extends Convergys Billing Contract
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15246.php
Convergys says that it has been granted an extension of a major
contract with Cingular Wireless. Under the terms of the contract
extension, Convergys will continue to manage and support billing for
Cingular Wireless' customers on the Customer Assista...
[[ Offbeat ]]
Vodafone Ditches Ferrari for McLaren
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15248.php
Vodafone and the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team have announced a
long-term sponsorship agreement, commencing January 2007 which will
last into the next decade. The sponsorship will commence after
Vodafone's current sponsorship of the Ferrari team ...
[[ Personnel ]]
Australia's Telstra Says Senior Executives Won't Face Jail
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15232.php
Australia's Telstra Corp. said Wednesday its senior executives won't
face jail as a result of an investigation by the Australian Securities
and Investments Commission. ...
[[ Regulatory ]]
EU Opens New Telecoms Probes In Five Countries
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15235.php
The European Union Wednesday opened five new probes against countries
it says are breaking telecom regulations, most either by failing to
allow customers to keep their mobile phone numbers or giving their
national regulators insufficient powers. ...
Irish Panel Upholds Vodafone, 02 Appeal Against Comreg
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15243.php
Ireland's Electronic Communications Appeals Panel Wednesday annulled
the communication regulator ComReg's ruling that Vodafone PLC and 02
PLC have joint dominance in Ireland's mobile market. ...
[[ Statistics ]]
China To Add 100 Million New Telephone Users In 2005 - Government
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15236.php
China expects to add about 100 million new telephone users this year
to reach a total of 750 million users, the country's top industrial
planner said. ...
Russia's MTS sees subscriber base up to 60 mln users this year
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15241.php
The consolidated subscriber base of Russia's largest mobile operator
Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) is expected to amount to 60 million users
this year, Mikhail Shamolin, MTS vice president for sales and
subscriber services said Wednesday at an offici...
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 13:04:25 EST
From: USTelecom dailyLead <ustelecom@dailylead.com>
Subject: Spirent Sells Network Products Division
USTelecom dailyLead
December 15, 2005
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/AhhUatagCBhiipowQR
TODAY'S HEADLINES
NEWS OF THE DAY
* Spirent sells network products division
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* MCI scores deal to run Dutch bank's communications network
* Visto sues Microsoft, strikes deal with NTP
* Verizon reveals some VOD details
* Money pours into India's telecom sector
* Skype just one feather in Estonia's hot tech cap
* Opera denies talks with Google
USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT
* Explore Broadband Video and Fixed Mobile Convergence at TelecomNEXT
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
* Alltel launches Axcess Broadband in Richmond
REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE
* FCC Chief Martin says USF support should be tech-neutral
Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/AhhUatagCBhiipowQR
------------------------------
Date: 15 Dec 2005 04:01:58 -0000
From: John Levine <johnl@iecc.com>
Subject: Re: Spamming the Wrong Message
Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA
>> Indeed. Recently, DoubleClick reported that clickthrough rates on
>> e-mail were still at about 8 percent.
> Is he saying 8% of spam recipients respond and send money in response?
> I find that hard to believe. I am curious as to who actually responds
> to spam and why. Are people that stupid, greedy, or desperate?
Most of the mail that Doubleclick sends is legitimate, i.e., to people
who asked for it. I can believe that kind of mail gets an 8%
clickthrough.
The numbers I've seen for spam are in the tiny fractions of a percent.
When Laura Betterly was spamming, I think she said she'd send out a
million spams and get maybe a dozen orders. That's about a thousandth
of a percent.
R's,
John
PS: What does this have to do with Telecom? You want to argue about
spam, visit SPAM-L which is all spam talk, all the time.
------------------------------
From: NOTvalid@Queensbridge.us
Subject: Re: Spamming the Wrong Message
Date: 15 Dec 2005 05:53:13 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com
> I find that hard to believe. I am curious as to who actually responds
> to spam and why. Are people that stupid, greedy, or desperate?
The ones responding all have small penises.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You know, as crude as you are, I think
you may be correct on this. Penis enlargement ads on the net (for
creams, patches, pills, etc) draw considerable attention. Maybe the
spam on the net is purposely arranged like that: First, readers are
given some porn spam (videos or still shots) of men in action with
some very extreme private parts, then as the guys decide to examine
their own equipment some spam flashes across the screen to make them
feel insecure about their own circumstances, with messages from bogus
or quack 'doctors' telling them how to improve their lot in life.
Have you seen that one spam (a short video actually) where Doctor Quack
is examining his 'patient' and giving a discourse on his preferred
method of treatment (in his instance, giving an injection of his
'secret formula' (with a big needle) directly in you know where.
Ugh! Yet guys watch it religiously, and order more of those pills and
patches, etc. PAT]
------------------------------
From: Mark Crispin <MRC@CAC.Washington.EDU>
Subject: Re: FTC Do Not Call List
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 17:14:45 -0800
Organization: Networks & Distributed Computing
On Wed, 14 Dec 2005, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
> Mark Crispin wrote:
>> The general problem is the considerable cost in going after spammers.
>> It is almost impossible to recover more than a fraction of these
>> costs, even when there is complete success in prosecution and seizure
>> of the spammer's ill-gotten gains.
> Could you elaborate on this issue?
I think that you did an excellent job of doing so yourself. In brief:
. criminal prosecution is on the taxpayer's dime
. awards for civil damages have to be collected, which entails locating
hidden assets (which is itself and expensive and difficult
proposition). All too often, a good deal of the assets went up the
bad guy's nose.
> I'm not at all sure it would be as a complex process as you suggest.
> The internet is software driven, not hardware driven; that is, it's
> not like someone going out and physically rewiring every PC and server
> in the world. Rather, it is developing new software and downloading
> it.
Simply put, you greatly underestimate the magnitude of the task.
The task of updating software on commodity PCs (which you refer to) is
nothing compared to that of updating other clients, much less the
servers. There's a whole world out there that you're apparently
unaware exists, and not even Microsoft controls it.
Furthermore, commodity software updates do not depend upon updates
from other vendors. It would take many years (and I do mean *years*)
for all of the vendors involved to agree upon the new design, new
protocols, and set an update program in motion.
Just take a look at how long IPv6 has taken, and is likely to continue
to take.
I am not trying to discourage you from this plan. It would be foolish
for me to do so, as you are effectively waving around a huge chunk of
pork that will have people like me on a feeding frenzy for years to
come. I'll be retired long before it's ever deployed, so that I won't
to worry about fixing the mistakes that will inevitably be made.
If you are deterred, don't fall into the opposite trap of despair and
saying "nothing can be done". Individuals, organizations, and
governments are still actively applying band-aids to the spam problem.
None of these will completely solve the problem, but presently the
economics of spamming will cease to be as attractive and most spammers
will move on.
And who knows, maybe some day whomever ends up managing the Internet
will be foolish^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hfarsighted enough to commission a
complete redesign of Internet email. It would be a nice sinecure for
me and lots of other people.
>> The new email infrastructure will also give the world email postage
>> stamps. And this time, it won't be just governments who get a cut of the
>> profits. The biggest objection to SMTP in the SMTP vs. X.400 wars two
>> decades ago was that SMTP's fundamental design made it impossible to
>> impose email postage stamps. You can bet that the new redesigned Internet
>> email won't have that problem.
> Email and internet use is NOT "free". Someone is paying for the
> servers, routers, and lines and people who install and maintain them.
This is all true. Nevertheless, you misunderstand the purpose of
email postage stamps. It is not for infrastructure cost recovery; you
pay for that in your ISP fees.
Rather, email postage stamps are a *tax*. The ostensible purpose of
the tax would be to pay the government to provide the service of
policing email. As with other taxes, the services provided and the
amount of the taxes you pay will be decided by the government.
As with other taxes, you can bet that when the money starts flowing,
there will be taps put on that flow for other purposes. The
Spanish-American War effort was paid off a long time ago, but we all
still pay the federal excise tax on telephones that was established to
pay it.
Mind you, I personally favor the imposition of email postage stamps!
But my reasons are not the same as yours, and you would not like my
reasons.
>> Be careful for what you wish. You may get it. And there are plenty of
>> people who are quite happy to provide it to you (*ka-ching*!).
> The costs of spam and fraud and high enough now, the cash register is
> going along quite nicely, except the thieves are getting the money.
You ain't seen nothin' yet.
Crooks have nothing on governments when it comes to the bite.
> How many people, other than myself, are holding back from participating
> in e-commerce and communications because of mistrust of the system?
Do you buy products from catalogs that you receive unsolicited in the
mail? Why or why not?
-- Mark --
http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.
------------------------------
From: Steven Lichter <shlichter@diespammers.com>
Reply-To: Die@spammers.com
Organization: I Kill Spammers, Inc. (c) 2005 A Rot in Hell Co.
Subject: Re: Bell System Service Standard 'Green Books'- What is Used Now?
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 01:21:56 GMT
hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
> I understand until the end of the old Bell System, AT&T published
> service standard indexes in something called the "Green Book". This
> was a collection of indexes that quantified service and performance
> quality in a variety of ways (billing accuracy, dial tone time, etc.)
> Would anyone know if the baby Bells replaced that with anything? Do
> the non-traditional carriers (ie VOIP) have any such performance
> standards?
> Some standards may be obsolete due to replacement of expensive
> electro-mechanical equipment with ESS. I suspect today the local,
> intermediate, and long haul land-side networks have more capacity than
> in the past. For example, obviously we don't want long waits for dial
> tone. However, an instantaneous dial tone at all times for all
> customers would push the index too far into the opposite direction and
> in the old days that mean excessive expensive equipment was in use.
> On the other hand, incomplete call completion and call cutoffs remain
> a problem on wireless calls.
> [public replies, please]
Yes they have, at least SBC and Quest have, they are still based on
the old BSP's.
The only good spammer is a dead one!! Have you hunted one down today?
(c) 2005 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot in Hell Co.
------------------------------
From: AES <siegman@stanford.edu>
Subject: Re: Bell System Service Standard 'Green Books'- What is Used Now?
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 08:04:45 -0800
Organization: Stanford University
In article <telecom24.563.7@telecom-digest.org>, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
wrote:
> I understand until the end of the old Bell System, AT&T published
> service standard indexes in something called the "Green Book". This
> was a collection of indexes that quantified service and performance
> quality in a variety of ways (billing accuracy, dial tone time, etc.)
A few years ago I was having repeated and extended power failures every
December at a residence in the heart of the mid-Peninsula -- on the
Stanford University campus in fact. Every winter, the first time it
rained, our sub-neighborhood would lose electrical power for up to four
days. Complaints to PG&E went nowhere. Requests for PG&E's published
standards on service reliability got nothing but runarounds.
Since I knew some Bell System and Bell Labs old-timers, I asked them
about reliability and service standards in the Bell System:
Q: Were there published standards for service reliability?
A: You bet! For example, "No residential customer should be without
dial tone due to any reason within the control of the Bell System for
more than 17 minutes per year". (That's my best memory of the quote.)
Similarly: Any calls to Repair Service or Information to be answered
within three (?) rings.
Q: Were these quantities really measured, and did the results have any
impact on performance evaluations of telco executives?
A: You bet! Performance against the standards was regularly
monitored, and promotion of executives in local telcos depended
heavily on whether these published performance goals were met.
That's my memory at this point, anyway. Sounds like these green books
in action. Can anyone document the "no more than 17 minutes/year
without dial tone" item?
I'll look forward to any replies in this thread
------------------------------
From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey)
Subject: Re: Wikipedia Becomes Internet Force, But Faces Crisis
Date: 15 Dec 2005 11:11:28 -0500
Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000)
Agence France Press <AFP Newswire@telecom-digest.org> wrote:
> Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that is the product of collaboration
> of its users, has become a major force on the Internet, but faces a
> crisis after a false biography raised questions about its credibility.
I had no idea that Wikipedia had any credibility to question. Do
people really take these things seriously? --scott
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Wikipedia _is_ considered an important
source of information on the net in many circles. There are many
experts (in their field) who have written for it and peer-review the
things others have written, however the two recent 'pranks' played on
them have damaged their credibility somewhat. PAT]
------------------------------
From: Ben Feller <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: 11 Million American Adults Are Illiterate
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:12:36 -0600
By BEN FELLER, AP Education Writer
An estimated in one in 20 U.S. adults is not literate in English,
which means 11 million people lack the skills to perform everyday
tasks, a federal study shows.
From 1992 to 2003, the nation's adults made no progress in their
ability to read a newspaper, a book or any other prose arranged in
sentences and paragraphs. They also showed no improvement in
comprehending documents such as bus schedules and prescription labels.
The adult population did make gains in handling quantitative tasks,
such as calculating numbers found on tax forms or bank statements. But
even in that area of literacy, the typical adult showed only basic
skills, enough to perform simple daily activities.
Perhaps most sobering: Adult literacy dropped or was flat across every
level of education, from people with graduate degrees to those who
dropped out of high school.
Inside the numbers, black adults made gains on each type of task
tested in the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, run by the
Education Department. Hispanics, though, showed sharp declines in
their ability to handle prose and documents. White adults made no
significant changes except when it came to computing numbers, where
they got better.
The results are based on a sample of more than 19,000 adults, age 16
or older, in homes, college housing or prisons. It is representative
of a population of 222 million adults.
The 11 million adults who are not literate in English include people
who may be fluent in another language, such as Spanish, but are unable
to comprehend text in English.
On The Net:
National Assessment of Adult Literacy: http://nces.ed.gov/naal
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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: During the 1980-90's, when I was
doing volunteer work for the Chicago Public Library in the visually
handicapped reading service (CRIS Radio), the Library had going on in
the same location reading classes for persons who were
illiterate. They sometimes asked me to fill in over there if one of
the tutors had to miss an appointment (student had showed up, but the
volunteer tutor had been unable to keep the appointment). They _never_
wanted a student to show up and not have the regular tutor (for that
person) present. The students, of all ages, even sometimes sixty or
seventy years old, were usually ashamed and embarrassed by the fact
that they were unable to read, but they had made a good first step,
by asking for help, and I would do the best I could as a 'substitute
tutor' for that day's lesson. PAT]
------------------------------
From: Agence France Presse <afp@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: The Flimsiet Clock in the World
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:23:26 -0600
A Japanese watchmaker said it had created the world's first flexible
digital clock which is as thin as camera film and can be bent around
the curve of a wall.
The clock is only three millimeters (0.12 inches) thick and offers
better visibility from sharp angles and in poor visibility or high
sunlight than existing models, Citizen Watch said Thursday.
"It can be set along the walls of a building or on round pillars of
train stations or offices, letting people check the time from widely
different positions," said a spokesman for the company.
The clock, measuring 53 by 130 centimeters (21.2 by 52 inches),
displays time in black numbers using technology developed by E Ink of
the United States.
It consumes less power than conventional digital clocks, with its
battery life 20 times longer.
Citizen will start production of the clock early next year upon
receiving orders with a price tag at 500,000-600,000 yen (4,200-5,000
dollars) each.
Copyright 2005 Agence France Presse.
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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html
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