---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <361C812F-7007-4495-A56B-0A2F507FCE03@roscom.com> Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2017 10:35:53 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Comcast asks the FCC to prohibit states from enforcing net neutrality Comcast asks the FCC to prohibit states from enforcing net neutrality Pressure builds on FCC Chair Ajit Pai to preempt state net neutrality laws. Comcast met with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai's staff this week in an attempt to prevent states from issuing net neutrality rules. As the FCC prepares to gut its net neutrality rules, broadband providers are worried that states might enact their own laws to prevent ISPs from blocking, throttling, or discriminating against online content. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/comcast-asks-the-fcc-to-prohibit-states-from-enforcing-net-neutrality/ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <8ab8fca0-8437-48de-9ba8-db09674ff455@googlegroups.com> Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2017 12:10:31 -0700 (PDT) From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> Subject: Re: History -- Western Union's cellular service, 1984 On Saturday, October 28, 2017 at 8:53:22 PM UTC-4, bernieS wrote: > In 1985 I installed this very same Western Union branded cellular > telephone systems in a friend's Cadillac. I don't know where he got > the phone or how much he paid for it, but it was like the Rolls-Royce > of cellular phones. At the time cellular phones cost thousands of > dollars (no portables yet) and this was the best of the best. I > mounted the large, heavy transceiver in the trunk and ran the fat > wiring harness under the carpeting to the transmission hump under the > dash, where I mounted the control head. I found some additional information about WU cell phones, taken from their employee newsletter* of July 1984: . In the early cellular days, the FCC planned to allocate two companies--the traditional "wireline" (Bell or Independent) and a new non-wireline company. WU sought to be the non-wireline provider. WU had business partners. . WU said they had operating systems in Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee. They were building systems in Cleveland, Detroit, and Toledo. . The cell phone sets were targeted toward high end businesspeople and government officials (e.g. a big city mayor and his commissioners). They mentioned installing them in limousines. Presumably, those people could afford the very high cost of the telephone, installation, and monthly service charges. . E.F. Johnson offered two models--dial in base and dial in handset. A briefcase model was under development. . E.F. Johnson is still in business making radios: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._F._Johnson_Company At that time, WU also offered alternative long distance service, advertised to be cheaper than AT&T. However, it appeared to be targeted toward business users: There was a $5 service charge as well as a $10 minimum usage. In 1984, the New York Times ran a number of articles on Western Union's financial health. The company was losing serious money. Revenue from traditional lines of business was quickly declining, and new ventures weren't profitable. WU was dependent on AT&T for many transmission circuits, and used to get discounted rates for them. After Divestiture, the discounts were lost, and WU had to rush to build their own lines, which was costly and not always practical. * Unfortunately, the old Western Union employee newsletters are not available online (AFAIK). I hope to find an archive for them, possibly on TCI, within a year. While they are a public relations outlet and not exactly an historical record, they do provide a valuable look at the company over the years. ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20171103142808.GA27785@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2017 10:28:08 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: CenturyLink must disclose fees under order Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson says a court order requires CenturyLink Inc. to disclose its prices to customers and stick with the quoted prices. Swanson says the order was filed Monday in her ongoing lawsuit against CenturyLlink. She sued CenturyLink in July, alleging that the Louisiana-based company billed higher amounts than its sales agents quoted customers for internet and television services and then refused to honor the lower price. http://minnlawyer.com/2017/11/02/swanson-centurylink-must-disclose-fees-under-order/ -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Sun, 05 Nov 2017