Re: Short Phone calls-- Charge a set up fee!

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

Posted-Date: Sun, 11 Sep 1994 18:18:08 -0400
X-Sender: rjs () farnsworth mit edu
Mime-Version: 1.0
Date: Sun, 11 Sep 1994 18:17:53 -0400
To: farber () central cis upenn edu (David Farber)
From: rjs () FARNSWORTH MIT EDU (Richard Jay Solomon)
Subject: Re: Short Phone calls-- Charge a set up fee!
Cc: interesting-people () eff org (interesting-people mailing list),
        coredohrs () FARNSWORTH MIT EDU


At 5:45 p 9/10/94, David Farber wrote:


> There is an article in today's LA Times about how PAC Bell is asking the
> PUC to allow a "set up charge" for calls.  This would make short calls as
> much as five times more expensive.


Time for someone to introduce a "Data Above Voice" option for datagrams on
copper pairs, or "Data Above Video" on cable, or...


how about RF -- the so-called interactive TV licenses are ideal for
real-low-bitrates annunciators, if not too good for interactive TV.


Sounds like the telcos are ramping up for their exit strategy from a new
booming business instead of trying to compete, as usual. If there is a
demand for quickie data connects, and there is potential competition, they
should be _lowering_ rates to gain market share before being blindsided
with new technology, not raising rates. But who ever thought the telcos
knew anything about real-world marketing? We're not dealing here with
Wal-Mart.


Pretty soon we won't need copper for anything, so the LECs can sell their
valuable downtown real estate for warehouses or apartments, just like the
railroads did with their stations.


Anybody for historic preservation of central offices? -- Western Electric
Art Deco may be the condo style for the 21st Century. High ceilings, solid
concrete floors, great karma for telecom aficionados.


But that takes marketing, too.


Hmm, what _does_ CO space go for these days....?


Richard