🚀 go-pugleaf

smr <me@shawnritchie.com> wrote in news:j9u9hu$pf0$1@ftupet.ftupet.com:

> On 11/15/2011 11:27 AM, Cydrome Leader wrote:
>> smr<me@shawnritchie.com>  wrote:
>>> On 11/15/2011 2:22 AM, Cydrome Leader wrote:
>>>> Adam H. Kerman<ahk@chinet.com>   wrote:
>>>>> dye<dye11@adsl-64-108-194-61.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net>   wrote:
>>>>>> Cydrome Leader<presence@MUNGEpanix.com>   wrote:
>>>>>>> Bruce Esquibel<bje@ripco.com>   wrote:
>>>>>>>> dye<dye@adsl-64-108-194-61.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net>   wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> At the time, chicagonet.net didn't detect two 64k connections,
>>>>>>>>> so I got all the computers in the network 128K access for
>>>>>>>>> $15/month....a bit of an improvement over 40k "dialout"
>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Hmm, that doesn't sound right.
>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Maybe they didn't detect it but must of permitted it, the
>>>>>>>> channel bonding for ISDN was mostly an option to support, I
>>>>>>>> don't think it was "on" by default with most hardware.
>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Besides the profile to support the bonding, the stuff we used
>>>>>>>> (livingston and 3com) I think used a stock profile setting
>>>>>>>> "Line-Limit=1" so if someone borrowed someone elses login and
>>>>>>>> tried to use it, both connections were dropped.
>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I'm just saying, was probably more intentional than accidental.
>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Maybe they outsourced.
>>>>>
>>>>>>> I think I used chicagonet if it was the NT (really) based ISP
>>>>>>> that just rented dialup pool connections from level3 or
>>>>>>> something like that. 
>>>>>
>>>>>>> lots of those places really didn't know if you had both channels
>>>>>>> up. It took RCN years to notice I (and everybody) was doing
>>>>>>> that. 
>>>>>
>>>>>> They had two different price plans, so not intentional.  I seem
>>>>>> to remember my one data line being "dialed out" most of the time.
>>>>>> Since it was a "Band A" call, it was 5 cents, untimed.
>>>>>
>>>>> Timed data call is the stupidity that prevented ISDN from being
>>>>> more widely deployed and kept numerous people on modems who would
>>>>> have bought digital service instead.
>>>>
>>>> Was this strictly because it was data or a "business" type service?
>>>>
>>>> I'm sure this changed at some point, but as I recall businesses
>>>> always payed per minute for their calls and didn't get the flat
>>>> rate or callpack stuff consumers got. With the ISDN stuff, unless
>>>> you said it was home service, you'd pay the always higher business
>>>> rates even if you never placed a call.
>>>
>>> Yep. Businesses never got the flat rate stuff that I recall, either.
>>> I had a few arguments with their billing for my dual-ISDN where they
>>> somehow thought my home was a business.
>>>
>>>> The other deregulation era complete joke was "reciprocal
>>>> compensation"- where in theory, ameritech would pay you to terminal
>>>> a phone call if you did it digitally or though your own switch or
>>>> something like that. Of course they never payed unles you sued for
>>>> so many years that everybody forogt what the suit was even about.
>>>
>>> Ah, CABS fees. These are still a very hilariously entertaining part
>>> of the phone biz. We're all breaking a fuckton of Federal
>>> regulations and laws with how we handle 'em, is my guess. Basically,
>>> we all agree to not charge each other the recip comp fees. Every
>>> once in a while, some small-town asshole company makes a stink about
>>> it and we have to band together with the big dogs to let the little
>>> company know what's going to happen to their business overall if
>>> they really try to push the CABS issue.
>>
>> haha.
>>
>> what sort of handwritten bills do those hick grain, electric and
>> phone co-ops come up with? $148.23?
> 
> Yeah, it's usually some ridiculous amount not worth squabbling over,
> but there have been a few court cases over the years.

An ex co-worker's mom lived in Boll Shoals Arkansas, and there's some 
little family telecom company there that has an exclusive monopoly. She 
wanted and got that Microsoft Web TV, connected it with the simple 
instructions, and nothing. Turns out you have to pay extra to use the 
internet, even via dialup, or they filter out the modem tones. They have 
the cable monopoly there too. The internet use charge was more than the 
Web TV charge, and more than the most basic DSL here. This was last year.  

-- 
Coming to you from the beautiful Chicago suburbs