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From: ekb@machaids.UUCP (Eric Bustad)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Junk Phone Calls
Message-ID: <822@machaids.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-Feb-84 15:26:35 EST
Article-I.D.: machaids.822
Posted: Wed Feb 29 15:26:35 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 2-Mar-84 06:50:12 EST
References: <537@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 32

It is interesting to compare Junk Phone Calls with Junk Mail.

1) A person can usually tell whether a piece of mail is Junk
   or not.  This is not true of phone calls.

2) Junk Mail can be handled at my leisure.  A Junk Phone call
   has to be answered immediately, since it might be an
   important call.

3) I can arrange not to receive mail by writing and having my
   name added to an official list.  There is no way to do this
   for Junk Phone Calls.

I don't think that it makes much difference whether the call
is from a machine or from a human.  All of the above points
apply equally.  There needs to be some way of automatically
refusing both types of Junk Phone Calls.

One method that occurs to me is to require those companies
who use unsolicited sales calls to register with the Phone
Company and have the Phone Company screen out calls from
these companies to people who have requested this service.

This would be an option similar in nature to some of the
new call-waiting & etc. options now becoming available
to phone users.  However, it should be a no-charge option!
The extra money required to pay for this (TANSTAAFL) should
come from the companies who make these kinds of calls!
-- 
= Eric Bustad (AT&T-BL, Holmdel NJ)
  (201)949-6257
  ihnp4!machaids!ekb