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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rochester!ritcv!cci632!rb
From: rb@cci632.UUCP (Rex Ballard)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.misc
Subject: Re: Pending FCC ruling threat to modem users
Message-ID: <787@cci632.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Dec-86 20:10:13 EST
Article-I.D.: cci632.787
Posted: Fri Dec 19 20:10:13 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 23-Dec-86 18:59:00 EST
References: <1575@brl-adm.ARPA> <4851@mimsy.UUCP>
Reply-To: rb@ccird2.UUCP (Rex B)
Organization: CCI, Communications Systems Division, Rochester, NY
Lines: 65
Summary: Old system, new system.

In article <4851@mimsy.UUCP> chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) writes:
>In article <1575@brl-adm.ARPA> OCONNORDM@ge-crd.arpa (OCONNOR DENNIS
>MICHAEL) writes:
>>First: MODEM calls DO NOT cost the phone company the same amount as
>>other calls. They tend to be longer, and don't tolerate noise as well.

Length is the critical factor here.  Noise is a factor of the
switching system.  It is only a cost factor if you call to complain
about the noise.

>>... If the phone company always charged for local service BY THE
>>MINUTE, well, no problem, but phone companies usually charge BY THE
>>CALL or BY THE MONTH.

>I may well be wrong---I am no expert on telephone systems---but as
>I understand it, in most areas there is a twisted pair of wires
>running from your telephone all the way to the local Central Office.
>When you make a local call that does not require routing between
>different COs, this ties up only the two twisted pairs and whatever
>it takes to cross-connect them.

This was the case until about 5 years ago.  Today, however, most
of those twisted pairs are run into digital concentrators at
the earliest possible time.  In addition, whether concentrated
at a codex, or at the central office, the call has to be routed
through a switch, either a 5ACD (old analog), a #5ESS (new digital)
or a DMS-200 (new digital).  These switches are essentially very
fast computers.

Ever seen what happens when you put 100 users, all using 'VI' on
a VAX 11/750?  The same thing happens to those switches when they
get a few hundred users running 2400 baud modems for a few hours
of "hacking".

>It is only when you use a long-
>distance trunk that you begin using a shared resource.  (I am not
>at all certain that the connection at the CO is `free', though.)

Actually, a "dedicated line" costs about $7000/month, but because
of the concentrators, these lines can be shared and the costs
can be split across quite a few users.

>In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7690)

If the phone companies are allowed to charge for "voice modem" links,
they will probably still be required to provide lower cost ISDN
digital links.  I haven't seen the actual proposal yet.  Will
access charges be allowed *only* if the BOC is able to offer
digital service to the "back end" system *and* the subscriber?

If this is the case, then expect to be offered 9600 baud async
links, or 56KB X.25 type links within a few months after the
proposal is adopted.  The BOCs will still be required to
provide digital service to "digital service nodes" for very
reasonable costs.  The difference is that the interface has
to be changed so that the concentration is done by the BOC
rather than the carrier.

There has been lots of information on ISDN published, and
there is also the CCITT "yellow book" (or is it red this year :-).

Disclaimer:  CCI provides certain equipment to the Bell Operating
Companies (among others) but the opinions expressed above are mine,
and not those of CCI or the BOCs.
Rex Ballard.