Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!rutgers!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!ucbvax!BUIT1.BU.EDU!jsol From: jsol@BUIT1.BU.EDU.UUCP Newsgroups: mod.telecom Subject: Residential Service + BBS Contrary to Tariffs in MA Message-ID: <8612110632.AA22211@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> Date: Thu, 4-Dec-86 18:26:26 EST Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8612110632.AA22211 Posted: Thu Dec 4 18:26:26 1986 Date-Received: Sun, 14-Dec-86 09:59:03 EST Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 41 Approved: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu Date: Thu 4 Dec 86 17:47:22-EST From: "Hank R. "Jim" Dixon"** Important Announcement ** The use of a Residence telephone line in the State of Massachusetts for a Computer BBS is illegal. I have been recently made aware of this by New England Telephone. Because of this, my BBS is now Business service. If you run a BBS or other computer system from your home, YOU may be next. The following is an exerpt from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities tariffs, relating to New England Telephone: Exerpt from DPU/NET Tariffs volume A, Section 5.1, subsection D: "The use of measured or unlimited residence exchange service is restricted to the customer, members of the household, and persons temporarily leasing a customer's residental premesis. The above provisions shall not be construed or applied to bar a customer from allowing a social guest or business visitor the incidental or occasional use of his service." Unfortunately, "use" of the telephone service is not restrcted to placing outgoing calls from it. The leaving of messages, uploading and downloading of files, and other things encountered in BBS usage is considered to be "use" of the telephone line. Fortunately, if you just use one of these systems and dont run one, you dont have much to worry about. Apparently, they dont have much to say about using data (outgoing wise) from a Residence line. These restrictions are not just limited to BBS's. It applies to all types of telephone entertainment, including information recordings, joke lines, comment lines, and conference lines. This means pretty clearly that if you are going to run a system in Mass., you are going to have to pay for it dearly. This may have a tendency to eliminate most non-subscription / free systems that presently exist. If you have any questions that I may be able to answer, please call my system at (617)623-6969 and leave me (LAMBDA-BOY) mail. -- JIM (LAMBDA-BOY) --