Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!cica!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!wuarchive!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway
From: esegue!johnl@uunet.uu.net (John R. Levine)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Taconic Tel
Message-ID: 
Date: 18 Aug 89 22:35:11 GMT
Reply-To: John Levine 
Organization: Segue Software, Cambridge MA
Lines: 17
Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 308, message 5 of 11

In article  gmw1@cunixd.cc.columbia.
edu (Gabe M Wiener) writes:
>It turned out that you had to dial 11+NPA+#.  I checked it in
>the Taconic phone book, and it described it as "1 + DDD Code + Area Code + #"
>I always thought that the initial "1" was the DDD code in itself.  Why on
>earth would the exchange want TWO of them?

The second "1" is what in some parts is called a circle digit.  Different
parties on the same part line have different circle digits to identify who
is making the call.  I guess it's too hard to tell the exchange that party
lines dial differently from private lines, so all private lines have a
circle digit of 1.  AT&T never seemed to take to circle digits, they always
had an operator cut in and ask for the number you were calling from.
--
John R. Levine, Segue Software, POB 349, Cambridge MA 02238, +1 617 492 3869
{ima|lotus}!esegue!johnl, johnl@ima.isc.com, Levine@YALE.something
Massachusetts has 64 licensed drivers who are over 100 years old.  -The Globe