In 30, here on WBAI.
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Over WBAI 99.5 FM.
10 o'clock Wednesday night, time for Off the Hook.
Let's go!
And a good evening to everybody. This is Emanuel Goldstein.
The program is Off the Hook, where we speak about high technology and the pitfalls
and all kinds of other fun things that happen along the way.
And tonight we have kind of a scandal to report on.
We have some memories to relive, and we have some good old-fashioned news, which we'll start with.
This is thanks to someone who left this in the WBAI official mailbox.
And if you want to leave something in the WBAI official mailbox, to Off the Hook, that is,
you can write to us, CARE of Off the Hook, actually Off the Hook, CARE of WBAI, 505 8th Avenue, New York, New York, 10018.
And please feel free to send us any items of news or interest, and any questions, comments, feedback, what have you,
that you may want us to either read or just research a bit.
Okay, now let's start with this interesting piece, which came directly from the FCC.
And this is concerning nationwide caller ID.
That's something that we've talked about quite a bit on this particular program,
something that we've revealed a couple of times from such companies as Cable & Wireless and Willtel.
And I'm sure there'll be others along the way.
Well, it seems that there is a nationwide standard that the FCC is adopting as of March 8th.
It took some time to actually get our hands on this.
The commission has adopted a federal model, effective April 12th, 1995, just about one year from now,
for interstate delivery of calling party number-based services.
These services include caller ID, which is available today in many states,
as well as services that will permit businesses to serve customers more efficiently
and will permit increased security of computer networks.
Yeah, right. Okay.
Well, we'll see how that exactly works out in the future.
The rules adopted enable these services to become available to consumers and businesses nationwide
and require free automatic per-call blocking to protect privacy interests.
That's an important feature.
We would like, however, to see all call blocking, not per-call blocking.
Per-call blocking means that the onus is on the consumer to dial a code every time they want to block their number.
And we think the default should be – well, actually, the default should be settable.
I mean, it should be if you want it to be private all the time or if you want it to be public all the time.
It's up to you.
So that's something that I would urge people to write to the FCC about and tell them that.
They also require carriers to educate consumers about these services.
That would certainly be something new.
The commission also adopted rules to address privacy concerns raised by the reuse
or sale of information generated by automatic number identification, known as ANI.
Specifically, the commission found that a federal model for interstate delivery of calling party number is in the public interest,
that calling party privacy must be protected,
and that certain state regulation of interstate caller ID must be preempted.
In other words, the federal standard will prevail,
which is all fine and good if the federal standard protects our privacy better than the state standard or the local standard.
The availability of calling party number-based service, including caller ID,
requires end-to-end interconnection of signaling system 7, known as SS7 networks,
between carriers so that the calling party's number can be transmitted from the calling party to the called party.
Interstate delivery of calling party-based services is thus not feasible
until interstate SS7 interconnections and calling party number delivery between local exchange carriers
and inter-exchange carriers becomes widespread, which it's starting to today.
That's a growing number by the day of telephone numbers that are part of the SS7 network.
So in the next couple of years, it should certainly be the vast majority.
The commission noted that a consistent nationwide interstate policy will contribute to economic growth
as businesses employ the new technology for a number of uses.
Now, this is something to be careful of.
What uses are they going to be employing these things for?
Well, according to the FCC, these uses may include pay-per-view television,
order slash entry verification, voice messaging storage, customized customer service.
That's where they pick up the phone and they greet you by name before you even say a word.
Business fraud reduction.
I don't know what that means, but it sure sounds nice.
Call routing, emergency dispatch, health care services, telephone banking, home shopping.
Oh, Lord.
Dealer, locator, and selective call message forwarding
because they had to have a four-word description of something there.
Selective call message forwarding.
Yeah.
Well, I don't know if that's the price worth paying for having your number bandied about the nation
every time you call somebody.
That's something we have to decide.
Back to the FCC.
While the technology for nationwide caller ID service is being deployed and used on an intrastate basis,
several regulatory and legal issues have delayed its introduction nationwide.
Of course, that hasn't stopped some carriers like Willtel from using it anyway.
Today's action supports the efforts of carriers, standards-setting bodies, states,
equipment manufacturers, and others to provide caller ID in an efficient manner.
In the federal model, the commission recognizes the value and benefits to the public of this service
and promotes the transmission of the calling party number from the originating carrier to the terminating carrier.
The commission has balanced the reasonable privacy expectations of both the calling and called parties
and removed obstacles to the development of calling party-based services
posed by uncertainty and non-uniform state policies.
In other words, they're trying to cut through all the garbage and come up with a nationwide policy.
So this is what they found.
Common carriers using Common Channel SS7 and subscribing to or offering any service based on SS7 functionality
must transmit the calling party number parameter, known as CPN,
and its associated privacy indicator on any interstate call to connecting carriers.
Now this is interesting because this says pretty much that both those particular data streams are transmitted on each call.
The calling party number parameter, CPN, and its associated privacy indicator.
So in other words, if I was to call somebody and I wished for my number to remain private,
according to this, the way I'm reading this, your number is transmitted along with a little P or whatever
to tell it that that's supposed to remain private.
Up until now, we were kind of wondering if the number was transmitted at all.
This seems to indicate that it is.
The CPN is the subscriber line number or the directory number contained in the calling party number parameter
of the call setup message associated with an interstate call using SS7.
The calling party number parameter includes an associated privacy indicator.
So in other words, local exchange carriers, known as LECs, must transmit both the calling party number
and its associated privacy indicator to inter-exchange carriers and vice versa.
Now it should be a fairly trivial matter to get in there and get that number one way or the other,
whether or not the privacy bit is set.
I'm sure this is something that we'll be playing with in the months ahead.
And I think if it's possible to get a number like that, we should prove it.
We should prove that it is, in fact, doable.
Here's something else.
Carriers offering CPN delivery service must provide, at no charge to the caller,
an automatic per-call blocking mechanism for interstate callers.
Terminating carriers providing calling party-based services, including caller ID,
must honor the privacy indicator.
Again, another indication that they do get the number, even if it's a private number.
Now this is really interesting, this point that they came up with,
something that we should also bear in mind for local service.
The costs of interstate transmission of CPN, calling party number,
are so small that the CPN should be transmitted among carriers without additional charge.
They're so small that they should be transmitted without additional charge.
Now, why is it then that local phone companies, such as 9x,
charge $6.50 per month for the honor of having caller ID?
That's not for the box.
That's for having a line where you get that little data burst.
According to the FCC, the costs are so small,
they should be transmitted without additional charge.
That's something that I hope we apply to the local companies.
Wipe that out, because that's as bad as the touch-tone fee.
You're really not getting anything in addition.
It's the question of, are you getting a little data burst, or are you not getting a data burst?
There's no effort, no technology once the initial technology has been installed.
There's an initial cost, yes, but after that, there is no cost.
And finally, carriers participating in the offering of any service
that delivers CPN on interstate calls must inform telephone subscribers
that the subscriber's number may be revealed to call parties
and describe what steps subscribers can take to avoid revealing their numbers.
In the further notice of proposed rulemaking in this proceeding,
the Commission is seeking comment on whether more detailed customer education rules should be adopted
and whether the policies adopted for interstate calling parties,
number-based services like caller ID,
should be extended to other services that might identify the calling party.
So that's pretty much where that stands.
Again, that's the latest from the FCC.
This is referred to as CC Docket 91-281.
And if you want to contact the Common Carrier Bureau,
you can call them at area code 202-634-1800.
And maybe they'll send you a copy of that, too.
So that's it as far as that rather interesting bit of news, nationwide caller ID.
I'll bet in a year, I mean, it's supposed to be started in a year according to them,
but I'll bet in a year this is something that a lot of us will have experienced firsthand.
Okay, now to our trip down memory lane.
We still have a scandal coming up, and of course, we'll be taking phone calls, too.
But right now, we're going to take a little trip.
And this is something that somebody sent in.
It's kind of a collage of phone operators and various phone sounds from, I would say,
I would date this at the 60s, maybe the 1960s.
You'll hear an old-fashioned dial tone.
You'll hear old-fashioned crossbar rings.
You'll even hear a step ring at one point.
And, of course, you'll hear all those crazy operators.
This is something best appreciated in stereo.
And for those of you that have played with the phones in the past,
this will certainly bring tears to your eyes because these are sounds you just will not hear anymore.
After that, we'll be back with our scandal, and we'll be back taking phone calls in just a little bit.
Program for border dissolve in audio space.
United States and Canada.
Dial local operator for local time.
Operator, I'm trying to get information.
Thank you, operator.
Information?
No, Buffalo, New York.
No, Buffalo, New York.
The time is 4.49 and 10 seconds.
Is this Buffalo, New York?
Sir, I can't hear you, sir.
Is this Buffalo, New York?
It's Buffalo.
Dial operator.
Yes, what was the name?
I wanted the city zoo.
The telephone number for the city zoo.
Is it the city jail?
No, the city zoo operator.
Buffalo, please, sir.
Yes, operator, I'd like the area code for information.
I can't hear you, sir.
Can you give me the area code for information for British Columbia?
British Columbia, all right.
So what city in British Columbia?
The capital.
I don't know.
What is it?
Vancouver?
Victoria?
I don't know.
What is the capital?
Vancouver, yes.
All right, Vancouver would be 604.
Sir?
And 555.
Where are you calling from, please?
Berkeley, California.
And you are calling Buffalo, New York?
Yes, is this the Buffalo operator?
Yes, and what did you want here, sir?
Well, do you have a city zoo?
I can't hear the name you're saying.
A zoo, operator.
A zoo?
Right.
Thank you.
I'm sorry, we're having difficulty hearing you.
Just a moment.
Can you hear me fine?
Yes, I can, operator.
All right, just a moment.
The Buffalo zoo number is 836-0711.
Thank you, operator.
Could you give me the area code number for information in Seattle, Washington?
You dial 206 and then 555-1212.
Thank you.
You say Ottawa, sir?
Yes.
Are you talking directly into the telephone, sir?
Yes, I am.
I don't hear you very well.
Yes, Ottawa.
Ottawa.
Ontario.
It's in Ontario, Canada?
Yes.
It's 613-555-1212.
Thank you, operator.
You're welcome.
Ma'am, Alberta and British Columbia are both a providence.
What providence, sir?
They're both a providence.
What city, sir?
The capital.
What would be the city?
Vancouver.
Vancouver, British Columbia?
Is this Ottawa?
Yes, this is Ottawa.
Could you give me information there, please?
It's Calgary, operator.
I want the telephone of the city zoo.
I want the telephone of the city zoo, ZOO.
555-1212.
Thank you, operator.
You're welcome.
What is this?
Is this the Ottawa City Hall?
No, the city zoo, where you keep the animals.
Oh, the zoo?
I'm sorry.
Good afternoon.
May I help you?
Yes, operator.
Could you give me the area code number of Idaho Falls in Idaho?
Yes, the area code is 208.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
You don't have any other information but just that city zoo?
Yes, operator.
Just a moment.
I'll have to check first.
Isn't it in your listing there?
Pardon me?
Don't you have it listed?
Yes, sir.
I'll have to check first.
Yes, operator.
Could you give me the area code and information for Saskatchewan?
Saskatchewan?
Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan.
Okay, just a moment.
Sir?
Yes, operator.
What's the city zoo in Ottawa?
Just a moment.
Hello, ma'am.
You owe 2 minutes, 10 cents.
Yes, operator.
Could you give me the area code and information for Montreal?
Okay.
I'm sorry.
Where is that near?
We couldn't find it.
Well, that's in Canada, you know, across the border.
Okay.
Well, you have to tell us.
I don't know where it's at, sir.
Just a moment.
Yes, well, it's just across the border.
It's on the other side.
Where is it at in Saskatchewan?
They have to have that, too.
Yes, well, that's the name of the province in Canada.
Yes, but I mean, where is it in Saskatchewan?
It's in the capital.
Capital?
Okay, just a moment.
Hello?
Operator?
Do you know the capital of Saskatchewan?
It's probably Regina.
Regina, isn't it?
Regina?
Okay, just a moment.
Just a moment.
Operator, could you give me the area code and information for Quebec?
Well, that's all we have.
And what a trip down memory lane that is.
For those of us that even were around at that particular time of telephone history.
All the different rings, all the different sounds that dial tones make, 2600 hertz tones,
sputter rings, you heard them all.
And if anybody knows who that is, I've heard it before, but someone sent in a blank cassette,
nothing written on it, just that particular piece, I'd sure like to know since they deserve credit.
If anyone has any other weird tapes like that, please send them on in.
We just love hearing that kind of thing.
Okay, now on to our scandal, which involves AT&T, one of our favorite scandal victims, I guess.
Actually, no, it's not right to call them a scandal victim because we're the scandal victims.
They're the scandal perpetrators.
This is something that is really, I think, pretty shameful.
It involves a service known as TDD service, which is basically telecommunications for the deaf.
It's been around for quite a number of years.
Basically, you hook a device up to a telephone and you're able to communicate using text on a screen.
Kind of like what modems do today, except they've been doing it for a very, very long time.
Now, I don't really understand why anybody would still want to have a TDD machine since they're slow,
they're noisy, they're big, and they're not very compatible with lots of other things that are out there.
This particular number, which is 1-800-855-1155, in fact, why don't we just call that number while I'm talking about this.
They allow you to hook your modem or your TDD machine up to their particular service of operators.
One of the things that these operators will do for you is call information and do all kinds of other things as well,
which is all fine and good except for the fact that they do not reveal a very important fact that's attached to this particular service.
First of all, let's call them up and see what they sound like so people know what we're talking about.
Here's our trusty dial tone.
The number we're going to call is 1-800-855-1155.
We'll hear a modem pick up first and then the modem will switch to TDD sound so you can hear what they both sound like.
Actually, I think this takes a few rings to pick up.
Alright, that's a regular 2400 baud modem. Now the TDD.
Well, I'm sure it's coming. It's there somewhere.
While it's figuring that out, let's read to you what was said over this particular line.
I don't know why it's not playing. It played before.
I guess it's not a very...
No, it hung up. How do you like that? It hung up. Let's try it again.
It should be consistently providing TDD tones as well as modem tones.
We'll see if that's something that might need to be fixed.
Anyway, we called this a couple of days ago.
What happens when you connect, you can connect at anywhere up to 2400 baud, I believe.
Okay, we have a modem there.
That should go away. We should get the TDD after that.
What might be...
Ah, there it is.
I think the problem was it heard silence, so it assumed that nothing was there and TDDs generate tones,
so my voice was taken as a TDD machine.
Anyway, what you get when you call this particular thing, you get in parentheses the word recording,
and then this particular speech which says,
Thank you for calling AT&T OSD. Please hold. An operator will be with you shortly.
It says all that as far as a recording goes.
It's not really a recording, obviously, but it's a bit of text which is not actually being typed.
Then you get this particular message, which is what we got.
This is AT&T. They said AT plus T, but I guess this is the way they type.
OPR1123, how may I help you? GA, GA meaning go ahead.
I typed, I need the number for WBAI Radio in New York City, please, and then I typed GA.
There was a pause of about a minute or so, and then the operator replied,
and this is interesting because she replied in lowercase,
which means that when she gave the greeting, that was also a macro of some sort.
She said the number is 212-279-0707, which is our office line.
Go ahead, and then I said thank you, good night, and that was it.
We hung up, and the conversation was completed.
Now, this is something that is a service provided to deaf people
and anybody else that has a modem or a TDD machine and can call an 800 number.
Now, great, wonderful. We got that bit of information.
However, there's a charge to call information, as most of us know.
Not in the good old days that we just heard on the tape.
It used to be free, but ever since, I believe, 84, they have been charging for information.
However, this is an 800 number, so how do they get around that?
Well, it seems they get around it in a rather sneaky way.
They just somehow bill you anyway, even though you're calling an 800 number.
Now, I heard a rumor about this, so I decided the best way to find out if it was true
would be to call that very same TDD number and ask the operator there
what it is that they actually do as far as billing.
So this is how that conversation went.
I didn't get the recording when I called this time, the recording saying,
thank you for calling, please hold on.
I got an operator right away. This is AT&T Operator 1064.
How may I help you?
Exact same speech, actually, as the first one, except different operator number.
And I typed, hello, can you tell me if there is a charge for this service?
The reply was, are you making a long-distance call or getting a number from directory?
I said, I am calling for directory assistance, but I wanted to know if there was a charge for that.
And the operator replied, in some states. I don't know about New York.
How can I find out?
Have you used the service before, was the question.
No, actually, I just started using it.
Okay, was the reply, call 800-342-4181, TDD number, after 9 a.m.
And I said, okay, thanks, what office is that? The business office.
Okay, I will try it, thank you very much.
And she said, you're welcome.
And then, what's kind of interesting is, it came across very fast on the screen.
Thank you for using AT&T.
Another macro they just sort of hit at the end and spews forth.
So, they could not give me an answer as to whether or not there was a charge for this particular thing.
So, bright and early the next day, I decided to bypass the TDD, bypass the modem,
and just go with what I'm most familiar with, and that is voice.
Voice is always the way to go, I think.
So, let's hear how the voice calls went.
See if we can get an answer from AT&T.
Do they charge for 800 numbers?
Thank you for calling AT&T.
You have reached the Customer Account Servicing Center.
If you are calling with questions about local charges, would like to make payment arrangements,
or are inquiring about your balance due, please contact your local telephone company.
That number is located on either page 1 or 2 of your local telephone company's portion of the bill.
If you are calling with questions regarding your long-distance service or billing,
please hold for further assistance.
Now, this is where they start with the really cool music.
Actually, the ring makes you think you're going to get connected, but no.
Get the really cool music here.
Is your time important to you?
Then experience the speed and convenience of AT&T Directory Link Service.
Hey, listen to this.
When you call AT&T Directory Assistance using your calling card or an AT&T operator,
the number you get from Long-Distance Directory Assistance can be automatically dialed.
Eliminate the need to dial the call yourself.
AT&T Directory Link.
Just dial 0 area code 555-1212.
Now, they don't mention if there is a charge attached to this.
Obviously, there probably is a charge attached to this,
but they're not going to tell you that until you actually do it.
Now, after a few more seconds of this groovy music,
we'll hear another system that AT&T has, which kind of is really loud.
Thank you for waiting.
All of our representatives are still assisting other AT&T customers.
The next available representative will be with you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding.
If you continue to hold, you will not be disconnected.
And this particular service steps over their other service.
By using 1-800-CALL-ATT,
you will receive a 25% discount on all your interstate calls and intrastate calls,
where available.
The calls will appear already discounted on your bill.
Call 1-800-CALL-ATT to get AT&T and to save.
Now, from this point on, the hold message keeps stepping on the promotions of AT&T
so that you hear the beginning of the running out of music.
There we go.
So that you hear this really loud thing.
And by the time it's over,
you've missed the beginning of the promotion that they're trying to promote.
Thank you for your understanding.
If you continue to hold, you will not be disconnected.
Anywhere in the U.S.
And there's no monthly fee.
Great.
In any month, you spend $25 or more.
You'll save 20% off all your qualifying domestic calls.
And in any month, you spend between $10 and $25 in long distance.
You'll get 10% off instead.
Ask a representative for details and to enroll you in true USA savings today.
Where did they come up with this music?
You know, that's what I really want to know.
I mean, wouldn't it be better if they played something like...
Well, I think so.
Thank you for waiting.
All of our representatives are still assisting other AT&T customers.
The next available representative will be with you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding.
If you continue to hold, you will not be disconnected.
To a selected country.
And right now, you can save 50% off the already low value hour prices
to every number in your selected country,
all weekend long for four months.
All for just $3 a month.
Ask a representative for details.
This, by the way, is an average waiting time.
We're demonstrating this just so people can experience it firsthand
in case you've never had the joy of doing this.
Ready for another hold announcement?
Where is it?
Thank you for waiting.
All of our representatives are still assisting other AT&T customers.
The next available representative will be with you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding.
If you continue to hold, you will not be disconnected.
And we just missed an entire promotion there.
You just heard the last part of his voice.
Now the two systems will be completely over each other,
so you really won't hear very much more than a couple of words in the promotion.
Oh, running out of music again.
No.
No need to panic.
If you're moving, we've made it easy to take AT&T long-distance service along.
Thank you for waiting.
All of our representatives are still assisting other AT&T customers.
The next available representative will be with you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding.
If you continue to hold, you will not be disconnected.
Just kidding.
Just kidding.
Okay, we are drawing close to an operator.
I can tell you that in retrospect.
There will be an operator online in the next...
Well, probably in the next minute we will have an operator.
AT&T TrueVoice is coming free to AT&T customers.
Virtually every domestic AT&T long-distance call you make within the continental U.S. will send...
Thank you for waiting.
All of our representatives are still assisting other AT&T customers.
The next available representative will be with you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding.
If you continue to hold, you will not be disconnected.
We do this every day.
If you are a college student, find out about special offers that are perfect for you,
such as the AT&T calling card and the call and save card option.
Ask our customer service representative.
Thank you for waiting.
All of our representatives are still assisting other AT&T customers.
The next available representative will be with you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding.
If you continue to hold, you will not be disconnected.
Hello, AT&T reporter speaking. How may I help you today?
Yes, hi. I had a question concerning TDD service.
That's service for the deaf, information number.
Yeah.
There's a certain 800 number that you can call to get information anywhere in the country.
And I was wondering if there was a charge for that.
I'm not sure.
Is it for like information regarding...
Let me give you the...
Because we do have a special office that handles questions regarding that.
Okay. I need to speak to somebody voiced, though.
Okay. We do have that.
Okay. Great.
We have a voice as well as a TDD.
Great. What's the voice number?
Yeah. Just one minute, please.
Okay. Thank you.
Did you want to know if there was a charge for it or did you just need the operating system?
I need to know if there was a charge for it, for calling that number.
Just one minute, please.
Sure.
We have all the time in the world.
Okay. Thank you for calling for the voice.
It's 1-800-872-3883.
Okay. Thank you.
You're welcome. And thank you for calling AT&T. Have a nice day today.
You too. Bye.
Bye.
Our number is 212-279-3400.
And here's the answer.
AT&T. Accessible Communications. Long Distance.
This is David. How can I help you?
Hi. I had a question concerning the 855-1155 number.
Do you know if there's a charge for that?
Okay. If I get information, for instance.
There is.
Okay. How would that work?
It would appear on your bill as 233-1222.
333-1212?
Edward, wait a minute. I'm sorry.
It would appear on your bill as 555-1212.
And there'd be a charge for that?
75 cents, just like calling directory assistance.
That number is only for TDD users.
Uh-huh. I understand. Now, is...
By calling 555-1212 for directory assistance.
So, by calling the 800 number, though, I would incur a charge?
Yes, sir.
I see. I'm just kind of confused about that because aren't 800 numbers supposed to be toll-free?
But that number is used for a variety of different things.
And if you use it for directory assistance, then you'll be charged.
Okay. Is there any kind of a notice, though, that when you use it...
I just want to make sure I don't make a mistake and use this thing
and be charged for something I don't know I'm being charged for.
Do they tell you they're charging you?
I'm not sure. I've never called the number.
Uh-huh.
If there's a charge for directory assistance, that's common knowledge.
Right.
And if you call the number for directory assistance, you're going to be charged.
Okay.
So that is common knowledge.
Okay. Can you tell me where you're headquartered out of?
I'm in Silver Spring, Maryland.
I see. What's the name of the office that runs this?
This office is Accessible Communications Long Distance.
Uh-huh. And that's part of AT&T?
Yes, sir.
I see. Well, thank you for your help.
All right. You're welcome.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Well, he's right.
He's right in regards to the fact that if you call information, there's a charge.
But, you know, it's also common knowledge if you call an 800 number,
there's no charge for calling the 800 number.
If you call an 800 number and then make a telephone call on an account,
you have to enter a calling card number.
If you call an 800 number and order merchandise,
you have to give them your credit card number.
This is a case where you call up and you ask a question,
and you're billed with no further announcement,
no details as to what the charge will be or anything else.
This is a sleazy operation, and AT&T is in full control of it.
And when you ask them if they're doing it, you're hurt for yourself.
I don't know, sir.
I don't know.
I'm not familiar with it.
I've never done it.
You'll have to call somebody else.
And when you finally make a whole bunch of telephone calls
and wait for, what, 15 minutes,
you'll get an answer that, yes, you'll be billed for this.
How many other things are like this?
How many other things are they running?
I mean, this is like the last frontier here, 800 numbers.
They're going to pollute 800 numbers with all kinds of hidden charges.
Well, let people know about this one.
212, 279, 3400.
It's time to take some phone calls
and see what else has been happening out there.
Good evening.
You're on the air.
Hi.
I heard this thing that you mentioned about the information dialing the phone number,
and your telephone has been having that as well on selected public phones.
I don't know if they discontinued the program,
but I haven't had that happening in a while.
And still talking about your telephone,
I remember you mentioned that little game that you can do.
If you call yourself with a credit card, you can hear yourself on call waiting.
I've done it on the New York telephone credit card as well,
and it does work as well.
You can call on the New York telephone line and hear yourself.
Right.
The reason that that works is because you're venturing outside your local central office,
and it does not know whether it's you calling or whether it's somebody else calling,
so it doesn't know to prevent it.
Right.
And then the last thing is I called the Wow It's Hot line.
The MCI, Wow It's Hot.
Yeah.
Did you figure out what that's all about?
Yes, I think I have.
Okay.
A few, maybe a week later,
I started receiving calls from people wanting to do a survey about long-distance telephone call.
I wouldn't let them get too far in the call, but I think it was about that.
So you think it's a telemarketing trap.
Yeah, that's what I think.
Would not be surprised.
I haven't gotten such a call myself, but then again, I never pick up my phone, so I wouldn't know.
I see.
That's it.
Thanks very much.
Okay.
Thanks for calling.
Everything out there is either a trap or ploy or just a con game, you know?
It's not very pleasant.
Good evening.
You're on.
Yes, hello.
I'm calling about telephone charges.
Okay.
When I call your station, I'm calling from New Jersey, and I still get charged for the call.
You do?
Yeah.
How does it show?
I mean, you've seen a whole lot of these calls show up on your bill?
I've called BAI on several shows, and, yeah, it does show up.
And also—
Does it show up as a one-minute call or what?
One minute.
One-minute call.
That's interesting.
And who is billing you?
AT&T.
AT&T.
Yeah.
So you definitely want to call them and yell at them a bit and tell them that these calls
were not completed.
Sounds to me like what they're doing is AT&T sends a little recording over saying that
the person you're calling is not picking up.
Please try again later.
Sounds to me like they're actually charging you to hear that.
Yeah.
Yeah, they are.
Also, when I call a number here in New Jersey, North Jersey, they have—the person I'm calling
has caller ID, and, well, they don't answer their phone.
But on my bill, I also get charged for that.
Oh, that's outrageous.
See, the thing is so few people actually take the time to check to make sure that they didn't
make the call or whether or not they're being charged for a call they didn't make.
Yeah, I've been charged 13 cents.
That's not right.
That should not be happening.
The person does not pick up the phone, and you're being charged.
Now, I noticed this last month.
Uh-huh.
And this month, I haven't received my bill yet.
I'm going to take a look at it again.
If it happens again, then I'll call them, you know, see what's going on.
Uh-huh.
Yeah, what you have to do is come up with a specific time, say,
I'm going to call this number, let it ring X number of times,
and then I'm going to check the bill on that particular date and see if it actually shows up.
Now, start from the beginning.
Start saying, you know, saying, this day I'm going to do this, and do it that day,
and then look at the history.
That way, there's absolutely no confusion whatsoever, and you're 100% in the clear.
But what's so interesting is also that I was never notified.
You know, they never sent a notice telling me I was going to be charged for unanswered calls.
Well, that's because they're not supposed to be doing that.
Yeah.
That's illegal.
Yeah.
So if it continues to happen, definitely contact the company
and contact the Public Service Commission.
In your case, it would be the PUC in New Jersey,
and tell them this is happening to you and provide evidence.
Okay.
What kind of evidence do I provide?
Well, your bill, for instance, and if you do, like I said,
and just make a notation that this particular day, at this particular time,
you're going to call this number and let it ring,
and, you know, you just write that down and say, this is the day I'm going to do this,
and then look at the bill for that particular day,
it's very hard to argue with something like that.
And what they'll probably do is probably work out some way that you can do a further test.
Yeah.
And, yeah, you'll have to convince them a few times.
Yeah, yeah. Okay.
But once you do, you'll be doing a service for everybody else,
because if this is, in fact, happening, they're getting millions of dollars out of this.
Yeah. Yeah, I figured that, because my bill last month was like three times.
I called this number, and three times it showed up.
Now, there was a regular call that was picked up, and that was $1.39.
Uh-huh.
But the other times it wasn't picked up, and it was $0.13.
Uh-huh.
So that's it.
That should not be happening.
Okay.
All right. Thanks for letting us know about that.
Thank you.
And these days, it's very hard to know when you're being charged and when you're not being charged.
I mean, who would guess that when you call an 800 number, you get charged, especially if nobody tells you?
And you see this thing show up on your bill that says a call to information.
It doesn't tell you when you called.
It doesn't tell you how you called.
So you just continue using an 800 number, thinking that maybe, you know, an 800 number still is free.
You continue assuming that unanswered calls are also unbilled calls.
Well, you can't assume anything anymore.
Good evening. You're on the air.
Hi. I was wondering, what if you called that 800 number from a pay phone?
Well, you'd have to hook up a modem to it, but it's a good question and something that I've been meaning to try to see what happens.
The other thing I want to mention is that touchstone thing.
Even though it's $0.50 a month, I think people should still demand that it be eliminated.
Oh, absolutely.
If it was a penny a month, it's a bill for nothing.
I mean, you know, you get billed for an unanswered call.
It's not much, but still, you're being billed for nothing.
And the same thing with this latest caller ID and call return, all this nonsense that they're charging you per call for.
They're just doing it because they can get away with it.
There is no additional service they're providing other than the initial investment in the new switch.
Just like the cold cuts.
They get away with charging $0.60 for calling from one borough to the next.
Yeah, but the cold cuts are small-time sleaze operators, whereas the phone companies are big-time, huge monopolies.
Right.
And they're just as sleazy.
I noticed that when you call a payphone that has a cuckoo, it's bad because the person that you're calling—
You might have to explain your terms just a little bit.
Someone might not know what you mean by that.
Okay.
There's a new thing now.
It's called the cuckoo system.
It's an international symbol.
When you call a payphone in the United—some in New York, it picks up with touchtones like beep-beep, beep-beep.
And that tells an international operator that this is a payphone.
Do not bill any collect calls.
That is a thing that's happening overseas, too.
So when you call a payphone overseas, it picks up with the same thing, saying this is a payphone.
Do not bill any calls.
That's the international symbol in case, like, the operators are foreign and don't understand English or whatever.
And the other thing is that the phone, if somebody's picking up calling, they hear the tones, and then they just hang up.
And they don't understand why the tones are—
Right, because it sounds like somebody's simply hitting touchtones.
Right.
And unlike the European standard, which is where somebody can talk over the tones, you can't talk over these tones.
They're very distracting.
They're very loud.
In Europe, if you call one of those cuckoos, you'll be able to easily talk to the person throughout.
It'll be just kind of something in the background, but the operator will know that's a payphone, you see.
So I don't know why they can't do it that way here if they're going to do that.
I noticed that AT&T operators right away know that it's a payphone.
Uh-huh.
So they probably got a memo about that.
But the thing is the local companies have made it increasingly difficult to receive phone calls on payphones.
And that's something that's a very useful thing to have, not just if you're a drug dealer.
They seem to have this thing about only drug dealers use beepers.
Only drug dealers get calls on payphones.
It's very handy to have somebody call you at a payphone when you can't reach them or if you need to beep them or leave a message or something like that.
Unfortunately, virtually no co-cots take incoming calls.
An increasing number of 9X phones don't.
Or they have these annoying cuckoo things on them that you can't hear over.
So it's problematic.
Well, I just want to, before I go, I want to say hello to Dennis Hyde from NTI.
Okay.
Thanks for calling.
See you later.
Good evening.
You on?
Is this BAI?
Yes, it is.
You're on the air.
Turn my radio down.
Okay.
Okay.
A couple things I heard tonight.
One is I understand that some of the phone companies, and I heard this through a friend, are now charging after three rings.
They consider that if you let it ring one or three or four times, they consider it to be a call.
And the justification they're giving, which I understand I don't know if it's legal, is you're using their network, even though you didn't make a call.
Oh, that's garbage.
Yeah.
I've heard that justification before, and it's total garbage.
You know, as we just read in the FCC memorandum here, the cost for some services is so small as to not warrant a charge at all.
They've had for decades now, they've been able to provide dial tone and rings and busy signals without losing money as a result of people getting those particular signals.
What they're probably mad about is the fact that people are able to call answering machines and have the toll saver feature where it rings four times if you don't have a message and two times if you do.
They probably figure they can somehow get some of that lost revenue, which I put in huge quotations.
I don't think it's going to wash with the average person, though.
And also, I understand that some of the telephone companies now want to charge you for drawing dial tones.
Well, I'll tell you, any phone company that tries that, they're not going to have very many customers.
One of the major companies in California.
Second thing, I don't know if you know this, in Los Angeles, it's illegal under the age of 18 to have a beeper.
Are you aware of that?
I've heard about crazy things coming out of California.
Now, in one instance...
I think it's funny because it's a preemption of federal government.
A beeper is a radio receiver which is licensed by the FCC.
Right.
You've got local towns.
I'm a ham.
And in some towns, you weren't allowed to have a scanner in your car until the FCC got involved.
In some places, I think Long Beach was one of them.
I actually saw this on the Christian Broadcasting Network or whatever that thing is called.
They have enacted a rule saying that all school kids have to wear a set uniform.
The reason being that all these kids are walking around with baggy clothes.
And, of course, we all know the only reason a kid would walk around with baggy clothes would be to conceal a weapon.
So, now that we've established that only drug dealers carry beepers and only people carrying guns wear baggy clothes,
the average person has no trouble at all saying, OK, we have to regulate this.
And, you know, I think the average person really does have a problem with that, and we'll see right through it.
Because I can tell you, I was in a lawsuit on this because there was something on TV a couple days ago
where somebody just came out of California and their child got arrested for having a beeper.
And the reason why they had a beeper, there was someone sick in the family,
and they claimed that a beeper was the easy way to get in touch.
Of course, a beeper is a very useful thing to have.
Almost everyone I know has a beeper.
I don't know any drug dealers.
You know what another funny thing is?
You talk about telephones now.
They've turned off the touch tones and stuff like that because they don't want drug dealers using it.
Right, rotary dial. That's going to stop drugs, isn't it?
They're trying to lose revenue because people want it.
I use it to call up my broker or to check various news information, and it's very inconvenient.
So what's happening is people are starting to walk around with cellular phones.
Even drug pushers are getting away from telephones, and they're also now cloning beepers.
Are you aware of that?
Of course. I mean, all drug dealers would have access to cellular phones anyway,
so what are you going to do, outlaw cellular phones?
I don't think they're going to outlaw cellular phones.
That's something I don't think they're going to get around to.
They're not going to do that, but it's getting kind of ridiculous out there.
I just got a cellular phone bill for $5,000.
My phone got cloned.
Oh, really?
Yes.
That must have been fun.
Yeah, well, it took me three days to clear off the bill.
Well, the thing is, cellular phones, it's a good example of where they're going with this charging for dial tone possibility here
because that's basically what they do for cellular phones.
They charge you for air time.
That's one of the reasons why I'm not using a cellular phone is because it's unreasonably priced,
and until it starts being more consumer-oriented, I advise people not to use it,
and until it becomes secure where you can't listen in on everybody, I still advise people not to use those things.
If you use a cellular phone, you make a phone call, and no one answers,
after the third ring, you will get charged air time.
You won't get charged to connect time, but you will get charged air time,
and it's going to come to a day, and I'm not in favor of this.
I think it's a little because they're breaking up the phone company.
We're reaping the problems of the breakup of the phone company.
You're going to get charged for just picking up your phone, for asking for dial tone, or loading down the phone line.
Well, you know, I think a lot of people will just take to face-to-face contact then.
I think that's the only way.
Thanks for calling.
I agree with you.
All right, thanks for calling.
Let's see if we can squeeze in a couple more phone calls here.
Good evening.
Hi, I forgot to mention one thing about dial phones.
Mention it real quick.
Okay, you know, what I did, I kept the phones that were on 8th Avenue,
those famous phones on 8th Avenue and 45th Street.
And you attached locks to them.
Attached locks to them.
Okay, you've told everybody this.
But guess what?
They've changed them back to touch tone.
Back to touch tone, yes.
That's what I'm going to do now to the phones in Jackson Heights.
I'm going to remove the dial, because I can't afford to buy locks.
Okay, well, I'm sure the authorities in Jackson Heights will be taking an interest in that.
Thank you for calling.
Good evening.
Hi, Emanuel.
Yes.
I just want to tell you about something that's another great tool for Big Brother.
Have you ever heard of the IVHS America?
Why don't you tell us about it?
It's the Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems of America.
They're apparently very well funded, judging by the kind of newsletters I'm getting from them.
But the idea is that they're going to have a way of some sort of headquarters
communicating with every car in the country.
They're trying to work it out with Detroit so that every car has this way of communicating with them.
The overt idea being that they'll be able to give people ways of
What's the term I'm looking for?
If you need direction somewhere.
But the implications of this sort of thing are kind of incredible.
Well, it's a way of being tracked nationwide, right?
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, I could send you one of the newsletters.
Take a look at it and see.
But it's kind of scary to me because it looks like they're funded by the DOD and the DOT.
So obviously the government's really heavily involved and there's a lot of money.
That is something that's worthy of concern.
Up until the point where it becomes mandatory,
I say let's play with this technology and figure out ways of getting around it if necessary.
And decide if it's what we want to have.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, apparently we don't have much say in it because they're going right ahead and implementing this sort of thing.
Usually the way these things work is they work out all these deals with Detroit
and all of a sudden a couple of years from now you buy a car and you see it's already in there.
Not much you can do about it.
No, that's true.
But at least now we can tell people what's happening.
And thanks for telling us.
Yeah, send that in, please.
All right, thanks very much.
Bye-bye.
And that's about all the time we have for tonight.
If you do want to send us something, the address is WBAI 505 8th Avenue, New York, New York, 10018.
And just put that to the attention of off the hook.
And one other thing, I talked with FiberOptic yesterday, actually,
and it was kind of sad, actually, because he's run out of money on his phone.
At least he ran out of money yesterday for his phone call.
So, actually, we got cut off and he was unable to call anybody back.
I think he's been able to put some more into his account.
But if you do want to send a contribution, please do so.
And please send a letter.
Remember, no books, no magazines, because that's against prison guidelines right now.
He has too many of them.
You can write a postal money order out.
But if you do, you must include his name and his number.
And that name and number is Mark Abene, that's spelled A-B-E-N-E, 32109-054.
And you can send that to him at FPC Schoolkill, S-C-H-U-Y-L-K-I-L-L, Unit 1, P.O. Box 670, Minersville, Pennsylvania, 17954.
And hopefully FiberOptic will be back on the airwaves by the end of the year, I guess.
Anyway, that's it for us here tonight.
Thanks to everybody that called in.
Off the hook, we'll be back on the air next week, next Wednesday night at 10 o'clock.
Stay tuned for the WBAI Evening News here on WBAI New York.
Good night.
Now I can't make a call
It couldn't get much worse
But if they could, they would
For Billy Bone, for the best, expect the worst
I hope that's understood
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
For Billy Bone
Good evening, in the news tonight,
Justice Blackman's departure
and whether it will tip the scales of justice
at the Supreme Court.
A federal judge in Worcester County, Maryland
takes a creative approach to voting discrimination
And in New York, the Giuliani administration
unveils its new anti-crime initiative
while the nations of the world prepare to confront the issue of world population.
With these and other stories, I'm Jose Santiago in New York with Verna A.B. Brown in Washington,
and this is the news for Wednesday, April 6, 1994.
First to Washington, where we begin with the resignation of Supreme Court Justice Harry
Blackmun.
It's not easy to step aside, but I know what the numbers are, and it's time.
Thank you very much.
Blackmun will retire when this Supreme Court session ends in June, or when a successor
is confirmed.
The 85-year-old Blackmun authored the landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade.
He recently said he will no longer vote to uphold the death penalty.
President Clinton praised Blackmun's 24 years on the nation's highest court.
Justice Blackmun's identification was firmly and decisively with the ordinary people of
this country, with their concerns, and his humanity was often given voice not only in
majority opinions, but in his dissents.
As for possible Clinton nominees, speculation includes Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell,
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, and federal trial judge Jose Cabranas of Connecticut.
A new report says free elections in South Africa's KwaZulu homeland are impossible because
of the current political climate of fear, intimidation, and violence.
KwaZulu is the stronghold of the Inkatha Freedom Party, which is boycotting this month's first
ever democratic elections.
James Larimer reports from Johannesburg.
A special working committee made up of representatives of the KwaZulu homeland and South African
governments drew up a report with the Independent Electoral Commission, which is overseeing
the voting.
The report says free and fair elections are not possible in the KwaZulu homeland, but
the Electoral Commission says it's going ahead with organizing the voting anyway.
There have been calls for the election in KwaZulu to be postponed, but African National
Congress President Nelson Mandela says that won't happen.
He says the state of emergency that's been declared in KwaZulu and the adjoining province
of Natal must be given time to work.
Government Chief Negotiator Rolf Mayer agrees.
He says a partial postponement of the election will bring all kinds of problems.
The report will be on the agenda at Friday's summit, involving President F.W.
De Klerk, Nelson Mandela, Inkatha leader Mangusutu Buthelezi, and the Zulu King Goodwills Weletini.
For Pacifica Network News, I'm James Larimer in Johannesburg.
At least eight Israelis were killed and over 40 injured in a suicide car bombing in northern