Date   : Fri, 12 Jun 1987 08:28:00-CDT
From   : SNELSON@STL-HOST1.ARPA
Subject: Re: FCC proposal again threatens modem users

In Missouri Southwestern Bell has had a 175% of the cost of a flat rate
business line surcharge in effect for 10 years for dial up lines terminating
in a computer.

We (the Army) challenged this in 1977 through the legal troops. What had
really frosted us was that we had 24 dial-up lines terminating in 3 muxes
riding an AT&T 209A modem and link to the Wright-Patterson TIP. We paid!
It seems the very simple way the tariff was written made anything in
Missouri that is directly connected/attached to a computer port gets
charged. We have 52 dial in modems and the cost per month isn't cheap.

What isn't clear is whether both ends of connection are billed $5 per
hour per session or $5 an hour per line regardless of use? How will
they differentiate between data and voice as a lot of companies use
them alternatively for voice during the day and for data during the
low rate periods at night. Take a major programming change for the ESSs
to track incoming calls not to mention the billing programs. Some of the
older switches are pretty dumb and couldn't even do that.

I wonder if the pork barrellers (congress) has EMAIL?

Regards

Steve