Phone companies join their rivals in the facts business
Article Abstract:
Congress is considering legislation that would restrict Bell companies from offering information services, but Pres Bush, who favors competition in the industry, threatens a veto. Even with support from the Bush Administration, the Bell companies will proceed cautiously, fearing a heavy investment in businesses that might be regulated at some future time. Information services being considered for regulation include electronic yellow pages, stock quotes, weather reports, electronic mail and message services, and news. Powerful interests that oppose the Bell companies' entry into information services include information providers such as Compuserve and Prodigy, as well as newspaper members of the American Newspaper Publishers Association. They say that Bell companies would have an unfair advantage because of revenues from their local telephone monopolies. A very large market is at stake: it is estimated that the market for information services, which amounted to $19.5 billion in 1990, will increase to $31.6 billion in 1995.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1992
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The debate over privacy and caller identification
Article Abstract:
Telephone companies arouse debate over privacy by offering caller identification (caller ID), a service that allows subscribers to see the telephone number of the person placing an incoming call. Privacy advocates claim the rights of some legitimate callers may be violated by the telecommunications service, especially for callers who wish to maintain their anonymity. Caller ID is available in a number of states including Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and West Virginia. New York state has not yet sanctioned use of the service. Customers may prevent their numbers from being displayed through per-call or per-line blocking. Both houses of legislature are reviewing bills that would prohibit per-line blocking. The New York Public Service Commission will discuss privacy issues at hearings in Jun 1991.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1991
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Phone credit-card thieves swipe from the unsuspecting
Article Abstract:
Long-distance telephone companies and consumers lost approximately $4 billion to fraudulent long-distance calling that is reaching epidemic proportions in New York and other major US cities. Criminals use a technique called 'shoulder surfing' where they memorize callers' calling card numbers by watching the pattern of callers' hands as they dial at public telephones. They then sell the numbers to others. New York passed a state law in Jun 1992 that ups the usage of stolen credit card calling numbers from a misdemeanor to a felony. Experts contend that many of the criminals are immigrants who arrive in the US with no way to stay in touch with friends and family back home. Since most of the shoulder surfers memorize the numbers instead of jotting them down, they do not fear arrest.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1992
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