Verizon Poised To Sell To Frontier Communications

Posted on May 21, 2009 by smsgov

The New York Times is reporting that Verizon has agreed to sell divisions that offer service to 4.8 million phone lines in 14 states to Frontier Communications for $3.3 billion in cash and $5.2 billion in Frontier stock. If it goes through, the deal will triple the size of Frontier, a collection of rural phone companies. As part of the reported deal, Verizon will wind up owning at least two-thirds of Frontier’s shares. The move allows Verizon to concentrate on its wireless business and on serving large companies. The company says that after the deal, only 15 percent of its revenue will come from residential customers.

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Free Phone Service For The Needy

Posted on May 13, 2009 by smsgov

Free cell phones are now being provided to needy residents of the U.S. The program is called SafeLink and is intended for low-income families and anyone receiving Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income and other government assistance programs. Safelink is being hailed as a safety program for those who cannot afford phones to stay in touch with children and family or who may need to contact police and medical personnel.
For more information on the free cell phone program go to SafeLink.com or call 1-800-977-3768.

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Toll Free Service via Fiber-Optic

Posted on May 12, 2009 by smsgov

Fiber optics used for telecommunications is considered far more reliable than VoIP, particularly for long distance calls, because it allows for longer intervals of signal transmission without interruptions. Fiber optics provides a quality connection that ensures clarity in every call. With this technology, optical fibers are used instead of metal, reducing lost connections from electromagnetic interference.

Read more here.

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What is CALEA?

Posted on May 8, 2009 by smsgov

CALEA requires telecommunications carriers to modify their equipment, facilities, and services to aid surveillance capabilities. Initially there was some question as to whether this would apply to VoIP—Voice Over Internet Protocol service—but in 2005 the courts ruled that indeed VoIP must comply with CALEA.

Read more here.

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Copper wire theft disrupts phone service in Washington County

Posted on December 8, 2008 by smsgov

About 3,000 Windstream Communications phone and broadband customers in Washington County were left without service for much of Wednesday after thieves cut lines and fiber optic cables to steal copper wiring.

Customers in the Fredericktown and Richeyville areas lost service between 2 and 3 a.m., Windstream spokeswoman Erin Ascione said. Repair crews made their way to a rural area of Greene County Hill before dawn to begin making repairs, she said.

Repairs were completed shortly after 5 p.m., Ascione said. Windstream, based in Little Rock provides rural phone service to communities in 16 states.

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Missouri Phone Companies Say NO to Government Intervention

Posted on November 29, 2008 by smsgov

CenturyTel was first, then came Embarq followed by AT&T and two other phone companies, all telling the Missouri Public Service Commission that their rules don’t apply anymore.

The companies cite House Bill 1779 as reason why they can they can “opt out” of oversight.

Read the article

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Toll-free Phone Number Supply Expected To Be Cut Short.

Posted on September 15, 2008 by smsgov

Thirteen years after the federal government rationed the dwindling supply of toll free numbers, reports are circulating that rationing will once again be implemented. Severe shortages of 800 numbers are forcing these extreme measures as a means of protecting the limited remaining supply.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a stockpile of new 855 numbers reserved to address the shortage but these numbers are not expected to be released anytime soon. With available 800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers at all all-time low, insiders fear the numbers will run completely dry, hurting business and creating an out-of-control black market.

Experts say that consumers recognize that many of the advantages of 1-800 numbers outweigh standard local phone service. Toll free service is becoming increasingly common with parents wishing to keep in close contact with children and teens. Businesses with a 1-800 number can see almost instant increases in sales, word of mouth referrals, and a decrease in product returns. Standard local phone service does not provide any of these advantages.

Government officials say something must be done to offset the problem—this means a possible rationing program and a tough crackdown on the burgeoning black market. Attempts to profit from the illegal sale of 800, 888, 877 and 866 numbers are in response to rapidly dwindling supplies. As with any commodity in high demand, a black market for toll free numbers has emerged in the United States, sending regulators scrambling to control the illegal sales of valuable 800 numbers.

Available toll free numbers are at an all-time low and experts advise anyone interested in obtaining an 800 number should act now. Thousands of toll free numbers are registered each day and with a limited number of possibilities, the finite supply is nearly expended.

The most expedient way to secure an 800 number is to contact a reliable service provider such as Qwest, AT&T, or Verizon.

Also Read:

The Toll Free Ration Bill

Proposed Ration Bil

800 Numbers Running Low

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Toll-free Phone Service Applications Expected To Rise

Posted on September 10, 2008 by smsgov

Heeding recent warnings about the rapid decline of 800 numbers, subscribers are applying for toll free service at record rates. A steady stream of requests are pouring in for toll free 800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers and applications are expected to continue to rise this year.

In recent years, an average of 8,000 new toll free numbers have been doled out each day from the main database of available numbers, managed by the 800 Service Management System (SMS/800). With 800 numbers bursting in popularity while the supply of available numbers shrinks, insiders say the number of daily applications could double by the end of the year.

For several months now, industry insiders have been advising anyone looking for a toll free number to secure one immediately. The warnings are apparently sinking in– applications for 800 numbers are at an all-time high as subscribers try to obtain a number while there are still some remaining.

Making the situation worse, hopes that the new 855 numbers would soon be released have been dashed as insiders report the launch of the numbers may be held off until 2011. Meanwhile more than two-thirds of available numbers have been taken and millions of new numbers are being registered each year.

The popularity of the 1-800 number, introduced in the late 1960s, led the FCC to add the new pre-fixes 888 and 877 in the mid-1990s. When availability of those numbers became scarce in 2000, the 866 pre-fix was added to overcome the shortage. Now, eight years later, the stockpile is once again low despite a recent mass deactivation of unused 800 numbers.

In the race to submit an application for toll free phone service, advisors say the most effective and affordable way to obtain an 800 number before supplies run out is to contact a reliable toll free service provider. A few examples are Verizon, or Qwest. These providers can quickly assist subscribers in finding a quality toll free number.

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Fiber-Optic Toll Free Service

Posted on June 22, 2008 by smsgov

As the use of toll free phone service grows at record rates, the popularity of fiber optic toll free service is now far exceeding that of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service.

In fact, recent news reports indicate that many companies are dropping VoIP systems and replacing them with fiber optic service, the most advanced technology available.

Fiber optics used for telecommunications is considered far more reliable than VoIP, particularly for long distance calls, because it allows for longer intervals of signal transmission without interruptions. Fiber optics provides a quality connection that ensures clarity in every call. With this technology, optical fibers are used instead of metal, reducing lost connections from electromagnetic interference.

Fiber optics is also considered more secure. It is difficult, if not impossible, to detect motion through the fibers. This reduces concerns over phone calls being improperly monitored.

Some companies such use exclusively fiber optic technology. Other toll free number service providers still use the less reliable VoIP, which does not provide the consistent connections of fiber optics. In fact, in some circumstances with VoIP, if the power fails, phone calls cannot be transmitted at all.

To avoid gaps in telephone service and to ensure clear connections, experts recommend using fiber optics for secure and reliable phone connections.

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Explanation of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)

Posted on June 18, 2008 by smsgov

In 1994 as a means of keeping up with emerging digital technology, the United States Congress approved the Communications for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). The regulations were intended to preserve a wiretapping law put in place in 1968 and allow wiretapping over digital phone networks.

CALEA requires telecommunications carriers to modify their equipment, facilities, and services to aid surveillance capabilities. Initially there was some question as to whether this would apply to VoIP—Voice Over Internet Protocol service—but in 2005 the courts ruled that indeed VoIP must comply with CALEA.

As part of an investigation, law enforcement agencies or intelligence services can tap into a phone call or trace the origin of the call without advising any of the parties involved in the communications.

This means that all VoIP phone service, including toll free providers using VoIP, is subjected to the surveillance provisions under CALEA.

In fact, all telecommunications companies as defined by CALEA must maintain updated system securities plans with the Federal Communications Commission. Internet providers and VOIP service providers were required to submit their initial plan by March 2007 and now must provide updated material as mandated by CALEA.

Virtually all common carriers and telecommunications companies are subject to the regulations under CALEA. This means all telephone communications can be monitored as part of legal, warranted, surveillance by law enforcement agencies. However, fiber optic communications are a possible exception for some wiretapping purposes because detecting transmission through the fiber optic cables is very difficult.

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