Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.telcom From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: telcom Wed, Feb 19 1992 Date: Wed, 19 Feb 92 06:39:08 EST Message-ID: DECISIONLINE: Telecommunications USA TODAY Update Feb. 19, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network BABY BELL HEARINGS BEGIN: A House Subcommittee kicks off hearings Wednesday that will decide if it should allow the regional Bell companies into a slew of new businesses, including news gathering, making telephone gear and transmitting long-distance calls. Among the experts to testify is Robert Allen, chairman of AT&T, who's opposed to giving the Baby Bells new freedoms. PACIFIC BELL PLANS NEW SERVICES: Pacific Bell Tuesday said it plans to offer news reports for home voice mail customers, expanded directory assistance and a service to give schools access to hundreds of university library databases. Pacific hopes to make them all available by the end of next year. Until recently, federal court decisions prohibited regional Bell companies from offering such services. (For more, see special Pacific package below.) IBM INTRODUCES NEW CALLPATH: IBM Corp. Tuesday introduced a new version of its CallPath:400 product that gives businesses with AT&T and NEC telephone systems a way to expand the services they offer. The new version of CallPath:400 allows companies to link their Application System:400 computers to phone systems from six different makers. It will be available in December. BELLCORE UNVEILS AREA CODE PLAN: Bellcore's North American Numbering Plan Administration has mapped out a proposed strategy to meet telecommunications area code needs at least through the first quarter of the 21st century. The Proposal on the "Future of Numbering in World Zone 1" outlines the plans. The report has been distributed to phone companies. Bellcore is requesting comments on the proposal by April 30. PLAN WOULD ASSIGN 300 CODES: Bellcore's area code plan includes a short-term allocation of 640 new interchangeable area codes. Right now, only `1' of `0' can be used as the middle digit in an area code. By allowing `2' through `9' to be used, there will be 640 more available codes. The plan calls for 300 of the codes to be assigned to areas. The rest will be reserved for personal communications and future needs. NETWORK WORLD TO ADD SECTIONS: The trade publication Network World said Tuesday it plans to add new sections on enterprise applications and internetworking starting in March. The new enterprise applications section will cover enabling applications such as distributed database, e-mail and groupware. The internetworks section will focus on building LAN to LAN and LAN to WAN networks. ANDREW CORP. TO SHOW PRODUCTS: Andrew Corp. said Tuesday it will display its enhanced line of integrated mainframe connectivity products - including remote dial up, PC emulation:file transfer and printer products - at the Enterprise Expo March 3 in Anaheim, Calif. Included will be the DataLynx:3174 network controller that features enhanced dial-back security and NetView alert. TAXPAYERS FILE ELECTRONICALLY: This is the first year taxpayers with taxes due can file electronically. Refunds via electronic filing became available in three cities in 1986 and spread to all 50 states in 1990. The IRS estimates there were 78,000 electronic filers in 1987 and more than a million by 1989. The estimate for 1992: 10 million. TURNER PLANS CARTOON NETWORK: Beginning Oct. 1, Ted Turner will offer a 24-hour cartoon network. The new cable channel will use his company's vast library of more than 1,000 cartoons and more than 3,000 half-hours of programs from Hanna-Barbera, which Turner purchased. Turner says the move is "a natural extension of our recently acquired interests in the Hanna-Barbera library." SPECIAL PACKAGE ON PACIFIC: NEWS SERVICE WILL BE OFFERED: Pacific Bell's news service, which will begin market tests in April, will deliver daily customized reports to subscribers over the phone, including top headlines, sports scores for the subscriber's choice of teams, and closing stock prices for individual stock portfolios. The service will be a feature of The Message Center, the company's year-old home voice mail system. SERVICE WILL BEGIN IN L.A.: The initial test of the news service in April will offer the day's headlines, financial news and sports reports in Los Angeles, with information supplied by an independent news gathering organization. A San Francisco Bay Area trial beginning in October will add entertainment features. Pacific Bell plans to have it available to four million households by the middle of next year. MORE INFORMATION WILL BE GIVEN: Pacific Bell says its Expanded Directory Assistance service, which it hopes to put into service next year, will let callers get the phone number of a business even if they only know part of the firm's name. It will also let operators offer such information as a business' hours of operation, address, cross streets and nine-digit zip codes. ONLINE SERVICE BEING DEVELOPED: Pacific is working to develop an online information service for California schools. Called Knowledge Network Gateway, the service will give schools low-cost, high speed access to The Internet, the National Science Foundation network of information and university library databases. The company plans to test the system this year and to make it widely available late next year. (End of package.) Telecommunications Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. 08:0002190000D0219 TREN- R J Toys-mimic-real-life.................. A D0219 This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM