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 26 1992 Date: Wed, 26 Feb 92 06:30:01 EST Message-ID: DECISIONLINE: Telecommunications USA TODAY Update Feb. 26, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network 1-900 BILL PASSES HOUSES: Telephone customers would be able to block "1-900" charges to their lines or hang up, without charge, after hearing introductory messages from the pay-call services under legislation approved Tuesday by the House. The Senate has approved similar legislation. The bill now heads for a House-Senate conference to work out final details before it is presented to both chambers for a final vote. (For more, see special 1-900 package below.) UNITED TELECOM CHANGES NAME: United Telecommunications, Inc., an $8.8 billion diversified telecommunications company which traces its roots back to 1899, is officially changing its name to Sprint as of Wednesday, the company says. United Telecom's seven local telephone groups will retain their current names and add the line "A Sprint Company" to advertising and corporate logos. EXPORT HOTLINE IS OFFERED: AT&T and several multinational corporations Tuesday unveiled a new information service to help U.S. businesses, especially small and growing businesses, launch or expand their export sales. The Export Hotline is a fax information retrieval system designed to help U.S. companies learn about worldwide markets. The database contains up-to-date information on 50 key industries. HOTLINE USES FAX MACHINES: The Export Hotline service was developed by International Strategies, a Boston consulting firm, and implemented in Massachusetts during 1991. Now available nationwide, it allows callers to use their fax machines to retrieve information. By calling the 1-800-USA-XPORT callers will receive the codes of countries and industries. They then can receive reports by fax. AREA CODE TO BE USED IN FLA.: Beginning Oct. 4, all long-distance calls made in Florida will have to include the area code, even if the call is made within the same area code. The procedure will make additional numbers available for new businesses and residents, United Telephone of Florida said. Notices about the change are being placed on new telephone books and on customer bill envelopes. BELLCORE EDUCATION FORUM SET: Information networking education, a blend of telecommunications, computer science and business, will be the focus of a two-day forum, March 13 and 14, at the Bellcore Training and Education Center in Lisle, Ill. Sponsored by Bellcore, it will focus on the unique educational challenges being created by the evolving information age. To register, call (708) 960-6400. HEALTHCARE E-MAIL SYSTEM SHOWN: National Electronic Information Corporation and MCI Telecommunications Corp. introduced two new services Tuesday designed to streamline communications between health-care providers and health-care payors. NEIC-Mail and NEIC-Fax-Mail allow health-care providers to respond to requests from insurance carriers for additional information either by electronic mail or facsimile. HEWLETT-PACKARD LOOKS TO FUTURE: Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO John A. Young said Tuesday the firm plans in the long term to take advantage of opportunities in communications with the convergence of data communications, consumer electronics and telecommunications. "It's vital for us to understand where the evolution of technology and customer needs will create opportunities in the future," he said. TALKING BOUQUET BEING OFFERED: Comtec, a subsidiary of Nycom Information Services, has introduced its voice interactive Talking Bouquet personal message service. Florists in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey markets can offer the 800-number service to clients as a way of updating traditional greetings that normally accompany bouquets. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON 1-900: FCC WILL OVERSEE INDUSTRY: This year, 1-900 calls are expected to generate more than $1.5 billion by luring customers to phone in on a pay-per-call basis for everything from credit cards to jobs or a chance to chat via the phone lines with other anonymous callers, rock stars or sports figures. The bill approved Tuesday by the House gives the Federal Communications Commission authority to oversee the industry. BILL PASSES BY LARGE MARGIN: The vote was 381-31 for the bill, which contained several key provisions of legislation first introduced by Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn. Gordon has introduced legislation for the past two years. "It will save consumers millions of dollars and bring the weight of the law down on the 1-900 fast-buck operators who prey on the young, the lonely and those in economic trouble," Gordon said. FREE MESSAGE MUST BE GIVEN: The House bill directs the FCC to require 1-900 operators to include a free introductory message that describes the service and total cost per minute, and direct common carriers to provide blocking, free-of-charge, of 1-900 calls. Advertising for 1-900 numbers must clearly state charges and explain that those under 18 require parental permission to make the calls. SYSTEM WILL DEAL WITH DISPUTES: The new bill would set up a system for resolving billing disputes and require background information concerning 1-900 operators to be provided to public utility commissions. Some states, such as Tennessee, already require telephone companies to block, at no charge, 1-900 phone calls at a customer's request. (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. 08:0002260000D0226 TREN- R J Boomers-are-tired,-broke.............. A D0226 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