From: Steve Schear <schear@lvdi.net>
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 07:30:57 +0800
To: Joichi Ito <jito@eccosys.com>
Subject: Re: Is Anonymous Communication only for "Criminals"? (was: Re:  UCENET II and Peter duh Silva)
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.91.971220102724.24864D-100000@mcfeely.bsfs.org>
Message-ID: <v03102800b0c300fd81ba@[208.129.55.202]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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>At 10:36 97/12/20 -0500, Rabid Wombat wrote:
>
>> More like simple economics; after the breakup, a lot of pay phones were 
>> operated by companies specializing in this type of service. Pay phones 
>> are high maintenance, and their operators can only turn a profit by 
>> charging very high rates; if you make a quick call and ask the other 
>> party to call you back at the pay phone, the pay phone operator doesn't 
>> make much money.
>> 
>> Can you site any legislation barring pay phones from receiving calls? I'd 
>> think that most pay phone operators would be glad to deny incomming calls 
>> if they were allowed to (as they often are), and wouldn't need to be forced.
>
>Can't a pay phone operator get paid a portion of incoming calls as well?
>If they can set outgoing rates to be very high, couldn't they set their
>incoming rates as well? (This is not an opinion, but a question.)
>I do know that depending on the arrangement, phone companies either
>carry all incoming call for free or cross bill incoming minutes to each other.

There's probably is little incentive for the originating carrier to share their revenue with the phone operator.   The originating carrier could try and pass on the added cost of the payphone usage to the caller but this complicates the call completion arrangements, including (probably) the use of an Automatic Voice Response notifying the caller of the additional charges.  I've heard some U.S. cellular carriers are experimenting with "caller pays" billing.  Does anyone on the list have experience with "caller pays"?

An alternative to a change in billing arrangements might be to enhance the payphone.  All the phone manufacturer needs is to add a feature which disconnects the audio from the handset, alternately displays the incoming caller's number and a request for payment in order to complete the call.  The display continues and the audio is disconnected for as long as the incoming call is present.  Deposit the money and the call's audio is connected to the handset.  Operator is paid.  If desired, the phone can request payment in amount and frequency which corresponds to a easily understood rate (e.g., a local call.)

Possible problems: 
1. Lack of information/loss of anonymity--if the caller has their Caller-ID blocked and neglects to temporarily turn it off the receiving phone will only be able to display "Unknown Caller,"  causing person waiting for a call to gamble that the caller is from the party expected, if caller turns off their Caller-ID block anyone near the phone can see their phone number whether or not the call completes or the expected receiving party is present.

2. Possible incompatibilities with existing payphone payment signaling systems.

--Steve