Remember the old Kris Kristofferson standard, “Everybody’s got to have somebody to look down on?” Well, I think I saw that in spades when I sat in on a recent roundtable meeting between alphanumeric paging dispatch providers, those who use such services and a representative of the independent pay-phone industry. From my vantage point, pay-phone operators were looking down on long-distance carriers who were looking down on alpha dispatch guys who had nowhere else to look.
And all because of the FCC’s recent decision to allow pay-phone operators not only to charge a dime more for a local call but a substantial surcharge for callers to 800 numbers-regional and nationwide paging’s bread and butter.
The wireless guys blamed the pay-phone guy, saying increased costs were going to drive customers away by adding 30 percent to billings. Not only that, “someone” was making fraudulent calls to alpha dispatch players from pay phones, just for the compensation, and who else could it be but the pay-phone operators? The pay-phone guy, while adamant that increased charges were long overdue, blamed the long-distance carriers for all the hubbub. It is going to be a long fight to straighten this mess out and to reach consensus. Number-blocking, anyone?
If cellular and PCS operators are looking for a new opportunity, pager call backs might just be it. The likes of Sprint PCS, Omnipoint, Bell Atlantic and others could add a new line item to their marketing plans-cut out the pay phone/long distance 800-number money grab and offer 10-cent-per-minute page-return calls. With the pervasive “you can’t, you can’t, we won’t” attitude here, someone should be able to come in with an “I can.” Just a thought.
PCIA is earning its membership dues from lobbying alone. The association gave 16 presentations to all five FCC commissioners in one day earlier this month.
A Dec. 15 letter from Reps. Tom Bliley (R-Va.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) to Portals part-owner Franklin Haney fanned the fire surrounding alleged improprieties regarding the FCC’s planned move to that facility. Seems that Haney still doesn’t believe Congress has a right to question him about his and associate Peter Knight’s dealings regarding that contract, but we think the thinly veiled “s” word (for subpoena) may do the trick this time.
“I don’t use cellular phones … It’s like sticking your head in a microwave oven. They’re very bad for you.”-Rolling Stone Keith Richard, substance-abuse expert.
Happy Holidays.
