Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 22:23:04 -0700 From: Jim Warren Subject: GovAccess.063: Calif. ISDN; Calif. regs; Snyvle online; NY group; etc. CITIZEN "SERVICE" A LA CALIFORNIA'S TELEPHONE MONOPOLY >From HSaal@svi.org Wed Aug 3 16:49:40 1994 From: "Harry J. Saal" Subject: Home ISDN status and tariff FYI: the specifics of the PacBell home ISDN offering follow: ============================================================ Dated July 27, 1994 NODDING OFF AS YOUR MODEM CHUGS ALONG IN THE SLOW LANE? Pacific Bell's Home ISDN is the Fast Lane to On-Line Services San Francisco--Beginning next week, Pacific Bell will offer residential customers an easier, more affordable way to use the Internet or other on-line information services, do research for a homework project, or catch up on some office work from home. The service called "Home ISDN", gives customers a high speeed, digital phone line that lets users send or retrieve computerized information more quickly, without using a modem. It will be available August 2 throughout most of Pacific Bell's service area in California for $22.95 per month. Home ISDN is designed for three main purposes: - Faster use of on-line information services - Faster use of Internet - working at home "after hours" "We want to make it easier for Californians to start using the Communications Superhighway, to learn, to work and communicate more effectively," said Kathie Blankenship, director of switched digital services for Pacific Bell. "Home ISDN lets customers move information faster, cheaper and better." While most modems today transmit information at 9.6 Kilobits per second (Kbps) or 14.4 Kbps, Home ISDN offers two channels on one line, each capable of transmitting at 56 Kbps. Home ISDN "digitizes" an ordinary copper telephone line, eliminating the need for modems to convert digital computer information into analog signals. The two "B" channels of a Home ISDN line can be used separately, so users can talk while reviewing a computer document or sending a fax on the same line simultaneously. Callers can even have a videoteleconference and meet "face to face" using personal computers equipped for video conferencing. Home ISDN is similar to an ISDN servce for small business customers, which Pacific Bell introduced in May 1993 called SDS ISDN. The main difference is the price of local calls: SDS ISDN is provided at the normal Measured Business rates--whether for voice or data--of four cents for the first minute and one cent for each additional minute. Home ISDN customers will pay that rate only from 8am to 5pm Monday-Friday. The cost of local calls at all other times are included in the monthly rate. (Note: Beyond the local calling area, 0-12 miles, rates per minute are the same, however different usage discount plans may be purchased) Home ISDN offers a fully functional ISDN line with any combination of voice and circuit switched data on the B channels. D Channel packet capability is an option available in most locations--for $4 per month extra. For more information, call Pacific Bell's ISDN Service Center at 1 800 4 PBISDN. Pacific Bell is a subsidiary of Pacific Telesis Group, a diversified telecommunications corporation based in San Francisco. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& SELLING OUT THE PUBLIC'S INFORMATION TO A PRIVATE-SECTOR INFO-MONOPOLIST From: XXX@aol.com Wed Mar 16 15:41:52 1994 Excellent work on getting California Legislative Information Online. In its wisdom, the State of California handed over electronic and publishing rights for the full text of State REGULATIONS to South San Francisco based Barclays Legal Publishing about 4 years ago. Since then, anyone wanting to publish the full text of California regulations has to deal with Barclays. The experience has been tough on a lot of folks. Any plans on your part to remedy this situation? &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& CITY-OF-SUNNYVALE CIVIC-NET ON THE INTERNET >From chongo@ncd.com Fri Apr 15 04:22:30 1994 From: chongo@ncd.com (Landon Curt Noll) Path: newshost.ncd.com!not-for-mail From: noll@ncd.com (Landon Curt Noll) Newsgroups: ba.internet,ba.politics Date: 15 Apr 1994 03:48:02 -0700 Xref: newshost.ncd.com ba.internet:1798 ba.politics:5940 The following text will appear in the City of Sunnyvale's Quarterly Report. I thought it appropriate that a version should also be posted to Usenet. Please take a moment to send a short EMail message to the Sunnyvale City Council (council@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us) expressing how you feel about elected officials and city staff being accessible via the Internet. Sunnyvale staff is evaluating the effectiveness of EMail. It is important that people who live, work, shop, eat or use Sunnyvale services (Parks, Library, ...) to make use of this new tool. If you have a question, complement, complaint or idea send EMail! Landon Curt Noll Sunnyvale City Councilmember [ Presently individual Councilmembers do not have addresses. In the mean time, I can be contacted via: noll@ncd.com ] =-= On Apr 18 1994, the City of Sunnyvale will activate its first connection to the Internet for on-line electronic communication. The City's connection will enable citizens who are linked to the Internet through their personal computers or through their place of work to send messages, comments and questions to City Hall 24 hours a day. "We will use our first Internet access as an opportunity to learn about its potential to enhance the City's ability to provide good customer service," said Encarnacion (Shawn) Hernandez, Sunnyvale Director of Information Technology. "We recognize that this first link will be limited at first because we don't yet have an internal system which allows messages to be distributed to specific computer locations in City Hall. "Our experience with this first Internet domain, however, will help us evaluate the tradeoffs for costs and benefits, and it will help us determine where we go from here in the future." Internet messages will be downloaded in a central location each day and routed by interoffice mail to appropriate departments for response. City staff will call, write or send an on-line reply to the sender of the message. [ Sunnyvale is working on upgrading its internal network. Direct EMail routing should come when this is complete. -- Landon Curt Noll ] After reviewing an analysis of opportunities and trends associated with he concept of an "information superhighway" in January this year, the Sunnyvale City Council directed City staff to proceed with establishing a trial capability to receive and send electronic mail. At this time, City documents, reports and direct services will not be available through the Sunnyvale domain. [ Sunnyvale is working on upgrading its internal network. Posting of documents, ftp access and so on should make reports and direct services possible should the council vote to direct staff to do so. In part, the use and success of the new EMail service will help determine if and/or how soon Sunnyvale moves into new directions. -- Landon Curt Noll ] The Sunnyvale's Internet addresses include both an "account name" (which represents specific City departments and services) and the City's Internet domain. Both parts are necessary -- for example, electronic mail send to: council@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us would be routed to the Sunnyvale City Council. Other departments include: classreg Recreation Registrations council City Council cityatty City Attorney's Office ctymgr Office of the City Manager finance Finance department infotech Information Technology library Public Library mayor Mayor's Office nova Employment development / NOVA Job training parkresv Parks and Recreation facilities parksadm Parks and Recreation administration patents Patent Library planning Community Development pubsfty Public Safety (Police and Fire) pubworks Public Works purchase Purchasing utilbill Utility Billing -- Landon Curt Noll Sunnyvale City Councilmember and Employee of Network Computing Devices. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& ONE FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVE'S EXPERIENCE WITH OFFERING EMAIL ACCESS >From dbatterson@attmail.com Fri Mar 11 14:25:55 1994 From: dbatterson@attmail.com (David Batterson) Here's a response from Mary Fetsch, press secretary to Rep. Elizabeth Furse (D-OR) on how many e-mail letters they are getting since going online. --- Begin Forwarded Message --- Date: Fri Mar 11 15:18:15 -0500 1994 From: internet!HR.HOUSE.GOV!MFETSCH (MFETSCH) It's unbelievable. We're probably getting 50 a day! And when we included our e-mail address in our last newsletter, along with a crime survey, several people sent their responses via Internet! I'm sure this is still on the light side...we'll be innundated soon! &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& NEW YORK GROUP FOCUSES ON ACCESS AND CIVIL-LIBERTIES ISSUES Richard F. Strasser writes: >Thanks for your reply. By the way, who or what is "SEA"? The Society for Electronic Access, a New York-based non-profit focusing on civil liberties and access issues as they affect the net. Send e-mail to sea-info@sea.org for automated information, and ask me if you have any questions it doesn't answer. -S. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Diffie: Amending German constitution to permit wiretapping, the phrase used was glesengeburher (transparent citizenry). Mo' as it Is. --jim GovAccess is a series of postings and a distribution-list maintained by Jim Warren, columnist for MicroTimes, Government Technology, BoardWatch, etc. 345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062; voice/415-851-7075; fax/415-851-2814 jwarren@well.com -or- jwarren@autodesk.com >> Permission herewith granted for unlimited reposting and recirculation.<< >> Past postings are at ftp.cpsr.org:/cpsr/states/california/govaccess << >> To add or drop the GovAccess list, email to jwarren@well.com . <<