In article ,
says...

On Fri, 22 Dec 2017 15:39:08 -0600, Charles Richmond
wrote:

[snip]

Back in the bad old days, two houses on different sides of the same
freeway... a phone call from one house to the other... was a
long-distant toll call !!! That is sort of analogous to speaking
dialects !!! :-)

I always thought that that nonsense could have been solved by
using a better zone system. A call to the same zone or only one zone
away would be local; the others would be long distance. Set the zones
to allow for cities and geography.



In the 1980's I knew 2 brothers that lived next to each other. The
houses were seperated by a small field maybe 100 yards wide. They were
long distance from each other by the phone companies. Each one had a
different phone company.

Where I am at now I can not get ATT as its service starts about 1/4 of a
mile or less from me. I am on another phone company, or was before I
switched over to the internet phone. That was a very good thing for me.
I get free long distance, but best of all they block most robot calls.
The phone rings once and quits. The number is on the caller ID box and
if it really is something I want, I can dial them back. Also it is easy
to go on the internet and tell the phone company I want to block a
number. I don't do it, but a friend does, you can have the home phone
number send it to your cell phone after a few rings.

Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Fri, 22 Dec 2017 15:39:08 -0600, Charles Richmond
wrote:

[snip]

Back in the bad old days, two houses on different sides of the same
freeway... a phone call from one house to the other... was a
long-distant toll call !!! That is sort of analogous to speaking
dialects !!! :-)

I always thought that that nonsense could have been solved by
using a better zone system. A call to the same zone or only one zone
away would be local; the others would be long distance. Set the zones
to allow for cities and geography.



In the 1980's I knew 2 brothers that lived next to each other. The
houses were seperated by a small field maybe 100 yards wide. They were
long distance from each other by the phone companies. Each one had a
different phone company.

Where I am at now I can not get ATT as its service starts about 1/4 of a
mile or less from me. I am on another phone company, or was before I
switched over to the internet phone. That was a very good thing for me.
I get free long distance, but best of all they block most robot calls.
The phone rings once and quits. The number is on the caller ID box and
if it really is something I want, I can dial them back. Also it is easy
to go on the internet and tell the phone company I want to block a
number. I don't do it, but a friend does, you can have the home phone
number send it to your cell phone after a few rings.



Our electric is like this. Most of our development is National Grid and our
street and one other are NYSEG. Some times this is good, but sometimes
we're out and the other streets aren't.

--
Pete

On 12/23/2017 3:01 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Fri, 22 Dec 2017 15:39:08 -0600, Charles Richmond
wrote:

[snip]

Back in the bad old days, two houses on different sides of the same
freeway... a phone call from one house to the other... was a
long-distant toll call !!! That is sort of analogous to speaking
dialects !!! :-)

I always thought that that nonsense could have been solved by
using a better zone system. A call to the same zone or only one zone
away would be local; the others would be long distance. Set the zones
to allow for cities and geography.



In the 1980's I knew 2 brothers that lived next to each other. The
houses were seperated by a small field maybe 100 yards wide. They were
long distance from each other by the phone companies. Each one had a
different phone company.

Where I am at now I can not get ATT as its service starts about 1/4 of a
mile or less from me. I am on another phone company, or was before I
switched over to the internet phone. That was a very good thing for me.
I get free long distance, but best of all they block most robot calls.
The phone rings once and quits. The number is on the caller ID box and
if it really is something I want, I can dial them back. Also it is easy
to go on the internet and tell the phone company I want to block a
number. I don't do it, but a friend does, you can have the home phone
number send it to your cell phone after a few rings.


Do you mind if I ask which VOIP company you're using (reply by email if
you wish). I'm considering switching both my home and business numbers
to another company. Verizon has gone VOIP but they're expensive (and
have fewer features).

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle

==================

In article ,
says...

Do you mind if I ask which VOIP company you're using (reply by email if
you wish). I'm considering switching both my home and business numbers
to another company. Verizon has gone VOIP but they're expensive (and
have fewer features).

The company is/was Time Warner Cable that was bought or merged with
Spectrum. I only had the internet before the merge and it was about $
60 and the land line phone with another company was about $ 40 or $ 45
or just the basic service. No caller ID and 10 cents a minuit for long
distance.

By bundling the internet and phone I am paying about $ 69 per month for
both services and that includes a surcharge for the wifi modem and
probably because I wanted to keep Earthlink as the ISP instead of going
with them which I think is Roadrunner.

https://www.spectrum.com/home-phone.html

They advertise $ 29.99 each for some cable TV, phone , and internet if
you bundle them together. There is no contract or anyting. Not sure
how long they will hold that price as it has only been a few months.
Did not want the TV as using Direct TV and the wife wanted to keep it.

Only drawback I can think of now is if the cable line goes out I have to
use a cell phone to call them.

On 12/23/2017 10:41 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

Do you mind if I ask which VOIP company you're using (reply by email if
you wish). I'm considering switching both my home and business numbers
to another company. Verizon has gone VOIP but they're expensive (and
have fewer features).

The company is/was Time Warner Cable that was bought or merged with
Spectrum. I only had the internet before the merge and it was about $
60 and the land line phone with another company was about $ 40 or $ 45
or just the basic service. No caller ID and 10 cents a minuit for long
distance.

By bundling the internet and phone I am paying about $ 69 per month for
both services and that includes a surcharge for the wifi modem and
probably because I wanted to keep Earthlink as the ISP instead of going
with them which I think is Roadrunner.

https://www.spectrum.com/home-phone.html

They advertise $ 29.99 each for some cable TV, phone , and internet if
you bundle them together. There is no contract or anyting. Not sure
how long they will hold that price as it has only been a few months.
Did not want the TV as using Direct TV and the wife wanted to keep it.

Only drawback I can think of now is if the cable line goes out I have to
use a cell phone to call them.




Ah, OK. I thought you had gone with one of the VOIP companies. We
don't have Spectrum here; there are some places on the other side of the
river in Virginia with them, but all we have available are Verizon and
XFinity. I think Verizon is the lesser of the two evils

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry, AI0K

==================

On Sat, 23 Dec 2017 23:10:44 -0500, Jerry Stuckle
wrote:

On 12/23/2017 10:41 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

Do you mind if I ask which VOIP company you're using (reply by email if
you wish). I'm considering switching both my home and business numbers
to another company. Verizon has gone VOIP but they're expensive (and
have fewer features).

The company is/was Time Warner Cable that was bought or merged with
Spectrum. I only had the internet before the merge and it was about $
60 and the land line phone with another company was about $ 40 or $ 45
or just the basic service. No caller ID and 10 cents a minuit for long
distance.

By bundling the internet and phone I am paying about $ 69 per month for
both services and that includes a surcharge for the wifi modem and
probably because I wanted to keep Earthlink as the ISP instead of going
with them which I think is Roadrunner.

https://www.spectrum.com/home-phone.html

They advertise $ 29.99 each for some cable TV, phone , and internet if
you bundle them together. There is no contract or anyting. Not sure
how long they will hold that price as it has only been a few months.
Did not want the TV as using Direct TV and the wife wanted to keep it.

Only drawback I can think of now is if the cable line goes out I have to
use a cell phone to call them.




Ah, OK. I thought you had gone with one of the VOIP companies. We
don't have Spectrum here; there are some places on the other side of the
river in Virginia with them, but all we have available are Verizon and
XFinity. I think Verizon is the lesser of the two evils

You know nothing compels you to get your phone from your internet
provider. Microsoft provides unlimited worldwide service for
$14.99/month, plus $25 every three if you want a number that people
can call. Google has something similar.

On Sat, 23 Dec 2017 23:49:05 -0500
J. Clarke wrote:

You know nothing compels you to get your phone from your internet
provider. Microsoft provides unlimited worldwide service for
$14.99/month, plus $25 every three if you want a number that people
can call. Google has something similar.

That is an expensive option unless you make a *lot* of calls, there
are providers where you pay for all calls but the rate to most places is
under a cent per minute.

--
Steve O'Hara-Smith | Directable Mirror Arrays
C:\WIN | A better way to focus the sun
The computer obeys and wins. | licences available see
You lose and Bill collects. | http://www.sohara.org/

On 12/23/2017 11:49 PM, J. Clarke wrote:
On Sat, 23 Dec 2017 23:10:44 -0500, Jerry Stuckle
wrote:

On 12/23/2017 10:41 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

Do you mind if I ask which VOIP company you're using (reply by email if
you wish). I'm considering switching both my home and business numbers
to another company. Verizon has gone VOIP but they're expensive (and
have fewer features).

The company is/was Time Warner Cable that was bought or merged with
Spectrum. I only had the internet before the merge and it was about $
60 and the land line phone with another company was about $ 40 or $ 45
or just the basic service. No caller ID and 10 cents a minuit for long
distance.

By bundling the internet and phone I am paying about $ 69 per month for
both services and that includes a surcharge for the wifi modem and
probably because I wanted to keep Earthlink as the ISP instead of going
with them which I think is Roadrunner.

https://www.spectrum.com/home-phone.html

They advertise $ 29.99 each for some cable TV, phone , and internet if
you bundle them together. There is no contract or anyting. Not sure
how long they will hold that price as it has only been a few months.
Did not want the TV as using Direct TV and the wife wanted to keep it.

Only drawback I can think of now is if the cable line goes out I have to
use a cell phone to call them.




Ah, OK. I thought you had gone with one of the VOIP companies. We
don't have Spectrum here; there are some places on the other side of the
river in Virginia with them, but all we have available are Verizon and
XFinity. I think Verizon is the lesser of the two evils

You know nothing compels you to get your phone from your internet
provider. Microsoft provides unlimited worldwide service for
$14.99/month, plus $25 every three if you want a number that people
can call. Google has something similar.



I wouldn't get phone service from Microsoft if it were the last company
on earth. They're about the only company I consider worse than XFinity
in that respect. I don't want a phone that crashes three times a day.

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle

==================

On Sun, 24 Dec 2017 10:42:01 -0500, Jerry Stuckle
wrote:

On 12/23/2017 11:49 PM, J. Clarke wrote:
On Sat, 23 Dec 2017 23:10:44 -0500, Jerry Stuckle
wrote:

On 12/23/2017 10:41 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

Do you mind if I ask which VOIP company you're using (reply by email if
you wish). I'm considering switching both my home and business numbers
to another company. Verizon has gone VOIP but they're expensive (and
have fewer features).

The company is/was Time Warner Cable that was bought or merged with
Spectrum. I only had the internet before the merge and it was about $
60 and the land line phone with another company was about $ 40 or $ 45
or just the basic service. No caller ID and 10 cents a minuit for long
distance.

By bundling the internet and phone I am paying about $ 69 per month for
both services and that includes a surcharge for the wifi modem and
probably because I wanted to keep Earthlink as the ISP instead of going
with them which I think is Roadrunner.

https://www.spectrum.com/home-phone.html

They advertise $ 29.99 each for some cable TV, phone , and internet if
you bundle them together. There is no contract or anyting. Not sure
how long they will hold that price as it has only been a few months.
Did not want the TV as using Direct TV and the wife wanted to keep it.

Only drawback I can think of now is if the cable line goes out I have to
use a cell phone to call them.




Ah, OK. I thought you had gone with one of the VOIP companies. We
don't have Spectrum here; there are some places on the other side of the
river in Virginia with them, but all we have available are Verizon and
XFinity. I think Verizon is the lesser of the two evils

You know nothing compels you to get your phone from your internet
provider. Microsoft provides unlimited worldwide service for
$14.99/month, plus $25 every three if you want a number that people
can call. Google has something similar.



I wouldn't get phone service from Microsoft if it were the last company
on earth. They're about the only company I consider worse than XFinity
in that respect. I don't want a phone that crashes three times a day.

I don't recall Skype _ever_ crashing. This "crashes three times a
day" business from people who last used Windows 30 years ago is
getting boring.