Re: ISDN vs POTS in Boston? Re: Arguments against BA...

["Fred R. Goldstein" <fgoldstein@bbn.com>]

  At 06:12 PM 7/24/96 -0400, Meir Israel Green wrote:
  >Hi, I am moving to Boston (Brighton, MA) on Tuesday.  I called NYNEX about
  >ISDN options vs POTS and it appears to me that even two POTS lines are far
  >cheaper than ISDN because I can get untimed or flat rate POTS service for
  >$16.85 (+3.50 FCC line charge) per month.  I would appreciate any comments
  >about why I should consider ISDN as competitive, assuming I go with a
  >major ISP, in my local calling area.  Please reply to me as well as
  >the list because I am not currently subscribed.  Thanks very much, Meir
  
  The Boston resi tariff is very complex.  You have a series of rate options,
  each with different calling areas.  I don't have the *exact* prices with me
  but here's the ballpark.  From Brighton, you can get:
  
  1MR Measured - all calls within 8 miles are 1c/call + 1.6 c/minute; 8-16
  miles within Metro Boston is 5.5c/minute, no night discounts.  Around $9.
  
  1FR Contiguous - as above except no charge for calls to Brighton and
  immediately-adjacent exchange areas (Brookline, Cambridge, Newton,
  Watertown).  I'm not sure if it gets Boston Central.  $16,85.
  
  1SR Suburban - gets free calls to all Metro Boston exchanges EXCEPT Boston
  Central.  Around $27.
  
  1ER Metropolitan - gets free calls to all Metro Boston.  Note that "outer
  metro" is toll FROM Boston/Brigton but they can call inbound or each other
  for free if they get Metro.  Around $30 and very popular.
  
  A LATA-wide flat rate option has just been proposed for, I think, $49.
  Bay State East is LATA-wide for around 6 cents/minute with a 2-hour
  allowance, around $38.  I doubt Measured Circle (around 6 cents to anywhere
  within 25 miles, but that's higher than off-peak toll at list) does much
  good.  Circle (flat rate for 20 miles) is not available in Brighton or most
  other places; it's available to a random-looking fraction of exchanges.
  
  ISDN is now priced as a supplement to this.  For $8/month, ANY of the above
  rate classes can be made digital (BRI).  You then get that flat rate calling
  area.  However, flat rate ONLY applies to voice (speech/audio) bearers.
  Data bearers are $5/month per channel ($10 to allow 2B data) are always at
  the Measured rate (1.6-5.5 c/minute, no extended or metro calling areas).
  So we resi ISDN users stick to "data over voice" calling at 56 kbps.  Any
  competent ISDN gear and ISP will support it.  NYNEX cries in their beer but
  then they asked for it.
  
  The downside is that NYNEX flat-rate DOV only applies to ONE B channel.
  They don't allow two voice calls at once on a flat-rate basis.  The
  exception is on a DMS-100 since the DMS can't restrict; thus I pay Metro
  POTS rate plus $13 for "1 voice, 1 data" and can make 2 voice, 2 data (and
  pay? hah!), or 1+1 on my DMS line.  (I'm not sure what Brighton is; I can
  tell you tomorrow when I'm back in the office but I'm replying by E-mail
  over my ISDN line in flat-rate DOV mode!)
  
  NYNEX is working on a new tariff and is probably going to copy the Bell
  Atlantic model (voice AND data both measured, with prepaid usage "telpaks"
  at a relative discount).  And I'm going to fight it at the DPU; we are
  pretty proud of our tariff and the DPU may be supportive of the subscribers.
  
  The downside is that NYNEX is simply incompetent, can't meet delivery dates,
  can't keep lines going, and can't walk and chew gum without suffocating.
  Even worse here than in NY.  But that's a different story.
  ---
  Fred R. Goldstein     k1io    fgoldstein@bbn.com   +1 617 873 3850
  Opinions are mine alone.  Sharing requires permission.