Re: [telecom] 911 service center troubles [Telecom]

In a message dated 7/14/2009 7:52:39 AM Central Daylight Time,
hancock4@xxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

My guess is that the 911 surcharge on our phone bills replaces
general tax dollars once used to pay for such services.

There was no 911 service before the 911 tax (not a surcharge, a legally
binding tax.)

But the real question is how were such expenses paid in the past,
between Bell and the police? That is, in the past one dialed 0-
operator and asked for help and the Bell operator connected the person
to the cops. I believe the calls were free. If need be, the
operators would stay on the line to assist, indeed, the Bell System
made a big deal about heroic assistance provided by an operator to
someone in distress. I do not think Bell got any extra compensation
for that service (unlike today, where if you merely stare at the 0
button you get charged service fee.)

Before 911 it was a telephone serivce paid for by the cops. The 911
idea came later, and many people wondered why, since there seemed to
be no real problen with the "Dial-Operator" arrangement, for which
there was no charge to the caller (you think anyone would have stood
for having to pay for calling the police?) Regular charge for
whatever service and equipment the cops had, charged to the police.

Presumably Bell did collect rental on the police dept telephones.
Bell had dispatcher switchboards as part of its product line for
larger police departments.

Many businesses and operations needed dispatching equipment, not just
police departments.

Basic 911 goes way back when it was merrly a dial shortcut in cities

Never heard of 911 other than that associated with the entire 911
philosophy.

Did Bell get anything for that; or were they just happy to remove
some call volume from 0-operators?

Don't know and don't know how you would know where to terminate the
911 calls, if that ever existed other than the entire 911 she-bang.
PSAPs were a concept of the 911 philosophy.

Note that in the 1970s Bell needed to add more operators, despite
automation, to handle ever more requests for operator services, and
was naturally concerned about the increased labor costs. That's when
they introduced discounts for dialed direct station toll calls and
surcharges for operator handled toll calls. Directory assistance
charges came next.

Reduced rates for DDD station-to-station calls came with the first DDD
installation in the 1950s or 1960s. Person-to-person calls (operator
handled, of course) go back before DDD, i.e., in the days of manual
offices.

911 service, of course, applies for a lot of emergencies, not just the
cops.

Wes Leatherock
wesrock@xxxxxxx
wleathus@xxxxxxxxx

.

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