Re: Hardest rpg that you've managed to finish?

In article <9NGdnUgzxq2E3qfVnZ2dnUVZ_t7inZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Briarroot@xxxxxxxxx says...
arioch wrote:
In article <4838A691.B04EC80C@xxxxxxx>, don@xxxxxxx says...

Briarroot wrote:

There were FidoNet BBSs in nearly every area code in the US and Canada
by 1985, and since there was no entry fee to join beyond the cost of the
PC itself, thousands of hobbyists set up their own.

Yes, there were a lot of BBSs in my area code, but they were all long
distance from my town. I remember it taking something like 2 hours to
download a game, and at 20 cents a minute, it cost as much as the
average retail game back then.

Back in the "good ole days" of Divestiture, when it was often more
expensive to call across town that out of state.


I guess that's a function of population density. In my state, any
number within an area code is a local call; and it's always been that way.

Maybe, but that would be, as you said, an artifact of your state's
Central Office (prefix) distribution. After Divestiture, local calling
was divided into several Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs). The
RBOCs were still monopolies, so could charge monopoly prices (and yes,
they did wherever you lived if it was in the U.S.). AT&T was required
to allow competition for long distance, so LD prices were (surprise)
lower, which is why it was cheaper.

In recent years the telcos have shrunk the calling areas so that what
were once multi-county area codes are now divided into many smaller ones
resulting in a lot more long distance calls. Their rationale is that
they needed the new area codes because of the huge demand for new
telephone numbers caused by the emergence of cell phones. That makes
sense, but the result is that cross-town calls which used to be local
are now made to a different area code and hence billed as long distance.
What bothers me about this state of affairs is that they still charge
more for long distance calls even though distance has not been a factor
in the actual cost of a phone call for several decades. :-/

I don't like to get personal, but what state/RBOC are we talking about?
Most calls now need you to use the area code, but unless you have to
dial a '1' first, it's still billed as local call. Also, are you
talking about land line calls or cell calls (they don't have to bill the
same)?

--arioch
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Hardest rpg that youve managed to finish?
    ... and since there was no entry fee to join beyond the cost of the ... any number within an area code is a local call; and it's always been that way. ... AT&T was required to allow competition for long distance, so LD prices were lower, which is why it was cheaper. ... Their rationale is that they needed the new area codes because of the huge demand for new telephone numbers caused by the emergence of cell phones. ...
    (comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg)
  • Re: Hardest rpg that youve managed to finish?
    ... and since there was no entry fee to join beyond the cost of the ... In recent years the telcos have shrunk the calling areas so that what were once multi-county area codes are now divided into many smaller ones resulting in a lot more long distance calls. ... Their rationale is that they needed the new area codes because of the huge demand for new telephone numbers caused by the emergence of cell phones. ... but the result is that cross-town calls which used to be local are now made to a different area code and hence billed as long distance. ...
    (comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg)
  • Re: Hardest rpg that youve managed to finish?
    ... my telco didn't try to pull that trick. ... the territory covered by my former area code was divided into thirds and two completely new area codes were created. ... The result is the same - what were once local calls are now long distance - but at least everyone is aware of that fact since those numbers now require one of the two new area codes. ... It doesn't cost AT&T any more when I call a location 2000 miles away than it does when I call a location 2 miles away, and I shouldn't be billed as if it did. ...
    (comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg)
  • Re: dated/failed predictions
    ... long-distance income. ... and now cell phones and the ... occasionally be confused at the strange area code, ... anyone even mention the fact that it's a long distance call to reach me. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)
  • Re: Scientific illiteracy at CNN
    ... You're saying it's possible to make a local phone call to a remote ... area code, if the phone with that number really is local? ... treated as a long distance call. ... or that so few people don't have cell phones that we can be ignored. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.fandom)