On 10/31/24 07:06, Liam Proven via cctalk wrote:
On Thu, 24 Oct 2024 at 20:24, Wayne S via cctalk <[email protected]> wrote:
They had a lot of local numbers so you didn’t have to pay Toll charges.
Only in the USA, or maybe N America.
Most of the world, AFAIK, we all paid for all calls, local and
long-distance. Local was cheaper but it was by the minute which really
killed off BBS type activity.
The Bell system in the 70s had tolls where all but nearly local CO calls
were local toll rates.
The Kansas City, Mo area from the 60s had mandated since it spanned a
state line (Missouri and Kansas) that there be a city wide rate to call
in about a 20 mile radius w/o toll if you paid a small fee. But some
people I knew in the 60s friends of the family couldn't pay that for
just the few calls made, so they had to pay tolls to call us from about
15 miles away.
by the 80s there were long distance carriers who had toll plans which
beside long distance (continental US) being flat rate eliminated local
tolls as well.
I know up to about 84 the Bell system was trying to get you to pay for
business accounts, but ended in that time frame at least in the LA area
after the system split up and the local "baby Bell" eliminated local
toll calls for businesses.
My world std (Software Tool and Die) account which was the first in the
US to offer a unix shell account and email had a dialup service that is
still in existence with local non toll numbers today to get onto the
network via dialup.
They offer 56k dialup now.
I dialed in to a TSO in Columbia, Missouri, and a Multics system upto
the late 90s, even after I'd shifted from BBS dialup to internet email
and Usenet.
I had to explain this to Netscape Inc on a transatlantic call in 1996.
They had no idea.
It persisted until the very late 1990s in the UK and Ireland.
thanks
Jim
