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To: Bulldozer who wrote (722)	6/1/1999 11:26:00 PM
From: Beltropolis Boy	Respond to of 1331

>I thought the results were fantastic and importantly, showed >measurable improvement on the gross margin line ... if i had a red carpet, i'd roll it out for your tonka, 'dozer. thanks for taking the time to post. i looked a few quarters back sequentially. indeed, GM trend is increasing nicely and had quite a pop as you note. Q1 FY99 = 61.38% +0.92 Q4 FY98 = 60.46% +0.30 Q3 FY98 = 60.16% +0.61 Q2 FY98 = 59.55% +0.59 Q1 FY98 = 58.96% -

To: Bulldozer who wrote (722)	6/10/1999 9:04:00 AM
From: Beltropolis Boy	Respond to of 1331

>What I'd really like to see is 'calling party pays' in the US. That would really kick the US into cell overdrive. heard on NPR this a.m.: The FCC is expected to propose rules that would pave the way for wireless carriers to offer subscribers the option of having callers pay for any calls they place to cellular phones. now the masses will leave their cell phones on 24-7! anyone know who the big battery players are? ha!

To: Bulldozer who wrote (722)	6/10/1999 12:11:00 PM
From: Beltropolis Boy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1331

the "full story" -- for your possible interest. ----- U.S. FCC Offers Calling Party Pays Rules June 10, 1999 11:46am Reuters By Aaron Pressman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wireless telephone users could see lower monthly bills as the cost for calls they receive shifts to the caller under rules proposed by the Federal Communications Commission Thursday. So-called calling party pays, or CPP, is already popular in Europe and Latin America, but inconsistent rules have hampered the service in the United States, where it could be a boon for low-income consumers who find cellular phones too expensive. As a first step, the FCC decided that the calling party pays service should be regulated at the federal level as a part of the commercial wireless marketplace and not subject to splintered, state-by-state rules on local land-line telephone service. FCC attorney David Siehl said wireless carriers needed a clear set of rules to begin widespread availability of the service. Some carriers offer calling party pays on a limited basis subject to state regulation. Thursday's ruling ''seeks to ensure that the success or failure of CPP offerings reflects the commercial judgements of service providers and the informed choices of consumers rather than unnecessary regulatory or legal obstacles and uncertainties,'' he said. The remainder of the FCC's rules were issued for comment and could be changed before final adoption, likely by the end of the year or early in 2000. Under the FCC's proposal, wireless carriers would be allowed to offer calling party pays as an optional service to customers. Callers would notified of the charges by nationally uniform recorded message to be worked out by the agency, carriers, state regulators and consumer groups. The agency also sought comment on other means of alerting callers of the charges, including use of special area codes. The proposal did not include any regulation of the rates carriers could charge the caller, but asked for comments on whether competition would be sufficient to keep those rates reasonable since the caller would have no choice about the wireless carrier that served the person they called. ''I want to make sure that the consumers who are generating the calls to the wireless carriers are not gouged with very high rates,'' said FCC member Susan Ness. The provision, which merely asked for comment, nevertheless outraged Ness's fellow commissioner, Harold Furchgott-Roth, who said any price regulation would be a mistake. ''I am truly disturbed that it is here,'' he said. ''I am just very troubled about even raising the question of rate regulation.'' FCC chairman William Kennard said he hoped calling party pays would allow families on tight budgets and students to make greater use of wireless phones. The practice could also hasten the day when wireless carriers become significant competition to land-line local monopoly carriers, he said. ''It will hasten the day when people start to look to their wireless phone as their primary phone,'' Kennard said. At Thursday's FCC meeting, the agency also issued its annual report on the state of the wireless market, which found continued growth in usage and prices declining amid robust competition.