06-09-2005 04:01									#31
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Can you hear me now?

	06-09-2005 04:30									#32
	Increase Your PM Length

No. Not even Googlised targeted ads. I dislike phones enough as it is.

	06-09-2005 05:15									#33
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to this idea.

although of course i can see a lot of potential problems

	06-09-2005 05:19									#34
	Suffering from ads?

I like the idea, probably because it means I wouldn't have to actually listen to the commercial while waiting for those 5 seconds.

	06-09-2005 07:29									#35
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

Yes, I would use a service where an ad played while I was waiting for someone to pick up.

Would I listen to it? I don't watch TV commercials and I don't read newspaper ads, but the newspapers and TV channels still get paid for running them, so what's the difference?

	06-09-2005 07:43									#36
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

uhm...did you say somethin'?

	06-09-2005 08:34									#37
	Re: Would you listen to a 5 second commercial for free phone service? Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: Originally posted by DanS OK, here's the scenario. Google offers free VOIP phone service (including a telephone number and 911), but plays a short (5 second) commercial each time you make a phone call. Would you go for that? All local and long distance would be free under this scenario.

Assuming there won't be any ad-blockers around?

Me thinks subcriptions are just fine the way they are.

	06-09-2005 08:46									#38
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What would be awesome is if it used speech recognition to interrupt your conversation every 30 seconds with a 5 second ad with a computer-synthesized voice.

Person: "I was thinking of getting a hotel room in New Orleans next year as I think it'll be cheap, but I jus---LOOKING FOR HOTEL ROOMS IN MIAMI? CHECK OUT WWW.MIAMIHEATGIRLS.COM--..."

	06-09-2005 08:48									#39
	Tired of ads?

www.miamiheatgirls.com could not be found. Please check the name and try again.

	06-09-2005 08:59									#40
	Remove this text

http://www.nba.com/heat/dance/dancers_index.html

	06-09-2005 09:04									#41
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* fap fap fap

	06-09-2005 09:16									#42
	Re: Re: Would you listen to a 5 second commercial for free phone service? Support Apolyton

quote: Originally posted by Colon Assuming there won't be any ad-blockers around? Me thinks subcriptions are just fine the way they are.

I don't know how much it costs in Europe, but here are my monthly local charges (I don't pay as much as most)...

Telephone $13
Federal Subscriber Line Charge (BS fee) $3.87
Federal Excise Tax $0.83
Federal Universal Service Fund (for rural areas) $1.05
Gross Receipts Tax (this is a city tax) $1.77
Toll Telecommunications Tax $0.75
State E-911 Tax $0.76
DC Universal Service Trust Fund $0.04

Total = $22.07

Plus long distance and international, of course. Not a ton of money, but still worthwhile avoiding.

I'm not sure how many of these taxes would transfer to a free VOIP service.

	06-09-2005 12:05									#43
	Remove this text

There is a 911 tax in the US?

	06-09-2005 13:54									#44
	Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: Originally posted by Az There is a 911 tax in the US?

It's a real money saver for cities. Since many 911 calls are generated by poor people, the tax is not only fair but serves as a barrier for poor people to call the police on one another all the time.

---

I haven't had a phone for over a year now, as QWEST screwed up my account (turned it off even though I was current) and then screwed up again by admitting that they were wrong and would turn my service back on, and then did nothing of the sort. I don't have cable tv (I'm too cheap) and am hesitant to get it just for phone service. And I hate few things more than mobile phones. This leaves me with no phone or internet service at home, which is actually quite alright. I have a fast internet connection at work as well as a phone, and I'm there 5 days a week which is plenty of time to stay in touch with the few of my friends and family who I stay in contact with.

I know a lot of people who spend $50 to $100 or more a month for phone, internet and cable television service. I just don't see them being anywhere near that valuable to me.

	06-09-2005 14:06									#45
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quote: Originally posted by Asher http://www.nba.com/heat/dance/dancers_index.html

	06-09-2005 17:51									#46
	Inflate your Upload Space

Sikander: Why don't you get yourself a prepaid cell phone account? I pay a whopping $5 a month for mine (Virgin Mobile). At least then you would have a home phone number and 911 access.

	06-09-2005 19:22									#47
	Re: Re: Re: Would you listen to a 5 second commercial for free phone service? Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by DanS I don't know how much it costs in Europe, but here are my monthly local charges (I don't pay as much as most)... Telephone $13 Federal Subscriber Line Charge (BS fee) $3.87 Federal Excise Tax $0.83 Federal Universal Service Fund (for rural areas) $1.05 Gross Receipts Tax (this is a city tax) $1.77 Toll Telecommunications Tax $0.75 State E-911 Tax $0.76 DC Universal Service Trust Fund $0.04 Total = $22.07 Plus long distance and international, of course. Not a ton of money, but still worthwhile avoiding. I'm not sure how many of these taxes would transfer to a free VOIP service.

I personally use pre-paid cards for my cell phone so it's a bit hard to compare, but my rates are 0.22 €/min when I call to people with the same operator and 0,49 €/min when I call to other operators or fixed phones.

Maybe there's a demand to such phone services but I'm extremely impatient when it comes to small matters so I probably wouldn't like it myself.

	06-09-2005 22:00									#48
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

With regard to cell phones, I think Google might put up a constellation of LEO satellites to provide free cell phone service and broadband internet access worldwide. But first things first. Satellites are rather spendy infrastructure for an unproved business model, so they will want to do land lines first.

	06-09-2005 22:08									#49
	Tired of ads?

Total = $22.07


you've got to be kidding me.

i always pay over 100 euros.

	06-09-2005 22:10									#50
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JHC, I would have to call long distance (outside the Washington area) for 1,100 minutes each month to total $100.

	07-09-2005 13:23									#51
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quote: Originally posted by DanS Sikander: Why don't you get yourself a prepaid cell phone account? I pay a whopping $5 a month for mine (Virgin Mobile). At least then you would have a home phone number and 911 access.

I use my gf's number when I need to give one out. I don't call 911 much, and could always run next door if there was a fire or something. I'd have to get a cell phone in order to use one of those accounts. But that is cheap for someone who has an old cell phone.