*** Dumpster Insights *** Report #1 (NET/NYNEX) by: ..oooOO Count Zero OOooo.. & Brian Oblivion : -=Restricted -=Data -=Transmissions : : : : "Truth is cheap, but information costs." : (And *some* information you must DIG for...literally..) Welcome to issue #1 of _Dumpster Insights_, the magazine that prints TRASH. Yes, we at -=RDT have been 'dumpster diving' lately, and have found some interesting tidbits of information. We intend to share some of these findings in this issue and subsequent releases of _Dumpster Insights_. Of course, the contents of each issue of _Dumpster Insights_ will vary according to the contents of the DUMPSTERS! We can only print what we dig up. Dumpster Diving is a thrill. Phrack #36 left out *one* important item in the "REAL Cyberpunks" article: REAL Cyberpunks aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. Nuff said...here we go. *** FAX Trash *** Lots of faxes get tossed in NYNEX dumpsters. Currently, employee moral is very low, with all the recent layoffs and employee/supervisor/union strife. Around Christmas, we were delighted to find a number of faxes that illustrate this nicely... FAX transmission: Dec '91------------------------------------------------------ 'TWAS A MONTH BEFORE CHRISTMAS 'Twas a month before Christmas and most managers agreed What for Christmas this year we might get F M P'd! The FMP forms were all carefully prepared, In the hopes that, when time comes, our jobs would be spared. There was Ranking and Rating and everyone was banded, To make sure it was fair and not underhanded. When one day in the office there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my desk to se what was the matter. A green letter was spreading unfortunate news, Giving contract details and company views. The new contract was settled a year in advance, With full medical benefits - a real kick in the pants. And they extented that sucker to nineteen ninety-five, Which sent hopes for the future into a nosedive. The atmosphere now was as cold as the snow, And forget the morale - I've never seen it so low. So we wait, and we work, but we're sad and angry, That this "Family" company could treat us so badly. When the president said, in a televised speech, To reduce through attrition was a goad within reach. But if layoffs become real, he said not to sob, 'Cause he'd set up a board that could get you a job. Now he spoke with a tongue that was lively and quick, And you knew in a moment that this man was a prick. That feeling you had in your gut since the strike, Like the Dutch boy whose finger was stuck in a dike, Now became real as the whole "dam" thing falls, And you realize the company has you by the balls. Yeah, they talk about Quality and how it should work, But they must think we're stupid - they take us for jerks. For when push comes to shove, it's the union who's boss, And they have the last to say, while we stand at a loss. And I heard him exclaim as he turned off his mike, Screw the management force, give union what they like. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FAX transmission: Dec '91------------------------------------------------------ THE NYNEX TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, NYNEX GAVE TO ME.... twelve buyout rumors eleven nervous breakdowns ten axes falling nine lawsuits pending eight RMC's closing seven hundred layoffs six officers indicted five plus five four force adjustments three regions combining two reorganizations and ** a head count that didn't include me! ** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FAX transmission: Jan '92------------------------------------------------------ New England Telephone EMPLOYEE SALE!! SAVE up to 46% That's right friends....you heard it here first. We can't lay 'em off anymore, so we're SELLING 'em! ALL OF THEM! We have to downsize our new one-employee-per-business unit goal, and you can help us do it. YOU SAY YOU WANT NEW?...We've got 'em..employees with low mileage, high performance, and a lot of good years left. YOU SAY YOU WANT OLD RELIABLE?...We've got them, too. Their paint's a little gray and they grumble a lot, but they've seen it all and keep on working. We've been thinking of the layoff business for months, and losing ALL that severence pay will take it's TOLL. Now help us make a little money on the deal! So...come one, come all to the FIRST ANNUAL NEW ENGLAND TELEPHONE EMPLOYEE SALE. Don't miss a bargain! SPECIAL - Buy TWO and get a FREE TOUCH TONE PHONE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, those were GENUINE faxes...funny stuff, but it really gets across the current state of employee morale..."We're the one for you New England, New England Telephone...part of the NYNEX Family"...swell. Here's a little blurb culled from a NYNEX Signature Graphics Standards manual: "This manual describes the proper use of NYNEX signatures - the building blocks of our corporate identity. It is designed to assist both employees and suppliers alike who are responsible for implementing our corporate identity in all of its visual manifestations. As NYNEX people dedicated to projecting a positive image of NYNEX, to both the public and our fellow employees, it is essential that we apply these standards in a consistent and proper manner. The NYNEX corporate signature, consisting of *only* the name NYNEX, is the keystone of our identification system. When shown in its specially designed letterforms, it becomes more than just letters or a name. It is a symbol with nuances built into it which allude to the origins of our information company. *NY* represents New York, *NE* signifies New England, and *X* stands for the excellence of our people, our products and services, and our future. These components joined together with lines extending from the E throught the X form a unique signature which EVOKES THOUGHTS OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY, LINES OF COMMUNICATION AND A SENSE OF UNITY, ORDER, AND STABILITY." Ahhh...inspiring...words to build an Empire... Here's a list of Public Service Center telephone numbers..these are for New England Telephone/NYNEX in Massachusetts... PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER TELEPHONE REFERENCE LIST PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER--------------------------------- Semi-Public Customer # 1-555-1717 Manager 617-965-9030 Intra/Expediting 617-965-9018 Fax # 617-964-7012 Public Customer # 800-446-7691 Manager 617-965-9035 Intra 617/508 617-965-9040 All others 800-446-7691 PTACS 800-446-7691 SOA's 617-965-9014 Service Order Room 617-969-9726 Fax # 617-969-9726 COCOT Service Center Customer # 800-621-0033 Manager 617-965-7468 Intra # 800-621-0033 Fax # 617-969-9249 Centralized Repair Bureau (CRSAB) Business 1-555-1515 Coin 1-555-1611 Residence 1-555-1611 Customer Names & Addresses (CNA) 617-787-2750 Customer Response Center (CRC) 800-555-5000 Data Base Update Group (DBUG) 508-762-1648 Directory Assist Data Base 617-367-9952 Legal Department Accident/Claims 617-743-2763 Claims Information 617-743-2670 All Other Inquiries 617-743-7773 Final Bills/Bankruptcy 617-743-6773 Ever want to call a NYNEX/NET garage? Garage Telephone Number ------ ---------------- Milton 802-863-8440 Methuen 508-683-1942 Conway 603-447-2754 South Kingstown 401-789-1088 Portland 207-774-4565 Medford-West 617-391-9928 Framingham 508-879-0775 Springfield 413-734-9983 Medford-East 617-391-9945 Boston 617-451-8295 Dedham 617-326-9901 E Providence 401-438-9391 Brockton 508-587-9912 Shrewsbury 508-842-1818 Manchester 603-645-2062 Bangor 207-945-9996 Weymouth 617-337-9969 Northampton 413-586-1943 Hyannis 508-775-0902 Other interesting trash-prizes include issues of "Inside Operations," a monthly newsletter for NET Operations employees. Here are excerpts from December '91 and January '92: Operations Forum (To provide a forum for employee thoughts and ideas...) "If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?" Employee response: "I would implement a better system to fix NET's circuit troubles. I've been told that unless our own internal troubles are escalated, some trouble tickets don't even get looked at. SCC circuits, for example, impact our daily operation because they're the CO's only link to the SCC for 24-hour alarm service. Priority circuits should be identified and noted in CIMAP/TIRKS." ** Dial Tone Left at Home ** Installation and network employees in the Pawtucket/Providence, RI area are involved in a six-month trial of the Left In Dial Tone (LIDT) process. The trial, which began last November in Pawtucket and Buffalo, NY, will evaluate the impacts of the LIDT process on more than 20 provisioning systems. LIDT is a key component of RediServ, a major corporate business plan initiative to provide dial tone to a customer's location quickly, cost effectively, and with minimal manual intervention. LIDT leaves a restriced dial tone on a subscriber's line when service is disconnected. When new occupants move into the LIDT location, they have access to Emergency Services (911/E911) and their Residence Service Center. All other callls from the restriced dial tone, including "0" operator calls, are intercepted by a recording advising the customer of the dialing capabilities of the line. Since the process begins with a customer's disconnect order, Pawtucket was selected for the trial because of its high customer turnover. About 700 lines in the area are now working with restricted dial tone. Mechanized Loop Assignment Center (MLAC) line assigners have matched customer addresses between databases, and verified that cables and pairs are wired from the CO to these locations. In addition, they manually assign any LIDT orders that do not flow directly through the provisioning system. In the Recent Change Memory Administration Center (RCMAC) [Oh GOD..please.. ...make these acronyms from HELL go AWAY!... -c0] most translations on LIDT orders are automatically completed. For CO technicians the trial has meant more dedicated wiring on the frame, but less rewire work on subsequent installations. And for splice service technicians (SST) LIDT should mean fewer dispatches on installation orders. However, as with any pilot program, problems occur. Early in the trial SSTs were dispatched unnecessarily for installations at restricted dial tone locations. A vendor-supported system had caused a local coding problem for clerks in the posting of completions on LIDT orders. The problem has since been corrected, and according to Manager Linda Briggs, the "No Premise Visit" (NPV) rate in Pawtucket should drastically improve to meet or exceed the 99.3 percent NPV rate in Buffalo, NY. "Once the LIDT process is fully deployed, installation work for technicians will become the exception rather than the rule. As a result, technicians can spend more time on maintenance and outside plant rehabilitation which will increase service reliability and decrease NET's cost per access line," says Briggs. Another issue involving unnecessary police dispatch to LIDT locations briefly occurred. Rhode Island's Public Service Administration Board mistakenly understood that 911 operators would be able to call back an LIDT location if the customer hung up. To correct the situation new LIDT messages were recorded, expedited through legal channels, and implemented in Pawtucket on January 17. "Access to emergency services has been a lifesaver for some Pawtucket customers who dialed 911 from an LIDT location in a tru emergency and had the appropriate authorities respond immediately," says Frank Lanza, staff manager. Yet another benefit for customers in the LIDT process is service reliability. Throughout the night all central office lines, including the LIDT lines, are scanned and tested by a computer [Hrmmmm...mebbe *monitored* too?...hrmmm... -c0]. As a result, troubles are repaired by the maintenance center often before customers are even aware that a problem existed. "For customers Left In Dial Tone will make NET easy to do business with and will positively position the company in the competitive marketplace," says Briggs. ** Of Note... ** More than 2.4 million (49.8 percent) of NET's residence and simple business customer records have been verified using the NYNEX Data Validation System (NDVS). The system compares critical information from five key databases - CRIS, COSMOS, LFACS, LMOS, and PREMIS - and reports discrepancies for follow up by Mechanized Loop Assignment Centers (MLACs), central offices, and other work groups. In association with RediServ, a major company initiative to allow faster service installation, data management groups at NET and TRG are coordinating the line-by-line record verification effort. Employees often identify inaccurate records as a source of service problems and frustration. Well, that's it for now....nothing 'earth-shattering'....but interesting and fun to read nevertheless....and since NET/NYNEX is so ANAL about giving out information, the only way to get it is to *trash*... Look for the next issue of "DI" to come out next month or so...... Till then...don't stop exploring....and don't be afraid to get your hands a bit dirty.... ..oooOO Count Zero OOooo.. *cDc* -=RDT