ATT Exiting 1-900 Biz
<a href="http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,49927,00.html"; target="_blank">Wired article</a>.
[quote] AT&T is bailing out of a major part of the pay-for-service telephone business, dealing a serious blow to psychics, sex lines and other companies that use 900 numbers.
"This could be the final death knell for the 900 business," said Ed Lavergne, a Washington lawyer who has worked with the telecommunications industry.
AT&T stopped providing billing services for new 900 customers as of Jan. 1, and will discontinue billing for all such numbers on Dec. 31. The decision was primarily a financial one, said AT&T spokeswoman Jean Hurt. "The market has kind of changed," she said.
But she acknowledged that the tawdry reputation of some 900 services and concerns about AT&T's image may have played a part. "I think that entered into it, probably. As with so many things, you just look at what you're getting out of it and what you're putting into it."
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[quote] AT&T is bailing out of a major part of the pay-for-service telephone business, dealing a serious blow to psychics, sex lines and other companies that use 900 numbers.
"This could be the final death knell for the 900 business," said Ed Lavergne, a Washington lawyer who has worked with the telecommunications industry.
AT&T stopped providing billing services for new 900 customers as of Jan. 1, and will discontinue billing for all such numbers on Dec. 31. The decision was primarily a financial one, said AT&T spokeswoman Jean Hurt. "The market has kind of changed," she said.
But she acknowledged that the tawdry reputation of some 900 services and concerns about AT&T's image may have played a part. "I think that entered into it, probably. As with so many things, you just look at what you're getting out of it and what you're putting into it."
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