Re: Telephone HOLD button
 
> JT>DR>    That's strange.  Very shortly after the ruling several local
> JT>DR> county offices started using a local radio station for the
> JT>DR> "hold" music.
> JT>Oh really?? Cool! When did this law pass??? 
>    No "law" that I know of.
>    For years the ASCAP people were "monitoring" businesses.  When a 
> person was put on hold and they were treated to radio music ASCAP 
> would send a nasty letter stating that royalties were due - send them 
> the $$$ immediately or cut off the radio from the hold button.
>    Since there had been previous court cases in which the federal 
> courts had limited the demands of the ASCAP and BMI folks (with regard 
> to playing a radio to/in public), I assume someone told ASCAP to shove 
> it and a case ensued.  To my best recollection, the sleaziods at 
> ASCAP/BMI lost.  But I don't have that case in my file so I don't have 
> all the particulars, just what I recall reading in the papers. 
This has little effect on home office users of music on hold at this time. I
have not found a satisfactory device to simply and cheaply turn any home
phone into a "music or radio on hold system". TTS used to make one, but it
caused static when voice came back, and music would play while on line
talking or interfere with call waiting. Does anyone know of a system that
works for the home office type situation?
--- VFIDO 6.20.00 Gamma Candidate 1
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