[Gllug] OT Internet connection

[John Winters]

Benjamin Donnachie wrote:
[snip]
> Personally, I'd be happy to pay £1/min in a genuine emergency.

This reminds me of a wonderful design mis-feature which I came across in 
Australia in the 80s.

Payphones there were usually inside (rather than kiosks in the street) 
and the standard unit was a heavy red plastic one, with a coin slot. 
Local calls were all a fixed price (60c if I remember correctly) and 
clearly the design brief for the phone had specified that emergency 
calls had to be free.

The designer had then cocked it up beautifully, meeting the letter of 
the brief whilst missing the point entirely.  In order to make an 
emergency call you had to deposit your 60c which allowed you to make the 
call and then you got the 60c back afterwards.  No 60c and you couldn't 
call the emergency services, no matter how desperate the situation.

There's a very good reason why 999/112 calls need to be free, and it has 
nothing to do with whether the caller begrudges paying the money.

John
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