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A Customer Owned Pay Telephone (COPT) is, simply put, a pay
telephone provided by a Payphone Service Provider (PSP), and not obtained
through the Verizon Public Service Center. Through the
Verizon NPCC, a B1 line is connected to the point of demarcation of
the site location for your "Smart" telephone (a micro-computer
controlled electronic telephone with several features). The
demarcation is the point between the wiring that Verizon local telephone
company provides and the wiring you install to connect your own
telephone. However, all dialing patterns and call rating are done by
the programming in your Smart Phone instead of by Verizon, so you
will need to know the local calling and Market Service Areas
(intraLATA areas) for the exchange where your phone is located. This
information is provided in the local telephone directory for that
exchange.
The term COPT, you may discover, varies depending on the region of
the country in which you reside. You will hear terms such as COCOT
(Customer Owned Coin Operated Telephone), PATS (Public Access
Telephone Service), PTAS (Public Telephone Access Service), and
PAL (Public Access Line), for example. These services are generally identical
in functionality; the terminology is merely different.
Verizon can provide, upon request, various screenings and blockings
to assist in protection from fraudulent, unwanted charges billed to
your pay telephone. For collect or 3rd number billed calls inward to
your phone, we can provide Billed Number Screening (Inbound Call
Operator Screening) which should prevent those type of calls billed to
your line. Selective Class Call Screening (Outbound Call Operator
Screening) provides screening for calls that originate from your
telephone and require processing by an electronic or live operator. If
your operator service provider cannot access an authorized database
or fails to do so, you might still find these calls on your bill.
Blocking features available vary from one exchange to another,
depending on the technology available. These include 900/976
blocking of calls to fee-for-information services; international call
blocking, which restricts direct-dialed 011+ and 101XXXX+011+ calls;
pay-per-use deny blocking, which blocks *66 (busy redial), *69 (call
return), and 3 way calling from your pay telephone. Answer
Supervision is also available in most exchanges. This feature is at
times needed to accurately start billing, when the called party
answers the phone, thus assuring the price of your calls will be
accurate.
If you are a new PSP or new to Verizon, some requirements need to
be met before Verizon is capable of providing service to you. A PSP
profile is needed for us to establish an account for you. In addition,
some states require proof of certification. To obtain COPT service, the
submission of an Application is required for each location you install a
pay telephone. However, if you request the same service(s) for all of
your pay telephone lines, we have a new option called "Rapid App".
You submit an application that details the features you desire just
ONCE; thereafter, whenever you need a new line, you merely input
the information for the site location needed and Verizon will maintain
on file the features desired that we'll program on all of your payphone
lines.
Another exciting new option is the Blanket Agency Agreement. In
the past, a signed agreement between the PSP and the site owner
was required with each application. With the Blanket Agency
Agreement, it eliminates the need to submit individual Letters Of
Agency for each site location, and is kept on file by Verizon to allow
subsequent applications to be processed upon receipt of a new
application. Therefore, it enables the PSP to truly use our Web site to
request services without the inconvenience of faxing any additional
forms involved.
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