Questions

1. What is with the *?
2. Why do some offices have two names?
3. Common office names?
4. Where do you get your data from?
5. Do you accept contributed pictures?
6. What is up with the front page graphic?

Answers

1. What is with the *?
   
   A City/County listing with an * indicates that every central office that handles a telephone exchange has been found and documented to the satisfaction of the telebeans staff. If the * marker is next to an office name then that indicates the office is complete. A central office profile is considered complete when there is a satisfactory file photo of the facility and when all of the known remote terminals hosted by that office have been found and documented.
   
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2. Why do some offices have two names?
   
   In many cases a facility name is derived from its physical location. However, in some cases this is not true. In situations where the office is not located near the geographic area it is named after the actual location name is listed first and then the carrier's name for that office follows in parenthesis.
   
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3. Common office names?
   
   No. There are no common office names. POP, MTSO, MSC and switch are used to to differentiate wireless switching sites and long distance POPs and switches from traditional ILEC/RBOC/CLEC wireline offices.
   
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4. Where do you get your data from?
   
   There is a plethora of data that has exploded in detail and size since 1996. Almost all of this material comes from the regulatory section of the various carrier homepages. A comprehensive listing of the resources utilized in the creation of central office profile pages can be found here.
   
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5. Do you accept contributed pictures?
   
   The short answer is yes. The long answer is maybe. If you are in the mid-west or western U.S. it might be more benefical to send contributions to the folks over at thecentraloffice.com. The telebeans staff prefers to cover the NE NC, MD, VA and DC region personally. DE should be lumped in as well. Exceptions include western MD and SW VA. However, everything else is fair game and we love to see central offices from other areas of the country. We definately like to see Cooperative and rural ILEC offices from any state. AT&T Alascom satelitte hopped switches Are always welcomed. Please note the original contributor retains ownership of the picture. If you wish to use a contributed picture, we can put you in touch with the contributor but can not speak on their behalf.
   
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6. What is up with the front page graphic?
   
   =]
   
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