A system for adaptively processing a telephonic speech signal performs modification in either the spectral domain or the time domain to bring the power in each frequency above the hearing threshold of the listener but below the upper limit of the listener's dynamic range.

An emergency call routing system includes a platform having a call router and a processor for identifying destinations to which such router directs emergency calls. The processor receives administration commands from administrators, some of which are at a public safety answering point (PSAP) to which the router directs calls for handling and redirection to emergency service providers (ESPs). Some of such administration commands relate to defining intervals during which a particular PSAP is, according to an administered night service schedule, to be inactive with respect to handling emergency calls. Other of such commands relate to administrative operations to place such PSAPs into such inactive state earlier than the schedule. Others of such commands relate to administrative directions to withdraw such PSAP from such inactive state before the scheduled time. Interfaces between attendants/administrators and workstations used with such processor are provided to facilitate ease of administering such schedule and those overrides.

A fiber optic/coaxial cable telephony network including power. Power is supplied through the coaxial cable portion of the video network to an optical network unit where the power is converted and supplied to the telephone network.

A community emergency response service system is provided with three types of destinations to which emergency calls may be routed. These include public safety answering points (PSAPs), switch directory numbers and public switching telephone network directory numbers. A last chance routing system is effective upon failure of the system to route an incoming one of such emergency calls to one of such three types of destinations. The last chance routing facility performs a linear search of all PSAPs within such system to determine whether any of such PSAPs has been inspected for availability to handle such emergency call. When such linear search identifies a PSAP which has not previously been inspected with respect to its availability to handle such emergency call, a determination is made as to whether such PSAP is currently available. Such determination includes determining whether such PSAP is currently at its call capacity. That call capacity is determined based upon a call capacity depth established for each workstation at such answering point. The call capacity limit is obtained by multiplying such call capacity depth times the current number of workstations that are active at such PSAP.

A video codec evaluation method and apparatus is provided that permits an objective evaluation of the performance of a codec. A plurality of motion graphics scenes, selected to test for specific motion artifacts, are stored on a video disc which is read by a video player and supplied to a codec under test. The evaluator views the graphic scenes as processed by the codec, on a monitor, and uses visual and audible scoring levels, that are incorporated on the disk, and associated with the graphic scene, to identify the onset or disappearance of motion artifacts and record a score for the test.