[Freeswitch-users] fax ident and header variables

[François Delawarde]

On Wed, 2010-08-25 at 00:39 +0800, Steve Underwood wrote:
> fax_ident should be set to the telephone number to be used within the 
> fax exchange. This will typically appear on an LCD display at the far 
> end. In theory it should be limited to digits, spaces, + and one or two 
> other characters appropriate to telephone numbers. In practice FAX 
> machines are usually happy with any text, up to 20 characters. This 
> string may also play a part in page headers.
> 
> If fax_header is set to a non-null string, a header line will be 
> inserted at the start of each page, just like a typical FAX machine 
> does. The fax_ident, fax_header and the page number will be used to form 
> the text of this line. If you are forwarding FAXes, you probably don't 
> want to add a header line, as there will already be one that was 
> inserted by the original source. If you are sending a locally generated 
> FAX, you probably do want to add header lines to each page.

Thanks Steve, I was looking at that in spandsp, and it's just as you say
(for some reason i guess why...).

I also looked at US law, specifically the Telephone Consumer Protection
Act of 1991 (47 USC 227), or TCPA.

As Brian said, the fax police is not going to come, arrest you and rape
your wife, but the receiving party has the right to complain to the FCC
which will fine you with $500 if this header doesn't exist on each and
every page (I love US law)!!

"The Commission shall revise the regulations setting technical and
procedural standards for telephone facsimile machines to require that
any such machine which is manufactured after one year after December 20,
1991, clearly marks, in a margin at the top or bottom of each
transmitted page or on the first page of each transmission, the date and
time sent, an identification of the business, other entity, or
individual sending the message, and the telephone number of the sending
machine or of such business, other entity, or individual."


So at least in the US, one should place both fax_ident (telephone number
of the sending machine or of such business, ...) and fax_header
(identification of the business, ...). SpanDSP will automatically
generate a header with date and time, fax_header and fax_ident.

François.