As many of us have experienced, the response of FSS briefers to phone
calls has been sometimes ... um... desultory, and when we're at a
remote airport with no radio link to Center, waits on the phone of
15-30 minutes for clearance have been common.

Lockheed-Martin FSS has now segregated a group of FSS specialists who
handle only clearances, not briefings. Their toll-free number is:
1-888-766-8267
or
1-TUT-POOT-BOP

You'll get the standard prompt to "say state" - It's possible, as with
1-800-WX-BRIEF, to say "any" and shortcut to the next available
briefer, but this really won't speed clearances, as if you, for
example, call from the Eastern Region and get a briefer in the Western
Region, he won't have the Center/Sector phone number directory for
your region and will still have to hand you off to the correct region,
which the voice prompt does.

Dan Johnson
Wisconsin