SBC to rebrand to "AT&T"....

[Dr Mordrid]

and because they have acquired most of the old AT&T's assets this basically nullifies the breakup done by the Carter Administration;

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/1364f4a4-4703-11da-b8e5-00000e2511c8.html

Dr. Mordrid

[DGhost]

and because they have acquired most of the old AT&T's assets this basically nullifies the breakup done by the Carter Administration;

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/1364f4a4-4703-11da-b8e5-00000e2511c8.html

Dr. Mordrid

just how much has that breakup helped the consumer in the end?

[Umfriend]

Most likely a lot. Had AT&T not been broken up, chances are competition and innovation in the telecom/data transmission sector would have been lacking compared to actual history. MCI for instance "dared" to invest heavily because of the breaking up of AT&T. Granted, MCI went bankrupt at least twice I believe, but their entry did cause competition to realise lower prices. (In fact, lack of bancruptcies in a sector may well be taken as a strong indication that the sector is not competitive, ergo, demands prices that are to high).

[DGhost]

from my point of view, it has generally resulted in worse customer service in the utilities industry. i suppose it all depends on the market, but the telecomm industry seemed to forget consumer interest in favor of business and high profit services...

[Umfriend]

Yes, this is one of the possible arguments in favour of monopolies: since they have the power to dictate prices, they can afford to offer good service. Yet, if you give consumers the choice to (a) pay a high price and have good service or (b) pay a low price and have bad service, they typically choose (b).

The reason for this is, I think, that option (a) is essentially an insurance to consumers for which they pay a premium and, well, typically the premium is higher than the expected pay-off. The risk of suffering worse service is simply not worth the premium. The thing to remember here is that you are happy when you can draw on the insurance, but most will not. Nature of the (insurance) game I guess.

This all still completely negelects the issue of monopolies barring new entrants and hence competition and innovation. Had AT&T at the time chosen to offer lower prices and less service, you;d probably still pay more than you do now.

[spadnos]

from my point of view, it has generally resulted in worse customer service in the utilities industry. i suppose it all depends on the market, but the telecomm industry seemed to forget consumer interest in favor of business and high profit services...

This is more likely a result of the current business climate in the US, not the breakup.

Before the breakup, there were exactly two teleophone models available - the wall mount or the desktop. Both were black, rotary-dial telephones. There were no accessories from third parties - I'm not sure if the answering machine existed before the breakup or not. There were no modular plugs (didn't need to be, "Ma Bell" came out to install your equipment, and it was hard-wired). The only supplier for all telephones was AT&T.

Things are a lot better in the telecom world now, even though customer service sucks.

- Steve

[paulcs]

This is more likely a result of the current business climate in the US, not the breakup.

Before the breakup, there were exactly two teleophone models available - the wall mount or the desktop. Both were black, rotary-dial telephones. There were no accessories from third parties - I'm not sure if the answering machine existed before the breakup or not. There were no modular plugs (didn't need to be, "Ma Bell" came out to install your equipment, and it was hard-wired). The only supplier for all telephones was AT&T.

Things are a lot better in the telecom world now, even though customer service sucks.

- Steve

You've forgotten the "princess phone," another fine Western Electric product, introduced in 1959. The touch tone phone was introduced in the early 60's. The "Trimline" phone with dial (and later Touch-Tone buttons) on the receiver in 1965. The afformentioned Princess Phone ("it's little, it's lovely, it lights!") was introduced in 1959. There were automatic dialing phones which dialed with plastic cards. And let's not get started on the WE "Design Line."

O'kay. Let's.

Phones shaped like Mickey Mouse and Snoopy (with Woodstock) and Winnie-the-Pooh, and psychedelic donuts. There was the Mediterranean (which I assume was designed after the phone Louis XIV used in Versailles), the Early American (who knew they had phones in early America? It should have made Paul Revere's job so much easier!), the Exeter, the Scuptura, the Stowaway, the Rolltop Stowaway, the Candlestick, the Wood Grained Candlestick (ah, the 70's), the Telestar, the Coquette, the Noteworthy (a Trimline receiver built into a small blackboard) and the Accent. And who can forget the Chestphone? I believe all were introduced in the early 70's, before the Carter administration and the breakup.

AT&T/Western Electric even tried to develop the "PicturePhone," so we could all communicate with our bosses like George Jetson with Mr. Spacely.

Before the breakup, most standard phones were available in a ridiculous number of colors. Here's Western Electric's color chart from back in the day:

http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com/images/we-color-chart1.jpg

If you wanted a rose pink princess phone with a neon light, Ma Bell would happily sell you one. They might even deliver it to your door.

Paul

[Wombat]

And it would cost you a fortune. Because nobody was allowed to compete. Do you really think we'd have cheap long distance if it weren't for the break-up? No calling cards, either. And do you think we'd have cell phones? They're ubiquitious and cheap now, and Ma Bell would most certainly have kept them a luxury item.

The breakup was most definitely a good thing for customers.

[cjolley]

On the other hand, you couldn't break a Bell phone with a hammer
It's sort of like when we gave up those great IBM keyboards for the PC explosion.
Lost a lot, but gained even more.

[Nowhere]

BTW, how new IBM keyboards fare in comparison?

Mine should be replaced, and I've found place that sells new IMB ones for nothing... (finnish...but so what, I don't look at keyboar anyway )

[Jammrock]

Had there been no AT&T breakup I would not be working where I have been for the past 8-years