Census Bureau Daily Feature for Thursday, January 8: A Big Change in the U.S. Phone System.

WASHINGTON -- Profile America -- Thursday, January 8th. The landscape of the nation's telephone service changed forever on this date 27 years ago -- when AT&T agreed to give up its local Bell system companies. The action came as the result of what has been termed the most significant antitrust suit since the breakup of Standard Oil in 1911. Before, the virtual monopoly of what had come to be known as "Ma Bell" controlled America's telephone equipment and lines. Since the breakup, competitive forces have shaped the industry. Today, there are 28 local carriers and hundreds of long-distance carriers. But the real action is in the cell-phone industry, with more than 3,000 systems. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  <
Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 77
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Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1119, 1120
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http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008/2008edition.html

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).