—
It seems to me that basic telephones, a telecommunications device designed to allow you to talk to another person in another location, are rapidly becoming obsolete. Telephone operators are essentially nonexistent, phone booths are a thing of the past, and even telephone poles/lines are being relegated to history.
As a youngster, I would have loved to have had a telephone down on Route One Millsap. We didn’t because the infrastructure was too expensive to provide service to only three or four families in Lazy Bend. Only a few decades later, all these poles and wires are no longer required. Everything is capable of being provided through cell phone towers, wireless internet providers, satellite arrays, or underground fiber optic cable.
In the older days there was little competition in the telecommunications market — Ma Bell was the 800-pound gorilla. AT&T, along with all the so-called “Baby Bells,” called all the shots. AT&T had all the politicians “bought and paid for,” and the regulators meekly followed orders. The company owned the lines, they owned the actual phones, and they installed them in your house. If you wanted an extension, you paid separately for it each month. Long distance calls were extremely expensive.
Despite having essentially a monopoly on telephone service, I’ll have to hand it to AT&T. They provided superior service to what I saw anywhere in the rest of the world. There were a few rival U.S. companies such as General Telephone & Electronics (GTE), as well as a host of independent operators, but they were largely overshadowed by the Bell System.
Beginning in 1982, customers were finally able to own their own phones without a monthly fee, they could choose service providers in certain instances, and the cost of telephone service became more competitive. With all the innovations brought on with the internet, telephone service and telecommunications in general have changed drastically in the past couple of decades.
Many people are opting to cancel service for their home phones in favor of cell phone service only. I would probably do so myself if my signal was stronger. With masonry walls and a metal roof on my house, signal strength is very unreliable this far out in the boondocks. I did, however, opt to cancel my service with AT&T a couple of years ago in favor of VOIP (voice over internet protocol) which is provided through my high-speed wireless internet provider. I receive the same phone service, including unlimited long distance, as I had with AT&T, but at about a fourth the cost.
Ever since switching, I receive bi-weekly or monthly solicitation calls from AT&T attempting to lure me back into the fold. Their rates have been reduced dramatically, and they offer to bundle all sorts of services such as internet, television, cell phone, and others in order to achieve tremendous savings. But once again, just like in the 1940s and ’50s, their super bundled service is not yet available our here on the pore farm.
Recently, I have apprised them that I am on the federal and state Do Not Call lists, and their solicitation is in violation of the law. I am divorced from AT&T, and just like an ex-wife or old girlfriend, they no longer have the privilege of my company. We’ll see how this works out...
Larry M. Jones is a retired Navy Commander and aviator who raises cattle and hay in the Brock/Lazy Bend part of Parker County. Comments may be directed to nowhearthis@pwhome.com.
Viewpoints
COLUMN: Don't call me, I'll call you
- Viewpoints
-
-
Guest opinion: Campaign with honor
All politics is local and personal! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful summer, filled with relationship building experiences and times of relaxation. As you do all the things that re-charge us for the next round at work and involvement in community and political activities, let’s reflect on the 2013 local elections for a moment.
-
TISCIONE: Woe for calling evil good
You don’t often see “woe” used in an article. It’s a word that has fallen out of usage in our day. But it’s a word that ought to be understood and taken seriously.
-
Letters to the Editor – May 17, 2013
As mercury pollution threatens our waterways and carbon pollution-fueled climate change worsens extreme weather, we need someone in Washington who knows how to get things done.
-
Letters to the Editor – May 15, 2013
I just wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to the slobs, idiots and inconsiderate people who continually decorate the beautiful Texas landscape with their trash. I guess it’s really a form of art with beer bottles and cans, boxes, plastic drink containers, food packaging and just about anything else you can think of. It just doesn’t appeal to me. Thank you.
-
NOW HEAR THIS: Not by the hairs of my chinny chin chin
I had never really considered this possibility, but every one of the Three Little Pigs was almost certainly a guy. I know that assumption is not particularly popular from an equal opportunity standpoint, but the fact is fairly certain. How do I know? They all three had hair on their chinny chin chins.
-
ESTES: Securing a bright future for Texas
Texas businesses have created more than 500,000 jobs since November 2011. Our economy is growing nearly 50 percent faster than the rest of the country and our cost of living remains low.
-
TISCIONE: ‘It’s not about me’
“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night.”
-
NOTES FROM THE JOURNEY: A Mother’s Day memory
A sight that always catches my eye when we’re out to eat is a mother and her young son eating alone. Carole sometimes has to touch my arm to regain my attention. Discretely, I observe the interaction between them and wonder what their story is.
-
Letters to the Editor – May 10, 2013
Parker County Health Foundation would like to thank the lady who visited our office last week and made a donation to the Foundation. Although your name is unknown, your kindness is greatly appreciated.
-
Letters to the Editor – May 8, 2013
As a lifelong resident of Weatherford, I attended our public schools as did my wife, son, daughter and granddaughters. I have been in business here for many years and paid my school taxes without complaint. However, I do plan to vote no on the upcoming WISD bond election for the following reasons:
- More Viewpoints Headlines
-
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
