Since AT&T lawyers seem to be complaining the loudest about opening the iPhone to other carriers, I thought it might be useful to summarize AT&T’s reign as a near monopoly in American telephone service, or at very least the predominating force, until the “divestiture” on January 1, 1984 which gave regional service to the Baby Bells.

There is one fact which always struck me as the most telling about AT&T’s 100-year rule.  that fact says it all, I think, about the impact of near-monopolies in phone service:

The telephone was invented in 1876.  It took until the 1950s for more than 50% of Americans to have telephone service in their homes.

Yes, the pace of progress was a little

different, next, but not that different.  Television was in more than 90% of American homes by end of the 1950s, about a decade after it was introduced commercially.

AT&T held its service very close to its vest.  Customers in effect leased phones from AT&T.  You had no choice but to use its service.  Sound familiar? And it took more three quarters of a century for that service to get into the homes of more than 50% of Americans.

Unfortunately, AT&T seems to have not learned very much from that experience.  It is trying its same old tricks with iPhone service.  Fortunately, they are already not succeeding.

Original post by Chris