1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with text Stuff from how 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: Stuff dot com. Eisn everyone, and welcome to tex Stuff. 3 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: I'm Jonathan Stricklettenhand, I'm Lauren, and we're going to continue 4 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:22,240 Speaker 1: our discussion about a big old company and technology. And 5 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: before we get into it, you know, I totally forgot 6 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: to mention this in the last episode, that this is 7 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: the episode where it really counts. We had a listener 8 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: request this topic. Yeah, Earl request this topic on Twitter, 9 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: And if you want to check out his tweets, it's 10 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: E A R L E underscore c L U b B. 11 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: That's where he sends out those those tweets on the 12 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: Twitter thing. So his tweet was, how about an episode 13 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: on the history of a T and T, especially the 14 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 1: deregulation of the telco industry. Now, of course we already 15 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: talked about the founding of a T and T, but 16 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:00,319 Speaker 1: and how it started off kind of as a natural monopoly. Um, 17 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: now we're going to really look into how that continued 18 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: and how the United States government began to put the 19 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: brakes on a T and T a little bit, all right, 20 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:11,680 Speaker 1: because at the beginning they had kind of been saying, 21 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: you know, you guys have this terrific infrastructure. You go 22 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: on and build that. That's terrific, right, this would be 23 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: incredibly useful for the United States and so and then 24 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: and they took it over just for example, during World 25 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: War One, which we talked about in the first episode, 26 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: government said let's just take over this for a little bit, 27 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,120 Speaker 1: and then returned it barely used just a couple of 28 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: years later. So we left off in the twenties. So 29 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: we're picking up right around nineteen twenty four, which is 30 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: when A. T and T developed something that frankly, I 31 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 1: was shocked at how early the development for this technology came. 32 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:47,199 Speaker 1: I didn't expect to see this. It's a telephotography, which 33 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: is also called a fax machine in NS. Yeah, I 34 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: had no idea. People were faxing goofy little pictures of 35 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: of early twentieth century folklore back and forth, you know, 36 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: letting people know that if you if you forward this 37 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: one letter, Rockefeller will give you free M and m's 38 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: or something. I don't know. I don't think that's what 39 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: was actually being facts at the time. I honestly, UH 40 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: just made all that up because it didn't research that. 41 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:17,399 Speaker 1: But I don't know what the first facts was hopefully 42 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: not not some sort of email scam we should do 43 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: we should do another. I think we actually got a 44 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: request for a facts related episode. We should totally look 45 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: into that. Sometimes we should do one about facts machines 46 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 1: and one on facts lore, which is kind of the 47 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: predecessor to the Internet email memes that we see today 48 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: or Facebook games. Exactly. Okay, so things that we do 49 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: know about Bell Telephone Laboratories Incorporated open for business. That is, 50 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: that is Bell's R and D Lab, which would come 51 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: out with some of the most important pieces of technology 52 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: of the twentieth century. Exactly. Yes, Bell Labs famous for 53 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: their research. And here's the thing is that the research 54 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: that Bell Labs did was not always directly related to 55 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 1: the telephone industry, at least not way that you could 56 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: tell from the surface, but but down the line would 57 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:07,399 Speaker 1: become critical. Exactly. It's uh, it's instrumental in the way 58 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: telephones work today. Now, nineteen six that's when Bell Labs 59 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: and Western Electric begin to make sound equipment for these 60 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: crazy moving pictures that are coming out of the Hollywood 61 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:22,839 Speaker 1: these days. That's crazy. Yeah, so obviously not too far 62 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: from the whole idea of transmitting sound. Now it's recording 63 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: and playing back sound in a way that works in 64 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:34,079 Speaker 1: a synchronized fashion with moving pictures. Nineteen seven, A T 65 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: and T begins trans atlantic telephone service between London and 66 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: the United States. But they don't have a cable. There's 67 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: no cable connecting the US in London at this point. 68 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,119 Speaker 1: That would be via a radio signal. Yeah, and uh, 69 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: it was, you know, it was. It was a slight 70 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: a little expensive to make a phone call. I it 71 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: was seventy five bucks for three minutes. Yeah, which if 72 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: you're looking at nineteen seven dollars and then you compare 73 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 1: them to today's dollars. I used the Beer Row of 74 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: labor Statistics, which uses the Consumer Price Index two factor 75 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: in how much stuff costs from one era to another. 76 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: According to that, that would be about a thousand and 77 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: eight dollars for those three minutes. So if you've got 78 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: an extremely important phone call right to your British buddy, 79 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: or if you're in London your Yankee friend, Yeah, that's 80 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: pretty much. That's that's pretty expensive. Um. Nineteen twenty nine, 81 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,679 Speaker 1: Bell Labs broadcast the first public demonstration of a color 82 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: television picture that's early too. Yeah, and it was the 83 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: thing they showed was a telephone operator, of course, dressed 84 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: in a colorful costume, and UH A T and T 85 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 1: researchers that year filed a patent for coaxial cable for 86 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 1: broadband transmission. As of that year, there are more than 87 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 1: twenty million phones in the United States, and fifteen point 88 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 1: four million of those are operated by Bell. UH and 89 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: they've got how many, have four hundred and fifty thousand employees. 90 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 1: They start it off with one Thomas Watson. UH. Now 91 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: they're up to four d and fifty thousand. Of course 92 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: Watson was no longer with the company at that point, 93 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: but at any rate, Yeah, it's pretty amazing. And so 94 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty Bell starts to hold demonstrations to teach customers 95 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:20,279 Speaker 1: how to use dial service, the rotary dial, right, because 96 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 1: before that, whenever you picked up a phone, you would 97 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: reach an operator and you would tell the operator where 98 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: you wanted to place your call. They would find out 99 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: how to root it and do it for you. And UH, 100 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 1: I think in the nine twenties they were starting to 101 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:33,359 Speaker 1: get into some electro mechanical systems that would do that 102 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: for you but or for the operators, but you still 103 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: had to talk to an operator to get your call 104 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: to where it was going. This was the first time 105 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 1: that you would use a number, a data set to 106 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 1: tell the phone what you wanted to do. Right, So 107 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: this is where people started to get phone numbers and 108 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: you would start to dial numbers and uh and all 109 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 1: the all the switching was handled by electro mechanical switches 110 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:58,840 Speaker 1: at that point forward. But you had to teach people 111 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,280 Speaker 1: how to do this because it was new. No one 112 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: had ever had to do it before. And I don't 113 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: know how many of our listeners are familiar with the 114 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: old rotary dialing phones. Dialing on those could be really 115 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: fun if you were a kid, but if you were 116 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: an adult making the Earth fifth or six phone call 117 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:17,720 Speaker 1: that day, you would just sit there and hope that 118 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:19,479 Speaker 1: none of the numbers you had to call were in 119 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: that nine range. Yeah, where you know, you dial and 120 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 1: you just the whole thing click click, click click cick 121 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: ci cick cick click. Good times. So by nineteen thirty two, 122 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,839 Speaker 1: Bell had was in control of seventy nine percent of 123 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: national telecommunications market in the United States. They had made 124 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 1: acquisitions throughout those years and had bought up smaller companies, 125 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: so nearly of all telecommunications in the US falls under, 126 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 1: that's an effectively a monopoly. Oh sure, right, right, and 127 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: it's also up from what's that about seventy five only 128 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: a few years ago. So yeah, so they were they 129 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,840 Speaker 1: were continuing to grow, and they were already practically the 130 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 1: only game in town. So and a monopoly doesn't have 131 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: to really be the only business, right, You don't have 132 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: to be just the only one out there offering something. 133 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: To have a monopoly, you just have to be so 134 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: large that no one can realistically compete with you on 135 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: any similar level. So let's say, for example, that Google 136 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 1: were to to completely dominate search. They're they're pretty far 137 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 1: in the lead. Let's say they completely dominated to the 138 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: point where no other search engine is even close. Then 139 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 1: Google would have to start worrying about being identified as 140 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: a monopoly. And this is the funny thing is this 141 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 1: doesn't necessarily mean that people are practicing unfair, you know, tactics. 142 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: That just may mean that the way they do business 143 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: was the way that resonated with a lot of people. 144 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: So you can have different views of monopolies. You can 145 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: either see people trying their best to try and grab 146 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: up as much as the pie as possible, or you 147 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: just see people just doing a really good job and 148 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 1: then being punished for it. So there are two sides 149 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: to this coin. I think in this case, in particular, 150 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: it was due to that entire government regulation of basically 151 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,280 Speaker 1: allowing them to be a monopoly could be. Yeah, they 152 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 1: had a huge head start and then the government gave 153 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: them an even bigger boost. Well, first of all, because 154 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: of that whole patent thing we talked about in the 155 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: last episode, they had exclusive rights for the longest time, 156 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: so yeah, they definitely benefited quite a bit. Moving on, so, 157 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty four, A t T began trans Pacific telephone 158 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: service between the United States and Japan via radio signals. 159 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 1: So again, as with many of these beginning services, you 160 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:38,080 Speaker 1: could only put through a single call at a time, 161 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 1: right and now granted they had they had improved the 162 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 1: efficiency of radio by that time. So remember just a 163 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:47,679 Speaker 1: few years earlier, that Transatlantic call was around seventy five 164 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 1: bucks for three minutes. They lowered the costs for Pacific calls, 165 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:53,079 Speaker 1: which is amazing. It was only thirty nine bucks for 166 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:55,440 Speaker 1: three minutes, yep, which in today's money would be about 167 00:08:55,520 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: six d. Yeah, you know, it's pocket forget your friends 168 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: in London call your buddies over in Tokyo Um. Yeah, 169 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:08,440 Speaker 1: still expensive, but not nearly as much as it was before. 170 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:12,080 Speaker 1: Now this brings us up. Ninety four is big year 171 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: for a T and T because that's also when the 172 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:19,440 Speaker 1: United States government passed the Communications Act of nineteen thirty four. 173 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 1: They thought about passing the Communications Act of nineteen thirty 174 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 1: four nineteen thirty three, but the name just didn't work, 175 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: so they held off for a full year. Lawrence just 176 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:29,280 Speaker 1: staring at me. She doesn't like it when I throw 177 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:34,480 Speaker 1: in jokes, so especially bad ones. Established that that that's 178 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: the act that actually established the Federal Communications Commission, also 179 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: known as the f c C. Now, the FCC did 180 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: not just spring out fully formed and have brand new powers. 181 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: It actually kind of absorbed some previously existing organizations like 182 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 1: the Federal Radio Commission and parts not all of it, 183 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: but parts of the Interstate Commerce Commission that governed telephone 184 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:02,560 Speaker 1: and tele graph operations and kind of centralized all this 185 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 1: because this was one of those examples of how technology 186 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: outpaces legislation absolutely, and so this was the United States 187 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: government attempt to try and catch up to the state 188 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: of affairs because they said, well, you know, back when 189 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:17,320 Speaker 1: this was starting we had no idea where it was 190 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:19,679 Speaker 1: going to go, and now we need to be big 191 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:22,560 Speaker 1: enough thing, And especially considering that more and more people 192 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 1: were using radio signals. In the way that radio signals 193 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 1: work is that you cannot have two signals on the 194 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 1: same bandwidth going out near each other because they'll conflict. 195 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 1: You end up getting interference. Interference, right, So so yeah, 196 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 1: so so government regulations starting to crack down on how 197 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 1: people could use these new fancy radio signals in order 198 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:44,520 Speaker 1: to keep the airways clear for everyone's use, right. And 199 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,560 Speaker 1: it also gave the FCC authority to regulate rates of 200 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:52,560 Speaker 1: interstate and international common carriers and administration relating to electronic communication, 201 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: which was basically saying don't gouge your customers. Right. So, 202 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 1: in other words, a T and T remember was pretty 203 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: much exclusive as far as lawn distance goes. So any 204 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: regional operator had to pay a toll in order for 205 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: their customers to be able to access long distance. So 206 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 1: if you're if let's say, Lauren, You're in Atlanta and 207 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,400 Speaker 1: you want to call me, and for some reason, I'm 208 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 1: in Omaha, Nebraska, and there are two different regional carriers, 209 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 1: and so you are using your regional carrier to tie 210 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 1: into the A T and T long distance service and 211 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:28,319 Speaker 1: then that call goes to me, Well, your regional service 212 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: has to pay a fee in order to access that 213 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: A T n T long distance and then that fee 214 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 1: usually gets passed down to you, the customer. And this 215 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: was a way of preventing any company, specifically A T 216 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:41,559 Speaker 1: and T, because they were really the only one who 217 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:43,360 Speaker 1: could have that kind of wield, that kind of power 218 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: right from raising prices so much that it puts other 219 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:49,200 Speaker 1: companies out of business or it puts undue harm on 220 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,680 Speaker 1: the consumer. That was the intent. Uh. That brings us 221 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: up to nine. When A T and T completed the 222 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 1: first around the world call, it went all the way 223 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: around the world. That seems uh less than useful in 224 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:06,680 Speaker 1: a technical sense, but good to know that they could 225 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:10,319 Speaker 1: do it. It was an impressive display of technology, not practical. 226 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:12,720 Speaker 1: If I want to if I want to call you, 227 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: I just stand up and shout over the divider between 228 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: our desks. I don't, I don't, No, I don't, I 229 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,360 Speaker 1: don't not anymore, not on not on Tuesdays anyway. Not 230 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 1: after hr taught to me uh ninety seven, that's when 231 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: Clinton Davidson of Bell Telephone Labs wins the Nobel Prize 232 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: in Physics for experimental confirmation of the wave nature of electrons. 233 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:42,400 Speaker 1: So this is the first Nobel Prize awarded to someone 234 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: working out of Bell Labs. It would not be the last. 235 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:49,800 Speaker 1: And uh, in case you're wondering the whole wave nature 236 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: of electrons, well, electrons are particles, but in the lab 237 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:56,720 Speaker 1: we have I say, we scientists have observed that electrons 238 00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 1: could also behave like waves. And so this was whole 239 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: wave particle duality thing you can hear about in various 240 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:07,719 Speaker 1: types of particle physics, quantum mechanics, that kind of thing. Uh, 241 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 1: we won't go into it here because it's outside the 242 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: realm of this podcast, but fascinating stuff. So it's no 243 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: no surprise they got the Nobel Prize. Now ninety nine, 244 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: the telephone is deployed as quote a weapon of preparedness 245 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: end quote. That's also when Western Electric makes signal core 246 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: sets leading up to the US involvement in World War Two. 247 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:32,840 Speaker 1: So signal core sets are essentially kind of like radio telephones. 248 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: It is something that certain, uh, certain units in World 249 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 1: War two had access to in order to maintain communications. 250 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:43,080 Speaker 1: And UH just showed that this company was still very 251 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: much involved in government uh projects, which will become important 252 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:49,439 Speaker 1: in just a minute. But before we get to that, 253 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break to thank our sponsor. You've 254 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,880 Speaker 1: probably tried Hulu dot com now. With Hulu Plus, you 255 00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 1: can watch your favorite shows anytime, anywhere. Hulu Plus lets 256 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:02,840 Speaker 1: you watch thousands of hit TV shows in the selection 257 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 1: of acclaimed movies on your television or on the go 258 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 1: with your smartphone or tablet, and it all streams an 259 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:11,280 Speaker 1: HD for the best viewing experience. With Hulu Plus, you 260 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: can watch your favorite current TV shows like Supernatural or 261 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:18,600 Speaker 1: South Park or Parks and Recreation. You can also check 262 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 1: out exclusive content, including Hulu originals like The Awesome starring 263 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 1: snl Seth Meyers and moon Boy starring Chris Odwald from Bride'smaids. 264 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 1: Hulu Plus also offers a great selection of acclaimed films 265 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: for only seven dollars and nine nine cents a month. 266 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: You can stream as many TV shows and movies as 267 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,080 Speaker 1: you want, wherever you want. Right now, you can try 268 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: Hulu Plus free for two weeks when you go to 269 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: Hulu plus dot com Forward slash Tech. That's a special 270 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: offer for our listeners. Make sure you use Hulu Plus, 271 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:47,840 Speaker 1: dot Com Forward slash Tech, so you get the extended 272 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:50,240 Speaker 1: free trial and they know that we sent you. Go 273 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:53,960 Speaker 1: to Hulu Plus, dot Com Forward slash Tech now and uh, 274 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: you know, I always like to talk about the shows 275 00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:59,520 Speaker 1: I watch when I use Hulu Plus, I kinda talk 276 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 1: about Community. Community is one of those shows where when 277 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: I watched the first couple of episodes, it didn't quite 278 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,280 Speaker 1: grab me. But as I began to get more invested 279 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: in the characters and really enjoy the way that jokes 280 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 1: would play out, not just over an episode, but over 281 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: several episodes, I couldn't help but feel that was a 282 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: really clever, really funny show. So if you like running 283 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 1: gags and if you listen to this show, you pretty 284 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 1: much have to go check out Community. And we're back, 285 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 1: all right. So now we're up to nineteen forty one. 286 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 1: And we talked earlier about how Bell Labs was was 287 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: pioneering coaxial cable development in the laboratory is when they 288 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:46,560 Speaker 1: actually installed the first non experimental coaxial cable for Bell 289 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 1: service between Minneapolis, Minnesota and Steven's Point, Wisconsin. So this 290 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: is physical cable they're laying down for the transmission of 291 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 1: signals as opposed to transmitting them over the air, UM 292 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: and UH and it was a success, ended up being 293 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:05,960 Speaker 1: the basis for the cable industry, also for the early 294 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: internet industry. Pretty impressive stuff. Now, this is when World 295 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: War Two is being waged around the world, mostly in 296 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 1: the course the European and UH Southeast Asia theaters. Um. 297 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 1: This is also a time when Bell employees would serve 298 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: in World War two. UH and and Bell companies would 299 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 1: wind up producing more than one thousand two D defense 300 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: projects for all all kinds of stuff. I mean, you know, materials, radios, radar, mind, fuses, 301 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 1: all of that technical stuff that needed to happen. Yeah. 302 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 1: So that another government project that was a big part 303 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:46,320 Speaker 1: of what a T and T was doing at that 304 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:50,360 Speaker 1: point three was when A T and T begins automation 305 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:54,720 Speaker 1: of long distance switching. So now there at this point 306 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 1: the rolling it out would take years, sure, but but 307 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: it was just not only local service but also across 308 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 1: different local UH networks right right, local operators connecting to 309 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 1: the long distance one. You were starting to see the 310 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: switching become automated. UH. That would be a big it 311 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: proven in efficiency to as of of American households had 312 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,359 Speaker 1: a telephone. The problem was they all wanted to call 313 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:23,680 Speaker 1: the other half. Yeah, so darned when are they When 314 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 1: are the Johnson's game? That phone was when a T 315 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 1: and T offers mobile telephone service in St. Louis, Missouri, 316 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:35,040 Speaker 1: and that it's not what you're thinking of. Well he 317 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:38,639 Speaker 1: had a car. Yeah, these were These were not the 318 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,640 Speaker 1: kind of handheld devices that that even Zach Morris would 319 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:47,080 Speaker 1: have many decades later. By the bell reference, that's that's 320 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:51,159 Speaker 1: that's after my time. But I get it. Um. I 321 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,480 Speaker 1: think each region of service had a single antenna which 322 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 1: could handle about twenty calls at once at most most 323 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:00,959 Speaker 1: and sometimes it was between wellve and twenty. It all 324 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 1: depended upon the antenna. Yeah. These were again using radio signals, 325 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 1: sort of like those those transatlantic and Transpacific connections that 326 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 1: we talked about earlier, but on a more mobile scale. 327 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:14,919 Speaker 1: You would call in and it would it would communicate 328 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:17,439 Speaker 1: to it to a tower, kind of similar to cell service, 329 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: but it's not cell service. Yeah, if you if you 330 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 1: moved outside the range of that antenna, you would not 331 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 1: be able to place that call because there were there 332 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:28,399 Speaker 1: weren't cells. You know, we will have to do a 333 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 1: full episode on how cell phones work at some point 334 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 1: to explain that handoff process. But there was no handoff process, 335 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:35,679 Speaker 1: so if you moved out of range, that was it. 336 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:38,920 Speaker 1: And these mobile telephones were enormous and heavy. They were 337 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: more akin to the sort of stuff you would have 338 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 1: seen in like if you ever watched the World War 339 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,520 Speaker 1: two movie where they have one of those backpack radios. Yeah, 340 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:48,680 Speaker 1: I think I think Patent carries a few around sometimes 341 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 1: it's a it's a little closer to that, not quite 342 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: as military looking, but similar in size and weight. So 343 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:57,280 Speaker 1: not something that was terribly useful for the average person, 344 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: but for some people like truck drivers it might come 345 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 1: in handy or other other people who happened to be 346 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 1: very mobile but have a large carrying capacity. On the 347 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:10,920 Speaker 1: middle of times, um, so the this is also the 348 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:15,560 Speaker 1: year seven when Bell Labs employees invent a particular piece 349 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:17,880 Speaker 1: of technology that would go on to play a very 350 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: important role I think, and not only telephone industry, but 351 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:24,880 Speaker 1: computers the future as we know it. But we're talking 352 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,679 Speaker 1: about the transistor. Yep, that it was Bell Labs that 353 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:30,639 Speaker 1: came up with the transistor. And we've talked about and 354 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: we talked about these gentlemen before. There were three people 355 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:36,840 Speaker 1: in particular leading that project who ended up later on 356 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:40,360 Speaker 1: winning a Nobel Prize for that invention. That's John Bardine, 357 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: Walter Brittaine, and then William Shockley. We talked about recently 358 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:50,479 Speaker 1: when we were talking about another company, Shockley's shocking views 359 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: that led the some people to to become the Traitorous 360 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:57,159 Speaker 1: eight or something like that. Yeah. Yeah, and and and 361 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: this transistor. We talked in the previous episode about vacue 362 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,160 Speaker 1: tubes being such a huge development in the telecommunications industry 363 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:07,200 Speaker 1: because they allowed for those first electro mechanical computers to 364 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,400 Speaker 1: to work. And the transistor was what would replace these 365 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:13,640 Speaker 1: vacuum tubes in anything that was doing computing work. Yeah, 366 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 1: it would allow you to do amplification, it would allow 367 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:21,160 Speaker 1: you to do and miniaturization. Maniaturization was the big thing. 368 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,359 Speaker 1: It reduced heat and it allowed you for miniaturization, something 369 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: that you couldn't do with vacuum tubes, which meant that 370 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: our computers no longer would take up the space of 371 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:33,399 Speaker 1: a building, could eventually take up the space of you know, 372 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:37,440 Speaker 1: your pocket. All of this really makes me wonder what 373 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: would have happened if a T and T had not 374 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,040 Speaker 1: had the reach and power and the money to have 375 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:45,720 Speaker 1: this research and development lab. You know, if if they 376 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 1: had not been the crazy not quite monopoly sort of 377 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:51,240 Speaker 1: a monopoly that they were, you know, would you know 378 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,000 Speaker 1: parallel development was going on in some other labs time. 379 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 1: But yeah, I think we would have eventually seen the transistor, 380 00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:59,159 Speaker 1: but it probably would have come out later, and it 381 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:02,440 Speaker 1: probably would have to get longer to get ramped up 382 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: into a a form that would be manufacturable because this 383 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: early transistor was not something you would put in any 384 00:21:09,359 --> 00:21:11,480 Speaker 1: kind of electronics. It was more of a proof of concept. 385 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: If you've ever seen a replica of it, it was enormous. 386 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 1: I mean it's one transistor. Keep in mind that your 387 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:21,200 Speaker 1: average microprocessor could have a billion or more transistors on it. 388 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:23,399 Speaker 1: This thing was big enough to fit like it was, 389 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:25,359 Speaker 1: it would fit in the palm of your hand, but 390 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: not the nets would Yeah. So so this is this 391 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: is early days yet so I think our world would 392 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:34,280 Speaker 1: be significantly different had that not happened. So let's move 393 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 1: on to Uh. That was when A T T began 394 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: offering networking services for TV. Yeah, in the Northeast and 395 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:45,400 Speaker 1: the Midwest. So uh, you know. The way it would 396 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 1: work is that your your networks, your big networks, would 397 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:52,240 Speaker 1: use this service to transmit programming to affiliated stations in 398 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:54,199 Speaker 1: different regions of the United States. So that way you 399 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:57,840 Speaker 1: could have like the Big Network broadcast out of someplace 400 00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:01,600 Speaker 1: like New York and then have that sent to UH 401 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 1: to an affiliate station that might be far across the country. 402 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: This was also the year that A t T began 403 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 1: to build its first microwave relay system between New York 404 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:14,919 Speaker 1: and Boston. And microwave relay is a an improvement on, 405 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:17,359 Speaker 1: or not an improvement, but but a parallel development on 406 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 1: that radio transmission that we've been talking about. It's um 407 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,280 Speaker 1: it's a series of antennas or dishes that carry data 408 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:27,199 Speaker 1: via microwave, and these can be sent to narrow beams 409 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 1: directly to the receiving devices, which means that you can 410 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,720 Speaker 1: have multiple devices working within the same bandwidth at the 411 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 1: same time, so you dramatically increased capacity that way, right right, UM. 412 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:40,920 Speaker 1: You know, they've also got a higher bandwidth than other 413 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,240 Speaker 1: radio waves. But you do have to have a direct 414 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,160 Speaker 1: line of sight, which means that you know it's it's 415 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 1: you can't have something behind a hill or behind a 416 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:51,720 Speaker 1: tree or behind a house. It's not gonna work. Yeah, 417 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:55,919 Speaker 1: So there were limitations, but still dramatic improvements in in 418 00:22:56,119 --> 00:23:00,320 Speaker 1: being able to transmit information and both data and sass 419 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: it would turn out. Uh. So moving on, we now 420 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 1: get hit in nine with another antitrust suit. We don't 421 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:13,080 Speaker 1: actually uh, this would not be resolved for several years, 422 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:15,200 Speaker 1: and believe us, we will tell you about it when 423 00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:17,720 Speaker 1: that happens. In my timeline. By that time, A T 424 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 1: and T controlled about eight percent of the telecommunications industry 425 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:23,240 Speaker 1: in the United States, so still holding study from several 426 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 1: years before when they were at seventy. But keep in 427 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 1: mind the industry is growing by leaps and bounds like 428 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,640 Speaker 1: that that of American households with telephones is growing over 429 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 1: a time. So while A T and t s percentage 430 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:39,879 Speaker 1: might have gone from the actual numbers are huge all right. Right, 431 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:43,679 Speaker 1: As of seventy seventy percent of American households would have 432 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,439 Speaker 1: a telephone. So that's that's the range that it was 433 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,280 Speaker 1: growing a huge jump. Yeah, and back in nine that's 434 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:52,560 Speaker 1: also an A T and T introduced the five hundred 435 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: series telephone, which was one of the most recognizable phones 436 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,359 Speaker 1: ever introduced. If you ever seen this. It's essentially the 437 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: base station with the rotary dial on it, and then 438 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 1: you have the back of it. The top back has 439 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 1: the cradle where the handset sits. And uh, it's just 440 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: one of those phones that once you see it, you're like, oh, yeah, 441 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:14,200 Speaker 1: that's what. Even if only phone I've ever seen is 442 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:18,200 Speaker 1: a smartphone, somehow I recognize that that's a phone. Um, yeah, 443 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:20,640 Speaker 1: because phones don't like that or sound like that anymore. 444 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:23,359 Speaker 1: And yet it's still the enduring image, I would say. 445 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:26,160 Speaker 1: And that's probably the where the sound that we think 446 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:29,000 Speaker 1: of as a telephone ring comes from. As well. You know, 447 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:31,639 Speaker 1: before we all had you know, whatever Miley Cyrus ring 448 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:34,760 Speaker 1: tones are, etcetera. Hey, let's not reveal to the listeners 449 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: what my ringtone is. But we talked about that one. 450 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:43,160 Speaker 1: A T and T introduces customer dialing of domestic long 451 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:47,119 Speaker 1: distance calls, and it started in Inglewood, New Jersey. So 452 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 1: before that time, you could make local calls dialing. We 453 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:53,639 Speaker 1: talked about that earlier, but you would still connect with 454 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,359 Speaker 1: an operator to make a long distance call. Also that 455 00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 1: your A T and T helped broadcast a live ends 456 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 1: continental television show. Actually it was an address that President 457 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:08,440 Speaker 1: Harry Truman made to the Japan Peace Treaty Conference at 458 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: the United Nations. So big, big development in in just 459 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 1: television broadcast at that point, right. This was thanks to 460 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:17,920 Speaker 1: that to that microwave relay network that I was talking 461 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,000 Speaker 1: about that they had spent the past few years building. 462 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,440 Speaker 1: Um As of nineteen fifty one, it was a system 463 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,479 Speaker 1: of a hundred and seven towers, some thirty miles apart 464 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: each and this telecast happened only a month after the 465 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:33,239 Speaker 1: very first call was placed via this microwave network. They 466 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 1: moved up their telecast schedule by almost a month in 467 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: order to accommodate President Truman. That's pretty incredible that they 468 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:42,320 Speaker 1: were able to accommodate that so quickly, considering that it 469 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: was just recently it was new technology. Yeah, that's pretty amazing. 470 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:50,119 Speaker 1: Nineteen fifty four, for the first time, Western Electric begins 471 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:53,879 Speaker 1: to produce telephones in different colors, giving choices to consumers. 472 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:57,159 Speaker 1: So it wasn't just black telephones anymore. Now you can 473 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 1: get them in beige. Uh. Six was the resolution of 474 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,800 Speaker 1: that anti trust lawsuit. Yeah, so this was a big deal. 475 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 1: So part of the antitrust lawsuit meant that a T 476 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: and T agreed to restrict itself to just dealing with 477 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:17,040 Speaker 1: the telephone industry and also occasionally doing any sort of 478 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,679 Speaker 1: projects for the federal government that was asked of it, 479 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:23,199 Speaker 1: but otherwise to stay out of other industries television, of 480 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:27,800 Speaker 1: the slowly burgeoning computer industry that was going on at 481 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,160 Speaker 1: the time. So essentially they were they were saying, all right, 482 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:34,200 Speaker 1: you know, we we don't want any trouble, Mr. United 483 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 1: States Government. We will back off. So this is the 484 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 1: first of that of that telco industry regulation. But we'll 485 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: get into a one that directly affected A. T and 486 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,600 Speaker 1: T even more than this did another couple of decades, 487 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:50,280 Speaker 1: but see an even bigger one. Um that this particular 488 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 1: consent decree also included a stipulation that A. T and 489 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 1: T had to place its patents for the transistor which 490 00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,439 Speaker 1: which our friends, uh the nice studely dudes Bardine and Britain, 491 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:03,200 Speaker 1: et cetera, and Shockley Yes, uh, they won the Nobel 492 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 1: Prize for it this year. Um, they had to place 493 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,040 Speaker 1: the patents for that transistor in the public domain and 494 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:13,880 Speaker 1: be willing to license their tech for about dollars, which, 495 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:16,879 Speaker 1: according to that Bureau of Labor Statistics calculator would be 496 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,640 Speaker 1: about two d and fifteen thousand dollars, right, And when 497 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:25,320 Speaker 1: you think about the benefit of transistors, it's it's fortunate 498 00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 1: that that happened, absolutely because imagine a world where a 499 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:31,280 Speaker 1: T and T had had held onto that for yeah, 500 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:33,480 Speaker 1: I had what if they had had exclusive rights to 501 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 1: the transistor the way they had exclusive rights to the 502 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:39,480 Speaker 1: telephone company. Certainly, everything that we talked about in our 503 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,920 Speaker 1: in our last in our in our last few podcasts 504 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:45,960 Speaker 1: where we've talked about companies that were like fair Child 505 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:50,440 Speaker 1: Semiconductor and also things like Texas Instruments and other companies 506 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:54,480 Speaker 1: that that did pioneering work with transistors, obviously that would 507 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 1: not have been the case had they not been allowed 508 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: to license that technology. So yeah, big, big uh decision there. 509 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,760 Speaker 1: Also six was when service opened up for the TET one, 510 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:10,119 Speaker 1: which was the Transatlantic uh telephone cable. Now, this is 511 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: a cable that actually did stretch all the way from 512 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:16,639 Speaker 1: the United States to Europe, and the initial capacity was 513 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:19,400 Speaker 1: for thirty six calls at a time, so much better 514 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:22,320 Speaker 1: than that one call at a time radio method they 515 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:24,119 Speaker 1: had been using decades before, and they were also of 516 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:26,159 Speaker 1: a higher quality. The calls that you could place than 517 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:29,920 Speaker 1: via radio, and the cost was a near twelve dollars 518 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:31,879 Speaker 1: for the first three minutes, which translates to about a 519 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 1: hundred and three bucks today, So a hundred three dollar 520 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 1: phone call for three minutes. And we're also slightly more secure. 521 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: There is less chance of somebody else. It's a lot 522 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: harder to tap into a phone line when it's underwater, 523 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: more difficult, not that I speak from experience. Was also 524 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:52,520 Speaker 1: the year that the first picture phone system was tested. 525 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 1: Uh and and by picture phone, I mean this is 526 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,000 Speaker 1: this isn't FaceTime, it's you know. It would send an 527 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 1: image about once every two seconds. And we're gonna get 528 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 1: a little bit more into picture phone shenanigans. In the 529 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 1: following years, A T and T introduced the first commercial modem, 530 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:12,959 Speaker 1: which was meant for enterprise customers, not not average consumers. 531 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 1: So it allowed for computers to make a direct connection 532 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: to one another. There's not such a thing as as 533 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 1: a network yet that that would come into play once 534 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 1: our PA net really would give her a would rise 535 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:28,040 Speaker 1: up in a couple of years. But modems, of course, 536 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,080 Speaker 1: became very important for that kind of technology to exist. 537 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: A T. And also began research work in lasers and 538 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: fiber optics. That again another transformative technology in telecommunications. Speaking 539 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 1: of transformative technologies, I believe you have a really important note. 540 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:49,600 Speaker 1: I included this one just for Lauren because Lauren's a girl. 541 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: You know, girls like pink. So I know this because 542 00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:57,680 Speaker 1: the technology industries have taught me numerous times by all 543 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 1: the pink electronics that are out there, that pink is 544 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,960 Speaker 1: for girls, and girls like pink, and if you don't 545 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:06,360 Speaker 1: like pink, then something's wrong, right, right, absolutely? Yeah. So anyway, 546 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:08,560 Speaker 1: obviously I don't really believe any of that, but the 547 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:12,040 Speaker 1: introduction of the Pink Princess Phone game in nineteen fifty nine, 548 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: and then I have a note here which says, don't 549 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:16,120 Speaker 1: hit me, Lauren, Lauren, please don't hit me. All Right, 550 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:17,920 Speaker 1: we know we're gonna take a quick break to thank 551 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: our sponsor. While Lauren calms down. Alright, we're back. Lauren, 552 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:25,920 Speaker 1: has your murderous rage kind of died down to just 553 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:28,680 Speaker 1: just a loathing? No, yeah, I guess, I mean, you know, 554 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:32,400 Speaker 1: it's it's just normal, normal levels at that point. Okay, um, no, 555 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:35,280 Speaker 1: so okay, So coming back to the timeline, in nineteen 556 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 1: launched Echo, which was a balloon off which data could 557 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 1: be bounced. And this is about to become important because 558 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,440 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty two they would launch Telestar one, which 559 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:49,400 Speaker 1: was the very first active communications satellite. Right. Remember that 560 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:51,720 Speaker 1: at this time, the satellites that have been launched into 561 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:56,760 Speaker 1: orbit would usually transmit a very weak, very simple signal 562 00:30:57,160 --> 00:30:59,880 Speaker 1: just to alert people on the ground that in fact 563 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,800 Speaker 1: it existed, right. It was just a ping really. Yeah, 564 00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:04,880 Speaker 1: So like spot Nick, it was the machine that went 565 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 1: ping and went around the world a few times, and 566 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:09,959 Speaker 1: people on the ground could detect it, but you couldn't 567 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 1: communicate with it. You couldn't use it to bounce signals 568 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 1: off of it. It was really just there as a 569 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 1: proof of concept. So the Tellstar one allowed for actual 570 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:22,040 Speaker 1: live transmission of television across the Atlantic. Yeah. And and 571 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:25,520 Speaker 1: the first phone call transferred through space was between the 572 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:27,760 Speaker 1: A T and T chairman and the Vice President of 573 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:30,880 Speaker 1: the United States within thirty minutes. That also tested live 574 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:33,480 Speaker 1: and taped television and other data. That the whole project 575 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,240 Speaker 1: was a collaboration with NASA actually, but it was the 576 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:40,400 Speaker 1: first privately sponsored space launch. Yeah, and now look at 577 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 1: our world. Private private sponsored space launches are are becoming 578 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:47,080 Speaker 1: the way that we're getting into space these days. Nineteen 579 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:50,280 Speaker 1: sixty three, A T and T introduces touch tone service, 580 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:54,000 Speaker 1: so we start to see the rotary dial begin to disappear, 581 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:57,200 Speaker 1: and now we have the keypad, the familiar keypad if 582 00:31:57,240 --> 00:31:59,920 Speaker 1: you've ever used a an old phone with a keypad. 583 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:01,600 Speaker 1: And some of you guys just don't even know what 584 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:04,160 Speaker 1: that is. All your all your buttons have appeared on 585 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:08,640 Speaker 1: the screen. It's it's what the buttons replicate on a screen. Mom. Yeah, 586 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:11,240 Speaker 1: I want to skew more fic dial pad where it's 587 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 1: the rotary top pad. I'm sure there has to be one, 588 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:16,840 Speaker 1: oh something for me to not one of you clever 589 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:21,080 Speaker 1: app makers out there do that. The rotary dial dial face. 590 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:23,680 Speaker 1: I don't know why I would give myself. I would 591 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:25,360 Speaker 1: just be less likely to make phone calls, which I 592 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: guess is a good thing in the wrong run. I 593 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:31,600 Speaker 1: no one wants to hear from me anyway, I'm alright. 594 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:34,840 Speaker 1: A T T opens t PC one, which was the 595 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:38,880 Speaker 1: first submarine telephone cable across the Pacific. So this stretched 596 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:42,040 Speaker 1: from Japan to Hawaii and they're connected to two cables 597 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 1: that linked Hawaii with the mainland. Um so Experimental Picture 598 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:50,000 Speaker 1: Phone service also begins in some cities and talked about that. Right. 599 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,719 Speaker 1: It was installed specifically in exhibits at Disneyland and at 600 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:56,040 Speaker 1: the New York World's Fair. Yea, so again, I had 601 00:32:56,040 --> 00:33:00,640 Speaker 1: a motor and UH and a camera and was very primitive, 602 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:02,959 Speaker 1: but it was sort of the the predecessor to what 603 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:06,640 Speaker 1: we would think of as video calls, which still we're 604 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 1: waiting to take off. Nineteen six, A T and T 605 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,360 Speaker 1: installs a special purpose computer which was the first electronic 606 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: telephone switch in a local telephone exchange in New Jersey. 607 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 1: And I believe that first which was the four E 608 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:21,800 Speaker 1: S S, which could handle about five hundred thousand calls 609 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 1: per hour, which was ten times the amount of the 610 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,480 Speaker 1: standard electro mechanical switch could handle exactly. So now we're 611 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 1: moving into the digital age and beyond the electro mechanical age. 612 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: Nineteen sixty eight, A T and T introduces nine one 613 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,880 Speaker 1: one as the US nationwide emergency number, first rolled out 614 00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:41,840 Speaker 1: in Huntington's Indiana. Other countries have their own emergency numbers, 615 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:45,840 Speaker 1: and UH, I have to mention, you know, according to 616 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:48,760 Speaker 1: the I T crowd, apparently the UK just changed it 617 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:52,320 Speaker 1: to O one eight nine nine nine eight eight one 618 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:58,920 Speaker 1: nine nine to five three. I had to put that 619 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:04,240 Speaker 1: in there. Yeah, incredibly important. UM. As of nineteen of 620 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:10,440 Speaker 1: American households had a phone line. Finally, slackers. They just 621 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 1: didn't have anyone they wanted to talk to. Nineteen seventy 622 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:17,840 Speaker 1: T and T introduces customer dialing for international long distance 623 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:22,200 Speaker 1: telephone calls, starting with Manhattan and London. UM. Also that year, 624 00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:27,040 Speaker 1: a commercial picture phone service debut in downtown Pittsburgh and 625 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:31,719 Speaker 1: and went absolutely nowhere. Basically nobody cared at all. I 626 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:34,040 Speaker 1: think they were like, this is cumbersome and kind of stupid, 627 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 1: and I don't want it. I think for a lot 628 00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:39,319 Speaker 1: of us, video calls are still kind of slow to 629 00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:42,239 Speaker 1: be adopted because it means having to keep some part 630 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:44,600 Speaker 1: of your house pristine so that the people who are 631 00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:46,920 Speaker 1: calling you don't realize how you really live. I'm always 632 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:49,960 Speaker 1: really nervous about about web web chat calls at work 633 00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 1: because I'm like, oh, crap, what's going on in the background. 634 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:55,719 Speaker 1: Is Josh doing something inappropriate back there? You know? But 635 00:34:55,920 --> 00:34:59,080 Speaker 1: like by inappropriate, I mean like using the swords that 636 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: Chuck has to have a fight with someone else in 637 00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 1: the editorial department, not that he would ever do that 638 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:13,520 Speaker 1: again Labs produced the Unix operating system. Yeah. Huge development here. 639 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:16,799 Speaker 1: So the idea was to create an operating system that 640 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:20,040 Speaker 1: was platform independent, meaning that you could put this operating 641 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:22,959 Speaker 1: system on different types of computers. Because keep in mind, 642 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:25,440 Speaker 1: in the early days, a lot of these computers had 643 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:28,799 Speaker 1: proprietary systems that they would operate on, and that was it. 644 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:31,560 Speaker 1: You could not have. You couldn't run the same kind 645 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:35,799 Speaker 1: of software for one computer and an on a yeah, 646 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:38,680 Speaker 1: because exactly because they did, they weren't compatible. You had 647 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:43,000 Speaker 1: to recompile all of your programming into a different language 648 00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:44,680 Speaker 1: so I would run on a different computer. This was 649 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:47,200 Speaker 1: kind of an attempt to allow A T and T 650 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:49,880 Speaker 1: to have a computer system where it didn't really matter 651 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:51,799 Speaker 1: what hardware they had as long as it could run 652 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:54,840 Speaker 1: this operating system. They could run the same software across 653 00:35:54,880 --> 00:36:00,000 Speaker 1: the multiple divisions. Huge development. Absolutely. Um In nineteen seven, 654 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:02,799 Speaker 1: D five, armed partially with this, a T T begin 655 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:07,399 Speaker 1: to computerize its operations. Yeah. Yeah, and the computers could 656 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:10,759 Speaker 1: handle a much larger call volume. Like you mentioned earlier, Lauren, 657 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:13,719 Speaker 1: that that one switch was a good example. So we're 658 00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:17,759 Speaker 1: starting to see, uh a rapid rollout of development, although 659 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:20,279 Speaker 1: it would take probably ten years for this to be 660 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:25,080 Speaker 1: uh to be complete, because you know, it's a huge infrastructure, right, 661 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:28,120 Speaker 1: I mean, you're talking about a nationwide telephone service. So 662 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:30,600 Speaker 1: it's not like you just flip a switch and suddenly 663 00:36:30,600 --> 00:36:34,719 Speaker 1: everything's magically in computer world, right right. Um. Yeah, In fact, 664 00:36:34,719 --> 00:36:38,560 Speaker 1: it would take until to complete the transition. So that's true. 665 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:41,520 Speaker 1: The very last toll switch was completed in so even 666 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:43,879 Speaker 1: longer than I said ten years. I was way off. 667 00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:49,760 Speaker 1: Ninety six that's when m c I filed an antitrust 668 00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:52,680 Speaker 1: suit against A T and T. Now they had started 669 00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:57,520 Speaker 1: looking at the possibility of pursuing this kind of uh 670 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 1: legal action back in the you know, a little earlier 671 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:03,000 Speaker 1: in the seventies. They met with the Department of Justice, 672 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:07,200 Speaker 1: but A T and T ended up disconnecting m c 673 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:12,479 Speaker 1: i s foreign exchange customers. Kind of it doesn't say 674 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:15,719 Speaker 1: directly in response to m c I asking the d 675 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 1: o J about this, but you might be able to 676 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:22,720 Speaker 1: draw that conclusion. So with this antitrust lawsuit filed against 677 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:25,000 Speaker 1: A T and T, the Department of Justice would then 678 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:28,920 Speaker 1: look into the matter and file its own antitrust lawsuit 679 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:32,640 Speaker 1: against A T and T. In nineteen seventy seven, So 680 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:35,920 Speaker 1: that will come into play in just a couple of years. 681 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:38,200 Speaker 1: Where that's that's the big one we talk about the 682 00:37:38,239 --> 00:37:41,200 Speaker 1: big this this lawsuit would go on for six years. Yeah. 683 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 1: So in seventy seven, besides the fact that the d 684 00:37:44,239 --> 00:37:46,400 Speaker 1: o J brought an antitrust lawsuit against it, A T 685 00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:49,319 Speaker 1: and T also opened the first network operations center in 686 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:51,880 Speaker 1: New Jersey. Now, this allowed A T and T to 687 00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:54,920 Speaker 1: have a centralized location where they can have real time 688 00:37:54,920 --> 00:37:58,480 Speaker 1: management of its entire long distance network. Instead of having 689 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:01,279 Speaker 1: a bunch of regional offices that all coordinate together, they 690 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:05,040 Speaker 1: could actually control everything from one spot, like you know, 691 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 1: the Empire. That same year, A T and T installed 692 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:12,160 Speaker 1: the first fiber optic cable in a commercial communication system, 693 00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:15,880 Speaker 1: so using light as opposed to electricity through a copper wire. 694 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:20,040 Speaker 1: Night on the On his first day on the bench, 695 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:23,120 Speaker 1: Judge Harold Green drew the A T and T Anti 696 00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:26,960 Speaker 1: trust case. Can you imagine that your first day on 697 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:28,880 Speaker 1: the bench as a judge and you draw the A 698 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:31,080 Speaker 1: T and T Anti trust case. I think that must 699 00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:33,640 Speaker 1: in fact be where jokes about like the cases of 700 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:37,440 Speaker 1: the Mondays come from. That's pretty ridiculous. A case of 701 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:40,919 Speaker 1: many years of mondays for that poor judge nineteen seventy nine. 702 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:43,760 Speaker 1: All right, So in the United States they had about 703 00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:47,960 Speaker 1: a hundred seventy five million, five thirty five thousand telephones active, 704 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:50,239 Speaker 1: give or take a few, and Bell had more than 705 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:54,080 Speaker 1: a million employees. That's incredible, a million people working for 706 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:59,719 Speaker 1: this company. That's phenomenal. M c I wins its antitrust 707 00:38:59,760 --> 00:39:02,240 Speaker 1: loss it against A T and T and the United 708 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:05,439 Speaker 1: States versus A T and T goes to trial. So 709 00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:08,200 Speaker 1: the m c I lawsuits over, but the Department of 710 00:39:08,239 --> 00:39:13,480 Speaker 1: Justices lawsuits. Yeah. So that brings us to January two. 711 00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:17,319 Speaker 1: We're gonna end on this year and we'll pick up 712 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:23,120 Speaker 1: in night in our next podcast. But six years of 713 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:26,480 Speaker 1: this federal antitrust case going on in some form or another, 714 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:30,080 Speaker 1: A T and T is up against the wall. They 715 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:33,680 Speaker 1: have really very few options. So they agree to divest 716 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:39,360 Speaker 1: themselves of the seven regional Bell Operating UH company carriers 717 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:41,839 Speaker 1: that they owned. So like the big ones, which also 718 00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:45,760 Speaker 1: represented smaller companies inside it was up until this point 719 00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:49,600 Speaker 1: um generally referred to as mob bell. And yeah, all 720 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:53,080 Speaker 1: the different bell system Southwestern Bell, Bell South, you had, 721 00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:55,360 Speaker 1: you know all these If you've ever heard a company 722 00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:57,640 Speaker 1: with Bell in the title of it as a telephone company. 723 00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:00,759 Speaker 1: It belonged to this at the at the time. So 724 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:02,880 Speaker 1: A T. T essentially is getting rid of all of 725 00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:07,200 Speaker 1: its local calling service. It's staying as a long distance carrier. 726 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:10,719 Speaker 1: And it also as a sort of a concession, I 727 00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:12,319 Speaker 1: guess you could say, you know, it had to get 728 00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:14,799 Speaker 1: rid of all this local stuff so that it could 729 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:18,040 Speaker 1: no longer kind of maintain this monopoly. But in return 730 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:21,480 Speaker 1: it was allowed to go into computer systems. Yeah, so 731 00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:25,920 Speaker 1: our computer communication business. Yeah, and it lift this, lifted 732 00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:28,880 Speaker 1: that that band we talked about from the nineteen fifty 733 00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:32,839 Speaker 1: six judgment. So now while A T and T has 734 00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:34,520 Speaker 1: to get rid of all those other companies, and it 735 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:36,200 Speaker 1: would take a couple of years for them to do this. 736 00:40:36,239 --> 00:40:38,399 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously you can't just do this overnight either, 737 00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:41,439 Speaker 1: but for them that you know, in return, they get 738 00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:44,239 Speaker 1: to go into this new industry. Um. So it's kind 739 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:48,040 Speaker 1: of a you know, silver lining kind of thing, if 740 00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:49,520 Speaker 1: you want to look at it that way. And I 741 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:53,640 Speaker 1: think it would turn out, considering the very fast gains 742 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:56,239 Speaker 1: in Internet popularity over the next couple of decades, to 743 00:40:56,280 --> 00:41:01,160 Speaker 1: be completely worthwhile. Well, especially considering that that separation of 744 00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:04,000 Speaker 1: a T and T, and those Bell operating companies wouldn't 745 00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:07,920 Speaker 1: last for all of them. But that's a spoiler alert. Yeah, 746 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:11,360 Speaker 1: so a T and T would end up reabsorbing Western Electric, 747 00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:13,280 Speaker 1: it would become part of a T and T. Formally 748 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:17,040 Speaker 1: it was no longer spun off. Also, the Bell operating 749 00:41:17,080 --> 00:41:20,560 Speaker 1: companies would not be allowed to offer a long distance service, 750 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:23,520 Speaker 1: so A T T would remain the long distance carrier. 751 00:41:23,560 --> 00:41:26,600 Speaker 1: The Bell operating companies would become local carriers, and neither 752 00:41:26,719 --> 00:41:30,200 Speaker 1: was supposed to engage in the other's business. So uh, 753 00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:33,080 Speaker 1: I mean apart from a T T allowing the interconnections, 754 00:41:33,120 --> 00:41:35,240 Speaker 1: but a T T could not go into local service. 755 00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:39,200 Speaker 1: Bell operating companies cannot go into long distance service. Um. 756 00:41:39,280 --> 00:41:43,080 Speaker 1: And also the Bell companies couldn't go into information service 757 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:47,240 Speaker 1: or manufacturing. Uh. And everyone was supposed to provide equal 758 00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:49,920 Speaker 1: access to all long distance companies. So in other words, 759 00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:53,279 Speaker 1: you couldn't have Bell South say that A T T 760 00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:56,680 Speaker 1: was the exclusive long distance carrier. Bell South customers had 761 00:41:56,719 --> 00:42:01,920 Speaker 1: to have choice. So that's was supposed to set, you know, 762 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:05,120 Speaker 1: put us all back at square one, reset the playing field, 763 00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:09,200 Speaker 1: we're all on level ground. That was the intent, But 764 00:42:10,040 --> 00:42:12,479 Speaker 1: I think we'll use our next episode to talk about 765 00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:14,960 Speaker 1: how well that turned out, all right, I think it 766 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:17,160 Speaker 1: was really more you know, it wasn't It wasn't leveling 767 00:42:17,200 --> 00:42:20,000 Speaker 1: a playing field that was giving luxury blimps to the 768 00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:22,120 Speaker 1: people at the top of the playing field to kind 769 00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:26,080 Speaker 1: of gently coast downwards a little bit, maybe diamond encrusted 770 00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:31,000 Speaker 1: uh landing pads for their golden parachutes. Anyway, we might 771 00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:33,160 Speaker 1: get a little snarky in our final episode on a 772 00:42:33,239 --> 00:42:35,040 Speaker 1: T and T, but look forward to that. That will 773 00:42:35,080 --> 00:42:37,560 Speaker 1: be our next one. And if you have a suggestion 774 00:42:37,600 --> 00:42:40,399 Speaker 1: for future episodes of tech Stuff, please let's know. We've 775 00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:43,279 Speaker 1: had a lot of people writing in recently, which is fantastic. 776 00:42:43,400 --> 00:42:45,719 Speaker 1: It is, yeah, yeah, and we would love to start 777 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:47,160 Speaker 1: um to start reading some of you or some of 778 00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:50,000 Speaker 1: you guys have really terrific and wonderful insights on the 779 00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:52,440 Speaker 1: things that we're saying and on different segments of the industry, 780 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:54,040 Speaker 1: and we love hearing those. And we're going to bring 781 00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:58,719 Speaker 1: back without alarm class and some listener mail, so we'll 782 00:42:58,719 --> 00:43:02,000 Speaker 1: discuss the alarm class all right, So yeah, right, us 783 00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:05,560 Speaker 1: Our address is tech Stuff at Discovery dot com or 784 00:43:05,600 --> 00:43:07,880 Speaker 1: get in touch with us on our social media sites 785 00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:11,279 Speaker 1: that we inhabit or that we don't own them. Now 786 00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:14,720 Speaker 1: I say this every time, but yeah, Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, 787 00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:16,880 Speaker 1: you can find us there. Tech stuff, H. S. W 788 00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:19,040 Speaker 1: and Lauren and I will talk to you again, maybe 789 00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:24,840 Speaker 1: on the phone really soon for more on this and 790 00:43:24,920 --> 00:43:27,480 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics. Does it have staff works dot 791 00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:33,320 Speaker 1: com