Comments by "ToughAncientSpark" (@freetolook3727) on "What Happened to America's oldest Telephone Network? (History of the Telephone) - IT'S HISTORY" video.

I remember when you paid a monthly maintenance fee for the privilege of using ATT's phone. You weren't allowed to own a phone and in 1981, it became possible to use your own phone. We decided, since their phone was indestructible, to buy it from the company. It cost as much as the monthly fee and we could spread out the payments over a year. Then it became possible to buy phones from places like Radio Shack and instead of $36, they now cost $12. Oh how many hundreds of dollars we spent on phone rental over the years! No wonder ATT stock did so well.
208
The FCC is not a government agency or have any affiliation with any government department. It's self regulated, self governed with no oversight or accountability.
2