Telephone Line

March 3 marks the birthday of Alexander Graham Bell in 1847, a scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone. Bell's father, grandfather, and brother were associated with work on elocution and speech, and his mother and wife were deaf.  Bell's work was influenced by his family, and his research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices, eventually culminating in Bell being awarded the first US patent for the telephone in 1876.

March 3 also marks the day in 1885 when Bell established the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, which we know today as AT&T Corporation.  This company maintained what they referred to as a natural monopoly on telephone service in the United States; this meant one firm could better serve the public than two or more.  For much of its history, AT&T and its Bell System functioned as a legally sanctioned, regulated monopoly. The fundamental principle, formulated by AT&T president Theodore Vail in 1907, was the nature of the technology would operate most efficiently as a monopoly providing universal service.  Classic examples of regulated monopolies include the utility industry and the telecommunications industry, which are subject to governmental price control.

It has been said that nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky, and such was the fate for Ma Bell.  In 1974 the U.S. Department of Justice brought an antitrust lawsuit against AT&T, which eventually led to the 1982 breakup of the Bell system into the regional holding companies, or Baby Bells.  Those have come and gone, changed names and been folded and reshaped numerous times.

What does remain, however, is our attachment to the telephone.  Whether it is corded or cordless, comes through copper wire, cables or microwaves, we want to be connected.  Was I walking around with a personal cell phone 20 years ago?  Nope.  Can I imagine not having one now?  Yes, but why would I want that, as the benefits definitely outweigh the costs.  According to Pew Research Center surveys, cellphone ownership among American adults is around 88%.

Numerous other inventions marked Bell's later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics.  He became one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society in 1888, and has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history.  Still, in retrospect, Bell considered the telephone, easily his most famous invention, an intrusion on his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study.  He knew then, as we try to remember today, that eliminating distraction is the best way to complete our work.

But enough of this...time to get back to the approximately 3,000 advertisements I will see today, not to mention the 5,000 distractions caused by constantly checking messages from phones, emails, IM’s, wall posts, tweets and more.  This is progress, right?