Regional Bell Operating Company
A Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) was a corporate entity created as result of the
AT&T agreed to divest its local exchange service operating companies, effective January 1, 1984. The group of local operating companies were split into seven independent Regional Bell Operating Companies, which became known as the Baby Bells.[1]
RBOCs were originally known as Regional Holding Companies (RHCs). Three companies still exist that have an RBOC as a predecessor: AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies (formerly CenturyTel and CenturyLink). Some other companies are holding onto smaller segments of the companies.
Baby Bells
A "Baby Bell" is a local telephone company in the United States that was in existence at the time of the breakup of AT&T into the resulting Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs). Sometimes also referred to as an "ILEC" (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) they were the former Bell System or Independent Telephone Company responsible for providing local telephone exchange services in a specified geographic area.
After the Modification of Final Judgment, the resulting Baby Bells were originally named:
- Ameritech
- Bell Atlantic
- BellSouth
- NYNEX
- Pacific Telesis
- Southwestern Bell
- US West
Prior to 1984, AT&T Corp. also held investments in two smaller and otherwise independent companies,
After divestiture, AT&T Corp. was prohibited from using the Bell name or logo (with the notable exception of AT&T's
Additionally, Bell Canada, the former Bell Telephone Company of Canada (founded in 1880) and which started separating from the Bell System in 1956, and completely by 1975, continues to use the "Bell" trademarks, which it owns outright in Canada.
Verizon continued to use the Bell logo on its payphones (including former GTE payphones), hard hats, trucks, and buildings, likely intending to display continued use in order to maintain the company's trademark rights. Following the company updating its logo in 2015 and subsequent reimaging of its trucks, the Bell logo has since been removed.
Malheur Bell, an autonomous local phone company owned by Qwest, used the Bell name and logo until its merger into Qwest in 2009.
Apart from historical documents, AT&T does not presently make active use of the Bell marks. Its local exchange companies have retained the "Bell" names; however, they have been doing business under other names since 2002. Many of these names are still listed with the US Patent and Trademark Office as current trademarks, since these names are still considered in use.
Mergers
Many of these companies have since merged; by the end of 2000, there were only three of the original Baby Bells left in the United States. After the 1984 breakup, part of AT&T Corp.'s
AT&T Corporation RBOC grouped into "Baby Bells" split off in 1984 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BellSouth | AT&T Corporation (non-LEC) | Ameritech | Pacific Telesis | Southwestern Bell (later SBC Communications) | Bell Atlantic | NYNEX | US West | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ILEC ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Verizon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AT&T (former SBC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CenturyLink (non-RBOC ILEC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AT&T | Verizon | Lumen Technologies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AT&T Inc.
Verizon Communications
In 1997,
In 2005, following a protracted bidding war with rival RBOC Qwest, Verizon announced that it would acquire long-distance company MCI. The Verizon and MCI merger closed on January 6, 2006.
Bell Atlantic Mobile became[4] the largest wireless carrier in the United States through its merger with NYNEX Mobile, its acquisition of Frontier Cellular, its subsequent merger with GTE Mobile, and its joint venture with Vodafone (consolidating its AirTouch business into Bell Atlantic Mobile). The latter two transactions effectively formed Verizon Wireless (which remained a partnership between Verizon Communications and Vodafone until 2013). The company has largely maintained its lead over the years through further acquisitions (notably, of Alltel Wireless and TracFone) and through organic growth.[5] surpassing T-Mobile and even AT&T in wireless. Over time much of its wireline area was spun off including northern New England to Consolidated Communications and other areas with landline businesses to both Frontier and FairPoint Communications.
Lumen Technologies, Inc.
AltaFiber
The former independent
Consolidated Communications
Frontier Communications
In 2010, Frontier Communications acquired
See also
- Breakup of the Bell System
- Competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC)
- Incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC)
- Local access and transport area (LATA)
References
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
- ^ Dr. J. Robert Beyster with Peter Economy, The SAIC Solution: How We Built an $8 Billion Employee-Owned Technology Company, John Wiley & Sons (2007) p.73
- ^ FCC wrests concessions from AT&T-BellSouth before merger - Dec. 29, 2006 Archived 2020-09-17 at the Wayback Machine. Money.cnn.com (2006-12-29). Retrieved on 2013-09-04.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "2Q 2022 Earnings Conference Call Webcast". www.verizon.com. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ "Qwest Homepage". Qwest Communications International Inc. Archived from the original on 2008-01-22. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ^ DENNIS K. BERMAN; JOANN S. LUBLIN; SPENCER E. ANTE (April 22, 2010). "CenturyTel Buys Qwest in Land-Line Gamble". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
- ^ Brownfield, Andy (December 23, 2019). "Cincinnati Bell to be acquired for $2.6B". Cincinnati Business Courier. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- ^ "Consolidated Communications & FairPoint". Archived from the original on 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ^ Haar, Dan (December 17, 2013). "AT&T Selling Connecticut Operations To Frontier". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ "Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. (FYBR) Company Profile & Facts - Yahoo Finance".