# Why, oh why, did they ever deregulate Ma Bell? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 27, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177 "2003-07-27T01:20:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/1 "2003-07-27T01:20:18Z")
We got our phone bill today. There was an odd charge on it of $6.42 for “ZPDI Toll Charges” (with its own special 800 number to call with questions about it). There were assorted taxes and whatnot tacked on, bringing it to a total of $9.15 for whatever this ZPDI was. It took some time to figure it out, but we finally realized it was for a **20-second collect call** Young Tiger made when the pay phone wouldn’t accept any change. $9.15 for a fucking 20-second collect call – from three miles away!! Dear Og in heaven, how can those goat-felching\* assholes at whatever passes for a phone company these days justify charging $9.15 for a 20-second call? That’s nearly 46¢ a SECOND! Hell, if my time were worth 46¢ a second, I’d be charging $1,656 an hour – even the deepest deep-pocket attorneys don’t charge THAT much! And this for a fucking PHONE CALL? \*Obligatory felching reference so I don’t get flamed for inadequate profanity ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/2 "2003-07-27T02:34:51Z")
For what it’s worth, [here](http://www.zpdi.com/inquiryform.asp) is ZPDI’s customer service form. ZPDI isn’t a telephone company. It’s a billing clearinghouse. > [@](#): > > ZPDI, which is often called a clearinghouse, is not a telephone company, but is hired by long distance and operator service companies to process charges for long distance services. It collects call records, which are the basis for charges, and sends them to a consumer’s local exchange carrier (LEC) for inclusion on a consumer’s local service phone bill. It syays it has no authority to regulate the rates its clients charge. I work for a CLEC (local phone company) and we have a policy in place of automatically reversing charges for collect calls disputed by the customer. You could call your local phone company and ask what if anything it can do. And I found this little gem on the website too about fraudulent calls from Mexico, which I don’t get how that works if they can’t control what its clients charge: > [@](#): > > In addition to the new operator safeguards, starting March 12, ZPDI is restructuring rates that it will allow its customers to charge. It will not allow rates to exceed $44 for a five-minute minimum plus $4 for each additional minute and $38 for a three-minute minimum plus $4 each additional minute. $11+ a minute. You got off cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/3 "2003-07-27T03:19:25Z")
Why does that not make me feel better? ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/4 "2003-07-27T03:42:12Z")
**Mama Tiger** , without deregulation, I wouldn’t have to change my area code every few years, which is quite fun and makes life very interesting. I feel like I’ve moved without the expense of buying a new house and paying movers. ---
**Author:** ![Fernmeldetruppe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Fernmeldetruppe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fernmeldetruppe)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/5 "2003-07-27T03:42:24Z")
The people who use these services are helping pay the company back for the convenience of putting a pay phone there. It is like the $4 a gallon rental car gas, the $4 hotel room candy bar or the $2 ATM charge. The amount is obscene, but people pay it. It is better to let the well-heeled pay for those amenities. The problem w/ the pay phones is that people often don’t understand (we’re told or didn’t calculate) how much the charge will be ahead of time. (I agree that you didn’t see these charges before the break-up, but it is unlikely that you were charged these high prices by one of the companies that was formerly controlled by Ma Bell.) If the pay phone won’t take change and you can’t dial to an AT&T (or MCI or Sprint) operator to make a credit card call, it is better just to have the kid walk away. These two things should be a tip off that the charge will be high. I sympathize with your plight, though. I had to walk quite a ways once, past several no-name pay phones just find one where I could use a calling card. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/6 "2003-07-27T03:49:22Z")
Well, it was 11:00 p.m. and he was calling for a ride home from work. He’s going in the Air Force in a few months so there’s no point signing up up for a cell phone, but after hearing what that little call cost us, he’s decided that maybe he should either get a prepaid one or carry a calling card at all times! When he was younger he used to make collect calls home occasionally. I can remember being outraged at them costing $1.50. Ha! The Evil Gods of Corporate Greed are smirking at my naivete! ---
**Author:** ![Tradnor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@Tradnor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tradnor)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/7 "2003-07-27T06:04:20Z")
Sounds like somebody forgot to “dial down the center”. Have you learned nothing from Carrot Top? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/8 "2003-07-27T09:47:30Z")
Apparently, you’re too young to remember the SNL slogan assigned via Lily Tomlin to the old regulated AT&T: “We don’t care because we don’t have to.” You don’t recall how rare it was even to make a long distance call because the rates were sky-high. No one was allowed to compete with AT&T, so their rates were set by government bureaucrats. And if you had ever bought toilet paper in the Soviet Union, you would know what that can do. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/9 "2003-07-27T15:05:24Z")
Uh, **Libertarian** , this wasn’t an ACTUAL complaint about deregulation, it was a complaint about a single instance of price-gouging – which is why it’s in MPSIMS, not Great Debates. The thread title was meant to be SILLY. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/10 "2003-07-27T16:07:55Z")
Uh, actually, this is the BBQ Pit, not MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/11 "2003-07-27T17:08:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrightNShiny \* > \*\ ***Mama Tiger** , without deregulation, I wouldn’t have to change my area code every few years, which is quite fun and makes life very interesting. I feel like I’ve moved without the expense of buying a new house and paying movers. \*\* I don’t think having to change your area code has anything to do with deregulation. It has to do with all the assignable telephone numbers within an area code being assigned, requiring a split. It’d be necessary whether thre were one phone company or a dozen. **Libertarian** > [@](#): > > Apparently, you’re too young to remember the SNL slogan assigned via Lily Tomlin to the old regulated AT&T: “We don’t care because we don’t have to.” You don’t recall how rare it was even to make a long distance call because the rates were sky-high. No one was allowed to compete with AT&T, so their rates were set by government bureaucrats. And if you had ever bought toilet paper in the Soviet Union, you would know what that can do. I think you’re confusing deregulation with the forced breakup of the Bell monopoly. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/12 "2003-07-27T17:20:28Z")
What I don’t get is-if I call someone on the pay phone, and use change, it charges say, 35 cents, right? But if I were to call someone collect on that same pay phone, for the same exact call, same minutes, etc, it would charge them 9 bucks? THAT is fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/13 "2003-07-27T17:32:46Z")
Fear not _Mama Tiger_, “Ma Bell…is being reincarnated as Southwestern Bell”.[1] [1]If the gods had meant us to vote they would have given us candidates by Jim Hightower. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/14 "2003-07-27T18:05:03Z")
Otto > [@](#): > > I think you’re confusing deregulation with the forced breakup of the Bell monopoly. I stand corrected. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/15 "2003-07-27T18:32:44Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t think having to change your area code has anything to do with deregulation. It has to do with all the assignable telephone numbers within an area code being assigned, requiring a split. It’d be necessary whether thre were one phone company or a dozen. The area code problem happens because phone numbers are parceled out to phone carriers in blocks of 10,000. There are plenty of unused phone numbers in each area code. A number of carriers have gobbled up these blocks in the expectation that they will one day need them. This is the main reason that the rate of new area codes has exploded in the last decade. Additionally, the phone companies were supposed to implement number-portability, which they never did. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/16 "2003-07-27T18:41:12Z")
Oops, this IS the Pit, isn’t it? Well, in my defense, I’ve been fighting off a nasty bug that Papa Tiger has been trying to give me for a couple of days, and the headache affects my concentration.\* They break up AT&T. Then the Baby Bells start recombining, except now it’s not a monopoly any more or something. What is wrong with this picture? Or is my comprehension totally gone? And **Guinastasia** , I think the coin charge for those pay phones was 50¢, but as Young Tiger discovered, the phones were not taking change. Being paranoid about some things, I really wonder if they are actually broken or just set up to screw you. My inclination is the latter. But the difference between 50¢ and $9.15 is still fucked! \*That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/17 "2003-07-27T20:53:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > \*\*Apparently, you’re too young to remember the SNL slogan assigned via Lily Tomlin to the old regulated AT&T: “We don’t care because we don’t have to.” \*\* IIRC, Lily did her bit on Rowan & Martin’s _Laugh-In._ ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/18 "2003-07-27T20:59:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Additionally, the phone companies were supposed to implement number-portability, which they never did. Maybe yours didn’t (and if it didn’t it’s in violation of federal law and regulation) but mine certainly did. And by mine I mean the one I have as my carrier and for which I also work. The baby bell with which we compete hates it and makes it hard for us (because we’re taking their customers) but in the end they have to give up the number. [So sayeth the FCC](http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/numbport.html). Currently the regs apply only to land lines but in the works are final regs mandating cell phone number portability as well. ---
**Author:** ![peri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@peri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peri)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/19 "2003-07-27T23:16:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mama Tiger \* > **…the phones were not taking change. Being paranoid about some things, I really wonder if they are actually broken or just set up to screw you.** Many pay phones that are outside here, as opposed to those in businesses, won’t accept coins after a certain time in the evening. It’s supposed to be an anti-drug measure. What it really is is a great big expensive PITA. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177/20 "2003-07-27T23:31:39Z")
**Otto** , I stand corrected. The last time I looked into this issue was when they attempted to engineer a 310 overlay here in Los Angeles (in 1998). At the time, it was very clear that the phone companies were sitting on a lot of unused numbers and that they hadn’t even taken any steps to implement number portability. It appears that the wireless portability was recently upheld, so hopefully that will go into effect. Since you work for a phone company, does your phone company sit on unused blocks of phone numbers? How many? Is there a program to return unused numbers to the general pool? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-oh-why-did-they-ever-deregulate-ma-bell/191177.md?page=2)