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Missed Connections: One Failed Attempt To Ease Restrictions On Bell Operating Companies, Jeffrey Walker

Federal Communications Law Journal

The divestiture of AT&T in 1983 began a revolution in telephone service, ending the communications giant's monopoly and sparking industry competition and lower telephone rates for consumers. However, the Modified Final Judgment, the court decision governing the Bell Operating Companies created in the wake of the divestiture, severely limits phone companies' ability to offer diverse communications products and to pursue customers outside their immediate geographic area. More than a decade after the landmark decision to limit AT&T's monopoly, the District Court for the District of Columbia remains the sole regulator of this segment of the communications industry. This Note argues …