>Something people don't remember is that long distance calling was not free, you couldn't call other area codes or states in the US without paying a per minute

>Something people don't remember is that long distance calling was not free, you couldn't call other area codes or states in the US without paying a per minute fee. Here in New York, you couldn't even call within the same area code without paying a per minute fee and a connection charge. On Long Island the plans included unlimited calling to several close, adjacent towns, but calling towns even 10 miles away in the same area code incurred a substantial per minute surcharge.