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I couldn't find it, but it basically limited AT&T to regulated telecom services, here is some interesting reading on the target. https://economics.yale.edu/sit

by Aloha 4y ago

I couldn't find it, but it basically limited AT&T to regulated telecom services, here is some interesting reading on the target. https://economics.yale.edu/sites/default/files/how_antitrust_enforcement.pdf https://economics.yale.edu/sites/default/files/how_antitrust...

082349872349872 4y ago
thanks. After: > The case ended with a consent decree on January 24, 1956, containing two remedies: First, the Bell System had to license ... its patents ... Second, the Bell System was barred from engaging in any business other than telecommunications. I'm still mystified, because telecommunications in space would presumably still be telecommunications, just light-seconds kind of tele-?
- Aloha 4y ago
  It was an issue because licensing their logo was not a telecommunications use. Some more background on the consent decree, first one needs to understand what state of the art was in 1956 - * No Digital anything, PCM was on the drawing boards, but not in production. * Analog FDMA carrier, either over open wire, coax or microwave. * DDD (Direct Distance Dialing) had just been introduced to large cities, but was still not universally available, even in places with dial service. * Significant amounts of open wire carrier in large swaths of the country, the coming microwave and coax networks were still under construction. * No transistors capable of much over 1 MHz * Electromechanical Switching, however remreed and transistorized stored program switching was on the drawing boards. * No Touch Tone dialing, all dial service is rotary, however significant parts of the country still have manual only service. The big fear was Bell getting into computing or any other kinds of high technology - simply because of their steady revenue from the BOC's - they could sustain a loss on a new line of business for many years while they developed the technology. To give further background, AT&T developed roughly half of the foundational technologies that powers our world today.
- toast0 4y ago
  From other comments, I believe they were limited to regulated telecommunications, not just any telecom, and limited to the US and Canada (they didn't divest Bell Canada until sometime after 1956). They partipated (which included a lot of enabling r&d at bell labs, etc) in submarine cables and satellite communications to connect with other telephone operators abroad, but they didn't run telephone operations outside the country (and Canada). And they certainly would not have had a payphone outside the country. Of course, maybe the space component would be considered in the united states for regulatory reasons, etc, in which case it's fine. Or maybe the FCC claims to regulate the space end despite lack of jurisdiction, that'd be fine too.

by Aloha 4y ago

082349872349872 4y ago

thanks. After: > The case ended with a consent decree on January 24, 1956, containing two remedies: First, the Bell System had to license ... its patents ... Second, the Bell System was barred from engaging in any business other than telecommunications. I'm still mystified, because telecommunications in space would presumably still be telecommunications, just light-seconds kind of tele-?

Aloha 4y ago
It was an issue because licensing their logo was not a telecommunications use. Some more background on the consent decree, first one needs to understand what state of the art was in 1956 - * No Digital anything, PCM was on the drawing boards, but not in production. * Analog FDMA carrier, either over open wire, coax or microwave. * DDD (Direct Distance Dialing) had just been introduced to large cities, but was still not universally available, even in places with dial service. * Significant amounts of open wire carrier in large swaths of the country, the coming microwave and coax networks were still under construction. * No transistors capable of much over 1 MHz * Electromechanical Switching, however remreed and transistorized stored program switching was on the drawing boards. * No Touch Tone dialing, all dial service is rotary, however significant parts of the country still have manual only service. The big fear was Bell getting into computing or any other kinds of high technology - simply because of their steady revenue from the BOC's - they could sustain a loss on a new line of business for many years while they developed the technology. To give further background, AT&T developed roughly half of the foundational technologies that powers our world today.
toast0 4y ago
From other comments, I believe they were limited to regulated telecommunications, not just any telecom, and limited to the US and Canada (they didn't divest Bell Canada until sometime after 1956). They partipated (which included a lot of enabling r&d at bell labs, etc) in submarine cables and satellite communications to connect with other telephone operators abroad, but they didn't run telephone operations outside the country (and Canada). And they certainly would not have had a payphone outside the country. Of course, maybe the space component would be considered in the united states for regulatory reasons, etc, in which case it's fine. Or maybe the FCC claims to regulate the space end despite lack of jurisdiction, that'd be fine too.