DREUBEN@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU (Douglas Scott Reuben) (04/08/88)
Some time ago, Fred Goldstien (sp?) mentioned that SNET was NOT a Bell
Company.
From what I have been told and have observed, they are (or were) a Bell
Company, but they were one of the two that AT&T didn't have a controlling
interest in. SNET employees (as well as other Bell Employees in other BOCs)
have told me that SNET joined the Bell System out of choice, and adopted
the standards and practices of the Bell System, including the Bell logo.
SNET is heavily ESS (very few DMSs), has "Custom Calling" (its called
Totalphone here) exactlye like any other BOC, used Western Electric phones
as well as Western Electric Payphones, has the same Calling Cards as any
other BOC, uses the same Charge-A-Calls as any other BOC, has the same
directories with the standard Bell pictures and rate tables, and lots of
other things which make it look a LOT like a Bell Company.
As a matter of fact, a book published in 1976 for the Bell Centenial listed
Southern New England Tel as a Bell company, and AT&T reps that I deal with
frequently say "SNET? Oh yeah, that Bell in CT...". (Well, not EXACTLY like
that, but sort of...)
I'm not sure what Fred is using to distinguish between a Bell Co. and an
independent. I think the sole difference between SNET and the other Bell
Co.s is that it was AT&T ("The Bell Company") did not have a controlling
interest in SNET. (I'm not sure what the other Bell like that was...
somewhere near PA or sometihng? Anyhone know?) In any event, as I said in
my previous posting about COCOTs/Private Payphones, in most ways, SNET is
much more typical of a Bell Company than many others, such as the "trendy"
Pac*Bell ( :-) ). I certainly wouldn't go so fat as to say that SNET is
comparable to a GTE local company!! SNET would get *REALLY* upset about
that!! ;-)
-Doug
DREUBEN%EAGLE.WESLYN@WESLEYAN.BITNET
Dreuben@Eagle.Weslyn
[SNET is *still* 18% owned by AT&T. They never had a monopoly on phone
service in Connecticut (I'm an old connecticut boy myself). If you consider
the fact that they use a bell logo then they are a bell company, but
if you consider controlling interest, then they are not. BTW, Doug;
have you ever heard of the telephone company which serves Woodbury,
Southbury and Bethelehem, CT? That company is non bell but buys its
equipment from SNET, which in turn gets it from.... Another BTW:
West Hartford, CT. now has a DMS. They were step for *years*...-jsol]