ABSTRACT
Congress 1938 (Apr) FCC issues preliminary report of its telephone inves-
tigation with a host of recommendations 1939 (Jun) Final FCC telephone investigation report published as
Congressional document 1946 (May) Initial Bell System commercial microwave services
begin (in southern California and Massachusetts) 1947 (Apr) First national telephone strike lasts 44 days
(Nov) First national coaxial cable opens between Atlanta and Los Angeles
(Dec) Bell Laboratories scientists develop transistor (first demonstrated publicly in mid-1948)
1949 (Jan) Justice Dept. brings antitrust suit against AT&T
1951 (Sep) Coast-to-coast television made possible by AT&Tsupplied microwave and cable links
1956 (Jan) Consent Decree ends 1949 antitrust case (Sep) First trans-Atlantic telephone submarine cable (TAT-
1) begins service
Chapter 5: Competition Reappears (1956-74)
1956 (Nov) Hush-a-Phone court decision begins deregulation of terminal equipment
1958 (Mar) House Antitrust Subcommittee begins extensive hearings into 1956 Consent Decree
1959 (Jan) House Antitrust Subcommittee issues scathing report on 1956 Consent Decree
(Aug) Above 890 decision begins FCC deregulation of telecommunication services Invention of integrated circuit (“chip”) by Kilby and Noyce
1961 (Jan) AT&T institutes “Telpak” tariff (terminated in 1981) and WATS (wide area telephone service) service
1963 (Oct) MCI founded by Jack Goeken 1965 FCC “Seven-Way Cost Study” of AT&T rates 1966 (Nov) FCC begins its first Computer Inquiry 1968 (Jun) FCC Carterfone decision expands Hush-a-Phone prece-
dent (Aug) William McGowan takes over leadership of MCI, re-
organizes firm and its plans (Sep) AT&T files tariffs permitting connection of customer
equipment through use of a company-provided protective connecting arrangement (PCA)
1969 (Aug) FCC MCI decision authorizes inception of company service
1970 (Jan) FCC bans co-located telephone-cable cross-ownership
(Sep) Inception of Office of Telecommunications Policy in Executive Office of the President
1971 (Mar) FCC concludes Computer Inquiry I (Jun) FCC authorizes specialized common carriers (SCCs)
1972 (Jan) MCI begins service on Chicago-St. Louis original line (Apr) John deButts becomes chairman of AT&T
(Jun) FCC “open skies” domestic satellite policy issued 1973 (Sep) DeButts’ speech before NARUC convention shows
AT&T is ready to fight further FCC deregulatory moves
(Nov) Justice Dept. issues Civil Investigative Demand against AT&T
Chapter 6: Breaking Up Bell (1974-84)
1974 (Mar) MCI files private antitrust suit against AT&T (Apr) Westar I, first American domsat, placed into orbit by
NASA for Western Union 1974 (Nov) Justice Dept. brings suit to break up AT&T 1975 (Feb) AT&T formally replies to government’s antitrust
case (May) AT&T complains to FCC about MCI Execunet service (Jul) MCI Execunet service tariff rejected by FCC (Oct) FCC institutes equipment certification system in place
of telephone PCAs 1976 (Mar) “Bell Bill” sparks Congressional interest in possible
legislation (Aug) FCC begins Computer Inquiry II
1977 (May) Inception of attempts to “rewrite” Communications Act begin (which last to 1981)
1978 (Jun) Judge Harold Greene is assigned the case on his first day on the bench
(Oct) Jurisdictional issues in AT&T case resolved 1979 (Feb) Charles L. Brown succeeds John deButts as AT&T
chairman 1980 (Apr) FCC concludes Computer Inquiry II and detariffs CPE
(Jun) Initial judgment in MCI case against AT&T provides for $1.8 billion award
1981 (Jan) U.S. v. AT&T trial begins (Feb) William Baxter nominated as head of Antitrust Divi-
sion of Department of Justice (Sep) Greene rejects AT&T attempt to have case dismissed
1982 (Jan) Provisional settlement of the case is announced (Feb) Justice Dept. issues competitive impact statement on
proposed MFJ (Apr) Public comments on proposed settlement filed with
court (Jun) Two days of oral argument on proposed settlement
(Jul) With demise of HR 5158, Congressional attempts to rewrite the 1934 Act end
(Aug) Formal MFJ agreed to by Judge Greene, AT&T, and Justice Dept.
