The fledgling industry was, for the most part, an unrestricted marketplace full of exciting and sometimes cutthroat competition. Independents competed fiercely with the Bell System. The telephone was too important in the lives of many people to be left to the control of just one group of people. And, independent telephone companies were a primary reason for the rapid growth of the telephone industry, as well as the quick acceptance of the technology by the U.S. population. There are records of independent telephone companies operating as far back as 1889, and some of these had been supplying service for several years before then.
Independents become an integral component of the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.
Independents have helped spur technological innovations, brought the telephone to rural communities and sparsely populated areas and ensured a strong vibrant industry that has become a bedrock of the U.S. economy. When Bell's patents expired in 1893 and 1894, the independent movement progressed rapidly. A partial roster of independent exchanges in operation or under construction at that time included 116 in cities and towns in widely scattered parts of the country. It is undeniable that the entrance of so many companies into the telephone business greatly expedited the availability, growth and use of the telephone in the United States. As the industry grew, the relationship between the Bell companies and the independents became increasingly complicated.