Milford chronicle., 1944-12-22
PHONE COMPANIES PLAN
FOR POSTWAR WORLD

A joint committee of representa-
tives of Bell and independent
operating telephone companies
throughout the United States has
been formed to advance the nation
wide postwar programs which the
various telephone companies have
been working on individually to eX-
tend and improve farm telephone
service, it was announced today.
Co-chairman of the committee
are John P. Boylan, president of
the United States Independent
Telephone Association. the nation
al organization of the thousands of
Independent telephone companies,
and Keith S. McHugh, vice presi-
dent of the American Telephone
and Telegraph Company, repre-
senting the Bell operating compa-
nies.
Rural telephone service is more
highly developed in this country,
under the American system of pri-
vate enterprise, than in any other
country in the world, Mr. BOylan
and Mr.. McHugh said today in
statement issued by them for the
committee. However, it is by no
means as highly developed as we
in the industry want to see ii, and
the industry intends to do every
thing i'll its power to provide more
service. and better service, at
cost which the farmer can afford.
Since operating companies
throughout the whole country have
been working on this problem,
representative joint committee has
been formed consisting of num-
ber of their most experienced Off
cials. We believe that the applica-
tiOn of new facilities and methods
which were under development by
the industry before the demands of
war interrupted our research and
construction program will help to
bring telephone service to many
new farm customers.
AS soon as war demands are re-
duced. we propose to resume and
expand our research effort and,
along with it, the intensive pro-
gram for extending farm service
which was being carried on before
the outbreak of hostilities.
. over one-half million miles of
telephone pole lines serving rural
areas have already been built so
that more than two-thirds of all
rural families in the United States
can be served from existing lines.
Since 1885 more than 100000 addi- /
tional families in rural areas have
become telephone subscribers-an
increase of 35 per cent. One of the /.
major objectives is to continue this !
upward trend by making the SER
vice over existing lines increasing /
y valuable and attractive. This .
he industry intends to do to the /
limit of its ability.
"A second major objective is to
extend service at reasonable cost
e families not now reached by
lines. Telephone industry
research in the last several years
las successfully developed new
materials and meth
IDS which substantially lower the
;ost of building wire lines to areas
not previously reached. In addi-
ion, work was started by the in
lustry in 1888 to develop a practi-
,al system of transmitting tele-
1hone conversations over electric
)ower lines. A similar system can
De used over telephone lines to in
'rease their capacity. This social
I'd rural carrier system transmits
very high frequency current
over the wires. From 1910 on, ex-
with this system for
telephone service over rural power
ines were carried forward in a CO.
operative effort of Bell Telephone
laboratories and the rural electri-
ication administration. Before this
work was interrupted by the war,
t was clear that suitable system
If this kind could be produced.
"One practical effect of these de-
is to make it physical
y possible to furnish telephone !
iervice wherever there are rural
,ower lines and no telephone lines.
The telephone companies plan, in
with R. E. A. coopera-
ives and with power companies
erving rural territory, to deter
nine the full extent to which rural
arrier telephone service can be
Ised economically and effectively.
'The telephone companies also
Ian to study the possible applica- ,
ion of microwave radio systems to
ural telephone service and to
lake use of this and any other
ew methods which will be helpful !
4 service to the farmer"