I just finished a great book titled “The Deal of the Century – The Breakup of AT&T”. During final negotiations between the Justice Department and AT&T, a judge named Vincent Buinno started a two-hour-long diatribe with “It all started with the smoke signal…” Wow, you’re in for a long wait when a judge begins that way.

I owe my career to the breakup of the Bell System. It was a tough time in AT&T’s history, and even thirty years later there are arguments either way. But personally I love being a phone guy and I wouldn’t have the chance if Ma Bell owned and controlled everything.