Long-Distance Phone Calling
| Field | Telecommunications |
| Went Obsolete | Starting after the de-regulation of the U.S. Telephone Monopolies |
| Made Obsolete By | The Internet, and pervasive, ubiquitous fiber-optic telecommunication infrastructure |
| Knowledge Assumed | Long-Distance rates |
| When useful | Any time you needed to place a phone call outside your local calling area |
Before the de-regulation of the U.S. Telephone system, and arguably for some time afterward, Telecommunications bandwidth across the United States was expensive to install, operate, and maintain. This cost was passed down to consumers in the form of high long-distance rates. A caller would typically consult their local telephone directory for applicable long-distance rates that varied depending on the geographic distance between the caller and the called party, as well as the time of day the call was to take place. Callers could for example opt to place their calls in the evenings, to take advantage of lower long-distance rates. Long distance calls were also more often than not placed with the help of the operator (by dialing '0' on the telephone at the start of the call.) Callers could also save money if they could predict for certain whether they'd reach the party they were calling. Two long-distance options were "Person-to-Person," and "Station-to-Station" calls. A person-to-person call was only considered complete and billable if the caller (with the assistance of the operator) was able to reach a particular individual at the time the call was placed. If that person was not available, the caller wasn't billed for the call. If the person being called was able to take the call, the caller paid a long distance rate that was slightly higher than standard rates. With a station-to-station call, the call was complete and billable if anybody answered the phone.
In the years since the original U.S. Telephone system was de-regulated, and competing telephone/long distance carriers became available, the cost of long-distance service has dropped to a comparatively insignificant level compared to what it cost even 20 years ago. The proliferation of nationwide fiber-optic-based telecommunication infrastructure has also dramatically increased available bandwidth across the continent, thus driving costs down even further.