WESH

411 is going out of service for millions of Americans

The operator is going off the hook for millions of customers.Starting in January, AT&T customers with digital landlines won't be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get directory assistance.
NPR

Telephone operators of another era gather to reconnect

Before smartphones, landline telephones were the way most people kept in touch. And until direct dialing became common, a switchboard operator's assistance was often needed to help with long-distance ...
JD Supra

This Week At The Ninth: Sham Phone Operations and E-Cigarettes

This week, the Court addresses the FCC’s adjudicatory authority and considers the scope of specific personal jurisdiction in product-liability suits. The Court holds that the Federal Communications ...
Marketplace

What it was like working as a 411 operator before the internet

While attending Los Angeles City College in the 1960s, Lilith needed to find a part-time job. So, she applied for a position at Pacific Telephone Telegraph to work as an information operator. In the ...
WBUR

At a recent reunion in Maine, former operators recall the pre-smartphone era working telephone switchboards

Before smartphones, most people kept in touch using landline telephones. And before direct dialing was common, some calls were handled by switchboard operators. During the 1950s, more than 220,000 ...