Fischer Ch 1-4
Fischer’s argument for the rise and fall of rural telephony (or at least domestic subscription in rural areas) is based on a number of factors, which in combination make a compelling argument. Fischer paints none too flattering a picture of AT&T. Though Fischer’s language is gentler, the corporation essentially comes off as a money-hungry monster determined to crush all competition even at the cost of its own lost revenue, a manicured poodle barking up the wrong tree, and a classist, short-sighted bigot who didn’t grasp even half the power of his own product. Though he asks the question of whether industry skepticism retarded the diffusion of the telephone or sluggish sales discouraged the industry, Fischer’s own opinion on the matter is fairly evident. Fischer’s notion of the self-fulfilling prophecy of rural telephone usage (after the era of competition, AT&T largely ignored the rural market for perceived lack of interest and profitability, which in part caused the initially high demand for service to taper off) demonstrates the power of marketing decisions, especially with a product as important as the telephone (and I’d find it hard to believe that AT&T didn’t know how important their product was). Though the consumers quickly saw the benefits and uses of telephone service, the exclusionary attitudes of AT&T toward rural customers discouraged its diffusion. Fischer’s comparison of phone subscription (usage data would have been nice, though he recognizes that very little is available) with car purchases bolsters his argument for the power of both marketing and consumer choice. Compared to the elitist business of AT&T, the introduction of the cheap cars to the market, with accompanying broad-based advertising campaigns, the novelty and usefulness of the car, and subsidized road-building projects to encourage driving, there was hardly a contest as to which (telephone or car) came quickly to be seen as a necessary and worthwhile investment. Fischer’s argument is a strong one, though he is right in acknowledging the limitations of the available data in representing public opinion about the telephone and phone companies. Though comprising only a small part of the chapter, his anecdotes from interviews with elderly Americans, especially those describing the awe inspired by cars and their opening of a “whole new way of life”, do much to fill this gap.