WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14: TELEPHONE MILESTONE
Profile America — Thursday, October 14th. A long-running part of the nation's communications technology passed into history this week in 1983 — as the last hand-cranked telephone system in the country converted to direct dialing. The place was Bryant Pond, Maine, and the old system still had some 440 subscribers, using equipment which had served rural customers since the turn of the century. That equipment, including hand-cranked magneto switchboards, is now on display at museums. For decades, most of the nation's households dealt with a near telephone monopoly — today there are more than 6,200 carriers. Additionally, more than 270 million Americans carry cell phones. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.
Sources: www.privateline.com
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 1108, 1112
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
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