One Photograph: Dial O for Operator

I heard a story on NPR driving to work the other day that AT&T has asked state regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission to phase out its obligation to provide landline telephone service. They estimate less than 7% of California households in its service area use traditional copper-based landline phones. 7% doesn’t sound like much but in a state as big as ours, that’s a lot of people. AT&T’s proposal has generated over 2,600 public comments online ahead of hearing before a judge on the matter.

I personally have not had landline service since 2010 but there have been instances since then when, during big storms and wildfires, the electricity and internet were out as well as some cell towers. During one of the big fires, lots of folks I know found it difficult to connect a call. It sure would’ve been nice to pick up the receiver and hear a dial tone.

My parents still have an old black rotary dial wall phone in their basement. It was installed by New York Telephone in 1966 and for 58 years it has always worked no matter what.

I made this photograph of my old Western Electric rotary dial desk phone seven years after I gave up my landline. I used my Nikon F2AS, 55mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor and Kodak TMax 400 film.

Can you even get an Operator by dialing “O” anymore?