What Is Bell Operating Company (BOC)?

The Bell Operating Company (BOC) is the original diva of telecommunications. They were the first to get their hands on the diva crown, having held it for over 30 years. They've lived through the ups and downs of their industry and have survived to tell their stories—and they're ready to share them with you. The Bell operating companies (BOCs) are 22 subsidiaries of AT&T that lived before 1984 after AT&T was separated in 1983. Each BOC was given the right to deliver local telephone service in a given geographic area, but they had much more going on than just providing local landline service. Some of them even offered long-distance service! These companies were initially called the Bell System, and they were divided up into seven different regions: New England (Boston), South Central (Louisville), North Central (Indianapolis), Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh), Southwestern Pennsylvania (Cincinnati), Southwestern Pennsylvania (Cleveland), Mid-Atlantic (Baltimore). The Atlantic Coast region was later divided into South Atlantic, and East Coast Bells are the most popular instrument in America. They've been around since the 1800s and are still strong today. They're even more vital than ever. Why? Because of a little thing called "competition." The American Bell Company started operating in 1876, and by 1880 it had become the largest corporation in the world. But then came a little "government regulation," and it was all over for AT&T. In 1982, AT&T was split into seven regional Bell operating companies (RBOC), known as "Baby Bells. " These companies were allowed to compete for customers—and boy, did they! Soon each one was bigger than ever before. But then something occurred that no one expected: the competition got even stronger! The RBOCs consolidated into three companies: Qwest, AT&T and Verizon. These three giants are now locked in an epic battle for customers… and we're all winners!