Pacific Bell - History

History

The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company was the Bell System's telephone operations in California. It grew by acquiring smaller telephone companies along the Pacific coast, such as Sunset Telephone & Telegraph in 1917. As it grew, it built and occupied San Francisco's Pacific Telephone Building on New Montgomery Street, described as a "monument to western progress and foresight". Purchases extended Pacific Telephone's territory into Oregon, Washington, and northern Idaho; on July 1, 1961, however, those operations were split off to become Pacific Northwest Bell. Entering into the 1980s, Pacific Telephone had assets valued at $14.5 billion, making it the biggest of any of the 21 Bells AT&T wholly owned, which also made Pacific Telephone the "crown jewel" of the operating companies. However, Pacific Telephone was one of the least profitable Bells, due to very tough local telephone regulations in California.

Prior to the AT&T breakup in 1984, AT&T held 89.8% of Pacific Telephone. After the breakup, The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company changed its name to Pacific Bell Telephone Company and was often referred to as PacBell.

Pacific Bell has been owner of Nevada Bell, which is the reason that it was omitted from the Modification of Final Judgment, which broke up the Bell System.