Have I Reached the Party to Whom I'm Speaking?

The famous question of "Ernestine the Operator." Remember Lily Thomlin sitting at the switch board on Laugh In in the 60's? Well, probably many people don't, but that was back when operators actually answered the phone when someone dialed "0," and there was no charge on the bill! That was a time before 911 and 411 and when AT&T was the only phone company in town, but they said they tried not to act like it . . . Well that was then . . . At the advent of push button, we discovered that the phone company was already preparing us for a cashless society. "Someday" a person could press the * button or the # button and pay their bills or do their banking! Unheard of. Then the 80's came along and we had the Reagan years. With the Reagan years came government involvement into our communications system and AT&T was broken up! But it was an amicable breakup with Southwestern Bell and the rest of the Baby Bells still keeping in touch and working with Ma Bell, AT&T. The equipment would belong to AT&T, while the service would belong and be run by the "smaller" now independent bells. Of course, in the next two decades, came cell phones, the internet, blackberries, and Homeland Security! Now AT&T has been reunited, but in the interum, we all have gained cell phones. But I'm taking notice where there are signs posted where we can and cannot have them on. Has anyone else noticed the removal and absense of pay phones? I was shocked a few weeks ago to discover that there were no pay phones in a hospital! NONE. Now, of course, someone "let me" use the phone for an outside line, but there were no payphones. As I stumbled across rules of privacy, HIPPA, and lack of communication equipment to the "outside world," I began to realize through all the phone company changes, we've lost so much with what we've "gained." Our cell phones are all traceable. I don't even know how to operate a blackberry, but I'm sure they are quite trackable. Homeland security can track everything and everyone, but illegal immigrants and bin Laden. It's truly laughable, but it's our homeland security, none the less! And we've lost our pay phones. We can't call the operator for information or for free. There are places we actually do not have access with which to make a call, save for some person granting us permission to use "their communication system." And now, I get my bill, once again from AT&T. I think often of that old advertisement with the lineman doing his job faithfully and the sound clip stating, "We may be the only phone company in town, but we try not to act like it." Now that they are back to being the only phone company around, not only do they seem to act like it, the powers that be seem to want it that way.
Why can't payphones simply be like a public service? I realize AT&T is in business to make money, but they are doing that. Why are all the payphones disappearing, as we have come to accept every other decision that has been made regarding our "right to communicate?" Wouldn't it be great if the phone company got all excited about free speech? I'm not talking about no bills, just about telephone availability . . .
Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished . . . a prophet of Holy Scripture