What’s New
Joybubbles Documentary
(Admin note: I actually talked to Joybubbles a few times before his passing in 2007.)
Famous Phone Phreaker Joybubbles is now in a documentary that is being showcased at several viewings throughout the US. I do not know if or when it will be available for wide release.
https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/joybubbles-documentary-rachael-morrison-interview
The End of Landline in Hitchcock, OK
December 24, 2025 – The inevitable has started. AT&T in Oklahoma (former Southwest Bell) is slowly turning off central offices. The first appears to be a small town called Hitchcock, OK, about an hour NW of Oklahoma City. This is a VERY small town that was served by a 5ESS remote switch. This is a screen shot of a posting from LinkedIn gloating about the shutdown of wireline (landline) services completely. So as of December 2025, there are no ILEC services at all in this town. If you want a phone, you either use cellular or CLEC. No landline period. This is just the beginning, sadly.
Telephone News
Joybubbles Documentary
(Admin note: I actually talked to Joybubbles a few times before his passing in 2007.)
Famous Phone Phreaker Joybubbles is now in a documentary that is being showcased at several viewings throughout the US. I do not know if or when it will be available for wide release.
https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/joybubbles-documentary-rachael-morrison-interview
Does T-Mobile want to buy Windstream (Uniti Fiber)
April 4, 2026 – T-Mobile is thinking about buying Uniti Fiber, which just bought Windstream (marketing as Kinetic Fiber). So in essence, T-Mobile might own a “wireline” phone company after all. Just like Verizon and AT&T do (at least for the moment). https://www.fierce-network.com/broadband/t-mobile-might-buy-kinetic-fiber-assets-uniti-group
The End of Landline in Hitchcock, OK
December 24, 2025 – The inevitable has started. AT&T in Oklahoma (former Southwest Bell) is slowly turning off central offices. The first appears to be a small town called Hitchcock, OK, about an hour NW of Oklahoma City. This is a VERY small town that was served by a 5ESS remote switch. This is a screen shot of a posting from LinkedIn gloating about the shutdown of wireline (landline) services completely. So as of December 2025, there are no ILEC services at all in this town. If you want a phone, you either use cellular or CLEC. No landline period. This is just the beginning, sadly.