This is an epilogue of sorts of the aftermath of the former North Pittsburgh Telephone Company post merger with Consolidated Communications.
In January 2008, the merger with Consolidated Communications completed. After that, all aspects of North Pittsburgh, including Penn Telecom (long distance reseller and CLEC) and Nauticom (Internet provider) were all wrapped up under the Consolidated Communications brand name. The identity of the former small independent that could is now gone.
As of 2021 they are still in business, providing landline telephone service, CLEC telephone service, Internet service, and Television service to all of the communities that North Pittsburgh Telephone had served.
And sad to hear, the quality of service is somewhere between poor and dismal. I do not live in the area anymore (I moved away in 1995 and no longer have family in the area as of 2005) so I can’t personally say, but everything I’ve read on the Internet (as of January 2021 as I’m writing this) is not that great. There are few options for landline telephone and Internet in the area, and most people have abandoned Consolidated Communications for other ventures. Depending on where you may live, the other options for Internet include Armstrong Cable and Comcast. And most people have moved on to both of these for both telephone and Internet.
You can see why North Pittsburgh sold out. Competition pretty much killed them. When they were the only game in town they could rule the roost. But when other options came around (especially cellular for most consumers), people probably left in droves. But that’s typical of landline telephone in general. I wonder how well financially speaking Consolidated Communications is doing overall?
Consolidated originally started in Mattoon, Illinois, but expanded to Texas and California and eventually to Pennsylvania. In fact they own two areas in southwestern Pennsylvania, including the former North Pittsburgh Telephone company. Subsequent to the purchase of North Pittsburgh, Consolidated now owns a vast majority of territory in New England in the former territory owned and operated by New England Telephone (later NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, Verizon, and FairPoint) in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. So they have greatly expanded beyond running small independent telephone companies.
List of North Pittsburgh Telephone Company Unofficial History Pages
About the North Pittsburgh Telephone Company
Information about the former North Pittsburgh Telephone Company and its affiliated companies.
Personal Interest of North Pittsburgh Telephone Company Part 1
Background on the personal interest and recollection of the former North Pittsburgh Telephone Company from the Telephone World webmaster’s perspective.
Personal Interest of North Pittsburgh Telephone Company Part 2
More information on the personal interest and recollection of the former North Pittsburgh Telephone Company.
North Pittsburgh Telephone Technical History Timeline Part 1 (1906-1959)
A technical history of the North Pittsburgh Telephone Company from 1906 to 1959 from the prospective of the Telephone World webmaster.
North Pittsburgh Telephone Technical History Timeline Part 2 (1960-1980)
A technical history of the North Pittsburgh Telephone Company from 1960 to 1980 from the prospective of the Telephone World webmaster.
North Pittsburgh Telephone Technical History Timeline Part 3 (1980-2007)
A technical history of the North Pittsburgh Telephone Company from 1980 to 2007 from the prospective of the Telephone World webmaster.
Epilogue: Consolidated Communications of Pennsylvania (2008 to Present Day)
An epilogue of what happened post merger with Consolidated Communications.
North Pittsburgh Telephone Company Central Office Building & Miscellaneous Pictures
Pictures and information on the central office buildings and associated equipment for the former North Pittsburgh Telephone Company.