Most telcos now also function as ISP s, and the distinction between telco and ISP may disappear completely over time, as the current trend for Supplier Convergence in the industry continues.
On the original Saturday Night Live , guest host ComedianLily Tomlin satirized the attitude of the Bell System , which held Monopoly control of the telephone industry in America, with a Skit in which she played one of her trademark characters, Telephone Operator Ernestine. In the skit, she disconnects the phone service for a large area, and utters the now-famous quote:
