Phone sex has operated in its current condition for quite some time. I discuss in this article a few somewhat related events in the history of this unique industry. Despite attempts made on behalf of various factions to curb its existence, the phone sex industry continues to proliferate. Our culture harbors a serious, profound and pervasive desire for intimacy without the involvement of a physical body.
AT&T structured 900-numbers the way we understand them today in 1980. This allowed people access to information and entertainment in return for a by-the-minute fee. In 1992, the Telephone Disclosure and Resolution Act, or the TDDRA, required 900 numbers, including phone sex services, to adhere to certain standards of transparency with their customers regarding fees-per-minute. The act requires that 900 numbers include a preamble at the beginning of any service call with the potential to cost customers more than a total of two dollars. The preamble must provide the customers the opportunity to hang up before they officially incur any fees. The bill also delineates a standardized process for how to settle disputes over fees incurred by the use of a 900 number. Pacific Bell first contracted phone sex exchanges to the New York City metro area, and this earned .5 million in the year of 1987 alone. In 1994, the four major international phone companies were Telesphere, AT&T, MCI and Sprint. Combined, these companies reported a grand total of 0 million dollars in revenue from 900 numbers including phone sex numbers alone during that year.
More recently (June of 2011), a media outlet called The Statesman reports that a member of the New York congress, Anthony Weiner, publicly broke down crying in the face of accusations that he conducted adulterous online and phone sex activities with a total of six women in recent history. Although he admitted to harboring shame for the public discovery of his phone sex habit, he ultimately chose not to resign despite its becoming public. Weiner, 46, denied the allegations for roughly a week, insisting that his account was hacked by a remote party. At a press conference in June, however, Weiner, admitted publicly to sending a suggestive image of his body to a woman from Seattle through his Twitter profile. Weiner claims that he did not engage in physical sexual relations with any women during the time in question other than his wife. The House of Representatives elected Weiner for seven consecutive terms. Up until his teary-eyed confessions regarding phone sex, Weiner was intending to run for mayor of New York in 2013.