Verizon was GTE not AT&T (Score 2, Interesting)

At least in California, Verizon started life as GTE, which was a rival company to AT&T. GTE was not a part of AT&T. It is probably not fair to call GTE a rival to AT&T, because both companies held/still hold monopolies over their service areas. Los Angeles County is divided into two service areas, AT&T and Verizon. If you live in one territory, you cannot get service from the other. Years ago, GTE was known for its lousy service, with their customers yerning for AT&T, which they couldn't get without moving.