[flyinghamster]

Note, however, that charges (or lack thereof) for local phone calls varied greatly by region. Major cities like New York or Chicago had "message units," and a customer would get X message units free per month, depending on the service plan. In general, a local call was one unit, while calls further out within the metro area would be billed several units at the beginning and one per minute afterward. In some cases, unlimited plans were available at a hefty price.

Other areas, like Atlanta, had unlimited calling over a wide area, while rural areas often only offered toll-free calling within town, or perhaps to one or two nearby towns.

I miss the local BBS scene of that era, but I don't miss the hassle of analog modems, long-distance charges, and (by today's standards) laughably slow speeds. Even a low-end smartphone is light-years ahead of 1980s tech.

Amazingly, FidoNet is still a thing, though many of its systems are now on the internet instead of analog modems. It might come in handy again if the internet apocalypse happens.