MCI Telecommunications Corporation Sales and Operations Administration records (Records of Bert C. Roberts, Jr.), 1971-1989
Part of collection: MCI Communications Corporation records (2225)
Dates
- Creation: 1971-1989
Biographical / Historical
Bert C. Roberts was born in 1942. After completing an electrical engineering program at Johns Hopkins University, he worked for Westinghouse and Leasco Response.
Roberts joined MCI Telecommunications in 1972 as Manager of Large Accounts, and became responsible for developing operational functions such as order processing, circuit engineering and sales administration.
From 1974 to 1978, Roberts, then Vice-President of MCI Telecommunications, concentrated on marketing and developing Execunet and other new services. Roberts led the MCI negotiations with AT&T concerning the introduction of its proposed ENFIA tariff in 1978. In this same period he was involved in the preparation for the trial of MCI's antitrust suit against AT&T.
In 1982, Roberts was named senior Vice President of Administration for MCI Communications Corporation and three years later, on the retirement of C. Orville Wright, became MCI’s President and Chief Operating Officer. His papers from this office are not included in this series.
Scope and Contents
Reflecting Roberts' dynamic career with MCI, his records cover many aspects of its operational, marketing, sales and administrative activities. Memos produced by Roberts and his staff, together with budgets, business plans, reports, forecasts, their drafts and preparatory material, illustrate the development, marketing and implementation of MCI's main products of the 1970's: Quickline, Telemanagement, TelAnalysis, and of the most profitable service - Execunet.
MCI filings before the FCC and appellate court, with tariffs and tariff modifications, and also in defense of its offerings against AT&T's attacks, present aspects of the complicated history of the other common carriers' struggle against the monopolistic giant for fair competition in telecommunications. The same struggle is reflected in material on negotiations regarding local access charges (ENFIA negotiations) and the government's and MCI's antitrust suits versus AT&T, which resulted in AT&T divestiture and the restructuring of the entire industry.
Roberts' role in discussing national security telecommunications systems, his innovative attitude to development of new technologies - facsimile, electronic mail, personal computers, are also presented in this series.
Extent
20 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Additional Description
Access Restrictions
25-year time seal from the date of creation due to privacy/security reasons. Litigators may not view the collection without approval.
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
