In an attempt to make American business a free enterprise for everyone, the Supreme Court enacted antitrust laws to stop monopoly behavior and unfair business practices. Many other countries have enacted similar laws, such as in the European Union and Australia.

It was on this day, November 20th, in 1974 that the United States Department of Justice filed an antitrust suit against AT&T.

Using the Sherman Act, the courts ordered AT&T and its Bell System to break up. They argued that large unions and monopolies raised prices, reduced production, and led to less efficiency. As a result, AT&T was broken up into a single long-distance company and seven regional Bell sectors.