Pacific Telecom
| Company type | Subsidiary (formerly independent) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Predecessor | Telephone Utilities, Inc. |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | Norman Howerton |
| Fate | Acquired by CenturyTel in 1997 |
| Headquarters | Vancouver , United States |
Area served | United States (multiple states) |
| Products | Telephone services, cellular phone services, telecommunications infrastructure |
Pacific Telecom, Inc., initially known as Telephone Utilities, Inc. and later operating as CenturyTel of the Northwest, Inc., functioned as an independent telephone service provider with a network exceeding 600,000 lines across a dozen states prior to its acquisition by CenturyTel.
History
Norman Howerton, who founded Ilwaco Telephone and Telegraph in Ilwaco, Washington, created Telephone Utilities in 1955 to serve as a holding entity aimed at attracting capital and modernizing his telephone infrastructure.
The company pursued growth through acquisitions, starting in 1966 with the purchase of Gem State Utilities of Idaho. By 1972, it controlled 22 companies serving approximately 60,000 subscribers across four states, organizing management into semi-independent districts to enhance operational efficiency.
In 1973, Telephone Utilities was acquired by Pacific Power and Light Company (PP&L) based in Portland, Oregon. PP&L already operated Northwestern Telephone Systems in Montana and Oregon, which provided services to 40,000 customers. These operations were consolidated under the Telephone Utilities umbrella. The company continued expanding by acquiring smaller telephone providers and upgrading technology, including the introduction of electronic switching in Kalispell, Montana in 1975. In 1979, it merged 14 acquired companies into Telephone Utilities of Washington. That same year, PP&L also purchased Alascom from RCA.
In 1982, PP&L restructured its telecommunications division as Pacific Telecom, Inc. with headquarters located in Vancouver, Washington, while PP&L itself was renamed PacifiCorp.
Throughout the 1980s, Pacific Telecom diversified its portfolio by entering the cellular phone market and installing a trans-Pacific communications cable to Japan.
Beginning in 1993, telephone exchanges were sold by US West Communications, a Bell Operating Company, to Pacific Telecom. This transaction included the acquisition of 45 exchanges totaling 50,000 lines in Colorado, finalized in 1995 under Pacific Telecom’s Eagle Telecommunications division. Later that year, Pacific Telecom also acquired US West lines in Oregon and Washington, adding another 36,000 lines; this deal closed in October 1995.
In 1995, Pacific Telecom divested Alascom to AT&T for $365 million.
Sale to CenturyTel
In 1997, PacifiCorp divested PTI to Century Telephone, a rural telecom operator. The following year, the company adopted the name CenturyTel of the Northwest, Inc., and all former PTI subsidiaries updated their corporate identities to reflect CenturyTel’s ownership.