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97-405: The features of toll-free services have evolved as telephone networks have evolved from electro-mechanical call switching to computerized stored program controlled networks. Originally, before the automatic system was developed, a call billed to the called party had to be placed through a telephone company operator as a collect call , often long-distance . The operator had to secure acceptance of

194-881: A student–teacher ratio of 10.9:1. One of the largest suburban districts statewide, the district is the largest in Somerset County. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Adamsville Primary School (532 students; in grades PreK–4), Bradley Gardens Primary School (263; PreK–4), Crim Primary School (342; K–4), Hamilton Primary School (477; K–4), John F. Kennedy Primary School (427; K–4), Milltown Primary School (402; PreK–4), Van Holten Primary School (334; K–4), Eisenhower Intermediate School (704; 5–6), Hillside Intermediate School (574; 5–6), Bridgewater–Raritan Middle School (1,384; 7–8) and Bridgewater–Raritan High School (2,747; 9–12). All schools in

291-456: A 'Data Base Communication Call Processing Method' which was deployed by AT&T in 1982. The called number was an index into a database, allowing a 'Toll-Free Call' or '800 Call' to be directed anywhere. This feature and other advances that made it possible were what led to AT&T marketing analyst Dodge Cepeda from Bedminster, New Jersey to propose the introduction of providing 800 Toll-Free Service to small and medium-size business customers on

388-700: A countywide basis are: Clerk Steve Peter ( D , Somerville , 2027), Sheriff Darrin Russo (D, Franklin Township, 2025) and Surrogate Bernice "Tina" Jalloh (D, Franklin Township, 2025) As of March 2011, there were a total of 28,049 registered voters in Bridgewater Township, of which 6,468 (23.1% vs. 26.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats , 7,618 (27.2% vs. 25.7%) were registered as Republicans and 13,947 (49.7% vs. 48.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated . There were 16 voters registered to other parties. Among

485-569: A few established manual "Freephone" or "Zenith" numbers remained in use for many years after competing automated systems (0800 in UK, 1‑800 in U.S.) were deployed in parallel for new toll-free numbers. An automated toll-free service was introduced by AT&T in 1966 (US intrastate) and 1967 (US interstate) as an alternative to operator-assisted collect calling and manual "Zenith" or "Enterprise" numbers. This Inward Wide Area Telephone Service (InWATS) allowed calls to be made directly from anywhere in

582-664: A harsh boss, they were reasonably compensated at $ 50 a month. While many of the functions of the switchboard and operator have been automated, telephone operators still play a role in some contexts, such as in emergency services or customer support centers. Thus according to a 1995 study by Muller et al., the operators who provide directory assistance, "serve as experts in a variety of domains of relevance to their customers' lives, helping them to navigate through government agencies, complex business hierarchies, partially remembered geographies, and dynamic changes in their customers' worlds." The most famous group of American operators were in

679-405: A means to circumvent FCC regulations against "warehousing, hoarding and brokering" toll-free numbers as technically the number is not being sold, only rented one city or region at a time. The practice is nonetheless potentially problematic as it leaves local businesses advertising numbers which they do not own and for which they therefore have no number portability . The cost per minute and per month

776-464: A nationwide basis. Once this service was implemented, it became possible for the very smallest of business operations to have potential customers contact them free of charge at a time when long-distance calling was expensive. Until this time, 800 Service was only available to major Fortune 500 companies. In the United Kingdom, BT introduced "Linkline" on 12 November 1985. No more need to manually ring

873-520: A number of smaller rivers and streams run through Bridgewater. The Raritan itself runs along Bridgewater's southern border (except where Somerville and Raritan were carved out as separate boroughs) and the North Branch of the Raritan River forms the township's western border with Branchburg. The North Branch and South Branch of the Raritan River meet at the extreme southwestern corner of Bridgewater at

970-410: A point hundreds or thousands of miles away from their actual location. A roaming mobile or Internet telephone user is effectively (like the user of a foreign exchange line ) attached to a distant rate centre far from their physical address. If a program like Crime Stoppers is inherently regional or local, but its national 1‑800‑222‑TIPS number is shared between multiple exchanges,

1067-415: A predefined area by dialling the prefix 1‑800- and a seven-digit number. The system initially provided no support for Automatic Number Identification and no itemised record of calls, instead requiring subscribers to obtain expensive fixed-rate lines which included some number of hours of inbound calling from a "band" of one or several U.S. states or Canadian provinces. Early InWATS 800 calling lacked

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1164-530: A province or state, and was listed in local directories in each community from which the subscriber was willing to accept the charges for inbound calls. Until the introduction of InWATS toll-free service by the Bell System on May 2, 1967 and the Linkline (later "Freefone") 0800 services by British Telecom on 12 November 1985, manually ringing the operator was the standard means to place a toll-free call. More than

1261-651: A relatively flat terrain, the northeastern portion of the township is very hilly, with the First Ridge of the Watchung Mountains (sometimes known as the First Watchung Mountain) passing through the township. Additionally, the Second Ridge (Second Mountain) passes north of the township border. The Raritan River and its branches and tributaries form much of Bridgewater's borders with other municipalities and

1358-684: A result of the 1967 Plainfield Riots and 1967 Newark riots . Subsequently, Bridgewater started to receive an influx of residents who worked in the strong pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and financial industries in Bridgewater and the Raritan Valley. More recently, there has also been growth as Bridgewater has become more popular with New York City commuters who use the Bridgewater Station on New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line or Interstate 78 East to commute to New York City. Bridgewater

1455-596: A staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting held on the first Friday of January, the board selects a Director and deputy director from among its members. As of 2024 , Somerset County's County Commissioners are: Director Shanel Robinson ( D , Franklin Township , 2024), Melonie Marano (D, Green Brook Township , 2025), Paul Drake (D, Hillsborough Township , 2026), Douglas Singleterry (D, North Plainfield , 2026) and Deputy Director Sara Sooy (D, Bernards Township , 2024). Constitutional officers, elected on

1552-469: A staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election together with the mayor and three seats up for vote two years later. At a reorganization meeting held in January after each election, the committee selects a council president and vice president from among its members. As of 2024 , the mayor of Bridgewater Township is Republican Matthew C. Moench, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of

1649-481: A turnout of 80.8% (vs. 78.7% in Somerset County). In the 2004 presidential election , Republican George W. Bush received 11,641 votes (55.5% vs. 51.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 9,104 votes (43.4% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 170 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 20,985 ballots cast by the township's 25,218 registered voters, for a turnout of 83.2% (vs. 81.7% in the whole county). In

1746-423: A vertical panel containing an array of jacks with a desk in front. The desk has a row of switches and two rows of plugs attached to cables that retract into the desk when not in use. Each pair of plugs was part of a cord circuit with a switch associated that let the operator participate in the call or ring the circuit for an incoming call. Each jack had a light above it that lit when the customer's telephone receiver

1843-538: Is "被叫集中付费业务" (called party collect paid service), which means the cost of the call is borne not by the caller but by the party receiving the call. The introduction of 0800/0900 numbers in the Netherlands in 1986 has led to significant growth of call centres and an increase in outsourcing. Originally, free telephone numbers in the Netherlands started with either the 06-0, 06-4 or 06-3000 prefix. Most 0800-numbers cannot be called from abroad, and only few can be called from

1940-608: Is 0800, first used in November 1985. Additionally, numbers in the range 0808 80x xxxx are reserved for not-for-profit helplines, through a scheme negotiated by the Helplines Partnership (now known as the Helplines Association). Since 1 July 2015, all 0800 and 0808 numbers have been free to call from landlines and mobile phones alike. Most mobile phone operators had charged for such calls previously, with Orange being

2037-469: Is Mark Russell's 1‑800‑GREATRATE, a shared-use number rented to lenders in various cities nationwide for a monthly fee. One former Mercedes dealer obtained 1‑800‑MERCEDES, charging other dealers to receive calls to that number from their local areas. The automaker unsuccessfully sued MBZ Communications of Owatonna, Minnesota , operated by former Mercedes dealer Donald Bloom, alleging deception and trademark infringement . Mercedes

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2134-604: Is a township in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey , located within the heart of the Raritan Valley region . Situated within Central New Jersey and crisscrossed by several major highways, the township is known for being both the regional commercial hub for Somerset County (home to Bridgewater Commons and different corporate headquarters) and as a suburban bedroom community of New York City within

2231-523: Is a preserved portion of the land on which the army of George Washington encamped during the winter of 1778–1779, though the general himself stayed in a house in Somerville. The area also offers many parks and other recreational facilities, including Washington Valley Park . TD Bank Ballpark is home to the Somerset Patriots . The 6,100-seat stadium was constructed in 1999. As an independent team,

2328-641: Is a worldwide toll-free "800 number" issued by the International Telecommunication Union. Like the 800 area code issued for the North American Numbering Plan in the United States and Canada and 0800 numbers in many other countries, the call is free for the caller while the receiver pays the charges. UIFN uses country-level calling code 800 so that no matter where the caller is, only the international access code (IAC),

2425-524: Is also home to many Fortune 500 companies across various industries from software to financial services. Bridgewater Commons is a large regional shopping mall anchored by Bloomingdale's and Macy's , with a gross leasable area of 994,000 square feet (92,300 m ). There are also several smaller but substantial shopping areas such as Bridgewater Promenade, Chimney Rock shopping center, and Somerset shopping center. Washington Camp Ground (also known as Middlebrook encampment ), north of Bound Brook,

2522-501: Is being transitioned to Somerset County at an unknown time frame, joining nine other county municipalities that have emergency calls handled centrally and dispatched to each individual police department. The move is expected to save the township $ 4.5 million over 10 years, saving $ 4.50 on the average tax bill. Bridgewater has 75 officers who are a part of the Bridgewater Township Police Department, which includes

2619-566: Is in Raritan Valley (a line of cities in Central New Jersey). Bridgewater lies in the western division of the Raritan Valley along with Branchburg and Raritan. Bridgewater contains a number of communities and sections, many of which do not have officially defined boundaries. They include: According to National Geographic magazine, Bridgewater has an unusually high number of twins and triplets. The 2010 United States census counted 44,464 people, 16,111 households, and 12,035 families in

2716-684: Is named after the town of Bridgwater in the English county of Somerset . Tradition holds that it was at the Middlebrook encampment the first official flag of the United States was unfurled, after law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777. By special order of Congress , a Thirteen Star Flag is flown 24 hours a day at the Washington Camp Ground, part of the former Middlebrook encampment, in Bridgewater. Since 1889,

2813-586: Is now a fairly developed suburban community, with only a few traces of its rural past still evident in the town (particularly in its northwestern section). Bridgewater is now Somerset County's second-most populous municipality, after Franklin Township. According to the United States Census Bureau , the township had a total area of 32.36 square miles (83.81 km ), including 31.89 square miles (82.59 km ) of land and 0.47 square miles (1.23 km ) of water (1.46%). While much of Bridgewater has

2910-405: Is one of three ITU-administered non-geographic codes with a similar numbering scheme. The +808 Universal International Shared Cost Number (UISCN), billed at the price of a domestic call, shares the same eight-digit format; the +979 Universal International Premium Rate Number (UIPRN), billed at a high premium cost, carries one extra digit to indicate price range. Switchboard operator In

3007-511: Is part of New Jersey's 23rd state Legislative District. Prior to the 2010 Census, Bridgewater Township had been part of the 7th Congressional District and the 11th Congressional District , a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections. For the 118th United States Congress , New Jersey's 7th congressional district

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3104-521: Is represented by Thomas Kean Jr. ( R , Westfield ). For the 118th United States Congress , New Jersey's 12th congressional district is represented by Bonnie Watson Coleman ( D , Ewing Township ). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker ( Newark , term ends 2027) and George Helmy ( Mountain Lakes , term ends 2024). For the 2024-2025 session ,

3201-416: Is typically far higher for a shared-use number than for a standard toll-free vanity number which a local business controls outright, and there is little protection if the shared use company fails to meet its obligations or ceases operation. There are also technical limitations; voice over IP users in particular are difficult to geolocate as their calls may be gated to the public switched telephone network at

3298-483: Is valued as a branding and direct response tool in business advertising. In the United States, Federal Communications Commission regulations mandate that numbers be allocated on a first come, first served basis; this gives vanity number operators who register as RespOrgs a strong advantage in obtaining the most valuable phonewords, as they have first access to newly disconnected numbers and to newly introduced toll-free area codes. In Australia, premium numbers, such as

3395-545: The 2000 United States census , there were 42,940 people, 15,561 households, and 11,888 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,323.4 inhabitants per square mile (511.0/km ). There were 15,879 housing units at an average density of 489.4/sq mi (189.0/km ). The racial makeup of the township was 83.07% White , 2.17% African American , 0.08% Native American , 11.54% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.89% from other races , and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.79% of

3492-636: The 2013 gubernatorial election , Republican Chris Christie received 72.7% of the vote (9,213 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 25.7% (3,261 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (193 votes), among the 12,834 ballots cast by the township's 29,774 registered voters (167 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 43.1%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election , Republican Chris Christie received 9,542 votes (61.7% vs. 55.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 4,491 votes (29.0% vs. 34.1%), Independent Chris Daggett with 1,238 votes (8.0% vs. 8.7%) and other candidates with 89 votes (0.6% vs. 0.7%), among

3589-591: The 23rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Doug Steinhardt ( R , Lopatcong Township ) and in the General Assembly by John DiMaio (R, Hackettstown ) and Erik Peterson (R, Franklin Township ). Somerset County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners , whose members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on

3686-541: The Caribbean Netherlands (by dialing 0031800). 088-numbers are shared-cost; from landlines, the caller pays only the costs for a local call, whereas the receiver pays the rest. In the United Kingdom , toll-free telephone numbers are generally known as "freephone" numbers (British Telecom numbers use the previously trademarked term Freefone ) and begin with the prefixes 0800 or 0808. The most commonly used prefix

3783-663: The Equal Pay Act of 1963 . Harriot Daley became the first telephone switchboard operator at the United States Capitol in 1898. Julia O'Connor , a former telephone operator, led the Telephone Operators' Strike of 1919 and the Telephone Operators' Strike of 1923 against New England Telephone Company on behalf of the IBEW Telephone Operators' Department for better wages and working conditions. In

3880-538: The New York Metropolitan Area . The township is located roughly 32 miles (51 km) away from Manhattan and about 20 miles (32 km) away from Staten Island . Bridgewater Township was created by Royal charter on April 4, 1749, from portions of the Northern precinct . It was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, under

3977-410: The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) are commonly called "800-numbers" after the first area code assigned for the service. Today, several prefixes are used: 800 (since January 1, 1966), 888 (since March 1, 1996), 877 (since April 4, 1998), 866 (since July 29, 2000), 855 (since October 9, 2010), 844 (since December 7, 2013), and 833 (since June 3, 2017). Area codes reserved for future expansion of

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4074-534: The Township Act of 1798 . During the nineteenth century, portions of the township were taken to form Warren Township (March 5, 1806), Branchburg Township (April 5, 1845), Somerville (March 25, 1863), Raritan (April 3, 1868) and Bound Brook (March 24, 1869). As of the 2020 United States census , the township's population was 45,977, an increase of 1,513 (+3.4%) from the 2010 census count of 44,464, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,524 (+3.5%) from

4171-620: The Zenith number service introduced in the 1930s in the U.S. and Canada, as well as the manual 'Freephone' service introduced by the British Post Office in 1960. Both systems were similar in concept. The calling party would ring the operator (now '100' in the UK, '0' in Canada/U.S.) and ask for a specific free number. In the U.S., the caller would ask for a number like "Zenith 12345" (some areas used "Enterprise" or "WX" instead of "Zenith"). In

4268-996: The "Women of the Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators Unit" of the American Expeditionary Forces in 1917–1919. They were bilingual female switchboard operators sent to France in the World War I. The 223 women were known informally as Hello Girls and were not formally recognized for their military service until 1978. In actuality, operators were rule-followers, but according to April Middeljans, in American drama, film, and magazines, they were often portrayed as rule-breaking rebels who challenged societal norms. Through disaster tales, detective stories, and romantic comedies, fiction writers suggest that operators were not just controlled by society, but rather played an active role in regulating it and shaping

4365-510: The 13-series or the vanity phone words, are distributed by auction separately from the administrative procedure to assign random, generic numbers from the available pool. In toll-free telephony, a shared-use number is a vanity number (usually a valuable generic phone word ), which is rented to multiple local companies in the same line of business in different cities. These appear in Australia (1300 and 1800) and North America (1‑800, etc.); in

4462-554: The 15,462 ballots cast by the township's 27,822 registered voters, yielding a 55.6% turnout (vs. 52.5% in the county). Bridgewater is part of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District , which serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Bridgewater and Raritan Borough . As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 11 schools, had an enrollment of 8,254 students and 754.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for

4559-459: The 1919 strike, after five days, Postmaster General Burleson agreed to negotiate an agreement between the union and the telephone company, resulting in an increase in pay for the operators and recognition of the right to bargain collectively . However, the 1923 strike was called off after less than a month without achieving any of its goals. In 1983, in Bryant Pond, Maine , Susan Glines became

4656-446: The 1920s to reduce labor costs as usage increased, and to ensure privacy to the customer. As phone systems became more sophisticated, less direct intervention by the telephone operator was necessary to complete calls. With the development of computerized telephone dialing systems, many telephone calls which previously required live operators could be placed directly by calling parties without additional human intervention. As well as

4753-417: The 42,940 counted in the 2000 census . Bridgewater is a relatively large, suburban township located in the center of Somerset County. The area of the present Township of Bridgewater was originally purchased from a local Lenape Native American tribe. Bridgewater was chartered by George II of Great Britain in 1749, and incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's 104 original townships . It

4850-540: The Bridgewater Township Council are Council President Timothy Ring (R, 2027), Council Vice President Howard V. Norgalis (R, 2025), Michael Kirsh (R, 2027), Allen F. Kurdyla (R, 2025) and Filipe Pedroso (R, 2025). Since January 2020, the Township Administrator is Michael Pappas , a former member of Congress. Bridgewater Township is split between the 7th and 12th Congressional Districts and

4947-880: The Patriots were a founding member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball in 1998. The Patriots became the Double-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the New York Yankees in 2021. 1 ( Eastern League ) Bridgewater Township is governed within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law), under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government plan 2, as implemented on January 1, 1984, based on actions of

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5044-572: The Township Committee. The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member Township Council. All members of the governing body are chosen at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election in odd-numbered years. The mayoral seat comes up for vote every four years and council members are elected to serve four-terms of office on

5141-603: The U.S., the RespOrg infrastructure is used to direct calls for the same number to different vendors based on the area code of the calling number. As one example, a taxi company could rent shared use of 1‑800‑TAXICAB in one city. The number belongs to a company in Van Nuys, California , but is redirected to local cab companies on a city-by-city basis and promoted by being printed on everything from individual taxi cab hub caps to campaigns against drunk driving . Another example

5238-567: The UIFN country code (800) and the 8-digit UIFN need to be dialed. As of March 2020, 144 carriers in 67 countries participate in the UIFN program; free access to the numbers (as international calls) from mobile and coin telephones is not universal. Registration of a +800 number incurs a 300 Swiss franc ITU fee (as of 2018) in addition to any charges levied by the individual carrier. The number must be activated for inbound calls from at least two telephone country codes within 180 days. The +800 UIFN service

5335-406: The UK, the caller would ask the operator to ring "Freephone" and a name or number (such as "Freephone Crimebusters" to pass on tips about a crime to the constabulary). In either case, the operator would look up the corresponding geographic number from a list and place the call with charges reversed. A Zenith number was typically available from a predefined area, anything from a few nearby cities to

5432-427: The advent of automatic exchanges , an operator's assistance was required for anything other than calling telephones across a shared party line . Callers spoke to an operator at a central office who then connected a cord to the proper circuit in order to complete the call. Being in complete control of the call, the operator was in a position to listen to private conversations. Automatic, or dial, systems were developed in

5529-603: The border with both Branchburg Township and Hillsborough Township , and this point is known as the Raritan River Confluence was once intended to be a major reservoir. Bradley Gardens (with a 2010 Census population of 14,206 ), Bridgewater Center , Finderne (5,600 ), Green Knoll (6,200 ), and Martinsville (11,980 ) are census-designated places and unincorporated communities located within Bridgewater Township. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within

5626-609: The caller's location. In addition to NANP toll-free numbers, carriers Bell Canada and Telus offer 310- numbers that can be accessed at local-call prices as shared-cost service (free from landlines, incurs local airtime charge from mobiles and local price from payphones ). There are a few special mobile-only numbers (like *CAA to call the Canadian Automobile Association ) which are free from cell phones, these are actually vertical service codes . 800 toll-free numbers are commonly called "800 免费电话". The official name

5723-529: The charges at the remote number, or even transfer that decision to a long-distance operator , before manually completing the call. Some large businesses and government offices received large numbers of collect calls, which proved time-consuming for operators and the callers. Prior to the development of customer-dialed toll-free service many telephone companies provided the service by operator assistance for telephone subscribers without dial telephones ( manual service ). Operator-assisted toll-free calling included

5820-415: The complex routing features offered with modern toll-free service. After competitive carriers were allowed to compete with AT&T in establishing toll-free service, the three digit exchange following the 800 prefix was linked to a specific destination carrier and area code; the number itself corresponded to specific telephone switching offices and trunk groups. All calls went to one central destination; there

5917-460: The district are in Bridgewater except for Kennedy, which is in Raritan. The overwhelming majority of students in the district are from Bridgewater, with approximately 1,000 students from Raritan. Seats on the district's nine-member board of education are allocated based on population, with eight seats allocated to Bridgewater Township. During the 1999–2000 school year, Bridgewater-Raritan High School

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6014-557: The early 1920s. It was attractive opportunity for ambitious young women in a small logging town out West who needed money for college. The role demanded quick decision-making, meticulous attention to detail, a very good memory for names, and the ability to handle criticism. Switchboard technology was a physically demanding task, involving numerous plugs, keys, lights, connecting cords, and complicated protocols for establishing connections. The full-time operators were on duty 56 hours per week, and while they often grumbled about being overworked by

6111-418: The early days of telephony , companies used manual telephone switchboards , and switchboard operators connected calls by inserting a pair of phone plugs into the appropriate jacks. They were gradually phased out and replaced by automated systems, first those allowing direct dialing within a local area, then for long-distance and international direct dialing . A typical manual telephone switchboard has

6208-450: The employment prospects of young women overall, as future cohorts of young women entered into other growing economic sectors. Before the 1960s, the telephone exchange with telephone switchboards and operators played a crucial role in connecting phone calls. A telephone switchboard is a device that allows telephone lines to be interconnected, enabling the routing of calls between different phones or phone networks. The switchboard operator

6305-537: The employment setting, the roles and level of responsibilities of a PBX operator can vary greatly, from performing wake-up calls in a hotel to coordinating emergency responses, dispatching, and overhead paging in hospitals. Operators employed in healthcare settings may have other duties, such as data entry , greeting patients and visitors, taking messages, triaging, or performing after-hours answering service . Experienced, well-trained operators generally command higher salaries. In January 1878 George Willard Croy became

6402-490: The exchange accepting the call must determine whether the call belongs to some other region. The implementation of toll-free calling by assigning special telephone numbers for charging a destination party is implemented in many countries by various dialing prefixes in the local number plan. A system similar to 1800 numbering exists where 6 or 10 digit numbers prefixed with 13 (one-three), 1300 or 1301 (colloquially one-three-hundred) can be called at local call rates regardless of

6499-807: The final major network to introduce such charges during December 2005. Certain helplines, such as those in the 0808 80x xxxx series had remained free from most networks on a voluntary basis and some niche operators, such as Giffgaff always offered freephone calls at no charge. The UK mobile operators offer an alternative product to organisations who wish to provide toll-free services - 5-digit voice short codes which are sold through mobile aggregators. 0500 numbers, introduced by Mercury Communications (later known as Cable & Wireless , now Vodafone) in 1982, were also freephone numbers (known as "FreeCall"), but were officially withdrawn by Ofcom on 3 June 2017. A three-year transition period prior to that had allowed existing subscribers to migrate to matching 080 85 numbers with

6596-456: The first hoisting of the flag is commemorated annually each July 4 with a changing of the flag, a reading of the Declaration of Independence , and the delivery of a historical address. Until the 1960s, Bridgewater was largely known as a farming community. In the 1970s its population began to grow when residents of larger cities such as Plainfield and Newark started to migrate into Bridgewater as

6693-463: The last switchboard operator for a hand-crank phone when that exchange was converted. Manual central office switchboards continued in operation at rural points like Kerman, California , and Wanaaring, New South Wales , as late as 1991, but these were central-battery systems with no hand-cranked magnetos. According to a 2024 study, the mechanization of switchboard operations harmed the economic outcomes of incumbent telephone operators, but did not harm

6790-488: The lives of their clients and themselves. The female protagonists in these stories were motivated by their curiosity and empathy, and valued human connections over automated ones. By utilizing the switchboard's power, they aimed to achieve their own ideals of societal betterment. These stories reflect a deep admiration for strong female leads and a preference for human ingenuity and decision-making over machine efficiency. Bridgewater, New Jersey Bridgewater Township

6887-590: The middle of the Raritan River ), Franklin Township (the only street connection is Interstate 287 ), Manville (the only street connection is Finderne Avenue, a county highway), and Hillsborough Township (no direct street connection). Bridgewater Township's ZIP Code is 08807, with 08836 used in the community of Martinsville , and 08805 used in the Thomae Park section (mailing address of Bound Brook). Bridgewater's area codes are 908 and 732/848 . Bridgewater

6984-529: The operator, two new prefixes 0800 (an automated toll-free service which became "Freefone") and 0345 (a shared-cost service marketed as "Lo-Call" because initially its rates resembled those of local calls) could be reached by direct dial. Cable and Wireless used 0500 and 0645, in much the same way, just a few years later. A toll-free vanity number , custom toll-free number, or mnemonic is easy to remember; it spells and means something or it contains an easily recognized numeric pattern. An easily remembered number

7081-472: The people that were employed by the public networks, operators were required at private branch exchanges (PBX) to answer incoming calls and connect them to the correct extensions . Today, most large organizations have direct inward dialing , or direct dial-in . Smaller workplaces may have an automated system which allows callers to enter the extension number of the called party, or a receptionist who answers calls and performs operator duties. Depending on

7178-432: The population were under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.8 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income

7275-419: The population. Of the 16,111 households, 38.3% had children under the age of 18; 64.1% were married couples living together; 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.3% were non-families. Of all households, 21.8% were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.21. 25.5% of

7372-420: The population. 21.3% were of Italian , 17.1% Irish , 16.7% German and 11.8% Polish ancestry. There were 15,561 households, of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who

7469-455: The same final 6 digits as before. While the numbers had been portable, the 0500 range had been closed to new allocations since 1997/98. 0500 numbers had six more digits after the prefix. 0800 numbers can have six or seven digits after the prefix. 0808 numbers have seven digits after the prefix. Freephone numbers in the range 08081 570000 to 570999 are blocked out by Ofcom for use as fictitious telephone numbers . Toll-free numbers in

7566-434: The same number to reach a business subscribing to a number, and at no charge to the calling party. However, only a limited number of countries participate . In order to participate, countries must agree on the amount of revenue they will retain (to cover their costs of network transport) while still forwarding sufficient revenue to cover the recipient's costs of subscribing. A Universal International Freephone Number ( UIFN )

7663-582: The service include 822, 880 through 887, and 889. The original Wide Area Telephone Service (WATS) is obsolete. North American toll-free numbers are controlled by an intelligent network database ( SMS/800 ) in which any toll-free number may be directed to any geographic telephone number under the control of any of various RespOrgs . Direct inward dialing and toll-free number portability are supported; various providers offer gateways which receive free phone calls on PRI lines and deliver them to voice over IP or pager users. Toll free numbers usually capture

7760-960: The supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen . The headquarters of the Somerset County Library System is located in Bridgewater. In 2013, Stephen Kovacs joined the staff of Medeo Fencing Club in Bridgewater as a coach. He was accused in 2021 by detectives from the Bridgewater Township Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit of sexually assaulting two teenage fencing students in Bridgewater multiple times in 2020 and 2021; he died in Somerset County Jail in January 2022. The township's Communications Center handles all emergency calls with 11 full-time dispatchers and five part-time dispatchers as of 2013. The Bridgewater emergency dispatch

7857-606: The telephone directory of the New England Telephone Company . More women began to replace men within this sector of the workforce for several reasons. The companies observed that women were generally more courteous to callers, and women's labor was cheap in comparison to men's. Specifically, women were paid from one half to one quarter of a man's salary. In the United States, any switchboard operator employed by any independently owned public telephone company with no more than seven hundred fifty stations were excluded from

7954-511: The telephone network. Dial phones were invented in the 1930s but took years to become standard. New Hampshire switched to dials town by town from 1950 to 1973. Switchboards and operators were an integral part of the telecommunications system until the introduction of electronic switching systems in the mid-20th century. Dorothy M. Johnson , who later became a famous writer, started as a part-time relief operator at age 14 in Whitefish, Montana , in

8051-479: The telephone number of the caller for billing purposes through automatic number identification , which is independent of caller ID data and functions even if caller ID is blocked. Universal International Freephone Service is an international service, assigned the country code 800 by the International Telecommunication Union . The intention is that any customer in the world can dial

8148-471: The township include Chimney Rock, Hobbstown, Middle Brook Heights, Milltown, and Sunset Lake. Bridgewater borders 13 other municipalities. Its longest borders are with Branchburg Township , Bedminster Township , Bernards Township , Warren Township , Bound Brook , Somerville , and Raritan . It also borders Green Brook (though connected only by Route 22 ), Middlesex (though connected only by one local street), South Bound Brook (a very short border in

8245-410: The township's 2010 Census population, 63.1% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) were registered to vote, including 84.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide). In the 2012 presidential election , Republican Mitt Romney received 52.1% of the vote (10,664 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 46.7% (9,561 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (227 votes), among the 20,592 ballots cast by

8342-407: The township's 29,510 registered voters (140 ballots were spoiled ), for a turnout of 69.8%. In the 2008 presidential election , Republican John McCain received 11,346 votes (51.3% vs. 46.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 10,357 votes (46.8% vs. 52.1%) and other candidates with 267 votes (1.2% vs. 1.1%), among the 22,110 ballots cast by the township's 27,378 registered voters, for

8439-472: The township. The population density was 1,387.9 per square mile (535.9/km ). There were 16,657 housing units at an average density of 519.9 per square mile (200.7/km ). The racial makeup was 76.46% (33,996) White , 2.38% (1,059) Black or African American , 0.10% (46) Native American , 17.83% (7,927) Asian , 0.00% (2) Pacific Islander , 1.46% (647) from other races , and 1.77% (787) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.76% (3,004) of

8536-515: The world's first telephone operator when he started working for the Boston Telephone Dispatch company. Emma Nutt became the first female telephone operator on 1 September 1878 when she started working for the Boston Telephone Dispatch company, because the attitude and behaviour of the teenage boys previously employed as operators was unacceptable. Emma was hired by Alexander Graham Bell and, reportedly, could remember every number in

8633-423: Was $ 108,680 (with a margin of error of +/− $ 5,095) and the median family income was $ 130,594 (+/− $ 6,507). Males had a median income of $ 90,875 (+/− $ 4,851) versus $ 65,501 (+/− $ 4,264) for females. The per capita income for the township was $ 46,994 (+/− $ 1,811). About 1.6% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over. At

8730-540: Was $ 88,308 and the median family income was $ 99,832. Males had a median income of $ 67,089 versus $ 49,096 for females. The per capita income for the township was $ 39,555. About 1.6% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over. The township has long been a hub for pharmaceutical companies including Valeant , Allergan , Amneal Pharmaceuticals , many small, and mid-size ones. Sanofi 's US headquarters are in Bridgewater. Bridgewater

8827-434: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.14. 25.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males. The median household income

8924-403: Was a person who manually connected calls by plugging and unplugging cords on the switchboard. The role of the switchboard and operator was important because they were responsible for connecting callers with the correct party and ensuring that calls were completed correctly. They also provided assistance with making long-distance calls, directory assistance, and other services related to the use of

9021-535: Was lifted (the earliest systems required the customer to hand-crank a magneto to alert the central office and, later, to "ring off" the completed call). Lines from the central office were usually arranged along the bottom row. Before the advent of operator distance dialing and customer direct dial (DDD) calling, a switchboard operator would work with their counterparts in distant central office to complete long-distance calls . Switchboard operators are typically required to have very strong communication skills. Before

9118-403: Was no means to place a toll-free call to another country. Despite its limitations (and the relatively high cost of long distance in that era), the system was adequate for the needs of large volume users such as hotel chains , airlines and rental car firms which used it to build a truly national presence. For small regional businesses who received few long-distance calls, the original InWATS

9215-471: Was prohibitively expensive. As a fixed-rate bulk service requiring special trunks, it was suited only to large volume users. Modern toll-free service became possible when telephone companies replaced their electro-mechanical switching systems with computerized switching systems. This allowed toll-free calls to be routed based on instructions located in central databases. In the United States, AT&T engineer Roy P. Weber from Bridgewater, New Jersey patented

9312-677: Was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education , the highest award an American school can receive from the federal government. Bridgewater is the home of the Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School , a four-year magnet school that provides occupational and academic training to students from Somerset County. Little Friends of Jesus Nursery School (preschool, non-parochial) operates under

9409-535: Was ultimately forced to obtain a different number, 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES. A company renting 1‑800‑RED‑CROSS at a premium price to individual local Red Cross chapters as "shared use" was less fortunate; the Federal Communications Commission reassigned that number to the American Red Cross as an emergency response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Shared use can be used as

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