John D. "Jack" Goeken (August 22, 1930 – September 16, 2010)[1] was a prolific telecommunications entrepreneur born in Joliet, Illinois.
[3] Other companies founded by Goeken include the FTD Mercury Network (flower delivery), Airfone (later sold to GTE),[2] and the In-Flight Phone Corp.
A court agreed, and Goeken then founded In-Flight Phone Corporation in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, with the intent of competing with GTE Airfone, which held a monopoly on air-to-ground telecommunications.
[4] In 1990, the FCC approved Goeken's plan to share the Airfone frequencies, and solicited applications for and subsequently issued licences to several companies to operate digital Terrestrial Aeronautical Public Correspondence (TAPC) services.
In-Flight Phone Corporation attracted more than $200 million from investors, and Goeken set out to build the first nationwide digital air-to-ground telecommunications network, capable of delivering static-free telephone calls, internet service and information services, to airplane seats.