By 1967, a direct-dial 1-800-number could be provided using Wide Area Telephone Service (WATS), but each prefix was tied to a specific geographic destination and each number was installed with special fixed-rate trunks which were priced beyond the reach of most small businesses.
A "data base communication call processing method"[2] patented by Roy P. Weber of Bell Labs, and implemented by AT&T in 1982, broke the link between individual telephone numbers and a specific trunk, city, or carrier.
A large subscriber with more complex requirements could use an independent RespOrg to direct calls for an individual number to multiple carriers for least-cost routing or to provide disaster recovery.
There are approximately 350 RespOrg services,[citation needed] ranging in size from large incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) to small companies that control only a few numbers.
[4][5] In practice, some RespOrgs do abuse the system by stockpiling millions of toll-free numbers for advertising purposes, because the enforcement of the regulations has been weak and sporadic.