AT&T phone bill wasn"t news until iPhone

Believe it or not, the phone bill in a box wasn't something AT&T cooked up especially for the iPhone. I have been on a family plan with AT&T for several years and my two teen daughters do a lot of texting. My youngest refers to the cell phone bill as "the notebook." what appears to be new is that people who write about tech are switching to AT&T to use the iPhone and seeing these behemoth bills for the first time. So why didn't I switch to paperless billing? If you are a parent with young teens with their first cell phone, the paper cell phone bill is a powerful teaching tool. I will never forget oldest daughter's amazement when I showed her the first big report on her cell phone usage. "Hmm, look at the time of that call." I said with great restraint. "4 AM, wow I didn't know anybody was up that late." Without scolding or punishing, she knew that we KNEW. The "notebook" was a monthly reminder to my daughters that we KNEW. Enjoy the moment... while it lasts.