Ernest Communications, Inc. (ECI) was incorporated in 1997, though its roots in telecom go back to 1984, when Joseph Ernest founded Ernest Telecom, a company devoted to the design and manufacture of printed circuitry for public communications equipment. Paul Masters joined Ernest Telecom in 1992, and over the course of five years held various sales leadership and senior management positions before becoming President in 1996. Coincidentally, The Telecommunications Act was signed into law in 1996, the first major overhaul to telecommunications law in more than a half century. The groundbreaking legislation was aimed at spurring innovative technology for telecom consumers by allowing all qualified companies access to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Recognizing the opportunity to gain access to the country’s nearly 200 million local lines, Mr. Ernest and Mr. Masters co-founded Ernest Communications, Inc. (ECI), and the Company quickly became one of the nation's largest telecommunications companies dedicated exclusively to serving multi-location businesses throughout the U.S., building its reputation on 100% network coverage, incredibly simple, yet comprehensive billing, and unsurpassed trouble resolution and account management.