[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 191 (Wednesday, November 12, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1065-E1066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING THE DECATUR TELEPHONE COMPANY

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. MICHAEL GUEST

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2025

  Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the importance of 
small-town business owners and the impact they have on local 
communities and to honor the Bailey family and their locally-run 
Telephone business.
  In 1945, newlyweds William D. ``Bill'' Bailey and Louise Robinson 
Bailey returned to Bill's hometown of Decatur and purchased the Decatur 
Telephone Company. For eighty years Decatur Telephone Company has 
served the East Mississippi community with connectivity. They have gone 
from the original 7 individual phones in 1945 to laying fiber-optic 
cable today for a fully digitalized system privately owned in rural 
Mississippi. The Baileys have made a massive impact on their local 
community through their active participation in local groups, their 
church, and their support for their employees, Mr. Bailey passed away 
in 2015, and Mrs. Bailey continued in daily assistance of the operation 
of the company until her passing in 2018.
  Today, their daughter Dr. Esther Bailey Smith keeps the Decatur 
Telephone Company

[[Page E1066]]

tradition of service alive. Her dedication to the family legacy ensures 
continued service for many years to come. I am proud to represent 
Decatur Telephone Company in my Congressional District.

                          ____________________