No Secrets
When telephones first became released to the public, countless people were afraid that other people could listen in on their private conversations. This actually did occur on party lines where more than one household shared a line with other households. Also, some operators in small communities listened in on conversations because they were nosey or had a lot of time on their hands with nothing else to do. Telephones also allowed people to spread the news quicker, but the news was sometimes mostly gossip.
Environmental Issues
Nowadays, cell phones users have been warned of microwaves being beamed through their heads may be damaging nerves in their body and damaging to the brain. Telephone poles with hundreds of wires became common in large cities and were unpleasant to look at, as they over-flooded everywhere. Governments and telephone companies often fought about burying cables under the street. Cities wanted the lines out of sight, but did not want the streets torn up. Telephone companies did not want to bury cables because it was easier to repair a cable if it were on a pole. Many old phones were buried in wells, but some of the metals in these telephones leaked into the water supply and poisoned the water causing harm to people who drank or washed in the water.