Exchange rates:
British pounds per US dollar - 0.6139 (2003), 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944
(2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), Canadian dollars per US dollar
- 1.4045 (2003), 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001), 1.4851 (2000), 1.4857
(1999), Japanese yen per US dollar - 116.08 (2003), 125.39 (2002),
121.53 (2001), 107.77 (2000), 113.91 (1999), euros per US dollar -
0.8866 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863
(1999)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
Communications United States
Telephones - main lines in use:
181,599,900 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
158.722 million (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: a large, technologically advanced, multipurpose
communications system
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio
relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of
telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile
telephone traffic throughout the country
international: country code - 1; 24 ocean cable systems in use;
satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16
Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4
Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4,762, FM 5,542, shortwave 18 (1998)
Radios:
575 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: more than 1,500 (including nearly 1,000 stations affiliated with the five major networks - NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS; in addition, there are about 9,000 cable TV systems) (1997)
Televisions:
219 million (1997)