system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is it with all the advances in digital technology does "on-hold music" still have the broken, terrible, staticky, playback quality it did in the 1970's?

So I called UPS the other day (not to single them out -- lots of companies including phone companies have the same problem) and due to "unusually high call volume" was placed on hold for an interminable ten minutes all while being subjected to  that dreadful broken record music soundtrack that has been around since the 1970's in some form or fashion if not earlier. What gives? Couldn't we have a nice pseudo-hi-def sound experience while waiting?
gpt
It's because of the audio fidelity of telephone networks, which is garbage. That has to do with a combination of backwards compatibility with a hundred year old system and lack of competition among telephone providers so there's no incentive to make it any better.