Communications v. Telecommunications
While working on the new site, I've been considering the differences between the word communications and telecommunications or telecom. Since voice and data are converging communications might seem the best choice to describe traffic and activity in our new, networked world. The prefix 'tele' suggests telephony, traditionally a voice and not information dominated medium. But 'tele', from the Greek for far off, is the only way to suggest communications from a distance.
Among dozens of other words with the same prefix, teleconferencing, telemetry, teletype, telemarketer, and even telekinesis, it is automatically implied that parties or equipment are distant from each other, the critical difference between local and distant communications. The words conferencing or marketer without 'tele' make it seem these folks are standing next to us, and not at the end of a telephone line. So telecommunications still has its place, indeed, it might seem preferable since telecom can never be confused with the much broader field of communications, which includes courses in the humanities. You've probably heard of a communications major, a liberal arts pursuit which deals with oral, written, and visual communication. But not electrical communications, there's the difference. Rather than being outdated, I think telecom still serves and serves well.