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Bell Atlantic going long
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August 19, 1999: 12:49 p.m. ET
Local phone carrier to seek approval to offer long distance in NY state
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Bell Atlantic Corp. said Thursday it will apply to the Federal Communications Commission for approval to provide long-distance service in New York state.
On Tuesday, Bell Atlantic (BEL) submitted a filing to the New York Public Service Commission, which will analyze its structure to ensure it is open to local competition from other local carriers before being allowed to sell long distance -- a requirement under the 1996 federal Telecommunications Act.
If approved, Bell Atlantic then will file with the FCC to sell long distance on its 42.4 million domestic access lines -- a market it says is potentially worth $20 billion. If that review meets with approval from regulators, Bell Atlantic says it will be in position to begin offering its customers long distance service by the end of the year.
"The facts show that Bell Atlantic's investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in operations support systems has provided competitors with access to Bell Atlantic's network," said Paul Crotty, president of Bell Atlantic New York.
To prepare itself for the scrutiny, Bell Atlantic agreed in April 1998 to loosen its grip on the New York market by leasing its network to rivals at discounts and allowing KPMG, an independent auditing firm, to test its network to ensure its competitors had access. In exchange, both New York and Department of Justice officials agreed to endorse Bell Atlantic's long-distance application.
A hearing will take place on Aug. 31 to review whether Bell Atlantic passed the 14-point checklist the PSC uses to ensure fair local competition. Soon after, Bell Atlantic will file its FCC application
Bell Atlantic shares were down 1-3/4 at 62-13/16 in midday trading Thursday.
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Bell Atlantic
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