SBC Communications Inc., the second largest local phone company, on Wednesday received FCC approval to offer long-distance phone service to customers in four states: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin. This means the company now has authority to provide long-distance phone service to customers within its entire 13-state local phone territory.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires companies that were once part of the old Bell monopoly to open their local networks to competitors before they are allowed to provide long-distance phone services within their incumbent regions.
In a statement Wednesday, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said it is important regulators ensure SBC is continuing to comply with federal law as a condition of being granted long-distance authority. “The intense efforts leading up to today’s decision are merely a prologue to our actions to ensure continued compliance,” said Copps, a Democrat. “We will fail our statutory charge and render today’s milestone meaningless unless we put in place a rigorous and sustained monitoring and enforcement process.”
Like SBC, BellSouth Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc. have been cleared to offer long distance services in their regions. Qwest Communications International Inc. has authority to provide long-distance phone service in 13 of 14 states within its territory, the one remaining is Arizona.
