THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 19, 1995 TAG: 9501190404
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: (Staff)
LENGTH: Short : 23 lines
The State Corporation Commission on Wednesday invited comments on its policy of forbidding competition for toll calls within a region of the state, such as from Norfolk to Williamsburg. Virginia is one of only a handful of states that protect the monopolies of local-exchange carriers for such calls, benefiting carriers like Bell Atlantic and GTE. For nearly a decade, long-distance carriers have asked for the restrictions to be lifted. In its order Wednesday, the commission invited comments on how many controls it should keep on prices and service levels, in case it lifts the monopoly. It last considered public comment on the rules in 1990. by CNB