THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, June 13, 1996               TAG: 9606130349
SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D2   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY DAVE MAYFIELD, STAFF WRITER 
                                            LENGTH:   33 lines

BELL ATLANTIC ORDERED TO REFUND CUSTOMERS THE PAYMENTS, WHICH AVERAGE $4, ARE FROM 1992.

The State Corporation Commission on Wednesday ordered Bell Atlantic Corp.'s Virginia phone subsidiary to refund $10.2 million in alleged overcharges to customers.

The refund would work out to an average of about $4 for Bell Atlantic-Virginia's 2.5 million customers. But most residential customers are likely to get less than that. A big share will go to long-distance phone companies, which pay access charges to Bell Atlantic to place calls.

A hearing to determine how to distribute the refund has been scheduled for July 23 at the commission's headquarters in Richmond.

The commission said it ordered the refund after an audit of Bell Atlantic found that the company's Virginia phone subsidiary exceeded a then-allowed 14 percent return on equity in 1992.

At that time, Bell Atlantic's profits were limited to a predetermined range. But beginning Jan. 1, 1995, the phone company switched to a new regulatory plan that allows it unlimited profits in return for freezing its basic rates until 2001.

Bell Atlantic said it was disappointed in the commission's decision. It said under its own accounting for 1992, its profits did not exceed the allowed level.

Paul Miller, a Bell Atlantic spokesman, said the company has received no indication that the commission plans to challenge its profit returns for 1993 and 1994.

A commission spokeswoman said the agency hasn't completed audits for those years. by CNB