MONOPOLY WATCH : Clear as a Bell

Electronic information is a high-technology wonder. In the fast-changing communications business, access to the telephone lines that transmit data will be as crucial as the content of the information relayed. If telephone companies are allowed to control access, they could end up monopolizing information services.

That would be unfair to both consumers and business. The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote this week on a measure, sponsored by Rep. Jack Brooks (D-Tex.), to address that unfairness. Regional phone companies, known as “Baby Bells,” would be prevented for several years from entering three segments of the phone business--information services, long-distance service and equipment manufacturing. And after that waiting period, they would have to fulfill anti-monopolistic requirements before proceeding.

In 1982 an antitrust suit created the seven independent Baby Bells, which were prevented from entering the three business segments. But court decisions last year overturned those prohibitions.

The Times has a self-interest in this issue. Like many other newspapers, we offer some electronic information, such as sports scores. Phone companies operate with an advantage because their government-established rates of return virtually guarantee them profits. That gives them a cushion to lower the cost of their information services, a competitive edge not enjoyed by other companies, whose profits are not guaranteed. The Bells could thus squeeze out the competition. The Brooks bill would help to prevent that.