TELECOMMUNICATIONS
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Phone Companies Appeal New Federal Regulations: Pacific Bell and three other companies charged that new Federal Communications Commission orders requiring them to share their central facilities with rival phone service providers represented an “unlawful taking of private property and an arbitrary and unnecessary regulatory intrusion.” The FCC in September ordered local phone companies, which have traditionally enjoyed a monopoly franchise, to allow competitors direct access to their central switchboard offices. Competitors to the local phone companies are attempting to attract high-volume business customers with their alternative service.
