Sacramento

Hung Up on Rules: The California Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday is to issue formal rules that would govern competition in local telephone markets. Back in April, the agency approved interim rules for Pacific Bell and GTE California and their would-be rivals, including long-distance and cable companies. At that time, the PUC said it planned to issue final rules on June 21, but that date passed with no action. Competition in local markets is a key element of a broad plan to deregulate the state’s telecommunications industry by Jan. 1, 1997. As initially proposed, the interim rules left unresolved several crucial issues. Among other matters, the question of how much competitors would have to pay to use the monopolies’ networks remained undecided. It was also unclear how companies would ensure that customers could keep their phone numbers if they switched from a monopoly carrier. Another topic on Wednesday’s agenda is the matter of how to fund the state’s universal service program, which provides basic phone service to low-income customers.