TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

PacBell Makes Deregulation Proposal: Pacific Bell proposed selling only its measured rate service to rivals when California’s $6-billion local phone market opens to competition next year. The plan was criticized by an MCI attorney and a consumer advocate, who said it would delay or even prevent competition from taking hold. Pacific Bell, a unit of San Francisco-based Pacific Telesis Group, did not specify what rates it wanted to charge for the services in its filing with the California Public Utilities Commission this week. Lee Bauman, Pacific Bell vice president for local competition, said: “Our plan gives competitors everything they need to effectively compete and at the same time covers our costs.” Stephen Bowen, an attorney for MCI, disagreed. He said Pacific Bell’s proposal would only allow resale of measured rate service, which is used on just 20% of its 15 million phone lines. The rest use a flat rate service in which all local calls are paid for in a single monthly fee.