Baby Bell Loses a Round Over Long-Distance

An FCC decision preventing a Bell telephone company from providing long-distance service to some of its local customers was upheld by a federal appeals court. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia backed the Federal Communications Commission decision last year that barred SBC Communications Inc. from providing long-distance service in Oklahoma. The FCC concluded that SBC failed to open its local market to competitors as required by a 1996 deregulation law. It was the commission’s first decision involving a Baby Bell’s entry into long-distance since the law was enacted. SBC isn’t expected to pursue further appeals of the FCC’s decision. “The FCC has changed dramatically and demonstrated a more collaborative approach,” the company said in a statement.