Phone Service

Re “Phone Co.’s Wrong Number,” editorial, April 13:

In the two years since Pacific Telesis merged with SBC Communications Inc., Pacific Bell has created more than 4,000 new jobs, most of them in customer-facing positions, which has spurred residential installation and repair service gains. With more than 18 million access lines, delays can occur. But even as installation orders increased 37% in 1998, Pacific Bell met 98.7% of its installation commitments. Installation intervals statewide have decreased from 3.29 days to 1.97 days.

SBC has spent $800 million in new technology to enable “local number portability,” which lets customers switch local service providers without changing their phone numbers. The Federal Communications Commission ruled that local service providers can recover the costs of implementing the service. Pacific Bell began adding the 50-cent-per-month surcharge on customer bills in February. Consumers will have more choice in local service providers when our competitors stop courting business customers and pay attention to residential customers.

DOUG MICHELMAN

VP, Corporate Communications

Pacific Telesis, San Francisco