Pac Bell Ordered to Open Local Toll Market

Californians who want to save a few cents on local toll calls and sidestep Pacific Bell’s network in favor of their own carrier will soon be able to dial eight digits instead of 15. The state Public Utilities Commission ordered Pacific Bell to open the local toll market to full competition on May 7 by letting callers use other companies the same way they use Pac Bell. Local toll calls are those outside a 12-mile radius within a particular geographic region, which distinguishes them from long-distance calls. The PUC ended Pacific Bell’s local toll monopoly several years ago but allowed it to require callers to dial a seven-digit prefix, typically starting with “1010,” to reach another carrier. The new system, known as dialing parity, will let callers use their previously chosen long-distance carrier for local tolls by dialing “1” plus the phone number, without the seven-digit prefix. The system is in place in 37 other states, said AT&T;, one of the competitors that pushed for the change.