Bell Atlantic Seeks FCC Approval to Enter N.Y. Long-Distance Market
The nation’s largest local phone company, Bell Atlantic, asked federal regulators Wednesday to let it enter the New York long-distance market.
Analysts said Bell Atlantic had a good chance of gaining FCC approval and becoming the first “Baby Bell” permitted into the $90-billion long-distance market.
Bell Atlantic, which serves the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission detailing the steps it has taken to open its local phone business in New York to competition. That’s the standard the company must meet, under the 1996 Telecommunications Act, before regulators will let it provide long-distance in its region.
Other Bells have tried this before, without success.
“We have every confidence that we’ve done everything that’s been required,” Ivan Seidenberg, Bell Atlantic’s chairman, said at a news conference.
The FCC has 90 days to render a decision.
Shares of Bell Atlantic closed at $65.81, down $1.31, on the New York Stock Exchange.
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