The opening up of its long-held territories has pained Pacific Bell. But the one factor that has that company taking the invasion with raised chin is the promise of being able to return the favor and move into the highly lucrative long-distance business. The PUC has listed 14 points the Bell companies must respond to before they can apply to compete in long distance. We feel we're subsidizing our competition. But Pacific Bell is weighing the fight against its future.
Long distance is a huge carrot, a big market where prices are very high.
Few in the industry sympathize with Pacific Bell's irritation. Even TURN, which aims to be unbiased, is frequently critical of the company, often reminding consumers that Bell is the big company whose monopoly has kept the playing field unlevel. But far from being 'stranded,' the poles, lines, and switches that make up those networks are in hot demand. GTE, the other local provider in the Southern California market, is in on part of this fight. An independent phone company, it was basically under the same restrictions as the Baby Bells, but not to the same degree.