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By PAMELA C. TURFA; Times Leader Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 25, 1997     Page: 8B

WILKES-BARRE- Commonwealth Telephone has built a fiber optics network in
Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and Harrisburg.
   
Now it is betting that business customers will come.
    For several months, the Dallas-based phone company has quietly positioned
itself to move into areas now solely the province of Bell Atlantic, the
state’s largest local telephone service provider.
   
In a two-page advertisement in Sunday’s newspaper, Commonwealth Telephone
announced it is offering customers in some Bell Atlantic communities a local
telephone service choice.
   
And, it touted its consistent rating as No. 1 in the state for customer
service and its range of products, from basic telephone service to
long-distance to high-speed data connections and Internet access.
   
The advertisement generated an immediate response, said Mike Burnside,
director of corporate communications. “Our early results show that there’s a
lot of interest in competitive telephone service.”
   
Telephone competition was mandated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Commonwealth’s foray into traditional Bell Atlantic territory is the first
local service competition.
   
And, the company is not limiting its newest venture to the population
centers. “If we found a major customer that’s not close to our existing
network, we would build to that customer,” Burnside said.
   
The company’s latest pitch for new customers is aimed strictly at the
business community. But, Burnside says, Commonwealth will expand the
geographic area for its residential services sometime in the future.
   
Commonwealth has about 240,000 access lines in Eastern Pennsylvania- about
25 percent used by businesses.
   
Meanwhile, Commonwealth also expects to someday face competition in its
coverage area. Although it was granted a “rural exemption” by the state Public
Utility Commission- meaning, a potential competitor must apply and demonstrate
that competition would be in the public interest- Burnside believes that will
happen.
   
A Bell Atlantic official acknowledges the rules are a little different for
Commonwealth. Because of the rural exemption, Commonwealth can move into other
companies’ territories more easily than another company can move into
Commonwealth’s.