Press Release

HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) on Friday granted four telecommunication companies license to provide basic local telephone service in the Commonwealth.

The companies will join more than 200 others operating as competitive local exchange carriers (CLEC) under the state’s 1993 telecommunications law, called Chapter 30, and the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. Both laws were designed to open the local phone market to competition.

The PUC determined that the companies had sufficient technical, financial and managerial resources to provide local telephone service. The commission granted the certificates of public convenience conditioned on the companies complying with all provisions of the Public Utility Code.

Yipes Transmission, based in San Francisco, Calif., will provide local resold and facilities-based services in non-rural areas primarily to business customers in Verizon's (formerly Bell Atlantic and GTE) service territory.

Cbeyond Communications, based in Atlanta, Ga., will provide local resold and facilities-based services in non-rural areas primarily to business customers in Verizon's service territory.

Delaware-based Lightship Telecom will provide local resold and facilities-based services throughout the state to customers in Verizon and Sprint/United service territories.

Digital Broadband Communications, based in Waltham, Mass., will provide local resold and facilities-based services in the state to business customers in Verizon and Sprint/United service territories.

CLECs compete with local phone companies by packaging services and offering customers pricing plans tailored to their needs. Typical business services include direct inward dialing, call forwarding and transfer, and call pickup and intercom. Residential services include, for example, call waiting, caller-ID, and speed dialing. CLECs may also sell cellular phone service.

Companies reach their customers in several ways. They can use the existing phone network to purchase services from the local phone company at wholesale rates approved by the PUC and then resell them to their customers. Some decide to build a new network and install telephone lines to connect to their customers. Others use a combination of the methods by leasing parts of the existing system and interconnecting the telecommunications equipment of the two companies.

For recent news releases, or more information about the PUC, visit our Internet homepage: http://puc.paonline.com.

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