A non-profit alliance of groups promoting competition in the local phone markets is hoping the new session of the Legislature will see action to make competition a reality. Steve Veile is Executive Director of Show Me Competition – the alliance’s umbrella organization. He says that while choosing a long distance company is easy, looking for choice with a local phone company is not easy at all. Veile would like to see SBC – the state’s largest local phone company – sharing its network with potential competitors. He says this is justified because SBC – formerly Southwestern Bell – was allowed to operate as a profit-making monopoly for years and others should now be allowed to compete.
