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CONTACT: Kyle DeVine          January 23, 1997   CPUC - 505-A
         213-897-4225                             (R.95-04-043)

  CPUC EASES TELEPHONE DIRECTORY COMPETITION WHILE ASSURING
                 NUMBERS ARE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL

    The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today
resolved telephone directory issues, enhancing directory
competition and assuring privacy for consumers who requested
their numbers not be published.
    In the past, phone book publishing companies other than
those associated with local phone companies such as Pacific
Bell and GTE California (GTEC), have had difficulty delivering
their phone books to customers who have chosen not to have
their names phone numbers listed in the books because their
addresses were not provided to the competing publishers.
Today's order resolves this while keeping those customers names
and numbers confidential by directing Pacific and GTEC to
provide only their street addresses to phone book publishers.
The addresses can only be used for delivering phonebooks.
    Competition will be enhanced because Pacific, GTEC and
their competitors must provide directory information to
independent publishers as openly and frequently as they provide
it to companies that publish and distribute their own
directories.  The companies will track the cost for providing
this information and rates for the service will be determined
in the Commission's ongoing proceeding on competition.
    The Commission decision makes it easier for consumers to
reach the local telephone companies they wish to serve them
because Pacific and GTEC will list the companies phone numbers
in their consumer guides in the front of the phone books.
Pacific and GTEC costs to provide this service will be
reimbursed by the competing companies.
                              ###