Federal regulators approve L.A. Cellular plan for car phone service in remote areas.Federal regulators approve L.A. Cellular plan for car phone service in remote areas Company awaits nod from California PUC (Public Utility Commission) A regulatory body in every state in the U.S. that governs public utilities within its jurisdiction such as electricity, gas, oil, sewer, water, transportation and telephone service. Some states call it the Public Service Commission (PSC). officials Affirming L.A. Cellular Telephone Co.'s hope to create a demand for car phones in remote parts of California, the Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent executive agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest. has approved a request to extend L.A. Cellular's service area. The FCC's approval will create the largest single car phone service area in the nation, company officials say. "It gives us the opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of cellular phones to new customers in these areas," said President Michael Heil in a statement announcing the FCC (1) (Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, www.fcc.gov) The U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications including wire, cable, radio, TV and satellite. The FCC was created under the U.S. approval. "This expanded coverage area also allows us to provide our customers with extended service on outlying routes." The expanded, 67-percent larger service area extends northward to Kern County and eastward to the Arizona and Nevada borders, covering 25,000 square miles. It awaits approval by the California Public Utilities Commission The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC; also often commonly referred to as simply the PUC) [1] is a state Public Utilities Commission which regulates privately-owned utilities in the state of California, including electric power, . If approved, the extended service would allow current L.A. Cellular users to talk continuously in California on a drive to Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. , for example. Currently, such a call might be cut off as the car leaves L.A. Cellular's present zone of service. The enlarged area also could provide phone service for a few customers who use cellular phones because they live where no regular phone service is available, said George Hirsch, a utilities commission spokesman. Commerce-based L.A. Cellular may be alone in the boondocks, despite a federal law requiring each metropolitan area in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. be served by two cellular companies. (The greater L.A. area is served by Irvine-based PacTel Cellular, an affiliate of Pacific Telesis
Pacific Telesis Group was one of the seven Regional Bell Operating Companies created after the 1984 breakup of AT&T as a holding company for Pacific Bell and Nevada Bell. Group of San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , and L.A. Cellular, a joint venture between McCaw Cellular Communications Inc. of Kirkland, Wash. and Bell-South Corp. of Atlanta, Ga.) For remote areas, however, there was a five-year grace period in which the two major utilities could expand their service to those areas -- even if there were no competitors there. After that deadline, there would have to be either two companies serving an area or none at all. L.A. Cellular met the November deadline. PacTel Cellular did not, a PacTel spokesman said, because the company wasn't interested in serving the remote areas. "We'd prefer to spend our resources serving people rather than jackrabbits." Before the new cellular service can go into effect, the company must complete an environmental impact report with the Public Utilities Commission, a process it has already begun, according to Camargo. The company has already selected sites for microwave-emitting transmission towers, which are necessary to relay phone signals through the air. The FCC has given L.A. Cellular until March, 1991 to have the service up and running, Camargo said. |
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