DES MOINES, Iowa, February 3, 1999 -
MCI WorldCom is striking up competition in Iowa's local toll
calling market. Beginning in February, consumers will be able to choose
their local toll carrier just like they choose a long-distance provider
today.
For the first time, consumers who live in areas of the state where U
S West provides local phone service will be able to select a company
other than U S West to automatically carry their local toll calls.
Previously, in order to choose another carrier, consumers had to dial a
cumbersome access code before placing these calls.
Competition Brings Lower Rates
"Now consumers have a choice," said Joyce Dorris, MCI
WorldCom director of brand marketing. "Beginning in February, MCI
One Advantage residential long-distance customers who live in Iowa can
enjoy a low rate of just nine cents per minute on their local toll
calls, which is a 33% savings over U S West's standard
rates."
Local toll calls, also referred to as local long-distance calls or
intraLATA calls, are calls within a Local Access Transport Area (LATA)
in the state of Iowa, yet are outside of the local calling area. For
example, calls from Des Moines to Ft. Dodge or from Cedar Rapids to
Waterloo are local toll calls. Charges for these calls are not included
in a consumer's monthly charge for local phone service. These types
of calls generally are itemized on phone bills as local long-distance
or local toll calls.
Iowa Is In Good Company
Historically, local toll calls were solely handled by local
telephone monopolies, but competition has gradually taken hold across
much of the country with the entry of companies like MCI WorldCom into
this market. Consumers are seeing lower prices and other benefits of
competition with the advent of choice.
Beginning this month, consumers in Alabama, Colorado, Indiana,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio,
Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington will be able to
pre-select their local toll provider for the first time -- joining the
20 states that already have local toll presubscription available for
all their consumers.
Consumers are invited to call 1-800-754-3002 to sign up for MCI
WorldCom's local toll rates.
MCI WorldCom
MCI WorldCom is a global communications company with revenue of more
than $30 billion and established operations in over 65 countries
encompassing the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions. MCI
WorldCom is a premier provider of facilities-based and fully integrated
local, long distance, international and Internet services. MCI
WorldCom's global networks, including its state-of-the-art
pan-European network and transoceanic cable systems, provide end-to-end
high-capacity connectivity to more than 38,000 buildings worldwide. For
more information on MCI WorldCom, visit the World Wide Web at
www.mciworldcom.com
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