Juneau -- There will be more competition in Alaska's local phone markets if a bill introduced by Senator Pete Kelly (R-Fairbanks) becomes law.

Senate Bill 52 requires the Alaska Public Utilities Commission (APUC) to adopt regulations allowing full telephone competition by July 1 of this year.

"History has proven competition gives consumers lower costs, increased technology and more choices. The telecommunications industry is exploding with exciting new services. I'm afraid Fairbanks and Juneau will not get the benefit of these new developments if we don't allow competition in their markets," said Senator Kelly.

Kelly's legislation requires the APUC to quickly adopt regulations permitting local phone competition that will allow new entrants to serve customers across Alaska. The bill affects local exchange carriers that served 5,000 or more lines on January 1, 1999.

"This will bring benefits to both rural and urban users," Kelly said.

"The fears that prompted the APUC to delay full competition in Fairbanks and Juneau are the same fears that caused the APUC to delay long distance competition in Alaska for many years," said Kelly. "As we've all seen, those fears were unfounded and long distance competition has been a benefit to Alaskan consumers."

Similar legislation was introduced in the State House by then-Representative Kelly last legislative session. That measure died at session's end while still in committee. At the time, the APUC testified that there was no need for the bill because the Commission planned to adopt regulations allowing full telephone competition by the start of the current legislative session. Those regulations never materialized, so Senator Kelly has reintroduced his full-competition bill.

SB 52 now goes to the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.