21.   Some of the most likely takeover candidates are the so-called competitive local exchange carriers such as Teleport and Intermedia, analysts say.

22.   Teleport is among the largest so-called competitive local exchange carriers, or CLECs, which compete against the Baby Bells and GTE.

23.   That led the companies to fall on local exchanges, traders said.

24.   The act requires Bell companies to make their networks available to competing telecommunications providers, or what are called competitive local exchange carriers.

25.   The competitive local exchange carriers are in even worse condition.

26.   The department also urged the FCC to not restrict the ability of new competitors to resell the services they buy from the local exchange carriers.

27.   These are marketed by local exchange carriers, the phone companies created to compete with the Baby Bells.

28.   When an aggressive international corporation like Telefonica of Spain purchases phone systems in Argentina, Brazil and Peru, it deprives local exchanges of some of their biggest companies.

29.   Whether in wireless systems, local exchange carriers or fiber-optic networks, the opportunities seemed limitless, and new entrants multiplied.

30.   With business going well, resistance to this trend, and others that strained local exchanges, was not that strong.