41.   The FCC took steps to let telephone companies move into cable television without forcing phone customers to foot the bill.

42.   The fund to subsidize poor and rural phone customers will come from the new charges.

43.   The merger would likely reduce the number of phone companies that will compete for local phone customers, thus lessening the incentive to offer lower prices or better service.

44.   The next day, Worldcom retracted that statement and said it was committed to serving residential customers and to competing against the Bells for residential local phone customers.

45.   The program would be funded by a surcharge paid by all phone customers.

46.   The rules also create a fund for linking schools to the Internet and subsidizing needy phone customers.

47.   The PUC in May ruled that California phone customers could sign up with any phone company as their local-toll carrier.

48.   The service enhances CallerID, giving phone customers more control over incoming calls.

49.   Three regional telephone companies are said to be planning a video programming service for phone customers.

50.   Two years ago, several long-distance phone customers complained that MCI WorldCom Inc. had concealed a mandatory arbitration clause in documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission.