Choice of more carriers seen coming to a home phone near you

ATLANTA - Americans should see better choice among local phone carriers because of the Supreme Court decision on how regional Bell companies are allowed to charge competitors, according to companies who have so far made only tentative forays into the field. <br> <br> Telecommunications analysts and competitive local exchange carriers hailed today&#39;s ruling as a potential renaissance for local-phone competition, which has been stymied by legal uncertainty and thin profit margins. <br> <br> The court upheld the Federal Communications Commission&#39;s pricing formula for how Bells charge competitors for access to their networks. <br> <br> The regional Bell companies -- BellSouth Incorported, Qwest Communications, SBC Communications Incorporated and Verizon -- argued that setting prices based on future cost estimates doesn&#39;t allow them to recover their infrastructure expenses. The Bells say such prices ought to be based on historical data.