Mississippi phone company expands into Georgia

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - A Mississippi telephone company that ran afoul of state regulators for misleading sales pitches has received approval to provide local phone and other services in Georgia, Louisiana and Florida. <br> <br> Flowood-based eXpeTel Communications said Thursday it&#39;s been approved to do business by the public service commissions in those states. <br> <br> EXpeTel already operates in Alabama and Mississippi. <br> <br> Executive vice president Ted Parsons said the expansion is on track with the company&#39;s growth plan to provide competitive local, long distance and data services to both consumer and business customers within the BellSouth operating territory. <br> <br> Parsons said the company hopes to receive approval from regulators in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee by year&#39;s end. <br> <br> EXpeTel operates through an interconnection agreement with BellSouth, its primary competitor, and piggybacks its service on the Bell company&#39;s lines. The arrangement is allowed because of changes six years ago in federal telecommunications laws. <br> <br> BellSouth has claimed eXpeTel misled consumers into thinking the two companies were the same.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/7/192068