The main reason that telecommunications executives committed billions to building global or nationwide networks, of course, was projected demand.

For obvious political reasons, central bankers cannot forever commit billions of taxpayers' money to pay 20 cents for francs that soon might be worth 19 cents.

America companies have committed billions of dollars in investment.

American and other foreign oil companies, for example, are ready to commit billions of dollars to helping their Russian counterparts develop oil and gas fields.

He has committed billions of dollars to offer consumers a basket of services: television; the Internet; and local, long-distance and wireless telephone access.

The authority has already committed billions to the Second Avenue and East Side Access projects.

While the Bush administration has shown leadership in the fight against global AIDS, committing billions of dollars, domestic spending has been essentially flat.

They also committed hundreds of billions of dollars to defend capitalism's advances in Latin America, Asia and Russia.

Moreover, some city officials were reluctant to commit billions of municipal dollars to what traditionally had been a Federal responsibility.

Local and state governments have committed billions of dollars, for example, to reduce nitrogen from sewage treatment plants.