They have been undercutting the long-distance giants because they do not have to pay myriad charges that Federal regulators levy on traditional carriers.

Not that this lack has hurt the company financially; its stock has far outperformed those of the other long-distance giants over the last few years.

That is not to suggest that the long-distance giants are happily stuck in the old world.

During that time, the lobbying battle will be intense, with the long-distance giants doing their best to have the petition denied.

That ruling appeared to prompt long-distance giants like AT&T to step up their efforts to offer local service.

What were once exclusively long-distance giants now also offer local service, for example, while the companies that dominate the local phone market have expanded into long distance.

The other Bells, however, remain linked to long-distance giants.

The first two letters in Sprint's name initially stood for Southern Pacific, the railroad that started the long-distance giant.

Even as the long-distance giants have started offering special calling plans that eliminate different rates based on geographic distance, those charges have remained resolutely per-minute.

But the lifeblood of the long-distance giants remains standard interstate phone service.