Do I have a choice of local telephone companies?

Yes you may have a choice. Telephone service providers are offering local telephone service in various parts of the state in competition with traditional telephone service carriers (e.g. SBC, Verizon, Citizens, Roseville, etc). If you wish to obtain a list of companies approved by the Commission to provide local service in California, please write or telephone the Consumer Affairs Branch. You may also use the list on the website. However, it is up to consumers to contact the competitor and inquire if service is available in their area. SBC CA and Verizon CA both currently have authority to provide competitive services to residential and business customers in another Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier’s (ILEC) service territory if they so choose. In other words, the decision to compete within a certain geographical area is a business decision. Additionally, as with ILEC’s, it is a Competitive Local Carrier’s (CLC) business decision when determining whether to compete within a certain geographic area.