Baby Bells Cry Foul, but Are They Crying Wolf?

The wailing is getting louder, but the Baby Bells' claims still don't ring true to some ears.

As the Federal Communications Commission prepares its "triennial review" of telecom policy, the complaints from one corner are reaching a fever pitch. The local phone giants are increasingly portraying themselves as hamstrung by rules that they say give big long-distance carriers a free ride on their dime.

The government-set pricing plan has long been a sore spot with the Bells. But recently SBC (SBC Quote), Verizon (VZ Quote) and BellSouth (BLS Quote), and to a lesser degree Qwest (Q Quote), have grown increasingly assertive in arguing that the setup -- known in the industry as unbundled network elements platform, or UNE-P -- gives their newly hatched local phone competition an unfair advantage. ...