Definition of Baby Bells

the seven regional telephone companies created when AT&T was broken up in 1984. The original consent decree creatingthe Baby Bells gave them a monopoly over local phone service but banned them from participating in the long-distance or equipment manufacturing business. AT&T was excluded from the local phone business in return. Over time, these distinctions eroded. According to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Baby Bells can offer long-distance service, AT&T and other long-distance providers like WorldCom-MCI and Sprint can offer local service. The original seven Baby Bells were: NYNEX in the Northeast; Bell Atlantic in the Mid-Atlantic states; BELLSOUTH in the South; SBC (Southwestern Bell Corp.) in the Southwest; Ameritech in the Midwest; U.S. West in the Rocky Mountain States; and Pacific Telesis in the West. After numerous mergers and name changes, including the November 2004 acquisition by SBC Corp. of AT&T itself (then renamed AT&T Corp.), there were three Baby Bells in early 2006: Bell South, Qwest, and Verizon.