Econ Focus
Beyond the Turmoil
After a period of rapid and uneven growth, the telecommunications industry in the Fifth District is in the midst of a painful reorganization as service providers rethink how to meet customer demand.
By Charles Gerena
Scarce Competition in Short Haul
Despite the best efforts of federal regulators to encourage competition in local markets, there are still a lot of places in the Fifth District where only a handful of competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) offer telecommunications services. Most of West Virginia isn't served by any CLECs at all, while more than half of the zip codes in the District of Columbia have more than four CLECs.
Percentage of Zip Codes With a Specific Number of CLECs
| 0 CLECs | 1-3 CLECs | 4+ CLECs | |
| District of Columbia | 19 | 30 | 52 |
| Maryland | 4 | 60 | 36 |
| North Carolina | 13 | 53 | 35 |
| South Carolina | 43 | 37 | 20 |
| Virginia | 54 | 30 | 16 |
| West Virginia | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| U.S. AVERAGE | 40 | 34 | 25 |
| Note: Rows may not add to 100 percent due to rounding Source: Local Telephone Competition: Status as of June 30, 2001, Federal Communications Commission |
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