By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – The state Senate has made little progress on a bill that would deregulate portions of the telephone industry in the state. After debating the issue for about two hours Tuesday, lawmakers decided to recess until Thursday. A filibuster to derail the bill is expected to continue then. The bill's sponsor, state Senator Hap Myers, says he has enough votes to pass the bill. But, he says he has to get it past the filibuster. BellSouth supports the deregulation proposal. The company says its main competitors - wireless phone companies and Internet providers - are not regulated by the Public Service Commission, and that's a competitive disadvantage. But the bill's opponents say the legislation would cause telephone service prices to increase.