The Bells' rivals have struggled in the last two years to preserve all the rules that would let them lease the equipment at low wholesale rates.

In the business market, it would generally preserve rivals' rights to lease high-capacity lines at discounted rates.

The Bells are not required to lease their lines at wholesale rates when the line to the consumer's home is made completely of fiber optics.

Moreover, the communications bill will enable local and long-distance phone companies to lease capacity on each other's networks at favorable rates.

"There are some inferior properties that may never lease at rates where the owners can make up for the shortfall they have suffered since 1983."

The firm intends to lease its systems, which can be built to suit the volume a customer needs, at rates of $1,800 to $20,000 a month.

He also leases land-trust property at relatively modest rates for his horse and cattle operations.

The Bells argued that the regulations forced them to lease their lines at rates far below cost.

The remaining 110 units have also been leased at reduced rates to tenants with annual incomes of up to $26,000 for a family of four.

They did not seem to own their own streets but merely to lease them at exorbitant rates.