Spotlight: PacBell to Hire 350 to Aid Installation Requests

Pacific Bell said it will hire 350 new technicians and reassign up to 400 others to cut down waiting times for installations of second phone lines. Orders for new phone lines in the state are running 15% to 20% higher than last year, according to the San Francisco-based unit of SBC Communications Corp. In some areas where demand is high, some customers have had to wait more than 20 days for additional lines to be installed. The delays have prompted a spate of complaints to state regulators.