Phones

Washington Outlook: CAPITAL WRAPUP

PHONES

The Sept. 17 collapse of AT&T's long-distance service in New York angered thousands of customers, but none more important than Federal Communications Commission Chairman Alfred C. Sikes. Sikes was flying from London to Washington when the phone outage disrupted air traffic control throughout the Northeast. The irate FCC chief spent more than an hour circling the airport. Sikes has demanded a full explanation of the AT&T failure by Sept. 30.