TELECOMMUNICATIONS

SNET Plans to Stop Rounding Long-Distance Call Times: Southern New England Telecommunications Corp. plans to be the first phone company to stop rounding long-distance phone calls up to the nearest minute on its bills, a break from the industry standard. On Monday, the New Haven, Conn.-based company will seek permission from Connecticut regulators. If approved, the plan will go into effect May 25. The move comes as the leading three long-distance companies--AT&T; Corp., MCI Communications Corp. and Sprint Corp.--face class-action lawsuits from customers who object to rounding. SNET’s Connecticut region would be in the middle of the telecom territory from Maine to Virginia that would be created by the proposed merger between Bell Atlantic Corp. and Nynex Corp.