TELECOMMUNICATIONS

US West Sheds Rural Exchanges: For more than a decade, US West Communications Inc. has provided residents of rural South Dakota with their link to the rest of the world. But within the year, the dependability of the regional Bell operating company could be replaced by smaller, independent carriers under US West’s plan to sell nearly 450 rural telephone exchanges--areas served by one equipment system and generally with one prefix--in the Rocky Mountain region. In Colorado, US West is scheduled to transfer 43 exchanges to Vancouver, Wash.-based Pacific Telecommunications Corp. The company is shedding the exchanges so it can concentrate on rapidly growing areas such as Denver, Seattle and Aspen, Colo. The sales of 192 exchanges have generated about $608 million.