TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Pacific Bell Puts L.A. on Hold: Pacific Telesis Group said it plans to stop building a high-tech, video-capable telephone network in Los Angeles until it receives necessary permits from the city. The phone company has been drastically scaling back construction of the network in Southern California since September, when it said that for competitive reasons it was diverting resources to the San Francisco Bay Area. Progress in Los Angeles has been particularly slow because of the difficulty in obtaining the city’s permission, a company spokesman said. He said work will resume when the city grants the required permits.