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Judge Tells Supra to Pay $7.5 Million Monthly for Network Access

The company serves about 300,000 Florida residents.

MIAMI (AP) -- Supra Telecom must pay BellSouth Corp. $7.5 million per month to keep using a rented network during its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, a judge has ruled.

Supra Telecom, which leases connection lines from BellSouth and serves about 300,000 Florida customers, must make its first payment of $3.5 million on Thursday, Bankruptcy Judge Robert Mark ordered Tuesday.

If Supra fails to make any payments, BellSouth can begin disconnecting Supra customers without giving the company notice, Mark said. BellSouth still would have to notify Supra customers, however, under a separate plan earlier approved by Florida's Public Service Commission.

BellSouth officials welcomed the ruling, spokesman Spero Canton said. Supra Telecom spokesman Christopher Malter said the company would comment on the ruling Thursday.

BellSouth says Supra owes it more than $100 million in unpaid bills. Supra counters that the Atlanta-based telecommunications giant is overcharging it upward of 300 percent in a bid to put it out of business. Supra officials also claim BellSouth owes Supra revenues that were collected but never paid.

Supra officials filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.

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