TELECOMMUNICATIONS

* Bell Atlantic Corp. is close to winning U.S. regulatory approval to buy GTE Corp. for $79.5 billion after agreeing to additional concessions that will limit profit from GTE’s Internet unit, analysts said. Bell Atlantic and GTE filed a plan at the Federal Communications Commission, agreeing to relinquish any gains in the value of Genuity Inc., the Internet unit, in states where the company lacks authority to sell long-distance service. The restriction further ensures that the company complies with a law barring large regional phone companies from providing or profiting from long-distance service, including Internet traffic. FCC action could come as early as next week, an agency official said.