MAKING A CALL IS CHEAPER IF YOU'RE AMERICAN

* Americans enjoy some of the lowest telecommunications rates in the world, according to a survey by the National Utility Service, a utilities consulting firm in Park Ridge, N.J. While local telephone calls remained unchanged in the US in 1992, competition and regulatory revisions resulted in fluctuations in long-distance rates among the three major carriers - AT&T, MCI, and Sprint.

British consumers pay the most for local calls, while Italy tops the charts for international calls. But international calling charges in Europe are declining, the survey shows. European countries are trying to ward off competition in anticipation of the breakup of well-entrenched monopolies.