ftv Communications llc, a consortium of three telecommunications companies, has selected two fiber-optic cable providers for its portion of a 1620-mi network between Portland, OR, and Los Angeles, CA. ftv will build and maintain the 1380-mi segment between Portland and Las Vegas, NV. An underground cable contract, representing 84% of ftv?s route, was awarded to Nortel, Alpharetta, GA. Alcoa Fujikura Ltd., of Spartanburg, SC, will provide the optical ground wire for the remaining 16% of the route. The contracts total more than $50 million. The three participants in ftv are Touch America, a subsidiary of the Montana Power Co., Butte, MT; Williams Communications Group Inc., a division of The Williams Companies Inc. through its Vyvx business unit, Tulsa, OK; and FirstPoint Communications Inc., an Enron Corp., Portland.