Wednesday, October 11, 2006

FCC Postpones Vote on AT&T + BellSouth by One Day

The FCC postponed consideration of the proposed AT&T + BellSouth merger by one day to allow last minute negotiations between FCC Commissioners. On Wednesday and Thursday a number of prominent Democratic congressmen expressed their dismay when the Department of Justice (DOJ) failed to impose any conditions on the transaction. Media speculation held that the two Democratic commissioners (Copps and Adelstein) were seeking to have Net Neutrality and consumer protection provisions included as part of any FCC approval of the merger. The issue is now expected to be considered at an FCC meeting scheduled for Friday, October 13. http://www.fcc.gov