According to published reports, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has circulated a draft order approving the ATT/BellSouth merger without imposing conditions to protect competition or consumers. This draft merger approval appears timed for adoption at the FCC’s October 12 open agenda meeting. The merger must also be approved by the Department of Justice, which has not yet ruled. Pursuant to the Tunney Act, the federal court in Washington, D.C. is still reviewing DoJ’s approval of the SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI mergers. The most recent communications industry merger approved by the FCC, that of Comcast/Time Warner and Adelphia, contained numerous merger conditions.

The following statement can be attributed to Andrew Schwartzman, President of the Media Access Project and a member of the Competition Coalition:

"We are disappointed that the FCC Chairman has signaled his intent to approve the AT&T/BellSouth merger without a single condition to protect competition and consumers. By all accounts, the only voice calling for a rubber stamp approval of this merger is AT&T itself. As parties who have filed with the Commission concrete evidence of the irreversible marketplace harms that this merger will produce, we urge restraint and reiterate our call for concrete conditions that protect Americans from harm. It would be precipitous and unprecedented for the Commission to take action on this merger while the Department of Justice is under federal judicial scrutiny for its approval of the SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI mergers."

The Competition Coalition is an organization concerned about the remonopolization of the old Ma Bell telephone network. Through its web site, and outreach to diverse communities, the Competition Coalition encourages widespread public input into review of the AT&T/BellSouth merger. For more information on the Competition Coalition and the chorus of voices that are fighting the AT&T/BellSouth merger, visit www.mergermonster.com.