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Mega Mergers on FCC's Agenda Next WeekBy TED GLANZER
TMCnet Communications and Broadband Columnist
The Federal Communications Commission is expected to vote on two proposed telecommunications mega mergers on Oct. 28, according to an agenda published by the FCC on Friday.
The proposed multi-billion dollar mergers, one between SBC Communications Inc. and AT&T Corp., the second involving Verizon Communications Inc. with MCI, Inc., has come under fire from numerous organizations and companies, who claim that the mergers will significantly reduce competition and effectively create a telecom duopoly. Qwest was unsuccessful in its efforts to acquire MCI, losing in a bidding war with Verizon, even though Verizon's bid was significantly lower.
Proponents state that competition will not be significantly reduced and that the mergers will actually spur innovation.
Indeed, fellow RBOC Qwest and numerous CLECs, including XO Communications, have demanded that significant conditions be placed on the mergers, should they be approved.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin recently announced that he would like to approve the mergers without conditions. However, that is unlikely, because the Commission has just four members, two Republican and two Democrat appointees.
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Ted Glanzer is assistant editor for TMCnet. For more articles by Ted Glanzer, please visit:
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