Last month, I posted about the AT&T-BellSouth merger being postponed. Officials were supposed to discuss the issue further, but the special meeting regarding the acquisition was never convened. Now The Associated Press is reporting that the FCC vote has been delayed again, with no further discussion scheduled.
According to the AP, failure to attach conditions to the merger brought a sharp response from the two Democratic commissioners, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, who accused the Justice Department of failing to protect consumers. Their opposition meant that AT&T was facing a potential 2-2 tie vote, which would have required a fifth vote from Robert McDowell, a former lobbyist for a trade group that opposed the merger.
AT&T's did offer last minute concessions, including $10-per-month Internet access in its service area, free modems, promises to freeze prices temporarily for competitors that use the company's networks, and even a pledge to bring back some BellSouth jobs shipped overseas. However, consumer groups criticized the concessions as "short-term candy for a few instead of long-term lower prices and better choices for all consumers."
