Telecom mergers make progress

0 Comments | USA TODAY, October, 2005 | by Paul Davidson and Leslie Cauley

Two big mergers that will reshape the telecom industry appear set to clear major hurdles as early as this week.

SBC Communications tentatively has agreed to a key concession to win antitrust approval for its purchase of AT&T, and Verizon has done the same for its merger with MCI, people with direct knowledge of the situation said.

Under the proposed deals, SBC and Verizon each would lease to smaller competitors several hundred lines to business customers, these people say. Details are still being finalized. The Justice Department, which could not be reached for comment, may announce the concessions and its approval of the deals this week.

Separately, the Federal Communications Commission, which also must approve the mergers, could do so at a meeting Friday....