Final federal agency may approve telecom mergers today

USA TODAY, October, 2005 by Paul Davidson

Two multibillion-dollar telecom mergers could clear their final federal hurdle today and be approved, with conditions, by the Federal Communications Commission.

SBC Communications, which is buying AT&T, and Verizon, which is buying MCI, were close Sunday night to agreeing to concessions aimed at promoting competition and preventing the companies from unfairly controlling Internet traffic, say people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The four FCC commissioners and the companies negotiated through the weekend in a bid to reach agreements. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican, wanted the deals approved with no conditions but gave ground to win the vote of at least one of the commission's Democrats, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein.

The FCC this year has been evenly split along partisan lines because a third Republican seat is unfilled. The other Republican is Kathleen Abernathy.

The mergers, OK'd by the Justice Department last week after the ...