Justice near OK of AT& T-BellSouth deal with no restrictions

USA TODAY, October, 2006 by Paul Davidson

The Justice Department is expected to clear AT&T's $67 billion purchase of BellSouth as early as today without requiring any divestitures, say people with knowledge of the matter. Justice could still shift course and require some last-minute concessions, these people say. But the department typically acts on telecom mergers before the Federal Communications Commission, which is scheduled to vote on the deal Thursday.

A Justice decision not to require concessions could embolden FCC Democrats to seek even tougher conditions than they might otherwise, say people with knowledge of the situation. They requested anonymity because Justice has not announced its decision. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican, has recommended approval without conditions. In the SBC-AT&T and...