The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reportedly recommending approval of AT&T’s $67 billion purchase of BellSouth. The FCC’s action is unusual as it comes prior to any decision by the US Department of Justice regarding whether the deal will adversely affect competition or harm consumers.
However, the chairman has asked the Justice Department to delay approval of the merger until a federal judge decides whether the previous merger of SBC Communications and the old AT&T, as well as the merger of Verizon and MCI were in the public interest. Among their concerns is the amount of wireless spectrum that the merged companies would control.
