IP Democracy: FCC Postpones AT&T-BellSouth Vote Until Tomorrow

The two Democratic commissioners at the FCC are feeling feisty following the Justice Department’s approval, with no conditions, of the AT&T-BellSouth merger. The vote on the big telecom merger, slated for today, is now scheduled to take place tomorrow during a special Commission meeting.

With tie-breaking Republican Robert McDowell recusing himself from the vote, FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein have the power to stall the recommended decision of Republican Chairman Kevin Martin, and they’re using the DOJ’s antitrust approval as a springboard.

“The Justice Department has packed its bags and walked out on consumers and small businesses by refusing to impose even a single condition in the largest telecom merger the nation has ever seen,” FCC Commissioner Michael Copps complained in a statement.

It’s highly likely that nothing onerous for AT&T will be negotiated today, but it does seem possible that Martin’s own “no-conditions” approval of the merger will be changed. Martin is leaving for a ten-day trip to Asia on Saturday and no doubt is feeling pressured to get the vote out the door.

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on October 12, 2006 7:11 AM to IP Democracy