Stevens Open-Minded on AT&T-BellSouth

[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said on Tuesday he has an open mind about AT&T proposed acquisition of BellSouth and is focused on competition to benefit consumers (well, aren't we all?). Sen Stevens' comments contrast with those of the ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who on Monday said he was concerned about the deal coming so soon after AT&T was created by SBC acquiring AT&T. Sen Stevens said he was unsure if his committee would hold a hearing on the deal and said he preferred to first finish hearings on rewriting U.S. telecommunications laws. Congressional committees typically hold hearings on major acquisitions but rarely intervene. Sen Stevens said he hoped the committee would consider the telecommunications rewrite bill before the Easter holiday, April 16, and move it to the Senate floor afterward. Telephone carriers, including AT&T, have pushed Congress to make it easier for them to enter the video business by simplifying the process in which providers currently have to obtain licenses from thousands of local authorities before they can offer the service. Most analysts have said the chances are slim that Congress will pass legislation this year.
http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2006-03-07T194229Z_01_N07389152_RTRIDST_0_TELECOMS-BELLSOUTH-CONGR...