FCC chief says working to finish AT&T-BellSouth

FCC CLOSES LOBBYING WINDOW ON AT&T/BELLSOUTH
[SOURCE: Reuters 10/27, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday closed the window for parties to lobby the agency on whether it should approve AT&T's purchase of BellSouth on Nov. 3. The agency issued an agenda scheduling the public vote, which bars parties from meeting or speaking with commissioners about the subject unless approached by agency officials.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=governmentFilingsNews&storyID=2006-10-27T222019Z_01_N26419746_RTRIDST_0_TELECOMS-BELLSO...

FCC CHIEF SAYS WORKING TO FINISH AT&T-BELLSOUTH
[SOURCE: Reuters 10/26, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
The Federal Communications Commission is working hard to complete a delayed vote on AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said on Thursday. "I've had brief conversations with the other Commissioners, my impression is that they've been working hard, meeting with people, hearing about the concerns, and trying to work through issues," Chairman Martin told reporters after a speech to the American Bar Association. He declined to predict whether the vote would occur by Nov. 3. "This is a very contentious issue... it raises a lot of issues that a lot of people are concerned about," he said. While the Republicans hold a 3-2 majority at the FCC, Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell has said he would not vote on the deal because he previously worked at an association that represented AT&T and BellSouth competitors. Chairman Martin said that, as a general matter, he prefers that all five commissioners participate in issues before the agency because they often offer different perspectives, but added that there are guidelines for how recusals are handled.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=governmentFilingsNews&storyID=2006-10-26T210856Z_01_N26151646_RTRIDST_0_TELECOMS-BELLSO...

AT&T NIXES NET NEUTRALITY PROPOSAL
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
A senior AT&T executive rejected a proposal that would require the company to adhere to Internet-nondiscrimination rules in order to gain approval from the Federal Communications Commission to merge with BellSouth. The Internet-regulation proposal -- advanced by a coalition funded by Google, Yahoo!, eBay and Amazon.com -- would require AT&T to promise not to discriminate “in their carriage and treatment of Internet traffic based on the source, destination or ownership of such traffic.” The net-neutrality condition would apply to AT&T, but to no other provider of broadband Internet access in the United States. Stifel Nicolaus telecommunications analyst David Kaut said he didn't believe that AT&T would accept a nondiscrimination condition. “I think they are dug in on that -- they will not give that up, particularly in a merger proceeding where they would be the only company affected,” he added.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6386263.html?display=Breaking+News
* Will the FCC Give In to Net Neutrality Pressure?
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/53953.html