Democrat Advances Throw off Wireless Issues

DEMOCRAT ADVANCES THROW OFF WIRELESS ISSUES
[SOURCE: RCRWirelessNews, AUTHOR: Jeffrey Silva]
Democrat gains in the midterm elections effectively ends prospects for passage of a telecom-reform bill with broader wireless federal pre-emption this year and possibly even in 2007, as the altered political landscape encourages political gridlock in a way that shifts greater spotlight to the Federal Communications Commission and the states. At the same time, the next Congress is expected to subject the FCC to greater oversight. “The oversight, particularly of the FCC, could complicate the Bell push for telecom/broadband deregulation and broadcaster campaign for media ownership liberalization,” stated investment banking firm Stifel Nicolaus & Co. Inc. in an investment note. “The congressional shift could also create more antitrust/regulatory static surrounding industry merger and acquisition activity in general at the Department of Justice or Federal Trade Commission and the FCC. The two Democratic FCC commissioners probably have a bit more leverage to demand additional conditions for the pending AT&T Inc.-BellSouth Corp. deal, while mindful that a third Republican could still be enlisted to break the current 2-2 impasse.”
http://www.rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=27723