Ten Years Ago... Hundt Criticizes AT&T-SBC Deal and DTV Plan

In Unusual Move, FCC Chief Criticizes a Possible Telecom Merger
[SOURCE: New York Times 6/19/1997, AUTHOR: Mark Landler]
Ten years ago this week, then-FCC Chairman reed Hundt declared that a proposed merge between AT&T and SBC would be "unthinkable" under antitrust laws. "I don't think people who are exploring deals should be left in the dark about what the Government is likely to say," Chairman Hundt said. "People need to be able to decide which board room discussions are a waste of time." It is almost unheard of for a Federal official to publicly prejudge a corporate merger. But these were extraordinary times in Washington, where the top antitrust post at the Justice Department had gone unfilled for months during a period of unprecedented consolidation in the telecommunications industry. And while the FCC has traditionally deferred to the Justice Department on antitrust matters, in this case Chairman Hundt wanted to seize the initiative.
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FA0D16FD3F5A0C7A8DDDAF0894DF494D81
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Spectrum Policy and Auctions: What's Right, What's Left
Also, on June 18, 1997, Chairman Hundt criticized House and Senate reconciliation bills that would allow broadcasters to hold on to additional spectrum until
less than 5% of US homes are using analog TV sets. Chairman Hundt said these provisions will turn the "loan" of additional spectrum into a "gift." Hundt said provisions in the Senate bill will also strip power from the FCC to enforce a strict buildout schedule for digital broadcast facilities. That power will be replaced with a directive that the FCC "encourage" broadcasters to provide digital signals by Nov 1, 1999.
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Hundt/spreh734.html