Southern House Democrats urge FCC to OK AT&T-BellSouth Merger

SOUTHERN HOUSE DEMOCRATS URGE FCC TO OK AT&T-BELLSOUTH MERGER
[SOURCE: MarketWatch, AUTHOR: Siobhan Hughes]
House Democrats from the nine-state region into which AT&T plans to expand through its $81.7 billion purchase of BellSouth are urging the Federal Communications Commission to approve the transaction when it meets next week. In a letter to the FCC, the lawmakers asked the Commission to move "expeditiously." AT&T has offered concessions, including offering to provide high-speed Internet service to all residences within its expanded service area by the end of 2007, free modems and $10-a-month broadband service to new customers in BellSouth's southeastern region. Consumer advocates have called the concessions "short-term candy" and have warned that consumers ultimately will wind up paying higher prices if the merger is approved. The House Democrats view AT&T's concessions as "significant new benefits." In the letter, the lawmakers wrote that "most importantly, AT&T-BellSouth has made a commitment to deploy high-speed Internet service to rural areas and lower-income living units. It is time we bridge the digital divide in these communities, and these consumer-focused offerings would go a long way to that end." The letter was signed by Reps. Robert "Bud" Cramer, D-Ala.; Artur Davis, D-Ala.; F. Allen Boyd Jr., D-Fla.; Alcee Hastings, D-Fla.; Kendrick Meek, D-Fla.; Robert Wexler, D-Fla.; Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.; David Scott, D-Ga., Ben Chandler, D-Ky.; Bart Gordon, D-Tenn.; Brad Miller, D-N.C.; and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.
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