Today's Quote 09.25.06

Competition Coalition Statement on Reports of FCC Draft AT&T, Bellsouth Merger Approval
"We are disappointed that the FCC Chairman has signaled his intent to approve the AT&T/BellSouth merger without a single condition to protect competition and consumers. By all accounts, the only voice calling for a rubber stamp approval of this merger is AT&T itself. As parties who have filed with the Commission concrete evidence of the irreversible marketplace harms that this merger will produce, we urge restraint and reiterate our call for concrete conditions that protect Americans from harm. It would be precipitous and unprecedented for the Commission to take action on this merger while the Department of Justice is under federal judicial scrutiny for its approval of the SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI mergers."

-- Andrew Schwartzman, President of the Media Access Project, speaking for the Competition Coalition