Fergie's Tech Blog

Earthlink Speaks Out on Telco Merger

Via WHIR (Web Host Industry Review) News.

Internet service provider Earthlink released a statement on Thursday regarding the closing of the investigation of AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth, requesting that the FCC re-affirm the pro-consumer measures of similar transactions in the past.

"Last year's mega-merger of AT&T and SBC was conditioned on pro-competition measures insisted upon by the Justice Department and the FCC," says Chris Putala, executive vice president of public policy for EarthLink. "Today, the Justice Department abandoned consumers and small businesses by refusing to require even those modest protections on the proposed AT&T- BellSouth merger, the largest telecommunications merger in American history. As a unanimous FCC did less than a year ago, the FCC should insist that the public interest is protected with meaningful pro-consumer conditions."

posted by Fergie @ 10/12/2006 02:57:00 PM