Press Release
Justice Department Rubber Stamps AT&T Mega-Merger
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department's Antitrust Division today signed off on the $78 billion union of AT&T and BellSouth, placing no conditions on one of the largest mergers in U.S. history. The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote on the deal at a meeting on Thursday.
Free Press today asked its more than 350,000 activists to contact the FCC and oppose the merger of AT&T and BellSouth unless it includes permanent Network Neutrality protections.
Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott made the following statement:
"The merger of AT&T and Bell South would take a big step toward the resurrection of Ma Bell, and its magnitude demands thorough scrutiny and careful review. Instead, the officials charged with protecting the public interest are rubber-stamping the deal in the most irresponsible manner imaginable. The consent decree and subsequent judicial review have been tossed out the window. It appears the fix is in.
"The public interest is not served by handing out favors to large corporations without any safeguards. We are witnessing a wave of concentration in the telecommunications market that threatens to sweep away the free and open Internet. Yet the watchdogs in Washington can't be bothered to require even the most basic consumer protections.
"The new AT&T wants all the market power of its old monopoly without any consumer protections. The FCC must not sign off on this deal without applying serious conditions that prevent discrimination and foster broadband competition. First and foremost, this merger should not be allowed to proceed without permanent, binding protections for Net Neutrality."
For more information, please visit www.freepress.net/att
Free Press today asked its more than 350,000 activists to contact the FCC and oppose the merger of AT&T and BellSouth unless it includes permanent Network Neutrality protections.
Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott made the following statement:
"The merger of AT&T and Bell South would take a big step toward the resurrection of Ma Bell, and its magnitude demands thorough scrutiny and careful review. Instead, the officials charged with protecting the public interest are rubber-stamping the deal in the most irresponsible manner imaginable. The consent decree and subsequent judicial review have been tossed out the window. It appears the fix is in.
"The public interest is not served by handing out favors to large corporations without any safeguards. We are witnessing a wave of concentration in the telecommunications market that threatens to sweep away the free and open Internet. Yet the watchdogs in Washington can't be bothered to require even the most basic consumer protections.
"The new AT&T wants all the market power of its old monopoly without any consumer protections. The FCC must not sign off on this deal without applying serious conditions that prevent discrimination and foster broadband competition. First and foremost, this merger should not be allowed to proceed without permanent, binding protections for Net Neutrality."
For more information, please visit www.freepress.net/att
