AT&T MERGER VOTE FRI. APPEARS INCREASINGLY UNLIKELY

摘要

The FCC appears increasingly unlikely to vote Fri. on the AT&T-BellSouth merger, sources said Tues. Several said there appears at this point a less than 1-in-3 chance of an FCC vote Fri. One reason Chmn. Kevin Martin likely put other items on Fri.'s agenda was so the Commission could still hold a meeting even if the merger vote remains split, they said. An AT&T source noted that the company has worked hard to build momentum for the merger with support from Democrats as well as Republicans. Asked about a Fri. vote, AT&T Senior Vp Robert Quinn said at an Oct. 20 press conference: 揑'm an optimist and reasonable people can always find reasonable ways to compromise.?But AT&T and BellSouth have taken a rigid stance in recent days against compromise on the issue of a proposed sell off of the companies' 2.3 GHz or 2.5 GHz spectrum. nnMeanwhile, sources predicted, if the Commission remains split 2-2, pressure will grow on Comr. Robert McDowell to vote on the merger, something he has so far indicated he's reluctant to do. AT&T has on staff heavyweights who would be able to bring pressure through the White House and Congress on McDowell to vote on the merger, should the FCC's gen. counsel lift a recusal, sources said. 揂T&T's strategy is becoming clear,?said a merger opponent: 揂T&T is a pretty powerful force in this town and they're going to bring the full weight of pressure down on [McDowell]. They actually need the Democrats to refuse to vote on this deal... AT&T's strategy this week is going to be very simple -- paint the Democrats as obstructionists. Create the idea in everybody's mind that it's the Democrats fault that this merger has not been voted yet.?/font>