Telecommunications attorneys are buzzing about the conditions that the Federal Communications Commission’s staff proposed June 29 regarding the merger of local phone company giants SBC Communications and Ameritech. The merger conditions, which must be approved by the full Commission to be binding, are the most far-reaching and potentially expensive of any previously imposed on merging phone companies.
The proposal includes 26 actions that the companies have agreed to take to gain FCC approval. Among the concessions: requirements that SBC-Ameritech enter 30 new markets in 30 months, and provide generous discounts to competitors seeking to purchase or lease its equipment or services.
