F.C.C. Commissioner Can Vote on AT&T
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Robert M. McDowell will be permitted to cast the tie-breaking vote on the proposed acquisition of BellSouth by AT&T.
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By Sanford Nowlin, San Antonio Express-News  Dec. 14--The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it won't  vote on AT&T Inc.'s merger with BellSouth Corp. at its Dec. 20 meeting, making  it unlikely the telecommunications mega-merger can be approved by the end of  the year.
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InfoWorld - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved the purchase by AT&T of 12MHz of wireless spectrum that covers 60 percent of the U.S.
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(InfoWorld) - Kevin Martin, chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is trying to get the ball rolling toward a decision on AT&T Inc.'s proposed acquisition of BellSouth Corp. The commission appears to be deadlocked 2-2 on whether to approve the deal. The fifth vote that could break that tie belongs to Commissioner Robert McDowell, who is likely to be disqualified because he has worked for a carrier lobbying group, according to news reports. The US$67 billion deal would combine two of the nation's biggest service providers in a company that would include Cingular Wireless LLC, currently a joint venture of the two companies. Consumer advocates and other critics have slammed the plan. AT&T has negotiated with the government and agreed to some conditions, but the two Democrat Commissioners, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, still oppose the acquisition. Martin last week wrote a letter to tell key members of Congress he was asking the FCC's general counsel to consider letting McDowell vote, an FCC spokesman confirmed Monday. Under the Code of Federal Regulations, McDowell could vote if the counsel determined that the government's interest in having him participate outweighed "concern that a reasonable person may question the integrity of the agency's programs and operations." The companies announced the planned acquisition in March, and the U.S. Department of Justice approved the proposed deal without conditions in October. An FCC vote on it has been delayed several times.
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By The Hartford Courant, Conn.  May 30--Last year, when the state Department of Public Utility Control ruled that AT&T's method of delivering television service through telephone lines was not the same technology as cable television, it was a blessed event for consumers.
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The Federal Communications Commission is pushing ahead to pass a rule today that would allow more consolidation of local media ownership in the nation's largest cities, despite the fresh threat of a legislative rebuke and continued protests from advocacy groups.
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The US Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday it has conditionally approved Cingular Wireless&#39; $41 billion acquisition of AT&amp;T Wireless Services Inc.
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Despite a grilling from a Senate committee yesterday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin said he would not postpone a Dec. 18 vote on a controversial media-ownership rule.
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A majority of the US Federal Communications Commission has voted to conditionally approve Cingular Wireless&#39; proposed acquisition of AT&amp;T Wireless Services Inc.
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A majority of the U.S. Federal  Communications Commission has voted to conditionally approve  Cingular Wireless' proposed acquisition of AT&T Wireless  Services Inc. AWE.N, a source familiar with the matter said  on Wednesday.
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The Federal Communications Commission says in a Congressional report that cable bills would increase under a system that lets customers pick and choose. Consumer groups disagree.
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The National Football League plans to broadcast Thursday and Saturday games live over the Internet to some customers of Verizon Communications Inc. and DirecTV Group Inc, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday.
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By Arshad Mohammed, Washington Post Staff Writer  Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin yesterday dropped plans to vote this week on whether to require cable companies to carry extra digital channels produced by TV broadcasters, suggesting he could not muster the votes.
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A majority of the members of the Federal Communications Commission told a House panel yesterday that they support an open-access requirement for the coming radio spectrum auction that would give consumers more choices for cellphone devices and services.
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The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee   on Tuesday approved another five-year term for Republican Kevin   Martin to serve on the Federal Communications Commission, which   regulates the communications, television and radio industries.
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The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has ruled that incumbent local exchange carriers must connect to VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) services, overruling two state public service commission opinions.
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By Michael Martz, Richmond Times-Dispatch  Feb. 16--A City Council committee voted unanimously last night to let the state's largest telephone company bring cable TV competition to most homes in Richmond.