Late Thursday night AT&T filed a letter of commitment to
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finally declaring that it would
keep the Internet open and free of gatekeepers by agreeing to follow Net
Neutrality as one of several additional conditions proposed at the eleventh
hour to gain final FCC approval of its proposed $85 billion dollar merger with
Bell South. While these concessions do
not mean that the proposed merger is in the public interest, they provide
time-limited a guarantee that the FCC can enforce it fairly and protect the
Internet from harm.
If completed, the $85 billion dollar merger will span 22
states and create the world’s largest telecommunications company. We applaud
FCC Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps for their steadfast
opposition to this merger without these important consumer protection
conditions. The two commissioners recognize that our media landscape is
changing and that traditional phone providers like AT&T now hold vast power
over networks that provide much more than plain old telephone service. They own the connection that links millions
of Americans to the Internet, voice and video services as well.
The 110th Congress has now been given a strong
signal – it must seriously scrutinize these mega mergers through an updated
antitrust lens and work to permanently ensure that all American small business
owners, entrepreneurs and citizens have fair and equal access to the Internet. As
we move farther into the digital age, it is crucial that government understand
the multi-faceted value of telecommunications networks and enact measures to
deliver true and robust competition in the industry.
Additionally, AT&T’s offer to discount unbundled DSL (broadband)
service means that for a brief window consumers will have the opportunity to
access high speed Internet for less but will also have the unfettered ability
to switch to a new competitor if they desire. It is now up to Congress to extend
the window for Internet access competition and push for the expansion of an
affordable and democratic Internet for every American.
