It’s a good news, no news — and in this case, no news doesn’t mean good news — FCC year-end docket for AT&T. The company and compatriot Verizon Communications stand to gain from FCC efforts to make life easier for cable competitors. Currently, the telcos face the same time-and-patience-consuming requirements as cable to gain approval for video franchises from each local franchise authority. The difference is they’re starting from scratch. That, they claim, can hold them back for years from true competition with cable. Thus far, Congress has been little help and efforts to get state laws passed in their favor, while successful at times, also take a long time. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to the rescue: the commission will vote Wednesday on a plan that would limit local authorities to 90 days for review if a carrier already uses public rights of way — and, as important, would limit demands on unrelated services. Cable prices also are on the agenda, which may highlight Verizon’s own recent rate increase for FiOS.
What’s not on the agenda? For now, the much-postponed vote on the acquisition of AT&T by BellSouth and the subsequent merge. The FCC general counsel has given newest commissioner Robert McDowell the go ahead to vote despite his recusal due to a potential conflict of interest. McDowell, a Republican, hasn’t yet said he’s willing to vote, leaving the matter deadlocked 2-2 along party lines. More from Reuters.
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