“The proposed recombination of two of the remaining four Baby Bells will call into question our commitment to promote competition in the communications marketplace and to preserve fair rules that guarantee nondiscriminatory access to new services.

“Coming only 125 days after the FCC's approval of the SBC-AT&T merger, AT&T's proposal to purchasBellSouth would remove yet another potential competitor from the communications marketplace and calls into question whether the future of communications policy will be marked by strategies to promote vigorous competition or by further efforts to facilitate new mergers.

“As such, the proposed AT&T-BellSouth merger will require an exacting review by federal regulators and the Congress to protect the public interest and to preserve benefits of competition and innovation for all Americans. We, in Congress, intend to do our part and expect our regulators to do theirs.”