(Associated Press via NewsEdge) The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is recommending approval of AT&T's $67 billion purchase of BellSouth, people familiar with the matter said.
FCC chairman Kevin Martin circulated a recommendation approving the purchase without conditions, meaning a formal vote is likely to occur at the agency's October 12 meeting.
The FCC's action is unusual in that it comes before the US Justice Department has reached a decision on whether the deal will adversely affect competition and possibly harm consumers.
The department is still involved in challenges to two previous mega-telecommunications industry deals: the purchase by SBC Communications of the old AT&T, and Verizon Communications's purchase of MCI.
People who have seen the FCC document say there appear to be no conditions on the sale, but that requirements to satisfy potential negative impacts on consumers may come later in the process.
Those describing the document did so only on condition of anonymity since they are not authorized to speak publicly about a regulatory matter still under way.
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