FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 9, 2002

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: John Winston (202) 418-7450 Jwinston@fcc.gov

In this Order we impose a $6 million forfeiture against SBC -- the highest in the history of the Commission. I fully support this action which penalizes SBC for serious violations of our local competition rules. It is a further demonstration of our commitment and resolve to ensure effective enforcement in this area.

After reviewing the merger of SBC and Ameritech, the Commission adopted a set of conditions and incorporated them in its order approving the license transfers. The conditions became the law. SBC then went out and broke the law in five different states by failing to provide shared transport to its competitors. Such unlawful, anti-competitive behavior is unacceptable. Instead of sharing, as the law requires, SBC withheld and litigated, forcing competitors to expend valuable time and resources to exercise their rights under the FCC's order.

This action is only one component of the Commission's broader enforcement agenda. In the future, I will not hesitate to act to ensure that consumers are protected and the public interest is advanced.