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 FCC NEWS

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission Action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 516 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 January 7, 2005
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
 Janice Wise at (202) 418-7450
Janice.Wise@FCC.GOV



FCC DENIES SBC'S AND VERIZON'S REQUESTS TO DISCONTINUE MERGER AUDITS

Washington, D.C.: The Federal Communications Commission today denied requests by Verizon and SBC to be released from audit obligations that they agreed to in order to obtain the Commission's approval of the SBC/Ameritech merger in 1999 and the Bell Atlantic/GTE merger in 2000.

The Commission found that approving the mergers in 1999 and 2000 would serve the public interest because each company agreed to undertake certain market-opening conditions for a limited period and to undergo independent audits to show compliance of these conditions. In today's order, the Commission determined that SBC and Verizon have not demonstrated that premature release from the audit conditions would serve the public interest.

By the Commission: Chairman Powell, Commissioners Abernathy, Copps, Martin and Adelstein, FCC 05-3 and FCC 05-4, January 7, 2005.

Enforcement Bureau Contacts: Janice Wise (202) 418-8165

-FCC-