SBC Communications

The Supreme Court declined to hear appeals by three Baby Bells challenging the 1996 telecom act’s requirement that local competition precede Baby Bell entry into the long-distance market. “This decision confirms the logic of the telecom act: that competition breeds …

NEW YORK-Significant progress has been made toward the still unrealized goal of full minority participation in the telecommunications industry, according to speakers at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition’s recent conference, “Building Trading Partnerships to Expand the Marketplace.” The meeting, convened Jan. 14-15, …

NEW YORK-With more than 7,700 transactions valued at $1.2 trillion announced, the domestic mergers and acquisitions market for 1998 crushed by 84 percent its previous record of $650.7 billion, set the prior year. Although the number of deals was about …

In a rapidly consolidating wireless industry, the list of available cellular carriers last week got shorter by two. After entertaining bids from at least two suitors, including Bell Atlantic Corp., AirTouch Communications Inc. opted to tie up with Britain’s Vodafone …

Today’s telecommunications behemoths soon will rank right up there with journalists and used-car salesman on the “Who don’t you trust” list. As competition tries to come to the telecom industry, we’re beginning to see more and more of the underbelly …

WASHINGTON-Federal Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard last week said he would consider further wireless deregulation and intends to streamline operations, objectives that could help defuse plans on Capitol Hill to reform the agency this year. Kennard came under fire in …

WASHINGTON-New House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is expected to impact process more than policy in the 106th Congress, but his past support for Ameritech Corp.’s long-distance entry and strong campaign financial backing from landline telephone carriers suggest he still could …

The State Department late last month urged the European Commission to allow U.S. third-generation wireless equipment and service providers a fair opportunity to compete in Europe. In a letter sent to EC Commissioner Martin Bangemann Dec. 19, the United States …

WASHINGTON-With a panoply of prickly issues tied to major telecom policies of local competition, disability access, spectrum management and digital wiretap compliance, the future could not be cloudier for the wireless industry in 1999. Besides the fact wireless policy is …

SEATTLE-Xypoint Corp., a provider of wireless intelligent network services for enhanced 911, asked the Federal Communications Commission to condition the mergers of SBC Communications and Ameritech Corp. and Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp. on providing access to wireless E911 …

WASHINGTON-The most conservative member of the Federal Communications Commission last week said the current microscopic review of telecommunications mergers is unfair given the lack of attention the FCC is expected to give to the merger between oil giants Exxon and …

WASHINGTON-The battle over whether major local telephone companies will be allowed to merge-expected to be debated again today at the Federal Communications Commission-is tied to spectrum caps more than most people realize, said Motorola Inc.’s Michael D. Kennedy. The Practicing …

WASHINGTON-Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) late Friday blasted Federal Communications Commission Chairman Bill Kennard and his press office for staff statements to the press suggesting the agency might block pending telecom mega-mergers even if they are approved by …

WASHINGTON-Justice Department antitrust czar Joel Klein, sending a mixed message, predicts Baby Bells will face local competition from wireless and wireline firms over time, even if mega-mergers among dominant telecom players are approved. Pointing to forces of deregulation, technology and …

WASHINGTON-In an exclusive interview provided to RCR, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition plans to announce aggressive opposition against pending telecom mega-mergers at the Federal Communications Commission’s Dec. 14 meeting if negotiations with company executives on the AT&T …

WASHINGTON-A critical European Parliament vote last week, which could effectively mandate a third-generation mobile phone standard dominated by Sweden’s L.M. Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia Corp. and lock out American technology, will ratchet up the stakes in upcoming negotiations here among …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week officially proposed rules that could lead to the end of spectrum caps. Additionally, the FCC announced rules to relocate incumbents in the 2 GHz spectrum band that has been allocated to mobile satellite services. …

WASHINGTON-While this week’s election of Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston (R-La.) to speaker of the House is not expected to dramatically change the course of telecom policy making in Congress, a wholesale shakeup in GOP leadership could alter the political …

Rural Cellular Corp. Rural Cellular’s revenues increased 103 percent to $34 million from $16.8 million during last year’s third quarter. Net loss for the quarter totaled $4.5 million, or 50 cents per share, compared with net income of $621,000, or …

NEW YORK-The Federal Communications Commission announced it approved the transfer of licenses and authorizations from Southern New England Telecommunications Corp. to SBC Communications Inc., thereby granting the companies’ merger application. The FCC concluded “the merger is unlikely to have any …

WASHINGTON-Tele-Communications Inc. President Leo Hindery, grilled by federal regulators last week on the cable TV giant’s planned $48 billion merger into top long-distance and mobile phone carrier AT&T Corp., said TCI’s 30-percent stake in Sprint PCS likely will be divested …

AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and BellSouth Cellular Corp. have agreed to consolidate ownership of their jointly owned cellular properties in Los Angeles, Houston and Galveston, Texas, and have created a new management structure that will streamline operations, said the companies. …

AT&T Corp. last week announced plans to buy Vanguard Cellular Systems Inc., ending months of speculation about who might acquire the independent cellular operator. Vanguard has been rumored widely to be an acquisition target, fueled by a decision it made …

The campaigning efforts in Washington, D.C., are set to heat up within the next few months as the International Telecommunication Union enters the decision-making process for third-generation technology. The CDMA Development Group’s operator members recently submitted a letter to 21 …

WASHINGTON-The postponement of arguments in a federal appeals court on the wireless number portability issue seems to bode well for the industry because it will have even more time to implement this requirement. Portability refers to telephone subscribers keeping their …