Groups protest AT&T-BellSouth; merger

A group of small telecom companies as well as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed protests with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) concerning the AT&T-BellSouth merger. W. David Gardner, author of the article Groups Protest Proposed AT&T-BellSouth Merger, wrote that "the ACLU on Tuesday urged the FCC to review the proposed merger with an eye to NSA spying complaints." The telecom companies, led by XO Communications, asked the FCC to deny the merger, citing "irreparable harms to competition and the public interest."