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The company also hailed the benefits that will come with completion of the transaction. "AT&T will be an engine for innovation, competition, and growth for our customers at home and abroad," said Ed Whitacre, AT&T's chairman and chief executive officer. "In the Southeast, we will build on BellSouth's excellent record of serving customers and communities. And we are ready to lead the way in a new era of integrated wireless services nationwide."
AT&T also committed to conduct business for 30 months following the merger close "in a manner that comports with the principles set forth in the Commission's policy statement." The principles in the FCC's 2005 policy statement are consumer-oriented, stating that consumers are entitled "to access the lawful Internet content of their choice," "run applications and use services of their choice, subject to the needs of law enforcement," "to connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network," and "to competition among network providers, application and service providers, and content providers."
AT&T also committed to offering stand-alone ADSL service to customers in BellSouth's in-region territory within 12 months of the merger closing date and continue to do so in each state for 30 months after the date it certifies it can offer the service to 80% of ADSL-capable customers in that state. The company also pledges to extend stand-alone ADSL availability in the premerger AT&T's in-region territory for 30 months after the merger closing date. Stand-alone ADSL service will be available at speeds up to 786 kbps for $19.95 a month. AT&T also stated its intention to deploy advanced video services at least 1.5 million homes in BellSouth's in-region territory by the end of 2007 and to submit a written report to the FCC by Dec. 31, 2007, "describing progress made in obtaining necessary authorizations to roll-out, and the actual roll-out of, such advanced video services in the BellSouth in-region territory."
The Media Access Project said it was pleased with the wireless conditions. "The divestiture ordered ... offers the possibility of the creation of a competitive wireless broadband offering over the next few years," the group said in a statement. It also praised the fact that net neutrality conditions will apply to broadband wireless services. 'The fact that neutrality is being applied to wireless broadband for the first time should not be underestimated," it said. 'This breaks the 'wireless barrier' against extending network neutrality beyond DSL [digital subscriber line] and cable broadband. As of [now], any fixed broadband platform that serves a residential home can and should operate in a neutral and non-discriminatory manner."