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Industry
MCI
WCOM
Sprint
Backbones
BOCs
Mergers
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On November 17, 1999, MCI WorldCom, Inc. (MCI WorldCom)
and Sprint Corporation (Sprint)
filed joint applications under Sections 214 and 310(d) of
the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. §§ 214 and
310(d), requesting Commission approval of the transfer of
control to MCI WorldCom of licenses and authorizations
controlled or requested by Sprint or its affiliates or
subsidiaries. This transfer of control would take place as
the result of a proposed merger agreement whereby Sprint
will be merged with and into MCI WorldCom. Upon merger
closing, the separate corporate existence of Sprint will
cease to exist and the present wholly-owned subsidiaries
of Sprint that hold Section 214 authorizations, cable
landing licenses and/or radio licenses will become
wholly-owned subsidiaries of the merged company, which
will be named WorldCom.
MCI WorldCom and Sprint submit
that the proposed merger is likely to produce benefits in
the markets for local and long distance, voice and data,
narrowband and broadband, and wireline and wireless
services. They further assert that the proposed merger
will serve the public interest and will not produce
anti-competitive effects in any telecommunications market.
Moreover, MCI WorldCom and Sprint state that they will
work cooperatively with policymakers to address and
resolve possible concerns regarding Sprint's Internet
backbone business.
US
DOJ Complaint: USA v. MCI & Sprint (June 26,
2000)
III.
"TIER 1" INTERNET BACKBONE SERVICES
MARKET
A. Relevant Product Market
- The Internet is a vital conduit for commerce and
communication for millions of
Americans, and it is fast becoming as much a part of
daily life as the television and the
telephone. This global network of public and private
networks, i.e., the Internet, enables end users to
communicate with each other and access large amounts of
information, data, and educational and
entertainment services. Until April 30, 1995, the
Internet was administered by the National
Science Foundation ("NSF"), an independent federal
agency. Thereafter, the NSF relinquished
its
role, which allowed the development of the current
commercial Internet to occur.
- The end users of the Internet -- individuals, business
customers, content providers,
governments, and universities -- obtain access either
through a "dial-up" modem or other
consumer Internet access connection (e.g., cable modem
or digital subscriber line service), or
through a dedicated high-speed facility accessing the
Internet ("dedicated access") through one
of
thousands of Internet service providers ("ISPs"). ISPs
provide access to the Internet on a local,
regional, or national basis. ISPs operate their own
networks of varying size, but most have
limited facilities.
- An ISP can connect any customer on its network to any
of the other customers on
its network. In order to allow its customers to
communicate with the many end users connected
to other networks, however, an ISP must establish direct
or indirect interconnections with those
other networks. Because the Internet comprises thousands
of separate networks, direct
interconnections between each of those networks and all
other networks would be impractical. Instead, the
Internet has developed a hierarchical structure, in
which smaller networks are
interconnected with one of a few large Internet
"backbone" networks, which operate
high-capacity long-haul transmission facilities and are
interconnected with each other. In a
typical
Internet communication, for example, an ISP sends data
from one of its customers to the large
network that the ISP uses for backbone services, which
in turn sends the data to another
backbone network, which then delivers it to the ISP
serving the end user to whom the data is
addressed.
- Internet backbone providers ("IBPs") and ISPs can
generally exchange traffic
directly through one of two interconnection
arrangements: "transit" or "peering." Through
"transit" service, an ISP, small IBP, or other corporate
customer purchases a dedicated access
facility linking it directly to the transit provider's
Internet backbone network. That transit
service
provides the purchaser full Internet connectivity, i.e.,
the ability to send and receive
traffic
through the purchaser's IBP to any other network or
destination on the Internet. Under a transit
arrangement, the customer pays a fee for the connection
in addition to the fee paid for transit
service. A transit provider does not pay any fee for
access to its transit customers'
networks.
- Networks, including IBPs and ISPs, may also exchange
traffic with other networks
through "peering" arrangements whereby each "peer" will
only accept traffic that is destined
either for its own network or for one of its own transit
customers. Peers do not accept traffic
destined for non-customer networks, i.e., transit
traffic. Unlike transit, peering is typically a
settlement-free, or "bill and keep," arrangement under
which neither party pays the other for
terminating traffic. Each peer typically pays for one
half the cost of the connections between
their
networks.
- Interconnection arrangements between networks are
voluntary and consensual in
nature, and are not subject to governmental regulation.
Internet networks exchange traffic either
at private interconnection sites or at public
interconnection sites known as Network Access
Points
("NAPs") or Metropolitan Area Exchanges ("MAEs"). The
NSF established the first public
interconnection facilities, which were to be operated by
private parties, to enable any two ISPs
or
IBPs who chose to peer with each other to do so at a NAP
or MAE. UUNET operates three of
the largest and busiest public interconnection points
(MAE-East, MAE-West, and MAE-Central)
and four smaller regional MAEs. Similarly, Sprint
operates another of the busiest NAPs that is
located in the New York City area in Pennsauken, New
Jersey. Together, the Defendants will
control four of the seven primary public interconnection
points.
- The explosive growth of the Internet overwhelmed these
NAPs and MAEs, and
despite the addition of new public access points to
accommodate this growth, the public
interconnection facilities remain chronically congested.
In an effort to avoid these congested
facilities, some networks have established private
bilateral interconnection facilities with their
peers. Today, large IBPs exchange most of their traffic
with other IBPs at private
interconnection
sites at various points throughout their networks. Many
smaller networks, however, still rely
solely or substantially upon public access points. These
networks have been unable to provide
high-quality Internet access to their customers.
- There are a small number of large, powerful IBPs --
referred to as "Tier 1" IBPs --
that sell transit service to substantial numbers of ISPs
and sell dedicated Internet access directly
to
corporate customers or other enterprises. Tier 1
IBPs have large nationwide or
international
networks capable of transporting large volumes of data.
These Tier 1 IBPs typically
maintain
private peering relationships with all other Tier 1
IBPs on a settlement-free basis, as
opposed to
purchasing Internet connectivity (e.g., transit) from
any other IBP. Most Internet
communications are carried over the networks of these
Tier 1 IBPs, and either originated
or
terminated, or both, with end users that obtain Internet
access directly from a Tier 1 IBP,
or from
an ISP or other network that purchases transit from a
Tier 1 IBP (i.e., a Tier 1 IBP's
customer).
- Smaller IBPs, often referred to as "Tier 2" or
"Tier 3" IBPs, may also sell transit
to smaller ISPs or IBPs and sell dedicated Internet
access to end users. However, these
Tier 2 or
Tier 3 IBPs typically purchase transit from (rather than
peer with) one or more Tier 1
IBPs,
and/or rely substantially upon exchanging traffic at the
inferior public
interconnection facilities. Lower-tier IBPs that must
purchase a significant amount of connectivity from other
IBPs operate
at substantial cost disadvantages compared to Tier 1
IBPs, which rely exclusively on
peering.
- Tier 1 IBPs also have significant competitive
advantages compared to lower tier
IBPs in terms of their ability to provide higher-quality
service through their direct and private
interconnections, rather than relying on indirect
transit service or on the inferior and congested
public interconnection points. Generally, network
operators seek the most direct routing for
their
Internet communications -- i.e., over routes with the
fewest possible number of cross-network
connections or "hops" -- because of the greater risk
that data will be lost or its transmission
delayed as the number of interconnection points
increases. Lower-tier IBPs that must rely on
transit typically reach other networks indirectly
through their transit provider's network, adding
"hops." Because Tier 1 IBPs provide direct
connections to large numbers of ISPs and to
other
Tier 1 IBPs that collectively handle most Internet
traffic, Tier 1 IBPs can offer
higher quality
services than can lower-tier IBPs. Many important ISPs
and business customers will not
purchase
Internet connectivity from an IBP unless that IBP
maintains direct, private peering connections
with most, if not all, Tier 1 IBPs.
- Because of these differences, the provision of
Tier 1 backbone services is
distinguished from that provided by other IBPs.
Typically, Tier 1 IBPs charge higher
prices for
Internet access than do lower-tier IBPs because they
offer distinct value to their customers and
are not significantly constrained by the competition of
lower-tier IBPs. The provision
of
connectivity to Tier 1 IBPs is a line of commerce
and a relevant product market for
purposes of
Section 7 of the Clayton Act. There are no substitutes
for this connectivity sufficiently close to
defeat or discipline a small but significant
nontransitory increase in price.
B. Relevant Geographic
Market
- Tier 1 IBPs provide connectivity to their
networks throughout the
United States. Because providing customers with
Tier 1 IBP connectivity in the United States
requires domestic
operations, such customers are unlikely to turn to any
foreign providers that lack these domestic
operations in response to a small but significant and
nontransitory increase in price by domestic
Tier 1 IBPs. The United States is the relevant
geographic market for purposes of Section 7 of
the
Clayton Act.
C. Market Concentration
and Anticompetitive
Effects
- WorldCom's wholly owned subsidiary, UUNET, is by far
the largest Tier 1 IBP by
any relevant measure and is already approaching a
dominant position in the Internet backbone
market. Based upon a study conducted in February 2000,
UUNET's share of all Internet traffic
sent to or received from the customers of the 15 largest
Internet backbones in the United States
was 37%, more than twice the share of Sprint, the
next-largest Tier 1 IBP, which had a
16%
share. These 15 backbones represent approximately 95% of
all U.S. dedicated Internet access
revenues. UUNET's and Sprint's 53% combined share of
Internet traffic is at least five times
larger than that of the next-largest IBP. The
Herfindahl-Hirschman Index ("HHI"), the standard
measure of market concentration (defined and explained
in Appendix
A), indicates that this
market is highly concentrated. The HHI in terms of
traffic is approximately 1850; post-merger,
the HHI will rise approximately 1150 points to
approximately 3000. (Note: Throughout the
Complaint, market share percentages have been rounded to
the nearest whole number, but HHIs
have been estimated using unrounded percentages in order
to accurately reflect the concentration
of the various markets.)
- The proposed merger threatens to destroy the
competitive environment that has
created a vibrant, innovative Internet by forming an
entity that is larger than all other IBPs
combined, and thereby has an overwhelmingly
disproportionate size advantage over any other
IBP.
- The proposed transaction would produce anticompetitive
harm in at least two
ways. First, it would substantially lessen competition
by eliminating Sprint, the second-largest
IBP in an already concentrated market, as a competitive
constraint on the Internet backbone
market. The elimination of this constraint will provide
the combined entity with the incentive
and
ability to charge higher prices and provide lower
quality of service for customers.
- Second, the combined entity ("UUNET/Sprint") will have
the incentive and ability
to impair the ability of its rivals to compete by, among
other things, raising its rivals' costs
and/or
degrading the quality of its interconnections to its
rivals. As a result of the merger,
UUNET/Sprint's rivals will become increasingly dependent
upon being connected to the
combined entity, and the combined entity will exploit
that advantage. Such behavior will likely
enhance the market power of the combined firm, and
ultimately facilitate a "tipping" of the
Internet backbone market that will result in a monopoly.
- As is true in network industries generally, the value
of Internet access to end users
becomes greater as more and more end users can easily be
reached through the Internet. The
benefit that one end user derives from being able to
communicate effectively with additional
users
is known as a "network externality."
- When the networks that constitute the Internet operate
in a competitive market,
this network externality creates powerful incentives for
each individual network to seek and
implement efficient interconnection arrangements with
other networks. Efficient
interconnection
has many requirements, including the physical connection
to exchange traffic and the effective
implementation of cross-network protocols or standards.
For example, providers in competitive
network industries have strong incentives to cooperate
in the development of new cross-network
protocols or quality of service ("QoS") standards that
would enable new services or applications
to be used across interconnection points on multiple
providers' networks. By securing efficient
interconnection, an ISP or IBP makes its services more
valuable to its existing and potential
customers. End users can enjoy the benefits of network
externalities regardless of which
network
they belong to so long as their cross-network
communications are of similar quality to
communications "on-net," or purely within their
provider's network. Thus, a failure to secure
efficient interconnection arrangements places any given
network at a significant competitive
disadvantage when such customers can turn to a competing
network that is efficiently
interconnected to other networks.
- The explosive growth of Internet traffic, which has
been doubling in volume every
three to four months, and the introduction of new
applications that depend upon the transmission
of large quantities of data, have made it necessary for
IBPs to constantly increase the capacity,
i.e., bandwidth, of their own networks, and of the
facilities through which they interconnect with
other networks. A network that upgrades bandwidth within
its own network in an adequate and
timely manner can maintain the quality of its customers'
Internet experience with regard to
communications that originate as well as terminate on
that network. In order to maintain the
quality of its customers' Internet experience with
regard to communications that originate or
terminate on another network, however, a network must
constantly upgrade the capacity of its
interconnections with other networks, as well as upgrade
capacity within its own
network.
- Any failure to keep pace with the growing demand for
increased interconnection
capacity -- or, worse yet, any degradation in the
quality of existing interconnections with other
networks -- would adversely affect the quality of an
Internet user's experience regardless of the
capacity and efficiency of an IBP's own network. Due to
the Internet's growth rate, any failure
to make adequate and timely upgrades of interconnection
capacity is tantamount to a degradation
of the quality of interconnection. When networks operate
in competitive markets, they have
mutual incentives to avoid such degradation.
- Similarly, when operating in competitive markets,
networks have incentives to
negotiate reasonable prices for interconnection
arrangements. An IBP that sells transit to
another
network will have incentives to charge reasonable prices
for that service in order to prevent a
transit customer from taking its business to a rival
IBP. Furthermore, two networks will have
incentives to enter into peering arrangements when, for
each, the cost of terminating the other's
traffic is roughly comparable to the benefit of having
its own traffic terminated by the other,
taking into account, among other factors, whether the
networks have comparable traffic levels,
similar geographic scope, and a roughly comparable
input/output ratio at each interconnection
point. As long as there are a sufficient number of
Tier 1 IBPs of roughly comparable size,
there
exist sufficient incentives for all Tier 1 IBPs to
peer privately with each other at the
necessary
capacity levels. In turn, this enhances both Internet
connectivity and competition among
Tier 1
IBPs. Nevertheless, an IBP makes peering decisions on a
discretionary basis, and may refuse to
peer or may terminate a peering relationship with any
other IBP on short notice or without cause
if it determines that doing so is in its self-interest.
- When a single network grows to a point at which it
controls a substantial share of
the total Internet end user base and its size greatly
exceeds that of any other network, network
externalities may cause a reversal of its previous
incentives to achieve efficient interconnection
arrangements with its rival networks. In this context,
degrading the quality or increasing the
price
of interconnection with smaller networks can create
advantages for the largest network in
attracting customers to its network. Customers recognize
that they can communicate more
effectively with a larger number of other end users if
they are on the largest network, and this
effect feeds upon itself and becomes more powerful as
larger numbers of customers choose the
largest network. This effect has been described as
"tipping" the market. Once the market begins
to "tip," connecting to the dominant network becomes
even more important to competitors. This,
in turn, enables the dominant network to further raise
its rivals' costs, thereby accelerating the
tipping effect. As a result of an increase in their
costs, rivals may not be able to compete on a
long-term basis and may exit the market. If rivals
decide to pass on these costs, users of
connectivity will respond by selecting the dominant
network as their provider. Ultimately, once
rivals have been eliminated or reduced to "customer
status," the dominant network can raise
prices to users of its own network beyond competitive
levels. Once this occurs, restoring the
market to a competitive state often requires
extraordinary means, including some form of
government regulation.
- If the merger is allowed to proceed, the Defendants
will be in a commanding
position vis-à-vis all of their Tier 1 IBP
rivals. With a majority of all Internet
traffic on its own
network, UUNET/Sprint and its customers will derive
relatively less benefit from being
efficiently
connected to smaller networks than will the customers of
these smaller networks derive from
being efficiently connected to UUNET/Sprint. Whereas in
a competitive environment
Tier 1 IBPs
have roughly equal incentives to peer with each other,
the merged entity will be so large relative
to any other IBP that its interest in providing others
efficient and mutually beneficial access to
its
network will diminish. Because other Tier 1 IBPs
will have a relatively greater need to be
connected to UUNET/Sprint, in the absence of a peering
relationship, they will be forced to
purchase transit services from UUNET/Sprint to maintain
adequate interconnection
capacity.
- Whereas in a competitive environment Tier 1 IBPs
have incentives to charge
reasonable prices for transit, the merged entity will be
so large relative to other IBPs that its
interest in providing reasonable prices or terms for
transit service will diminish. Ultimately,
there
is a significant risk that, as a result of the merger,
the combined entity will be able to "tip" the
Internet backbone services market and raise prices for
all dedicated access services.
- The proposed transaction will substantially enhance
the risk that UUNET/Sprint
will have the power to engage in anticompetitive
behavior. Such behavior may involve refusing
to
peer with other Tier 1 IBPs for interconnection,
and either failing to augment (e.g., by
denying,
withholding, or "slow-rolling" requested upgrades) or
otherwise degrading the
quality of
interconnection capacity between peers.
- The Defendants already require both their transit
customers and peers to enter into
strict nondisclosure agreements ("NDAs") as a condition
of doing business. The NDAs prohibit
these customers and peers from disclosing the nature or
existence of the interconnection
agreements and, in the case of customers, the prices
charged. By enforcing secrecy, these NDAs
will enhance the Defendants' ability to price
discriminate (i.e., charge different prices) among
their
customers and to grant or deny peering on an arbitrary
basis.
- Another way in which a combined UUNET/Sprint will be
able to limit rivals'
abilities to compete will be by refusing to cooperate
with other Tier 1 IBPs in
implementing
interconnection arrangements required for the
development of new Internet-based services, such
as voice over Internet protocol ("VoIP"), video
conferencing, live video transmission, or Internet
protocol virtual private networks ("IP/VPNs"). These new
services are becoming increasingly
important to Internet users and require specialized
arrangements for effective transmission across
two or more backbone networks. For example,
cross-network QoS standards that are required
for two individual networks to share in providing
certain Internet-based services have not yet
been
adopted on an industry-wide basis. UUNET/Sprint will be
able to take advantage of its size to
enhance its market power by implementing a QoS standard
"on net" while refusing to cooperate
in the implementation of cross-network QoS standards.
Because UUNET/Sprint will have such
a
large percentage of traffic on net, customers seeking to
use these services over
as much of the
Internet as possible will have little choice but to
migrate to or select it as their provider. UUNET/Sprint
will also have the incentive and ability to exploit its
unmatched scale and scope
to
control the development of these new services so that
only its own customers will have access to
them.
D. Entry
- Entry into the Tier 1 Internet backbone services
market would not be timely,
likely, or sufficient to remedy the proposed merger's
likely anticompetitive harm. In the current
market environment, entry barriers are already high, and
the proposed transaction will
substantially raise barriers to entry. An entrant into
the Tier 1 Internet backbone market
must
establish and maintain adequate peering interconnections
to provide Internet connectivity. Entry
into the Tier 1 Internet backbone market requires
that an IBP peer privately, on a
settlement-free
basis, with all other Tier 1 IBPs, as well as
interconnect with other IBPs without having to
purchase any significant amount of Internet
connectivity. Incumbent Tier 1 IBPs only
grudgingly
grant private peering to another IBP when it has a
sufficiently large customer base such that
other
Tier 1 IBPs will be able to derive sufficient
positive network externalities from
interconnection
with it. In a classic "Catch-22," without adequate
peering interconnections a rival cannot gain
customer traffic and without sufficient customer traffic
a rival cannot gain peering
connections.
- UUNET/Sprint would be able to control and inhibit
successful entry by refusing to
interconnect with new entrants or by limiting those
connections in order to control the growth of
its rivals. By degrading the quality of interconnection
and raising its rivals' costs,
UUNET/Sprint
would further prevent entry and expansion by other IBPs.
Moreover, through its control of
public
interconnection facilities (e.g., MAE-East, MAE-West,
New York NAP) and its refusal to
upgrade these facilities, UUNET/Sprint would be able to
limit opportunities for existing rivals
and
new entrants to build their traffic volumes through
public peering.
- Entry into the Tier 1 Internet backbone services
market also requires substantial
time and enormous sums of capital to build a network of
sufficient size and capacity, and to
attract and retain the scarce, highly skilled technical
personnel required for its operations.
DOJ has announced that it
will file suit to block this merger and the EU has
likewise indicated that it is unlikely to go
through. The withdrawal of the WCOM / Spring merger
application was approved on August 3.
Merger proceeding raises
concern of merging the largest Internet backbone provider
with another of the largest providers. MCI WorldCom
is the owner of UUNet and the owner of the major backbone
peering points known as the MAEs, in particular MAE East
and MAE West where a tremendous amount of backbone traffic
is exchanged. Concern for consolidation and
potential anti-competitive affect on the market. One
option in order to permit the merger to go through
reportedly is for Sprint to divest itself of its Internet
backbone services.
From the FCC Public
Notice:
"On November 17, 1999, MCI
WorldCom, Inc. (MCI WorldCom) and Sprint Corporation
(Sprint) filed joint applications under Sections 214 and
310(d) of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. §§
214 and 310(d), requesting Commission approval of the
transfer of control to MCI WorldCom of licenses and
authorizations controlled or requested by Sprint or its
affiliates or subsidiaries. This transfer of control
would take place as the result of a proposed merger
agreement whereby Sprint will be merged with and into MCI
WorldCom. Upon merger closing, the separate
corporate existence of Sprint will cease to exist and the
present wholly-owned subsidiaries of Sprint that hold
Section 214 authorizations, cable landing licenses and/or
radio licenses will become wholly-owned subsidiaries of
the merged company, which will be named WorldCom.
"MCI WorldCom and Sprint
submit that the proposed merger is likely to produce
benefits in the markets for local and long distance, voice
and data, narrowband and broadband, and wireline and
wireless services. They further assert that the
proposed merger will serve the public interest and will
not produce anti-competitive effects in any
telecommunications market. Moreover, MCI WorldCom
and Sprint state that they will work cooperatively with
policymakers to address and resolve possible concerns
regarding Sprint's Internet backbone business.
8/4/00
Order
terminating the merger proceeding and granting
WC/Sprint's request for return of confidential documents
[ Text
| Word97
]
7/21/00
Word97
| MCI
WorldCom, Inc. and Sprint Corporation letter requesting
return of Confidential Documents filed by the applicants
7/13/00
MCI
WorldCom, Inc. and Sprint Corporation formally withdraw
their application for Transfer of Control of Licenses
and Section 214 Authorizations
4/19/00
FCC
Requests Additional Information from MCI WorldCom and
Sprint: Stops 180-day Clock on Day 75.
4/5/00
Common Carrier Bureau Holds Public Forum on MCI
WorldCom, Inc. and Sprint Corporation, Applications for
Transfer of Control, CC Docket No. 99-333. [Public
Notice | Audio
| Transcript]
2/2/00
CCB Issues Protective Order to ensure that any
confidential or proprietary documents submitted by MCI
WorldCom and Sprint are afforded adequate protection. [ Text
| Word97
]
1/19/00
Commission Seeks Comment on Joint Applications for Consent
to Transfer Control Filed by MCI WorldCom, Inc. and Sprint
Corporation. [ Text
| Word97
]
11/17/99
Application
of Sprint and MCI WorldCom for Consent to Transfer
Control of Corporations Holding Commission Licenses and
Authorizations Pursuant to Sections 214 and 310(d) of the
Communications Act.
1/14/00
Additional
Information Requested by the FCC as Submitted by MCI
WorldCom and Sprint Including a Description of Internet
Services Provided, and an Assessment of the Public
Interest Impact of the Merger on the Market for these
Services.
Released:
11/20/2001. COMMON CARRIER, INTERNATIONAL, AND
WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAUS MODIFY
WORLDCOM-INTERMEDIA MERGER CONDITIONS. (DA No.
01-2727). CCB. Contact: Henry L. Thaggert at (202)
418-7941,
COMMISSION SEEKS COMMENT ON JOINT
APPLICATIONS FOR CONSENT TO TRANSFER CONTROL FILED BY
MCI WORLDCOM, INC. AND SPRINT CORPORATION. (DA No.
00-104). Dkt No.: CC- 99-333. Public
Notice (Word) Released: January 19, 2000.
SPRINT CORPORATION/MCI WORLDCOM, INC.
Granted WorldCom's and Sprint's
request to
withdraw its application in CC Docket 99-333. Dkt No.:
CC-99-333. Action by Chief, Policy and Program
Planning Division, Common Carrier Bureau. Adopted:
April 3, 2000. by Order. (DA No. 00-1771). CCB
Public
Notice Released: March 27, 2000. COMMON CARRIER
BUREAU ANNOUNCES PUBLIC FORUM ON MCI WORLDCOM, INC.
AND SPRINT CORPORATION, APPLICATIONS FOR TRANSFER OF
CONTROL.CC Docket 99-333, contact: Claudia Fox or
Susan Pie 202-418-1580; News media contact: Michael
Balmoris 202-418-0253. (DA No. 00-672).
Statement
of FCC Chairman Kennard Regarding U.S. Department
of Justice Action on Proposed Worldcom-Sprint Merger.
6/27/00
SPRINT CORPORATION AND MCI WORLDCOM, INC.
Adopted Modified Protective Order to provide that any
confidential or proprietary documents submitted will
be available for review. Action by Deputy Chief,
Common Carrier Bureau. Adopted: April 11, 2000. by
Order. (DA No. 00-827). CCB
SPRINT CORPORATION AND MCI WORLDCOM, INC.
Issued Protective Order to ensure that the documents
submitted by MCI WorldCom and Sprint are afforded
adequate protection. By Order Adopting Protective
Order. Dkt No.: CC-99-333. Action by Chief, Common
Carrier Bureau. Adopted: February 2, 2000. (DA No.
00-186). CCB
STATEMENT
OF FCC CHAIRMAN WILLIAM E. KENNARD ON PROPOSED
MERGER OF MCI WORLDCOM, INC. AND SPRINT CORP. New
media contact: Michael Balmoris 202-418-0253.
News
- Court
rules WorldCom can't have Sprint executive Nov
27, 2000 mercurycenter
- WorldCom
To Fight EU Sept 29, 2000 cnn
- Update:
WorldCom appeals EU block of Sprint merger Sept
29, 2000 computerworld
- WorldCom
plans to appeal EU's block of merger with Sprint July
14, 2000 computerworld
- Sprint,
WorldCom call off $120 billion merger July 14,
2000 cnet
- WorldCom
may put itself up for sale July 14, 2000 cnet
- Ebbers
blasts DOJ for blocking WorldCom/Sprint deal July
12, 2000 NWFusion
- Ebbers
blasts DOJ for blocking WorldCom/Sprint deal July
12, 2000 computerworld
- WorldCom
backs out of fixed wireless deal with Sprint July
10, 2000 computerworld
- WorldCom/Sprint
Merger May Be A Goner - Update Newsbytes 6/27
- WCOM
Sprint withdraw EU Merger Notice USAToday 6/27
- US
to Block Sprint WCOM Merger The Standard 6/27
- Justice
Department sues to block WorldCom-Sprint merger
NandoTimes 6/27
- WorldCom-Sprint
Doomed? CNNfn 6/27
- WorldCom,
Sprint Remove Merger Application - AP 6/27
- WorldCom-Sprint
Deal: A World Of Trouble ABC News 6/27
- WorldCom,
Sprint Blocked CNNfn 6/27
- WorldCom
& Sprint Withdraw Merger Proposal WasTech 6/27
- WorldCom
may have to sell Internet unit C|NET 6/6
- WorldCom/Sprint
Say EU Should Clear Merger InternetNews 5/31
- Hatch
Urges FTC Caution In Time Warner/AOL Deal WashTech
5/22
- Feds
reportedly may block WorldCom-Sprint Deal
NAndoTimes 5/19
- DOJ
Wants to Block MCI Sprint ZDNet 5/19
- DOJ
may block WorldCom-Sprint merger C|NET 5/19
- MCI
WorldCom/Sprint merger faces EU concerns NW Fusion
4/26
- CWA's
web page on the MCI Worldcom/Sprint Merger
- Global
unions ask EU to block MCI-Sprint merger
c|net 4/17
- MCI
wants sprint for its wireless data services
NWFusion 4/7
- MCI-WorldCom,
Sprint Filing Touts Merger Benefits Newsbytes 3/21
- DOJ
preparing to block mci sprint merger NWFusion 3/17
- EU
deepens MCI WorldCom/Sprint probe NWFusion 2/23
- FCC
wants more facts before merger approval
C|NET 12/17/99
- U.S.
hires lawyer in MCI WorldCom, Sprint merger
C|NET 12/10/99
- WorldCom
deal held in regulatory limbo CNET 11/15/99
- MCI,
Sprint optimistic despite report USA Today
11/15/99
- Congress:
Consumers may suffer under MCI-Sprint C|NET
11/5/99
- Merger
Hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee
Senate Website 11/5/99
- Senators
wary of MCI-Sprint merger USAToday 11/5/99
- Will
MCI WorldCom's buy of Sprint escape EU review?
CNET 10/07
- FCC
may dampen MCI-Sprint party USA Today 10/06
- Sprint
mulls merger options C|NET 10/05
- Sprint
in middle of bidding war USA Today 10/05
- MCI
WorldCom buys Sprint for $129 billion C|NET 10/05
- FCC
head: Not so fast USA Today 10/05
- MCI,
Sprint Say Broadband Key Component of Merger
Internet News 10/05
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