AT&T-BellSouth merger vote delayed again

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has delayed for a third time a vote on whether to allow AT&T to acquire BellSouth - a postponement that's due to the commissioners' inability to agree on conditions of the deal.

The vote was scheduled for Friday during the commission's open meeting. But the agency sent a notice late on Thursday removing the item from the agenda.

The merger, which is valued at roughly $80bn, was unconditionally approved by the antitrust division of the US Department of Justice last month. The FCC approval is the last regulatory hurdle the merger must overcome before the deal closes.

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Before the last scheduled FCC vote on 13 October, the two Democratic commissioners, Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps, were outraged that the Department of Justice hadn't imposed any conditions on the merger. In an effort to win their votes, AT&T submitted a new proposal to the FCC prior to the scheduled meeting.

The vote was postponed when the Democratic commissioners asked for more time to consider the proposal. They also wanted it to be available to the public for comment.

After three weeks of public comments being submitted, it appears the commission is still deadlocked on the issue of the merger. Now, the fifth member of the commission, Republican Robert McDowell, is likely to be forced to vote on the deal, according to predictions from several telecom experts. McDowell had recused himself from the proceedings, because prior to becoming a commissioner, he had worked for Comptel, an organisation that opposes the AT&T-BellSouth merger.

Marguerite Reardon writes for CNET News.com