AT&T’s senior executive vice president-external and legislative affairs Jim Cicconi slammed the US’s Federal Communications Commission as a regulatory body that is outdated and still functioning as if it were in the era when wireline voice was a monopoly and the Internet had yet to exist, remarks that warned the watchdog to change its ways or face irrelevancy.
Cicconi, who is responsible for AT&T’s public policy, according to AT&T’s website, made the remarks at a Media Institute luncheon held in Washington, D.C.
The FCC, said Cicconi in his speech, “is a wired, analog agency operating in a wireless, IP world.” Reports say the remarks were made as a preparation for the FCC’s incoming chairman Tom Wheeler; Cicconi said it would be Wheeler’s chance to overhaul the FCC’s shortcomings.
Among the advice was the suggestion that the FCC leave competition policy enforcement to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission; Cicconi accused the FCC of hand-picking winners and losers of the telecommunications market “under the cover” of its competition enforcement policy.
Full Content: Multichannel
Related Content: Verizon battles FCC on net neutrality, consumer content
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
ConocoPhillips Acquires Marathon Oil for $22.5 Billion in Major Energy Sector Consolidation
May 29, 2024 by
CPI
Judge Denies Amazon’s Bid to Dismiss FTC Lawsuit Over Prime Membership Practices
May 29, 2024 by
CPI
Germany and France Advocate for Major EU Competition Reform
May 29, 2024 by
CPI
Equifax Accused of Monopolizing Employment Verification Market in New Suit
May 29, 2024 by
CPI
Car Battery Makers to Challenge EU Cartel Charges in Brussels
May 29, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Merger Guidelines Retrospective
May 21, 2024 by
CPI
Mergers of Complements
May 21, 2024 by
CPI
Personality Traits, Private Equity, and Merger Analysis
May 21, 2024 by
CPI
The 2023 Merger Guidelines: Lessons in the Importance of Incipiency, Modern Economics, and Monopsony
May 21, 2024 by
CPI
The 2023 Merger Guidelines: Sharpening Merger Analysis
May 21, 2024 by
CPI