LLFCC's regular attempt to quickly masticate some of the Federal Communication Commission's recent doings on your behalf . . .

Ok. Let me get this straight . . .

Reuters news service reports that FCC Chair Kevin Martin wants to break the agency's 2/2 deadlock over AT&T's proposed merger with BellSouth by getting the Commission's Office of General Counsel (OGC) that Martin's fellow Republican Robert M. McDowell can vote on the acquisition.

McDowell has recused himself so far because he used to lobby for Comptel, a trade group that represents the kind of small local exchange carriers that compete with big outfits like AT&T and BellSouth.

What I don't get is why everyone expects him to vote for some version of the AT&T/BellSouth merger if the OGC gives him papal dispensation to do so, but I guess they do. Show's what I know.

Say it isn't so, GAO

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says that the FCC's deregulatory policies may have not delivered the goods when it comes to providing competitive voice and data services.

"In the 16 major metropolitan areas we examined, available data suggest that facilities-based competitive alternatives for dedicated access are not widely available," the report's abstract says. "Data on the presence of competitors in commercial buildings suggest that competitors are serving, on average, less than 6 percent of the buildings with demand for dedicated access in these areas."

The GAO report suggests that the FCC needs to set up a better way of collecting data on this problem, but concedes that the FCC disagrees with them on said conclusion.

Here's the GAO's last word: "FCC stated that gathering and analyzing additional data would be costly and burdensome. Yet without more complete and reliable data, FCC is unable to determine whether its deregulatory policies are achieving their goals."

On the road again . . .

Off they go to FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate's hometown of Nashville, Tennessee for the second of six hearings on the Commission's media ownership proceeding. The FCC firmed up the time and place today: Monday, December 11th, 2006, at one pm at Belmont University's Massey Concert Hall, which looks like a pretty classy looking place to ask Robert M. McDowell how he would vote on the AT&T/BellSouth merger if the Office of General Counsel let him. Let us know what he says if you go.