DeWine, Kohl Statement Regarding the Proposed Merger Between Verion and MCI

DEWINE, KOHL STATEMENT REGARDING THE PROPOSED MERGER BETWEEN VERIZON AND MCI

Statement by U.S. Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights:

"The proposed merger among Verizon and MCI is another major step in the ongoing consolidation of the telecom industry. More and more we appear to be moving toward a world in which consumers will face one dominant local telephone company, which bundles its local service with long-distance, high-speed internet, and wireless service. This bundling and the ongoing consolidation continue to raise troubling questions about competition and the availability of consumer choice. Accordingly, the Antitrust Subcommittee intends to scrutinize this latest deal very closely and to examine its consequences for consumers and competition across the nation."

http://dewine.senate.gov/