It still won't be a merger that is in any way in the public interest. But late yesterday, AT&T finally capitulated to intense public pressure (New York Times: AT&T offers Concessions on Bellsouth buyout) that its PIRG-opposed merger with Bellsouth to create the world's largest telecommunications company (nearly putting Ma Bell back together again) should be conditioned on keeping the Internet free of gatekeepers (net neutrality) and other limits and commitments [new AT&T offer to FCC-large pdf]. We're still evaluating the proposal but here are statements from our Free Press, CFA and CU colleagues and here's one from Media Access Project lawyer Harold Feld's personal blog (Harold analyzes the merger, but also gets in this apt description): "In the dramatic penultimate episode of the telecom world's favorite Telenovella "Death Star Reborn: The AT&T-BellSouth Merger," the forces of Network Neutrality and competition win a dramatic victory!

Net neutrality, or a guarantee that the Internet will remain a free, open marketplace of ideas and opportunities, is no joke. It's a minimum standard that should have been in their original offer. Yet, I note that even in in this latest concession offer to the FCC AT&T demonstrates corporate arrogance, petulance and hubris all in one:

"On October 13, 2006, AT&T submitted a list of possible merger commitments...We emphasized our belief that these commitments were wholly unnecessary...Nevertheless, merger opponents continue to demand even more concessions, including those they were unable to obtain from Congress...In the face of these continuing demands....[blah blah blah]."