WASHINGTON-The House Commerce Committee said an investigation confirmed that BellSouth Corp. offered to drop a regulatory challenge to Teligent Corp.’s wireless licenses if Teligent would actively support the Baby Bell’s entry into long distance.
The congressional probe also found that BellSouth threatened to attack Teligent’s licenses in court in retaliation for stalled interconnection negotiations between the two firms.
“BellSouth’s tactics should be seen for what they were: an attempt to mislead the FCC, the Department of Justice, and the American public with regard to the legal and practical sufficiency of BellSouth’s application for in-region long distance permission,” said Committee Chairman Thomas Bliley (R-Va.) in a March 9 letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Bill Kennard.
Bliley, who echoed similar sentiments in a letter to BellSouth President Duane Ackerman, recommended the FCC carefully screen regional Bell telephone long distance applications in the future. Bliley’s congressional district is near a facility run by AT&T Corp., the nation’s top long-distance carrier.
Late last year, the same House committee criticized the FCC for giving Teligent and Teledesic Corp. spectrum for free.
A BellSouth petition pending before the FCC argues the two firms should pay for wireless licenses as other firms do.
“We have received Chairman Bliley’s March 9 letter and are pleased to note that following more than two months of inquiry the letter does not allege that BellSouth violated any law, regulation or rule,” said John Schneidawind, a spokesman for BellSouth.
Schneidawind pointed out that Teligent Chief Executive Officer Alex Mandl initiated discussions with BellSouth in the controversy at issue.
