In yet another example of how quickly the communications industry is changing, SBC announced it will acquire AT&T for $16 billion. Back in 1997, FCC Chair Reed Hundt said that such a deal was unthinkable, but of course at that time, so was VoIP. Things have changed, and now SBC’s biggest competition is from cable. It’s almost a given that some backward-thinking consumer groups will yell that the merger will harm competition, but perhaps a phone call using VoIP over Comcast cable will change their minds.
SBC to buy AT&T