Hi Roly, thanks.
The Boeing and McD thing was largely at the discretion of the FTC, wasn't it? Whereas T's legacy throughout the ages has been to contend with the FCC and Justice. The DOJ, directly, at times. I've been told that for a time the feds had desks in T's HQ building in NY to keep a closer eye on them.
I don't know, frankly, what was on the FTC's collective mind at the time, or how to characterize the comparisons you seek with any precision. My vague recollection is that the FTC simply took an arbitrary stand, and declared that the merger would not present anything detrimental to trade or to the nation's well-being.
That's my take of the what the party line was, in any event. The cynic in me suggests that lobbying must have really been intense, and therein may lie the real answers to your question.
Maybe some of our esteemed colleagues here can give us a hand with this one.
Regards, Frank Coluccio |
