Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, the Democrat who is expected to head the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee next year, said on Tuesday he would welcome a delay to regulatory approval of AT&T’s proposed acquisition of BellSouth.
“We’d like to know what the impact would be,” said Inouye. “I think the people of the United States would like to know.”
The $79.7 billion merger has yet to win approval from the FCC. The Senate Commerce Committee has oversight of the FCC but has no direct role in agency decisions.
Sen. Inouye (D-Hawaii), is taking the gavel of the Commerce Committee away from Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). Inouye will also assumed the chairmanship of the defense subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, as the Democrats take control of the House and Senate.
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