CenturyLink, Level 3 Plan to Respond Soon to FCC Query on Deal Arguments
CenturyLink and Level 3 told the FCC they will respond "shortly" to staff requests for more information about CenturyLink's planned buy of Level 3. The companies intend to produce information to "support their conclusions that competition in the provision of…
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long-haul transport and business data services" won't be harmed due to the deal, and to substantiate "benefits, efficiencies, and synergies," said their filing, posted Tuesday in docket 16-403, on a meeting with commission staffers Thursday. On June 9, the agency paused its nonbinding 180-day review clock on Day 170 to await further filings by the license-transfer applicants (see 1706120032). Meanwhile, three providers of VoIP and other IP services -- commio, Fractel and VoIP Innovations -- said in recent filings (here, here, here) they're concerned the deal would remove Level 3 as an independent provider of wholesale switching and transport ("access homing tandem") services for customer-owned phone numbers. The three companies believe the only national providers of such services are Level 3, Peerless and Inteliquent. Fractel said that market is "minimally competitive" and just "one merger away from no competition at all." They asked the FCC to condition approval of the deal on a requirement that Level 3 or its successor "continue to offer at reasonable prices and on a nationwide basis wholesale switching and transport services for customer owned telephone numbers." CenturyLink and Level 3 didn't comment Tuesday on those concerns.