AT&T complains about public release of FCC report

AT&T has issued a statement about the Federal Communications Commission report on its proposed purchase of T-Mobile that was released to the public and then later withdrawn. In the report the FCC had pointed out many inconsistencies and faults with AT&T's proposal, which apparently did not sit well with the carrier. AT&T wants everyone to know that the FCC's report is just a draft, and that it has no legal standing since AT&T was granted permission to withdraw its proposal before the FCC.

"The FCC has recognized that it is required by its own rules to dismiss our merger application. This makes all the more troubling their decision to nonetheless release a preliminary staff report on the merger," said Jim Cicconi, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President-External and Legislative Affairs. "It has no force or effect under law, which raises questions as to why the FCC would choose to release it. The draft report has also not been made available to AT&T prior to today, so we have had no opportunity to address or rebut its claims, which makes its release all the more improper."
Though the FCC's report does not have any legal merit, it does show the agency's opinion on the proposed merger and points out many holes in AT&T's claims. The report has since been removed from public access, but you can find it in our summation from earlier this morning. [AT&T via Phone Scoop]