De Amerikaanse telecomgiganten Sprint en MCI Worldcom hebben plannen voor een megafusie van $120 miljard afgeblazen, nadat de Amerikaanse Justitie en de Europese Unie bezwaar hadden aangetekend. MCI en Sprint zouden tesamen een te machtige partij worden, waardoor de concurrentie en uiteindelijk ook de consument benadeeld zouden worden:
Regulators feared that the merger would cripple competition in the Internet and long-distance telephone markets.In a statement, WorldCom chief executive Bernard Ebbers said the benefits of the merger had been "clear and compelling."
Federal regulators' opposition adds to policies that "ultimately will reduce innovation and choice--and raise the cost of telephone services--for residential customers, particularly those in rural America," Ebbers said.
[...] The merger plan sparked controversy from the moment it was announced in October. Federal Communications Commission chairman William Kennard initially said the combination would represent a "surrender" from the robust competition that had driven down the cost of long-distance calls for consumers.
er zitten al aardig wat nederlandse bedrijven over te werken.