The Federal Communications Commission decided late Thursday to ease restrictions on AT&T’s broadband services, a move likely to anger rivals like Sprint Nextel who had being fighting the move.
The regulations surround the prices AT&T can charge businesses and competitors for the use of its lines and infrastructure.
Under the decision, AT&T’s pricing will be less, and the telecommunications giant no longer will be required to disclose pricing information to its competitors.
“This relief will enable AT&T to have the flexibility to further deploy its broadband services and fiber facilities without overly burdensome regulations,” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Thursday.
The FCC granted a similar relief to Verizon last year.
AT&T had said that heavy regulations were no longer necessary because the broadband market has grown to be sufficiently competitive.
The commission did not grant all the relief AT&T was asking for, and added a requirement that the company must resolve complaints competitors and customers make against it within five months of the complaint.
Reston-based Sprint Nextel, which testified before Congress earlier this month against the relief and protested the Verizon decision, did not have a statement ready, spokesman John Taylor said Friday.
In his testimony, then Sprint Chief Executive Gary Forsee said companies such as AT&T do not charge reasonable rates for access to their lines and have an unfair share of that market. Forsee resigned Oct. 8.
The new rules do not take effect until 2010.
