Chicago OKs AT&T-Comcast
By Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 6/19/2002 12:38:00 PM
The aldermen of the city of Chicago Wednesday approved the transfer of ownership of their AT&T Broadband franchises to Comcast Corp., but they conditioned the transfer on issues such as maintenance of current customer-service levels.
The consumer-complaint level recently has been low, and Chicago cable administrator Joyce Gallagher believes AT&T Broadband beefed up staffing in anticipation of the transfer vote. The ordinance aims to prevent AT&T-Comcast from slacking off postmerger, she added.
Other conditions protect local jobs and require that the venture return for another transfer approval if it 'tweaks' corporate structuring too much after the deal closes.
In the Midwest, Denver's City Council decided Monday to delay a vote on the merger. That approval vote could be resurrected at any time, but it must be taken up before Aug. 12, according to Dean Smits, director of the office of telecommunications.
Several council members want more information on capital outlay budgeted for upgrades. Denver's AT&T Broadband system is 40 percent to 50 percent upgraded, and local officials want assurances that the local system will have the support to make a December 2003 deadline for upgrade completion.
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