Verizon ‘s Valentine’s Day move to purchase MCI is all about competing for big corporate and government jobs, according to Verizon chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg, who made that observation and several others to the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday afternoon.
Seidenberg noted that the proposed merger doesn’t eliminate a competitor, and that MCI can continue to be a strong competitor to AT&T. “Competition from wireless, cable telephony, e-mail, instant messaging and VoIP will continue to drive pricing, with or without this transaction.”
He said the merger won’t impact the current universal service program or its funding. “The consumer marketplace will continue to become less concentrated over time – with or without this transaction – as new platforms vie for the broadband household.”
Verizon filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission last Friday, seeking approval for the acquisition.