Thaw in the FCC's AT&T deadlock?

There's news of a possible ice break in the stalled AT&T/BellSouth merger. [1] The FCC has been deadlocked 2-2 on the deal, which was unveiled all the way back in March. Commissioner Robert McDowell, holder of the fifth vote, has been recusing himself because of earlier work lobbying for COMPTEL, which opposes the merger. However, FCC chairman Kevin Martin has asked the regulator's general counsel to see whether McDowell might be able to vote after all. There's a chance that the general counsel could decide that the government interest in an up-or-down vote outweighs the government interest in a recusal. All the state regulators who would be affected by the merger have OKed it.

For more information about the FCC and the AT&T/BellSouth merger:
- read this article [2] from Broadcasting & Cable