WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representative Edward Markey (D-MA), the Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, today issued the following statement in response to Verizon Communications' planned acquisition of MCI Inc.:

“This combination, much like the recently announced merger between AT&T and SBC, would have been unnecessary until the FCC issued a series of decisions which closed the door on the long distance industry's ability to compete in the local residential telecommunications marketplace. The FCC's decisions are predictably causing companies to merge and will result in fewer competitors in the marketplace - and that's bad news for consumers, high tech workers, manufacturers, and the prospects for further innovation.”