FTC Appoints AOL Time Warner Monitor

The Federal Trade Commission named Dale Hatfield, a Boulder, Colo., technology consultant and former chief technologist for the Federal Communications Commission, to serve as the monitor-trustee overseeing government-imposed conditions in the merger that created AOL Time Warner Inc.

In agreeing to approve the $95-billion merger in December, the FTC said it would appoint an independent trustee to ensure that AOL Time Warner abides by the FTC agreement, particularly the requirement that Time Warner lease its cable lines to AOL rivals.

Hatfield, who retired from the FCC last year, will serve in the role for five years. He previously worked at the Commerce Department. While at the FCC, he backed an agency hands-off approach to industry in cases in which market competition was strong.

Shares of AOL Time Warner rose $2.82 to close at $46.12 on the New York Stock Exchange.