FCC to Lift AOL Merger Condition
From Associated Press
The Federal Communications Commission will let AOL Time Warner Inc. add videoconferencing to its popular instant-messaging software, lifting a restriction imposed in 2001 as a condition of the mega-merger of America Online Inc. and Time Warner Inc.
The Republican-dominated FCC voted 3 to 2 to approve the change, with the two Democrats dissenting, said an FCC official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The restriction was intended to force AOL to open its instant-messaging network so that customers of rival services, such as those from Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc., could send messages to AOL users.
AOL Time Warner shares rose 39 cents to $16 on the New York Stock Exchange.
