Here are three of today's responses to FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell's decision not to vote on the AT&T/BellSouth merger:

"I appreciate Commissioner McDowell's thoughtful consideration and respect his decision to abstain.

My goal in recent weeks has been to ensure that the Commission acted on the transaction. The Commission is not obligated to reach a particular outcome. However, the Commission is responsible for making a determination in a timely fashion. With Commissioner McDowell having made his decision, I will continue to try to work with my colleagues to bring our consideration of this merger to conclusion."

—FCC Chair Kevin Martin

"FCC Commissioner McDowell has courageously elevated professional responsibility over expedience in declining to participate in deliberations about the ATT/BellSouth merger. The test for such decisions is whether an action diminishes public confidence in the FCC’s actions. There is no doubt that the legitimacy of all FCC decision making would have suffered had Commissioner McDowell yielded to pressure and agreed to vote on the merger."

"FCC Chairman Martin’s handling of the matter was uncharacteristically shortsighted; it appears that he was willing to sacrifice the FCC’s reputation just to gain a little leverage in one regulatory decision. But Commissioner McDowell’s recusal is far more important than its effect on the outcome of this case. A year or two from now, no one will remember which conditions were or were not imposed on ATT, but no one will have forgotten that Chairman Martin tried to force Commissioner McDowell to cross an ethical minefield."

—Andrew Schwartzman, Media Access Project

"I respect Rob's decision. Finally we have clarity on who will be participating in this proceeding. That should give some juice to our ongoing discussions."

—FCC Commissioner Michael Copps

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