FCC Ready to OK Bell Atlantic-GTE Merger

The Federal Communications Commission has agreed to approve the merger of two of the most prominent brand names in the telecommunications world, Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp., which would create the largest local telephone company in the nation, knowledgeable sources said. Officials hope to announce the approval, with conditions, as early as today, the sources said. The merger will unleash a genuine telecommunications colossus, to be named Verizon Communications, upon a rapidly consolidating market, twinning Bell Atlantic’s local telephone dominance in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states with GTE’s local systems scattered throughout the country. Analysts expect the new giant to intensify an industry drive toward selling complete packages of communications offerings, from long-distance and local telephone service to wireless and high-speed Internet service.