Pursuant to the Notice Soliciting Comments, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), Consumers Union (CU) and the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) (hereafter Consumer Commenters) respectfully submit these comments dealing with the proposed merger of Verizon and MCI. The merger parties have asked the Public Service Commission (“PSC” or “Commission”) to disclaim jurisdiction or approved the merger without a thorough review. Consumer Commenters vigorously oppose such action and call on the Commission to give this merger close scrutiny because it will have a devastating impact on consumers of telecommunications services in New York.
