Supreme Court agrees to review AT&T case

THE US SUPREME COURT acting at the request of the Bush Administration, has intervened in an ISPs lawsuit which accuses AT&T of anti-competitive practices.

The case is about the wholesale prices AT&T charges for high-speed service to ISPs who then compete with AT&T for retail Internet customers.

AT&T's line is that it does not have to deal with ISPs and that the lawsuit should be thrown out for failing to state a valid legal claim.

However the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled against AT &T. It said that the outfit was setting its wholesale prices so high that ISPs could not compete with it.

The appeals court said that federal courts have recognised such price squeeze scams for 60 years, but that they were normally carried out by guys carrying violin cases called Vinny. µ

L'Inq
AP