House Panel orders close door meeting with Lucent-Alcatel execs

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

Nov 15, 2006

Top executives from Lucent Technologies and Alcatel are set to testify behind closed doors before a US House panel chaired by a lawmaker who questions the national security impact of the French company's acquisition of the former technology arm of AT&T, an Associated Press report said.

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Lucent CEO Patricia Russo and Mike Quigley, COO of Paris-based Alcatel SA, are scheduled to appear before the committee, headed by Duncan Hunter, the outgoing Republican chairman, the Associated Press report said.

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"I am concerned about potential transfers of technology or sensitive information to other countries with which Alcatel has business dealings, which have included Burma, China, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria," Hunter was quoted as saying, in a latter he wrote in October 26 to President George W. Bush.

The hearing is not expected to derail the deal, which has cleared antitrust review in the US and EU and been approved by shareholders of both companies, the Associated Press report further said.

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<http://www.americasnetwork.com/americasnetwork/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=386050#Top1>

I find it ironic that a Republican would be concerned with such a deal. Wasn't it the GOP under Reagan that started the push for deregulation to allow foreigners to buy U.S. of A. concerns? Remember how quickly after that GOP "deregulation" that the Japanese bought up the Rockefeller Center In NYC?