. >> do you see it all, the glaad issue, gay and lee -- lesbian alliance resigning? they endorsed the merger because they got money from at&t. do you see that murkying it? >> our job is to look at the fact and how they pertain to the existing law. one interest group being happy or unhappy with it doesn't really affect my analysis of it. it's a matter of what does the marketplace look like. >> amy schatz? >> do you think the merger can get done? >> absolutely. it's my hope before year end. they think i application is filed in late february or march. you probably know better than i. we should be able to get it done in the time frame. this is large and complicated. but i see no reason why the fcc can't get this done by the end of the year. >> okay. so a separate issue involving wireless competition. it involves a company called bite squared, which is tried to build a new wireless across the country. they got an approval from the fcc earlier to use satellite air waves they had purchased and used to build a ground-based network. they've had a lot of concern that has been

general and i note the note that i didn't hear anyone speak up then, i can understand -- >> actually the glaad left before -- >> yeah, i was here for 15 or 20 minutes it's the right of any member to speak up. i can only be grateful, mr. chairman, that you didn't say i was vile or words of the kind that were uttered when another member was outraged that in his absence his position was characterized. yes, as i heard pontificating before law enforcement officers who risk their lives, i was moved to indicate that we had not given atf agents the tools that they deserve. and indeed i indicated that the issues spread even into our cities. as for the district of columbia, laws which apparently were raised, the district of columbia barred guns in light of carnage over the decades. those laws had been found to be constitutional. and for decades, every appellate court had so found for the district's laws and for the laws of other decades when the supreme court and other laws overturned the findings of the supreme court for the first time. the district of columbia proceeded to obey the new law. and enacte

. >> do you see at all the glaad issue, a lot of their members resigning, they endorsed the merger because they got money from at&t? do you see that mucking it up at all? >> it's certainly welcome to hear from third parties as to whether or not they support or oppose a particular merger. our job is to look at the facts and how the facts pertain to the existing law so one group being happy or unhappy with it doesn't really affect my analysis of it. >> do you think there is any way the merger can get down -- done this year? >> absolutely. it would be my hope it would get done before year's end. the fcc has a 180-day shot clock i think. you should know better than i. and we should be able to get it done in that time frame which is large. i see no reason why we can't get it done by the end of the year. >> a separate issue involves a company called byte squared, trying to build a new wireless network across the country. they got approval for some satelliteses they use to build a network. concern has come up because there are jetways farely nearby -- gene upshaw -- gps devices fairly nearby the