Government-urged change in AT&T accord is denied

A federal judge rejected Monday a request by the Justice Department to make a key modification before approving a settlement of an eight-year-old antitrust suit against American Telephone & Telegraph Company.

In doing so, US District Judge Harold Greene requested the Justice Department and AT&T to submit the modification that he had asked for in an opinion he wrote earlier this month. He gave them until Aug. 26 to comply. Last week the Justice Department and AT&T agreed to Judge Greene's provision, but the government asked him to accept an adjustment that would allow Bell's 22 local operating companies to market customer equipment.