NEW YORK — SBC plans to dump its corporate moniker and adopt the fabled AT&T name once federal regulators bless the two companies' merger, people with direct knowledge of the matter say.

Those people caution that it's possible SBC's plan could still change. The company might also choose to keep the SBC name in a limited way, perhaps only in the 13 states where it now provides traditional phone service. But barring a reversal, the 130-year-old AT&T brand is poised to endure.

The Federal Communications Commission is set to discuss the SBC-AT&T deal at its Oct. 28 meeting. The regulators could require some concessions. Sources would not speak on the record because the deal is not yet approved.

At the same meeting, the FCC plans to consider the Verizon-MCI merger. That deal won overwhelming support Thursday from MCI shareholders.

The Justice Department, which must also back both mergers, is likely to give them a light touch, people with direct knowledge say. Justice is considering forcing SBC and Verizon to lease out to rivals "special access" lines — high-capacity lines that big businesses use — in 400 to 500 office buildings. That's a small portion of the thousands of buildings those two carriers serve.