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Department of Justice Considers Blocking AT&T Deal For Time Warner (reuters.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the retaliatory-actions dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: AT&T and the U.S. Department of Justice are discussing conditions the No. 2 wireless carrier needs to meet in order for its acquisition of Time Warner Inc to win government approval. The $85.4 billion deal, hatched last October, is opposed by some consumer groups and TV companies on the grounds that it would give the wireless company too much power over the media it would carry on its own network. Donald Trump, who has accused media companies like Time Warner's CNN of being unfair to him, criticized the deal on the campaign trail last year and vowed that as president his Justice Department would block it. The proposed deal represents an early challenge for the Justice Department's new antitrust chief, Makan Delrahim, a Trump appointee who was confirmed by Congress in late September. Delrahim may be looking to ramp up pressure on AT&T. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department was laying the groundwork for a potential lawsuit aimed at stopping the deal if settlement talks did not work out.

4 of 32 comments (clear)

  1. That's Crazy by rmdingler · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The administration would be foolish to punish the parent company of CNN,

    especially after all CNN has done to advance the notion of biased news reporting,

    allowing the administration to deflect all negative reporting as fake news® .

    --
    Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

    Ernest Hemingway

    1. Re:That's Crazy by sl3xd · · Score: 3, Funny

      especially after all CNN has done to advance the notion of biased news reporting

      Partisans and pundits have always labeled those who don't support their own views as biased or liars. They did it in the Roman Republic; they continue to do so today.

      And, as in the past, these partisans and pundits don't like it when anybody calls out their gaslighting.

      --
      -- Sometimes you have to turn the lights off in order to see.
  2. Re:Political trustbusting by HornWumpus · · Score: 3, Funny

    Insane that these kinds of deals (this one and T-mobile/Sprint) are even starters.

    WTF Market is 4 networks, who would consider allowing 2 to merge? Thank dog for clueful Japanese bankers.

    #2 cable broadband company wants to buy #2 wireless data company? Shouldn't that draw laughter from regulators? Don't care why, any no is good.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  3. Re:Political trustbusting by mysidia · · Score: 2

    WTF Market is 4 networks, who would consider allowing 2 to merge?

    The regulators are ultimately not empowered to ban a merger unless it violates the law; their duties are quite the opposite -- they are working for the telecoms they regulate. The regulators' primary role in these proceedings is to settle up issues with the proposed transactions so that the applicants can complete their transactions without causing violations.