The FCC and Department of Justice are wrapping up their review of AT&T’s proposed $49 billion acquisition of DirecTV and don’t have any real concerns, according to people familiar with the matter.
The agencies may still impose conditions on the deal, but aren’t likely to block it, says the Wall Street Journal. AT&T plans to use DirecTV to help expand its payTV business into rural markets where it currently has no reach.
The deal doesn’t warrant the same level of concern the recently squashed Comcast/Time Warner merger created because the AT&T/DirecTV tie-up won’t impact home broadband services in the same way.
The FCC and Justice Department did not comment on the Journal’s story.
