“The ebbs and flows of merger reviews create moments of pause that sometimes imply greater uncertainty and risk than what actually exist. This appears to be one of those moments, though the warning signs should not be ignored.”
There seems to be even more roadblocks emerging too. Importantly, the FCC is looking to replace Christine Varney as head of Justice’s antitrust division and this merger review is coming during a presidential election campaign. It seems as though the tides are turning, especially with AT&T presenting new arguments, or more support for their current ones. Most importantly, though, with these breeding concerns, the merger could continue, but with far more conditions and regulations than previously anticipated.