AT&T's $85 Billion Time Warner Merger is Going to be Approved Despite Donald Trump's breathless promise to block AT&T's $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner during the Presidential campaign, the companies and DOJ are moving into the "advanced stages" of the approval process, notes The Wall Street Journal. The two sides were already busy talking conditions as of last month, according to numerous reports. Traditionally, conditions affixed to such deals have been proposed by the companies' themselves, and tend to be little more than theatrical in benefit.

AT&T's streaming competitors are pushing for meaningful conditions, however, since they worry AT&T will use its size to prevent competitors from getting reasonable access to content licensing (like HBO) they'll need to compete with AT&T's own DirecTV Now streaming service. AT&T has also repeatedly come under fire for using usage caps to penalize competitors, but not AT&T's own content (aka zero rating), while consistently working to undermine net neutrality (an open, competitive internet). AT&T and Time Warner already managed to eliminate the need for FCC review by selling an Atlanta TV station and avoiding any spectrum license transfers, which would have triggered FCC involvement. That means the deal only needs approval by the DOJ, where Trump appointed a new antitrust boss that has publicly stated he doesn't see any problem with the megamerger -- but hasn't seen Senate approval yet. Trump repeatedly promised to block the merger on the campaign trail. "In an example of the power structure I’m fighting, AT&T is buying Time Warner and thus CNN -- a deal we will not approve in my administration because it’s too much concentration of power in the hands of too few," Trump said last fall. That was then, this is now. Most analysts expect the deal to be approved with relatively modest conditions, which would be in line with the Trump administration's rather cozy treatment of incumbent ISPs like AT&T (see the killing of That was then, this is now. Most analysts expect the deal to be approved with relatively modest conditions, which would be in line with the Trump administration's rather cozy treatment of incumbent ISPs like AT&T (see the killing of consumer privacy rules and net neutrality). Additional reports indicated that post-merger, AT&T is planning to kill off the Time Warner brand completely, and current Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes will be moving on once the deal is completed.







News Jump California Defends Its Net Neutrality Law; AT&T's Traffic Up 20% Despite Data Traffic Actually Being Down; + more news Are The Comcast-Charter X1 Talks Dead In The Water?; AT&T May Offer Phone Plans With Ads For Discounts; + more news Europe's Top Court: Net Neutrality Rules Bar Zero Rating; ViacomCBS To Rebrand CBS All Access As Paramount+; + more news Verizon To Buy Reseller TracFone For $7B; 5G Not The Competitive Threat To Cable Many Thought It Would Be; + more news MS.Wants Records From AT&T On $300M Project; Google Fiber Outages In Austin, Houston, Other Texan Cities; + more news States With The Biggest Decreases In Speed; AT&T Hopes You'll Forget Its Fight Against Accurate Maps; + more news AT&T's CEO Has A Familiar $olution To US Broadband Woes; EarthLink Files Suit Against Charter; + more news 5G Doesn't Live Up To Hype, AT&T's 5G Slower Than Its 4G; Cord-Cutting Now In 37% of Broadband Households; + more news FCC Cited False Broadband Data Despite Warnings; ZTE, Huawei Replacement Cost Is $1.87B, But Only $1B Allocated; + more Cogeco Rejects Altice USA's Atlantic Broadband Bid; AT&T Is Astroturfing The FCC In Support Of Trump Attack; + more news ---------------------- this week last week most discussed

Most recommended from 53 comments



maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA 1 edit 40 recommendations maartena Premium Member Trump broke a campaign promised.



+1 me if you believed he would break promises as soon as he became president.

-1 me if you believed he would break NO promises.



Hint: He's failed to deliver on pretty much all of his campaign promises so far. Some he has outright thrown overboard, some he has failed to deliver completely due to congress, and yet others he still promises to deliver...... but I don't think even the staunchest Trump supporter still believes that MEXICO will pay for that wall.



Edit:



So far, the following persons believed that Trump would break no promises....

- Chace1693

- SArcanine



Boy, must you have been upset about 78 times so far since January.... What a big surprise! I didn't see THAT coming!+1 me if you believed he would break promises as soon as he became president.-1 me if you believed he would break NO promises.Hint: He's failed to deliver on pretty much all of his campaign promises so far. Some he has outright thrown overboard, some he has failed to deliver completely due to congress, and yet others he still promises to deliver...... but I don't think even the staunchest Trump supporter still believes that MEXICO will pay for that wall.Edit:So far, the following persons believed that Trump would break no promises....- Chace1693- SArcanineBoy, must you have been upset about 78 times so far since January....

tyspeed29

Premium Member

join:2001-01-04

Simi Valley, CA ·Charter

21 recommendations tyspeed29 Premium Member Campaign Quote dishonored Presidents Quote

"In an example of the power structure I’m fighting, AT&T is buying Time Warner and thus CNN -- a deal we will not approve in my administration because it’s too much concentration of power in the hands of too few," Trump said last fall.



If this is let to go through no one will ever trust, nor believe in our President, not that many do now, but this will be the camels back.



Just my opinion.

r81984

Fair and Balanced

Premium Member

join:2001-11-14

Katy, TX 11 recommendations r81984 Premium Member 3rd largest media company Now ATT will become the 3rd largest media company. They will own all HBO channels, TBS channels like adult swim, 10% hulu, CNN Channels, Many international channels, Warner Bros Entertainment (makes movies/tv), DC comics. This is horrible for consumers.



This is a huge conflict of interest for an ISP.

Our president and congress are all tards.

woody7

Premium Member

join:2000-10-13

Torrance, CA 9 recommendations woody7 Premium Member hmm .............. I guess the customers (us) are going to pay for this. Wow think of what they could do to their infrastructure (they could own phone and internet)(just dreaming ;-( ) with this and the Direct Tv deal money................./ firedrakes

join:2009-01-29

Arcadia, FL 6 recommendations firedrakes Member THEIR a word for this fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk tmc8080

join:2004-04-24

Brooklyn, NY 3 recommendations tmc8080 Member what a scumbag of a deal if you don't already know how many ways this will screw over the consumer you haven't been reading much on this forum. putting ATT into a big market for wire line such as NYS will be a BIG MISTAKE based on their anti-competitive attitude thus far.

half of the MA BELL attitude and robber baron swagger is ATT, the other half.. you guessed it VERIZON! man00

join:2003-07-25

united state 3 recommendations man00 Member USA more goverment They know what's best for us. Sadly America is moving up the list of the most corrupt countries in the world.