Last year, AT&T announced that it would purchase Time Warner for $85.4 billion in cash and stock. If it goes through, it will give the telecommunication company control over a huge swath of movies and TV properties, such as HBO and Warner Brothers. AT&T hoped to close the deal by the end of 2017, but that might be difficult now.

AT&T has managed to avoid FCC scrutiny over the merger by dumping Time Warner's FCC licenses, either by selling them to another broadcaster or dropping them altogether. Without the need to transfer over these licenses, the FCC does not have to approve the acquisition. The DOJ is a different story, however, and considering the competitive advantages this could give AT&T in the marketplace, it's not surprising that the justice department has taken an interest. Many industry insiders believed that the deal would go through without a hitch, but it's clear that there might be regulatory hurdles in front of the merger.