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US: Sprint heats up rumors with FCC meet

By  |  February 3, 2014

The head of Sprint Corp reportedly met with the Federal Communications Commission Monday, fueling even more heated rumors about a possible Sprint/T-Mobile merger.

Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son reportedly met with FCC head Tom Wheeler, according to an unnamed official of the FCC. The meeting occurred soon after Sprint owner SoftBank reportedly met with US officials as reports say the wireless firm is looking to combine the third- and fourth-place operators in the US.

But while reports zero-in on the possibility of such a merger, the DOJ’s antitrust head William Baer spoke out last week and, while not specifically naming any telecom company, suggested that any such merger would receive intense regulatory scrutiny. Officials blocked a 2011 attempt by AT&T to acquire T-Mobile and are reportedly reluctant to shakeup the industry currently marked with boosted competition.

Full Content: Reuters

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