The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has paused its review of the US$26 billion proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint for the second time in four months. The federal government funding lapse has caused issues in merger reviews.
The 180-day review period for mergers and other transactions that require FCC approval, otherwise known as a shot clock, was suspended earlier this week when the agency shut down most operations due to the ongoing impasse over federal government funding. The partial government shutdown has effectively put the timeline for a final decision on hold until Congress and the president come to an agreement on a federal government spending bill.
The FCC started reviewing the proposed merger of the third- and fourth-largest US wireless carriers on June 18, 2018, but paused the review process on September 11 when the companies submitted new documents. Consideration of the deal got underway again on December 4, at day 55 of the review timeline.
Full Content: TMO News
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