By: Jason A. Llorenz, Esq. and Enrique Cortez
October 25, 2011
A great deal has been said about the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) suit to block the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. Some speculate the deal is dead. In fact, there are two simultaneous processes unfolding – one, in which AT&T is defending against the DOJ suit in court (trial is scheduled for February 13th, and another track through negotiations in which AT&T will seek conditions on the transaction that may satisfy the DOJ and allow the transaction to proceed to FCC review. The nature of these legal processes — particularly the DOJ negotiations, means we will not know much about them as they ensue. Here is an update on the conversation, the stakes and what the ongoing uncertainty means for this transaction.