A Most Unusual Deal

While the comment period on our merger with DIRECTV won’t close until November 5th, the recent round of filings allows us to take stock of where this deal stands in terms of both support and opposition. And I’d have to say that, so far, we’re very encouraged.

As my fellow telecom policy nerds know, the Federal Communications Commission process requires us to show that the combination of DIRECTV with AT&T is in the public interest. We’ve taken this obligation very seriously. In fact, well before the deal was announced, we began analyzing those benefits, building them into the decision about whether to go forward with the transaction. That in itself may be unusual for a merger. Now, as we review the filings, it’s great to see so many citing the positive impact those benefits will have for their business, community, state, members, or constituency. The FCC filings to date show that support for this merger is both deep and broad, and seems to fall into a number of categories: Labor, Small Business, Rural America, High Tech, Content and Programming, and Diversity and Inclusion.