Bloomberg

T-Mobile suffered a significant setback in its bid for regulatory approval of its takeover of Sprint after failing to win over the Department of Justice (DOJ) with a remedy package, putting pressure on the companies to offer more concessions.

Apparently, the Justice Department is leaning against approving T-Mobile's proposed takeover of Sprint, even after the companies won the backing of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai. The remedies proposed by the wireless carriers on May 20 don’t go far enough to resolve the department’s concerns that the deal risks harming competition, apparently. While the FCC considers whether a merger is in the public interest, the Justice Department considers a different standard: whether a deal hurts competition and would raise prices for consumers.

Influential industry groups are vying to get the Federal Communications Commission to adopt competing proposals for how to map broadband coverage across the country. A consortium of groups and companies including USTelecom, whose members include AT&T, Verizon, and smaller broadband providers, is proposing that the FCC create a new nationwide map -- using satellite imagery, digital land parcel data, and other data sources -- to track all locations that could be served by broadband. USTelecom is running a pilot project in VA and MO that it plans to submit to the FCC later in 2019 to showc

Apparently, T-Mobile and Sprint, fighting to win regulatory clearance for their $26.5-billion merger, are considering possible concessions to salvage the deal. Among the top options being discussed is the separation and potential sale of their “prepaid” businesses.