FCC Approves AT&T's $1.9B Purchase of Qualcomm Spectrum

The Federal Communications Commission did not look too kindly upon AT&T's bid to purchase T-Mobile, but the agency yesterday did approve AT&T's acquisition of spectrum from Qualcomm—with conditions.
The FCC voiced some competitive concerns about the deal.

"Post-transaction, AT&T would hold a significant proportion of the available spectrum suitable for the provision of mobile voice or broadband services, particularly below 1 GHz spectrum, that has technical attributes important for other competitors to meaningfully expand their provision of mobile broadband services or for new entrants to have a potentially significant impact on competition," the commission said in its order.

As a result, the FCC imposed a few conditions on the transaction, like requiring that AT&T's new spectrum doesn't stop rivals from using neighboring 700 MHz spectrum for broadband services and limiting AT&T's ability to use the Qualcomm spectrum in a way that would deprive rivals of the benefits of FCC's roaming rules.

In a statement, AT&T said it expects to close the transaction in the coming days.

"This spectrum will help AT&T continue to deliver a world-class mobile broadband experience to our customers," Bob Quinn, senior vice president of federal regulatory issues at AT&T, said in a statement. "We appreciate the FCC Chairman, the Commissioners and their staff for completing its review before the holidays."

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source article: pcmag.com
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