FCC Prepared to Approve Verizon AWS Acquisition
Jul 9, 2012, 4:28 PM by Eric M. Zeman
updated Jul 9, 2012, 4:29 PM
The Federal Communications Commission is ready to approve Verizon Wireless's proposed acquisition of 122 AWS spectrum licenses from a consortium of cable companies, according to Reuters. Citing sources familiar with the FCC's plans, Reuters reports the telecoms regulator is set to green light the deal, which will give Verizon access to a significant patch of 1700MHz spectrum that it says will help bolster its 4G LTE network. Despite its position with the FCC, Verizon has yet to win approval from the Department of Justice, which is still eying the marketing agreements Verizon inked with the cable companies that are selling the spectrum to Verizon. The Justice Department is worried the deal between Verizon and the cable companies will lead to less competition in the market and higher costs for consumers. "The Justice Department has big concerns about what mischief could be done in undefined agreements that would lock out competitors," said Reuters' unnamed source. Verizon is prepared to divest some of its spectrum holdings if the government approves the deal, including a spectrum swap announced with T-Mobile USA last month. The Department of Justice has not indicated if or when it might approve the AWS spectrum sale to Verizon.
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