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Canada’s Antitrust Bureau Asked To Expedite Shaw M&A Hearing

By  |  August 4, 2022

Rogers Communications said on Thursday that Canada’s competition commissioner has a “statutory obligation” to expedite the hearing into the company’s proposed acquisition of Shaw Communications.

Rogers made the comments in a formal objection filed with the competition tribunal, where it rejected the competition commissioner’s request for additional time to investigate the sale of Freedom Mobile to Quebecor.

The antitrust agency has blocked Rogers’ C$20 billion ($15.5 billion) acquisition of Shaw saying it would lessen competition in Canada’s concentrated telecoms market, where customers pay among the highest bills.

The antitrust authority requested at least a six-week extension to the merger proceedings to examine whether the sale of Freedom Mobile will uphold competition in Canada’s telecom market. The tribunal will hear the arguments on extending the hearing timeline this week from all the concerned parties.

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