US: Charter cable made bid for Sprint/T-Mobile assets

According to a Reuters’ report on Wednesday, July 24, three sources say that Charter submitted a proposal to the Justice Department (DOJ) about buying assets as part of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger, but it never heard back from the government agency.

US officials decided to accept a deal to sell assets including Sprint’s Boost Mobile brand to satellite TV provider Dish Network to resolve antitrust concerns, ending extensive talks on a merger the DOJ is expected to approve this week.

There aren’t many details known about Charter’s proposal, but it’s said that the cable company requested an auction for T-Mobile and Sprint’s divested assets.

T-Mobile and Sprint’s merger has already gotten support from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, and rumors have said that the DOJ will soon approve the merger. The merger is facing a lawsuit from a group of state attorneys general who say that the deal will harm competition and raise prices for consumers. While the DOJ’s approval of the merger could weaken the lawsuit, Wednesday’s report suggests that the DOJ not responding to Charter’s inquiry could raise concerns that the agency didn’t give proper consideration to all offers before deciding to strike a deal with Dish.