DoJ & friends want FCC to hold off on SoftBank-Sprint decision while they undertake a national security review

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

January 29, 2013

1 Min Read
DoJ Could Stall Sprint-SoftBank Deal

The U.S. Department of Justice could hold up or even stop the approval of the proposed merger between Sprint Nextel Inc. and SoftBank Mobile Corp. because of national security issues, it emerged Tuesday. The DoJ has sent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) a letter asking it to defer action on the merger until the DoJ, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security have completed a review. The agencies "are currently reviewing this matter for any national security, law enforcement, and public safety issues but have not yet completed that effort," wrote Jennifer Rockoff, attorney advisor at the National Security Division of the DoJ in a letter posted on the FCC website. Why this matters
The proposed $20 billion merger between the Sprint and SoftBank has already faced challenges from the likes of Dish Network Corp., although Dish is now backing off the possibility of stopping the review. A DoJ national security probe of the merger could, however, be more serious. It is not clear at this point what -- if any -- security concerns the agencies have about SoftBank. For more

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile

About the Author(s)

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free.

You May Also Like