The approval of the Sprint and T-Mobile mergers, presumed to be close, could underestimate the states' challenge



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"States should assess whether they believe, in the light of this assignment, that their arguments regarding damages are still valid," said Blair Levin, an analyst at New Street Research. "We are in unknown territory."

A representative of Ms. James did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Becerra's office declined to comment. Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Virginia and Wisconsin have joined California and New York State to lodge a complaint.

The Trump administration said the development of 5G was a national security issue. The technology will provide much faster wireless speeds, contributing to the development of robotics, driverless cars and other emerging industries. The president argued that if China led in the development of 5G, the competitiveness of the US economy would be compromised.

Makan Delrahim, appointed by Trump as the first antitrust regulator of the Ministry of Justice, has examined numerous agreements in the media and telecommunications sectors over the past two years. He sued to block an agreement between AT & T and Time Warner, but lost the case in court. He quickly approved the purchase of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Company.

Before Mr. Delrahim took office, his comments largely corresponded to the more free market-oriented Republican views, and he was generally expected to be more lenient with respect to mergers than the predecessors of the government. Obama administration.

But, as in the case of the AT & T-Time Warner deal, he called for structural solutions, such as forcing a company to sell assets before approving a merger. He is skeptical about the so-called behavioral remedies that limit the behavior or operations of the new society.

"In telecommunications, as in other sectors, we strongly favor structural solutions. If no structural remedies are available, then, except in extremely rare circumstances, we will seek to block an illegal merger, "Delrahim said in a speech in November.

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