Why a Media Merger That Should Go Through Might Not [telecom]

open original image

By JAMES B. STEWART

Opponents of the proposed AT&T purchase of Time Warner don't want to just block the $85.4 billion deal: They want to overturn decades of antitrust policy and case law.

Until recently, that would have been all but unthinkable. But in today's superheated and politically charged environment, they may just succeed.

Under longstanding antitrust policy, the AT&T-Time Warner deal should be practically a shoo-in. But these are not usual times.