In late 2016, AT&T and Time Warner came to terms on a deal to merge, a deal that has not yet been approved by the appropriate regulatory bodies, and a deal that President-Elect Donald Trump has openly criticized and said that he would block. Today, AT&T’s CEO, Randall Stephenson was seen entering Trump tower and it was later confirmed that he is meeting with the President-Elect today, most likely in regards to their proposed merger with Time Warner.
Back in October 2016, when the deal between the two companies was announced, Trump was still on the campaign trail and announced that he would move to block the deal between AT&T and Time Warner. So Stephenson may be meeting with the incoming president to talk him into allowing the deal to go through. Time Warner’s shareholders are set to meet on February 15th to approve the deal. Additionally, the deal will likely face a review by the FCC before it is finally approved and allowed to complete. However, with Trump looking to reduce regulation, a review by the FCC may not happen, since this would be after Trump takes office next Friday.
Trump is against the deal because he believes it’s part of the “power structure” that was trying to keep him out of the White House. With AT&T buying Time Warner it would mean that they have both the content that many customers are watching as well as a way to watch it (via the Internet, whether that’s on mobile or through your router). Which in many people’s eyes, means that AT&T would be essentially a monopoly again. And this is another reason why Trump and his administration may seek to block the deal.
While Stephenson – and likely other AT&T execs – are meeting with Trump today at Trump tower, it doesn’t mean that the public will know what they spoke about, or if Trump will approve the deal between AT&T and Time Warner. That news likely won’t come out for a few more weeks. But it sure is going to be a rather interesting meeting between these two in New York City, especially days before Trump takes office.