AT&T's T-Mobile deal could be affected by election

http://ca.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idCATRE7AS08320111129

The chances of an AT&T-T-Mobile merger grow dimmer by the day, but there may yet be hope on the horizon for the telecommunications giants -- next year's election.

The telecom industry has benefited from a change in administration before: In the 1990s, the Federal Communications Commission opposed SBC's acquisition of AT&T during a Democratic administration, only to later approve it under a Republication administration.

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If Barack Obama loses to a Republican, who would then make new appointments, rest assured the regulatory environment will become more favorable.

"If the Republicans win, there is a new FCC and a Republican administration will be a lot more positive toward this merger than a democratic one," said longtime telecom analyst Roger Entner, founder of Recon Analytics.

WIthout any doubt they will hope for a GOP win in November. In the mean time I suspect they will look to tweak the deal in order to get approval. AT&T really doesn't want to payout that $4 BN, but I for one hopes that this deal never goes through.