AT&T Antitrust Claim Focused on DirecTV, DOJ Says

DirecTV's combination with Time Warner is the chief source of anticompetitive harm that would come out of New AT&T, DOJ said in a docket 17-2511 opposition (in Pacer) filed Thursday in response to DirecTV's seeking to be dismissed as a defendant from Justice's antitrust lawsuit (see 1804170031). DOJ told U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia it wouldn't have sued if not for AT&T's DirecTV ownership, and the subsidiary is a proper defendant since the court might grant relief against DirecTV to ensure continued competition in the pay-TV universe. The department said it's common for non-acquiring entities like DirecTV to be defendants in Clayton Act Section 7 cases.