ice. The FCC bases its approval or disapproval on the impact the merger would have on customers. It might disapprove a merger if it determines that the merger is not in the interest of consumers. The Department of Justice evaluates mergers based on the competitive nature of markets and determines if the merger will harm competition. The FCC and the Department of Justice keep one another apprised during the process. They also bring in outside consultants to help them evaluate the impact of the proposed merger and additionally accept comments from the public. As a www.TechnicalPDF.com rule, competitors and other companies such as suppliers that might be impacted by the merger submit comments. Generally, when large mergers are approved, there are conditions that must be satisfied for approval. This occurred when Verizon Wireless acquired Alltel in 2008 and was required to divest itself of certain assets. The Merger of AT&T and Time Warner In 2016, AT&T and Time Warner agreed to merge. The merger agreement was set up with AT&T buying Time Warner. AT&T gained time Warner content including Turner Broadcasting, HBO, CNN, CW, Cinemax and CW plus content in Latin America and Europe. Owning this large cache of TV and movies provides a library of content for AT&T and their DirecTV unit to better enable them to compete in the growing streaming market. The merged entities of AT&T and time Warner, and Comcast, which bought NBC Universal in 2011 resulted in their owning local networks as well as content. They have the ability to block others' content or charge higher prices for access to their local networks of subscribers by streaming customers such as Netflix, Facebook, Amazon, and other streaming providers which don't own network facilities. Selling Wholesale Network Services Wholesale telecommunications providers sell to other telecommunications providers. They don't sell their products or services to end-user subscribers. All major mobile and facilities-based operators offer wholesale services to other carriers because no 