The proposed merger of CenturyLink and Level 3 has gotten state regulator approvals from Minnesota and Virginia, joining a dozen or so states and territories that have signed off on the combo, CenturyLink said.
The FCC and Justice Department have yet to weigh in.
The merger, which would boost CenturyLink’s enterprise and wholesale broadband business data services, was announced Oct. 31 and applications filed with the FCC and for antitrust review by the Department of Justice in December.
The merger is valued at $34 billion including debt.
Related: CenturyLink-Level 3 Merger Gets First State Approvals
CenturyLink signaled it still expects to get the necessary regulatory approvals to be able to close the deal by the end of September.
Back in April, as the FCC prepared to vote on deregulating the businesses data services (BDS) market, the Wireline Competition Bureau asked for more information from ILEC CenturyLink and merger partner Level 3 on how their merger would affect competition for business services.
Along with the AT&T-Time Warner merger, it will be one of the first big media mergers to be vetted primarily under the Trump Administration. Trump has talked about reducing regs but also about blocking consolidation among media outlets.
