FCC looks set to sign off on Sprint-SoftBank merger

It has taken a while but SoftBank looks like it’s finally about to acquire Sprint. The Hill reports that the Federal Communications Commission appears poised to sign off on both SoftBank’s acquisition of Sprint, and on Sprint’s acquisition of wireless wholesaler Clearwire. With those two acquisitions in place, Sprint will have both the strong financial backing and the strong spectrum position it needs to challenge AT&T and Verizon. Sprint’s shareholders approved the SoftBank merger just three days ago so the FCC’s final approval is really the last hurdle that the companies need to formally finish their merger, which SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has projected will be completed in July.