DOJ asks FCC to delay action on Sprint-Softbank deal for national security

The Justice Department is asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to delay a decision in its review of the purchase of Sprint by Japanese firm Softbank.

In letter to the FCC released on Tuesday, an attorney for the Justice Department's National Security Division said DOJ, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI need more time to investigate the deal for any "national security, law enforcement, and public safety issues."

John Taylor, a Sprint spokesman, said the request is routine for deals involving a foreign company and that Sprint still expects the deal to close by the middle of this year.

AT&T has urged regulators to take a close look at the national security implications of Softbank's $20.1 billion bid to buy a controlling stake in Sprint.

In a statement in October, AT&T expressed concern about the deal giving a foreign company control over a large swath of the nation's airwaves.

Sprint and AT&T have a history of animosity toward one another. Sprint was a vocal opponent of AT&T's bid to buy T-Mobile last year, and sued to block the deal. The FCC and the Justice Department agreed with Sprint and filed their own actions against the merger.

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