OTTAWA —
Jonathan Lisus, a lawyer representing Rogers, said Tuesday that a formal order for the hearing date will come Wednesday but that the Commissioner of Competition will have to submit its case by
In a filing to the appeals court, Rogers and Shaw pushed for an expedited appeals process as they still look to close the deal by their already extended
The two companies said in their submission that if the deal were to go beyond the date there is a "real risk that the transaction will not close in its current form, or at all."
RBC analyst
"While the timing of the deal closing continues to be somewhat uncertain, we believe each of the three companies remains committed to the transactions and that there is a high likelihood that the transactions close."
He said there was however still the remote chance that the bureau is successful in its appeal, or in the case of another loss, the bureau could potentially further delay the deal by appealing to the
The deal also still requires approval from the department of
In its ruling last week, the tribunal said the merger was not likely to result in higher prices for wireless customers and that it was satisfied the plan to sell Freedom Mobile was adequate to ensure competition isn't substantially reduced.
Rogers and Shaw made a joint statement Friday noting their deep disappointment in the bureau's efforts to block the deal but they remain committed to seeing it through.
The bureau had argued that the merger of the two telecommunications companies would lessen competition, trigger higher prices and lead to a worsening of service.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published
Companies in this story: (TSX:RCI.B, TSX:SJR.B)
© 2023 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved., source