Trump’s presidential victory embraced by large telcos, but agenda remains elusive

Donald Trump's presidential victory may have gotten the support of large telecommunication companies and industry groups, but questions remain about how his policy approach will shape the telecom industry.

Donald Trump’s election comes during what has been a week of new consolidation. In just the past two weeks, three large multi-billion-dollar deals were announced that could change the landscape of the telecom industry: AT&T’s play for Time Warner; CenutryLink’s proposed acquisition of Level 3; and Windstream’s acquisition of EarthLink. While a Reuters report suggested that President-elect Trump could possibly block its acquisition of Time Warner, AT&T remains confident that it will be completed despite the new presidential administration. John Stephens, CFO of AT&T, said during the Wells Fargo technology, media and telecoms conference in New York that he and the company were looking forward to working with Trump and "optimistic" regulators would approve the deal. "[Trump's] policies had his discussions about infrastructure investment, economic development, and American innovation all fit right in with AT&T's goals," Stephens said.