SoftBank hires lobbyists in bid to buy Sprint

Japanese cellphone service provider SoftBank has hired the Carmen Group, a Washington lobbying firm, as it looks to persuade regulators to allow it to buy control of Sprint, according to disclosure forms. David Carmen, the founder of the Carmen group, will lobby for the Sprint-SoftBank deal, along with John Ladd, a former House Judiciary Committee aide; Bill Signer, a former aide to Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY); and Alyssa Ewing.