Former AT&T partners petition FCC to block DirecTV bid

Reuters
A Direct TV dish is seen outside a home in the Queens borough of New York July 29, 2013. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than ninety former business partners of AT&T Inc are demanding the Federal Communications Commision block the wireless carrier's $48.5 billion bid for DirecTV, saying the company engaged in anti-competitive behavior and violated fiduciary duty. In a filing with the FCC, the partners operating under the Minority Cellular Partners Coalition, accuse AT&T of squelching competition and knowingly harming its business partners. AT&T did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Marina Lopes, Editing by Franklin Paul)