House Republicans Urge FTC To Abandon Antitrust Case Against Microsoft's Activision Acquisition

Twenty-two Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have jointly written a letter urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to put an end to its ongoing legal dispute with Microsoft Corporation MSFT concerning the potential takeover of Activision Blizzard Inc. ATVI.

Addressed to FTC Chair Lina Khan, as well as Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro M. Bedoya, the letter calls for the agency to drop its antitrust case against Microsoft. The representatives argue that it is imperative for the FTC to revert to its traditional approach of sensible and consumer-oriented antitrust enforcement.

The letter emphasizes that instead of promoting competition and adhering to the intent of Congress, the FTC has been utilizing valuable taxpayer resources to obstruct a deal that holds the promise of expanding consumer choices.

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"The FTC's case against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision is the latest in a series of actions that are clearly designed to impede legitimate mergers and acquisitions while ignoring decades of settled FTC practice across Republican and Democratic administrations," the letter says, according to IGN.

"Instead of protecting competition as Congress intended, the FTC has spent taxpayer resources seeking to block a deal that promises to expand consumer choice and insulate a dominant foreign company from competition," the letter adds.

The latest development in the acquisition process has seen Microsoft and Activision Blizzard announcing a revised agreement, extending the deadline for Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard until Oct. 18.

The original deadline, which was midnight on Tuesday, became untenable due to regulatory concerns. The revised deal allows Microsoft to avoid a $3 billion termination fee, but it now faces the risk of paying up to $4.5 billion if the acquisition falls through after Sept.15.

Read Next: What's Going On With Microsoft-Activision Deal? Companies Adjust Deadline Terms

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