CenturyLink Settles Second Level 3 Deal Term Violation

By John Eggerton
published

DOJ files civil contempt claim and settlement with court

CenturyLink Level 3

CenturyLink (since renamed Lumen) has agreed to pay the Justice Department $275,000 to settle DOJ's complaint stemming from the company's violation of the terms of its acquisition of Level 3.

It is the second such violation, DOJ said, which will file a civil contempt claim in D.C. federal court and at the same time ask the court to accept the settlement, which resolves the claim.

Also Read: CenturyLink, DOJ Settle Level 3 Condition

“CenturyLink is a repeat offender,” said acting assistant Attorney General Richard Powers of the Antitrust Division. “The request for a finding of civil contempt is appropriate because the company violated its amended obligations immediately after the court imposed them. When companies fail to comply with court-ordered obligations, the Antitrust Division will take action to enforce them.”

CenturyLink had violated the 2018 final judgment that paved the way for the Level 3 purchase, then violated the August 2020 settlement of that violation, which is what prompted this week's settlement of the civil contempt claim.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.