AT&T extended the deadline for close of its merger with Time Warner as the deal works its way through regulatory channels.

In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, AT&T indicated both the operator and Time Warner have “elected to extend” the original 22 October 2017 deadline for a “short period of time” as they await the final regulatory approvals needed to close the transaction.

The $85 billion deal was announced in October 2016.

Waiting on the US
Last week, AT&T received approval for the Time Warner deal from Brazil’s antitrust regulator with “targeted conditions”. Those conditions don’t include the sale or divesture of any AT&T or Time Warner assets, the operator noted. The merger also received approvals from Chile, Mexico and the European Commission.

The last major piece of the puzzle is securing approval from US regulatory authorities at the Department of Justice (DoJ) under newly appointed antitrust head Makan Delrahim.

Previous reports indicated AT&T was making headway in its talks with the DoJ, but government officials reportedly want to ensure AT&T won’t discriminate against rival content players and will make customer data available to competitors at a fair price.

AT&T previously expressed confidence the deal will be approved, claiming the proceedings are “on track” from its perspective.