Telecommunications Deregulation and Motives for Mergers

SMC Author

Kevin Okoeguale

SMC Affiliated Work

1

Status

Faculty

School

School of Economics and Business Administration

Department

Finance

Document Type

Paper

Publication Date

2-2013

Publication / Conference / Sponsorship

SSRN

Description/Abstract

This paper is an event study analysis of alternative theories on the motives behind the cluster of merger following the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The evidence that mergers after telecommunications deregulation generate positive announcement abnormal returns to the stockholders of the merging firms is consistent with both collusion and efficiency theories. The negative announcement abnormal returns to bidders suggest hubris as a possible motive. I examine these alternative theories by studying the announcement abnormal returns to rivals of merging firms, including the Nynex/Bell Atlantic merger challenged by the FCC on collusion concerns. I find strong support for anticipation and signaling of potential synergies between rivals and subsequent bidders through telecom bidding activity. The markets’ response to the announcement of the Nynex/Bell Atlantic merger shows little evidence that the merger would have had collusive or anticompetitive effects.

Keywords

Mergers, Deregulation, Technological Change, Competition, Efficiency, Collusion

DOI

10.2139/ssrn.2049497

Disciplines

Business | Economics

Comments

Unpublished manuscript

Original Citation

Okoeguale, K. (2013, February). Telecommunications Deregulation and Motives for Mergers. Unpublished manuscript. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.2049497

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