Under Trump, Who Will Control The Media? Sprint Reportedly Exploring A Merger With T-Mobile, Comcast

President Donald Trump promised a different environment for business than the one under the Obama administration, and it appears that promise is already having an impact on the tech landscape. According to a report from the New York Times, the owners of telecom company Sprint are exploring possible merger options with T-Mobile or Comcast.

Masayoshi Son, the billionaire technology entrepreneur and founder and CEO of SoftBank, is reportedly working with his financial advisors to find a possible deal for Sprint, which is currently fourth among major U.S. mobile providers in number of subscribers — trailing Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

Of the options on the table for the carrier, which has struggled to hold on to customers or improve its lagging network as the mobile market has gotten more competitive, one would involve a merger with competitor T-Mobile.

Owned by Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile has surged in recent years on the back of its "Un-carrier" strategy that has resulted in ditching multi-year contracts, introduced unlimited data plans and offered budget-friendly options for subscribers.

A merger between the companies nearly happened in 2014, when Sprint agreed to purchase T-Mobile for $32 billion. The deal fell through because of regulatory pressure applied by the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama administration. Rumors of another attempt to merge started surfacing last month.

Sprint ownership is also eyeing the possibility of selling to Comcast. The cable and internet provider has longed to enter the mobile market, and the potential sale of Sprint may present an opportunity for it to jump in.

The report suggests a merger with Comcast would also allow the Softbank CEO to fulfill his "long-held ambition to invest aggressively in wireless networks in the United States and enable next-generation mobile technology."

The possibility for a move to be made by Sprint ownership has been spurred on by the Trump administration, which has promised to lower taxes and cut regulations to help encourage investment and growth.

The administration has also appeared disinterested in actively blocking mergers, as evidenced by the hands-off approach the FCC has taken to the AT&T-Time Warner merger, which appears likely to go through without a challenge.

Tom Wheeler, the former FCC chairman under Obama, promised to take an aggressive stance on the acquisition. The FCC under Obama prevented an attempt by AT&T to purchase T-Mobile in 2011 and Sprint's attempt to do the same in 2014. The active regulation by the FCC is believed to be in part responsible for the newfound competitiveness in the mobile carrier market, including a new influx of unlimited data plans.