AT&T, DOJ Settle Dodgers Suit

The Department of Justice has reached a settlement with DirecTV parent AT&T in which it agreed not to share "confidential, forward-looking information with competitors." The antitrust division filed suit Nov. 2 and alleged that DirecTV was the lead entity in "information exchanges" with competitors — Cox, Charter and AT&T — during negotiations for Time Warner Cable-owned SportsNet LA and its Dodgers games.

The agreement stipulates that "when DirecTV and AT&T negotiate with providers of video programming, including negotiations to telecast the Dodgers Channel, they will not illegally share competitively sensitive information with their rivals." There will also be mandatory monitoring — by the companies, not the government — of communications between programming execs and rival companies, as well as compliance programs and "antitrust training."