THE FEDERAL REVIEW: Google’s proposed purchase of Motorola Mobility for about $12.5 billion will be reviewed by the either the Justice Department or the Federal Trade Commission.
THE EXPECTATION: Federal regulators are unlikely to try to block the acquisition because it could help drive competition in the fast-growing smartphone market. Devices running Google’s Android software are battling Apple’s wildly popular iPhone and iPad, Research in Motion’s BlackBerry and handsets using Microsoft operating systems.
THE BACKDROP: It’s unclear how the Motorola Mobility acquisition could affect a broader FTC probe into potential anticompetitive behavior by Google.
