FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Oct. 15 he plans to put the merger, pending since May, on the agency's blockbuster Election Day agenda that also includes a vote on the Verizon-Alltel merger and the use of digital television interference zones for unlicensed broadband use.

Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse said Oct. 8 at the official debut of the Baltimore WiMax network that he expected no regulatory problems with the merger, and Martin indicated that the FCC has only minimal regulatory tags to attach to the deal, including a proposed enhanced 911 location accuracy standard.

Even with FCC approval, the merger still must receive approval from the Department of Justice. Hesse said he expects final approval by the end of the year.

Read the rest of this article on eWEEK.com.