AT&T-DirecTV merger moves to FCC for final approvals

DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) shareholders approved the satellite TV provider's proposed merger with AT&T (NYSE: T), an action that removes one of the final hurdles to the blockbuster telecom transaction.

DirecTV said 99 percent of the votes cast were in favor approving the acquisition. The acquisition gained Department of Justice approval in August but it still requires a green light from the FCC. AT&T and DirecTV have said they expect the transaction to close in the first half of 2015.

In May, AT&T announced it would purchase DirecTV in a $49 billion deal that will make the telco a powerful force in the pay-TV market. Article