In 2016, when AT&T announced its intention to acquire Time Warner — the owner of Warner Bros., CNN, HBO and the home of the Harry Potter film franchise — critics decried the billion marriage as anti-competitive because it brings together two behemoths that could harm competitors and consumers. AT&T is the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier and owner of DirecTV and U-verse. It is also the largest pay TV provider among U.S. cable, satellite and telecom companies. Last winter, the U.S. government sued to block what it called one of the largest mergers in history: It is 8 billion when including net debt. But AT&T prevailed in a knockout legal decision that not only cleared the way for the acquisition but also did not call for any restrictions on the deal. (The FCC did put conditions on Comcast’s 2011  purchase of NBCUniversal .) In another unusual step, U.S. District Judge Richard J.…