Verizon CFO Says Company Won't Sell Huffington Post

Verizon Communications Inc. has no desire to sell the Huffington Post or buy Dish Network Corp., Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said at a Wall Street Journal conference Monday.

Verizon agreed last month to pay $4.4 billion for AOL Inc., which owns several media properties including the Huffington Post and TechCrunch. The carrier has said its main interest in the deal was AOL's digital advertising technology, which it plans to incorporate into a mobile-first video service launching later this year. But Mr. Shammo said Verizon likes all of AOL's portfolio and wants to keep it together.

Mr. Shammo also said the company has no interest in acquiring Dish Network Corp. Dish is currently in talks to merge with T-Mobile US Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. Some observers have speculated Verizon might swoop in and try to buy Dish to get hold of the satellite broadcaster's huge stores of wireless spectrum. But Mr. Shammo said if Verizon wanted more spectrum, it could have bought it at a recent government auction.

When asked if Verizon had any interest in Dish, Mr. Shammo said, "My answer is going to be one word: No."

To be sure, Verizon has changed its mind in the past. Earlier this year, Chief Executive Lowell McAdam said the carrier wasn't looking to buy AOL after rumors surfaced the companies were in talks. While filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicate the companies at the time were only talking about possible partnerships, Mr. McAdam apparently later changed his mind, and a deal was announced in May.

Write to Vipal Monga at [e-mail] and Ryan Knutson at [e-mail]

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