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FTC may drop Intel probe
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November 5, 1999: 11:29 a.m. ET
Agency poised to end 2-year investigation of chip maker, report says
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Microprocessor maker Intel Corp. soon may be relieved from regulatory scrutiny by the Federal Trade Commission, according to a published report Friday.
Citing unnamed sources, USA Today said the FTC, which has been investigating alleged monopolistic practices by Intel (INTC) for the past two years, is close to dropping its antitrust probe into the Santa Clara, Calif., company.
In August, the FTC dropped an official antitrust case it had filed against Intel in June 1998 but continued examining the company's business practices.
The report comes the same day a key ruling is expected in Microsoft Corp.'s antitrust trial. The U.S. district court judge in that case reportedly plans to release a ruling at 6:30 p.m. ET today in the "findings of fact" on that case.
The vast majority of the world's personal computer systems are built using Intel microprocessors and run Windows operating-system software. In both the Justice Department's case against Microsoft (MSFT) and the FTC's probe of Intel, the government is trying to determine whether the companies have used their dominant positions in the industry to quash their competition.
A spokeswoman for the FTC declined to comment on the USA Today report.
In mid-morning trading on the Nasdaq, shares of Intel were up 1-7/16 at 83. Microsoft was off 3/16 at 91-9/16. 
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