Long-distance telephone powerhouses WorldCom Inc. and Sprint Corp.
Sprint is likely to make the telephone companies attractive takeover targets.
The deal's demise was widely expected. The U.S. Justice Department moved to block it two weeks ago in its biggest merger challenge ever, and the European Union also sought to halt it. Regulators feared that the merger would cripple competition in the Internet and long-distance telephone markets. We wish them well. The merger plan had sparked controversy from the moment it was announced in October.