Rogers Communications Inc. said Thursday it still expects its $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc. to close in the first half of this year, even after Ottawa stated its intention to block the wholesale transfer of Shaw’s wireless licences. Federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said he shares many of the concerns expressed in recent months by Canadians about the proposed acquisition of Calgary-based Shaw by Toronto-based telecom giant Rogers, and will not allow Rogers to acquire all of Shaw’s wireless spectrum. “I am strongly committed to our policies to promote competition and ensure cellphone affordability for Canadians,” Champagne said in a news release after markets closed. “The wholesale transfer of Shaw’s wireless licences to Rogers is fundamentally incompatible with our government’s policies for spectrum and mobile service competition, and I will simply not permit it.” The proposed Rogers-Shaw deal—which was announced in 2021—is currently under review by three federal regulators. …