Intel, having just paid over a billion euros to European regulators, is now facing imminent action from the US Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC began investigating the chip maker in June 2008, but three out of the four commissioners now favour making a complaint against the company.

"They're close. They said it could be a matter of weeks or a matter of months when the vote happens," said anonymous sources talking to Reuters.

The chairman of the FTC Jon Leibowitz and Commissioners Thomas Rosch and Pamela Jones Harbour are all in favour of further action.

An Intel spokesman told the newswire that the firm continued to work with the FTC and continued to believe its business practises were legal and of benefit to consumers.

South Korean and Japanese regulators have also fined Intel for anti-competitive behaviour. In Europe Intel was fined €1.06bn - the largest fine ever imposed. It was found guilty of strong-arming computer makers and a retailer into dropping or delaying sales of computers based on chips from rival AMD.

The FTC made a complaint against Intel for stifling competition in 1998, agreement was reached in March 1999. ®