T-Mobile/Sprint Executives Make Case for Deal With FCC Members; Replies Filed
A team of mostly T-Mobile executives met with FCC Commissioners Mike O’Rielly, Brendan Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel to present the case for it buying Sprint, said a filing posted Monday docket 18-197. The deal will create the “only company with…
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incentive and ability to build first broad and deep nationwide 5G network,” said a slide deck: “New T-Mobile will bring revolutionary consumer experience with unmatched speed and latency” and “accelerate significant industry-wide investment in 5G.” The deal will create $43.6 billion in synergies, the companies said. Among attendees were T-Mobile's Neville Ray, chief technology officer; Peter Ewens, executive vice president-corporate strategy; and David Miller, general counsel. Sprint was represented by Charles McKee, vice president-government affairs. Replies were due a Monday, in response to oppositions filed last month (see 1808280038). “The promise of a robust, nationwide 5G network cannot be ignored,” said Citizens Against Government Waste. “Expect the usual outcry from those who believe that competition of three is anti-competitive, and the wireless marketplace requires a fourth competitor. … The ill-conceived notion of the proper number of competitors does not hold up in today’s converging telecommunications ecosystem.” The Free State Foundation also supported the deal. “Although some commenters have argued that the proposed T-Mobile/Sprint merger would harm competition by reducing the number of nationwide mobile wireless providers from four to three, competitive conditions in the market and facts specific to the merger support a contrary conclusion," FSF said. "Sprint’s recent financial history and analysts’ projections reveal that a standalone Sprint would likely be less competitive and perhaps not even viable in the 5G era." The Latino Coalition said the deal is in its members’ best interest. It “promises to expand access to high-quality broadband and deliver a super-charged network that will create additional opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation,” the coalition commented. The Bellevue, Washington, Chamber of Commerce, in T-Mobile’s headquarters city, said the deal means thousands of new jobs. The Kansas Chamber, where Sprint is based, filed in support.