T-Mobile/Sprint Meets Resistance From 33 Pennsylvania State Lawmakers
T-Mobile acquiring Sprint would be "bad news for consumers and workers," wrote 33 Pennsylvania state lawmakers in a letter last week to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and DOJ Antitrust Division Chief Makan Delrahim. The deal would "reduce consumer choice, competition,…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
jobs, workers' wages, and raise prices for consumers," said Sen. Lindsey Williams (D), Rep. Gene DiGirolamo (R) and others. The letter, shared by the Communications Workers of America, was also signed by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and other state consumer and worker groups. Too many Pennsylvania rural communities have no broadband, but "T-Mobile and Sprint have largely built their networks in urban areas," and "the spectrum assets that Sprint brings to this merger are not well suited for rural areas," they said. A T-Mobile spokesperson replied, "As the merger review processes continues, we remain confident that the facts and data will demonstrate that the New T-Mobile will bring tremendous benefits to American consumers -- including those in Pennsylvania." In California, T-Mobile urged the California Public Utilities Commission to deny a CPUC Public Advocates (Cal PA) motion to compel further data responses related to the carrier’s proposed Sprint buy. “Cal PA attempts to transform its prior request for additional time to digest allegedly ‘new information’ contained in the Joint Applicants’ Rebuttal Testimony -- and to submit additional testimony in response to that information -- into a quest for even more information beyond that which was already timely provided by T-Mobile over the course of this proceeding,” T-Mobile responded in docket A18-07-011. Let parties “focus their efforts on the preparation of post-hearing briefs including, for Cal PA, the possible submission of sur-rebuttal testimony based on the information already contained in the Joint Applicants’ Rebuttal Testimony,” T-Mobile suggested. CPUC recently extended the briefs deadline to March 29 (see 1902270016). In Hawaii, the Consumer Advocate slammed T-Mobile and Sprint for not saying how nationwide pricing and job commitments will be monitored and implemented there. The Public Utilities Commission “should be provided Hawaii-specific and credible information that the Commission can use in its decision making process,” the advocate responded, posted Friday in docket 2018-0157. California, Hawaii and Pennsylvania are the last three state OKs needed.