The Communications Workers of America (CWA) opposes T-Mobile’s proposed $26 billion acquisition of Sprint. It tells the FCC the deal will cost 28,000 workers their jobs and potentially involve the use of Huawei and ZTE 5G equipment.
CWA says in a filing submitted to the Commission, the FCC should not approve the transaction without getting “verifiable and enforceable commitments” by both carriers that the deal will not result in loss of jobs both here and overseas.
The union also says the deal raises competitive concerns and spectrum licensing issues. Noting the agency conducts an initial spectrum screen for a proposed transaction, CWA says: “The screen is triggered when a wireless provider would hold approximately one-third or more of the suitable and available spectrum. The ‘New T-Mobile’ would exceed the spectrum screen in almost two thirds of the counties in the United States, with a full 91 percent of the population – 284 million people – living in counties in which the spectrum screen would be exceeded post-merger.”
Concerning CWA’s assertion that telecom equipment or technology from Chinese-owned Huawei and ZTE may be used post-merger, the union points to Softbank’s purchase of Sprint in 2013. At that time, NSA required Sprint and its then majority-owned subsidiary Clearwire to remove the equipment from their networks due to U.S. security concerns. CWA asserts Sprint and Boost Mobile continue to use Huawei infrastructure and sell ZTE devices. It recommends the FCC ensure Sprint “fully complied” with the 2013 NSA agreement.
Petitions to Deny the T-Mobile-Sprint transactions were due to the FCC Monday.
August 29, 2018
