Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is the latest state attorney general to oppose T-Mobile’s Sprint merger. Shapiro said this week he’s joining a lawsuit to block the “anticompetitive megamerger,” making him the 18th attorney general to challenge the deal.
In July, the Department of Justice approved the transaction, on the condition that the new combined entity, to be called the “new T-Mobile,” sell some of its spectrum licenses and other businesses to Dish Network so Dish can create a viable fourth competitor. The FCC, too, approved the deal in a split vote, however the telecom transaction is not final.
Pending litigation from so many attorney generals can pose a legitimate threat, reports Engadget. “The merger between T-Mobile and Sprint would severely undermine competition in the telecommunications sector, which would hurt Pennsylvanian consumers by driving up prices, limiting coverage, and diminishing quality,” Shapiro said in a statement.
In addition to Pennsylvania, the other states opposing the T-Mobile-Sprint marriage in court are: New York, California, Texas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, Oregon, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Sprint declined to comment, and T-Mobile did not immediately respond to Engadget‘s request for comment.
September 20, 2019
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