OTI Applauds State Lawsuit to Block T-Mobile/Sprint Merger

On Tuesday, 10 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block the proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. New America’s Open Technology Institute (OTI) strongly opposes the merger because it would increase prices, kill jobs, devastate the prepaid and wholesale markets, and threaten the Lifeline program. OTI has urged federal regulators to block the deal in a petition to deny, reply comments, and meetings. Department of Justice staff have reportedly recommended blocking the deal, while Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said he supports it.

The following can be attributed to Joshua Stager, senior policy counsel at New America’s Open Technology Institute:

“We applaud the states for standing up for the American people and urge the federal government to join their lawsuit. The merger would be a disaster for consumers, workers, and competition. America’s wireless market provides vital connectivity to millions of people, but it won’t remain competitive if it shrinks to just three major providers. Markets with only three firms are hopelessly anticompetitive, marked by unaffordable prices and lower quality. The Justice Department needs to do what it did in 2011 when AT&T and T-Mobile proposed merging: block the deal.”