Sprint to Fight 'Ma Bell Duopoly'
Mar 28, 2011, 2:23 PM by Eric M. Zeman
updated Mar 28, 2011, 2:48 PM
On March 20, Sprint issued a statement voicing its disapproval of AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of competitor T-Mobile. At the time, Sprint said it objected, and asked the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice to examine the proposal extensively for any potential anti-competitive situations it might introduce. Today, Sprint has taken a stronger stance against the deal and vowed to wage war against the acquisition. In the statement, Vonya McCann, senior vice president, Government Affairs, said, "Sprint urges the United States government to block this anti-competitive acquisition. This transaction will harm consumers and harm competition at a time when this country can least afford it. As the first national carrier to roll out 4G services and handsets and the carrier that brought simple unlimited pricing to the marketplace, Sprint stands ready to compete in a truly dynamic marketplace. So on behalf of our customers, our industry and our country, Sprint will fight this attempt by AT&T to undo the progress of the past 25 years and create a new Ma Bell duopoly." Sprint didn't specifically say how it will fight the acquisition, but the deal has to be approved by governmental regulators before it can move forward. Sprint could ask the CTIA, for example, to intervene on the behalf of U.S. wireless consumers. The CTIA has not yet issued a statement regarding the deal. AT&T is confident it can convince the government to approve the acquisition, but expects the process to take a year.
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