States seek to block T-Mobile+Sprint merger

A coalition of 10 state attorneys general, including California and New York, filed a lawsuit to block the proposed merger of telecommunications companies T-Mobile and Sprint.

The states argue that the merger would lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers, particularly low-income subscribers of the companies’ services.

“Although T-Mobile and Sprint may be promising faster, better, and cheaper service with this merger, the evidence weighs against it,” said Attorney General Becerra. “This merger would hurt the most vulnerable Californians and result in a compressed market with fewer choices and higher prices. Today, along with New York and eight other partner states, we’ve filed a lawsuit to block this merger and protect the residents of our state.”

“When it comes to corporate power, bigger isn’t always better,” said Attorney General James. “The T-Mobile and Sprint merger would not only cause irreparable harm to mobile subscribers nationwide by cutting access to affordable, reliable wireless service for millions of Americans, but would particularly affect lower-income and minority communities here in New York and in urban areas across the country. That’s why we are going to court to stop this merger and protect our consumers, because this is exactly the sort of consumer-harming, job-killing megamerger our antitrust laws were designed to prevent.”

A copy of the complaint can be found here.

https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/t-mobile-sprint-complaint-redacted-case-19-cv-5434.pdf