U.S. Moves to Block AT&T Merger with T-Mobile

[AnCap Dave]

Source

The Justice Department filed a complaint on Wednesday to block AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile, a deal that would create the largest carrier in the country and reshape the industry.

The complaint, which was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, said that T-Mobile "places important competitive pressure on its three larger rivals, particularly in terms of pricing, a critically important aspect of competition." The complaint also highlighted T-Mobile's high speed network and its innovations in technology.

"AT&T's elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low-priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market," the complaint said. "Thus, unless this acquisition is enjoined, customers of mobile wireless telecommunications services likely will face higher prices, less product variety and innovation, and poorer quality services due to reduced incentives to invest than would exist absent the merger."

Shares of AT&T dropped nearly 4 percent on the news, to less than $29. Deutsche Telekom shares fell 5 percent in trading in Frankfurt.

Ever since AT&T announced plans to buy T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion in March, the deal has proved controversial. Lawmakers, consumer advocates, and rivals have voiced opposition to the merger, saying it would significantly reduce competition. The deal would have left just three major players: AT&T, Verizon and the significantly smaller Sprint Nextel.

"Sprint urges the United States government to block this anti-competitive acquisition," Vonya McCann, Sprint's senior vice president for government affairs, said back in March. "This transaction will harm consumers and harm competition at a time when this country can least afford it."

AT&T has moved to drum up support for the deal of late. On Wednesday, it announced plans to bring 5,000 call-center jobs back to the United States.

"Does this shore up an issue that people have?" Randall Stephenson, AT&T's chief executive, said in an interview on Tuesday. "Sure, I hope it does."

Sprint urging the government to prevent its competition from getting bigger? Smells like corporatism to me.

[FSBlueApocalypse]

It's all corporatism/government shenanigans. If less than 30 years almost all of the Baby Bells are going to be back together again.

[Lord T Hawkeye]

As usual, there's a very strangle lack of complaints from customers about this merger.  hmm...

What?  Sprint?  You presume to know what's best for us?  I think you forget your place.  WE pay YOU, YOU work for US.  Get the picture?

[AnCap Dave]

As usual, there's a very strangle lack of complaints from customers about this merger.  hmm...

What?  Sprint?  You presume to know what's best for us?  I think you forget your place.  WE pay YOU, YOU work for US.  Get the picture?

Actually, I know people who have T-Mobile and they want the merger so they can get better service because T-Mobile apparently sucks.

[MrBogosity]

As usual, there's a very strangle lack of complaints from customers about this merger.  hmm...

As I'll discuss in the next podcast, there were all of a sudden thousands of complaints...all word-for-word.

[MrBogosity]

Actually, I know people who have T-Mobile and they want the merger so they can get better service because T-Mobile apparently sucks.

T-Mobile doesn't have 4G. They don't have the infrastructure to support it. The merger will mean that all of T-Mobile's customers get access to this technology and AT&T can compete with Verizon on it.

[Lord T Hawkeye]

As I'll discuss in the next podcast, there were all of a sudden thousands of complaints...all word-for-word.

Fakes or just bandwagon jumpers?

[MrBogosity]

People mindlessly clicking on links from mass emails that apparently Sprint was behind.

[AnCap Dave]

People mindlessly clicking on links from mass emails that apparently Sprint was behind.

Yeah, I'm reading the comments now....yeesh, some of them reek of nonsense.

ITA ABOUT TIME THE GOVERMENT IS DOING SOMETHING TO PROTECT CUSTOMERS FROM THIS M.F... AT&T THINK THEY GOING TO FORCE USA CUSTOMER TO JUST CHOOSE WHAT THEY CAN OFFER ,,, LETS BOYCOT AT&T START CLOSING YOUR ACCOUNTS WITH THEM EVEN IS THAT COST SOME $$$ BUT LETS SHOW THE M.F THAT YA DONT NEED THEM THAT THEY NEED YA TO SURVIVE ,, LETS GO AMERICANS HAVE THE GUTS TO SHOW THEM WHO GOT THE LAST LAUGH,,, BOYCOT AT&T, BOYCOT AT&T,,,,, FK THEM .....

America people are selectively IGNORANT, we already saw the results of "too big to fail", we saw them rob and loot, steal and engage fee style robbery, and gouge the people on every aspect.
The carriers with the $50 unlimited programs, are the ones who are the true service providers,. AT&T is and has, and will continue to be a criminal enterprise.
These Goons at the top, are greed monsters, trained at these Ivy League Slave Master Development Programs, is exactly why this country is crashing in every sector. The Caucasoid mentality, drawn from a historical premise based on "'indenture and enslave", is the basis of the teaching of greed's methodology. Who suffers, is the working poor whites, minorities, and the workers. This is nothing but a new version of a slave colony... supported by the right wing mentality and Republican Agenda.
America will continue to fall, because we are not only selectively Ignorant, we choose to remain being so, and will follow any fad, new story and drama sequence, and then sit silent while we are gouged on simple transmission of a air wave signal.

No wonder other nations can and do provide these services to their population at a fraction of the cost that is charged in the criminal system supported by Right wing "make a slave, agenda"..

There is no such things as limitless value. and living by brokers games and traders shams, has made us the worlds biggest fools... and we remain unaware. Duped with smoke screens by the media news, which is nothing but a marketing machine, designed to make Americans swallow greed, choose to support corruption and lull us into accepting being indentured, to the corporations.

A SLAVE NATIONS REMAINS - IN PURSUIT TO CONTINUE BEING A SLAVE NATION. A LEOPARD DOES NOT CHANGE IT'S SPOTS, AND AMERICA HAS NEVER CHANGED IT , SEEK A SLAVE, MAKE A SLAVE AND CONTAIN A SLAVE MENTALITY.

Our entire legal and business design as a nation was build with this language and mentality in every aspect of it. and Ivy League Institutions were the hall mark entity which was charged with maintaining an ongoing pool of slave driving slave masters, who preside over industry.
We are a very unaware nation... because all we care about is drama, and fake popularity in the self deluding cycles of being intoxicated buffoons... who will forsake dignity, for the high of a drama sequence, and following a fad...

Asian nations will continue to rise and dominate the global sphere, because they first maintain the tradition of respect of their persons, and value family more than material things, and they are driven by a premise we can't understand, because we have been trained as minions who serve marketing madness. "A slave nation, remains, to enslave its people, and sold its industry, while seeking more slaves on foreign soil".

We allow and accept - entertainment, sell some sex characters, to influence the lives and dignity of people, and we don't even know the differences.. we only try to emulate the madness we see depicted in commercial media.

Already, fools rush out to buy IPad and IPhone, when the design programs sold to support it, are specifically an indenturing tool... which is controlled by AT&T and Verizon , we are too blind to see or recognize this madness... and fools rush in to be consumed.

I was with Centennial Wireless, then AT&T bought them out. I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile because AT&T sucks. Their customer service is horrible and their service drops calls all the time.

Why do they keep following me and buying up my wireless company?

AT&T is trying to get a monopoly so they can charge us whatever they want..........The US government finally did something right by breaking this merger up.

This country does have anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws in place to prevent this kind of thing. If this merger were to go ahead, how long do you think it would be before AT&T would be trying to buy Sprint or Verizon? This is exactly what the government should be doing. They are trying to protect the American consumer by ensuring that one company can't control the entire market share and charge whatever they feel like for service. It's why those laws were put there in the first place.

I owed AT&T a debt from a few years ago . Paid the debt . But due to 'THEIR' Computer Glitch at the time . My Payment needed to be 'RE~SENT' I was told . There's no way I will EVER pay another $479.00 to AT&T again !!!!! I can certainly agree with all the T-Mobile Users . If AT&T gets to own mostly all the Phone Service within the USA ? Were all Screwed , because thats one 'Glitch' America can do witout right now !!!!! If somebody had the good sence to start a USB Service that let You attach them onto Your Phone , or either the Television ? And do it similiar to Cell Phones ? Then America might just have a Good idea with that . Less Cables ran in any Neighborhood , and possibly better Service on all Calls made ( something like Magic Jack and TV Combo ) . Sure this is My idea . But anything beats paying AT&T more than 2 or 3 times when all they care for is your cash , and not YOU or I . Oh well I suppose this is Life in somebody's Fast Lane in America haha . Sure isn't mine .