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Outgoing FCC chair says Verizon, AT&T duopoly would be a ‘very bad thing’

Published May 1st, 2013 12:30PM EDT
FCC Chairman Genachowski Interview

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The biggest decision that outgoing Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski made during his tenure was to block the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile, which earned him plaudits from rival carrier Sprint and scorn from AT&T executives. The Hill reports that Genachowski still has absolutely no regrets for thwarting AT&T’s T-Mobile takeover bid and said this week that a wireless industry dominated by AT&T and Verizon would be a “very bad thing for our innovation economy.”

Genachowski went on to point out that since the merger collapsed, T-Mobile has acquired more spectrum to give it a nationwide presence for LTE and has unveiled bold new pricing plans that ditch wireless contracts all together. Neither of these things would have been possible if the AT&T-T-Mobile merger had passed, Genachowski claimed.

“Two and a half years ago, the U.S. mobile marketplace was on the doorstep of duopoly,” he said. “Look at the market now.”

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.