AT&T CEO says blocking T-Mobile merger will increase wireless prices

AT&T chief executive officer Randall Stephenson recently said in a Captains of Industry interview with Bloomberg that blocking his company’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA will increase wireless prices for consumers. Stephenson explained that AT&T needs T-Mobile in order to expand its already strained network capacity, and that Congress doesn’t understand wireless policy. “Regulators can’t keep up with the changes in the industry,” Stephenson said. AT&T recently withdrew its application from the FCC to acquire T-Mobile USA and said that it will first focus on a lawsuit brought against the merger by the Department of Justice. Should AT&T win the lawsuit, which is expected to begin in February, the carrier will then likely refile its application to purchase T-Mobile with the FCC.

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