Several advocacy groups have written a letter to the Federal Communications Commission in regards to AT&T’s planned $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. The letter specifically asks FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to “convene a series of field hearings around the country to hear from the people who could be most affected by the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile.” The advocacy groups believe that the acquisition would give AT&T nearly control of nearly 80% of the U.S. wireless market and that as such, “prices would rise, jobs would be lost, and innovation would suffer.” AT&T’s CEO Randall Stephenson has argued that the acquisition would result in net job growth. Sprint, one of the deal’s most outspoken opponents, has also said that the purchase would stifle innovation in the U.S. wireless market. The groups that signed the letter include the Consumers Union, Public Knowledge, the Open Technology Initiative of the New America Foundation, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Future of Music Coalition, Media Access Project, and the Free Press.
[Via Fierce Wireless]
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