Sprint filing raises new challenges to AT&T, T-Mobile merger

Sprint raised new questions about AT&T and T-Mobile’s merger in a filing, saying that the economic model the companies submitted to the agency came too late and in such a piecemeal fashion that it has not given opponents a fair chance to react.

The Federal Communications Commission said July 21 that AT&T indicated that it now relies on new models to support the approval of its merger, and stopped the “shot clock” on its review of the merger. Sprint representatives told FCC officials that the series of later filings about these new models “make it difficult for Sprint and other interested parties to offer timely and meaningful comments.” “The Applicants [AT&T and T-Mobile] should not be allowed to get a ‘second bite at the apple’ (let alone a third or more bites) after failing in the Applications and Opposition to establish that the proposed transaction will promote the public interest,” Sprint said in the document. In response to the filing, Jim Cicconi, AT&T’s senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs said in a statement that the company’s filings on the model “confirms the compelling evidence previously submitted as to why our merger should be approved.”

(Aug 19)