T-Mobile fires back at Verizon on spectrum deal

T-Mobile says Verizon and its SpectrumCo cable partners are “throwing up a smokescreen” in the face of opposition to a proposed spectrum agreement. A T-Mobile spokesman said that “SpectrumCo has not raised anything new that has not already been addressed by T-Mobile in this proceeding."

He called a recent letter Verizon et al sent to the Federal Communications Commission a "hodgepodge of complaints" and said it was a "smokescreen to try to hide the serious anticompetitive impacts that would result from this highly problematic transaction." "The FCC’s focus must be on whether vigorous competition will continue following this spectrum transaction between Verizon and the cable companies," he said. "T-Mobile USA and many other parties have demonstrated that the long-term result would be less competition if Verizon is allowed to warehouse the last swath of spectrum likely to be available in the near term to provide meaningful nationwide competition in mobile broadband,” the spokesman said.