Sprint Chairman to Meet With FCC Chief

Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son is scheduled to meet with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler as he continues to press the case for consolidation in the US wireless business.

The meeting will cover a range of issues and wasn't called to discuss a specific transaction, a person familiar with the matter said. But Son is expected to argue for allowing mergers that would create a viable competitor to market leaders Verizon Wireless and AT&T, people familiar with the matter said. Proponents of consolidation say that a Sprint-T Mobile deal wouldn't take the wireless industry from four national players down to three. Instead, a Sprint deal for T-Mobile would expand the number of solid competitors in the industry from two to three, the people said. AT&T and Verizon Wireless are so dominant that the only way to introduce lasting competition into the industry is to combine the smaller players, they said. Sprint Chief Executive Dan Hesse is to attend an event Feb 4 with President Barack Obama to discuss an initiative announced during the State of the Union address that would provide wireless connectivity to thousands of schools, two of the people said. Son may also attend, one of the people said.