West Virginia Approves AT&T/T-Mobile

The West Virginia Public Service Commission has become the third state commission to approve the AT&T/T-Mobile merger, approving it without a hearing.

The commission was pleased that AT&T agreed to allow existing T-Mobile customers in the state to receive service on identical terms and conditions, saying that it was "swayed" by that promise. The commission found the conditions "reasonable," and said that the transaction "does not adversely affect the public and no party is given an undue advantage." The commission pointed out that the reason it does not adversely impact the state is that it does not impact the state much, period. "In this proceeding, the West Virginia portion of the proposed merger is relatively small touching on a limited number of T-Mobile customers residing near Pittsburgh or the District of Columbia," said the commission. "As Staff noted T-Mobile has only 0.26 percent of the West Virginia wireless market. Thus, the Commission believes that the transaction will not adversely impact competition or have other adverse impact on this State." It made it clear it was not passing judgment on the national implications of the deal for competition. "Any possible implications from this transaction on competition nationwide will be considered by federal authorities," it said.

West Virginia follows Arizona and Louisiana in approving the deal.