AT&T T-Mobile deal gets support from Georgia leaders but not consumers

Some Georgians so strongly opposes the pending $39 billion mobile phone transaction that they filed online statements with the Federal Communications Commission.

Even though AT&T's wireless division is based in Atlanta, comments from Georgians and Atlantans show there are few fans for this home team. An informal sampling of the statements from state residents ran against the transaction by 28 to 1. Some consumers say the move would make AT&T too big, reducing competition for low prices and innovative technology. Many residents also complained about AT&T’s service quality and fear that the issue of dropped calls and spotty coverage would spread to T-Mobile once the deal is complete. The FCC routinely invites public comment on major issues of interest. Atlanta's AT&T Mobility is the richest, strongest and fastest-growing unit of Dallas-based AT&T. If approved, the new company would be the nation’s No. 1 carrier with 129 million subscribers, serving about 43 percent of mobile phones in the United States.