Chairman Pai’s Response to Concerns About the Proposed T-Mobile Sprint Merger

On February 12, 2019, 9 senators wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai urging the FCC to reject the proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. The senators said the deal is likely to raise prices for consumers, harm workers, stifle competition, exacerbate the digital divide, and undermine innovation. "Furthermore, we remain unconvinced that the merger would speed up the deployment of next-generation 5G networks or extend affordable coverage to all Americans," they wrote. On Feb 27, Chairman Pai replied saying, "the Commission will evaluate whether this proposed transaction is in the public interest. Although I am unable to discuss the merits of this pending proceeding, I can assure you that the Commission is conducting an open and transparent process as required by FCC rules and regulations and that our decision will be based on a careful analysis of the record that has been developed."