Status Update: The AT&T, T-Mobile Mega-Merger

A lot has happened since news broke in March that AT&T planned to acquire T-Mobile USA. Here's a rundown of what led up to the merger, who's for and against the deal, and where it goes from here. This week marks the first major deadline in the Federal Communications Commission's review of AT&T's mega-merger with T-Mobile USA, which will make it the largest wireless operator in the country and further consolidate an already condensed industry. Anyone who wants the FCC to block AT&T's merger with T-Mobile had until the end of May 31 to file their opposition – the FCC calls it a "petition to deny" – with the agency. So far, more than 15,000 comments have poured into the FCC about the merger. The volume of comments surged by the thousands last week as people flocked to a website set up by Free Press that made it easier for consumers to voice their opposition to the deal, with more than 10,000 comments filed through the site in a single day last week. Since AT&T announced its $39 billion bid to buy T-Mobile on March 20, the companies have withstood a storm of criticism over the deal, sat through interminable hearings in the House and Senate and explained again and again why regulators should allow the deal to pass. And this is just the beginning.