T-Mobile gains a powerful ally hiring a former FCC commissioner to ‘advise’ on its Sprint merger

At a time of dysfunction in Washington, there’s at least one thing in this town that still runs like butter: The revolving door. Barely eight months after stepping down from the Federal Communications Commission, Mignon Clyburn has announced T-Mobile is paying her for advice on the company’s $26 billion merger with Sprint. The former commissioner won’t be lobbying for the deal, nor will she be visiting her old colleagues at the FCC. But having served for nearly a decade on the commission, Clyburn knows all the ins and outs of the agency and how it approaches merger reviews, making her experience invaluable to T-Mobile as it tries to persuade the FCC and the Justice Department to bless its acquisition. But Clyburn brings more to the table than just knowledge and expertise. Her record as a fighter for low-income Americans and minorities gives T-Mobile a shot of additional credibility as it argues that the deal will be beneficial for disadvantaged populations.