DOJ Files Suit To Block AT&T/T-Mobile Merger
By Brittany Danielson, CRN – The U.S. Justice Department has moved to block AT&T (NYSE:T)’s proposed $39 million acquisition of T-Mobile, with a civil antitrust lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C.
In a statement, the DOJ said that the merger would lead to reduced competition, increased prices, and lower quality products and services for mobile telecommunications customers.
The controversial acquisition, proposed last March, would consolidate two of the four remaining national mobile service carriers, effectively eliminating a firm that brings a vital competitive element to the marketplace, according to the Justice Department.
“The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would result in tens of millions of consumers all across the United States facing higher prices, fewer choices and lower quality products for mobile wireless services,” said Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole, in the DOJ statement. “Consumers across the country, including those in rural areas and those with lower incomes, benefit from competition among the nation’s wireless carriers, particularly the four remaining national carriers. This lawsuit seeks to ensure that everyone can continue to receive the benefits of that competition.” 
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