Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Nevada join suit to block anticompetitive merger
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that four additional states have joined the multistate lawsuit to block the merger of telecommunications giants T-Mobile and Sprint. In an amended complaint filed in New York federal court this morning, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Nevada were added to the suit, bringing the total number of states as plaintiffs to fourteen.
“The merger of T-Mobile and Sprint would stifle competition, cut jobs, and harm vulnerable consumers from across the country, so unity among the states will be key in defending our citizens against this power-hungry corporate union,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. “We welcome the support from these four additional states, which should serve as a reminder that, all throughout the nation, we have much to lose if we do not take action to protect our people from this megamerger.”
“Millions of Americans rely on mobile devices at work, at home, and to organize their lives. Competition between the mobile companies has resulted in better coverage and cheaper, more reliable service for all of us,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. “Our year-long investigation found that the proposed merger would give the new company the power to raise prices, significantly reduce competition for customers, lower quality, and cost thousands of retail workers their jobs. We are challenging this merger to protect a service that matters to everyone.”
“It’s my job to protect Minnesotans when anticompetitive behavior makes it harder for them to afford their lives,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. “The proposed megamerger between Sprint and T-Mobile would do just that. It would lead to higher prices, fewer jobs, and less service, especially in Greater Minnesota, where there are already too few options for staying connected. When Minnesotans and Americans everywhere are already struggling to afford their lives, more market consolidation is the last thing they need. I’m joining the fight today against the Sprint/T-Mobile merger to keep that from happening.”
“Protecting Nevada’s consumers is one of my top priorities,” said Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford. “Our office is exploring all options to ensure that this merger would not negatively affect Nevada families, businesses and workers.”
Today’s amended complaint includes the states of New York, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
Last week, a handful of Attorneys General from across the nation voiced their support for the lawsuit to stop the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint.
T-Mobile US Inc. and Sprint Corporation are the third and fourth largest mobile wireless networks in the U.S., and are the lower-cost carriers among the “Big Four” — Verizon Wireless and AT&T round out the market. Intense competition, spurred in particular by T-Mobile and Sprint, has meant declining prices, increased coverage, and better quality for all mobile phone subscribers.
T-Mobile currently has more than 79 million subscribers, and is a majority-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG. Sprint Corp. currently has more than 54 million subscribers, and is a majority-owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp.
