Press Releases

Nadler & Cicilline Denounce NY District Court Approval of T-Mobile & Sprint Merger

Washington, February 11, 2020

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law Chairman David N. Cicilline (D-RI) released the following statements after the New York District Court approved the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile.

Chairman Nadler:“I’m disappointed in today’s decision. Four nationwide carriers have long controlled the marketplace, leaving Americans to pay higher prices for lower quality service than customers elsewhere in the world, and leaving millions of Americans on the wrong side of the digital divide. By reducing competition down to only three nationwide carriers, this merger will exacerbate these problems. Evidence shows that these types of mergers lead to reduced innovation and network quality, and fewer jobs.”

Subcommittee Chairman Cicilline:“The approval of this merger will lead to higher prices and fewer options for consumers. It will hurt wages and opportunities for workers. It will result in less innovation and investment by wireless carriers. The District Court’s holding ignores decades of black letter law. This merger will substantially lessen competition. In addition, direct evidence shows that it will significantly harm consumers, workers, and small businesses. I am disturbed by reports that the Justice Department played an active role in facilitating the deal on behalf of the companies. Rather than promoting competition, the DOJ continues to act like an industry-funded think tank. They are supposed to work for taxpayers, not for corporate special interests. This behavior is nothing short of shameful. It must end.”