FCC approves T-Mobile-Sprint merger despite lawsuit, antitrust concerns

After today, the U.S. will only have three major mobile providers.

On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the T-Mobile-Sprint merger despite antitrust concerns and an ongoing multi-state lawsuit to block it.

The 3-2 vote giving the merger the ‘OK’ was along party lines, with both Democrats against it. 

The FCC, or at least Chairman Ajit Pai and the two other Republican commissioners, say that the merger will enable the companies to close the digital divide between rural and urban areas and help deploy a 5G network. 

T-Mobile and Sprint agreed to offer coverage to 97 percent of Americans with its 5G network within three years and 99 percent of Americans within six years of the close of the merger. The companies also committed to provide mobile broadband with speeds of at least 100 Mbps to 90 percent of Americans and speeds of at least 50 Mbps to 99 percent.  Read more...