More trouble for Nü Ma Bell:
Seven states announced on Friday that they would join the Justice Department in challenging AT&T’s proposed merger with T-Mobile.
Attorneys general from New York, Washington, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania will argue along with federal lawyers that combining the two major wireless providers would hurt competition and harm consumers.
I agree, no one company should be allowed to control that many frequencies.
A brief minuet will be danced, some meaningless concessions made, and corporate consolidation will roll on.
Ah who cares – no Grand Jury for the Cop who slaughtered innocent civilians in Seattle, none of it matters, we’re all serfs here.
Maybe the McKenna will get my vote for gov after all.
I’ve seen this movie. Next time we break them up, we freeze the pieces in liquid nitrogen BUT DON’T LET THE PIECES WARM BACK UP THIS TIME.
This Ma Bell comparison is crap. Yes, they’re big, but AT&T offers land line service in less than half the US (22 states), where it still has to compete with other telecom offerings (cable, other wireless providers, even those stupid Magic Jacks).
On the wireless side, there are at least three competing carriers (national and local) in almost every market.
The purchase of T Mobile might make AT&T the biggest carrier and might run afoul of antitrust laws, but it’s a long, long way from the reformation of the Ma Bell of old.
Its sort of funny that the only value of T Mobile is the airwave rights it has.