T-Mobile Buy of Mint Mobile Gets Support at FCC
Several groups supported T-Mobile’s proposed buy of Mint Mobile (see 2303150032) in filings at the FCC. While the review of acquisitions is “important, both from a national security and competition standpoint, the current administration’s posture has been far too extreme,”…
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National Taxpayers Union said, posted Wednesday in docket 23-171. “This case should not warrant an excessive review process or lawsuits,” the group said: “In this case, at just north of $1 billion in value, this is not a blockbuster acquisition by the broader acquisitions market and even by T-Mobile’s standards, which just closed the Sprint acquisition only three years ago for $23 billion.” The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said the FCC should “narrowly tailor” its review to “the purposes of Section 214" of the Communications Act, which governs foreign ownership. T-Mobile is partly owned by Germany’s Deutsche Telekom. “Because this proposed merger presents little chance of consumer harm and a strong probability of consumer benefits, the Commission should approve it as consistent with the statute and recent Commission precedent,” ITIF said: Protecting the public interest “is only an intelligible principle when it is in service of the Commission’s statutorily prescribed authority. It is not a freewheeling grant to go on a generalized policymaking expedition.” Silicon Harlem also supported the transaction. “Carefully consider the potential positive impact this transaction can have on expanding affordable wireless access and promoting digital equity,” Silicon Harlem said. “By approving this acquisition, you would send a clear message that the FCC is committed to fostering the inclusion of historically underserved communities in the digital economy,” the group said. New York’s Capital Region Chamber also filed in support, citing the “connectivity challenges that rural communities continue to face.”