Demand Progress

Tell the DOJ: Block the Sprint/T-Mobile merger!

The Sprint/T-Mobile merger could threaten net neutrality and raise cell phone prices for low-income customers.

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    Tell the DOJ: Block the Sprint/T-Mobile merger!

    Petition to Department of Justice:

    Please block the Sprint/T-Mobile merger. Consolidation of the wireless industry into three major carriers will lead to reduced choice and higher prices, especially for low-income consumers. Furthermore, wireless carriers should not be gatekeepers of the internet any more than traditional internet service providers. Consolidation increases the incentive for carriers to prioritize their own brands and content via wireless internet, instead of leaving the consumer in control of their online experience.

    A decade ago, there were seven major wireless carriers in the United States, along with dozens of regional carriers. Now, there are only four nationwide wireless service providers, and they control 98.8% of the market, with Verizon and AT&T holding the lion’s share of customers.1

    Now, the third and fourth largest mobile phone operators in the country, T-Mobile and Sprint, want to merge. A merger between T-Mobile and Sprint will mean higher prices for everyone, especially low-income customers.

    Tell the DOJ: Block the Sprint/T-Mobile merger!

    This merger would remove Sprint, the cheapest provider, from the market. Currently, T-Mobile and Sprint compete fiercely for customers on the lower end of the wireless market, which means lower prices for the people who need them the most.

    But consolidating the wireless service market into three major players would mean higher prices for everyone. We only need to look to our neighbors to the north, Canada, to see what happens with diminished competition.

    Canada has only three national carriers. With so little competition, unlimited talk, text, and data plans are practically nonexistent, and even the most affordable plans are over $100/month.2

    Tell the DOJ: Don’t raise my cell phone bill. Stop the Sprint/T-Mobile merger!

    Finally, a merger between Sprint and T-Mobile presents a threat to net neutrality, especially as more and more people access the internet solely or primarily through their smartphone.

    As wireless companies become bigger with fewer competitors, they will have more and more resources and incentives to prioritize and speed up their own content, while slowing everybody else’s down.

    That’s why the Justice Department needs to hear from you. The FCC has abdicated its responsibility to act in the public’s best interest when it comes to mergers as well as net neutrality. But the DOJ has shown it is still willing to push back against consolidation that is bad for the American people.

    Add your name today. Tell the DOJ to block the Sprint/T-Mobile merger!

     

    Sources:
    1. Fortune, “FCC: There's 'Effective Competition' in the Wireless Market,” September 27, 2017.
    2. BGR, “The nightmare Sprint-T-Mobile merger could be back on,” April 10, 2018.