Senate Will Vet Proposed T-Mobile-Sprint Deal

The Senate will hold an antitrust hearing on the proposed T-Mobile-Sprint merger.

The two companies announced last month they had struck an all-stock deal to combine, arguing the $146 billion company would become a stronger competitor to former Bells Verizon and AT&T.

Related: Computer Companies Seek Thorough Review of T-Mobile-Sprint Deal

Critics counter that the deal will reduce choice in the burgeoning wireless broadband market.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's Antitrust Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the deal June 27, a committee spokesperson confirmed.

Some Senate Democrats, including Antitrust Subcommittee ranking member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), have told the Department of Justice and the FCC that they have serious concerns about the proposed merger.

They did not say they opposed the deal, but they spelled out the reasons they thought it needed close scrutiny, including claims that combining the third and fourth largest wireless carriers is pro-competitive.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.