Colorado joins multi-state coalition to block T-Mobile and Sprint megamerger

June 11, 2019 (DENVER, Colo.)— Colorado joined nine states today in filing a multi-state lawsuit to halt the proposed merger of telecom giants T-Mobile and Sprint. The complaint alleges that the merger of two of the four largest national mobile network operators would deprive consumers of the benefits of competition and drive up prices for cellphone services. The following is a statement from the Colorado Department of Law regarding joining the lawsuit:

“The break-up of the AT&T monopoly 35 years ago paved the way for the competition, innovation, and customer choice in the telecommunications market that we all enjoy today.

“The $26 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint would reduce competition in retail mobile wireless services and the prices that Colorado consumers pay for those services. Particularly hard hit would be prepaid customers. Many of these customers come from low-income households and their mobile handsets are their primary—or even only—means of connecting to the internet.

“To protect Colorado consumers, and the benefits that come from competition, the court should block this merger.”

According to data from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, as of March 2019, T-Mobile and Sprint had a combined 1,556,042 telephone access lines in Colorado, or roughly 1.5 million customers. T-Mobile currently has more than 79 million subscribers nationwide, and is a majority-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG. Sprint Corp. currently has more than 54 million subscribers nationwide, and is a majority-owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp.

The complaint was filed under seal in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. States that joined the lawsuit include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

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CONTACT
Lawrence Pacheco, Director of Communications
(720) 508-6553 office | (720) 245-4689 cell
Email: Lawrence.pacheco@coag.gov