The Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission indicated on Monday that it would approve the T-Mobile-Sprint merger after the two companies agreed to spin off Boost Mobile and submit to other conditions for the $26 billion deal.

Ajit Pai, the FCC’s Republican chairman, said in a statement Monday morning that he was encouraged by the companies’ commitments to expand rural connectivity and to build out a large next-generation 5G wireless network as conditions for approving the merger.

In a filing submitted Monday morning, T-Mobile and Sprint pledged to build out a 5G wireless network that would cover 97 percent of Americans within three years and 99 percent within six years.

The proposed deal has generated significant opposition, mainly from Democrats and advocacy groups who worry about further concentration in the industry and the potential for higher prices for consumers.

The deal’s biggest critics are unlikely to be won over by the commitments the companies are making to the FCC or by the agency’s apparent willingness to abdicate its ability to issue fines if the post-merger company breaks those promises.

More at The Hill.