T-Mobile and Sprint on Sunday announced a plan to merge in a deal that would combine the third- and fourth-largest telecommunications companies in the U.S. The two companies have attempted to merge in the past, only to abandon plans after scrutiny from regulators or failed negotiations. (more…)
News
Axios: T-Mobile and Sprint’s pitch to DC: Good for America
The CEOs of T-Mobile and Sprint argued on an analyst call that their just-announced merger would create jobs and boost America's position in the global race toward 5G wireless. Why it matters: It sounds like their regulatory pitch will align with Trump administration rhetoric. (more…)
Posted on
News
Wired: THE SPRINT/T-MOBILE MERGER IS HUGE—BUT A LOT OF QUESTIONS REMAIN
SPRINT MAY SOON be no more. Today the venerable telecommunications company announced plans to merge with T-Mobile in an all-stock deal. If regulators give the go-ahead, the new company will be called simply T-Mobile, and T-Mobile's current chief executive officer John Legere will be its CEO. That's a big if. Although the Trump administration…
Posted on
News
Statement of Gigi Sohn on Proposed Merger of T-Mobile and Sprint
Two of the nation's four mobile wireless carriers, T-Mobile and Sprint, just announced their intention to merge. The following statement should be attributed to Gigi Sohn: Consumers will be the losers if T-Mobile and Sprint are allowed to merge. Both companies have been feisty competitors to the two biggest national…
Posted on
Media
Gigi Sohn Statement on FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn Leaving the Agency
At today's Open Meeting, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn announced that she will be leaving the agency after nearly 9 years of service as both Acting Chair and a Commissioner. The following statement should be attributed to Gigi Sohn: Mignon Clyburn will go down in history as one of the…
Posted on
News
NBC News: FCC blocks reveal of emails about conservative news site’s ‘Harlem Shake’ net neutrality video
In December, the day before the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal its net neutrality rules, the agency’s chairman, Ajit Pai, appeared in a video for conservative news website The Daily Caller. The video was a riff on the “Harlem Shake” videos that had become popular on the internet, and…
Posted on
News
AP NewsBreak: APNewsBreak: US suspects cellphone spying devices in DC
For the first time, the U.S. government has publicly acknowledged the existence in Washington of what appear to be rogue devices that foreign spies and criminals could be using to track individual cellphones and intercept calls and messages. The use of what are known as cellphone-site simulators by foreign powers…
Posted on
News
CNET: Trump defends media giant as massive broadcast merger awaits
Sinclair Broadcast Group, which has a $3.9 billion takeover awaiting a decision by federal regulators, just got a vote of confidence from President Donald Trump. It wasn't specifically about the pending deal to acquire Tribune Media. Instead, the president was defending Sinclair against charges of bias in the wake of…
Posted on
Writing
CT General Assembly: Testimony of Gigi Sohn before the Energy and Technology Committee Testimony
Senators Winfield, Formica, and Representative Reed, my name is Gigi Sohn, and I have been an advocate for open, affordable and democratic communications networks for nearly 30 years. I am currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown Law and a Mozilla Fellow. I…
Posted on
News
Chicago Tribune/Associated Press: Connecticut considering how to counter net neutrality repeal
Connecticut is considering whether it makes sense to counter the repeal of federal net neutrality rules, which had banned telecommunications companies from interfering with web traffic or speeds to favor certain sites or apps. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff last week unveiled proposed legislation that would ultimately prohibit internet service providers…