Sprint reminds us it didn't want AT&T-T-Mobile merger
In a statement released today, Sprint thanked departing FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski for his service and for blocking AT&T's 2011 bid for T-Mobile.
If you followed AT&T's unsuccessful play for T-Mobile that ultimately imploded in late 2011, then you'll remember that Sprint wasn't a fan of the proposed merger.
No, the nation's third-largest carrier opposed the transaction almost immediately and vigorously trashed it whenever it had the chance. And today, fifteen months after AT&T formally abandoned its $39 billion bid, Sprint brought up the issue again in a short statement regarding the upcoming resignation of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski.
"From his decision to block AT&T's proposed takeover of T-Mobile USA, to his efforts to reform the Universal Service Fund, intercarrier compensation, special access, and wireless Lifeline, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has repeatedly stood up for consumers and competition...Sprint appreciates his courageous leadership and his commitment to competition," wrote Vonya B. McCann, Sprint's senior vice president of Government Affairs. "Our industry and the American economy are better off as a result."
Indeed, Genachowski was a strong opponent of the deal, a fact that didn't please AT&T one bit. But that agency was hardly alone. The Justice Department sued to block it and resistance also came from special interest groups, AT&T customers, and several state governments.