BALTIMORE — Maryland Attorney General, Brian E. Frosh has joined in filing a multi-state lawsuit to halt the proposed merger of T-Mobile and Sprint.
According to the complaint, the merger of two of the four national mobile network operators would deprive consumers of the benefits of competition and drive up prices for cellphone services. Attorney General Frosh says that the merger of the two carriers is dangerous for consumers.
“Reduced competition in a market that only has four major competitors right now will result in higher prices and fewer options for Marylanders," said Frosh. "Millions of Americans depend upon cell phones to stay in touch with family, conduct business, access email and the Internet, and to make emergency 911 calls. American consumers deserve more competition, not less.”
T-Mobile and Sprint are the third and fourth largest mobile networks in the U.S. and are the lower-cost carriers among the 'Big Four.' Both networks have said that the merger would offer lightning-fast speeds and increased capacity, but according to an investigation led by the attorney general, those benefits were unverifiable and "could only be delivered years into the future."
The attorney general says they are concerned that this would lead to a substantial loss of retail jobs as well as lower pay for workers of independent dealers.
In addition to Maryland, the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. joined the lawsuit.
