FCC Democrat says T-Mobile–Sprint merger ‘will end a golden age in wireless’
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The Federal Communications Commission has officially released its order approving the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint following a contentious vote last month.
The writing has been on the wall since May, when FCC Chairman Ajit Pai signaled that he would approve the deal and recommend the same to his colleagues. The decision was formalized in the recent vote by FCC commissioners along party lines, with the two Democrats on the commission dissenting.
The Department of Justice has also approved the deal. As part of the regulatory review process, T-Mobile agreed to a time frame for deploying next-generation 5G networks and to divest Sprint subsidiary Boost Mobile. The merger still faces a lawsuit from a coalition...