In more good news for T-Mobile, New York Attorney General Letitia James says she will not appeal the T-Mobile/Sprint merger ruling.
Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ruled in T-Mobile and Sprint’s favor, giving the go-ahead on their proposed merger. Both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) had already approved the merger, but a coalition of states led by New York had filed a lawsuit to prevent it. The states had claimed that going from four to three major, national carriers would hurt competition, lead to higher prices and ultimately hurt consumers.
After losing their case, AG James has said she will not appeal the ruling in a statement on her office’s website.
“I’d like to thank California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the 12 additional attorneys general from around the nation for their partnership throughout this lawsuit. After a thorough analysis, New York has decided not to move forward with an appeal in this case. Instead, we hope to work with all the parties to ensure that consumers get the best pricing and service possible, that networks are built out throughout our state, and that good-paying jobs are created here in New York. We are gratified that this process has yielded commitments from T-Mobile to create jobs in Rochester and engage in robust national diversity initiatives that will connect our communities with good jobs and technology. We are committed to continuing to fight for affordability and access for all of New York’s mobile customers.”
In issuing his ruling, Judge Marrero made it clear it was not a single argument that caused him to rule the way he did, but rather the combination of all the arguments made. Cases like that are notoriously difficult to appeal, likely a factor in James’ decision not to.
Either way, the only remaining hurdles for the merger are passing Tunney Act antitrust review and getting approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), neither of which are expected to be an issue.